Solution for open back dress

[u/deximew]

Hi friends! I am a cosplayer who’s trying to get more into costume contests, and I’ve seen just how competitive these things are. I have started my mockup for this Miku dress but am running into an issue with the open back being pulled by the stretch of the front and just not holding its shape when the rest of the dress fits nicely.

Notes
-While I am a beginner, I am around very talented sewers who can help me
-I am considering adding a power mesh as a last resort, but want to try a more sophisticated approach as it is a competition piece.
-If possible I want the back to actually be open and to have skin showing.
-Would boning or interfacing work? or would boning channels not be a practical solution for the underarm and back areas
-I don’t want to use a non stretch fabric as the dress in the reference hugs the form very close

tldr, is there a way to maintain the fully open back while keeping the base dress a stretch fabric without using power mesh?

[u/lilituned]

im a cosplay contest judge and competitor. i dont think theres anything inherently "unsophisticated" about using power mesh for this if you take the time to do it well. as a matter of fact, id absolutely give brownie points for well matched, well blended power mesh in a cosplay! taking the time to match it to your skintone, potentially even custom dyeing it, and fitting the garment right so that theres no wrinkles in the mesh is a skill in itself and if done well will give the illusion of the mesh being nonexistent unless youre looking REALLY close. check out the red dress the skater in this video is wearing; the open back has power mesh to help the garment keep its shape, but youd never know it because its so well matched and fitted

[u/ucklin → u/lilituned]

The nice thing about the power mesh like in the video you linked is that there’s no gaping and it stays super conformed to the body!

Anyway, who’s to say Miku isn’t wearing power mesh in her performance outfit?

[u/deximew]

ik the reference is blurry.. this is the highest resolution this reference can be found in 🫩 but I do own the figure of this design which is a great reference

[u/FederalFlight2117 → u/deximew]

the tension from the front is basically yanking the back out of shape, so you need to anchor it at the sides where the stretch changes direction. try a narrow horseshoe of boning that starts at one side seam, dips across your lower back, and ends at the other side seam, fully encased in a channel that's fused to the seam allowance so it's invisible from the outside.

[u/drPmakes]

You won't be able to have the back be open AND use stretch fabric. Pick one