Glamour Closet

ress I loved for half the retail price! It was timeless, chic and looked like something that you would have seen on Grace Kelly or Jackie O - two of my style icons. A little known fact is that Glamour Closet is where Marina Morrison in SF sends their sample dresses. I will probably get in trouble saying this! You can find the following names there - Carolina Herrera, Vera Wang, Anne Barge, Judd Wadell, Lazaro, Monique Lhuillier, Oscar de la Renta and many others. Note most designer samples are a size 8 in bridal which is really like a size for normal people. You can score up to 50% off the retail price but remember to factor in alterations which you have to do with ANY dress even of purchased made to order from a bridal boutique. Unlike a bridal boutique, you may have to pay for dry cleaning if the dress is a little shop worn from others trying it on. I paid $250 for dry cleaning at a top of the line cleaner in LA and $500 on alterations to take up the hem and take my dress in a size. The best part about Glamour Closet is being able to leave the store with your DESIGNER dress!

ize (I'm a street size 8-10, and I was still able to fit in at least 5 of the dresses I picked out). The dresses on the racks are the ones that are sold, so they ask that you don't remove them from the racks yourself. There are no appointments, so I would avoid going on a weekend. I had been dress shopping twice when I found this place suggested on a website geared toward eco-friendly brides. If you buy a sample, you're not having a whole other dress made, so it cuts down on waste. I also found out that it had won several awards (see side bar)! My mom and I arrived on a Tuesday afternoon and the two consultants working were busy with brides in the back. Veronica came to the front to greet us shortly after we came in. She explained that there would be a wait, signed us in, gave us our clips, and left us to browse. They give you a bag of 8 plastic clips to pin on the hangers of the dresses you want to try. The dresses are arranged by style, which I found incredibly helpful, since I had a style in mind but was not particular about the designer. Each dress is clearly marked with the designer, size, retail price, and selling price. All of the dresses are in impeccable condition. They don't have alterations in-house, but they recommend two seamstresses in the area whom they have been working with since they opened, and who are both very experienced with sample dresses and down-sizing. I clipped my dresses, waited about 10 minutes, and Veronica came back to tell me she was going to start pulling my dresses. As she took them from the racks, a bride that had walked in a few minutes after us said she wanted to try one of my dresses on. I offered to try that one on first so she could try it if I didn't like it. Lucky for her, it didn't fit me! TIP: if there are brides in front of you, ask to see their "no"s. The dress I bought was the previous bride's second choice, but she ended up buying a different dress. I'm super glad I asked to look at the ones she didn't want! Veronica was incredibly professional and kind, attentive to detail, and didn't put on any pressure for me to make a decision. I felt like she genuinely wanted me to be excited about how I looked and felt in my perfect dress. I had really not planned to make a decision that day, especially since my wedding is still a ways away. Lucky for me, my mom was with me and was in a position to buy me my dream dress right then and there. I'm sure it also helped that it was half the budget she had given me! Still, if you're in the "just looking" phase, I don't recommend coming here. Instead, wait until you're ready to buy, otherwise you might be setting yourself up for some serious heartbreak. There are no holds and no duplicates, and they get new dresses in every day (I saw a shipment come in when I was there). The dress you love will probably not be there the next day, and definitely not the next month. However, if you know what you want and are ready to commit, you can find some amazing deals here. My dress was 30% off the retail price, but we also saw a Vera Wang that retails for over $10K being sold for less than $5K. I couldn't recommend Glamour Closet more for the economical, easy-going bride.

of work for the seamstress to alter it a couple sizes. if i had to do it again, i probably would have bought the dress new so it was made to my body. but, again, that is because i chose a very elaborate multiple layer dress. i think glamour closet is best if you are going for a more simple dress design or if you find a dress that doesn't require much alteration. i am petite and size 0, so it wasn't the ideal place for me (even though they tell you they can safely alter the dresses down 2 dress sizes).

