Something Borrowed, Something New - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

Your Dresses Topic!

[Meredith Quill]

Discuss Here!

[peggy06]

If the first episode tonight wasn't a guilt trip, I don't know what it was. I'm talking about the bride who wore her mother's dress, remade into a Southern belle style with rows of fabric flowers down the skirt. Although similar in silhouette to the "new" gowns the bride tried on, it just wasn't as pretty or flattering. I thought the flowers looked cheesy, kind of like pompoms, and the skirt seemed limp despite being so full. The mother flat-out told her daughter she would be disappointed if "her" dress wasn't selected. What a crock! The remade dress was unrecognizable from the original. They might as well have bought all new fabric and trim. Then the mother is all, "I was so thrilled to see her walking down the aisle in MY DRESS."  Ugh. I was hoping the bride would choose the first dress, with a cap-sleeve lace bodice and tulle skirt. She looked lovely, and the dress was something different from the usual strapless sweetheart neckline.

 

WHERE do they get these original dresses, though? I've been to a ton of weddings, including quite a few in the 70s-80s. No one I know was wearing these ghastly sleeves with puffed shoulders. Almost all the vintage dresses are so OTT, yet I can remember many quite pretty dresses from that era that would still look good today.

[zxy556575]

This has been bottled up for a week, but: give me a freaking break with Kelly's husband's tux. There's having a distinct sense of style and then there's being deliberately ridiculous. And Kelly? Your pink hair streak isn't outre or dangerous or quirky or even hipster. It's boring.

 

The ringer they brought in to design Kelly's dress did so much better than Kelly does. Can we swap?

[Janet Snakehole]

I was so mad that the daughter picked her dress. It was clearly all about mom, after seeing her spin around in it after the daughter first tried it on. I hated the flower things at the bottom.

[Kitty Redstone]

Why did she wear that stupid circus ringleader hat?  It cheapened the dress and looked dumb.

 

I agree about the pink hair streaks and the guest designer.

[justmehere]

I keep wondering what happens to the borrowed/remade dress if the bride chooses the new dress.

[Thumper]

That guest designer had a show of her own at one time. I don't know if it was only a pilot, or a limited- run series, but I remember her.

[Bellalisa]

The bride gets to take the borrowed dress even if she doesnt choose it. If she does choose it, she doesnt pay anything for it. i think it's possible the show pays for the cost of the borrowed dress and maybe part of the new dress. They know that they are allowed to take the borrowed dress home even when not choosing it.

 

Also the brides have to read from a script. I am sure when they know on the spot that they love the borrowed dress they are supposed to say "but I LOVE the new dress too. This is going to be a hard decision" even when it isn't. Also they are cued to say "mom, if I don't pick your dress, how will you feel?"....lol...

 

well the one who loved her mother's dress without the sleeves- football bride-- god help her if she did not pick the mom's dress! I mean she had NO choice. 

 

The other one, the young "fashionista" - wow the rouched top of the borrowed dress was stunning, but the bottom didn't match at all. The top was pure white and the bottom was off-white. I'm sure that is why she didn't pick it-- two colors and horrible bottom. 

[Bellalisa]

I got married in 1987 and all my friends got married in 1986-1989 and we all had puffed sleeved dresses. A lot of them had long puffed sleeved dresses, mine was 3/4 sleeves. A lot of them had long puffed sleeved dressed with a high neck with the netting under it. I never cared for that style but it was very popular.  I had no netting and a sweet heart neckline. It was a satin ball gown that came nice and fitted at the waist. If you took the sleeves off I think it would look fine now...but I'm delusional like these other moms, lol.

[zxy556575]

I'm past my memory date on the pairs from Friday, but the mother who tried on her dress again? It looked so much better on her! At least she was gracious enough to laugh about how horrible it was on her daughter.

[justmehere]

Thanks for the answer Bellalisa. I guess they can try to sell the extra one on eBay! --There is a sameness to the comments on each show, so no surprise that there is some scripting.

