The Dress

Feel like a queen in this showstopper gown! This Galia Lahav Madison dress is a mermaid-style gown with a dramatic train from layers of tulle and vintage lace. The detailing of this dress is even more impressive in real life, the embroidered lace has a subtle glitter to it that sparkles in the light. From my perfect day to yours, for 70% off retail: this is couture, pre-loved style... :)

THE DRESS
The skintight body shows off your figure without suffocating you; it has enough stretch to comfortably sit. The zipper on the side is hidden by snap-on buttons that cover the zipper with lace pieces. There are sewn-in cups, which removes the need for finding a backless bra. The sides of your legs are semi-sheer for a sexy and slimming effect, but not so sheer that you can't wear a thong. (finding invisible underwear is sometimes harder than finding the dream dress!)

ILLUSION BACK
This dress features the illusion back that Galia Lahav’s designs are known for. The sheer mesh is stretchy and in great condition, so it lays on like a second skin. The tone of the back mesh would blend in with your skin if you have a fair to medium skin tone.

TRAIN & BUSTLE
The entire train is easy to detach using velcro. A tailor that specializes in designer dresses has already put in a custom bustle, saving you the effort and money to do so. There's just one little loop missing, but that's very easy to replace. One of the photos shows the back of the bustled dress without the train - perfect for dancing!

SIZE
Please take a look at my measurements to see if this is a good fit for you, as street sizes aren't a good indicator for tailored dresses. In centimeters, I'm 65 centimeters in the waist, 90 cm bust (with 72cm below the bust, which is between a 32D and 32DD), my lower hips are 98 cm and upper hip 78cm. This was at the time of the wedding, but when I had my first fitting and at least 2-3 centimeters bigger, it fit perfectly fine too because of the stretch. It was VERY snug around my hips/butt so if you're blessed with bigger curves there, this dress might be too tight for you.

Height: Crotch to shoulders is 67 cm, my tip of the finger to my shoulder is 78cm. I'm 177 cm tall and wore 85cm heels for most of the day, but the hem didn't touch the ground when I wore my heels.

PRE-LOVED COUTURE
This made-to-order dress from one of the most popular wedding dress designers would take 6+ months and 13k USD to get. This gown has been worn, which you can see in a few very minor snags in the train that are very tiny and invisible unless you are really looking for it. It's had a deluxe dry cleaning treatment, no stains or damage, and it's put in a custom holder to keep its shape.

galialahav[dotcom]/bridal/couture/tales-of-the-jazz-age/madison/

Alterations

I had the hem of the dress extended on the bottom. (this is as long as it will go)

There's also some extra tule to widen the bottom for that extreme mermaid effect that wasn't part of the original Madison design, which you can easily remove if you want.

I also had the straps slightly taken in and cups put in to make the bust fit better. Those cups can be taken out or replaced to fit your cup size. If the straps need to be extended, I have some of the original Galia Lahav lace that you can give your tailor to work with for that.