Dress 8 takes the cake

This dress doesn't even need me in it!



Wheeeeeeeeeeeee!

Yes, it can actually stand under its own power... the dressing room was quite small, and so I had to stand the dress up, unzip it, and leap (yes, leap) into the center opening. It is also MIGHTY heavy. And the best part (aside from the silver sequined bodice, of course) is that it picks up all kinds of dust bunnies and fibers from the floor. I'm wearing a giant swiffer!



And of course when I kneel I look like a cupcake. (I'm the candle.)

One of the David's Bridal employees came around the corner and saw me in it and was like, "Oh my god that's so gorgeous!" Honestly, who ARE these people??

That's it for the David's Bridal Adventure. I'm checking in to having a dress made. Or I'm going to splurge for an Amy Kuschel dress.

Dresses 6 and 7

Numbers 6 and 7 are sort of more of the same...

Weird not-quite-empire waists with really wide belts of beading, huge triangles of busty fabric, and long, unbelievably unweildy trains...



#6 back...



And, we decide it would be ok with about half the fabric at the top...


Number 7:



This is me saying, what is all this going on at my hips? (Notice the rumpled extra fabric and strange darting seams.)



Who likes scalloped necklines, anyway?

Dresses 4 and 5

Both these dresses are tea length...



C & M really really liked this one. I just didn't think it was *me.* (though looking back at it...) I mean, it's fine (except for being a 50-50 poly cotton blend -- ooh, I'm such a snot!), but not me... Now when I say they loved it, I mean they imagined an entire wedding in Rome scenario, daisies in hand, maybe even vintage 60s gloves and shoes, Audrey Hepburn-style sunglasses, etc, etc. I think I'm imagining more flowy and fitted dresses. But they had fun bonding over a love of Annette Funicello. (sp?)



Here's the back. (They didn't like the bow.)

Here's Number 5. (what is with this almost-drop waist? why can't they get their waists right??)





Does this giagantic pink sash make my butt look big?

Dress 3

With this dress I emphasize a rather odd quality of David's Bridal dresses: the, how shall I say, ample busom. That's boning, ladies. I could fit all kinds of things in there. (Boning! Very expensive to alter!)


Probably also explains the ample "full coverage" triangles of Dress 2. And, somebody explain to me the not-quite empire waist which is just above the natural waist?



Statler and Waldorf really liked the back, which was gathered in sort of a radiating star pattern. I think the best part about that dress was that someone's mom came across the partition and saw it and was like, "oooh, that IS a great back!" and no doubt made her darling daughter try it on.

Dresses 1 and 2

So, I pretty much knew it was over as soon as I realized the dresses were polyester and the beading was plastic. But I'm a good sport.

Number One:


Me, being a good sport.

I did like this one in the brochure - I thought the cap sleeves were cute. But in reality the dress (and the sleeves) just kind of fit strangely. Actually, ALL of the dresses fit strangely. I think they do that on purpose -- there's an alterations price list IN the fitting room, and there are a lot of things on these dresses that would need altering!

Number Two:

Look at me, I'm a geometry project! This week: triangles.

Number Two Back:





So, I did like the back - it has a swath of chiffon running down it. (Anna, I think you sent me this one.) In the brochure it's photographed from the back. Probably because the back looks great and the front looks like triangles.

Statler and Waldorf didn't like either of these... they didn't like the thick empire beading.

The David's Bridal Adventure

So on Friday the 17th, I went to David's Bridal. The bottom line is that the best part about David's Bridal in Pinole is that it is right across the street from an In-N-Out Burger. Yum.

I have two words for David:

Polly. Ester.

Yes. As soon as I realized that, I knew it was over... but good sport that I am, I shimmied (in some cases, lept) in and out of dresses for about an hour.

Funny that they claim at David's Bridal that, in your 1 hour appointment, you usually have time for 3-4 dresses. I tried on 8. (I tried on 13 in an hour and a half at Amy Kuschel!) What's the hold up here, people?? I just don't get it.

I had Statler & Waldorf with me, which kept things lively. :)



on to the dresses...

