Glamour Closet

I went here after reading reviews on Yelp. I made an appointment and went on a Saturday morning. When I got there, I was given a purse with some clothes pins and instructions that I was allowed to try on the amount of dresses as I had clothes pins in the purse. I looked around the store, which was about the size of a large walk-in closet and was aghast at the prices. Most dresses were $2000+ and were being sold off-the-rack. There would not be a problem with that if that is someone's budget, but most dresses I looked at had snags, were missing beads, or just looked like poor quality. The person who checked me in refused to give my friend change for the meter, so she had to go buy something at a shop nearby to feed the meter. After looking around and being pushed out of the way by other brides-to-be, I gave back my purse of clothes pins. The gentleman at the counter was turning away another bride and telling her to come back in an hour, so I gave her my purse. He seemed shocked and horrified that I did not want to try on any dresses and that I had given my purse to another person.

This place was amazing. They don't take appointments, so it's first come first serve. I stood outside on a Saturday morning at 10am so I can be the first person to try on dresses. There was one other girl who was waiting as well. When I got in, you can only try on 10 dresses. Most dresses were OK, but the prices were amazing. They only sell sample gowns off the rack, and every dress in the store is under $3000. And then I hit the Jack Pot. They just received a Vera Wang dress. When I tried it on, it was perfect, and the price was unbelievable for Vera Wang. it was 75% off the original retail price since it was a sample. They don't take holds, so I bought the dress right then and there, and cancelled the rest of my bridal appointments that day. Highly recommend checking out this place!

The great thing about Glamour Closet is that everything is really cheap. Sure, the dresses probably won't be your size and you'll have to pay for the major altering.. but if you're getting a designer gown, it'll still be cheaper. They need more chairs for people to sit, and it seems like the people who work there will always say you look good even if you don't.

This review is for the new store in Los Angeles located at 324 South La Brea. I am a bride that has been with my fiancee for a very long time, that said I had a long time to research and figure out exactly what I wanted from a wedding gown. It quickly became apparent that I would not find exactly what I was looking for very easily. I wanted a strapless silk satin ball gown with a cathedral train, dropped waist and elaborate embroidery. I had tried dresses at several high end bridal salons, including those that carried Amalia Cararra, Kenneth Pool and Priscilla of Boston. Originally I was prepared to settle for a less costly Jasmine Couture design that was made of the same fabric and pay for the extra alteration work involved with extending the train and removing the pick ups. That put the special ordering cost to roughly $2300.

With that in mind I decided to try Glamour Closet realizing that no matter what dress I get I would have alternations done, but that if I could find a dress that I liked more for the right price even with the alterations it would be money well-spent.

Parking in back wasn't all that great so I decided to park at the Ralphs right across 3rds Street and walk across. When I walked into the Salon, it reminded me a lot of R-mine Bridal in Studio City. I went on Thursday around 2pm. The sales lady was assisting another costumer at the time so I took that time to scope out the racks in search of dresses I wanted to try on. Most of the ball gowns I eyed were Reem Acra and Kenneth Pool. Their condition was typical of most floor samples. Eye clean with a couple of spots here and there, nothing that couldn't be corrected by a good dry cleaner. Most of their dresses where a size 10. I am a street size 2, but for the right price I was willing to pay extra to get alterations done.

After waiting patiently, I found my patience rewarded. After the other client left, Jenna was very kind open and attentive to my needs. I told her my experience with other salons, how I seem to always end up with designers, but would prefer that I not pay the $6,000 price tag that was given to me for another dress I tried on elsewhere and that I was trying Glamour Closet as a last resort before ordering a dress at another salon. I picked out 6 dresses(5 of which I tried on). They were all big for me, but I knew that going in. Nearly all of them were Reem Acra dresses. But one caught my eye in particular because it had a lilac applique on it that made it stand out from the other gowns. Even though it had a chapel train instead of cathedral train, after the way it looked on me with the clips I was sold on the price tag. The dress was $1,100 and came up to be roughly $1,200 total. They do not offer alterations in house so I have to look up their recommended list of tailors/seemstresses. From my perspective I got a good deal: even if the alterations end up costing me the total cost of the dress it's still going to be $100 cheaper than the Jasmine dress quoted to me, and it's a Reem Arca(one of the top wedding designers in the world), made in the US and not in China(that mattered to me too). And even then, the original retail price of the dress as $4,400. There is no doubt in my mind I made a sound decision.

