I agree, black with navy isn’t ideal, but having those in my ”back pocket” takes the pressure off to find something.

Annie, I was basing the hand on the way the dress moves and how it feels when I walk. And how it feels in my hand. It is a nice weight and doesn’t feel cheap.

I love black patent leather with navy.

Is it consistent on both shoulders or more of an issue on one vs the other?

It’s both shoulders. So a design issue, at least for my shoulders.

Why don't you start with a good pressing and steaming of the seam? That may help it lay flatter. Maybe no alterations will be needed. Here's to wishful thinking!

If it's both, then it's definitely a fit issue and some tailoring will fix it up right.

I would love to see this dress on you! You are working so hard to be able to keep it, I would like to see it.

I ordered these a month or so ago from Dillard’s and wore them to an event. They were very comfy and $79.99. They come in silver, navy and black also.

DGD bought the platform version of the Vince shoe in the middle above. She liked them and tried the others but said they weren’t that comfortable (the non-platforms). Girls all over campus had them for graduation last week.

These are the shoes coming from Zappos. I’m afraid most are too tall for me.

Block heels are my favorite! MUCH more comfortable. As for the dress, the fabric might relax a bit just hanging on a padded hanger. Hoping we get to see a full view of you in the dress.

I also like block heels. @OutsidePlaying I love those shoes!! BB, I'm hoping with a block heel you will be able to wear one of the higher heels. I really think with the style/length of the dress you need a pair of fab heels. Good luck!

I love block heels too. Glad they are back in style. I thought mine would be a little high but they didnt feel that way at all. I am 5’9”.

Took the dress to be altered. I even hauled it with me to DD’s (bigger city) to make sure I was having the work done by an experienced seamstress. DD’s MIL gave me the name of a seamstress who alters evening gowns and designer clothing.

The seamstress says the shoulder problem cannot be cured without messing up the neck ruffle. There is an elderly seamstress in my town. She has retired but I may see if she’ll give me a second opinion.

I’m so disappointed. I have a backup, the dress I wore to my niece’s wedding. It is a bit dressy for a morning wedding but push may have come to shove.

I don't understand that...seems to me an easy alteration to take in more at the shoulder and taper to nothing at the neck which seems to fit fine so the neckline need not be messed with.

Send it to Annie! 😊

I agree with Annie about the ruffle and neckline. I was more concerned about the way you said the facings were connected -- sounds like they form a partial lining. That makes the lateration trickier, but no reason you cannot put a seam on the inside. It just wouldn't fit quite as smooth. I wonder if you ordered another dress -- same style and size, if it might fit better. I've done that with clothing and shoes.

My guess is that not possible means not worth my time, I don't have the patience for it, or I can't charge you enough to make it worth my while. The fabric may play a role in that -- some are just much more challenging to take apart and stitch again. But do get a second opinion.

Yeah, if the dress is lined, that makes the alteration trickier, but not impossible. It may be that seamstress doesn't want to bother.

Like Annie, I thought it would be an easy fix tapering to the neckline. Of course, you would have to also take the all-in-one facing (you got it, @lascatx..it is almost like a partial lining) apart and make it match.

@eld6161, I’d send it to Annie in a NY minute, but she’d have to take me with it!

lascatx, you might be right about the seamstress thinking it would not be worth her time. She never quoted me a price but I was prepared to pay through the nose to get the dress to fit nicely. She was very apologetic about not being able to alter it. She also looked at taking it in in the underarm seam to make it fit, but that wouldn’t work either. Taking your advice, I’ve just ordered another dress. They must have re-stocked in my size. Cross your fingers!

I totally forgot!! I have a neighbor with a master’s degree in tailoring or maybe clothing construction. Her PhD is related. She has taught on the college level. When I get back home, I’ll get her to look at it too!

The shoe shipment came yesterday. It didn’t take me anytime to choose these. They are comfortable and the heel height is not too low and not too high (something less than 2”). They are obviously fast fashion, which is okay with me. I can’t see raffia shoes being investment dressing.

As long as they comfortable.

As long as you can walk and dance in them....

To me, it looks like the shoulder seam was made for someone who has square shoulders. If the shoulder seam is altered, then the underarm seam could be too tight, and so that would need to be taken into consideration as well.

It does not look like an easy alteration to me, and I have done plenty of alterations. That doesn't mean that it cannot be done, but the entire arm opening needs to be altered.

I'm surprised that you did not cross post to the sewing forum.

I love the heels on the shoes that you have chosen. Just a little bit different.

Lars, can't really tell in the photos how high it's coming up on the underarm. There may be plenty of room especially with the shoulder of the dress being so narrow. If the armhole is otherwise comfortable, then just taking out the excess that's there now should work. What's more concerning to me is it looks like it's very finely top stitched which would be a nightmare to rip out with high risk of damaging the fabric. And I can't tell whats underneath in terms of facing/lining.

But definitely worthwhile getting a 2nd opinion from another tailor.

bbstx, If you want, take a pic of the dress on so we can see the entire armhole region including the underarm, and then turn the dress inside out and take a pic so we can see the interior construction.

Another alternative would be to intentionally gather the fabric even more along the shoulder seam to make it look shirred and then there will be less excess above the shoulder and the gathering will look intentional. That would be easy to try out with a simple needle and thread and see if you like the look or not.

Another possibility exists as a future FYI, although not apparently in this case. If the garment was a little too snug in the bust area, the shoulder area can't settle down to where it needs to be. Sloping shoulders does cause this problem too, but it seems to be a really large adjustment is needed and might impact that ruffle to make a smooth transition due to the short shoulder seam

Good point about the fit through the bust, blubird.

