Where Can You Find the Best Prom Dresses? The quintessential high school experience, prom, is one of the most exciting moments for teenagers across the US. This event is so well-known, it's become a pop-culture icon in TV shows and movies: international students even know about the US prom as something key to American high school life. It's a time when students can dress up, feel like royalty, and dance with their friends and, of course, their date.
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Step into ChicSew, a wedding brand born in 2012, exclusively dedicated to crafting bridesmaid dresses that stand out. With a portfolio encompassing over 30,000 bridesmaids, ChicSew departs from the conventional. The ChicSew dress designs are meant to be "mermaid" like, but not the way you might expect from a dress store. Rather than referring to the cut of the dress, ChicSew makes dresses that emulate the allure of a mermaid (the dresses accentuate each wearer's body curves and like it was made for them). The ChicSew style includes a clever side-slit design that not only showcases the leg line but also offers ease of movement.
Find your "True to size" dress
Shopping at ChicSew is simple. Even though the store bills itself primarily as a wedding spot, you can easily find prom dresses along the top navigation bar. You can start filtering out designs based on what's important to you with options like "fits true to size" or "shop by color". Or if you prefer the standard filters, you can easily narrow down the prom dresses by price, neckline, styles, sleeves, embellishment, back details, and length. The only drawback is that there were glitches on the site, where the entire thing would flicker from time to time. This went away when we reloaded the page, but it came back a few minutes later. We also had some trouble with the filters. They do filter as asked, but the checkboxes stay empty even when you click on them, making it more confusing than some other retailers.
263 different prom dresses
We counted 263 different dresses available in ChicSew's prom dress section. The style variety was impressive, including popular styles like A-line, mermaid, and sheath cuts. 241 dresses were full-length styles while 17 of them were mini dresses or cocktail styles. Most of the dresses were already discounted, so we didn't find any other prom dresses in a special sale section of the site.
Prices from $107.99 to $440.99
For our price comparison, we decided to look at similar dress styles at each retailer. Usually, we look at three styles: floor-length A-line dresses, ball gown-style dresses, and mini dresses. However, ChicSew doesn't offer any ball gown-style dresses, so we just looked at the other two styles. We also looked for the least and most expensive prom dresses on the site. Here's what we found at ChicSew:
Free custom dresses, but no free shipping
One of the features we loved about ChicSew was the alteration reimbursement policy. The retailer provides limited alteration reimbursement (ranging from $20 to $40) on all dresses, be they standard sizes or custom fits. Simply share a photo of your tailor's receipt, and let ChicSew take care of the rest. This is a great deal, allowing you to get your dress perfectly fit to your body without worrying about a lot of extra money. You can also select "custom size" on the site for free and enter your measurements for a tailored dress right from ChicSew. The production time is 5-10 days for a custom dress with a 5-10-day shipping time after that. Since all dresses are made to order, you can expect the same manufacturing time for all dresses. Actual shipping costs depend on the cost of the dress. Shipping can be anywhere from $5.99 to $279.99. Ouch!
7- to 15-day returns with size limitations
If you want to make a return, there are some limitations. You need to request a return within 7 days of receiving the item and the package must be sent back within 15 days from the delivery date. Beyond this limited return window, ChicSew only offers a full refund for damaged, defective, or incorrectly shipped standard-size dresses. You will need to provide photographic evidence if you're returning for a quality problem. Now, if you're shopping for a dress larger than US14, then you're out of luck. You can't get a refund on any dresses larger than US14. For dresses below that size, you can get a 90% discount if you return for a reason other than a defect. Custom dresses are typically non-returnable unless there is a quality issue, as they are considered final sale.
Concerning reviews and a mixed reputation
In terms of reputation, it's a bit of a mixed bag for ChicSew. The company isn't rated by the Better Business Bureau, but there is an alert for the company showing that while ChicSew lists headquarters in Delaware, it's actually located in China. On top of that, ChicSew just doesn't have a lot of buzz. The company holds a 4.3-star average but there are just over 100 reviews on Trustpilot. On Sitejabber, the average is down to 2.4 stars out of 5 and the feedback is almost evenly split between 1- and 5-star reviews. Some of the positive reviews include comments about high-quality fabrics and perfect fits on custom dresses. However other customers complained about extremely long wait times for shipping (up to 2 months for a dress to arrive). Others noted that even with dresses that had defects, they couldn't get in contact with customer service, and lost a lot of money in the process.
Shop here with caution
While the dresses are pretty, this wedding-focused site may not be ideal for most prom dress customers. ChicSew promises body positivity and custom-made dresses, but won't allow returns for sizing over US14. Further, customer reviews say that even the limited return policy may not help you, as it was a struggle to get a hold of customer service to help. This seems like a case where the site seems too good to be true. For this reason, ChicSew earns a cautionary rating to do your research (and get all your measurements right) if you want to shop here.
Continued from above...
The quintessential high school experience, prom, is one of the most exciting moments for teenagers across the US. This event is so well-known, it's become a pop-culture icon in TV shows and movies: international students even know about the US prom as something key to American high school life. It's a time when students can dress up, feel like royalty, and dance with their friends and, of course, their date.
One of the biggest parts of prom (and one of the most exciting) is the quest for the perfect dress. Prom dresses hold a special place in the hearts of many teens. You can use them to make a striking fashion statement and enjoy the black-tie feeling you've seen on the red carpet. Whether you're looking for a glitzy number that feels like something from a James Bond film, or a princess-style ball gown that makes you feel like a heroine in your favorite fantasy novel, the variety of prom dresses out there is extensive.
While in the old days, you'd wait to grab a bunch of friends and navigate crowded local dress stores (or get kicked out of them if you don't have an adult over 18 with you!), you can find your dress in a much quieter (and low-stress) environment these days. Online shopping introduces a world of possibilities.
Today, you can explore unique options from the comfort of your home. Most companies allow returns so you can still try on the dress and get your "wow" moment with your friends before you commit to your favorite gown. You can find long, short, tight, fluffy, long lace sleeves, or strapless. If you can picture it, there's a dress out there somewhere with your name on it.
Whether you're shopping at a bridal store, discount store, or department store, there are tons of retailers that offer prom dresses. Some sites even offer tailoring or custom services that allow you to get that like-a-glove fit. But with so many options out there it can be hard to decide where to spend your time browsing.
To help you out, we put together some criteria that can narrow the field:
To make sure your prom is extra special, Top Consumer Reviews has reviewed and ranked the best online prom dress stores out there today. We hope this helps you find the perfect dress that fits flawlessly, lets you feel confident and beautiful, and makes your memorable night out one you look back on fondly for years to come. Happy shopping!
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