Bespoke dressmaking

Process

1.    Contact Laura with your details, the date of your event, and the type of dress that you are after. Please contact her as soon as possible as this will ensure your project is booked in to her diary in good time. 

2.    Laura would prefer to start the dress making process 6 months before the event that the dress is to be worn for, and to finish 1 - 2 months before the event – this ensures plenty of time to get things finished, and that the dress will fit perfectly come the event. She can work to different time constraints if her diary allows. 

3. Please expect to visit Laura’s studio at least six times. You will have an initial meeting where you discuss design, timescales, and measurements are taken. You will then have at least two toile fittings (a toile is a mock up dress made of cheap fabrics that imitate the final fabrics), and at least three fittings of the dress when it is being made in final fabrics. This will ensure that fit and design are perfect, and that you have a chance to change anything you wish to throughout the process. 

3.    The price quoted at the beginning of the project includes all anticipated materials and labour. You will be given a final price when final fabric has been chosen and final dress details decided, but you will always be kept informed as to when changes to design/ fabric will add more or less to your final dress cost. 

4.    Please bring suitable underwear and shoes to fittings so that garments can be fitted accurately. This may be a strapless bra, the bra you will be wearing on the day of the event, control underwear or a certain height of heels.

5.    Clients are seen by appointment only. If you need to cancel an appointment, please endeavour to give Laura 24 hours notice by email.

Payment

1.    As soon as Laura has accepted your project and you have both agreed on a project timeline (e.g. rough times for fittings, date of completion etc) you will be required to pay a deposit to cover intial meetings, design work, toile making and fittings.  Once work on a project has started, this deposit is non refundable.

2.    The second payment will be paid before the bulk of the fabric is to be purchased. This covers the total fabric costs, and time spent on meetings and making so far. Once fabric is bought, this payment is non refundable. 

3.    The third and final payment will be due when the project is completed and you are completely happy with the results, and before you take your dress home. 

4.    Payments are made by bank transfer into Laura M. Davey’s business bank account. 

Extra costs

As far as possible, Laura will quote you a price at the beginning of your project, which you will pay in 3 installments, and will not change. However, the following are examples of when extra may be added onto the price of your garment – Laura reserves the right to increase the price of a project if extra work becomes necessary.

1.    If the customer decides they want an extra detail added to the design of the dress that was not initially agreed upon, e.g. full lining, pockets, sleeves, etc.

2.    If a customers body changes dramatically during the making process, due to pregnancy or extreme weight gain or loss.  Laura will do whatever she can to work around this but in some cases this creates a lot of extra work for the designer in terms of having to change the pattern of the dress and the timescales which you are working on. 

3.    If the customer decides that they would like to use a fabric, lining or accessory that is more expensive than the one initially agreed upon. 

Alterations

1.    Some alterations are possible; some are not. Please contact Laura by email and describe your project; she will happily advise if it is something she will be able to help you with or not.

2.    If you choose to bring clothing to Laura already pinned, the garments will be altered exactly to those pins.

3.    Please bring the shoes / underwear you intend to wear with the outfit to the fitting, if necessary.