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Where can I get inexpensive BM dresses that are still beautiful?

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Kelli

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I have five bridesmaids, two junior bridesmaids (14 and 9), and two flower girls. I suppose I don''t need to worry about the flower girls yet, but I''d like to get cracking on the others. I definitely can''t pay for them myself, and I know that a few of them will NOT want to spend lots of money on them. The ones I keep looking at are over $200, and i''d like to keep it more like $100 or less. The less, the better! They have all different body types, so I''m not expecting that they all get the same dress. I''d like a little variety anyway, but I''m not sure where to look for the best prices. Any suggestions? I''m looking for navy blues and/or shades of gold. Thanks in advance!
 

violet3

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Ok, i know i suggested the $200 or more dresses to begin with -- sorry!

$100 or less i think will be tough for a bridesmaid''s dress....just based on what i''ve seen. I picked the mori lee cocktail length dresses (special affairs version i think) and they all run about $120 at my local bridal store (this was the least expensive i saw). There are lots to choose from and i figured they could pick anything in the color i choose. They do have navy, but i am having trouble finding gold - their online color pallet representation really blows BTW.

see here: http://www.morilee.com/Affairs.aspx

This one comes in navy with ivory piping - might be cute for your nautical theme!
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http://www.morilee.com/DressDetail.aspx?C=10&D=782&P=1
 

violet3

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For under $100 though i would for sure try the bridesmaid department in Nordstrom.com - they have good stuff!
 

Guilty Pleasure

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What is the largest size of your bridesmaids? The reason I ask is because I had two very large busted plus size dresses (size 22) to shop for in addition to my future sister-in-law who is a size zero or two. It limited my options, but if you have a narrower range, I have some other ideas.


I went with Mori Lee and chose a color and material and let them pick any style. The prices ranged from 112 to 164. I am very happy with them, although I haven''t seen them in person yet!
 

Kelli

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LOL violet! Don''t worry, everything I''ve found in magazines and looked up has been too expensive too. Thanks for being so helpful with all the pictures and links! I like the selction that Mori Lee has, and $120 does seem pretty reasonable.

Guilty pleasure, I''m wondering about the sizing too. My sister (MOH) is VERY skinny, with practically no chest, and another one of my bridesmaids is VERY busty. I have quite a size range to work with as well. I know that getting all of my girls to go out together is probably not going to happen either, because we all have very different work schedules and one of them is moving in a few weeks.

I''m wondering where to even start. Looking online is good, but where do I go to try stuff on? I know of a lot of bridal stores, but most of them (with any decent selection anyway) are at least an hour away which makes the schedule thing even harder. I can call the local ones tomorrow and see which brands they carry, but if their BM dress selection is as good as their wedding dress selection, it''ll be a lost cause.
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I know David''s Bridal is cheaper. To be honest I had no luck at all finding wedding dresses with them. I literally hated everything. I''m wearing a David''s bridesmaid dress in June and I can''t say I''m overly thrilled with that one either, but I did only pay $100 for it. Does anyone else have experience with them for BM dresses?

I''m off to check out the Nordstrom site now. Thanks again!
 

jstarfireb

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I got my dresses through Alfred Angelo - I chose the color, length, and fabric, and my girls each picked their own dress within those constraints. They ended up with a V-neck, a tie halter, a beaded strap, and a strapless dress. All were a little over $150.

For dresses under $100, another PSer found this site. They have some nice styles in sizes 0-28. Hope that helps!
 

Kelli

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You''re right! They do have good stuff. If only all those pretty dresses came in all the right colors....

I suppose tomorrow I''ll call around and see which stores carry which brands.
 

Kelli

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Thanks jstarfireb. I REALLY like one of the alfred angelos I''ve got right in front of me. I guess I also need to talk to them all a little more and see what they''re comfortable spending. I know I''d have no problem spending up to or over $200, but some of the girls are definitley not into the whole wedding thing as much as I am and didn''t even have specific dresses for their BMs. Everyone pretty much just wore whatever they wanted, in any color. I like to think I''m not too particular, but I''m definitely more particular than that.
 