Jenna was sweet enough to carry my dress almost a block to my car after sealing it safely in a large garment bag and telling me how to open and close it properly so none of the dress material would get caught in it. She did so because she saw I was carrying a large wedding portfolio. She went above and beyond what I would have expected of a bridal salon salesperson. She never pressured me to purchase the more expensive gown and from what I could tell, she gave me her honest opinion for every dress I tried on. She was on par and on target with every other bridal consultant I worked with, perhaps more so because she listened to everything I had so say and never tried to rush me nor told me that a dress was too overwhelming for me just because it was a ball gown and I have a petite frame(like other salons tried to do).

Glamour Closet is worth the drive and worth the monthly scope out for the cost conscious and discriminating bride looking for couture on a budget. The salon had the look and feel of any other bridal salon I had been to, only the dresses were sold off the rack rather than special ordered. It's also a good place to go if you are a bride on fast approaching deadline.

I would recommend Glamour Closet to any of my friends. They were totally worth the trip.

It was the second place I went to for dress hunting. I was just recently engaged, so I had all the time in the world to look for a dress. Going there, I didn't have much expectation but was hoping to be able to get a dress off the rack without any alterations. Two hours later, I was walking out of the store with dress in hand and more than half of the original price of the dress. They did have a limited amount of style for my size, but the selection was there. I suggest this place if you're not really sure what kind of dress you want and don't want to spend half your budget on a dress.

I bought my Monique Lhullier wedding dress here for 40% of its retail value! While I was there, I found at least three other dresses I wanted to buy. The selection is fantastic --- tons of different styles and designers, though you may want to go a couple of times as the selection changes frequently and there may only be 10-15 dresses in your preferred style. The staff there is super helpful and friendly. I especially loved Jennifer Harter, who is helpful and has a great eye!

Great place to find a dress if you have the patience. I highly recommend going during the week or early in the morning to miss the crowds. I purchased the most beautiful Vera Wang dress I have ever seen for 1/4th the normal price. Definately worth the trip!

I ended up buying the first dress that I tried on at Glamour Closet. This store sells only sample dresses, so if you're looking for a high-end bridal boutique that serves you champagne while you're trying to find that perfect dress, you should go elsewhere. I was the first person in line on a Saturday morning, and that allowed me to be the first one to go in the fitting room. I highly recommend getting there early because it's a first-come, first-serve when it comes to the dressing room. The sales staff is extremely helpful and friendly. You can find some really get value dresses if you're willing to look through the racks.

They had a good sale around the time I was shopping, 10-15% off selected dresses. I appreciate that they were organized, and provided good service once it's your turn. The place, however, is small. I went on a weekend and it was SUPER crowded. They don't accept appointments, so it's first-come first serve. This is not a place for someone without patience. :)

Glamour Closet was my last stop on my first day of wedding gown shopping. By then, I had an idea of what I wanted and could run through their supply and pick out stuff I wanted to try. They do have a variety of gowns from various designers, but it's definitely a place where you have to thumb through each gown yourself and choose if it's worth trying. They give you 6 clips to point out gowns that you want to try, then the consultant comes and helps you try on the gown. Glamour Closet only has 2 dressing rooms, so I can't even imagine someone coming here on a weekend! The prices are very reasonable, but I would be mindful of any damage(s) that may be on the dress since the dress you try on and love could be the dress you're walking out the door with.

The consultants aren't pushy and are pretty hands off until it's time to try on your dresses. I don't think the lady that assisted me even introduced herself, but she had a lot of knowledge that she shared with me. Overall, a decent experience and would recommend if you already have an idea of what you're looking for.