[Thumper]

Oh yes, 1984 bride here and I know my dress would be too modest and not "form-fitting" (sexy) enough for these brides! Who knows what the styles will be in another 30 years? I do get a kick out of the moms who gasp when Kelly takes the scissors to their dresses, though!

[peggy06]

I got married in 1987 and all my friends got married in 1986-1989 and we all had puffed sleeved dresses. A lot of them had long puffed sleeved dresses, mine was 3/4 sleeves. A lot of them had long puffed sleeved dressed with a high neck with the netting under it.

 

Well there's puffed sleeves and puffed sleeves. I'm talking about the outsize puffs at the shoulder, often with the rest of the sleeve being quite fitted. I guess I missed that wedding dress trend, but I hope it never comes back.

 

 

I do get a kick out of the moms who gasp when Kelly takes the scissors to their dresses, though!

 

They've basically given away their dress. It's never going to look anything like "their dress" again. Sometimes it seems like Kelly uses just a small bit of fabric or trim, almost a sop to the idea of the remade gown being "Mom's dress."

[Bellalisa]

Yup, a lot of times she uses an entirely different fabric and just puts the original applique's on it. The one this week with the weird football playing bride was the most like the mom's ever in the history of the show. because that chick had such bad taste that she loved her mom's with the sleeves cut off. 

[Bellalisa]

In the old thread here, I guess it was last season, someone had explained the whole deal with them getting the keep the borrowed dress no matter what. Often if they really like the borrowed dress I imagine them wearing it to a shower or another festival or else at least doing photo shoots. In this case that mother had 3 other daughters so I'm sure she'll try to force one of them to wear it. Although the bottom didn't match the top at all. Shiny white white on top and then off white cream on the bottom- just no.

[zxy556575]

Oh, Army bride. It was cruel of the producers to air her breakdown and insecurities about being attractive enough for her fiancé. Otherwise, her grandmother's dress did her no favors. Kelly has been doing pretty well with the makeovers this season, but that thing was fu-gly. If the camo t-shirt really was sentimental for the bride, I hope she was able to incorporate a bit of it into the gown she chose. Overall, my guess? That marriage won't last.

 

The dark-haired bride with the helicopter mom was drama-free and I thought both choices met her desired amalgam of styles and looked good on her. Of the new dresses, I preferred the blush gown with the fuller skirt, but then, the brides rarely choose the dress I think looks best on them. They should be shown the same 3-panel shot we see of the new choices. My mantra when brides invariably select one of the less flattering options -- "Well. It must look different in person."

[Kohola3]

My heart broke for Crystal.  Such a beauty and she doesn't see it plus worries that her fiance doesn't see it either.  I pray that he is a supportive husband as military marriages have lots and lots of issues.  

 

That remade dress was one of the biggest fails I've ever seen.  She looked dumpy in it! I am so pleased that she had not only a "queen" moment in the new dress but stuck with it.

 

I do wonder where her mom was;  they never mentioned her, only the grandmother.

[justmehere]

I absolutely adored the bodice on Karlee's re-made dress (with the off-the-shoulder lace sleeves), but the skirt was very plain, at least in front. I thought it could have used some lace as well.

 

That remade dress was one of the biggest fails I've ever seen.

 

 

Agree. The plunging neckline was awful, and the whole silhouette was wrong for Crystal's body shape. I loved that she picked the big, showy dress. She was really beautiful.

[Bellalisa]

That remake of Army bride's dress was terrible. Sometimes I think the designer knows the preferred style or even has seen the chosen dress before making it so the dresses are normally a similar silhouette or type. Not this time, because the Army bride looked so much better in the princess style- it just flattered her figure and hid her flaws. The remade dress just brought out her flaws! I agree one of the Biggest Fails Yet! Thank god she didn't pick it. Husband to be would be out the door!

[Kitty Redstone]

Kelly really is so hit or miss. 