Kelli

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Date: 4/22/2009 2:20:43 AM
Author: jstarfireb
I got my dresses through Alfred Angelo - I chose the color, length, and fabric, and my girls each picked their own dress within those constraints. They ended up with a V-neck, a tie halter, a beaded strap, and a strapless dress. All were a little over $150.

For dresses under $100, another PSer found this site. They have some nice styles in sizes 0-28. Hope that helps!
Thanks for that link too! They have some pretty stuff as well. I''m thinking I really need to go see some stuff in person!
 

Clairitek

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Just wanted to poke my head in and say that when you do select your gowns call Pearl''s Place for sure. We got Watters WTOO BM dresses for my friend''s wedding and we ended up saying about $50 per dress by ordering through there. You just need to make sure you know how to accurately measure yourself before calling in. They will provide a size chart via email if you request it. They carry a HUGE selection of bridal designers. In fact, I also got my $1900 Marisa wedding gown there for a hair under $1200.

Don''t forget RK Bridal as well. I don''t have personal experience from them but I have heard good things about their discounts.
 

MakingTheGrade

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I don''t know if you have a Group USA near you, but they sell a lot of pretty dresses, mostly under 200$. Also, once prom season is over, you can probably find a ton of good deals on prom gowns that you could use for bridesmaids,.
 

violet3

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Date: 4/22/2009 8:03:06 AM
Author: Clairitek
Just wanted to poke my head in and say that when you do select your gowns call Pearl''s Place for sure. We got Watters WTOO BM dresses for my friend''s wedding and we ended up saying about $50 per dress by ordering through there. You just need to make sure you know how to accurately measure yourself before calling in. They will provide a size chart via email if you request it. They carry a HUGE selection of bridal designers. In fact, I also got my $1900 Marisa wedding gown there for a hair under $1200.

Don''t forget RK Bridal as well. I don''t have personal experience from them but I have heard good things about their discounts.
Great point here Clairitek! They could try the dresses on somewhere else and order them from Pearls place with a discount! I was originally going to do the Alfred Angelos for my girls -- they are really nice and they offer similar options to the Mori Lee Dresses, in terms of color options and styles for your ladies....and they have TONS of colors. I have lots of pictures of one of my BM in them trying them on if you''d like me to post for you!

If they are comfortable spending around $150, i think some of the Bill Levkov (the champagne ones i sent you earlier) dresses are around that price, but can''t remember. if you decide to go that price range i''ll stop by my salon on my way home from work and check for you, as their materials are gorgeous and feel great on, and for some reason their champagne color is just so nice to look at!

p.s. having been a bridesmaid MANY times before, i don''t think $150 is too much to spend -- having said that, part of the reason I picke the Mori Lee line is the affordable price -go figure
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I will say the Mori Lee line feels really well made when its on if that has any bearing for you. Cheers!
 

dcgator

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Date: 4/22/2009 8:03:06 AM
Author: Clairitek
Just wanted to poke my head in and say that when you do select your gowns call Pearl''s Place for sure. We got Watters WTOO BM dresses for my friend''s wedding and we ended up saying about $50 per dress by ordering through there. You just need to make sure you know how to accurately measure yourself before calling in. They will provide a size chart via email if you request it. They carry a HUGE selection of bridal designers. In fact, I also got my $1900 Marisa wedding gown there for a hair under $1200.

Don''t forget RK Bridal as well. I don''t have personal experience from them but I have heard good things about their discounts.
Hi Kelli,

I second the Pearl''s Place suggestion. I saved about $75 per dress, and ended up getting Alfred Angelo dresses for less than $100. I do appreciate you girl''s not wanting to spend too much money. I wanted to keep the dress prices low too, since I am having an OOT wedding, so my girls have to pay for rooms, flights, etc. It''s good to be a considerate bride
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I also liked the Bill Levkov suggestion. Those are very pretty dresses. But, you will definitley be paying more than $100 per dress, so do keep that in mind.
 

Kelli

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Wow you ladies are super nice and helpful! Thank you! Violet, if you don''t mind posting them, I''d love to see pics of the Mori Lee dresses. It''s so much better to see the dresses on real girls, since the models are all gorgeous of course, but they all look exactly the same! Companies would be much more helpful to show their dresses on a variety of girls, not just the super tall skinny ones!