Glamour Closet sells only sample dresses (dresses that people have tried on at other stores), so it's really a hit or miss when shopping here. You may find something great one day, but wait too long, and you're out of luck bc it's gone the next. I had two really helpful associates there. One was named Jessica, but I heard that she moved to the new store in LA. The name of the other associate escapes me, so I apologize. But both were very attentive and very helpful. They were honest enough to tell you if something worked or not, but in a very tasteful way. The retail price of the dress I bought was $3000. I bought it for $1500. 50% off! I was even more excited to find that my dress was by Amy Michelson, the designer of a dress that I wanted to buy at Trudy's Brides. The one at Glamour Closet really fit my personality (and body apparently) better, so I was excited to find that it was the same designer but for WAY cheaper.

I found the designer dress of my dreams for what I was budgeting for a knock-off!! I did have to get it altered as it was a sample, but that also meant that NO ONE ELSE had it as it was never produced. The girls were great and there was no pressure to buy, which was the common feeling at other boutiques. Have fun digging through the racks of wonders and keep an open mind as everything is off the rack. I love you Glamour Closet!!

I bought my dress from a sample sale from Glamour closet. It was originally $1,200 and was on sale for $500. After waiting in line for like 2 hours in the cold, batches of maybe 20 girls at a time get an hour to go in and try dresses that have been stepped on and thrown around. Luciky I was in the front of the line and got in as the first group. Their dresses were ok, not the prettiest. Being under pressure of time running out, I bought my dress thinking it was a DEEP discount and I can't go wrong with it. After taking it home, and looking it up online, I found out the style was from 2 years ago. The original price is DEFINITELY over-priced, even the $500 price tag is still over-priced. I ended up not liking it anymore and saw much nicer dresses selling online in the $200 range. I bought another dress for $200 and did nothing with the one I got from Glamour closet. It's on eBay but hasn't sold. Guess when you're not in pressure to buy, the dress is not that Glamour anymore.

I recently visited the Glamour Closet and arrived there about an hour after they opened. As many of the girls have said, they do have a lot designer dresses at a major discount. The sizes run from 8-12 (not street size) so for anyone not fitting into those, major alterations will be needed. I really like the girl who helped me, this bitty little thing named Marie with a French accent (too cute). While, I did find a dress that fit me, it was out of my budget ($1200 for a dress retailed at $7000). The girls were extremely helpful with making suggestions on how to alter the dress. Because I'm larger than the sample sizes, letting a dress out is not always going to work, however, they gave me tons of advice and an honest opinion if they thought the alterations would even work. All in all, it was a nice store with lots of dresses, but you definitely need a 2nd or 3rd set of eyes checking the dress prior to purchase because they are sample dresses and some had a lot of wear and tear (and stains).

Very comfortable atmosphere and nice salesgirls. This was the first wedding dress shop I went to and I'm happy I started there. They helped explain the basics about dress shopping and let me try on a lot of different shapes to see the differences.

They have a good selection of designer gowns. I went on three separate occassions. On the third visit, a sale day =), I did pick up one of my gowns there.

My two caveats about the store are that their dresses do run along the more standard line. They are designer but I wouldn't call them unique. I ended up wanting a more couture look for my main ceremony dress, so I went to another shop for it. Second is that I'm not a sample size and that caused the actual price of the dress with alterations to be less of a steal than I had originally thought. I'm a wedding dress size 2, but I ended up picking up a size 8 dress. So the alterations were major and ended up costing more than the dress.

Even with that additional cost and bit of hassle (5 fittings because of all the alterations), I was happy with my purchase and the experience. I am picking up my other dress from jinwang. The two shops have different price points, but I would put Glamour Closet right up there with jinwang because of the great sales staff.

