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I had a very laissez faire attitude when it came to my bridesmaids’ attire. Short or long, taffeta or cotton jersey, it truly made no difference to me. My requirements? To wear something they feel comfortable and fabulous in! That being said, it became clear after a few inquiries for criteria that perhaps complete freedom didn’t sit comfortably with them. Eventually, my awesome sister (and MOH) scheduled a trip to Michigan so the four of us could go dress shopping together. We started the day off right by filling our tummies at my favorite brunch place in Ann Arbor: Cafe Zola.
Our shopping expedition was a “do-or-die” sort of affair with my sister coming in from out of town, so I picked a place (that shall remain nameless) because they carried a wide variety of dresses. At first, they didn’t disappoint and a few favorites moved to the front of the line:
(Style JH5080)
(Style JH5926)
(source)
Here’s where I was genuinely surprised, because I didn’t expect my friends to gravitate towards floor length dresses. A cocktail length seemed inherently more re-wearable, and even though I brought this up none of them appeared overtly concerned (love you ladies!). Everything was going swimmingly until my sister came out of the changing room looking red carpet ready in this number:
(Style JH5033)
Before I get into what happened next, let me preface by saying that my sister is very self-conscious about her weight. She’s struggled her entire life with having a positive body image, and she does follow the blog—please keep that in mind! Alrighty, let the tale unfurl: the dress wouldn’t zip up all the way (oh, the joys of sample sizes), and as we looked around for elastic clips a completely random consultant scurried over and proceeded to pat my sister around the torso while chirping:
“My, you have a very…athletic…body!”
My sister clearly looked crestfallen, but the consultant continued her monologue and repeated the comment multiple times while squeezing my sister around the ribs. She then swept out of the room without doing anything helpful (like finding us elastic clips). My sister turned to me and said in a broken voice: “You know I’m not athletic…” and sadly shuffled back into the dressing room. Now, I’m sure the consultant was blissfully unaware of her blunder (at least, I hope she was), but it didn’t change the fact that we were extremely uncomfortable after that exchange, and I think we all lost a bit of our enthusiasm. It was time to come up with a Plan B.
Has anyone else out there had a bad experience while shopping? How did you manage the situation?
Oh hon! Well tell your sister that she didn’t look “athletic” at all in the photos. I thought she looked perfect!
Holy schnike, I can’t believe she would say that about your gorgeous sister! 
I hope the rest of the shopping trip went better than that!
What?! I think that comment is in such poor taste! =(
How about finding dresses available online or at nationwide stores so that your sister can go locally herself to try on dresses?
I know it’s not ideal but it’s an option.
I think that sales lady as pretty rude and definitelyl oblivious to her comments. Hopefully she does realize how rude she is. Personally I think Sister Tartlet looks amazing in that dress. It’s gorgeous and so is she. I can’t wait to see what happens next and what dress they choose. They have fabulous taste.
Your sister looks beautiful! What a dumb thing for the consultant to say. Sometimes they just aren’t mindful that we are real people I think…
grrr, i want to make mean faces at that bridal shop salesperson. thankfully, our little bridal boutique was very nice to my 3 gals. if they didn’t, i would be PISSED!
Oh man. She looks lovely! I’m amazed at the things people will say. One consulant asked me what I was doing to lose the “wedding weight.” Um, nothing. I’m a distance runner. And you just lost this sale. I think people just make assumptions, you know?
Oh your poor sis. She looks lovely in that dress, I hope that the sales consultant did not ruin it for her
I went dress shopping with my friend who is getting married this summer, and the sales consultant would not even try one of the dresses on her because she (the sales consultant) said it wouldn’t fit her. Well, my friend went back a few weeks later, got a different consultant, and tried on the dress, and guess what? That is the one she bought! That first consultant really ruined it for herself by making judgments on my friend’s size, but thank heavens she didn’t ruin that dress for my friend!
I would honestly take that as a compliment. Being athletic means you have good muscle definition. And your sister looks awesome in that dress!
OMG that is so incredibly rude. Your sister looked beautiful in the dress. Who says that sort of thing, anyway?! Ridiculous.
I hope you guys had a better experience after that!
She looks so glamourous! The saleswoman must have been blind because I think your sister looks lovely and has a beautiful figure (:
I hate oblivious sales people. I got that while trying on wedding dresses! (and it was more in the vein of, so how many pounds are you planning to lose before the wedding?). Eff that, and move on to a store that treats you and your gorgeous ladies well! (And I think your sister looks absolutely stunning in that dress btw!)
i honestly thought you were going to write that that the consultant came over and said how stunning your sister looked, because she does glam and elegant. minus infinity points for the consultant.
i may be biased, bc that’s the dress i picked out for my bridesmaids…but your sister looks beautiful in it! in fact, i would suggest she go and try it on again…someplace else. it’s their loss.
That is ridiculous. I cannot imagine how one can work in a fashion retail sales position and not be sensitive to womens’ body issues. They should know better!
On the upside, your sister really does look great and the dress is super cute!
And samples sizes!! I’ve been avoiding wedding gown shopping for that very reason…..super nervous about trying to cram into way-too-small dresses!!
If you (Sister Tarlet) are reading this, I just want to tell you that you look beautiful! That was a ridiculously thoughtless comment, and I hope that you don’t let it get to you! I am built similarly to you, and I think you are rocking that dress! I love the one shoulder. Good luck with the rest of your dress search!
I have managed dealing with rude service, by quietly excusing myself and making sure that I detail exactly what happened on Yelp or whatever the appropriate customer review site might be.
Your sister looks, hot, BTW. I hope she can find the same dress elsewhere.
I was totally expecting this post to head into how expensive the dress was or how it was so amazing but didn’t come in the right color. You sister looks amazing in that dress (I mean come on, look her waist! I know people who would die to have those curves). It almost makes me want to reconsider floor length dresses.
I thought the dress was quite flattering on your sister - strange what people think - clearly the sales lady has her own body image issues.
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Mrs. Tartlet, Rochester, MI Age and Occupation: Age & Occupation: 27, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Medical Student Engagement Date: May 2, 2009 Wedding Date: May 2011 Venue: The Royal Park Hotel About Me: I'm an exuberant gal from the Midwest with a penchant for Neuroscience and anything sparkly. I'm not afraid to poke fun at myself, and I'm a believer that given the right pair of shoes, a girl can conquer the world. While an interest in the sciences threw Mr. Tartlet and me together (again, and again, until it finally stuck), we share a love for many things---food, video games, car dancing, food, bad puns, travel, did I mention food?---that ultimately led us to where we are now, less than five months from becoming Mr. and Mrs. We're planning a laid-back, romantic, garden-inspired affair with organic and quirky touches that reflect our love for the unexpected!
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