Being faced with having to buy a formal gown at a moment’s notice is
something I would not wish on my worst enemy. The stress, the insecurity about your body, the questioning whether a style is “current” or
“dated”, it’s enough to make even the most confident person second guess
themselves. This was exactly how I felt a few weeks ago, when I was tasked with having to do this very thing for my bestie’s prom themed 40th birthday.

Shay (the bestie) had been going back and forth about whether to throw herself her first ever birthday party. Yes, you heard me correctly, she had NEVER had an official birthday party in her honor, save for the 16^th  birthday kickback I threw her that was attended by a handful of family and no friends. This one however, would be the party that she always wanted to have- the one where people get dressed up, dance the night away and a cake comes out towards the end of the night all eyes on you, singing happy birthday in your honor as you stand by either completely mortified by the attention or basking in the spotlight(knowing Shay it would totally be the latter). So off I went to find my prom dress…

Having attended many a prom party over the years and having been a regular viewer of all things red carpet, I felt I was fairly in the know on the latest fancy fashion trends. However, I was worried about how those trends would translate to a woman who hadn’t been to an actual prom in over 20 years. My answer- The LA Fashion District. Just to give you a bit of background on the LA Fashion District, it is home to the largest selection of textiles in the United States and 70% of the district is made up of wholesale-related business, which generally means big fashion retailers come and buy in bulk. However there are often stragglers left behind, so because of this, you can find dresses marked down by (sometimes) 75% of their actual retail price. For instance, a gown that would normally go for $300.00 in a retail establishment, I was quoted to buy for $60.00 (and this was even before the haggle).

Sounds great right, and it can be, however, there are important tips for shopping in the LA Fashion District and this whole blog post is dedicated to giving them to you, so that if you find yourself last minute dress shopping like me, you don’t feel overwhelmed (like me).

Tip #1: This will probably be an all day thing:

As such you want to plan to find parking at an all day parking lot and not the many meters you see on the street. Chances are if this is your first time shopping in the district you will be in and out of many different stores and the time WILL get away from you and since the police are a constant presence there (this is Downtown LA after all) being at a meter even one minute over your time will result in a parking ticket. I spent a total of 5 hours shopping and the time FLEW by.

Tip #2: Clothes and shoes easy to slip on and off are your best friend:

I tried on so many dresses I lost count. However, I wore a sundress that was easy to slip on and off so the process was quick and easy, which ended up being a HUGE plus because trying on gowns was NOT such an easy process. You will also do a ton of walking, so shoes that are easy to slip on and off are key. I wore a black mule with a really low block heel and my feet felt great the whole day.

Tip #3 Buy shape wear and wear it:

As I was walking down Santee Street eyeing all of the gorgeous gowns in the shop windows, I was surprised that there were just as many shape wear stores on the block. It made total sense though, because regardless of the number on the scale don’t most women wear Spanx under tight fitting gowns? Knowing I was one of those women, I went directly in and bought a pair and I’m so glad I did! Instead of envisioning how the dress might look with my Spanx I got to actually wear them during the vetting process. It made ALL the difference in the world because in the past, I’ve gone dress shopping thinking that a dress would look flattering once I had the Spanx  only to find out once I had them on, it still made no difference to the little pooch jutting out of my dress.

Tip #4 Factor in the cost of a tailor:

These are wholesale prices yes, and they’re incredible, however, when you are haggling with store owners factor in the cost of a tailor because most likely your dress will need to be hemmed or taken up. The tailoring isn’t expensive (no more than ($20-$30), just know that it can be an added expense.

 

Tip #5 Bring cash:

I didn’t have cash to pay for my dress and had only brought my debit card, so when I found THE dress and discovered I’d be spending $100 over budget and that the taxes would up the price even higher… well let’s just say having cash would negate all of that. So off I went to painstakingly search for an ATM. Having cash on me would not have only saved me time, but would probably have kept me on budget.

Tip #6 Sleep on it:

After a long day of trying on dresses, being disappointed because some didn’t fit how I wanted and just accentuated all  my wrong parts. When I found  what I thought was THE ONE (pictured above) then having it altered. I wish I’d just taken the time to sleep on it before I said an immediate yes. Because once you say yes there’s no going back (no refunds ya’ll) But being caught up in the moment and after so having so many disappointments, when I found a dress that looked good I just said yes because I didn’t think I would find anything better. But I did find something better and that something was off the rack!

I thought I had found THE dress, or maybe I was just tired of looking. Either way, I wasn’t prepared to be department store shopping for accessories for my initial dress and look across the floor and see 2 dresses that were exactly what I was initially looking for when I went to the fashion district. I thought what the hell I’ll just try them on to see if they fit. Well not only did both fit but I fell in love! I immediately sent the pictures to Shay and without hesitation I bought the one I was most in love with.

This black dress complimented all of the parts of my figure that I wanted to compliment and hid my problem areas. It was elegant without being too overstated and it was something that I knew I would wear again and again. I felt great in this dress and really that’s the only tip you need if you’re going shopping for an elegant gown.

Here are more pictures from the event.