Bridesmaids dresses from hell

Ever wonder what you get when you google "bridesmaids dresses from hell"?
You get this.

 

Yikes! 

the question of the poofy skirt...

In answer to Anna's comment.

Short answer: I don't know. :)

Long answer: I like the idea of lots of swishy fabric - it says to me things like soft, romantic, sort of Victorian, etc. Problem - lots of swishy fabric racks up the price, if it's nice fabric. The skirt of "princess dress" no. 5 does look ok, but remember too that I am standing on a box (probably about 6 inches), which is why I don't look short. Any poof wedding dress would obviously be hemmed to my height, but it's still tricky.

IF I were to go with a poofy skirt, I would want A) a type of fabric that wasn't scratchy netting (either going more flowy, like georgette, or more structured, like organza, but not something like tulle. well, unless it was nice tulle.) B) a style that didn't give me poofy hips. Note below:


This dress being ostensibly Melissa Sweet, probably around 4 grand, from the Fall Martha Stewart Weddings.

Keeping all this in mind, if I were to choose a style right now, it would probably be the empire waist/fitted through natural waist look of the Amy Kuschel drawings, because of the potential for poof to go very, very wrong...

Boo on Poofy Hips!

I should really be reading. 

Amy Kuschel 3 - Veronica the hottie dress

This dress is SEXY. (3 adj. - Statuesque, Dramatic, Sophisticated.) It is Italian silk mikado, a trumpet shape with a chapel train. It basically hugs all the curves (and the upturn of the beading at the bodice creates curves where there are none) and then flares dramatically below the hips. Candace's notes are "glam but demure, solid fabric, structured, very Hollywood 30s." All the dresses looked great, but this one was HOT HOT HOT. (So the question is, do I want to be hot at my wedding or pretty and romantic at my wedding?)

 

And... it's even more than the others, $2,160. (Hotness has a price.) 

Amy Kuschel 2 - Lydia

Lydia was another one we both liked, though I liked it more than Candace. Basically the same shape and concept as Fiona, with the drape sleeves and without a balloon hem. Has sparkles on the bodice (sparkle!). 3 adjectives from the website, "Radiant, Flirtatious, Romantic."

 

I liked this one a little better than Fiona at the time, though now I'm not sure. Same price as Fiona. 

the leading contenders from Amy Kuschel - Fiona

Hi All,

So I alluded to Amy Kuschel earlier - I went there with Candace about 3 weeks ago. All of their stuff was basically fabulous. They don't allow pictures, which is a shame, but these are the design drawings from the website.

 

This one is called Fiona. It's silk satin chiffon, with an open back (or criss cross option), a balloon hemline with a sweep train. I personally don't think the balloon hemline is much of a plus, though Candace thinks it makes it unique (they can easily make it w/o the balloon hem). It does make the train puddle nicely on the floor. On the website, it's three adjectives are "Breath-taking, Romantic, Feminine." Candace adds in her notes, "soft, romatic, drapey Adrian style." What's going on in the back there is that strips of white chiffon make up the straps, pull down the back through some loops (in either the open or criss-crossed configurations) and then flow loose at the back (or you can tie it in a bow, too).

This one is pretty expensive but perhaps do-able. I mean, the very limits of my price range. A GSI's entire monthly salary. 

I'm a Disney Princess!

After leaving Just Engaged, Marisa and I went on a very cathardic walk and found ourselves cupcakes and coffee at Citizen Cupcake, where I suggested that, to keep the day from being a total waste, we should go to the Jessica McClintock store. Oh yes. It was full of girls buying prom dresses. It was teeny-bopper hell. (I thought Marisa was going to faint at the sight of all that rayon-satin blend.)

But she held her ground, standing firm even when I tried on this. I think I look like Sleeping Beauty. (I love Sleeping Beauty!) For $155, it's almost worth it.

 


I actually kind of like it. I like the pink. Maybe it's not right for a wedding. Unless Matt wears Prince Charming's tights. 

Number 5 - Princess Dress!

Ok, the bodice is awful, but I do adore the giant swishy skirt.

