DRESS SHOPING 101





 SHOPPING 101: THE SALON

If you don’t already have a gown and decide to customize rather than custom design, you’re going to have to go shopping. Many publications and websites refer to this phase as the ‘dress search’. Looking online or perusing magazines is usually the beginning. Once your search starts feeling two-dimensional, like you want to see the real version, you need to get out and look. I call this stepping into and feeling what it's like to actually wear a gown, window shopping. You’ll need to try on several to find out what looks best. Whether you order your dress from a salon and customize it later or choose to have one custom-made, there’s nothing like actually putting on ready-made gowns and looking at yourself in a three-way mirror to evaluate which cut and line looks best on your figure type. If you think about it, any gown ordered off a sample in a salon is, in a sense, a custom gown. Think about it--you're going to add your own version of headpiece and/or veil. Add shoes, gloves, and other accessories, and voila! You have a real custom look? Your gown, though, will be all the more customized. You probably already have a sense of ‘owning’ how you’re going to embellish it once you find it.

BrideMail@Bridechic.com I’ve found a dress online I like, and a salon in my area carries it, so I made an appointment to try it on. Because I plan on adding a hood to the neckline of whatever dress I choose, it’s really important that I find the right one. Naturally, I want to explore other shopping alternatives. Is the salon with all the big white dresses my only choice? 

 No. But the first thing the typical bride does is set out for the bridal salons in hopes of finding the right dress. Since salons are so dedicated to wedding gowns, we’ll go over buying one here before exploring other shopping alternatives. First of all, salons vary. Some feature apparel solely for the bride; others branch out into special occasion and formalwear sections. In metro areas, the focus gets more concentrated. Boutique chic lofts offering edgy innovations serve a different bride than the wall-to-wall plush of department stores like Bergdorf Goodman. All these establishments, though, work in a similar way. Most keep a stock of designer samples in-house. Once you decide on a gown, you’re measured. Any special requests are made (if the designer/manufacturer offers any), you put down a deposit, and then the order is placed with the designer or manufacturer. Turn-around time for delivery runs 4-6 months. This means that once your order reaches the designer’s workroom, the gown is eventually made according to your measurements. Upon delivery, the salon can arrange (for a price) any necessary alterations. This is, of course, optional. You can take your dress to any outside seamstress you want. So the typical salon works by placing an order rather than simply wrapping your gown, ringing up the transaction, and sending you out the door. In other words, for all good things, one must wait. With that in mind, before you reach into your wallet and put down the proverbial deposit, here’s a bit of inside info worth checking out.

 BrideMail@Bridechic.com I love the top of your ‘Sabrina’ dress. It's perfect for me except the skirt is way off what’s ideal for my proportions. I do, however, like another version of the skirt you offer on the ‘Juliana gown’.  Is there some way I can exchange these pieces to get what I want? 

 Did you know for an additional price, some manufacturers can customize your gown? Contrary to popular belief, your favorite designer’s sample may not be the only version it comes in. That’s right. If you love the top on one gown and the skirt of another, you may be able to switch them as long as that particular designer/manufacturer does what’s called a ‘swap’ or ‘change out’. Take into account the components do have to be from the same designer’s collection for this to work. Designers vary though. Some may not swap components at all, offering modifications on color, sleeve, or train lengths instead. All the same, this could be an opportunity to inquire about the adornments they may offer: lace options, embroidery, etc. But be warned. Too many changes and/or additions, and suddenly, cha-ching! Keep in mind, too, that designers don’t like to rework their original concept too far off the mark. As one put it, “Jean Harlow’s dress into Marie Antoinette’s is asking just too much . . . .”


 MORE “LOVE THAT GOWN BUT IF ONLY. . . .” ISSUES #1 Love that gown, but if only it wasn’t a bridesmaid dress.

 BrideMail@Bridechic.com I found this great dress online. It’s a simple, strapless sheath that’s perfect for wearing under that white organza dress you’re designing for me. The problem is, it’s a bridesmaid dress and the lightest color it comes in is tan. 

 Believe it or not, stumbling across that bridesmaid dress broadened my client’s options. We’d planned on designing a sheath to go under the nearly finished organza dress, but she hadn’t decided on the exact style yet. That is, till she saw the aforementioned sheath online, which, incidentally, we found out, did come in white silk dupioni and cost a fraction of what I would have charged. Wearing a white bridesmaid dress when you’re a bride is a little-talked-about trend.  Since inflation hit, brides have been cutting costs, and ordering bridesmaids' dresses as a way to save. Whole sections of designer websites are devoted to bridesmaids. Also, notice bridesmaid dresses don’t look like those Muriel’s Wedding atrocities anymore; most have morphed into simple, unadorned styles, making them the perfect backdrop for customizing into a bridal gown. The bridesmaid dress option is the way to go if: 1.) You’re using it as a foundation on which to customize with other adornments. 2.) You want a more low-key or informal look, sans the train, lace, and beadwork. 3) You want color. 4.) You’re price-conscious. Bridesmaid dresses cost a fraction of what a bridal gown costs. For brides who don’t want to be in white or ivory, bridesmaid dresses are perfect. They come in just about as many colors as Crayola crayons from the palest pastels to deepest jewel tones. Once you start looking online, keep in mind not all manufacturers use first-rate fabrics and/or construction. Try to find styles in high-grade silk or silk blends. Especially if you plan to customize, you’ll need a background as clean and pure as possible. And always remember, the simpler the dress, the more perfectly it should be made.

BrideMail@Bridechic.com I saw one of your dresses online and thought I’d finally found The One. But once I checked out the price, I almost fell over backwards. The person who emailed back said the fabric was one of those hard to get imports and that’s the reason for the high price. My question is, can I get this dress made in a less expensive fabric? 


 Some designers are willing to swap fabrics. Imagine that  100% Italian silk peau de soie A-line in a less expensive rayon satin. This option works as long as you’re not a fabric purist. If you’re prone to making decisions based on the overall silhouette rather than the fabric, go for it. That A-line going for $4500 could sell for less in a synthetic alternative. If you’re placing an order through a retail salon, there is a catch to fabric swapping. Few designers offer this option. When and if they do, it may only apply to certain gowns in the collection. Add to that the overseas labor/competition/marketing issue, and swapping fabric is on its way to becoming a lost art. The most successful swaps have more to do with the relationship between your salon and the manufacturer. Chances are, if they’ve been solid through years of swapping, customizing, etc., then your salon may be able to swing you a deal. Just make sure you and your consultant have decent, same-page communication since you’ll never interact with the designer actually making your gown. FYI: Private designer establishments are ideal for this sort of customizing, provided they have a collection you can look at either online or in-house. They frequently work with clients who want to swap not only fabric but, in some cases, entire silhouettes. However, if you’re that price-conscious, private designers may not be the way to go


Dress shopping is covered in more detail in the posts on how to shop sample sales, trunk shows, and what to expect once your dress is delivered.

What To Expect Once Your Dress Is Delivered
Beyond the Salon: Shopping Off The Beaten Path



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Last Photo: Strotz Photography
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