18/06/2026
Adding a split to a wedding dress is one of my favourite alterations — and one of the most interesting to get right. ✂️
The conversation always starts with the bride: where do you want it? How high? Do you want it lined, or floating? It sounds simple. It isn’t.
When a split is lined, there’s a clean, finished inner edge — the fabric folds back on itself and looks intentional from every angle. When it’s free, the layers float independently, giving that soft, layered movement you see in editorial shots. Both look stunning. Both need completely different techniques.
The challenge? Most splits are added at a seam — but not all dresses have a seam in the right place. Sometimes we’re cutting through multiple layers (main fabric, lining, tulle — sometimes all three) with nothing to anchor to. Every layer has to be finished separately, and the whole thing has to hang correctly on the body, not just on the hanger.
We once closed an existing split entirely and created a brand new one in a completely different location — because the original fell in the wrong place for the bride’s vision. Close it, re-hem, re-line, then start the whole process somewhere new.
But every time, it’s the bride’s decision — the height, the placement, whether it’s dramatic or barely-there. We just make sure it works.
📍 Four brides, four different splits, all exactly right for her.