I haven''t ever heard of Group USA or RK Bridal, but I''ll look them up in a minute. I went to Pearl''s Place''s website and it looks like they would be a great way to save. I''m one of those people that feels bad going to try stuff on at one store knowing I''m going to order it from somewhere else, but that might be the way I have to go in order to save the girls some money. I''m going to call around today and see which places I could go for the best selection of brands.

Again--- thank you so much!
 

meresal

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Date: 4/22/2009 10:08:02 AM
Author: Kelli
Wow you ladies are super nice and helpful! Thank you! Violet, if you don''t mind posting them, I''d love to see pics of the Mori Lee dresses. It''s so much better to see the dresses on real girls, since the models are all gorgeous of course, but they all look exactly the same! Companies would be much more helpful to show their dresses on a variety of girls, not just the super tall skinny ones!

I haven''t ever heard of Group USA or RK Bridal, but I''ll look them up in a minute. I went to Pearl''s Place''s website and it looks like they would be a great way to save. I''m one of those people that feels bad going to try stuff on at one store knowing I''m going to order it from somewhere else, but that might be the way I have to go in order to save the girls some money. I''m going to call around today and see which places I could go for the best selection of brands.

Again--- thank you so much!
I am using RK Bridal. Our dresses, Bill Levkoff, from a normal salon front would have been over $200, but thru RK bridal we''re paying like $154/dress including shipping.
The shipping is only $7/dress for more than 1 dresses to the same location. If you''re shipping them separately, then $14/dress. And the best part, as long as your outside of NY, then there''s no sales tax.
 

Kelli

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Great! Thanks for the info. I looked online and it seems they''d be a great option too!
 

violet3

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Date: 4/22/2009 10:08:02 AM
Author: Kelli
Wow you ladies are super nice and helpful! Thank you! Violet, if you don''t mind posting them, I''d love to see pics of the Mori Lee dresses. It''s so much better to see the dresses on real girls, since the models are all gorgeous of course, but they all look exactly the same! Companies would be much more helpful to show their dresses on a variety of girls, not just the super tall skinny ones!

I haven''t ever heard of Group USA or RK Bridal, but I''ll look them up in a minute. I went to Pearl''s Place''s website and it looks like they would be a great way to save. I''m one of those people that feels bad going to try stuff on at one store knowing I''m going to order it from somewhere else, but that might be the way I have to go in order to save the girls some money. I''m going to call around today and see which places I could go for the best selection of brands.

Again--- thank you so much!
OK pics....my pics of my bmaid are in Alfred Angelo, which is what we were originally going with, so i''ll post those for you. I don''t have any pics of the mori lee dresses, but i will at some point and i''ll post. So...here you go - Alfred Angelo (comes in both Navy and champagne/gold)


p.s. my BM looks so great in everything, she might as well be a model - i hate her
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This one was too big for her, but SOOOOO cute and this is the actual Navy color from Alfred Angelo - hope this helps.

headlessbmaidnumber1.jpg
 

violet3

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Again, Alfred Angelo

headlessbmaidnumber2.jpg
 

katamari

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If I may play enabler here for a moment, if your problem is that you don''t think your BMs will want to pay $200 for a dress they will only wear once, why not make the dress rewearable instead of dropping the price? A $100 dress that you wear once is far more wasteful, in my opinion, than a $200 dress you can wear several times. Especially if you are going to go with the knee-length champagne or gold (which I think will look great in the venue!), there is no reason why they couldn''t rewear them.

If you do want to stay around a $100, there is still no reason why you couldn''t still find a great, rewearable dress. I would just focus around stores where your BMs are likely to shop instead of the cheaper BM lines.

Some things I found on a quick search:


WHBM gold dress

J. Crew offers a lot of their dresses in champagne and they eventually go on sale (and even send out coupons occasionally, if you are on their mailing list).

This Anthropologie dress is super cute. It is only available in skinny-minnie sizes online, but they can probably find other sizes in the stores.

I like this one from Dillard''s, too.
 

Kelli

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Yep, she may as well be one of those models!
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She looks great in everything. Those are all really cute, thank you for posting. I am hoping to find a bridal salon that carries all these different brands so I can have them try them all on. Thanks so much for taking the time to post those.
 

violet3

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Surely! i have a couple more somewhere that i''ll post later today - am off til tonight!
 