Shortly after getting engaged, I went to Glamour Closet, alone, and on a whim only because it was an unusually sunny day in San Francisco, perfect for walking around downtown and this is the only wedding gown operation in town that doesn't require a reservation. Thirty minutes later, I walked out with my dream dress: a silk chiffon Jenny Lee, simple, elegant, timeless - perfect for my vintage inspired wedding. And the price tag didn't set me back nearly as much as I thought it would. I can't say enough wonderful things about Glamour Closet.So why the 2.5 stars??? Because the tailor they recommended was awful! It's called Janene's Bridal in Alameda. Janene was expensive and she did a lousy job. I had a bulging seam on one side of my bust and my hem was uneven. I mean come on! It's just a hem. The one thing that came out good was the bustle, but unfortunately it fell apart within minutes. What's worse is she was terribly rude. During one visit, she told my mother to please not place her coffee on the COFFEE table. Um, What's the point of having a coffee table if people can't set their Sarbucks on it. So I give Glamour Closet 5 stars for selling me a gorgeous dress at a great price, and 0 stars for sending me to a tailor that ruined it.

The gals at Glamour Closet were patient and helpful, they made the experience a really good one, and their recommendation for a seamstress really helped to cover the entire process. The selection of dresses were all high-end and covered everything imagineable... I'd recommend starting the search early and checking back monthly just so you can find the right design/style since they get new shipments about once a month.

I love the dress I found at Glamour Closet. It was out of my budget - which I accounted for in other areas - but I do not regret for a second purchasing this dress. I was lucky in that it fit me and I only had to get it cleaned & go to a seamstress for the bustle. My experience with Glamour Closet was wonderful, I was in on a Saturday and browsed the dresses while I waited for a dressing room. It would be difficult if you don't fit into sample sizes, but if you do, Glamour Closet is a must see.

I got a great couture dress by Ulla Maija at over 75% off! If you go in on any normal day, the service is great and they pay tons of individual attention to you. The first time I went, I found a dress I liked but wanted to do some more research. The second time I went, it was for a sample sale and all dresses were $899 or less. I happened to find the first dress I liked and got it for an amazing price. The sample sale was pretty crazy though. The entire store turned into a dressing room and you basically had to just grab whatever you could and try it on wherever you could find space.

Great service, beautiful selection and reasonable priced designer gowns! I bought my wedding dress here after trying many gowns in seven other bridal stores in San Francisco! Although I did some design alteration, but the quality and workmanship of the original garment were superb!

I bought a Melissa Sweet gown here. Someone else was actually trying on the dress but decided to go with something else. I saw it and loved it. And it fit so well around the bodice. I paid around $2k for the dress but it was missing a flower corsage belt that should have come with the dress. So I had my seamstress make one from the left over fabric when I got it hemmed. I saw the same dress on ebay for about $500 less but that wasn't a big deal since, of course ebay would be cheaper. And I highly doubt I would've bought it on ebay without having tried it on. I went on a day that wasn't too busy but I had gone in there before when it was quite full and I think it would've taken forever if I hadn't chosen the right time to go. There was only 2 employees and its a small shop. But the choice of dresses is quite good.

I went to Glamour Closet with my Mom to try on dresses for the first time. It was a good experience. Everyone was very nice & helpful. We arrived right after they opened and had one bride in front of us so only had to wait about 30min. We picked out some beautiful dresses (about 6 or 7) and I tried them on. Didnt find "the one" but it was nice being in a no pressure environment to see what sort of styles looked good on me. When at Glamour Closet you have to keep in mind that all the dresses are samples and are sold "as is" so many are a bit dirty (can be cleaned) or have snags & beading missing. Im sure all of that stuff can be fixed by a professional and the dress can be made to look like new but it wasnt for me.

The Glamour Closet is an excellent shop to try if you are a street size 6 or 8 -- anything much smaller or much bigger probably won't work. This store is full of extraordinary sample dresses (Vera, Monique, Reem -- they're all there) in very good shape, but understandably this shop is not for everyone. You may have to have the dress cleaned, or make minor repairs - but at the great discounted price (my Pronovias gown was ~65% off) it's a great option for budget fashionistas.

