Dress sizes in shop

Chickus

Hi,
Went dress shopping during the week and I went to very well know shop in city centre.. I left so dissapointed and confidence knocked after..
5 out of 6 dresses didnt go past my thighs...i am a 14-16... the assistant insisted on giving me dresses to try on that hadnt a hope of fitting me...she said she had no other options for me so I left after 25mins. There were no dresses in shop that were lace up etc..dreadful experience for first time shopping..:(
Is this the norm inmost shops? If it is I am in for a rough ride. I know they cant provide a sampe dress for each size but i am sure they can do a lot better

Moonbeam

I was a 10-12 and needed to buy a size 14 or 16 dress don't worry about it try 2-3 sizes bigger.

TAPA2012

All shops are different but they sound very unprofessional. I was very disappointed too. Keep trying but this time when you make your appointment tell them your size and height. Ask do they have dresses in those sizes! This will save you time! Dont be afraid to say no un the shop too....they can be so pushy!

Chickus

Yeah I will do that from now now, ask about sizes before i go to the shop.. I went to one shop yesterday who had the sizes or close enough to them that i was able to see the dress on.. and she was so professional,
This girl in other shop was young and when i said that i couldn't get one dress on (i knew by time it got to my knee) she said out loud "don't be daft" and proceeded to start trying to hike it on...room was roasting hot with stupid chandelier style lights..i just told her to "Stop". I felt like I wanted ground to swallow me up.

tatli_lokma

Most places have only samples for trying on. This means that for the majority of women most dresses will either be too big and have to be pinned or too small and held on you for you to see what it will look like. TBH I don't understand the shops who have the small sizes because if something is too big you can pin it and the client isn't going to end up feeling like a blimp!

Some shops are better at dealing with women of all sizes and unfortunately some are rubbish and try to push you into dresses that won't suit you, won't fit you or you can't afford.

Viserion

Hi OP, sorry you felt so down after dress shopping.

I bought my dress in March of this year and my experience was very different. The woman took me into the dressing room, took all my measurements and then helped me in and out of dresses in the style i liked, the sample sizes were all way too small for me, but i wasn't made to feel huge, she was very helpful and just had a great skill of making the too small dresses look fine.
When she was filling out my order form i did get a shock. I am a size 16 and taking into account the style of dress i wanted and the very structured material of wedding dresses, she ordered me a size 22. Even though it was just my sister that was with me and the shop was otherwise very quiet, she wrote the size on the order form, pointed to it and was very discreet about it. I am sure some women would be quite upset with the jump in sizes but at the end of the day, you want your dress to fit perfectly and nobody looking at you will know what size it is.

Are you planning on trying a few different shops?

Chickus

Yeah I am trying a few shops next week down the country...
I hope that shop was just a one off..I am prepared for the jump in sizes...its so different to regular shopping

ABajaninCork

Viserion wrote: »

Hi OP, sorry you felt so down after dress shopping.

I bought my dress in March of this year and my experience was very different. The woman took me into the dressing room, took all my measurements and then helped me in and out of dresses in the style i liked, the sample sizes were all way too small for me, but i wasn't made to feel huge, she was very helpful and just had a great skill of making the too small dresses look fine.
When she was filling out my order form i did get a shock. I am a size 16 and taking into account the style of dress i wanted and the very structured material of wedding dresses, she ordered me a size 22. Even though it was just my sister that was with me and the shop was otherwise very quiet, she wrote the size on the order form, pointed to it and was very discreet about it. I am sure some women would be quite upset with the jump in sizes but at the end of the day, you want your dress to fit perfectly and nobody looking at you will know what size it is.

Are you planning on trying a few different shops?

Same thing happened to me! I too am a 16, and a 22 was ordered. Don't worry too much about the size. I read somewhere that wedding dresses are made using measurements from the 50's!!. Due to better diet, the Pill, etc., women are bigger now than they were then.

I'm also convinced shops order the dresses way too big in order to make money on the alterations! Mine had to be taken in three times before it would fit...

Moonbeam

I bought mine off the hanger and it only needed minor alterations but I think it was a size 14! possibly a 16.
In one shop the lady looked at me and said you will be needing about a size 20!! I was a 12 in tops and a 10 in jeans at the time but seriously like my boobs are not that big that I will ever need a size 20!!!
I could have killed her and her tone right there lol

cookiecakes

Gosh, that sounds so horrible. My bridesmaids had a pretty crappy experience in a well known Dublin bridal store and I was dreading my own dress shopping. A friend of mine recommended The White Room in Mullingar and it was the loveliest experience. The assistant we dealt with was so laid back and friendly and even though the samples of the dresses I liked were quite small, I was never made to feel like a heifer when I was trying them on. I would recommend them to anyone who has a fear of hands on, horrible shop assistants!!

pooch90

Chickus, what area down the country are you going to be looking?
Boardsies may be able to make suggestions.
I wasn't mad about the White Room but that's only because it's so bloody expensive and I felt it didn't have the widest range of styles etc.

broody_kitten

Yep most wedding dresses measure small, I am normally a 16-18 but needed a 24 in my wedding dress!!

flikflak

Dont worry about what number is on the label, no one will see that. What they will see is if the dress does not fit you properly so dont be bothered about what size they order for you in the dress as long as you love it and it suits you it will be perfect.