Kelli

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Katamari those dresses are pretty too. I had originally planned on having them my colors be black, cream, and burgundy, and having them all just get black chiffon dresses that they felt great in. There is a Ross and a Marshalls by me and they almost always have tons of adorable dresses. The best part is that you can very often get them for $15 to $25!
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I think actually that ALL the dresses I have are from one of those two stores, and I KNOW I''ve never paid more than $25. And black chiffon is pretty easy to match, and something everyone can wear again. It was my perfect solution and then I decided black wouldn''t go as well with my pre-decorated venue.
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I highly doubt I''ll ever find as big of a selection in Navy or gold, but I do still want to get them something they can wear again. It''s just so hard because one of the girls got married two years ago, and i was in her wedding. I paid $240 for a dress I HATED, but she got them because "you could wear them again!"
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Ever seen 27 dresses? I''m gonna have a hard time finding all different dresses in the same colors that I truly believe they will all wear again. Most aren''t really the dress wearing type either. If only I''d paid over 200 for all of their weddings, then I wouldn''t feel so bad!
 

PearlDahhhling

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Date: 4/22/2009 2:17:26 AM
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I know David''s Bridal is cheaper. To be honest I had no luck at all finding wedding dresses with them. I literally hated everything. I''m wearing a David''s bridesmaid dress in June and I can''t say I''m overly thrilled with that one either, but I did only pay $100 for it. Does anyone else have experience with them for BM dresses?

When I first got engaged, David''s Bridal was the first place I went to try on bridal gowns because I was pretty sure I wouldn''t like it and just wanted to get it out of the way but make sure I wasn''t missing a fab deal. Of course I hated all their bridal gowns and got mine somewhere else. But on the journey of trying to find bridesmaids dresses, I kept going back to DB because they have such a big selection and they have a ton of colors and they keep getting cuter and cuter dresses in. I''ve chosen 4 dresses that I like that I think complement each other and each of my bms can pick one of those in my chosen color (watermelon
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). I went with one of my bms yesterday and she tried them all on and they looked so cute! She absolutely loves the one she got, and it was on sale for $99! So I say give it a try. They have a huge selection, lots of colors, and just about every size you could ever think of.
 

katamari

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Date: 4/22/2009 10:47:47 AM
Author: Kelli
Katamari those dresses are pretty too. I had originally planned on having them my colors be black, cream, and burgundy, and having them all just get black chiffon dresses that they felt great in. There is a Ross and a Marshalls by me and they almost always have tons of adorable dresses. The best part is that you can very often get them for $15 to $25!
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I think actually that ALL the dresses I have are from one of those two stores, and I KNOW I''ve never paid more than $25. And black chiffon is pretty easy to match, and something everyone can wear again. It was my perfect solution and then I decided black wouldn''t go as well with my pre-decorated venue.
8.gif
I highly doubt I''ll ever find as big of a selection in Navy or gold, but I do still want to get them something they can wear again. It''s just so hard because one of the girls got married two years ago, and i was in her wedding. I paid $240 for a dress I HATED, but she got them because ''you could wear them again!''
37.gif
Ever seen 27 dresses? I''m gonna have a hard time finding all different dresses in the same colors that I truly believe they will all wear again. Most aren''t really the dress wearing type either. If only I''d paid over 200 for all of their weddings, then I wouldn''t feel so bad!


Totally hear you that "wearable" is subjective. Too bad they are not dress lovers. It would make things a lot easier, and probably with less resistance overall. Do your BMs have similar styles at all?

I agree that black would not look as good as lighter colors in your venue. Plus, one of the best BM dresses I ever wore was from David''s, so it is not like affordable = bad (or is even correlated). I definitely think it is possible, and you are a very kind bride for being so concerned about it. Maybe you should, though, make the BM who made you wear the heinous dress wear an uglier on than everyone else
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Morgie44

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I haven''t read through all of the responses, but my girls are ordering through netbride. We are saving about 60-70 dollars doing so. We are ordering from Saison Blanche. In the stores they were about 180 before tax, and we are getting them for 124 with no tax. If you chose a cheaper brand to start with, After Six/Dessy I believe start around 150 in the stores, I have seen girls getting them on Netbride for 80 to 100. I have not found any bad reviews so far about netbride, and have had a good experience thus far.
 

