Winnie Couture

Reviews 3

A

A Private User

I came into Houston to visit my parents, so I set appointments at two Bridal Salons during my trip. The first was Winnie Couture, the 2nd was Just Horrible. Immediately upon entering the store, I realized this was in no way/shape/form a Davids Bridal style of dress shop (which I was HAPPY to see). I greatly appreciate the layout of their store, which has their dresses NOT on haphazard display visible from the door (which usually entices rabid bridezilla and/or their party to come blazing through leaving a trail of destruction). Instead, the dresses are partitioned off in a separate area of the store, away from the ravenous eyes of those who havent bothered making an appointment. They are also separated into their "collections" which made it very easy for me to avoid one entire section (since a Ball Gown was the farthest from what I was looking for). Shame on me for judging my sales lady on appearance alone. She looked somewhat.. "worked" (for lack of a better word??!) and I QUICKLY realized WHY. This girl was amazing, from running around collecting EVERY one of the massive dresses I pointed out, to ducking under big frou-frou skirts pinning things for me, she all around kicked major butt! Personally, I lost count of how many dresses I even tried on, but she never once "cut me off" or even blinked twice. "What I want" was exactly what she wanted to help me find (even being unsure of what that was). Now, where ever I go, I will be LOOKING to see signs of actual work from sales girls - and I will be suspicious if they appear flawless. I also liked the fact that the fitting rooms were set up as "stations" and each had its own seating for any friends/family who accompanied you and though they were still side by side, they were also somewhat partitioned off so it was more intimate and you werent displayed in front of the entire store of random strangers. They dont have fun-house mirrors, they are just old fashioned panel mirrors (massive and look like they belonged on the Titanic) that are propped against the wall, instead of mounted, so there is a slight angle that, at best, might somewhat "elongate" you. My only disappointment in all of this is the lighting - my relatives were taking photos of the "favorites" i tried on, and while the lighting is GREAT for in person, the photo-op quality isnt nearly as nice. =( Since I am still so early in my dress hunt, I did not purchase that day. However, I was given my list of favorites and I have EVERY intention on returning when I go back to Houston. You should keep in mind that these dresses ARE couture, so they are more expensive than any off-the-rack dress from Davids Bridal. There is so much I could say about my experience at Winnie, but ultimately, I would -absolutely- recommend this location. Do not go here and waste these girls time. They truly break their backs for their clients and I dont doubt they get a lot of bullsh*t from people with no real intention of buying their dresses... and its not very hard to know which ones they are, either.

LA

Laura Majors

I went bridal dress shopping with my mom, sister and dad here a couple of weeks ago. I had just started and this was the first place I looked. The experience started out really wonderful, but the end kind of took the joy out of it. The Good: -The boutique is beautiful -Connie, my stylist, was warm and helpful and very knowledgeable The Bad: -the first isnt so much a "bad", but I was trying to stay under $2K, and they dont have much in that budget range. I went during a sample sale, so they steered me towards the samples, which I understand. -The samples available for sale, though they were up to 60% off, were in awful condition. There were stains on the bottom of the dresses, make up and yellowing on the inside top of the dresses, rips in the lace, etc -HIGH PRESSURE SALES TACTICS TO CLOSE THE DEAL I found a dress I really liked. They offer a 20% discount if you buy on the first visit. Since the sample was not in great condition, we talked about ordering a new one. The dress came in silk or satin. The silk was what I liked, but satin was closer to what I could afford (even with the discount, the satin would come in over $1K over what I wanted to spend). I explained that it was a big purchase and I wasnt comfortable buying right then not having shopped anywhere else. Connie was sympathetic, but another woman came over--I am not sure if she was the manager or what, but she started out helpful--what is stopping you? Do you want to keep looking to see if there is anything else? I explained I hadnt looked anywhere else and I wasnt comfortable making such an important decision at that point. Out came the high pressure sales techniques--What do you think you will find anywhere else? I dont know what you are waiting for. The 20% discount is only good today, etc. It got very very uncomfortable, and I just wanted to leave. Completely ruined the experience. At the end of the day, I am SO happy I didnt buy here. I ended up shopping another weekend with just my mom, going to about 6 other shops. All were beautiful, kind and not one other place gave me the high pressure sales deal. AND I found 2 other dresses in 2 shops I decided between that were similar in style, but 1. within my budget 2. better made (both were real silk, and one was hand crafted) 3. i liked the details better on both of them I recommend visiting them last so you can take advantage of the incentive 20% off, without feeling you havent been anywhere else and have shopped enough other dresses to know what is out there and what you want. If you find your dress here, congratulations and that is awesome! I think that is great! If you have a bigger budget, they have really pretty dresses. But if you go and have the experience I did, dont cave in to the pressure. It is too big a purchase and decision to feel bullied into it. I promise there are other shops that make you feel as special and beautiful. best of luck to you all!

CA

Candace Walker

First let me say that the dresses from Winnie Couture are beautiful and unique styles that you wont find most places! Any embellishment they have is made out of Swarvoski Crystals (which is fabulous)! But their service unfortunately, is not well. This was my first place to go dress shopping and the visit was great! The manager who helped us was very friendly and helpful! I told her my size (4) and she said that I needed to order my dress in a size 12. She said that the floor models get stretched out, we talked about it with her for a minute and decided well she must know best and we ordered the 12. I ordered my dress to be hemmed to a certain length and for the top to be brought up, (which we paid extra for) Our problems didnt begin until it came time to pick up the dress. Upon arrival we discovered that the manager who helped us previously had been let go, which we thought not too much of it. When we took it to alterations only a week or so later it was when we discovered that my dress had not been hemmed, and it seemed like it was much longer than normal. When I tried it on, I had to hold it up because it would have just fallen down because it was so big. And the top had not been brought up like we asked. Also, there were a few small holes in the seams which now needed fixing. Note: My dress is from the Diamond Label Series, (so it wasnt cheap). I just had my second fitting today and I have one more to go. As of now my alterations alone have cost $1000. When we confronted Winnie Couture about it they said that all they could do is turn a complaint in to the higher-ups. So bottom-line would I recommend Winnie Couture? Honestly, I couldnt tell you, if you are wanting a certain style then check with any affiliates of WC and see if they carry it. I hear Weddings by Debbie is a great place and they carry a lot of name brands! If you do end up choosing WC then ask many questions and go with your gut instinct.