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HELP! Mystery Dress!

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Brose244

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Nov 4, 2009
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I am searching for the maker of this dress (attached). My search for the dream dress has become a heartbreaking situation. Can you guys help me???

I saw this dress in a display window at the local mall. I was told by a local bridal salon (upstate NY) that sells it that it was a 2BeBride dress. What made me suspicious at first was that the dress was not listed on the 2Be Bride website or their catalog. I think the salon is lying to me because I have been told at a 2BeBride trunk show that it is NOT a 2BeBride.

After this run-around I do NOT want to buy from this local salon. If this is not a 2BeBride it means they have been lying to me for three months. If they are dishonest I refuse to reward that by buying through them. If I can find this dress elsewhere I will buy it, but I have NO clue who makes it now...

Thank you for listening. I feel so drained when this should be a happy time. If I have to give up the dress of my dreams so I don''t give that salon money then its the right thing to do, however painful it is.



DRESSSMALL.JPG
 
Does the bridal store have a website and, if so, do they list the designers they carry? You could access each designer''s website to search for it.

Can you try it on and possibly sneak a peek at a tag?

Is there any chance the employee was simply mistaken, rather than maliciously lying, about the dress designer? Can you go back in and say something like, "I think you must be mistaken - could you double check the designer on that dress?"
 
Date: 11/4/2009 9:15:36 PM
Author: laughwithme

Is there any chance the employee was simply mistaken, rather than maliciously lying, about the dress designer? Can you go back in and say something like, 'I think you must be mistaken - could you double check the designer on that dress?'
Click to expand...

I'd do this as well, if you haven't already. It might be a 2Be Bridal gown, but an older style, which might be the reason it isn't on the website.

Just curious- is there a reason why the designer is so important?
 
Laughwithme: Thanks for writing! The store does have a website BUT refuse to list who they sell. The only way to know is to go to a designer''s web site and search for the business''s name. Even if you ask them directly they say "Many select designers."

All the tags are ripped out and she has sew in her own, with no real info.

I was told it was a 2BeBride by the owner and two staff member to me, my friends and my family for the last three months, so I know it was not a mistake. I''m pretty sure they will not tell me now that I have found out it is not a 2BE, straight from the company''s mouth.

Great store, eh?
 
EBree: Thanks for the ideas!
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Unfortunately, I''ve tried all that - website, catalog, and I even e-mailed the company, who told me that it was not theirs. As for the label, I am not into them BUT I''m also not into being lied to, which is the issue that has brought me here. Thanks anyway!
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Could we help you find something similar?
 
I would love the help! Thanks!
 
Do you know the price range of that dress? Or at least the price you want to spend? That helps narrow it down.
 
Date: 11/4/2009 9:48:00 PM
Author: Brose244
Laughwithme: Thanks for writing! The store does have a website BUT refuse to list who they sell. The only way to know is to go to a designer's web site and search for the business's name. Even if you ask them directly they say 'Many select designers.'

All the tags are ripped out and she has sew in her own, with no real info.

I was told it was a 2BeBride by the owner and two staff member to me, my friends and my family for the last three months, so I know it was not a mistake. I'm pretty sure they will not tell me now that I have found out it is not a 2BE, straight from the company's mouth.

Great store, eh?
Click to expand...
Uh Oh! That is a bridal store NO NO!

If you live in America, it's also illegal. The Textile Fiber Products Identification Act of 1963 requires all apparel to be properly labeled. It must include the name of the dress manufacturer (or their registered number that the ftc assigns to them) as well as the dresses fiber content and country of origin.

The loophole? shops are allowed to remove the manufactures tag as long as they substitute their own tag WITH the store name and required info.

If her tags don't have that, then I would suggest threatening to file a complaint with the FTC. Or tell them that you'll pass the news on to your "engaged friends" that they should take their business to a more reputable shop.


SO love my Bridal Bargains Book! That thing is my paper MOH lol.

Good Luck, Nicole!



