Wiggle Dress Woes...

[timorous me]

I just love the look so much... But I've got too much wiggle on the bottom and not enough on top!

Anyone else have this problem? I find it really hard to believe that everyone back then was a perfect hourglass... I'd love to have a sassy little wiggle dress, but my hips are just TOO BIG! Anything that fits on li'l bitty top (especially after my recent and scary drastic and unintentional weight loss) is too tight across my hips to move or even zip! I certainly don't have the cash to get one custom-made... has anyone had any luck altering patterns? Or should i just stick with fuller skirts?

This may be a good place to discuss general fit worries, since I'm SURE I'm not the only one here who's ever been convinced that they're just not destined to fit in certain styles!

 

[AllaboutEve]

Hi timorous, if it helps then just think that Marilyn Monroe was like this too. If you take a look at her wiggle dresses a lot of them have a very wide deep v-neck or are off the shoulder which is an age old trick to balance out a bottom heavy bottom half.

( I would post a pic but photobucket is under maintenance and I can't )
She was actually sewn into a lot of her dresses!
I have generous hips too and find that the best way around this problem is good undergarments like a girdle. Saving that then go for fabrics that have some stretch in them. A good sweater dress perhaps?

Don't give up, just think how much wiggle you will have when you find the right outfit, the bigger the better!!! It's not your hips that are too big it's the dress that's too small!

 

[timorous me]

It's not your hips that are too big it's the dress that's too small!

That's a great way of looking at it! I like that way of thinking!

The real problem has been finding wiggle dresses with slightly.. call it "abnormal" measurements - The bust and hip measurements are generally pretty balanced, say 36/36 or 36/38... You know, the whole "hourglass figure" thing... I'm 36/42. That's just not right. And while I've found a few dresses with these measurements, the majority of dresses require a massive amount of alteration for me to not either swim in them or be rendered completely immobile.

 

[RedHotRidinHood]

I know exactly what you mean about this...I am 34-28-42, and I have ONE wiggle dress that fits me like a dream, and have thought of taking it apart to make a pattern, but I am scared to do so! I did recently find some directions on how to enlarge the hip pieces on a pattern, though, and plan to make up a muslin to see if it would work for me. Basically, you slash vertically the pattern piece close to the front seam as much as you need, starting from the bottom, and you don't cut it at the waist. Then you put tissue in the empty space to make the piece whole again. I hope this makes sense-I will see if I can get a good shot of the picture in my old sewing book. I think you are supposed to do each skirt piece, so you would have to divide the amount of extra you need in half. Like if you needed 7 inches around, you would slash the pattern piece 3.5 inches on each side. I think. Anybody with experience want to chime in? I understand the idea of this, but I plan to do a muslin first before I try it on a real garment.

 

[Emmababy]

I'm willing to sell off my excess wiggle, $5 a lb

 

[GoldLeaf]

Tim,

We were actually commiserating over odd fits recently in the Ebay Fit Woes thread I am much the same as you, I am 36-32-42 pre-pregnancy. What the heck kind of proportions are those? The funny thing is, I don't look unbalanced, but I sure feel it when trying on clothes!

 

[Honey Doll]

Timorous... you may one to try having one custom made. I have bought a couple things from that ebay store which was much talked about here.... Top Runway. She does a couple knock-out takes on Marilyn Monroe dresses, works off your measurements and is reasonable as well. You can email Cynthia directly at cle8182@gmail.com

Honey Doll

 

[katiemakeup]

Jennifer Lopez looks the same when she wears tight skirts- I think it looks fine.

 

[dhermann1]

Proportions

I think the word is "womanly". Nothing wrong with you ladies, nothing at all.

 

[Rosie]

Ladies, you need a non vintage wiggle dress, one with a bit of stretch. My hips/derriere are 17 inches bigger than my waist, I LOVE the look when I am wearing something fitted but the trick is to:
a) get a dress with stretch so that it will fit your top and hug your bottom,
b) get a dress with a flattering neckline, boat necks and deep v's work for me

also, get a good girdle to make sure that woman-liness is as smooth as can be.

Signed Rosie - whose hips and derriere I think have won the "disproportionate" contest.

(signature style shamelessly stolen from Miss Necerrie)

 

[kitcatcandy]

What abut pumping up the top half with a push up bra and some 'chicken fillets'*?

*i'm not sure if thats what you call them in the USA, they are silicone bra inserts that make you one or two cup sizes bigger!

 

[Sweet Leilani]

Actually there are quite a few vintage stretchy wiggle dresses, but in knit fabrics (i.e. wool). I found a black one recently that fit fine, but the problem with the stretchy fabric is that it doesn't hide all the extra "curves" we don't want seen! lol

 

[timorous me]

What abut pumping up the top half with a push up bra and some 'chicken fillets'*?

*i'm not sure if thats what you call them in the USA, they are silicone bra inserts that make you one or two cup sizes bigger!

I've thought of that... but frankly those things terrify me! ;-)

 

[Lady Day]

I'm willing to sell off my excess wiggle, $5 a lb

HA!
I got you beat.
Buy a pound, get a pound free!

LD

 

[NicolettaRose]

I have never had problem with wiggle dresses,I have a couple, I actually have the complete opposite problem, they usually fit me big!

 

[Miss Neecerie]

Amazing how people all have different body types isn't it!

Fashion is never a 'dictate to others what looks good' because chances are...different body type then the next gal.

 

[Martina]

I've thought of that... but frankly those things terrify me! ;-)

I tell you what... if you get a good set, no one will know you have them on! In earlier years, when I was smaller in the bust than I am now, I tried wearing those 'chicken fillets' to try to match my top, to my small waist and way too ample bottom. They worked like a dream! I found that the better ones fit just underneath the breats; this added to your cup size and made the breasts seem fuller.

*NOTE* Gaining weight will fill that top out right quick! Unfortunately, it will also make your ample derrier MORE ample!

 

[imoldfashioned]

I usually buy dresses with straight or full skirts but a couple of months ago I succumbed to a navy blue beaded wiggle dress from the late 40s--it feels very LA Confidential to me.

I'd recommend the wiggle dress as weight loss gauge. When I bought it I could just barely get into it and I couldn't get it zipped. I try it on every couple of weeks to see evidence of my progress--it's got some ease now and I can get it zipped. Couple more weeks I'll even be able to sit down while wearing it!

 

[ssubialdea]

imoldfashioned: I have a dress that's kind of like that too! I can fit into it and zip it up, but it just isn't that flattering and is not very fun to sit down in. Its a very cool dress so I'll keep it for the days when I'm a bit lighter

 

[fernande]

NIP IN or EXPAND!

Another idea, is to just to alter your piece. I have a huge ribcage (ala' Jayne Mansfield) 38- (d) yet I am 27 inch waist and 38 inch hips VERY weird shape!

I usually buy dresses that fit me in the bust/rib area and have the rest cut down. I've gotten crafty enough to take things in myself now with my good ole' Singer 500a sewing machine.

But- I have had several even drycleaners/alterations places take in a dress- or even "expand"- dresses for me.
Some of those wiggle dresses, and often most commericially produced vintage (starting with the 40s) will have up to 2 inches folded in a seam allowance- you could have those taken out, ect.

might cost you $20.00, but it really helps me- and I'm Miss weird shape USA.

( yes- I've already crowned myself "miss weird shape USA"
ha ha)