 

The re-made dress in the first episode, for the dark haired bride with the loud mom, was one of the best dresses Kelly has made to date.  Not only was it flattering and pretty, it incorporated quite a bit from the borrowed dress.  I was surprised the bride didn't pick the borrowed dress since it was so well done.

 

But the second re-made dress, for the soldier bride with the sweet grandmother, was terrible.  It was tacky, ill-fitting, and horribly designed.  It was one of the worst dresses Kelly has ever made, and she's made some fugly ones.  I'm so glad the bride picked the new, snow princess dress.  She looked great in it.

[peggy06]

Rewatched the show, revised my opinion.

Edited November 8, 2014 by peggy06

[Snarklepuss]

I only hope I'm alive 30 years from now to see how "horrible" the young women think the dresses of today are.  Although those late '80s OTT gowns were not atypical.  Mr. Snarklepuss did Wedding Photography back in the day and I have seen many a wedding gown from that era.  Fortunately I got married in 1980 in a rather simple gown my mother made for me.  Thank goodness she was blessed with good taste and an incredible talent because it would take very little to make that gown work today.  Although I never had a daughter I would never allow anyone to take a scissors to that gown.  I sometimes wonder if some of these women are divorced and don't have any sentimental attachment to their gown anymore.

Edited November 8, 2014 by Snarklepuss

[Snarklepuss]

I seriously don't understand the direction Kelly takes sometimes.  I think if she saw what the bride was trying on in the store she would revise it.  Sometimes I think her styles are unsuited for the bride's personality or figure, too fussy and wreck up what would be the best aspects of the original dress.  I only saw her do one gown a couple of weeks ago that paid serious respect to the original gown while capturing the bride's personality, and it was one of her best works, IMO.   It brought all the women to tears including the bride and she chose it.  I forget now which episode this was but it was relatively recent.  Nothing against Kelly but I personally think they could have found a better designer for the show.  My mother was a seamstress who designed and made my wedding gown over 30 years ago.  I have always had a love of wedding gowns so it pains me to see what Kelly puts out on a regular basis.  Once in a blue moon she hits it out of the park but more often than not "fugly" is the most accurate description of her work.

[Kohola3]

Well, in Kelly's defense, she does draw what she plans on making for the bride before she gets started.  If it were way off target the bride should say so.

 

With that said, the whole "borrowed" thing is pretty lame.  They are not borrowing the dress, they are giving away yards of fabric and lace and that's about it.  Once the remake is done, there is little to no resemblance to the original.

[Bella]

 

I only hope I'm alive 30 years from now to see how "horrible" the young women think the dresses of today are.

 

 LOL!

 

"Mom, there is no way I'm wearing that hideous dress that flares out at the knees all of a sudden. What on earth were you thinking? And you called it 'mermaid style'? I can't believe that people wore that back then or that it was even popular. How weird."

[Snarklepuss]

Well, in Kelly's defense, she does draw what she plans on making for the bride before she gets started.  If it were way off target the bride should say so.

 

I think the drawings are so stylized and the brides at times so unaware of what would look good on them when they see those drawings that it would be hard for them to have a really accurate idea of how the final dress is actually going to look on them.  If they could go shopping first, then see Kelly they may be a little more realistic about what they like and what would flatter them.  Of course, that's not the way the show works.  Also, from my experience having a gown custom made for me, you really need to be the "live model" for the person designing/making the dress all through its production.  Otherwise the dress will never fit perfectly and even if they have your exact measurements it may not look exactly the way it should nor flatter you the way the designer thinks it will.  Which I see happen over and over again on this show.

[Missy Vixen]

I must be into self-torture, because I tuned into last night's show. OMG. The mom that had breast cancer - twice! - and mentioned it at every opportunity, right along with insisting that the "only thing" that got her through cancer treatment was the thought her daughter would wear her wedding gown. I understand that the producers are attempting to inject every last drop of conflict into this show to make it interesting at all, but listening to the mother insist over and over that the daughter would wear her falling apart chiffon and lace monstrosity was over the top. The crying. The final insistence that "I'll be happy no matter what you choose, honey" while insisting the only way SHE would be happy is if her daughter wore her dress!

