Overseas Manufacturer

[Deleted User] · May 2014

I'm really reluctant to spend a fortune on a dress I'll wear once, which is why I'm considering purchasing from an overseas manufacturer. Has anyone ever done this? If so, what was your experience like? Do you have a company you can recommend based on your experience?

chibiyui · May 2014

I would recommend buying a used dress, or looking at department stores and other non traditional stores, then a knock off site. Quality is all over the place and you can't return it.

QueerFemme · May 2014

FeeleyToBe said:

I'm really reluctant to spend a fortune on a dress I'll wear once, which is why I'm considering purchasing from an overseas manufacturer. Has anyone ever done this? If so, what was your experience like? Do you have a company you can recommend based on your experience?

Don't buy from a chinese knockoff. Check out this facebook page... it will give you an idea of how horribly wrong knockoffs usually end up.

the photo below is a knockoff that went wrong. The left is an authentic Mori Lee. the right is the knockoff.

[Deleted User] · May 2014

Are all overseas dresses "knock offs?" I don't have a dress I'm looking to replicate, just looking for a dress I like that won't cost a fortune; I don't care if it's a "replica" such and such. If it's their own design I'm fine with that.

I'm looking into used dresses too; worried about fit if I can't try it on- in both scenarios.

Looking at consignment and places like DB are probably my best options.

Thanks.

CMGragain · May 2014

All moderately priced wedding dresses are made in China. The difference is that compnies like David's Bridal, Alfred Angelo have representatives there that supervise the manufacture and quality of their dresses. When you order direct from a Chinese wedding dress site, you have no way of controlling fabric, quality and workmanship. You may also be encouraging child slave labor practices. Some of those so called "factories" are attics full of sewing machines manned by underpaid child workers.

David's Bridal has terrific values because they manufacture all of their own dresses in their own factories in China. (You didn't really think that Vera Wang was making that dress herself, did you?)
You should go there and try on some of their dresses to see how they fit you. Wedding dress sizes are completely different from street clothes sizes. Then check out their catalog unless you have actually found your dress off the rack, which sometimes happens. Unless a dress is on Clearance, it can be returned through the mail unworn, which is more than you can say for those Chinese sites. Don't believe what they say. You will be stuck with whatever they send you!

http://www.davidsbridal.com/Browse_Bridal-Gowns

[Deleted User] · May 2014

Thank you for the additional info CMGragain. No, I didn't think VW was making the dress herself, and even if she were, yuck- not my style. Ha ha!

I am going to look at DB so I can try things on.

Thanks all!

CMGragain · May 2014

I just bought my daughter a clearance formal gown for her presentation at the Daughter of the American Revolution national congress next month from the DB website. She was very pleased with it.

QueerFemme · May 2014

FeeleyToBe said:

Are all overseas dresses "knock offs?" I don't have a dress I'm looking to replicate, just looking for a dress I like that won't cost a fortune; I don't care if it's a "replica" such and such. If it's their own design I'm fine with that.

I'm looking into used dresses too; worried about fit if I can't try it on- in both scenarios.

Looking at consignment and places like DB are probably my best options.

Thanks.

Yep, pretty much all overseas dresses are knockoffs. And by knockoffs, this is what I mean. A seamstress (Or rooms full of underpaid sweatshop workers) have a photo of a dress that a designer made (Davids Bridal, Mori Lee, Alfred Angelo, etc.). they just have a photo. They will try to replicate that dress by staring at a photo. They don't have a pattern, or any of the quality fabric or beading that the photo has. Because, they didn't make that dress in the photo. They just stole that photo from a designer website somewhere.

None of the overseas makers have their own dresses displayed, nor do they hire models to take photos of in their dresses. They just steal photos from websites, and sell dresses based off of that photo. But, the final product rarely ends up looking like the dress in the picture.

weddingmcgee · May 2014

I bought a dress from China a few months ago. It was beautiful online and when I got it, it was horrible. It was going to cost almost as much as I paid for the dress to return it, so I just resold it on ebay and someone bought it as a prom dress.

I went to David's Bridal and tried on about 10 dresses. I was disappointed because I didn't realize that you couldn't try on all of the online dresses in the store (the website and store are separate- even separate warehouses, so you might get lucky and find a dress they have as an online only, but don't count on it). But, I figured out what size I wore and what styles and fabrics I liked. But if you show them a dress you like from their website, they usually have something similar to give you an idea of how it will fit you.

I went on sites like tradesy.com, preownedweddingdresses.com, oncewed.com, and looked at dresses in my size (or a size bigger and could get it altered), and actually found one of my favorite dresses brand new with tags for a little less than half the cost of the dress on the David's Bridal website. Yes, I'll have to pay for alterations, but I would have to do that anyway.

Just be careful with something you haven't seen or is from a company that isn't trusted and well known. The good thing about David's is that it's accessible and you can find tons of used dresses. But check the alterations to make sure it will still fit. Maybe go a size up so you know you can alter it to your exact size.

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