“Try, Don’t Buy”
Short Version: Take advantage of the plus size sample sizes to find the best silhouette, material, designer, etc. for you. But save yourself the headache and buy elsewhere, particularly with good tailoring.
Long version:
I’m ...sad to say that my experience at Curvaceous Couture was a mixed to negative one. The dress appointment to try on dresses was wonderful. The consultant was upbeat and open to letting us take pictures with the dresses on so I could see what photographed well. She even asked me if we could try on a particular dress because the sample size was a 16 and most of their clientele’s size are in the mid-to-upper twenties. I felt petite, beautiful, and confident, which is what every woman wants to feel at her appointment. When it came time to choose a dress, I couldn’t decided because I felt that most dresses looked amazing on. In the end, the consultant picked one final dress, which is what ended up being “the one.” I purchased the dress with a crystal belt to accentuate my waist.
The negative aspect hit with alternations. FYI: All costs must be paid on the first alternations appointment (the rest of the dress cost and the entire cost of alternations).
The alternations were horrible! See details below:
1) It costed almost $700. We were promised that this would cover the alternations from the first appointment all the way to the wedding. This was not the case. They expected us to pay for any alternations done on separate appointments.
2) During the 1st appointment, the seamstress made one side of the bust considerably looser than the other. When I pointed it out, she said they would take care of it on the second appointment. I still insisted that they do something about the shape (one was pointed and the other was more rounded). She did it begrudgingly, but it didn't fix the fit of the top.
3) On my 2nd appointment, I found out the seamstress took in the whole dress too small because she overheard me tell my mom that I wanted to lose more weight before the wedding. Because I purchased a fit-and-flare dress (one that's fitted until the tops of my thighs), this required me to go on a severe diet so I could loose enough weight for it to fit on my wedding day, which meant I couldn't participate in a bachelorette party or go out to eat with loved ones for fear of gaining inches.
4) We were kicked out of the 2nd appointment. Yes, kicked out! Apparently, they assumed I would just try on the dress, give my okay to have it steamed and pick it up two weeks before the wedding. So they only gave me a 15 minute slot, without telling me. So while we're arguing with the seamstress about the fit and that she wanted to charge more money to attach the belt (even though it's supposed to be included), one of the owners literally demanded that we leave and proceed to grab my things and throw it out of the room. Great way to treat a customer who has already paid over $2500!
5) In addition to other mishaps, on the day of the wedding, we found out they gave us the wrong veil (there goes $200), the bust was HUGE because they refused to take it in (the owner tried to convince us that double-sided tape would be a better solution that a professional alternation), and the length, even after bustled, was too long. All my guests were tripping on my dress throughout the night. Also, because of the ill-fitted bust, part of my bra could be seen in my wedding photos.
Save yourself the headache. Buy and alter your dress elsewhere.