did you buy your dress at a sample sale?

unplainjane · October 2010

i'm considering going to a sample sale at a high end boutique in my area. though it's kind of a hassle to get my mom to go with me because she lives far as well our schedules are difficult to coordinate. as well i don't know how much luck i'll have. i feel i won't be able to commit that day on my dress and that i'll probably need to sleep on it so i thought maybe a sample sale wouldn't be worth me going to. as well i'm very petite and any sample would need to be altered a lot to fit me. wondering if girls actually are able to find their dream dress at a sample sale.

TheCranberry · October 2010

You should go dress shopping before you go to the sample sale so that you know what kind of dress you want and what looks good on you. That may help you be ready to make a decision that day. I know you can get really good deals at sample sales. Good luck!

ogrady88 · October 2010

I found my dream dress at a sample sale. It was the second one I tried on all day and it was a heck of a deal. As PP mentioned it may be good to go into try on some styles to get a feel for what you like. I bought my dress at a high end boutique too and typically their sample sales are really no different than a typical appointment. I'm a size smaller than most sample sizes so my dress will need to be taken in a little bit, but not that much, a lot of high end designer samples run a little smaller anyway, so give it a try. Don't stress too much, have fun!

opalsky007 · October 2010

I bought my dress at a shop that carries nothing but designer samples. So it wasn't quite the same--I got to put down a deposit that day, but got to sleep on the final decision for a few weeks.

I was really nervous about the decision, mostly because I went alone. Don't worry about committing to a dress. If it happens, it happens, and if not, you'll have narrowed the field a bit more. If you find something you like, but just aren't sure about it, sleep on it! There are so many sample or gently worn gowns online that you might still be able to purchase that gown after the sale.

soontobeschooley · October 2010

I have not yet bought my dress, but I would not be opposed to buying a sample. I can have a beautiful high end designer dress at my budgeted price!

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

MrsMLRB · October 2010

I got my dress at a sample sale and I loved it! I only found out about the sample sale at the last minute and so my mom couldn't make my appointment and only my FMIL was able to come meet me. But the saleslady can help you find a dress you love and you can send your mom pics. I would up getting a $1500 dress for $350 so it was definitely worth it to me to go to the sale.

meganb1977 · October 2010

I found my dress at a sample sale, $350 marked down to $99 with an extra 10% off on top of that. (Another dress I liked was $850 marked down to $425). My mother also lives out of town and wasn't able to be there, but I wanted to go to the sale and ended up finding my dress. If you have time, I agree with pp that it wouldn't hurt to do a little legwork at another shop(s) so you have a basis of comparison and perhaps can feel more secure in committing to the dress then and there. Can your mother be on standby for you to text/e-mail her pictures from your phone so you can see what she thinks if you find something that catches your eye? Can you get a close friend to go with and help you look things over and take the pictures to send to your mom? Not sure how petite you are but I'm 5'0" and found something that fit me and just needs a hem and maybe a little nip in the bust. One dress was actually too small and they would have had to put in a corset to give me more room in the back. Just make sure you look closely at the dresses to make sure there is nothing wrong with the dress that can't be fixed since they may be stained, missing beads, torn, etc. Don't hesitate about the sample sale, make your appointment for right when they open, you won't regret it and you might luck out and find a fabulous bargain!

thepokeypiggy · October 2010

i bought mine at a sample sale as well. probably the best deal i ever got on an article of clothing. however, i knew exactly what i wanted and the dress fit just right so there is really no need for alteration. definitely do some research before hand and like some others have said, figure out what size fits you well so you don't have to be scrambling that day. good luck though!

andamu · October 2010

I did a not-quite-sample-sale (Brides Against Breast Cancer).

The upside was that they had dresses in all sizes, but mine is still at least a full size too big, so I'll have to have it altered.

I hadn't even tried on anything before, but they had a really ample selection, so I was able to try a wide variety of styles. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted (a sheath, no pickup skirts, no corseted strapless, etc.) because I have pretty specific tastes, plus I did my fair share of browsing first.

ETA: I also got about a 60% discount, which was amazing. (And the purchase price I did pay all went to charity, so doubly amazing.)

did you buy your dress at a sample sale?

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