 

The "new" dress was gorgeous on the bride and perfect for the wedding she wanted, but of COURSE, she chose the mom's remade gown, after more help in that direction from one of her friends. "Your mom might forgive you after you have some kids."

 

Seriously: LET IT GO.

 

I was married in 1993. I wore a duchesse satin ballgown with a bateau neckline, dropped waist, minimal beading and some lace applique. It has a chapel-length train. There's shoulder pads I would remove from the long sleeves, but my dress is still lovely. I'm sorry I didn't donate it to someone else to (possibly) wear.

[scootypuffjr]

I was married in 1988, and thank goodness, I actually BORROWED my mother's wedding dress from 1959.  I say borrowed, since I "returned" it in its original, unaltered condition.  Tightish, lightly beaded bodice with a boat-neck, long fitted sleeves with pointed ends, tea length (mid-calf) with a little petticoat underneath to give the skirt a slight flare.  It was perfect for my outdoor, afternoon ceremony and, if I say so as shouldn't, I look wonderful in my photos - simple, classic and timeless.  (Fortunately for me, the ONE day I was photogenic happened to by my wedding day.)  Looking back, I am more grateful than ever that I didn't buy a new dress - undoubtedly, it would have been one of those Princess Di horrors that were popular at the time.  Mom didn't actually care if I chose to wear her dress or not, but she did insist I at least try it on - on the hanger it looked a mess, which is why I get so annoyed with some of the brides on SYTTD etc who reject a gown without even trying it on.  It looked fine on, however, and Mom was pleased I chose to wear her dress.  Needless to say, so was my dad - it didn't cost him a cent!  In fact, my entire wedding came in at under $500.  (Mom says our dress originally cost about $60, and it was a size 14 while I wore a size 7, yet it fit well enough that it didn't need to be altered.  Times sure have changed, haven't they?)

[rur]

I seriously don't understand the direction Kelly takes sometimes.  I personally think they could have found a better designer for the show. . . it pains me to see what Kelly puts out on a regular basis.  Once in a blue moon she hits it out of the park but more often than not "fugly" is the most accurate description of her work.

I agree. In fact, I thought the guest designer they brought in a couple of weeks ago to do Kelly's dress did a heck of a job. I'd be very interested in seeing more of her work.

[glow]

I actually liked the borrowed dress in that case (two posters up). I came late to the show so I started with the borrowed dress being displayed and I found it lovely. The new dress was nice, especially the skirt. In this case, the bride couldn't do wrong with the gowns. Both were lovely. And I loved that we actually got proof that she wore it with a clip of their wedding at the end.

[justmehere]

I thought both borrowed dresses were pretty this week, but for the Hawaiian bride, I just liked the new one better. I will say that the skirt of the borrowed gown looked lovely when she was walking on the beach. The new one might not have flowed quite as much.

 

I loved how the grandmother in the other episode was so cool about it all. I hated the skirt of the gown the bride went for in the new choices, so I was glad she picked the altered gown. Except, the shoulders looked uneven. Maybe it just needed better positioning. If they really were off, I hope that Kelly fixed it.

Edited November 9, 2014 by justmehere

[lark37]

 

I loved how the grandmother in the other episode was so cool about it all. I hated the skirt of the gown the bride went for in the new choices, so I was glad she picked the altered gown. Except, the shoulders looked uneven. Maybe it just needed better positioning. If they really were off, I hope that Kelly fixed it.

Agree about the skirt of the new gown.  The top of it was lovely and very vintage 60's, but the bottom was like a modern mermaid gown but out of vintage looking satin.  It looked like two different gowns stuck together.  I thought the borrowed gown was one of the prettiest ones Kelly has produced, but then I'm a sucker for a bridal gown with sleeves!  I'm sure the unevenness was fixed before the wedding.  They didn't show any video or photos of the actual wedding for that one did they?  I think Kelly only has a limited amount of time to redo the borrowed dress.  I noticed last season that sometimes when they would show the actual wedding if the bride chose the borrowed dress, there would be slight alterations from how it was on the show.  I thought the Hawaiian bride would choose the new gown, but after seeing how the borrowed one looked on the beach, I think she chose wisely.

