Make a Dress Modest | August 28, 2018

This is a comprehensive article about how to make a dress modest. I tried to make it very thorough. If you have any more tips or tricks you think I could add please leave a comment at the end oft the page.

How To Make a Short Dress Modest

Dress extender

A dress extender is worn like a traditional slip but is purposefully designed to be longer than the dress or skirt so it is seen hanging below the bottom of the hem of your dress. Some of these dress extenders are plain so it looks just like the original design of the dress includes a second skirt layer. A lot of dress extenders have a wide decorative layer of lace or riffles.

Add fabric to bottom hem

Adding fabric to the bottom of a dress requires sewing or iron on fusible bonding web. Matching or contrasting fabric can be used depending on your design preference and the availability of matching fabric. This technique can be used to either just continue the length of a hem or to add another layer under the original skirt to obtain a layered look like the dress extender.

Add leggings

Wearing leggings under a dress is a great way to make a dress that is too short modest. It also helps keep you warmer in cold weather and makes you feel like your wearing a pants outfit, which is a plus if you are like me and prefer the feel and freedom of wearing pants.

Add long boots

Depending on how short your dress is and how long your boots are wearing long boots can be a good way to make a short dress modest. You can also add boot cuffs to make this a more effective strategy. Boot cuffs, boot extenders some times called leg warmers or boot sock cuffs are usually made of a knitted or crocheted material that is tucked into the top edge of your boots. Some have lace edges or buttons in their design. They allow more leg coverage, more warmth and additional modesty when wearing a dress.

Add leggings and boots together

Pairing boots with leggings is the best way to insure a modesty adjustment to a dress that is uncomfortably short. It is also a great way to stay toasty warm in the winter cold. Even if you are wearing a longer dress and the legging don’t even show.

How To Make A Strapless Or Spaghetti Strap Dress Modest

Add a bolero jacket

A bolero jacket is a short cropped jacket with sleeves. The sleeves can be long or short or somewhere in between.

The best thing about using a bolero jacket is that you can buy it, so no sewing is involved. Although, they are pretty easy to sew even if you are a beginner.

As apposed to a regular jacket, a short bolero jacket can help keep the style attributes of a fitted bodice or corset style strapless dress, without having bare shoulders. It allows you to accentuate a narrow waist instead of covering it up. It also can avoid the frumpy feeling some regular jackets or sweaters can give you. Bolero jackets come in many styles, from edgy to traditional.

There is a wide variety of versatility and style when choosing the cut and materials of a bolero jacket. Consider what a fur, lace, denim or leather bolero would do to the overall style of a dress. A high collar or no collar also makes a dramatic difference in the feel of the outfit.

Add cap sleeves

Adding cap sleeves, with out a seam on the shoulder, (or a wide gathered strap) to a strapless dress usually will require sewing or at least a good amount of safety pins.

When adding this type of sleeve to a strapless dress it is very important to try the dress on and take accurate measurements so that the sleeves aren’t droopy or loose or the results will look frumpy and awful. Done right though this option can look like it was always a part of the dress. I will be writing a full tutorial on how to do this alteration since it will require a lot more detailed explanation than what this article can provide. So stay tuned to see that in a future post.

Wear a shirt underneath

Wearing a shirt under your dress sounds like the easiest way to accomplish modesty and it is, but it can be done a right way and a terribly wrong way. Sometimes it is difficult to get the neckline of a shirt to compliment the original dresses neckline.

When using this method to make a strapless dress modest, it is important to get a shirt that is tight fitting so that the top edge of the dress doesn’t bunch up the shirt fabric.

The shirt fabric also needs to compliment the fabric of the dress, in both texture and color. Either find a color that matches the dress exactly or use a totally different color that contrasts the dress nicely. You can also use matching or contrasting fabric texture, as long as they look good together.

Adding lace, sequins or other embellishments to both the dress and the shirt can help them look like they belong together.

Also, when using contrasting elements it helps to repeat that element again in the outfit. For instance, if you use a lace fabric shirt under a smooth dress fabric consider repeating the lace in an accessory like in a belt at the waist.

Add butterfly sleeves

Butterfly sleeves, sometimes called ruffle sleeves or wing sleeves are a sleeve that is made from a flowy fabric. The sleeve doesn’t actually encase the arm but just drapes over the shoulder and part way over the upper arm. This style of alteration also requires some sewing and accurate measurements.

Here is a quick explanation of how to DIY a butterfly sleeve. If you need a tutorial, please comment at the end of this post and I will create one for you.

Basically, you need to make two straps that attach to the front of the dress go over each shoulder and then attach to the back of the dress. To that strap you sew a circle of fabric that is hemmed around the outer edges.

The circle’s diameter needs to measure half the length of the strap (after the circle is hemmed). To attach the sleeve, you will need to cut a line from the edge of the circle to the center. After you cut the circle, you will separate the two corners of the cut you just made until both sides of that cut become a strait line. Then, you sew that line to the shoulder strap you made, so that the edge of the circle touches the top front of the dress, then runs over the shoulder and finally meets up with the back edge of the dress top. Then you will repeat this step for the other sleeve.

This will allow the circle fabric to drape loosely over the shoulder giving you more modesty without adding too much warmth which is good for hotter weather.

Wear a shrug

A shrug is basically the part of a sweater that connects the two sleeves together on the back, the sleeves themselves and nothing else. It is very similar to a bolero jacket but usually is missing the ability to close in the front because there is just enough fabric to cover the space between your shoulders on the back side. They are easy to make and you can order them online. I have personally never seen them for sale in a store.

They can be made from a variety of fabrics. They work well for making strapless dresses more modest because they usually cover your shoulders and part of, or all of your arms.

