A 3LATO dress is handmade from first pattern to final press. A custom commission is cut from your own measurements, and even a drop edition is sewn by hand and tailored to your numbers before it ships. Nothing is pulled from a rail or picked from anonymous factory stock.
That one fact, a human decision at every step that touches fit, is what this guide follows from enquiry to the last quality check. Made to measure is the reason the process looks this way: there is no shared size to grade against, so each piece is built once, for one body and one occasion. Custom order when you want that; the rest of this page is what happens after you do.
Where does a handmade dress begin?
It begins with an enquiry and an approved brief, not a rail. The brief carries the occasion, the date, references, and your measurements from the sizing worksheet. A deposit secures the slot once a deadline is confirmed for your needed-by date; custom colours are approved before any cloth is cut. With nothing to pull from stock, the brief is the pattern's only source, so specificity saves guesswork at the bench.
How is cloth cut for a handmade dress?
The pattern is drawn from your numbers, bust, waist, hip, height, plus the low waist and seat fields, then marked and cut by hand for that single order. Each commission is its own cut, never a batch graded from one size. It already solves what a rail cannot: a hem set for your exact heel, a strap placed for your proportion. Cloth shapes the cut too. Cotton and elastic take unlimited custom dye and structured ripples; ribbed acrylic gives moderate stretch in fewer colours; crepe, satin, and mikado weights are cut for structure and drape.
What happens at the sewing bench?
The cut cloth is hand assembled and finished, with knit structure, beading, or tailored seams as the design demands. Support is sewn in during production, not added later as an alteration: boning, bust support, and formal architecture are built into the piece, not fixes applied to a finished dress. Beadwork is placed by hand, which is why those pieces need gentle handling later. On knits the structure is the cloth itself, formed as the piece is made, which is why the ribbed surface of a piece like the Flower Sand Dress holds its shape. Drops and commissions share the same bench; only the pattern's starting point differs.
How is fit checked before a handmade dress ships?
Every piece gets a bench quality check against the brief before it leaves. Measurements are reconfirmed one week before shipping, so the dress answers your current numbers, not the ones taken at enquiry. Say so if your body has shifted during production. It is then pressed, padded, and dispatched worldwide on tracked couriers from the UK.
How does a handmade dress differ from ready to wear?
A custom piece is a one-off pattern from your brief; a drop is a named design, still handmade, then tailored to your measurements before dispatch. Neither is mass production; both are bench made. The difference is control. Commission when the shade, hem, support, or occasion must be exact; start with a drop when time is tight or you want to meet the brand first. Full comparison: made to measure vs ready to wear beachwear.
Handmade means a human decision at every step that affects fit, not a label slapped on after the fact.
Start a commission: custom order. Statement reference: Sirens Armour. Vacation example: honeymoon dress.
Frequently asked
Is every 3LATO dress fully handmade? +
Yes. All pieces are handmade, drops and custom commissions alike.
How long does a handmade dress take? +
There is no fixed public lead time. The deadline is confirmed case by case before an order is accepted, and a deposit only secures a slot if one exists for your date.
Can I visit the atelier? +
The atelier is private. Visits are invitation only, arranged directly.
How do I care for a handmade dress at home? +
Handle beaded and delicate pieces gently and avoid impact on hard surfaces. Transport them padded. Full care notes ship with the piece.