Annie, I cannot see the fine top stitching, but

1. That type garment doesn’t usually have top stitching on the shoulder seams

2. Assuming it is top stitched, I think the top stitched area would become enclosed in the altered seam allowance, so perhaps not necessary to worry much about picking and possibly damaging the fabric.

3. Your suggestion to intentionally gather (pull?) the seam to the neckline to eliminate the shoulder might work, if it doesn’t create too much bulk and change the lines of the dress. I did that with a very lightweight sleeveless sweater/shawl type thing resulting in a bare shoulder, but there was no lining to contend with. I don't know how that would work in structured fabric and bodice.

Like Lars said, this doesn’t look easy to me, but maybe not impossible. Some Alterations are harder than others. I hope you can save a perfect dress, bbstx.

I'm holding out hope that this dress if flawed and the next one is going to be better, though the possibility exists that there was a flaw in the batch if a size is coming available again (returns for a reason?).

I think the problem may be the lining itself -- either being cut wrong or a size larger lining used, causing the face fabric to get stretched out of shape and distorted. Even if the lining piece was properly cut, it may not have been sewn properly. And if sewn properly and the shoulder/armhole was just designed for massive shoulders, the "proper" way to alter it would really involve remaking the dress. You cannot simply adjust a facing to correspond with the alteration to the shoulder seam (and the underarm seam if needed) because that is all one piece. You will either have to take one or more darts in that single piece lining or recut and reshape it -- which would mean taking it out and essentially remaking the dress. And that fabric does look and sound like the type that would be difficult to alter without damaging. The more I think about it the more I understand why the seamstress took a pass on it.

I wonder if your neighbor might be up for a challenge -- or offer to help you make a similar dress from scratch. It might be half the work.

Will be curious how the second dress looks.

So sorry! It stinks when something we desired so much turns out to such a disappointment. Is it still returnable?

I think I'd chalk it up to 'wasn't meant to be ', rather than invest more time, money and effort for a doubtful outcome.

“As long as you can walk and dance in them…”

Annie, if I could dance in them it would be a miracle since I can’t dance at all! I’m the female Eugene Levy from Best in Show. I have 2 left feet!

The armholes of the dress are not too large. There is a little give in it but not so much that you can see the band of my bra under my arm or look through the side and see my bra straps.

Later, I’ll post better pictures of the dress without me in it. Right side out and wrong side out.

Annie, I’ll give the intentional shirring a try. It certainly would be easy enough to put in and take out!

@blubird, good thought but it isn’t too snug in the bust. The size down was way too snug so I went up a size.

I looked back at the online picture. When blown up, the shoulders look odd, even on the model. There is a strange build-up from the shoulder to the neck seam, don’t you think?

Hmmm - the shoulder seam in that photo may have been pinned & gathered from inside.

There aren't any hidden drawstrings in there are there?

There aren’t any hidden drawstrings, but I did find lingerie straps…the teeny tiny strap with a snap on one end to keep your bra strap in place!

Sorry no pix yet and it has gotten too dark to get good shots now. Hopefully, tomorrow.

Another possible expedient fix, to run elastic thread through the seam allowance, just along the top half of the armhole - just to reduce the lift, not to make gathers. I did that to a gaping neckline on a budget bathing suit and it worked fine. I knotted the thread and sewed them down on each end.

It's this line of stitching that I'm thinking would be hard to undo....not sure if it's top stitching or if it's the seam from the facing underneath that's been turned under...

The photo with the model may be photoshopped. A friend pointed out how one clothing site's photos had odd looking photos -- the something would be off about the proportions, the exact model in the exact pose, legs that didn't quite line up right. Looked like a lot of the clothes were being shown photoshopped onto generic photos.

There is a little gap on this one on the model, but the model's shoulders are less sloped. But the shoulder seam does lay flat, not pucker at all....

I find the lighter colors make it easier to see the construction...

Here are the pictures as promised.

Right shoulder: Wrinkles occur with dress hanging correctly on the hanger.

Left shoulder…better than right shoulder

Inside left shoulder (flash changes color). Very odd lingerie keeper. It snaps back on itself and could only accommodate a bra strap the width of a shoe lace.

Inside right shoulder. No top stitching, but there is stay stitching to prevent the facing from rolling outwards

General picture of all in one facing on right side

Left side wrong side out

Although I love the style of the dress, as I carefully examined it today, I had to wonder if it were worth trying to save it. The seam allowances are not straight and even. Where it was necessary to ease fullness, it appears that the sewers just made tucks. It is polyester and spandex. If it were a heavyweight silk, I might be more inclined to keep trying. If the current construction were more carefully done, I might keep trying.

Keep your fingers crossed that the next one that comes in was made by the best seamstress in the factory and not on a Monday!

Yay! I'm so glad you got one that worked! I was reading and thinking you had given up until this last post. Prize to the neighbor for figuring out the tie adjustment! The first one was obviously poorly sewn, but I think the lining was miscut or the wrong size and the sewer was trying to do the best they could while continuing to work. Enjoy the wedding! And after all of this, I hope you get to wear the dress for several other occasions.

I’m so happy to see this! It’s great

That is good news..

Ordering online can be exhausting. Happy that it worked out for you.

We need a picture!

Glad you figured it out...that'd be a total PITA to rip out and reconstruct!

Eld, if there is a decent picture of me from the wedding, I’ll be sure to post it!

Yay! Been following your dress saga as I look and shop for one for our grandson’s wedding which is much further off. It isnt easy, that’s for sure, and so glad to read a happy ending for a pretty dress.

I am so pleased you finally have the dress you wanted. It is gorgeous, and I am sure you will be smashing in it.

I love that dress, and navy was always my first choice. I applaud your patience!