Anyone recognize this dress?

[nattie]

I went to House of Brides in Torrance, CA over the weekend to try on gowns. They had an excellent rating with the Better Business Bureau; however, they tag-rip some (not all) of their gowns. I tried on this gown and loved it (see pictures below), but I have no idea who the designer is. Here's everything I know:

It's polyester satin with an organza overlay; A-line strapless; it had gold/silver embroidery, beading, and sequins. The train is cathedral or semi-cathedral I think. It was fully lined. It appears that there are buttons in the back but it actually has a zipper. There was a lace-up back to it underneath the bodice that covered my chest and upper back. The proprietress told me that it was made by Maggie Sottero or Mori Lee, but I can't find the dress on either website. I asked her for a style number and she said it was 554, but I don't know if she had her own numbering system. Many thanks for anyone with info! She quoted me a price of $880 if that helps. I liked the shop so much I was actually going to buy from them but the tag-ripping scheme made me pretty upset so I am considering buying online.

[Lithofacies]

The store probably has a numbering system that is not congruent with the mfg. It doesnt' look like a maggie sottero, even the memories line (less $). Sometimes these shops carry styles that aren't on the designer's website... like something a few years back. You might try bridesave.com to see if you can find it.

And with regard to tag-ripping... I would flat out tell the store that you really lked them, and had planned to buy from them, but their tag-ripping raised red flags. And then tell them why (as per the book)... stuff like how can you be guaranteed it's the designer they say, how can you know that the fabric they tell you is actually what it is. And reiterate that tag-ripping is illegal in all 50 states of the US. Maybe explain that their level of service and guarantee that they're not an internet fly-by-night is worth the small increased cost. Or... it was when they didn't tag rip.

It's a practice that will continue if you don't let them know why they might be losing your business. Otherwise, they'll assume you went and bought it for cheaper on the internet.

By the way, tag ripping isn't the norm. I went into a shop on Saturday that had everything: designer, fabric, care, style number, price. And although I'm not so much into the lines they carry, am actually thinking of buying through them because they instill confidence.

Jennifer

[cjenni]

I've found that most shops I've been in lately are in the practice of ripping out tags or replacing them with their own number system. Sometimes if you look further down in the dress you may find another tag with numbers, a name, or initials on them. I've found some are initialling them on the zipper material so that the store employees know who the manufacturer is. Most people do not think to look further inside the dress or heaven forbid...the zipper material or seams. It might also be an earlier style such as 2001,etc. Most designer sites only seem to carry a couple years of styles on the web sites. Bridesave.com did have the 2001 style we wanted. I got the designer's name just through general conversation with the sales clerk. Had I asked her outright, she would never have told me. If you can, go back to the shop and try the dress on again and while doing so, check every little seam for initials or numbers. Write down every number you can find. Sometimes they use part of the designer's number in the store's number.

Good Luck.

[sko]

I went to the House of Brides in Chicago and had a similar experience. I was upset about the tag-ripping too, so I hunted high and low on the internet for my dress (which is similar to but not the same as yours). Finally, a representative from Discount Bridal Service helped me figure out that it was a "Private Collection" dress by Jacqueline. The tag at HOB said the suggested retail price was $1300, their price was $1000, and I got it through DBS for less than $350. I would contact a DBS representative or another of the places recommended in the book to see if they recognize it. Good luck!

Sheila

[Crystal14]

Yes the dress is actually by Anjolique stlye 654 I know this because I use to work in a bridal store. I am absolutely positive of this and that is actually a very good price for that dress it retails for about 1200.00 dollarrs. Anjolique is a high end designer.