Just wondering, how did 2BE feel about one of their vendors lying by claiming they made a dress they actually didn't make? (if that makes sense lol)



OOH! second idea. Try on the dress again (hopefully the lady won't recognise you), ask who the designer is. Then when they say "oh. it's 2BeBride :) " just say something like "Oh.
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well then I def won't be buying it. My friend bought a 2be dress for her wedding a few months ago and had this horrible problem with it (poor quality, slow delivery, w/e). I refuse to wear them.. If it was only made by someone else... I would have bought it in a heartbeat". Beat them at their own game. They'll try to tell you what a wonderful designer 2be is (which I'm guessing they are?) but if you don't budge, chances are they will be more interested in making the sale than keeping their lie afloat.. "hold on... let me double check our database. OH No! I'm sorry.. that dress is actually made by _______. Our mistake"
Another name for you to check!

Worth a shot?
 
Date: 11/4/2009 8:33:49 PM
Author:Brose244
I am searching for the maker of this dress (attached). My search for the dream dress has become a heartbreaking situation. Can you guys help me???



I saw this dress in a display window at the local mall. I was told by a local bridal salon (upstate NY) that sells it that it was a 2BeBride dress. What made me suspicious at first was that the dress was not listed on the 2Be Bride website or their catalog. I think the salon is lying to me because I have been told at a 2BeBride trunk show that it is NOT a 2BeBride.


After this run-around I do NOT want to buy from this local salon. If this is not a 2BeBride it means they have been lying to me for three months. If they are dishonest I refuse to reward that by buying through them. If I can find this dress elsewhere I will buy it, but I have NO clue who makes it now...

Thank you for listening. I feel so drained when this should be a happy time. If I have to give up the dress of my dreams so I don't give that salon money then its the right thing to do, however painful it is.


Click to expand...


ok, i'm a little confused (and it might just be the headache trying to creep in), you love this dress that you saw in the window of the shop, you went into shop, tried it on, fell in even more love with the dress. the original tag is not in dress, so, you inquire about the designer. you are told 2bebridal. you research & have suspicious that 2be is the real designer, but you still want this dress. what's the problem? do you think the shop is overcharging for the dress? personally, you found a dress you love, if the price is right, get it from the shop you found it out. yes, it sucks that they might not be telling you the correct designer but what does it really matter?

again, sorry if i'm just not getting it...
 
Date: 11/5/2009 12:18:25 AM
Author: lulu66

Date: 11/4/2009 8:33:49 PM
Author:Brose244
I am searching for the maker of this dress (attached). My search for the dream dress has become a heartbreaking situation. Can you guys help me???



I saw this dress in a display window at the local mall. I was told by a local bridal salon (upstate NY) that sells it that it was a 2BeBride dress. What made me suspicious at first was that the dress was not listed on the 2Be Bride website or their catalog. I think the salon is lying to me because I have been told at a 2BeBride trunk show that it is NOT a 2BeBride.


After this run-around I do NOT want to buy from this local salon. If this is not a 2BeBride it means they have been lying to me for three months. If they are dishonest I refuse to reward that by buying through them. If I can find this dress elsewhere I will buy it, but I have NO clue who makes it now...

Thank you for listening. I feel so drained when this should be a happy time. If I have to give up the dress of my dreams so I don''t give that salon money then its the right thing to do, however painful it is.


Click to expand...


ok, i''m a little confused (and it might just be the headache trying to creep in), you love this dress that you saw in the window of the shop, you went into shop, tried it on, fell in even more love with the dress. the original tag is not in dress, so, you inquire about the designer. you are told 2bebridal. you research & have suspicious that 2be is the real designer, but you still want this dress. what''s the problem? do you think the shop is overcharging for the dress? personally, you found a dress you love, if the price is right, get it from the shop you found it out. yes, it sucks that they might not be telling you the correct designer but what does it really matter?

again, sorry if i''m just not getting it...
Click to expand...
I think this (highlighted part) sums up why she is not interested in buying it from the shop. But now my question for the bride?

