Aaaargghhh - where to get a prom dress?

[BeingFluffy]

DD1 has her school prom in early July. She is quite difficult to find clothes for as she is small and skinny.

I wondered if anyone knew of any good prom hire places in central or west London - she is very slim, size 6, so not sure if they would have much in her size?

Willing to buy but I don't want to go mad financially I was thinking £150-£200 max, is the best bet a department store? I have seen loads of ads online and on ebay for made to measure dresses from China - has anyone tried them - are they any good or cheap and nasty?

TK maxx has some in size 6

There are some in the adult bridemaids as well as occasion and party dresses.

Go to Finsbury Park. Fonthill Road (a minute's walk from the Underground) is full of prom dress shops. You'll easily get something for under £200. Good luck!

Coast have some lovely dresses. Not very blingy, but classy and hang beautifully. My daughters is full length and silk, and was £175. Online delivery is great but ordering more than one that way hits the credit card pretty hard until the others are returned. They have high street shops though and concessions in some Debenhams

Two people I know bought the eBay dresses and both were lovely but, on the Internet, there are so many horror stories we avoided them. My daughter also needed an unusual fit, whereas the two girls I know who bought from china were very normal size 10s, with medium bust. We decided not to chance it.

My very slim (estimate a size 6) niece ordered 2 from China via ebay. Both fitted perfectly, and she looked lovely (they were £35 each).

DD1 got hers ebay from China. We paid a few pounds extra to have it expedited. It arrived a week or so ago and we are having some alterations done to it by a local tailor.

Hope this isn't against t&cs but I have dds prom dress for sale. It is sz 6 v small fitting. Would be willing to post/negotiate on price.

It is really lovely and was v expensive (400+) dont tell her dad though .

www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/gorgeous-prombridesmaid-dress-sz-6-cost-400/99379796

Pm me if you are interested.

I've bought dresses from Sexy Her in the past for balls.

They are surprisingly well made for the money and look lovely on. The are cut very small. If you need help there is usually someone at the end of the phone too!

DD bought hers from Debenhams, amazingly. It looks beautiful on her (although she is quite tall). A few of them went there and tried on lots, so it might be a good starting place, particularly if you don't want to waste loads of money on a dress that will only be worn once spend too much.

Go to a dress agency and hire one.
Buying the dress is crazy if for a similar amount you can hire something UTTERLY stunning for the photos
Or have a look at second hand. The Charity shops in 'nayce' towns like Winchester and Cirencester have some rather special things at surprising prices

www.walk-in-wardrobe.co.uk/products/Long_Prom_dresses

I would also recommend Coast. My DDs was beautiful. We ordered of the Internet, read the reviews so we had some clue to sizing and it fitted her perfectly. There are lots of coast shops though if youd rather try on.

Sorry for typos. Stupid phone!

Have you got any bridal shops nearby? My niece and then my DD got theirs round about this time of year really cheaply in a bridal shop because they were selling off the display gowns. Only £50 each, total bargain!

We went to Fonthill Road last week ... loads of choice. Got one for £45 and one for £120 ... best bit was they would alter them there and then for £10.

I was going to say Coast. If you're anywhere near Bicester then they have a Coast outlet.

I do like the dress that Fandango is selling - so pretty.

Brilliant - thank you all for your help!
I loved the dress Mightyfandango - but DD wants blue for some reason

Got mine from monsoon back in the day do they still do formal dresdes?

You can hire from Girl Meets Dress online. I use them and they are great.

We looked in Monsoon. I remember a few years back thinking their bridal and bridesmaid wear was beautiful. But this season anyway, the styles didn't seem very teenagery to me. Slightly hippyish and almost too casual. Worth looking if in the High Street though as it is all down to personal preference.

If you are near Bicester Designer Outlet Village, I would start there. It is too far from us but there is a huge number of quality shops there all in a small area and it would be easy to try them all in a day.

Dress2Party in Mill Hill has every colour of the rainbow. Second the poster who recommended TK Maxx. Always loads in small sizes. I'd avoid Top Shop as too many girls will get the same dresses.

if your not bothered about buying online try here. They have some beautiful dresses with reviews and pictures of purchased products as well as having a custom made option. They also do most dresses in a variety of colours.

No problem, my DD was v specific about the sort of dress she wanted. That's kind of why we ended up spending so much . Luckily she is my only girl!

Just wish I was a size six not a chuffing chance I would love to wear it.

My DD bought hers from House of Fraser on Oxcford St- they had quite a good selection under £200. She is a bit of a shorty so we bought the one she wanted and are having it taken up.