WARNING:
YOUR FINANCES AND SIZE WILL BE SCRUTINIZED BY AN EMPLOYEE SHOULD YOU DESIRE TO TRY ON AN ARTICLE OF CLOTHING. GOOD LUCK AT THAT POINT BECAUSE THEY PROBABLY ALREADY MADE UP THEIR MIND THAT THEY DON'T WANT YOU TRYING IT ON.
Asked to try on a mannequin-displayed dress and, in what was an obvious attempt to dissuade me, was immediately informed said dress was by X designer and was 400something dollars. Okay great, and? I pay half that just to fill my truck's fuel tank. I digress.
Flummoxed, I glossed over that unsolicited information and expressed my desire to try it on, yet again. Having noticed my resoluteness, the employee started talking about the dress's measurements as they walked over to it and proceeded to ask my measurements. Irrelevant, but I played along.
They grabbed the measuring tape from around their neck and motioned to measure my waist. I obliged. I was TWO INCHES over the size of the dress. They then pulled the measuring tape tight around my waist and said "THAT'S 26 inches" (eww). Before I could say anything else, they suggested some shapewear (lol) and told me to let them know if there's anything else I'd like to try on, despite having just done so, and being denied. Why'd they even bother saying that if it's only contingent on further scrutiny and probable refusal? Hilariously tone-deaf.
I love *true* vintage clothing and frequently shop at vintage clothing boutiques. NOT ONCE has my perceived financial situation (or size) been scrutinized on an item-by-item basis. What in the Pretty Woman is going on at this place? Lmfao
I get it, this is not your typical clothing store. What really concerned me though, is the blatant discrimination based on what I'm to assume was my looks/attire -- clearly evidenced by what transpired:
1. I asked to try on a garment.
2. My request was ignored.
3. I was offered, instead, information and price of the garment from a rejective employee.
4. I asked a second time.
5. Only then did it become about measurements.
Had it simply been a matter of laziness as opposed to concern over me outright damaging a garment because of 2 extra inches then they should have said so. That, at least, would have been believable. Especially given initial emphasis was not on my measurements, but on the price of the garment.
If preservation is valued so far above service and sales (genuinely admirable), perhaps an appointment-only private showroom would be better suited to the owner and their persnickety employees.
Given just how tactless the employees are, plus the various filler and modern/reproduction items for sale, their attempted projection of a highbrow store falls flat.
After years in business and multiple negative reviews, you'd think discernible change would have been implemented by now. It seems more a matter of ineptitude at this point.
Additional context:
1. I'm well aware of the nature of vintage clothing sales. Vintage pieces are 1 of 1 and should be treated with utmost care, even if they are in good condition. Common sense would not allow me to damage a vintage item by squeezing into one, forcing it closed, etc. Signs are also posted lest a customer lack common sense. The item in question was not some extremely-fragile silk crepe dressing gown from the 1930s, although I still would have treated it as such. It was a spaghetti-strap dress of sturdy fabric in like-new condition with buttons running down the length of the dress. I would have had to *try* in order to cause damage.
2. I am tall and slender, and not at all touchy about my measurements/weight. I will contentedly walk away from an item that is obviously too small and not try to "make it work" in the fitting room. There's a difference between size and proportions, and these people should know that.
I'm happy to purchase an undersized dress, but only after having tried it on to gauge the feasibility/likelihood of it fitting properly with either minimal weight loss or tailoring, first. Tangentially, if I love a vintage item that doesn't/won't fit, I'll photograph the item and tag, and search for something similar but larger from online resellers having already gotten a sense for what size I'll need by trying the smaller size (to whatever extent I can without compromising the health of the garment), first. read more