on, although not huge, is interesting and beautiful.

cessary at this spot - you show up, wait in line (if need be), and take your spin through the dress racks. The shop space is small, so don't bring a huge dress shopping posse with you to this location. This was my first time dress shopping since getting engaged. Initially, I was a little put off because I was looking for a dress strictly under $1,000, and most everything that I found on the crowded racks was in the $2,300 - $2,500 range. So asked if they even carried dresses under $1,000 - with that, an associate helped me pull the only 7 or so dresses in the entire store that fit my budget. The sales associates were all very friendly and not pushy - they did not pull anything for me to try on that was not within my budget (I was firm on this!). The woman who helped me pull my dress selections and then helped me in and out of the dresses in the fitting room was Amber Fernandez. She is AWESOME. Super professional, sweet and genuine, and not pushy AT ALL. She's a gem. If she's working when you go into the store, I recommend asking for her. Since it was my first day of dress shopping, I really was not expecting to find "the dress" - I figured I would try on a few different styles, get a feel for what I wanted, etc. And the dress that ended up being "the dress" - I didn't think I was going to like it when I saw it on the hanger - thank goodness Amber prompted me to try it on. It fit like a glove, it made me feel like a bride, it was within my budget - and I fell in love with it (Wtoo is the designer). Before I made my purchase (FINAL SALE LADIES), Amber thoroughly looked over the dress 3-4 times to make sure we hadn't missed any major damage. Of course, since these are sample dresses, they've been tried on a fair amount and can have some minor imperfections. For example, mine has some snags and an appliqué needs to be reattached in one spot. Main points to remember - small shop but great selection, all sample dresses (so they are new, but have been tried on in bridal boutiques), everything is final sale, and finally, ask for Amber!

y dress. Thanks Glamour Closet.

ng room. They have an amazing collection of dresses with a wide range of prices. Browsing through the inventory, I did notice some broken zippers and ripped seams, but there are a fair amount of dresses in great condition. The fitting room is not anything special and it's a little tight. However, this place overcompensates with the impeccable people they have helping you. The girl that helped me was extremely friendly and very knowledgeable. I found her to be much more helpful than the girl at my previous appointment. She noticed that of the 8 dresses I pulled to try on, about 5 were from the same designer. She was nice enough to go to the store front and pull the rest of the dresses from this designer for me to try on. The first dress I tried on ended up being the one I took home that day. I was lucky enough to find a dress that didn't have too much wear and tear on it. Plus, my dress was 40% marked down from the original designer price. I actually recommended this place to one of my other friends who got married, and she also had a positive experience. Even though she had a lower price point than mine, she was still able to walk out the door with a dress in her price range. In fact, I ran into the girl that had helped me during my appointment, and she remembered me and the dress I bought. Overall, I highly recommend any bride to pay a visit to this place for the chance of finding a great deal and having an awesome experience.

..or...shopping at TJMaxx. :) It can be fun for some and frustrating for others. You have to come with the right mindset. I'm very happy with my find here.

checking it out!

me (Wee Scottie) vendor that takes care of everything and my dress looked like brand new. Just wish they had more fitting rooms, so you wouldn't have to wait so long to try on dresses... I definitely recommend getting there before they open if you are going on a weekend.

ion was great as well. They referred me to Wee Scotty for alterations and they did a wonderful job!!! I couldn't be happier with my dress and the money I saved!!!

dibly clean, and only needed to be taken in in a few places. They even got me set up with an alterations place and had them agree to put the rush on. I couldn't have asked for a better experience.

of designer dresses. Still a bit out of my price range, so I ended up not buying here, but they were amazing and well worth a visit.

ant gratification!) My Monique Lhuillier ball gown would have been ~$6K full price retail, and I took it home with me for a small fraction of that price. The gowns are all in great condition and the gals there are so sweet. I still have dreams about wearing the dress again and would defintely recommend any searching bride stop by their Financial District location.