Taking in a dress

A question about : Taking in a dress

I bought a maxi dress from Ebay and it has just arrived. It's a size 18 and I usually take an 18 or 20. Anyway the dress is too big. If it was just a bit too big I would probably still wear it but it is very big and the armholes are really gappy (it's sleeveless).

Anyway I thought I could probably just sew down each side seam but on a closer look I see there is a zip one side. Does that mean I am going to have to take the zip out and sew it back in again? That's probably a silly question but I have not done any sewing since school (about 40 years ago!).

I really like the dress so would like to alter it. I know I could pay to have it taken in but that is usually quite pricey. There is no option of returning the dress.

Can anyone give me any advice please. Although not expensive (Ј15) I really would prefer not to ruin the dress and have to throw it away.

Thanks

Best answers:

• Could you lift it at the shoulder seam instead?
• Agree shoulder seam is probably best option, if that doesn't seem right maybe you could make a dart somewhere to take in extra fabric could be front or back depending on the way the dress drapes/hangs.
  Try tacking first and try on, then machine or back stitch when you are sure what you want to do.