A LACE-UP / CORSET-BACK DRESS CAN GO UP OR DOWN BY A COUPLE OF SIZES
If there’s one myth that drives me bonkers it’s this one, especially when I see brides selling their dress and claiming that the lace-up back will make it appropriate for brides who are a couple of sizes smaller or bigger.
Yes, a lace-up back does give you some flexibility within your dress size, and on the day you can take advantage of that flexibility to have it nice and tight for your ceremony, and then a little bit looser for when you want to enjoy that lovely meal you’ve paid for.
But too small and the lacing will stretch right across your back (if indeed it does up at all) screaming to all that look at it that you have tried to squeeze yourself into a dress that
doesn’t fit. Too big, and the lacing will be pulled right together at the sides, which not only looks untidy but loses you all the figure-shaping benefits that a well-fitted corset can give you. Of course, it can be taken in so that the lacing is back to the right size, but that’s not the same thing as it automatically fitting you without alterations.
THE MORE EXPENSIVE THE DRESS, THE BETTER IT MUST BE
This isn’t necessarily true. For a start, many of the off-the-peg dresses you can buy are exactly the same dress as the more expensive ones, just at a lower price because they have been tried on in a store. And the price of some of the very expensive dresses is not just the cost of the dress – you are also paying for all the marketing that goes into building the brand name, and the shop’s overheads – which can be hefty if you are shopping in stores with crystal chandeliers, crushed velvet sofas and bottomless champagne.
However, at the other end of the scale you do very much get what you pay for, especially
when it comes to cheap copies of designer dresses. There are lots of websites out there offering dresses that usually originate in China at seemingly bargain prices. Beware, the dress you will get is usually not the one in the picture but a copy of it made out of cheaper fabric and decoration, using less material and with a quicker and usually less polished finish. If you are willing to take the risk or happy with a lower quality dress then fine, but go into it with your eyes open!
SAMPLE AND PRELOVED DRESSES ARE DIRTY / DAMAGED / UNWANTED
Let’s talk about sample dresses first. They aren’t the dresses that no-one wanted – they are the ones that may be a past season and that the designer no longer offers, so can’t be ordered any longer by the traditional bridal shops. Or they may be a designer that the shop no longer stocks. They move them on to make space for other dresses. Many of them have barely been tried and are in fabulous condition, but at a fraction of the original price.
Preloved dresses have often only been worn indoors and may have been worn for fewer hours than a sample dress. They are usually checked and cleaned before being resold. Any shop worth their reputation won’t sell dresses that aren’t in a good condition. Yes there may be the odd loose bead or dust mark under the train where it can’t be seen – but nothing that can’t be fixed, and at such a huge discount from new they are definitely worth it!
THE GROOM / PARTNER SHOULDN’T SEE THE DRESS
So most brides will choose not to let their partner see the dress before the day, and there’s undeniably something special about that moment they turn round and see you.
But I’ve also had many customers who wanted the opinion of their other half before they made a decision, and that’s fine too if it means a lot to them. As far as I know none of them have had any worse luck than the brides that did it the traditional way!
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