Ok ladies, let's talk about underskirts
Time and time again I am asked 'do I need an underskirt' my answer will always be YES!
There are of course a few exceptions like your dress having a side split or there aren't enough underlayers to the dress to disguise the hoop, but all in all I am a big underskirt fan
There are so many underskirts that I won't bog you down with them all but trust that your bridal consultant is selecting the best one to suit your dress and your vision
Commonly they will be one of four styles, either an A-Line, Mermaid, fitted or T-Length
Why have one?
Hooped underskirts have a few functions, the most obvious is to create and hold the shape of the dress (notice I'm not saying to add volume)
Picture the scene...the Great British weather takes hold and the wind is up, your dress and it's shape will move with each gust, not a major issue unless your wedding or even the photographs are outside...just imagine your poor frustrated photographer taking and re-taking the same shot of you on the cliff top, as they are trying to predict when each gust will take your dress
What about when you are walking in your dress. Most brides will have a full length dress, which, as you walk, is likely to end up under your shoes unless you pretend you have ice-skates on and skid your feet across the floor instead of taking steps or are good at juggling holding your bouquet and lifting your dress up one handed
This is where a hooped underskirt really comes into play again. The hoop will create a walk free zone under your dress to allow you walk properly and give the appearance of you gliding across the floor, very elegant!
Looking forward to your first dance?
I have personally witnessed the tragedy of the poor bride being in the loving embrace of their first dance and watching the dress (hooped underskirt free) get entangled around her and her partners feet, resulting in them both faceplanting the dance floor...great as an after story to tell the grandchildren but not the intention of the all important first dance
Who loves air conditioning?
That's right, us ladies like a bit of air circulation under our dresses and again a hooped underskirt will create this for you by keeping the underlayers of your dress off your legs, there really is nothing worse that getting hot and sticky and then having fabric like the sateen underlayer of a dress sticking to you
I can honestly say that the underskirt alone doesn't add volume to your dress, it's usually the dense tulle underlayers that do that for you. If I had a choice of removing some of the dense tulle (yes this is doable) or being without a hooped underskirt, I would choose removing some tulle every single time
If you are wearing an A-line dress, there is nothing wrong with you having the mermaid underskirt instead of an A-line, it will be a little less circumference and allow the dress to fall slightly differently, softer in some cases
Next Question, To Buy, Borrow Or Hire?
There's a few things to factor in here, one I will say is if you are buying then buy from a bridal store and not Joe Bloggs on popular selling sites, you want to make sure your underskirt is going to do the job and last the day supporting your dress after all
Buying your underskirt is a great option in my opinion, buying it frees you up to take it with you to as many of your alteration fittings as is needed, it allows you to have it adjusted or shortened and also allows your seamstress to sew it into your dress if you're worried about it slipping around throughout your day
Borrowing, a good option providing it has been cleaned and IF it's the same style that you tried on during your fitting or else you my get a different look from your dress than you were expecting
Hiring, again this is only my opinion, most bridal stores will hire you the underskirt for use on your day, usually you pay a set amount upfront and then get 50% refunded when you return the underskirt after your big day
This can be a cheaper option IF you are having in store alterations. If you are sourcing your own seamstress, then I would recommend you buy the underskirt as this will work out cheaper for you in the long run
When you have your bridal alterations, this will usually require 3 or more visits to your seamstress and for each fitting you will need the underskirt, this could mean you are hiring multiple times from your chosen store before your big day, unless your store is super helpful and factors this into your hire price. It will also limit your options of having it shortened or sewn into your dress
Whatever you choose ladies, I am confident it will be the right decision for you and that you are going to look every bit the queen on your big day!
