Helen Ainson is a gem. Helen Ainson is my go to store for formal attire. There is always an array of beautiful gowns to choose from and Corey and her staff are unparalleled in their customer service. I would never go anywhere else. Love Helen Ainson. read more

Always helpful, innovative with event clothes, and can dress you from head to toe! My particular favorite was a wedding in Kiowa, SC !! I had dress in bigger size altered to fit because it was no longer in stock! It fit like a glove and loved every minute of wearing it! Hope the new place works out! Nice location! read more

I had a horrible experience. A fast-talking salesgirl talked me into a MOB gown for my daughters wedding. I asked for navy and tried it on in cranberry because I liked the style and hoped it would come in another color. It didn't. I acquiesced. I paid $800 and left the dress there, intending to return for alterations. Unfortunately, the wedding was cancelled. The no-return policy is understandable to prevent woman from wearing an expensive item and return it for cash. However, this dress never left the store. It was never altered; but, they adhered to their policy Best part: the salesgirl offered the alternative of a voucher for the amount, less a 25% restocking fee But, the voucher had to be used within the next two months read more

The staff at Helen Ainson are amazing!! I had been searching for 5 months for the perfect Mother of the Bride gown and after trying on 40 plus dresses/gowns a friend recommended Helen Ainson. The store is conveniently located in beautiful Darien, CT. Donna and Corrie were so friendly and were there every step of the way, Meredith, the tailor, was so accommodating and helpful. Hands down the most beautiful clothing for every occasion. I highly recommend Helen Ainson!! read more

I stopped in to the store, after visiting about 6 other places looking for a dress to wear to my son's wedding. This was the only shop where anyone was helpful. She had me try on a number of things that they had in the store and gave me advice on what I was supposed to wear. I was feeling quite overwhelmed and couldn't quite figure out what I wanted. She was quite patient with me. In the end, I didn't buy a dress here, but was very pleased with my experience and would recommend it to anyone looking for a dress. read more

I went to this shop knowing they had lovely dresses for the mother of the bride, but I didn't know that they also have a wonderful, caring staff who kindly brought a host of dresses to and fro from the dressing room. They waited on me, listened to me and commented with kindness but honestly. I can say enough about these gals. It was one stop shopping for me from foundations to shoes and jewelry. A delightful experience and a relief to be "put together " effortlessly by these ladies. I'm truly grateful for this charming shop!! No need to go elsewhere! read more

Great customer service from Theresa. She was not only helpful when placing an online order but took the time to call me to tell me my shoes would arrive in time for me to take on vacation. Now that is real customer service! read more

I could not recommend this store more! The owner, Erika, and everyone who works there are beyond helpful and really make the shopping experience worthwhile! Had a wonderful time shopping there on my first shopping trip in over a year! Thank you to everyone at Helen Ainson! read more

I came here for a very specific reason; to find a dress to wear to a graduation dinner in May. The saleswoman immediately began choosing dresses I would never wear, urging me to "just try it on". Suddenly I'm in the fitting room and she's thrusting more dresses at me, none of which are my style or look good. She then begins to bring me capris, pants, and flowy cape-like blouses. Not my style whatsoever. She then had the nerve to say "some women just should not wear dresses". Wow, really? In my opinion, some women should just not shop at Helen Ainson! That is, unless you enjoy being offended. Btw... if you're the type of shopper who likes to be left alone to browse, this shop isn't for you. More bad news: their return policy is horrible. Save your money and shop where you leave with your self esteem intact. read more

Amazing store. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Highly recommend! I love that every time I go in I get a friendly greeting and a genuine smile. I always have someone ready to help me with what I am looking for. Always a pleasure shopping at Helen Ainson! read more

This is an amazing boutique! Erica, the owner is very attentive and made sure I was happy with my purchase. I loved visiting the area and this boutique made my visit worth it. They have shoes, lingerie, gowns and everything in between. I love that I could purchase something and so could my mother. This boutique is worth the trip! read more

Ordered dress online and just picked it up for my sons wedding in September. While here I also found some great shoes and accessories to pair with it. Will be back for futures weddings. read more

This store has such an excellent selection of dresses, jewelry and shoes. The staff is very sweet and helpful, especially the proprietor, Erica Jensen. With forty years under their belt, they must be doing something right! Highly recommend!! read more

The best customer service around. Suzanne and the staff go out of their way to help make an amazing experience. The selection of beautiful fashions and accessories ranges from sports wear to business attire to a fabulous "date night" outfit to formal wear. Its a great experience. Try it and see why clients have continued to shop there for years. BTW, they have great sales! Thank you Erika for the greatest boutique around. JoAnn P. read more

