Bride Chic

  What makes a wedding dress so special is the attention to detail inside and  out. A well-made dress is indeed a work of art. While a bodice and skirt may look pretty straightforward from the outside, there's a complex life of inner linings, facings, crinolines, slips, and shaping materials we sometimes don't see but sense by the way the gown holds its shape. For instance, a typical wedding dress bodice needs an underlining or foundation layer to create a sculpted form and provide a strong base for lace, trim, or embroidery. Additionally, an underlining can carry the channels that hold boning inside a bodice. In a strapless gown, boning works with the fit and inner foundation to support the dress and keep its shape. Flat steel boning bends forward and back; spiral steel bends from side to side as well, making it useful where the bodice needs more flexibility. Both offer firm lengthwise support. Flexible plastic boning is another option, but for a closely fitted couture bodice...