That shop sounds like they need to do a little staff training. You are better off not buying anything there and advising others to steer clear too.

schoolhouse

When I went shopping for my dress (seven years ago) Ifound very different experiences in the four shops I went to., all in the northeast region. I had an idea what I wanted but still no clue what would actually suit me.
Shop 1 - limit of 5 dress and you just had to pick out the dresses from the rails and hope for the best. Helpful regarding how bust should be fitted an style that should suit me best but left a bit disappointed.
Shop 2 - limit of five dresses again but didn't even find that number I was anyway interested in. Lady completely contradicted the previous advice received regarding fit for dress, definitely a miss.
Shop 3 - local shop so not expecting a lot but had to give it a try. Went it and just said I would try on whatever dresses she thought would suit me. I would not have gone near the first two dresses she picked, everything I didn't want. But dress two became the dream dress one I tried it on. Size was 12/14 which would have been my size but was slightly tight fit so she advised ordering the next size up for comfort. Left excited and anxious for more shopping.
Shop 4 - a shop with a big reputation for bridal wear and service. Big mistake. 5 dress limit, wear gloves trying on dresses. Pick your own from racks. no advice given and not real interest in making me feel special and not particularly civil. Tried to convince me about one dress that didn't even fit very well. All I could think about was dress 2 in Shop 3.
Left shop and rang Shop 3 for another appointment, she fitted me in that day between other appointments and I ordered the dress then and there. She also got the order for my bridemaids dresses purely because of the friendly and efficient service she gave to me.

Dortilolma

I'm sorry you had such an unpleasant experience Chickus - wedding dress shopping should be fun!

Interestingly enough when I went wedding dress shopping last winter the Dublin boutiques had the least impressive dresses and the nicest ones were in Barnardos in Dun Laoghaire and Smart Brides in Portlaoise.

Chickus

Thanks all for your replies, I shan't let that experience put me off... Off to Sligo for the next shopping day. Hopefully I'll find something there...

TAPA2012

Try whiteroom in mullingar. Its on the way to sligo and they have very unusual styles! Best of luck and have fun!

Annabananna

Hey

I have the same experience of you four years ago I lived in Dublin at the time when to three or four shops none had anything I could try on I too am a size 14 - 16 I ended up buying a dress in monsoon of the rack was pushed into it by a cranky sales person and tired sister who was sick of helping the zip was slow going up but it when up got it for 280 eur and was happy enough.

Three weeks before my wedding I tried on the dress again had tried it on a couple of times in between but this time it wouldn't tie on me rang the shop they had no size 18 in republic I have to go to north so I headed to Belfast at this stage I have to pay for a new dress so I said I look into bridal shops walked in off the street to Jean millar 68-70 Royal Ave, Belfast, County Antrim BT1 and the assistants were so kind when I explained what happened they got out maybe 20 dresses all range of sizes that fit me all new not samples and the third on I tried on I feel in love with it was a size 20 they prepared it for alternations for me did them there but would be a week for them to be done.

Was so happy and got dress shoes tiara and alternations for 800GBP say the same dress a few months later in a irish wedding mag for 5ksame designer model no and everything so I would suggest paying them a visit.

Chickus

Wohoooo I found "the one"...fitted like a glove...totally made for me.. Delighted

LovelyFreak

I was exactly the same, size 14, and my wedding dress was a 22 (had it taken in as was still big, but the 14s in shops wouldn't go near me). I got mine in Classy Lass in Clane (now renamed Dress of Dreams) and they couldn't have been better. They do ALL sizes and have bigger sample sizes so you don't get bet into dresses like in other shops! I'd definitely check them out!

Moonbeam

I found them lovely there too and they can also make dresses.

Gatica

Check the bridal shops beforehand to make sure they carry your size when making an appointment. I know they should keep stock for a range of women's sizes, but if they don't have your size at least you won't waste your time and won't make yourself feel awkward by going in and finding out you can't fit into their dresses.
The Belladonna bridal shop in Galway has a special section for plus sizes, which I think is great. It's a lovely fitting room and they've a large range of dresses in at least sizes that are not tiny, plus that are likely to suit a fuller figure.

Vojera

I'm plus size and got my dress in Ruben Bridal, outside Kilcullen in Kildare. They were lovely in there, really helpful and, as you would imagine, have a good range of sample sizes. Anyone who's a bit nervous about getting samples to fit them, I would definitely recommend them.