A friend found the dress I purchased and made me try it on for fun she said. Once I put it on there was no question, then I looked at the price. I had decided at this point to be a budget bride and this wasn't fitting even though it was cheaper then I could get it other wise. So I bid the dress good bye and kept thinking about it. The woman at the store called me a few weeks later prior to a sale they were having and said that she thought I should have the dress. They allowed me to come in the night before the sale to buy it so no one else would take it home. I am so happy I did. Its a reem acra in perfect condition and it fit me and my style to a T. I could not have asked for more in my dream dress and now I get to say I had the same designer as Beyonce of course at a fraction of the price! If you are small or a bigger girl this store sadly only has the usual sample size 10 but check it out you never know.

I went to Glamour Closet twice and my experiences were very different. The best thing about Glamour Closet is they have designer dresses like Monique Lhuillier, Vera Wang, and Carolina Herrera, for 50-75% off! The dresses are all in sample sizes of 8 and 10 so it's good if you're a sample size. Also, the dresses are "what you see is what you get."

The first visit was a 5-star experience. I came around 4:30pm on a Saturday afternoon and was the last girl in the store. I selected about 10 dresses during the 15 minute wait. Afterwards, the salesperson helped me in and out of dresses, helped arrange the dresses, and did not rush me at all and allowed me to take tons of pictures.

The second visit was a 3-star experience. The day I came was very busy and we had to wait 30 minutes to try it on. I worked with some different, who helped me in and out of dresses, but since there was another girl there we pretty much had to share a mirror. Plus, there was someone waiting so the salesperson kind of rushed me through it and I didn't get a chance to take pictures of some dresses.

Overall, if you are a sample size then definitely check this place out!

I work in the Financial District so after I got engaged and was super-busy at work, the Glamour Closet was the easiest place for me to pop in and try on dresses for the first time. I went at lunchtime one rainy afternoon and tried on the most gorgeous Vera Wang lace gown. The assistants are very helpful and there are usually a few very high-end couture gowns on the racks. After a month, I had tried on many other gowns at salons in SF, and had even flown down to LA to try on one particular gown at the Carolina Herrera boutique, but I couldn't quit thinking about that Vera Wang at Glamour Closet.

Luckily it was still there when I went back, and I tried it on and it was perfect. So I ended up getting the first dress I ever tried on!

I love the atmosphere at Glamour Closet, from the Barcelona chairs in the seating area to the antique dress forms in the back. This is SUCH a great find for Bay Area brides. I got my Vera Wang for 65% off its original price. Granted, it was still very expensive, considering it was $8000 originally, but you cannot beat Glamour Closet. Great personal service and professional staff. Love it.

Oh, and ladies--do bring your cameras! Picture-taking is not only allowed, but encouraged, and I found it so helpful to be able to email a photo to my Maid of Honor and my mom, neither of whom are local, to make the final decision.

I found a wonderful dress at Glamour Closet. I loved that you didn't have to make an appointment and that you weren't limited in the number of dresses you could try. The sales people were helpful and unpretentious, and didn't try to sell you something that didn't look right. I have recommended this store to everyone I know. HOWEVER, the seamstress recommended by Glamour Closet (and the one who comes to the store), Julie of Frances Clare Sewing, was disastrous. She nearly ruined my dress, cutting far too much fabric (an extra inch) when she was shortening the shoulder straps. There was no way to add fabric back in without it looking really cheap so this was a big deal. Taking the straps up too much caused the waist to sit too high as well, which pulled on other seams. Julie's solution to this problem (after telling me that I had wanted it this way) was to cut additional fabirc which would have changed the line of the dress even further. She also charged me for hemming the linings of my dress when all she did was cut the fabric. She didn't put in any kind of hem and the fabric was left fraying and unfinished, and she acted like it was a big deal to actually do the hem I paid for. Even then the bias tape used on the hem wasn't the same all the way around. I do recommend Glamour Closet, but definitely have your alterantions done elsewhere. Lora Dukler (on West Portal, and well worth the drive) fixed the many mistakes made by Julie, inside a week. This was no small feat as it required express ordering two additional hairpieces, the pearls and crystals of which Lora used to cover the sections of fabirc that had to be added in at the shoulder straps. And yet, Lora still charged less than Julie of Frances Clare.

