If you must buy online, make sure they have photos of an actual dress, not just what you can find on the designers website. Reputable brick and mortar salons that sell the gowns for cheaper will be able to supply you with a picture of the dress and the information on it. If an on-line site doesn’t say anywhere what their return policy is and you see anything that says “from the date of purchase” be very careful that you get a site that will allow returns once the dress has arrived and passed your inspection. Don’t just go off pictures. Many off these knock-offs are simply quick sew dresses that are replicated from just pictures, no patterns (hence the possible hem and seam problems). If you can’t talk to a real person and see a sample of what the dress will look like finished, then DO NOT buy from them.
The best solution would be to buy in a salon. Try to find one that specializes in clearing old stock gowns or designer samples. Some salons have access to these suppliers who liquidate old stock/samples and they can get you a great dress fro a significantly reduced price. Buying off the rack can save you a bunch of money too. Always ask the salon to help you find something great that you can afford. A good salon will do whatever they can to help you get the dress you want and guarantee it will be the dress you order.
Dresses from the internet may use pictures from the actual designer sites to show you the dress you want, but in fact the dress is only a poor replica. Want to know why that dress may be cheaper? First off they usually use a heavy poor quality satin, that can wrinkle and fray easily. As well, the poorer fabric holds wrinkles better and may be difficult to steam out. They may also use a completely different material, such as a charmeuse, which is cheaper and it does the same thing the poor quality satin does. You may get a dress that is unevenly hemmed or missing the hem, resulting in unfinished edges that fray. The neckline may be different, and it may completely lack the boning in the bodice, and panel. They are poorly structured and the seams are not well sewn, resulting in pulls, open seams and puckered edges. The loops from the lace-up may pull and without boning in the bodice or panel, the dress can bunch up on you once it is tied. Among those problems there may also be the issue of the ordered dress having sequins and beads or poor quality crystals to decorate the embroidery. The bustles may not be evenly set due to the uneven hem and the crinoline may even show. Watch the crinoline too, it may be unevenly cut and jagged.
Many brides want to save money, understandable. Between kids and a house, weddings tend to be pretty pricey. Some brides find a gown for cheaper online that they like. If they have the opportunity, they may go to a salon to try that dress on to see how they look in it and feel in it. They find that perfect one and then head home to put the less expensive option on their credit card and order away. I always encourage a bride who wants to save to do so as she needs to. Not all online dresses are bad, but most of them can be.
Say you see the perfect ADK or Private Label by G dress. You found a salon, tried it on, loved it and then ordered it online. Now you pay $450 online for it. You are satisfied that you have saved money and get the dress you want. Here comes the downside and it may hit you hard. The dress arrives and it’s not the gown you ordered. The one you ordered had Swarovski crystals, intricate embroidery, a great lace up back, amazing train and gorgeous satin. The dress you now hold in your hands, though the basic shape of the dress is there, it has sequins, nothing close to the embroidery detail, an uneven hem, thick and poorly sewn satin and not a crystal in sight. Not to mention that 54″ standard hem came in a 48″ and the train is much shorter. What happened to that dress you ordered? You just got scammed and there is nothing you can do about it. Why? Because guaranteed there is a limited return policy and chances are is it is consumed by the months or weeks it took to get the dress. Plus if it’s coming from China, then your stuck with it because 98% of the time all sales are final.
Remember, be wary, research and don’t buy if you can’t see a photo of the real dress from a non-registered seller. You can tell when someone isn’t because the designer site or company can tell you if a salon or website is a legitimate seller. (Some salons may not have been added yet, so it’s better to call and check). Be wary of China and anywhere you can’t get a look at what you are buying. Get pictures, talk to someone in person and read all the fine print.
Many brides take a lot of comfort in knowing that they have seen and felt their dress in the salon before they ordered it. They got to feel how the dress might feel on you once it comes in. Unfortunately, buying off the net doesn’t give you any of this.
No comments:
Post a Comment