In my fairly short time of designing wedding dresses, I've had a lot of brides that were last minute panickers... as far as I can tell, it's mostly stemmed from that budget dress they've had on order.
This post is pretty close to my heart and is as much about throwaway fashion as it is about weddings, because it's not all weddings I've had this problem with!
Maybe it's because I'm a massive perfectionist or maybe because I was taught to make couture, either way I now find it very hard to shop (especially on-line) as I scrutinize the quality of the clothing. I'm even seeing more and more brands who's quality is dropping but the prices certainly aren't! As much as I'm a lover of the ethical, budget always comes in to play and now an again I will opt for the not so well made cheap piece to add to my wardrobe but where ever possible I will save to purchase a top quality garment as in the long run, it's much better value for money.
On this subject, if there is a ever a time to not cheap out on a garment - I would suggest your Wedding dress! This week reminded me of this little nightmare and if I can ever give you some advice - it is this... Do not buy your dress on-line!
Granted - there may be some success stories with Brides who have bought their dress cheaply on-line and had the best dress they can imagine - but more often than not I get the last minute panickers who have ordered their dresses only to be completely gutted at the quality of the garment, the fabrics and the fit.
A few months back, BBC's 'Fake Britain' took a look at the sale of counterfeit wedding dresses on-line, this is what was said “Brides think they are buying what they see in the pictures, but they are not, these dresses are only available from official stockists of the particular designer…The fake dresses are made for pennies from lining material or something equally as cheap, seams and stitches are often unfinished and they mostly arrive with no underlay; meaning it falls like a sack.”
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news girls but if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is!
Getting your dress made you can choose and see the quality of your fabrics, you can watch your dress coming together, change any little bits (if your as fussy as I am strap width is always a biggy!) and you can relax knowing its going to fit you perfect. Even buying from a reputable shop - you can guarantee the quality and know you have some insurance if anything were to go wrong.
So please, no matter how nice the picture looks - don't buy your dress on-line! Get it right the first time and don't end up spending more than you bargained for.
xoxo
♥