Wear a shawl

There are many ways to wear a shawl or a scarf to achieve the modest effect you want. Personally, I would prefer something more secure than a simple draping of a shawl so I recommend either tying or sewing it into place. There are dozens of tutorials on the internet on how to tie a shawl so I will leave that up to you to find your favorite. Below is my favorite, except I prefer to pull the fabric down to cover my back when using this method.

How To Make a Backless Dress Modest

Where tank or tube top underneath

For a formal backless dress you can where a lined lace or a sequined tank or tube top underneath the dress to make it modest. For a backless casual dress you can just wear a plain tank top or tube top.

Adding Material To A Backless Dress

Infinity scarf style

Attach a rectangle of matching or contrasting fabric arranged and draped like an infinity scarf that hangs down your back instead of your front. This rectangle of fabric can be attached to the back opening hem just below the shoulders or it can go all the way around to the front neckline. Adding fabric to the back of the dress in this way makes it seem like the dress was originally designed that way, instead of it feeling like an after thought. It is also important to take into consideration the weight and texture of the fabric. Some fabrics are too stiff to drape nicely.

Back modesty panel

Attach a panel of matching fabric, contrasting fabric or flesh toned fabric. Stitch it into the hem of the back opening so that it lays flat when worn. This can be sewn by hand or with a sewing machine. You just have to be very careful that you make it the right shape so it won’t distort the dress when you are wearing it. Pinning it in while wearing the dress before you sew is a good way to ensure a good shape. In essence, making a backless dress not backless.

Using this method creates less layers so you can be cooler in hot weather.

How To Make a Halter Top Dress Modest

Add a bolero jacket

Just like the strapless dress a bolero jacket can be a great way to make a halter top dress modest. The same considerations I mentioned above also apply to a halter top dress.

Wear a regular jacket or sweater

Depending on the style of the halter top dress a regular jacket or cardigan sweater may or may not work. I’d say if you still want to show off a fitted narrow waist stick with the short cropped bolero. If your halter dress is loose it will work fine with a regular jacket or sweater.

Add cap sleeves

Adding cap sleeves with out a seam on the shoulder (or a wide gathered strap) to a halter top dress usually will require sewing. When adding this type of sleeves to a halter top dress it is very important to try the dress on and pin the sleeves in place so they lay flat and don’t pucker. Done right though, this option can look like it was always a part of the dress.

I will be writing a full tutorial on how to do this alteration since it will require a lot more detailed explanation than what this article can provide. So stay tuned to see that in a future post.

Wear an under shirt

Wearing a shirt under a halter top dress is easier to do right than for a strapless dress however there are still some things to keep in mind to make it look right. You still need to match the style of the top. If the halter top is loose you can choose a looser fitting shirt. If the top of the halter dress is form fitting it may look better to wear a more form fitting shirt. Choosing a shirt without a shoulder seam looks better especially with a formal halter top dress.

Add butterfly sleeves

Butterfly sleeves work only on halter tops that are not backless. But, they are easier to sew on than the strapless dresses, because in stead of having to create a strap to sew the sleeve to, you can just sew it to the arm opening. Be sure to read the description above of how to create butterfly sleeves that I wrote in the section about strapless dress alterations to get an idea of how it is done. Just make sure your circle diameter is the length of the sleeve opening, from the neck strap down to the seam line under the arm.

Wear a shrug

A shrug pairs naturally with a halter top and is my favorite solution for making a halter top dress modest. The reason it works so well is because the halter top arm opening ends right where the shrug sleeve begins. Both garments basically have a line that starts behind the neck and ends under the armpit.

Wear a shawl

Wearing a shawl or scarf works just as well on halter tops as with the other dresses. See the “wear a shawl” section under the “How To Make A Strapless Or Spaghetti Strap Dress Modest” above to see my suggestions for shawls.

How To Cover Cleavage In Any Dress

Formal, Semi-Formal, Business or Casual

Camisole

A camisole or cami’ is a slip-like undershirt often designed with lacy edges. Wear a color complementing camisole under your dress and let it peak out the top of your neckline to cover up your cleavage or Décolleté.

Modesty panel

A modesty panel is a peace of fabric kind of like a portion of a camisole that attaches to your bra straps and tucks under the bra band in the front. It works well for covering up your Décolleté with out creating to many layers. This makes it a great option for summer’s warmer months and keeps you from over heating from too many layers. It helps you avoid having to wear an undershirt.

Wear an under shirt

Where a tank top, t-shirt or a tube top under your dress that has a high enough neckline that covers your cleavage. This tip can give you a variety of options depending on the type of fabrics used. These under shirts can also keep you warmer in colder weather.

Infinity scarf

Wearing an infinity scarf of matching or contrasting fabric is a great way to create modesty on a dress with a too low neckline, too deep V-neck or plunging neckline. I like the extra warmth it gives in the cold winter months but I wouldn’t recommend it in the hot summer months, unless you plan on being in full air conditioning all day.

How To Make A Sheer See-Through Dress Modest

The fastest easiest way to make a sheer see-through dress modest is to wear a slip under the see-through dress. Slips come in all shapes and sizes to accommodate any dress styles.

How To Make A Slit Dress Modest

Wear A Under-Skirt or Dress Extender

The fastest way to make a slit dress modest is to use an under-skirt or a dress extender like I mentioned in the first section above about dresses that are too short.

Stitch it up

However, if you don’t have an under-skirt or a dress extender the best way to take care of a slit in a dress that goes too high is to sew it up. Hand stitching or machine sewing works for this. You can hide the stitches easier with hand stitching especially on a formal or smooth dress. Usually undoing the split’s hem is required in order to hide the stitching from a sewing machine. Sometimes the style allows for the fact that some dresses look fine with the stitches showing.

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