ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. (WXYZ) — As prom season comes to an end and wedding season is underway, there are dresses that are likely piling up in your closet that will never be worn again.
Many of these dresses are pricey and you only wear it once!
Jules Joyner is a dress designer in St. Clair Shores and has ideas on how to change it up, so you can wear it again and again.
“The conversation does come up, they would want to wear it again,” Joyner said.
That’s what happened with 7 Action News reporter Syma Chowdhry. She wore a black gown to the Michigan Emmy Awards in 2018.
She wanted to wear it again but the rhinestone collar made it pretty memorable.
Joyner said, “I’m kind of a big fan of parts can always come off.”
That little change made a big difference.
“A classy black dress that you could then go to town with your accessories,” Joyner said.
She added that she knows which dresses can make the "cut."
“Right away you can see, ‘oh this would look so good, like this,'” Joyner said.
She says shortening full-length gowns is a dramatic change as well as:
- Turning it into a high-low dress
- Taking away sleeves
- Adding some embellishments
- Possibly changing the color (depending on the fabric)
Joyner has transformed wedding gowns too. One bride wanted to wear her mom’s wedding dress to her bridal shower.
Joyner reshaped the dress to fit her needs. However, family heirlooms like that could also be used in other ways.
“Took the family wedding gown and we did five ring bearer pillows," Joyner said. "Each pillow was distinctly different for each sister getting married.”
No matter the changes you want to make, Joyner has one rule she stands by: “It needs to look like that’s how it was made originally,” she said.
Joyner says it’s a good idea to take potential dresses to a designer or seamstress with the tags on before deciding on which dress to keep, so you can have an idea of what your options will be afterwards, returning the dresses you won’t get more wear out of.
For more information on Jules Joyner Designs, go to: https://www.julesjoynerdesigns.com/
