llamanade Posted October 13, 2009 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 Hi all! My husband and I were invited to a Halloween costume party and I would like to go as Belle from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. I found a dress at a thrift store that looks almost exactly like the golden one she wears in the movie. However, the dress is spaghetti strap. obviously that doesn't fit in with church dress standards, especially with garments! So I figure there should be people on this board with lots of experience in making clothing more modest, especially with how hard it is for ladies to find modest clothing these days. Does anyone know how to add sleeves to a spaghetti strap dress? I know some of you are probably thinking "just get a jacket!" but I would prefer not to do that because it tends to get warm at these parties and if I just wore a jacket, I wouldn't be able to remove it when it got hot. Plus jackets tend to look a little bulky on me. I'm not sure where I would find one to match that color, either. I can fall back on the jacket if I have to, but I would really prefer to add sleeves instead if that's possible. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest missingsomething Posted October 13, 2009 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 (edited) Why not get a shrug sweater or use a shawl or a wrap - preserve the "prettiness" while adding modesty. In the movie she has a fur shawl sorta thing. Could go to JoAnns and get some cheap animal material (like8-9.00 a yard) doesnt have to be fancy done.. would probably only take a yard... And when you are done... you can use the material for a doggie bed, a muffle, um.... ok thats all i can think of. :) But if you are insistant on adding sleeves... find pretty silk ribbon to match the dress. Add this to the spaghetti strap to make it wideer and to hold the seam for the sleeves. Could make the ribbon say white...and the sleeves white... ? I dunno... sorry I probably wasnt any help. Edited October 13, 2009 by missingsomething Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbblood Posted October 13, 2009 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 It's hard to say without seeing the dress, but my daughter has a couple "spaghetti strap" dresses she wears to church. She wears a ruffled, short sleeve shirt under the dress and they look very nice and certainly modest in accordance with standards. That may or may not work with your dress. It's hard to say without seeing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Alana Posted October 13, 2009 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 I have no idea how to make sleeves either:P I'd probably end up wearing a tight shirt under it (long sleeve or short) in a color that would 'work.' Not the most elegant solution for a dress but it works great for some stretchy lace tanks I have that have spaghetti straps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeekYourWish Posted October 13, 2009 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 My mom has taken a couple of my strapless prom dresses and added short sleeve to them, I have no idea how in detail to explain it to you but basicaly she got matertial that fit with the dress and at Joanns she had found a pattern in the wedding dress section of the books and we just picked out a sleeve from that and she followed the pattern. From me with no experience the only thing I saw that was a huge pain was trying to get the sleeves perfectly even with how they were set, but I think the pattern of it was pretty easy, though it also goes with how much sewing experience you have what the material is your sewing. Im sure the people at Joanns or any other sewing/material store would be happy to give you some pointers too =] Good Luck!! I hoped all of that made some sense and helped a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misshalfway Posted October 13, 2009 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 You could wear a nude colored ballet suit under it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeekYourWish Posted October 13, 2009 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 You could wear a nude colored ballet suit under it.Thats a really good idea. Some girls in my ward have done that or just used nude colored material to add sleeves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daenvgiell Posted October 13, 2009 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 I'm not sure, I'm not a seamstress or whatever, but possibly, if the spagetti straps are extendable, I would start with sewing them into place to the size that you want them, next I would find the material to fit and then... somehow sew it on. My best guess is that it would have to be hand sewed, or maybe not, ok now I'm just blabbering. I think the only way it would work is if along the strap you sewed the material. That's all I can do to suggest. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will227457 Posted October 13, 2009 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 You could wear a nude colored ballet suit under it.thats a solution...it would look super lame....pick a diffrent costume if your that hung up on it.... adding sleeves to a spagetti strap just does not look right and messes up the over all look of the dress.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeekYourWish Posted October 13, 2009 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 thats a solution...it would look super lame.QUOTE]If it was the same color as her skin tone. It wouldnt look that bad. Sure its not the same as if not wearing it and having it just be immodest, but atleast formyself I have come to be okay with things not looking PERFECT because I choose to have it modest instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bini Posted October 13, 2009 Report Share Posted October 13, 2009 Yes, ribbon may work. Get wide ribbon and attach to sleeves. Of course, a nude suit would work but that's probably expensive.. Not sure if you're concerned about cost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llamanade Posted October 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2009 Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! Some good ideas here. Wearing a shirt underneath would look a bit silly since it's a formal gown. That works fine for sundresses or things made of a more casual material, but in this case I would say not. I did think