This store has ruined my experience and almost destroyed my wedding.My consultants name was Anna. I found a dress I liked at Sophie's after debating between going to a local designer and a retailer. According to their chart I was size 4 and I did not believe it as I am skinny and my sizes normally either 0 or 2. Anna convinced me that the models are small and are made in Chinese sizes. So, she ordered size 4. It arrived three weeks before my wedding. I called in notifying that I will drive from downtown to pick it up and will be there around 6:30 pm. When I came, there were only two ladies and they were busy with other brides. It was a helper girl from the back who showed me in to a fitting room and brought my dress. The dress was so big that I could put both my hands inside from the top and there will be still some space left. It looked horribly big on me, hiding all my figure and being loose everywhere.I was holding myself not to cry...I called Anna the next day and she told me that she made the right order based on my hips??????Then she assured me that their seamstress can fix the dress and will make it fit (the dress is full of beads and crystal embellishments with an illusion back! Not an easy job to make it fit and invisible!). I mentioned to her that their seamstress have some bad reviews and in reply she told me Why do you even look and read those?! WHY???? Because the store has ordered the wrong size and it is my wedding dress that will be ruined!!! Three weeks before my wedding!!!Moreover, they could not find time for me to schedule an appointment with a seamstress in the store. They told me to go to the seamstress home in this case! I had to go to their seamstress (Isabel) recommended by Anna againI was really stressed and worried about how to fix this delicate dress as some of the crystals were falling off already. Isabel was rude and could not explain anything. She pinned me saying she will fix it on the sides (which in my opinion would have ruined the pattern of the beads and the style). She kept repeating that the she has 27 years of experience and never answered my simple questions of whether the crystal embellishments would be affected or not. Her rate was the same as in the store ($750) even though Anna said she might charge less since it will be a home appointment. I had doubts and decided to check with another seamstress. I wanted to ask for a second opinion and Isabel got really furious as she heard it! She told me that I wasted her time and money!After that I called the store manager, Ivana, with whom it was impossible to get in touch with as she is constantly busy with brides. I went to few more tailors and seamstresses before I reached out to the regional manager, Robin. She was the only one who apologized and tried to offer solutions. It was too late though.they have put me in the situation where I was frustrated with the dress that came way too big, they could not fit me in for an appointment with the seamstress at the store and their seamstress was totally unprofessional and rude!I showed the dress to few seamstresses, a tailor and ended up fixing the dress in a designers studio on Queen St West. It cost me $800plus the rush fee! They made the cups smaller and the back of the dress tighter. They had to open few embellishments and stitch them back by hand after. They never touched anything from the side as Sophies seamstress was saying. It would have ruined the dress as it is made in one piece.It is extremely frustrating to order a dress in advance in a store and get all this trouble. It could have been better if they applied common sense since the beginning (the dress is loose at the bottom and there was no need to measure the hips) and if they truly had experience before! The store is clearly making money on the additional alterations when they order bigger sizes.My advice if you want to save money and have a dress for you go to a local designer as it is the same price at the end. AND NEVER GO TO SOPHIE'S! They are extremely unprofessional!
