couture Process
Bridal Gowns
We understand the special place that a wedding gown holds in every bride’s heart and therefore leave no stone unturned to ensure that every detail of the dress is perfect
We are a one-stop destination for customized bridal gowns in Bangalore and seasoned designers at the Boutique will aid and advise you throughout the gown’s stitching and fitting process. Here is a low-down of what the couture process for a wedding gown typically entails and how you can participate in the same for the most spectacular outcome
Step1. Finalizing the Design
The first step of the couture process is determining the base design of the bridal gown. You can share any designs that you may have collected to create your vision board – to give us an idea of your style & preferences. You could also seek inspirations from our design boards – a hand-picked curated selection of latest designs from bridal designers across the world
Based on the design elements that appeal the most to you, our designers will now start with a blank canvas and individualize every single detail of your dream dress as below
03 Sleeve & Shoulder
Elevating the style of your dress with the right sleeve & shoulder choices
04 Waistline
Want to look taller or shorter, slimmer or curvier? Pick the right waistline!
05 Hemline & Train
Hem length, train & flare needs to be flattering for your height and frame
06 Embellishments
Enhance the beauty of the gown with embellishments, embroidery & overlays
Step2. Choosing the Fabric and Construction Details
Fabric selection is crucial for the gown as different fabrics will impart a different look and fall to the same design. Some fabrics have a glossy sheen to them while others do not impart any lustre to the gown
The design & fabric selection of a bridal gown typically goes hand-in hand & is often an iterative process. Our designer will help you make the right choices for each element of your gown design
Base Fabrics & Colours
A combination of fabrics are typically used in the construction of the gown. Structured or stiffer fabrics impart the desired shape to the gown and Soft fabrics are used as an overlay, to impart a delicate finish to the outfit
We will help you select a fabric that is weather appropriate and is suitable for the silhouette of the gown. You could select any colours of your choice while the designer aids you with the current trends of the season. We’ve many fabric procurement, dyeing and printing options available at our boutique
Lining Selection
A lining is a fabric attached as an inner layer to the gown to help improve the gown’s structure and to make it more comfortable for the wearer by preventing contact with the rougher outer fabric of the gown design
Even though a gown’s lining is rarely visible, choosing a substandard material for the lining to cut costs will ruin the visual appeal and comfort of the gown. Therefore, we will recommend you some sturdy materials for the lining, such as high-quality satin
Use of Can-can
Can-can is a net material that is used to add volume to the skirt of a statement gown. While this fluffy material certainly adds to the visual appeal of the gown, it also adds to the weight of the outfit, making it difficult to move around in.
Having too many layers of stiff can-can in your gown will not only make the dress hard to walk around in, it may also hamper your comfort while sitting or posing for pictures. Our designers can help you choose the right amount of can-can to strike a balance between comfort and visual appeal
Step3. Trials & Fittings
The fit of your gown is our biggest priority and the most distinguishing feature of your garment. Once the design elements of the gown have been finalized, the designer will take your measurements and start preparing it for production. She will create your comprehensive 35-point Fit profile which is pattern cut & made ready for construction. You would be called in for different fitting sessions as below, at different stages of the production process
01 Calico Fitting
The first fitting of your gown will be done using a sample gown created with Calico, which is a plain white fabric. This fitting is to ensure that the sample gown fits you well and that the design components and the movement of the fabric are to your liking. It may require a couple of iterations before the sample gown ticks all the right boxes for you. We request you to be vocal about any issues with the fit, comfort or structure of the gown at this stage because the sample gown will be used as a reference for cutting the fabric of the actual gown, and alterations at this stage will be easier and more cost-effective than during subsequent fittings
02 Boutique Trials
After the Calico fitting, the designer will create the gown with the chosen fabric, using the sample gown as the reference. You will be called in for a second fitting once the base design of the gown using your fabric of choice is ready. During this fitting session, the designer will ask you to test the comfort and fit of the material. A few things to check at this stage are whether your feedback from the first fitting has been incorporated in the gown, whether the fabric wrinkles or bundles up when you sit and walk around, and whether or not you are comfortable moving around in the gown with your bridal shoes on. Once you confirm that the gown fits you well, after any alterations that may be needed, the designer will proceed with adding the embellishments and embroidery to the gown for the final fitting