about the nude ballet suit, but when I looked into those, they are pretty expensive and I am concerned about cost. We don't have tons of money to blow, especially on a costume I will probably only wear once or twice. (Hence why I bought the dress at a thrift store!) If I can find one that isn't too expensive I might do that. I remember doing that when I was younger and dressed as princess Jasmine! Haha! I'm thinking I'll try the ribbon and see how that works. Though it would have to be pretty wide ribbon to cover garments. I'll figure something out. And as SeekYourWish said, I'm more concerned with modesty than having it look EXACTLY like the original costume (which I knew it wouldn't because the original is off-the-shoulder anyway). Thanks again for the suggestions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ADoyle90815 Posted October 14, 2009 Report Share Posted October 14, 2009 Another option is to find something that looks like the blue dress Belle wears, as that has long sleeves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will227457 Posted October 14, 2009 Report Share Posted October 14, 2009 thats a solution...it would look super lame.QUOTE]If it was the same color as her skin tone. It wouldnt look that bad. Sure its not the same as if not wearing it and having it just be immodest, but atleast formyself I have come to be okay with things not looking PERFECT because I choose to have it modest instead.It would look bad....if modesty is such a big deal to you go with something diffrent it is possible to be modest and not look goofy.......It sounds like the OP is working it out..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misshalfway Posted October 14, 2009 Share Posted October 14, 2009 (edited) · Hidden Hidden thats a solution...it would look super lame....pick a diffrent costume if your that hung up on it.... adding sleeves to a spagetti strap just does not look right and messes up the over all look of the dress....Yeah.....that was a really stupid idea. What was I thinking? Wish someone would tell all those professional ballerinas and olympic skaters who DO IT ALL THE TIME! Edited October 14, 2009 by Misshalfway Link to comment
Misshalfway Posted October 14, 2009 Report Share Posted October 14, 2009 thats a solution...it would look super lame....pick a diffrent costume if your that hung up on it.... adding sleeves to a spagetti strap just does not look right and messes up the over all look of the dress....What a stupid idea! What was I thinking? Wish someone would tell that to the professional ballerinas and olympic ice skaters who DO IT ALL THE TIME! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Generally_Me Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 llamanade, without seeing the dress I can't be for sure, but it can't be too difficult to add. How about a butterfly sleeve? (I think that's what it's called). Just take a thick strip of cloth, connect it to the strap and around the armhole, and let it hang fluttering.Here's the closest pic I could find Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazed-and-confused Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 have you considered getting a peasant blouse?...with short puffy sleeves and wearing under the dress? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 What a stupid idea! What was I thinking? Wish someone would tell that to the professional ballerinas and olympic ice skaters who DO IT ALL THE TIME! For what it's worth..a nude leotard is a wonderful idea. Having a daughter who dances and also does ballet..I'm surprised I didn't think of it. She uses one all the time in her performances. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
llamanade Posted October 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Why do all my questions cause arguments? *laughs* I think maybe it's just hard for will227457 to envision the dress with the nude suit underneath. My husband gave me a funny look when I said I might do that, too. But I have seen it done before for costume and it really isn't too bad. I think if I were going to an actual formal event, it would be very tacky. (But in that case I probably wouldn't be buying a strapless dress at a thrift store anyway!) But for a costume it's fine! It's a Halloween costume. I think even if it doesn't look perfect, somehow I will survive. Thanks again for all the ideas! The butterfly sleeves could be really pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 I got discouraged from wearing nude leotards to "modestify" (okay, I made up the word) clothing after I saw Shakira's video on TV...I have several thin-strapped sundresses from my Catholic days. I invested in a ... man, I don't know what it's called - a bolero? It's a little sweater-like thing with one button closure on the neck, sometimes without a button closure at all and ends just under the bust-line. I have them in several fabric - from silk to crochet.Here's one a found on the internet: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Oh I wouldn't recommend using them in every day life just to get away from the modesty factor. But there are dancers and skaters who use them as part of a costume which is what we are talking about here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truegrits Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 man, I don't know what it's called - a bolero? It's a little sweater-like thing with one button closure on the neck, sometimes without a button closure at all and ends just under the bust-line. Pretty sure it is called a "shrug" . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pam Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Example of a shrug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 15, 2009 Report Share Posted October 15, 2009 Oh I wouldn't recommend using them in every day life just to get away from the modesty factor. But there are dancers and skaters who use them as part of a costume which is what we are talking about here.Pam, I know what you're saying... I actually have two of those. The Shakira video really did a number on me. Especially since my 8-year-old son was the one who pointed it out to me! I did not think to put a block on music choice channel! Okay, I probably shouldn't have posted that - now people are going to wonder what I'm talking about and go hunting for that video. Yikes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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