If you are looking for a bargain and / or waiting until the last minute - this is the place to go. You can purchase dresses off the rack at up to 75% off list price. Most of these are floor samples or dresses that probably never got picked up (in perfect condition). Most of the top dress designers are among the selection - I got an absolutely gorgeous dress at about half priceThe challenge are the sizes. Most floor samples are size 8, so you will need to get alterations (and larger sizes or teeny people probably would have trouble). They can hook you up with their seamstress or find one of your own.

As other brides have mentioned, Glamour Closet offers designer dresses at heavily discounted prices. They carry many high-end designers, such as Reem Acra, Carolina Herrera, Vera Wang, Amsale and Melissa Sweet. I visited Glamour Closet twice - and came home with a wedding dress each time (one was mine, one was my MOH's)!

I first went to Glamour Closet only because I wanted to see what $5-8K dresses looked and felt like. Also, during the holidays they have a 10% off special (get on their e-mail list so they will notify you). I ended up getting my Richard Glasgow gown for over 50% off. It was still pricey (over $2K), but it was also a pristine sample from Marina Morrison. Not even the hem was dirty! Also, my consultant Diane was wonderful, honest, and just a great pleasure to deal with.

The second time around, I took my MOH to Glamour Closet because came into town on short notice and you don't need an appt. to try on dresses at Glamour Closet. Actually, they don't take appointments - so be prepared to wait a bit on the weekends due to the limited dressing rooms mentioned below. Anyway, back to my MOH - she also found "the one" there, discounted from $4200 to $2400. Her dress was an Ulla Majia (sp?) sample, also from Marina Morrison! Her dress had a minor smudge, but nothing too noticeable.

All in all - I love Glamour Closet! However, both myself and my MOH are sample size and had "sizeable" dress budgets. I can't comment on the size availibility other than size 8 or 10, or for the quality of dresses under $2000.

I visited the Glamour Closet in the middle of the day on a Tuesday. The woman I worked with was very nice and did not rush me. The Glamour Closet had a lot of designer dresses at heavily discounted prices. I had difficulty finding dresses in my size though, and when you purchase a dress, you buy it directly off the rack (as is). If you can find a dress here that you fit, it's definitely a bargain.

You can find some pretty cheap finds here. They have wedding dresses for like $100!

I visited this store a couple of times in my search for a wedding gown.

For the negatives - I felt like the owner and one of the sales consultants were just really eager to get me to buy a gown. They commented that every dress I tried on was gorgeous, which even my mom (and my mom usually thinks every dress I try on is "the one") disagreed with.

As others have said, keep in mind that most sample gowns are sizes 8 and 10, so if you fit in this category, you're in luck. They do have a small collection of larger sizes and smaller sizes, but not many.

Also, there is a stage area with mirrors where they bring you out to model your gown. The store allows for 2 people to try on gowns at the same time, so be prepared to share the stage area and have people from the other party staring at you too. I'm overly self-conscious, so this bothered me a bit.

I also found a dress that I liked, but it turned out that with the price of the alterations, I could have purchased a new gown by the same designer for about the same price. Don't get me wrong though - they do have really great deals, but for this one designer, it was not worth it.

For the positives, as mentioned above, there are some really great deals, and I was told by a sales consultant at Marina Morrisson (MM) that MM usually sends their samples over to Glamour Closet. MM carries couture gowns, like Reem Acra! These gowns are deeply discounted, and though they are samples, are in really good condition (from what I saw).

In the end, if you're in the market for a couture gown but not couture prices, it's worth it to at least take a look. I would suggest visiting during the week, if possible, as I have heard that the wait can be long on the weekends.