[Snarklepuss]

Finally, 2 dresses I could almost get behind this week.  And the brides chose them, too.  I hope it's a trend.  Perhaps someone's gotten through to Kelly or she is evolving in the right direction.

[justmehere]

I'm sure the unevenness was fixed before the wedding.  They didn't show any video or photos of the actual wedding for that one did they? I think Kelly only has a limited amount of time to redo the borrowed dress.

 

 

No, no video on that one although there might be some on the website; I haven't looked. Good point about the limited time frame Kelly probably has.

[glow]

I wanted to call it for Jennifer -- next to nothing about her original dress would end up in the blinged out beach dress. And yes, she came out with a completely redone dress, made with new material -- with the occasional lace from the original dress. The corset though looked like armour, juxtaposed poorly against the delicate ripples of the skirt.  

Edited November 18, 2014 by glow

[rur]

I was very surprised that Jennifer didn't pick the dropped waist dress as her new choice. It was far more flattering. I'm big-busted, too, and have learned that bigger breasts take up a lot of vertical space on the torso, making the distance between the bosom and the natural waist very small. The result is a thick-looking waistline. Even Jennifer remarked about how small her waist looked in the dress she didn't pick. So, I was hoping she'd pick the borrowed dress because the style was more becoming. I agree with you though about the contrast between the top (which I thought Kelly did a good job on) and the skirt. Maybe that was the deal breaker for the bride, too.

[Vivigirl10]

 

With that said, the whole "borrowed" thing is pretty lame.  They are not borrowing the dress, they are giving away yards of fabric and lace and that's about it.  Once the remake is done, there is little to no resemblance to the original.

After watching the newest episodes, the show needs to be renamed.  Seriously.....there is nothing left of the original "something borrowed".  Tell it like it is and title the show, "Something New, Something Custom Made".  It's absolutely ridiculous to hear a Mom wax poetic about her dress and wish the daughter would "choose her dress" when I am quite certain the Mom wouldn't even be able to pick out her remade dress in a line-up.  One scrap of original lace sewn to the hem in the back doesn't count. 

 

 

[Shugardrawers]

I think this last episode with the southern girl that chose her mom's dress was the FIRST time I've ever seen Kelly actually make a dress that looked a lot like the original.  I hated the mesh sleeves though.  Lace would have worked MUCH better but for once I really liked the "borrowed" dress.  Although I prefered the new one.

[zxy556575]

In a first for me, I thought the body-hating 50s bride looked fabulous in all three new dresses and the borrowed one. That final three-panel shot of the new gowns showed her as classic (Grace Kelly), cute (Doris Day) and sultry (Jayne Mansfield). I personally liked the middle Doris look, but the one she chose gave her a fabulous hour glass shape and I'm glad she felt so happy and attractive in it. Also, I could definitely see her in 30 years desperately wanting her daughter to wear the dress because of the feeling it gave her and how much she shimmered in it.

 

I had the opposite reaction to the blond bride who chose the dress with the slit and thought so highly of herself -- even though she had the very slim figure that supposedly shows off clothes the best, I didn't think any of the dresses looked that good on her. They were all weirdly boxy around the waist. I did enjoy her mother's comment that she wasn't a young bride any more, because true.

Edited November 22, 2014 by lordonia

[Shugardrawers]

That was a disaster of an episode!  NOTHING looked good on her because she insisted on dressing 10 years younger AND for the RED carpet NOT the WHITE aisle!  UGH!  I barely made it through that episode.  She needed understated and tasteful, NOT "sexy" (because it WASN'T sexy on her, it was just pathetic!)