SarahLovesJS

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Another vote for Alfred Angelo, we ordered our dresses from there and so far I''ve been very happy with the quality and price.
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jstarfireb

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Violet, one of my girls is wearing that first AA dress you posted (the navy one)! Only our color is celadon green, and she got extra length added to make it go below the knee.
 

Kelli

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Date: 4/22/2009 11:11:07 AM
Author: katamari

Date: 4/22/2009 10:47:47 AM
Author: Kelli
Katamari those dresses are pretty too. I had originally planned on having them my colors be black, cream, and burgundy, and having them all just get black chiffon dresses that they felt great in. There is a Ross and a Marshalls by me and they almost always have tons of adorable dresses. The best part is that you can very often get them for $15 to $25!
6.gif
I think actually that ALL the dresses I have are from one of those two stores, and I KNOW I''ve never paid more than $25. And black chiffon is pretty easy to match, and something everyone can wear again. It was my perfect solution and then I decided black wouldn''t go as well with my pre-decorated venue.
8.gif
I highly doubt I''ll ever find as big of a selection in Navy or gold, but I do still want to get them something they can wear again. It''s just so hard because one of the girls got married two years ago, and i was in her wedding. I paid $240 for a dress I HATED, but she got them because ''you could wear them again!''
37.gif
Ever seen 27 dresses? I''m gonna have a hard time finding all different dresses in the same colors that I truly believe they will all wear again. Most aren''t really the dress wearing type either. If only I''d paid over 200 for all of their weddings, then I wouldn''t feel so bad!


Totally hear you that ''wearable'' is subjective. Too bad they are not dress lovers. It would make things a lot easier, and probably with less resistance overall. Do your BMs have similar styles at all?

I agree that black would not look as good as lighter colors in your venue. Plus, one of the best BM dresses I ever wore was from David''s, so it is not like affordable = bad (or is even correlated). I definitely think it is possible, and you are a very kind bride for being so concerned about it. Maybe you should, though, make the BM who made you wear the heinous dress wear an uglier on than everyone else
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They really don''t have similar styles either. I''ve got a really athletic one, one who refuses to ever step foot in a gym, a very girly one, a very non-girly one, and one very well-endowed one! LOL about making the one girl wear an uglier dress! It really wasn''t even ugly itself, it was just SOOOOO not my style and the lady insisted on ordering it two sizes too big. When it got taken in, the zipper was the wrong size and literally stuck out about six inches right at my @$$ crack so it looked like a had a tail.
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It seems I am only going to be able to get one, two if I''m lucky, at a time to go try these on. I think I''ll find one place with a really great selection, as I''m loving the alfred angelo, mori lee, and bill levkoff ones. And I''ll also try to hit up a David''s bridal and see if we like anything there.
 

Kelli

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Date: 4/22/2009 12:18:49 PM
Author: Morgie44
I haven''t read through all of the responses, but my girls are ordering through netbride. We are saving about 60-70 dollars doing so. We are ordering from Saison Blanche. In the stores they were about 180 before tax, and we are getting them for 124 with no tax. If you chose a cheaper brand to start with, After Six/Dessy I believe start around 150 in the stores, I have seen girls getting them on Netbride for 80 to 100. I have not found any bad reviews so far about netbride, and have had a good experience thus far.
Thanks Morgie. I''ll check that out too!
 

violet3

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kelli,

I had to stop by the bridal store after work (it's only open late Wednesdays) and boy did i pick the wrong day - guess what time it is???? PROM. DEAR LORD (styles certainly have changed since i went to prom!). anyway, while i was there, i popped into BM section just to see pricing for you really quickly....

The Bill Levkov i sent you originally (which you may or may care for) was $158, and another was $150, so SOME of them might be right on target with your AA dresses. When i was considering Alfred Angelo, they were likely between $130-$160 i think. I still have a few pics of them on my friend that i've found so i'll post for you. I like the one you liked in sunnyd's thread too!

Ok, a couple more AA dresses on my BMaid...

headlessbmaidnumber3.jpg
 
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