In late Jan., I reached out to Signature to confirm a dress listed on their website was in stock --…read morethey confirmed it was. I went in the first week of Feb. in search of two dresses -- one for my morning religious ceremony & one for the evening dinner celebration. I purchased two: dress 1, a white flowy dress shipping from Turkey within a month, & dress 2, a red corset dress "already in the US." Both were size 12 floor samples despite me being a size 2-4, which I was fine with since my measurements would be taken to order the correct size -- though it was hard to envision them when I could only hold them closed from the back. The owner also offered dress 2 in dark green at no extra charge, pulling out a forest green silk sample & confirming both colors would arrive "immediately." I felt she was going above & beyond. I asked for an order confirmation or tracking number at checkout but received neither, & only noticed when I got to my car that the receipt had a strict 3-day return policy for store credit only -- never mentioned during the transaction.
Twenty days later I followed up on dress 2, which was supposed to have arrived "immediately" in two colors. I was told a light green version had arrived -- not what we agreed on, but I went in anyway. It was bright seafoam, a size 6, & would need significant alterations to the corset top. When I asked about the red & dark green versions I was told they had shipped but "just hadn't arrived yet." I asked about dress 1 & was confidently told it would arrive the first week of March. This should have been my first red flag, but it was still February & I had two months until the event.
March came with no updates unless I initiated them. On March 6th I was told "Dress will get to us in three or four days -- it's on transit." I follow up a week later, no reply. The next day: "Darling, I have to check the tracking number again. I know it's been shipped. Let's follow up Monday or Tuesday." Monday -- no reply. Tuesday -- no reply. I called Wednesday & was finally given tracking info showing the shipping label had been created THAT DAY. It had not previously shipped. I asked for tracking on dress 2 & received no response.
Shortly after, I noticed dress 1 was held at customs due to inadequate paperwork from their importing agent. I called to flag this. A week passed with no action & no replies. I called again, increasingly frustrated, & was told dress 2 -- the red one -- had finally arrived. I went in first thing the next morning, anxious & hopeful.
I was handed the size 12 floor sample I had tried on in February. I started to cry in the store. The owner assured me it could be tailored to fit. I was so distressed & so close to my event that I took her word for it, despite knowing there is no realistic way to make a size 12 corset work on a size 4 body. Dress 1 still had not arrived. She pinned me into dress 2 & scheduled a fitting. I cried all the way home & all evening.
At the fitting, the bra cups were enormous & the corset didn't cinch the way it was designed to. The tailor told me privately that she was frustrated with the store owner & would not have otherwise agreed to such an extreme alteration -- but she would do her absolute best given how special the occasion was. I was also asked to pay for hemming on top of everything, with the store covering only the resizing. I agreed because none of this was the tailor's fault.
The next day I arrived at my 11am appointment to find the store closed. I waited outside 15 minutes. Dress 1 had arrived but had a faulty zipper & still needed alterations. Dress 2 had a 5-inch rip on the inside lining, the bra cups had not been fixed as promised, & there was new staining on the corset that wasn't there before. The tailor was not present. I was sent to her home, missed two work meetings, & still ended up with a dress with pilling, residual staining, & bra cups "fixed" by adding material rather than resizing. It was not new. It was not mine. It was a damaged floor sample I paid nearly $3,000 for.
Dress 2 was clearly never in transit as I had been told for weeks. Whether backordered, never ordered, or unavailable, I was never given a straight answer. Had they told me within a week of my purchase, I would have happily chosen something else at the same price point. Instead I was strung along with vague texts & false tracking for two months, handed a damaged floor sample days before my event, & left with a dress that did not fit on one of the most important days of my life.
I have since purchased dresses from another store that had things in stock & delivered exactly what they promised. Unless you can find something in your size off the rack, there is serious liability in this store's ability to deliver what they promise & when they promise it. This was one of the most important weeks of my life, & the stress & heartbreak caused by this store was entirely avoidable.
