I would give a Zero if it was possible. D'Italia is completely unethical in their business practice. - I would REALLY reconsider if you are thinking of choosing this company.
Sharing my experience with d'Italia Couture, because I wish someone had shared theirs with me.
I engaged d'Italia for a custom wedding outfit and paid close to $1,000 for what was presented as a full design and dressmaking process. Jenna recommended a dressmaker from their network (Jo), and I attended one appointment in August where measurements were taken.
After that appointment, there was no communication, no fittings, no timelines, and no progress for months.
In November, Jenna herself called me to ask how things were going. When I explained that I hadn't heard anything since August, she then disclosed that there had been complaints about the dressmaker's reliability and ability to complete work on time. She suggested changing dressmakers because of these concerns.
This is important:
- Jenna was the one who raised the concerns
- Jenna was the one who suggested changing dressmakers
- At no point did she say the replacement had to be within their network
- At no point did she say changing would affect my payment
Given that the trust was already broken by concerns raised by d'Italia themselves, my partner and I decided it was not sensible to continue with the originally recommended dressmaker and moved forward with someone else.
Only after this did d'Italia refuse a refund, claiming the initial payment covered "design consultation, design development, fabric sourcing, and cutting of fabrics.". For which I received no dress, no fittings, no construction, and no tangible outcome.
Their website promotes an "obligation-free consultation" and a full custom journey. What I experienced was one meeting, months of silence, internal issues disclosed late, and then being told I was out of pocket because the dress maker THEY referred me to was unable to complete the project and had multiple complaints made from other brides.
I am now months out from my wedding, funding an entirely new outfit, and absorbing a financial loss for a service that did not eventuate and for a 'Custom Dress' that had never even been started.
This experience has been incredibly stressful and deeply disappointing. read more