What if you'd like to upcycle your dress or a preloved one on Stillwhite, or Vinted, or you’d like to upcycle your gown into something completely new? You need a skilled seamstress or tailor who has the experience to work with bias-cut silk is essential who can work wonders. Read on for our recommendations and our helpful practical tips.
All of our dresses are exclusively available at The Wedding Club in Knightsbridge, and their team looks after all alterations for our brides.
But what if you’ve found one of our dresses via Stillwhite, Vinted, or you’d like to upcycle your gown into something completely new? Finding a skilled seamstress or tailor who understands how to work with bias‑cut silk It’s a very specific technique, if you don’t know how to handle bias, it can look awful. You need to know exactly how much to ease it in when sewing. It’s an expert skill.
Below are the makers we recommend. They can handle anything you’d like to do with your dress, including repairs.
Our recommended Seamstresses / tailors
Kaire
Kaire is an experienced and established seamstress who has worked with our dresses for many years. She has extensive experience upcycling second‑hand and vintage pieces. With a background in fashion design and many years in dressmaking, she offers alterations and tailoring across womenswear, from shortening trousers to relining jackets. She can also draft patterns and is genuinely lovely to work with.
Her studio is in Muswell Hill, North London, easily accessible by bus from East Finchley (Northern line) or Crouch Hill (Overground).
Location: Muswell Hill, North London, N10
Phone: 07794 467025
Email: info@kaire.co.uk
Website: http://kaire.co.uk
Exclusive Alterations
Richard and his expert team have looked after so many of our brides over the years and have a huge amount of experience working with our dresses. They also handle alterations for several highly sought‑after bridal boutiques in Islington. Richard really knows his craft and takes great care of every bride, whether it’s a small tweak or a full upcycle.
In addition to being one of the best in London for bridal alterations, Richard also creates bespoke menswear, so both bride and groom can be looked after. You may just want to book fittings on different days if you’re keeping your dress a surprise.
They are based in the Business Design Centre, moments from Angel station (Northern line) and close to Highbury & Islington.
Address: Studio 144, Business Design Centre, 52 Upper St, London N1 0PW
Phone: 020 3651 4390
Email: info@exclusivealterations.co.uk
Website: https://www.exclusivealterations.co.uk
The Seam
Founded by Layla Sargent, The Seam is an on‑demand tailoring service that connects you with trusted specialist tailors and seamstresses in your local community.
We exhibited with The Seam at The Good Clothes Show in May 2025, where they offered on‑the‑spot alterations. They repair and care for clothing, footwear and bags — from alterations to cleaning — connecting customers with skilled makers across the UK. They also partner with Sheep Inc for alterations on their luxury carbon‑neutral knitwear.
Their pricing page includes a dedicated upcycling section.
And its not just wedding dresses they can alter and fix, they can also work on jewellery, handbags and shoes too!
Website: https://www.theseam.uk/
Practical tips for finding a great seamstress
- Look at their past work and, if possible, ask to see an altered piece in person.
- Check that they can sew and work confidently with bias‑cut silk.
- Remember that any alterations you choose to have done are your responsibility, always verify the seamstress before proceeding.
- If you plan to dye your dress, do this before having any alterations done. Here’s our guide to the best places to naturally dye your Sabina Motasem silk dress: Best places to naturally dye your silk Sabina Motasem wedding dress.
- Clean and store your dress properly before making any alterations.
- When briefing a seamstress, include clear photos, measurements and details of any previous alterations.
- If you’re exploring upcycling ideas for a preloved Sabina Motasem dress or your own gown, collect inspiration images — either on a Pinterest board or pasted into a PowerPoint page you can export as a PDF.
- Here’s our blog post with creative ideas for transforming your dress into something you can wear again: How to upcycle your wedding dress.
- If you’re buying a preloved Sabina Motasem dress from Stillwhite, Vinted or similar, ask for details of all previous alterations and the seller’s measurements on their wedding day.
- Don’t rely on size labels. Although our dresses are initially made to order in set sizes (8, 10, 12 etc.), they are always altered to fit — so each one becomes bespoke.