Now my question is in regards to the underlined part. So you found the dress at two separate places? the mall and at a salon? And both are lying to you? Or just the salon is lying? Why not just buy it at the mall? Now i''m confused lol
 
Hmmm... is there a *slight* chance it may be an offshoot-brand of 2B?

For example, the gown I have is made by Allure (well, not mine... but... that''s a long story). The dress tag says "Exclusives by A.C.E."... this is different from the "Allure Exclusives" on the Allure website. In fact, you can''t find ANY evidence of "Exclusives by A.C.E." anywhere on the internet or Allure''s page, yet the company IS an Allure Bridal company. So salons that sell this particular dress refer to it as an Allure gown.
 
jaylex, ahh, that helps a bit. but i guess, looking at the situation from my perspective, if i love the dress & i already know where to buy it (at the salon she found it at), i''d be willing to look past it & just go the easy route & get the dress. unless, i felt like they were lying about to mis-price the dress or something like that. i''m also curious about whether the bride saw it at two different stores too.

just out of curiosity, what does the salon gain by removing the tags?
 
These days salons don''t want to tell folks who makes the dresses because they fear they''ll just order it from some online discount vendor instead. It would have been best to simply refuse to say who makes it rather than *lie* though. Maybe they lie to make it *harder* to find? Or impossible to harass the company directly if something goes wrong with the order. Dunno.

Hope you find a dress you like better. Finding this one sounds like a needle/haystack situation unless you suck it up & order from them.
 
 
Date: 11/5/2009 12:54:56 AM
Author: lulu66
jaylex, ahh, that helps a bit. but i guess, looking at the situation from my perspective, if i love the dress & i already know where to buy it (at the salon she found it at), i''d be willing to look past it & just go the easy route & get the dress. unless, i felt like they were lying about to mis-price the dress or something like that. i''m also curious about whether the bride saw it at two different stores too.

just out of curiosity, what does the salon gain by removing the tags?
Click to expand...
it keeps brides from "shopping" them.
I work in retail (furniture/interior design) so I know all about that.

In their case, they work with a client for 3 hours to find the "perfect dress" just to have them go online and buy it from a vendor that spent absolutely NO TIME helping the bride try on dresses, measuring them for their size, paying the sales girl to help the bride, or clean up after the bride left all of the dresses on the return rack. Obviously JoeBlowBridals.com can sell the dress for 3/4 of the price! they had no overhead because someone else did all the work for them.

If the tag says "2BeBride, style #12567" all it takes is a simple google search to find the "lowest" price.

Sux, but that''s retail
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Regardless, a reputable salon will tell you the TRUE name of the designer. I bought my dress from a bridal salon at a slightly higher price point (about $100) than some other brides who found it cheaper online, because they helped me find the dress in the first place, and spent 3 hours helping me in and out of dresses, plus if something happened to the dress (if it came in and something was wrong with it) then they would be responsible for it.

That said, if they had lied to me I would have done what you''re doing and tried to look somewhere else. Actually, I think that knowing the true designer and being able to look up other brides/pics online only helped me confirm that it was the dress I wanted. So I don''t think you''re wrong in only wanting to do business with someone reputable.
 
Okay... I checked out the 2Be website, and while they have dress photos ONLINE, they don''t put out a catalogue. Reason being, they always have new, updated dresses and are constantly making changes to their line (
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w/e. So does Priscilla of Boston and everyone else, but THEY have catalogues...) Anyway- is it possible that the dress is just older? Perhaps discontinued? Maybe the 2Be SA who told you it wasn''t a 2B gown meant that it wasn''t a CURRENT 2B style? The company may not be advertising the dress online because they''re no longer making it, but they could still be selling the leftover "stock." Companies do do that- happened with my first wedding gown.

The store could get in deeeep trouble for lying about the designer. I simply can''t see why they''d make it up? :sigh: I still hope you''re able to find the gown elsewhere- I''ll keep looking online!
 
I understand about not wanting to buy from a store that is giving off a few "red flags"...I ended up purchasing my dress for a store for just a little more because I thought the customer service was excellent, and I trusted them completely. I think that for a purchase like this, you should trust the store.