Our wedding is sadly now over. In re-thinking some of my experiences, positive and negative, getting ready for this big event, I couldn't help but share my thoughts on shopping at Helen Ainson for a Mother of the Bride dress. I actually visited the store three times, and was never warmly welcomed nor introduced, by name, to a sales person. I was told repeatedly to shop carefully, as there is a firm no return policy. During one trip I selected a dress and asked if they would hold it while I went to lunch and waited for my bride to join me to give me her opinion. The answer was "no", they also have a firm no hold policy. The dressing stalls were small and ill-equipped. It was winter, and there was no place to put my down coat and snow boots or the packages that I arrived with. The store is not open on Sundays. And they use outside tailors who are not there to offer insight into if/how garments can be altered, or how much it would cost. I later visited another well known store in Mt. Kisco, New York, where I did buy my wonderful dress. That shopping experience was a treat, and I enjoyed their excellent service, support with the needed tailoring and their flexibility with their hold and return policies. A market contrast to Helen Ainson. Their selection was also much more varied and interesting. read more

I do not recommend this store at all and will continue to tell everyone to take their business elsewhere. My mother bought a very expensive Mother of the Bride dress from them in July. They estimated that it would be delivered to the store at the end of August with plenty of time for alterations before my October wedding. Either the young associate that helped us forgot to place the order before she left on her honeymoon, or she gave a very incorrect delivery estimate. They denied that they made a mistake and the dress got delivered 1 week before my wedding. My mother had no time for alterations and had to move around her work schedule to go in for alterations and pick up the dress the day before leaving for my wedding! This also allowed her no time to find matching shoes or accessories without the dress. I called the manager to explain how unhappy we were with her store's service especially at such high costs and asked for the alterations to be compensated due to the mistake. She did not apologize and charged us over $100 for alterations. They did not even provide a cost estimation when she went for her fitting! Helen Ainson and the manager completely ruined our experience of mother-of-the-bride dress shopping and I will recommend that everyone goes elsewhere for a pleasant stress-free experience! read more

I love this little shop! Corrie's been dressing me for about five years. The staff are attentive without being pushy and they all genuinely want their clients/customers to look and feel beautiful. I'm not the most confident dresser, so I love that when I have an event, I can trust all the women there to dress me beautifully AND appropriately for the occasion. Since I've been shopping at HA, I've never had that awful "I wore the wrong thing" feeling. Also and more important, all of the women of HA from Erica the owner, to Teresa the young fashionista, believe that you don't have to be size two or four to wear beautiful designer clothes. In Darien, that's a godsend. read more

An absolutely horrific outcome; wonderful to start, but the alterations were a disaster. They were unapologetic and left with a very dissatisfied customer. No refunds, returns, exchanges, store credit. Non-negotiable. Would not recommend to mother of the bride's looking for a pleasant experience. read more

The sales lady talked me into ordering a very beautiful, expensive sleeveless dress (which I absolutely was not going to buy or wear sleeveless) and then she also talked me into ordering extra fabric from the manufacturer so that the seamstress could make a sleeve. I asked what my options were if I I didn't like the way the dress looked with a sleeve, and the sales lady told me I would get a store credit for the value of the very expensive dress. I wrote what she told me on my receipt. When the dress came to the store, I tried it on with the extra fabric pinned at the shoulder to see what it would look like with a sleeve and I didn't like the way it looked. When I said that it wasn't going to work, the sales lady then reneged and told me she never offered me store credit. I brought the issue to the attention of the manager/owner and she wouldn't honor a store credit. I am now stuck with a beautiful, expensive sleeveless gown which I never intended on wearing sleeveless. I do not recommend this merchant. Sue B. read more

I usually LOVE this store but Erica (the owner) gets a big black mark from me today. Buyer beware, despite what your salesperson might tell you, cocktail and evening dresses (that would include ALL dresses) are NOT returnable. If you happen to buy something that is returnable, you must do it within 2 weeks... NO exceptions. I have purchased several dresses from this store in the past, the staff is wonderful. What annoyed me most was Erica's rudeness. read more

I visited Helen Ainson for the first time yesterday with my mother in search of a dress for her to wear to my brother's wedding. The staff was knowledgeable, helpful and honest (the final sale policy for evening wear was disclosed up front) and I was very pleased with the selection of dresses. As the employees do not receive commission on sales, I felt it was a very low-pressure, comfortable shopping experience where women are provided with options that will flatter their figure rather than pad the wallet of a salesperson. She did not purchase a dress, but I will be stopping by for any formal events I attend in the future and would highly recommend the shop. read more

I'm not a shopper, but as the "Mother of the Groom" I wanted to look fabulous. Suzanne understood completely, and didn't give up until I was thrilled. Got dressed for the rehearsal dinner and wedding -- dress, jacket, purse, jewelry, advice on shoes, everything. Saved me running around and got really honest feedback. Love how I look in all the pictures! read more