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Hoop skirt is slipping off Any suggestions for keeping a hoop skirt up
barbarahf   Intermediate OH USA Member since 6/8/10 Posts: 64	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 6/20/12 5:21 PM The dress is a strapless ball gown with a full gathered skirt. The skirt starts just above the bride's high hip line. She is large & a bit like a rectangle topped with a triangle - all shoulders & bust, Hips and waist about the same size as each other and narrower than the bust. The bodice is cinched in a bit and with the skirt poufing out it gives a wonderful illusion of waist & hips. Here's the problem - To support the illusion I had her purchase a hoop skirt. She is on a tight budget and the skirt is made of acetate - very slippery. Even with the drawstring pretty much cinched around her waist as tight as it will go, the skirt slips off. And that's without the weight of the dress over it. Is there some way to stop the hoop skirt from slipping down or will I need to put fasteners inside the gown to keep it up? Thanks, Barbara ------ Barbara It's all about the costumes!
tourist   Intermediate BC CANADA Member since 7/23/07 Posts: 5417	Login to reply to this post In reply to barbarahf << 1 member likes this. Date: 6/20/12 6:19 PM Barbara - I had similar concerns with a ballgown that has very heavy crinolines. It has an inner dress made of heavy-ish mesh (not as heavy as power mesh, not as light as illusion) but the skirts were slipping down when I moved and I felt like they would be dragging on the floor by the time we finished our first waltz! I ended up taking a piece of 3" wide elastic and hand sewing with a catch stitch into the waistline of the inner dress. It is big enough to go over my hips snugly to put it on, but not so tight I can't breathe. The inner dress is just attached to the main dress at the shoulder seams. Of course, you do not have the luxury of shoulder seams (when will the strapless craze end???) but you certainly could try a wide elastic on the waistband of the hoop skirt and put some hook and eye fasteners onto the bottom of the bodice. Oh - and a little of the rubbery strips they use on the inside of cyclists shorts might help it hang in there, too. Or the two sided fashion tape, but I bet it wouldn't be comfy on the waist. I should add that the wide elastic makes this gown incredibly comfortable to wear, in spite of the weight. Photo here I had to search around for that photo but I forgot it is my avatar! -- Edited on 6/20/12 6:20 PM -- ------ http://bgballroom.wordpress.com to follow the progress on my next ballgown.
helen in oz Advanced Beginner AUSTRALIA Member since 12/2/10 Posts: 31	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 6/20/12 6:29 PM I really like tourist's ideas. If they don't work, you could consider attaching the petticoat to the wearer's undergarments (eg: if she's wearing spanx briefs, then you could lightly catch the underskirt at the top of the brief's sideseams only.) I'd think twice about attaching the hoop petticoat to the main dress. If the dress is strapless with a big skirt, it will be carrying a fair weight already, especially considering the wearer is busty. Adding more weight in the form of an attached underskirt will increase the risk of the whole thing sliding down. As an aside, has the main dress got a waist stay? And maybe a bust stay as well?
barbarahf   Intermediate OH USA Member since 6/8/10 Posts: 64	Login to reply to this post In reply to helen in oz << Like this post Date: 6/20/12 9:12 PM Good point about not adding more weight to the bottom of the dress. The elastic sounds like a great idea. I used that with belly dance hip belts that needed just a bit of snugging to lay right. And there is quite a sturdy waist stay. I had forgotten about bust stays. She comes for last bodice fitting tomorrow to check position of waist stay. May have to look into bust stay. ------ Barbara It's all about the costumes!

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