 

 

Number 4

This was actually the second one I tried on, but we didn't get a picture the first time. I kind of like it - I wouldn't have thought that straps like that would look good. It was nice because it was simple and had a defined waist.

 


At least when Addison - I mean Deb - was holding it in the back. 

Number 3

Here's one which is fine. Strapless, a little bit of embroidery on the bodice. I just didn't feel that strongly about it, you know?

 


I'm not really this tall, I'm standing on a stool. 

Number 2 back

See, Marisa is getting the hang of it. :) Here's the detail around the hem. It doesn't have a train, which I kind of appreciate, since I'll be walking around getting my picture taken in gross Roman dirt.

OK, doesn't she look like Addison Shepard on Grey's Anatomy? 

Number 2

This one I think I liked the best of today's pickings. I sharpened it in Picasa, so my face looks grainy, but you can see the beading detail on the bodice. Empire waist, flowy fabric. The beading is done in a delicate floral-vine-y pattern, and it has some of that down at the hem as well. Which you can't see. (Marisa is still getting used to the camera. She gets really good soon!)

 


Of course, it's so huge, the woman has to hold it in the back while we take the picture. 

Number 1 back

 

Here you see the train. Has light beading, which is fine. As a rule, though, I don't think I like beading. I tried on this one which was like, crusty with beads. But you can't say "It's crusty" to the poor woman helping, can you?? Nooo... maybe that's why it was so tiring. Because you can't bitch. (You can only make silent faces behind the lady's back...) 

Number 1

So none of these are awful (we didn't take pictures of those) but none of them were very super...

Me and Marisa (taking picture).

This one was fine, it has a train, beading detail. It has some kind of gauzy edging at the bodice. 

help

Hi Girls,

Wedding dress shopping today was pretty much a flop. Marisa and I
went to Just Engaged Salon (www.just-engaged.com). After a lovely
walk through the Mission, we arrived right on time to the boutique,
which was fine, cute, lovely, whatever. But the dresses were very ...
bride-y. Very "I'm a bride and this is what brides wear." The
fabrics were not as nice and the cuts were actually unflattering! On
*ME*! I'm TINY! Oh, and let me just say that the sample sizes were
HUMONGOUS and it was NOT easy to imagine!!! Marisa can tell you.
Whoo boy. And ok plus, what do you say when the woman who owns the
boutique is helping you and all her dresses are flops? Luckily we
bonded over the show Grey's Anatomy. (Because she looks like Addison
Dr. McDreamy's wife.)

So I need some help. Some major help. Because now I'm dejected. :(
(not like, super insane bride dejected, just dejected.) I'm starting
a blog special for dress hunting (um, mostly because my *dad* reads my
other blog...!!) so it's called dresshunt.blogspot.com. I'll be
posting all my dress-related ideas and the like there. All the awful
dresses from today (we only took pictures of the okay ones, actually,
so you won't get to see the others) will be posted there shortly.
Leave comments to your heart's content, and help me out if you have
any advice.

To bring some of you up to speed -- when I went shopping with Candace
to Amy Kuschel (www.amykuschel.com), all the dresses were pretty much
fabulous but they're a lee-ttle pricey for my poor ass... I'll put up
the design drawings of the ones I liked on the blog too (it's their
policy not to allow pictures, it's their schtick).

here's the source I've been using for my wedding dress shopping:

http://www.herecomestheguide.com/dresses/sanfrancisco.htm

Obviously, I'm a fan of Amy Kuschel; should I try some of the other
places? They look WAY too expensive!!!! But sigh... I went to the
websites for Ginger's and Christina Hurvis. They look a lot nicer
than just-engaged, and also more pricey.

Oh, and riddle me this, girls. For $700 you can get a lovely Dolce
and Gabbana sundress made from the highest quality silks and fabrics,
but a $700 wedding dress is unflattering, ill-fitted, has to be
altered (200-400 more dollars, by the way), and is made of cheap
fabric??

Do I even *WANT* to go to David's Bridal????

Sigh.

Love,
Amelia