Blog & Tips

Here at Curvy Chic Bridal we did our own little experiment. So let us tell you, from personal experience, about the dangers you may face should you order your dress online knock-off outlets.

We have all been lured by the cheaper prices of buying clothing online, eBay, amazon, light in the box, JJ’s House, Wish, Ali-Express and other online mega stores. Click, add to basket and you got yourself a bargain. You’re waiting for delivery and already tell yourself, if it’s not perfect sure it doesn’t matter it was cheap. But poor fitting is not the only the danger…

Firstly, let’s look at what we ordered, the cost, and what arrived…

We ordered this gorgeous looking 3 piece suit in a UK size 28 at a cost of £155.55, we were hit with customs and extra postage charges that nearly doubled the price.

Here is what we received – to preface, Zoie who is kindly trying the outfit is a size 20/22 and 5’10.

The first major thing to note, the length of the trousers, as I mentioned, Zoie is 5’10 and they’re substantially too long.

Secondly, the top is much much shorter than in the picture, as is the cardigan, and the crotch to waist on the trousers is far too short.

Keeping in mind, this is meant to be a UK size 28 on someone that normally wears a 20/22.

1. Added charges- as your bargain purchase might come from far away like China an international shipping charge and customs fees may be added. Speaking from a personal experience this is sometimes added on after your dress has been delivered. So you have a postal worker on your doorstep telling you your dress postage needs to paid before you can have your item and in my case basically doubled the price of the dress.

At Curvy Chic Bridal we will give you a price for your dress, and tell you there and then a good estimate of any extra costs for custom sizes or changes to your dress. No hidden charges, exchange rates or lies we will always be upfront when it comes to the cost of your dress.

  2.   Pictures aren’t always reliable- The item we bought for this little experiment looked great in the pictures and on the model. However when we tried it one of our models the fit of the whole thing was dreadful. And we don’t mean something a quick stitch would sort out. Even the fabric itself was not as appealing to the touch as it looked on the photos. Colouring is also something that can be tricky ordering online. For brides but perhaps more important for bridesmaids and MOB where the colour is very important. The photos you see online have been taken under studio  lighting and photoshopped. Where as here in the bridal boutique we can’t hide or change anything. Our beautiful dresses are exactly what you see is what you get.

  3. Adding extras- Say you want sleeves, straps or appliqués adding to your dress, how can you get exact fabric matches if you ordered you dress online? Well you probably could but it would take a lot of trial and error and searching. We have a great relationship with our designer so getting extra fabric or appliqués isn’t a problem so we can make sure your dress is perfect for you.

   4. No returns- As we said the item we got was such a poor fit and the photos online really were not an accurate representation we naturally wanted to return the item. Even with photos and measurements as proof we were unable to return the item. No refund, no exchange, nothing. Although refunds are very very rare in the bridal shops the reason is because the dress you choose is right in the first place. You can come twice with different friends or family before you even decide on a dress.  Measurements are taken, custom elements ordered so when it arrives there is no worry that it won’t be what you ordered.

So at the end of the day, ordering cheap online, waiting for it to arrive only to find that it’s going to cost you more, it doesn’t fit, it’s not quite the luxurious fabric you imagined and then no chance of a refund… it is worth it?

For us, it’s a definite no. At Curvy Chic Bridal we cater especially for plus size Brides and only work with designers that do so too. Our expert team will be here at your fitting to guide and give you our honest and professional opinions. It is a very personal and sometime emotional experience that you simply do not get ordering online.

So please do come in and see us before you decide to buy online

Curvy Chic

x

PS. if you would like to check out some other dress nightmares and research some online dress stores, we highly recommend Knockoff Nightmares