Generally, a bride has about three dress fittings after all the fine tuning is done on the muslin. There are always more nips and tucks and all those small details. Whenever there's a final fitting, that's when we--the bride and myself-- do the real minute work, making sure every button lines up, every hook and eye are in the right closing points and so on. In addition, a final fitting is the perfect time to really stand back and appraise the dress as a whole. Here's what I look for in the end product: I like to see fabrics drape well and mold to the skin like sculpture. A wedding gown should be comfortable and beautifully lined so the client wears it like a second skin . . . the whole component moving with her as if it is part of her body. She's going to be hugging people, dancing and toasting to name a few things. Before I let any gown leave the studio, I have brides dance with utter abandon, twirl, lean over, bend and stretch in all directions to make sure the gown looks and feels like it is her own.
I will say the last and most critical detail has to be the hemline. Typically most are at least an inch shorter in the front than the back, graduating in length along the sides. The tips of your shoes should be seen under the gown so once you start walking, you'll glide smooth as silk down the aisle.
