buying a dress without trying it on

vespa42 · December 2009

I found a beautiful dress online that I love (in the pictures!). I really want to try it on but every place that I have called says that they do not have a sample. I have probably called about 20 stores over a 50 mile radius at this point. Two of the stores told me that the dress is from the new collection so it will not necessarily be in stores yet. I am getting married in october. Should I buy the dress and hope I love it in person? I have tried on about 20 dresses so far and only liked one!

momofayden · December 2009

You have plenty of time for it to come in to a store to try on before you need to stress. I would wait. It would be terrible if you ordered the dress and got it and hated it. Then you would be 4 months down the road with a dress you hate and have to look for something else. I wouldn't do it. You've defnitely got time.

MsBunny312 · December 2009

It sounds a bit risky. Are there any other similar dresses you can try on to make sure the silhouette looks good on you? Also, check out other dresses from the same designer to determine the quality.

mbcdefg · December 2009

I feel in love with one particular dress online, and called shops all over the state to find it. Once I finally found a sample and put it on ... yeah, it didn't look so hot on me. So I would personally never order something that I had not tried on in person. (And for what it's worth, the dress I ultimately wound up choosing was something I'd passed over on the designer's website multiple times without even giving it a second thought.)

If you have tried on lots of other styles and simply cannot get this one out of your mind, I would do your best to find a similar style to try on, so that you have an idea of what it might look like on you. I would also try on some other dresses by the same designer, so that you can see the workmanship and the type of fit and the fabric.

I would also put some kind of backup plan in place ahead of time, in case you order sight unseen and that dress doesn't work out for you.

aerinpegadrak · December 2009

Bad idea. I fell totally in love with two different dresses, and neither one worked when I tried it on. (One wasn't nearly as nice in person, and the other just didn't flatter me.) The dress I ended up buying was similar, but one I hadn't actually seen before.

I would contact the designer directly and ask them for a store in your area that has it in stock. Even if you try on similar dresses and like them, you may not like that specific dress when it comes in.

ldcf11206 · December 2009

Big no-no here. The dresses do not look the same in person as they do in pictures. I found my "dream dress" online, printed out a picture, went to a store & tried it on...and realized it wasn't my dream dress.

If you're getting married in October 2010, I wouldn't wait much longer before buying a dress because they tend to take a while to come in (if you make a special order). My dress took 6 months to come in (ordered in February for my October 2010 wedding!) Maybe you can find a similar dress in stores? Might not find the EXACT one you THINK you want, but at least you'll get an idea of how the one you THINK you want will actually look.

Good luck!!!!!!

RaiKai · December 2009

Yeah, bad idea, unless you are willing to take the risk it does not work, and resale at a massive loss.

Dresses never quite seem the same in person, and on, then they do from pictures or even on the hanger.

The dress I fell for - well, I was reluctant to even try it on as though it had many elements I loved, it had many I didn't. As soon as I tried it on, I was won over. Others I thought I would love....did not work in the least on me.

anglelovesnick418 · December 2009

I also vote no unless you can find one that is very similarly cut & styled & can see in person the designer's fabric & quality.

vespa42 · December 2009

Thanks guys! I suspected it was a bad idea but I was hoping that it had worked for someone. I am going to look at dresses again in a few weeks so hopefully i will find the one when i do!

mbcdefg · December 2009

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_attire-accessories_buying-dress-trying-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:15Discussion:02420430-e661-4024-9b64-c5118a9e029dPost:1f3403bf-309e-49f6-a819-63ea5ef837eb">Re: buying a dress without trying it on</a>:
[QUOTE]Thanks guys! I suspected it was a bad idea but I was hoping that it had worked for someone. I am going to look at dresses again in a few weeks so hopefully i will find the one when i do!
Posted by vespa42[/QUOTE]

Some people say that it HAS worked for them, but to me it seems like a lot more have said that it didn't. It's a gamble ... sometimes it pays off, other times it doesn't.

IMO it's not a wise gamble to take, because (a) wedding dresses are expensive and often cannot be returned or exchanged, (b) you may not have the time to order something new so you might be stuck with an unflattering dress or will have to scramble around for something else, and (c) wedding dresses can be hard to sell to someone else, and if you DO re-sell it you'll probably never get the full amount that you originally paid.

If you have enough money and time to take the chance, it might be worth it to you. If you're on a somewhat limited budget (who isn't?) and have less than a year until your wedding, you may find yourself under a lot of stress if you order something sight-unseen and it doesn't work out for you. Then again, it might flatter you wonderfully and be everything you expected. Again, it's a gamble.

BostonGayGal · December 2009

I did this for my first wedding and the dress was everything I had hoped for. I tried on other dresses by the designer to get a sense of the fit and the fabric, then bought it used online. I saved thousands, and got the dress of my dreams.

How well do you know what looks good on you?

Are you fickle?

Have you tried on other dresses with a similar fit by this designer?

Are you a gambling girl?

pooh8402 · December 2009

it worked for me, but I'm in the minority. if it's in the new collection and will be in stores soon (as opposed to my situation where the style was discontinued and there were only 2 left in the company's warehouse), then you definitely have time to wait. I gambled and it paid off, but since the dress was deeply discounted, it wouldn't have hurt the pocketbook too much if I didn't love it.

buying a dress without trying it on

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