03 Final Fittings
The final fitting of the gown will happen once all the embellishments and overlays have been attached to the gown. Minor alterations are made to the gown at this stage and finishing touches like buttons or ribbons are added to make the gown picture perfect for the big day. This will be the final step to ensure that your gown is exactly as you envisioned and ready to be worn at the event. You must check whether all the fasteners are functioning properly and if there are any complicated straps, bows or buttons to be done up, ask the designer to teach you how to do this. Our designers can also provide you any fabric care advice and tips on how to get rid of wrinkles at the last minute without damaging the dress. After the final fitting, once the gown is perfected, it is pressed and packed for pick-up
Pro*Tips
From our designers
Buy your undergarments and shoes prior to the first fitting, if possible, and carry them to all your fitting sessions to ensure that the length and silhouette of the dress go well with the same
It is also recommended that you buy all your accessories, such as the headpiece and the gloves, before the final fitting, so that you can ensure that these go well with the embellishments on your gown and create a cohesive look
It is advisable to carry a camera and take pictures of your final fitting so that you can replicate the look easily on your wedding day
Reserve sufficient time on your calendar for the fitting sessions. If you rush through, chances are that you will miss out on a detail that will bother you on the final day
Your comfort and satisfaction are of prime importance to us, and our designers are always open to feedback and communication. So do not hesitate in voicing your thoughts and opinions throughout the couture process, our designers will take care of everything else to deliver exactly what you desire from your bridal gown
At the end of the day, it’s the bride who makes the dress, not the other way around
-Kang Chun Lin, Bridal Designer
Frequently Asked Questions
The earlier the better. Christian wedding gowns will typically take about a month – but it could be lesser time or sometimes even more than a month, depending upon the complexity of the design, the choice of fabric, embroidery & other embellishments
Certainly. We are into custom-made dresses and we individualize every design we create – including the fabric of your choice. You could bring your own fabric – or choose from the selection at the store – or we could source the best fabric that suits the design.
Bear in mind however, that choosing the fabric before finalizing the design could limit the choice of designs you could select from. It would be better if you could finalize the design with our designers first, create a list of fabrics that could go with the design & then go for fabric shopping
Yes, every season we curate a large number of designs from designers across the world. You could choose a design from this selection & we will personalize it for you.
You could also seek inspiration from the designs we’ve made for our customers – some of them are presented on our website as well as our social media channels. A limited-edition designer selection is also available at the store every season
Contact us for further information
Quality of Work is of utmost importance at Lavender, The Boutique – & we apply this in every aspect of Dress Making
We source Premium Quality Fabric from the best sources in the country. If it has to dyed or printed, we get this done through the best in the Industry, so that the colour/ print is long lasting
For stitching we always use Branded Threads, Zippers & Trims to ensure good finish & durability with no colour fading on any number of washes
In Embroidery, we always use Export Quality Laces, Beads, Sequins, Stones & wires, so that it gives you a good look & the shine lasts more
On Padded Gowns, we use Imported pads – including underwire pads, if needed
For Linings, we always use pre-shrunk high quality Fabric
And For good finish, we always use Premium Quality Fusing
We follow a very comprehensive design, measurement, construction & quality control processes to ensure that you get a perfect fit in the first attempt itself. Which means that trying the fitting in itself does not take much time – you will always get it right
You could walk-in anytime to the store during our business hours or reach us over phone/ email/ social media anytime 24 X 7
We would however recommend that you take prior appointment for bridal orders, so that we can reserve ample time required for detailed discussions
Absolutely. This is the best advantage for custom-made dresses to get designs of your choice created with minimal budgets
We have clients from all over the world & a very matured communication and delivery process to ensure that you get the same superior experience, as when you visit the store