[justmehere]

I also thought that all the new dresses Paloma wore were beautiful --as was she-- and the middle one was best. I didn't care for the borrowed one though, because the skirt was so plain and it didn't hang right. Two of the new ones were A-line, but those skirts looked good. Something was just off about the borrowed one. And, there could have at least been some lace along the bottom or something.

[Thumper]

I liked the borrowed dress that Marcie chose. It was a little simpler, and less structured than the new dress she liked, but I loved the back and the fact that it included part of her mom's dress. She had a great figure for shiney satin, too!

[drafan]

I wanted to start a drinking game for every time the bride called herself "petite"....then Kelly started to do it too. First of all, petite departments are for SHORT people....my friend wears a size 16 and shops in petites because she's SHORT. The bride was standing next to Sam, and was clearly taller than him, and her mom's dress was too short on her also. If they meant 'flat-chested", then yeah. Otherwise, she acted like she was the tiniest bride who had ever walked the earth. Seriously now. TLC also airs 'The Little Couple', and Jenn is what I would call tiny.

 

Did anyone else notice that the borrowed dress had flitty sleeves that she then removed for her actual wedding? It was a little better, but all these 'borrowed' dresses look like when my cousins and I cut up all my aunt's old slips and white blouses and made doll clothes when I was 8. "Fifty Shades of White" is what this show should be called.

 

I love Sam...I'm sure he doesn't select the dresses on his own, but he just seems like the most pleasant, drama-free person. Free Sam from this crap-tastic mess, TLC.....give him a better gig, please.

 

ETA: OMG, I completely forget about that moronic aunt who was fixated on a Pippa Middleton butt. First of all (rant coming)....Pippa Middleton's ass is not all that....her bridesmaid's dress was slim-cut, with buttons down the back or something, and the media started a stupid focus on it , for lack of anything else to say about her. So annoying.

Edited November 29, 2014 by drafan

[peggy06]

The aunt and her derriere fixation was what struck me about that episode. Then the whole bunch of them got in on it. i would have been mortified if I were her. I actually didn't like any of the new dresses, so the made-over dress was the better choice in the end. It didn't wow me, but it was pretty and not too fussy. The new dress she selected would have been fine except for those straps, which IMO did nothing for it.

 

I still can't believe she couldn't have found something better than those three "new" dresses if she had been shopping for so long.

[zxy556575]

I still can't believe she couldn't have found something better than those three "new" dresses if she had been shopping for so long.

 

But she was tiny! You just don't understaaaaaand how haaaaard it is to shop when you're practically nonexistent!!! The clips! The pinching! The utter horror!

 

Feh.

 

I did notice that the flutter sleeves had been removed for the ceremony. I trust she had also looked at her stomach and opted for some Spanx.

[BradandJanet]

I was fixated on the flutter sleeves on the made-over dress. They didn't attach to the dress in the front and looked odd. I wouldn't have chosen it on the sleeves alone, but was glad they didn't make it to the final version. 

 

The brides must have fittings during the course of the show. Both dresses have been obviously altered to fit the bride. The reveal is to the family.

[For Cereals]

It looked like "petite" bride also added a shirred satin panel to the front in addition to altering the sleeves. It looked much better. I wonder if she had it done or if the show's designer did it.

Most of the time, I harken back to Project Runway and question the show designer's "taste level." Most of the remakes are just no's. The 2nd episode with the sexy dress where the girl chose the borrowed dress was awful. She needed better bust support. Sam's picks were much better and more flattering with structure that made her curves look amazing.

I think they need a new designer. I feel like a lot of the brides get caught up in the guilt and excitement and go with mom's dress. I hope a lot of them come to their senses when they get home and go with new or do further alterations.

[Thumper]

Sam has been on ShopHQ repping a line (One World?) there, and he is just as delightful as he is on this show.

[zxy556575]

The 2nd episode with the sexy dress where the girl chose the borrowed dress was awful. She needed better bust support.

 

Yes! After all the squawking about it being a Catholic ceremony, those breasts were out and waving in the wind.