The dress that I bought has a very similar look / feel to that dress...it is gorgeous on (IMO) and the price is nice! (~$1000). I got it in light gold. But, here it is pictured in white with platinum, which reminds me of the dress you like. The designer is easy to find in many stores, go try it on!
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Sottero and Midgley 5154 - I don''t think the website pic does it justice.

sottero&midgleySSM5154.jpg
 
Hmm this does seem fishy! In my dress shopping I learned that bridal stores within a certain mile radius cannot carry the same wedding gowns, or even designers. Perhaps that is the bridal shops concern in revealing the true designer? Maybe another bridal shop nearby carries the true designer of the coveted gown so this store cannot. Solution: check out all of the nearest bridal shops!

Good luck!
 
Thank you so much everyone for all your helpful feedback!!!!!!!!!! It''s so wonderful!

To answer some questions: I contacted 2BE BRIDE and they told me themselves it is NOT a 2BeBride. So its definitely not a spin off of the brand.

The price point of the dress was $1585.

I never cared about labels but I do care about being lied to for three months.

The owner of the store, after getting connacted by 2Be for lying, wrote me an e-mail out of the blue to tell me the dress is now "discontinued", which I believe is a lie because she got caught and doesn''t want to deal with me.

Thank you sooooooooooooooooooo much for all the dress selections! You are amazing!

Thanks again everyone!!!
 
Date: 11/8/2009 1:08:51 PM
Author: Brose244
Thank you so much everyone for all your helpful feedback!!!!!!!!!! It''s so wonderful!


To answer some questions: I contacted 2BE BRIDE and they told me themselves it is NOT a 2BeBride. So its definitely not a spin off of the brand.


The price point of the dress was $1585.


I never cared about labels but I do care about being lied to for three months.


The owner of the store, after getting connacted by 2Be for lying, wrote me an e-mail out of the blue to tell me the dress is now ''discontinued'', which I believe is a lie because she got caught and doesn''t want to deal with me.


Thank you sooooooooooooooooooo much for all the dress selections! You are amazing!


Thanks again everyone!!!
Click to expand...


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This store is unbelievable.... I would definitely write some negative online reviews. Thank goodness you didn''t purchase the dress from them. I absolutely cannot stand deceptive business practices.

I wish you allll the luck finding your dream dress- maybe it will be one of the options these lovely PS ladies posted!! Keep us updated as you try on new gowns!
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Some people are just amazing
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Lucky you didn''t purchase your gown from them, who knows what else they would have lied about?
 
I am so glad I never bought the dress from this salon. Who knows what drama would be happening after she got my money?
 
No luck yet....
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Hi Nicole, I feel really bad for you about this whole dress thing. I also had a small bit of dramaz when I tried to find my "the one" dress too so I kind of get what you're going through. I pottered around on the internet a bit and you probably already know this but the following companies seem to have some kind of affiliation with 2BeBride (I think they are all under the same parent company, like Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy):

Mon Cheri
Sophia Tolli
Rina di Montella
James Clifford Collection

So my first thought was, it's possible that the SA got confused about which designer the dress belonged to since they're all the same company. I don't know the name of the salon you were at, but you said it was upstate NY, so I looked on 2BeBrides site for authorized retailers and there are only four salons in the whole of NY authorized to sell that line, only one of which doesn't advertise which lines it carries (another feature you mentioned of the salon) and is located in upstate NY. I googled the name for reviews and discovered that this particular salon also cuts the tags out of their gowns and has a no pictures policy, and is the exclusive carrier of 2BeBrides in upstate NY. So I *think* I know which salon you were talking about but I can't be sure. Can you share the name of the salon? If you don't want to, I understand.

