What is wrong with this dress?

[acceber]

I found this lovely dress in a church thrift store today and I snapped it up without really looking at it, because it was only 5 bucks. Well now it’s maddening me. I can’t think it’s supposed to look like this. The lining is stitched to the fabric throughout the whole dress, but the outside seems larger than the inside so that it doesn’t sit smoothly and all the seams are puckered. Is there any simple way of fixing it without re-sewing the whole darn thing? Of course I have no idea what the fabrics are. The outside feels slightly gauzy and the inside smooth. That’s all I have. The hem is down and needs to be put back. Thanks for your help!

 

[poppysvintageclothing]

Has it been taken in?

 

[acceber]

I don’t think so. The stitching on the seams looks original and untampered with.

 

[poppysvintageclothing]

It does look quite puckered up. Perhaps it was hand washed or dry cleaned and the lining shrunk up. I have seen that happen from time to time with this sort of lined chiffon.

 

[acceber]

That is typical of all the seams. ^^

I don’t know if this is a clear pic to someone else besides me. The lining hangs straight but there is almost 2 inches more of the outside fabric, bunched up along the bottom. It has me wondering if the skirt would at least hang straighter if I separated the two along the hemline.

 

[MagsRags]

I think Mary Jane is right - the dress was washed in such a way that the lining shrank disproportionately to the outer fabric. Separating the two at the hem will help the skirt a little, but the sideseams will still pucker. What a shame!

 

[acceber]

I was afraid of that. I think I will undo and restitch the skirt seams and hem to even things out. I don’t think it will do more damage than has already been done. :/ Thank you very much for the help. I will post it when I have it done.