How to stop sundress strap slippage
Apologies to the gentlemen in my circle of readers: today's post will be quite unhelpful for you.
What's strap slippage?
Well, the straps of knit sundresses don't usually pose a problem, but if you've ever owned a sundress made of woven fabric, you know that sometimes the non-stretchy straps do not want to stay on your shoulders.
Especially if you, you know, move while wearing the dress.
Of course, you can prevent public viewing of bra straps by wearing a strapless bra, that still doesn't fix the annoying problem of the dress straps always falling down your shoulders.
I have two dresses (both from Goodwill, actually!) with this issue.
This white dress was particularly problematic because of the button closure in the front...the strap can easily rotate on the button, which makes it prone to falling off the shoulder.
So, I decided to finally get around to fixing that, using some ribbon and sew-on snaps.
(I saw this idea on the internet a while back but I can't remember where!)
Basically, I just added a tiny strap underneath the dress strap, which holds the dress strap onto the bra or camisole strap.
(Would you like me to say "strap" a few more times??)
The idea is that the stretchy understrap of your bra or cami will hold your non-stretchy dress strap in place.
Apparently, well-made clothing used to come with these included, but I've definitely never seen any in my lifetime!
To make this, I cut a piece of old ribbon to the appropriate length and then held the ends over a lit match to melt them (this keeps the ribbon from fraying, and works on almost every ribbon I've tried it on!)
Do be careful not to burn yourself.
Then I sewed one end of the ribbon right onto the strap. I hand sewed mine, because my machine isn't super great at doing tiny bits of stitching.
Then I sewed one end of the snap onto the dress strap (being careful not to sew through the strap but just to catch the inner side of the strap with my needle) and sewed the other half of the snap onto the ribbon.
The first time I did this, I sewed the snap pieces on upside down.
So, um, make sure you think about how the pieces go together! 😉
I sewed another set on this pink dress, which longtime readers may recognize from back in 2009.
(Zoe was a leetle smaller back when I got this dress!)
This project does end up taking a little time because you have to sew three things (the ribbon and both sides of the snaps), but I wouldn't say it's difficult.
And it would be very easy to do this while, say, waiting at your kid's music lesson or sports practice, since you can do it all by hand.
I found my snaps at Michael's, but you can also buy them online if you live in a craft/sewing store wasteland. Make sure you get the sew-on sort, and make sure you buy a size that's small enough to easily fit on your dress strap.
I hope I explained this clearly, but please do let me know if you have questions.
What a cute and inexpensive fix! I think even people like me who aren't very good tailors could do this one. 🙂 By the way, that's a very cute dress from Goodwill!
Wow thanks just what I needed, got this lovely purple dress but the straps keep slipping of my shoulders. will be able to sort it now
Just stumbled on this blog.., hoping comments are still read. I have been using a very simple method to keep my lingerie straps in place. It started with a visiting niece who was doing those elastic band looming projects. She had some clear mini elastics that gave me this idea... I had an annoying dress strap issue, similar to the above. My bra, cami and slip straps were an issue, but never seemed to have a moment to stitch a holder under the dress strap. I had a bin of buttons at hand, and asked my niece for a couple of the clear elastics. I ran and got that dress, a needle, thread and scissors. I sewed a small button to the underside of dress strap. To make sure this method worked, I laid out the usual undergarments and put the dress strap over them. I then slipped one of the elastics around the button then looped it around the 3 undergarment straps, and looped it back over the button. That seemed to do the trick in keeping all three underwear straps from making their appearance. A week or so later, I wore that dress and found it not at all a chore to slip an elastic (by that time I purchased a container of 1000 on amazon...), around those errant straps and back over the button. Oddly, the 'silicone'?? of the elastic actually assisted in keeping everything on my shoulder, like a bit of non-skid!! One other thought.. In order to keep the elastic in place on the button (until it loses its stretch) I sewed a couple of thread loops around the elastic behind the button. It kind of resembles a dress shirt button extender!! Granted, I have a large container of elastics, but I am also quite frugal. I dislike one use items!
Thank you for this Gidg. I'm trying this today on my sundress. Great idea. Maggie
My mother used to routinely put these strap holders into our dresses, hers and mine, because of our narrow shoulders. I am usually wearing bought knit tops anymore or I would do this, too.
I have a couple of nice work shirts with this kind of detail inside-- but I never thought to add it to an existing top/dress myself! Thanks!
Ah, Kristen, you are a genius!
I have one sleeveless dress that does have strap "securers" in the shoulders. They are thick thread which snaps around the strap of your undergarments to prevent the undergarment strap from slipping and showing. The dress is made by Jones NY; I bought it on super-clearance several years ago. I wish more of my dresses had them. Thanks for the idea!
This is so smart! I love practical tips like these. (Helps that I also love to hand sew!) Your dresses are lovely, too. Thanks much!
I love this idea. I usually pin my straps to my brassiere. It works wonders until its time to disrobe. And of course, I always forget to unpin first!!
That's a problem with these too! I occasionally forget to unsnap them before I take the dress off. 😉
I've actually had a few garments (from the thrift store) that had lingerie straps in them.
When my grandma taught me to sew, she helped me learn to put these into garments. I have a few blouses that have a neck that is just wide enough to need these (my straps show if I'm not careful) that I should go back and put them in.
I remember a couple of my daughters' sundresses and cami tops with these included. Really did help.
Thanks for a great idea! I have been sewing for over 40 years and never thought of that. By the way, your pink dress is so pretty.
Brilliant, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing! My mother has a dress or two that were made for her overseas in the 1960s, and they include these straps. I've always thought of adding them to some of my clothes today, but have never gotten around to it--maybe this will give me the nudge.
That pink dress is beautiful, by the way!
This is genius! Which explains why I never thought of it. DUH! Thanks for this. 🙂
This is pretty clever idea! And you looked so pretty on that sundress.
Great idea, but, ummm, how do I keep the darn bra strap up????
Mine NEVER stay up.
Ugh, that is annoying. Tightening the straps helps some, but then you have to make sure the band is tight so the whole thing doesn't just ride right up.
I think some people have more sloping shoulders too, which doesn't help matters.
Silicone is a great fix for this. Like the kind you get at the hardware store. I always have a tube around the house for something and just reapply a tab when it starts to wear off.
Mara, how much silicone do you put on say spaghetti straps?
I bought a sundress from Lands End this summer that has the strap holder. I love it but never thought to add it to my other dresses. Thank you for the idea.
Many tailors in India stitch these strap with hooks to prevent your dress from slipping down!
This is a couture technique which I have seen on the (few) high end dresses I have ever owned. It is on one dress that I have now which is boat necked. It keeps your bra strap from showing in the corner of the boat neck.
Great idea!!!
Thanks so much for the pictures and description. I just bought some tanks tops and my darn bra straps keep sliding out and so I thought I could go to the store to buy some of these, but the stores don't seem to carry them anymore. I knew it wasn't a complicated thing but I hate sewing and not good at it and the other sites that showed how to do this just made me feel frustrated (talked about being careful you don't cause the shoulder from bunching up). Looking at your site made it look so simple that I will definitely feel more confident doing it myself, thank you.