In any case, armed with what I think is the name of the salon, I looked at authorized retailers of all the other designers affiliated with 2Be and this salon doesn't appear to be an authorized retailer of any of them. So that theory goes out the window, unless this salon is now selling gowns of lines they're not authorized to have under the name of a line they ARE authorized to have - which would be totally freaking bizarre and I'm not even sure how a salon would manage that. I think you also know that 2BeBride itself has three different lines, Isabella Chessari, Elizabeth Darcy, and Gavin Michaels. I'm sure you went through their sites and looked at their dresses already, although as you said they don't seem to have full catalogues.

Also, what the heck kind of bridal salon doesn't advertise the designers they carry? I mean, really. I don't know about you but when I started looking for a dress, I went to theknot.com and brides.com and looked at the dress galleries for dresses that caught my eye, then checked the designers and went to salons that carried that designer. It's smart business to list the designers! Anyway...

So now I'm back at square one. If I knew for sure that was the salon you were talking about I'd call them up and straight ask what designers they carry. Even if they don't tell you, if you call back enough times eventually you'll get a new person that doesn't know not to tell you something.
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In any case, I'm going to keep looking into this in my spare time. Bridal salons tend to carry lines all around the same price point, so if the salon carries 2Be, we're looking at a lot of options but the big ones are Casablanca, Jasmine, Maggie Sottero, Mori Lee etc, in that price point. Casablanca does not list the salon as an authorized retailer, Jasmine only lists them as carrying their B2 and Belsoie bridesmaid collection, Maggie Sottero lists them as an authorized retailer, Mori Lee does not, if that saves you some time looking at pictures on the web of these collections. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

Edited to add:

The salon in question also carries Mia Solano, Eden Bridals, and Jordan Bridals.
 
Date: 11/15/2009 12:14:03 PM
Author: ts44
Hi Nicole, I feel really bad for you about this whole dress thing. I also had a small bit of dramaz when I tried to find my ''the one'' dress too so I kind of get what you''re going through. I pottered around on the internet a bit and you probably already know this but the following companies seem to have some kind of affiliation with 2BeBride (I think they are all under the same parent company, like Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy):


Mon Cheri

Sophia Tolli

Rina di Montella

James Clifford Collection


So my first thought was, it''s possible that the SA got confused about which designer the dress belonged to since they''re all the same company. I don''t know the name of the salon you were at, but you said it was upstate NY, so I looked on 2BeBrides site for authorized retailers and there are only four salons in the whole of NY authorized to sell that line, only one of which doesn''t advertise which lines it carries (another feature you mentioned of the salon) and is located in upstate NY. I googled the name for reviews and discovered that this particular salon also cuts the tags out of their gowns and has a no pictures policy, and is the exclusive carrier of 2BeBrides in upstate NY. So I *think* I know which salon you were talking about but I can''t be sure. Can you share the name of the salon? If you don''t want to, I understand.

...In any case, armed with what I think is the name of the salon, I looked at authorized retailers of all the other designers affiliated with 2Be and this salon doesn''t appear to be an authorized retailer of any of them. ...

Edited to add:

The salon in question also carries Mia Solano, Eden Bridals, and Jordan Bridals.
Click to expand...

Great research ts44! Kind of you to take the time figure all of this out.

I just wanted to make a remark on the bold part. More than once I went to a salon that carried a line of gowns but they weren''t listed on the designer''s site as an "official" seller of the line. I pointed it out once and the salon seemed steamed that they weren''t listed on the site as an official vendor. So I''m guessing that sometimes the vendor might make an accidental omission. It might be worth looking over the sites of the designers listed above that are affiliated with 2BeBride.
 
Thank you sooooooooooooooooooomuch ts44!!!!!!!!! I really appreciate your effort!

The salon''s name is Bridal Gallery By Yvonne and its located in Latham, NY. Were you right?

Every night I got on at least three bridal dress sites searching for the dress. I have even sent the picture to most of the designers you listed below. Some have wrote back, some have not.

Some brides to be have called the salon already only to get the generic answer of "exclusive designers". It''s all a game to her. Some other B2B have said its probably a cheap dress from china that she bought for 100 bucks and was trying to sell me a recognizable line for triple the price.
 
Thanks for the suggestions! I''ll keep that in mind while I''m searching!
 
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