Where to buy formal wear?

[1sttimecruzin]

We are taking our first cruise in July & I was just looking for ideas on where I should buy a dress for formal night. DH & I want to get pretty dressed up (he may even wear a tux:eek:)! The only formal dresses I have are left over from high school proms (many moons ago) & my wedding dress. Any ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

[poobears]

If you don't want to spend a lot resale shops are full of formals for prom right now. You can pick up some good deals. Also all the mall stores are stocked with formals Dillards, pennys, etc. You can get formals at Bridal shops and other speciality places too.

 

Last year I bought my formal on Ebay and altered it myself for a perfect fit. But you could always buy one and take it in to be altered.

[Cruisin' Ron VA]

We are taking our first cruise in July & I was just looking for ideas on where I should buy a dress for formal night. DH & I want to get pretty dressed up (he may even wear a tux:eek:)! The only formal dresses I have are left over from high school proms (many moons ago) & my wedding dress. Any ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

 

I have no clue where you live or what your budget is so I cant really tell you where to start looking.

 

I can tell you that there is a great fashion board here on Cruise Critic.

 

Those people there are the best!

 

Check it out.

[oldmedic]

We are taking our first cruise in July & I was just looking for ideas on where I should buy a dress for formal night. DH & I want to get pretty dressed up (he may even wear a tux:eek:)! The only formal dresses I have are left over from high school proms (many moons ago) & my wedding dress. Any ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

 

you may want to post this at the "cruise fashion and beauty" string also....may have better luck with answers there....

[TheVegasMan]

How about at a store?

[JES11583]

I went shopping at JcPenny..Sears... Macys... Masrshalls... and a couple of other stores... they allhave great deals.. I ended up getting mine at Sears.. esp with prom coming up.. a lot of gowns.. cocktail dresses.. and the short sparkly dresses are all on sale... have fun!!!

[Loves_Dogs]

I 2nd the resale shops suggestion. We have a few of them here in town and it's nice to be able to try them on. I bought nearly all of my formals on Ebay. When buying off Ebay I suggest you measure yourself and go by measurements rather than size as formal sizes tend to run very different. Another thing I try to do when buying off Ebay is order something a little big and a friend of mine alters it for me. Good luck and have a GREAT CRUISE!

[1sttimecruzin]

Thank you so much to those of you who gave such helpful suggestions. I like the resale option! I thought about the department stores, too, because of prom season (thought there may be discounts by the end of May). I just wasn't sure where many of you bought your dresses without spending an arm & a leg! A lot of what I see for sale on-line cost a lot more than I wanted to spend for a dress I may wear only a couple of times. Thank you again for your help!

 

And, yes, Vegas Man, I realize that dresses can indeed be bought in a store - I was just trying to get legitimate suggestions on where others had purchased their gowns/dresses.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

How about at a store?

 

I was at 7-11 yesterday. That store didn't have any formal clothing for sale. How about narrowing it down.:rolleyes:

 

Bill

[Grits53]

On our last cruise, I noticed a young lady in a nice floor length dress. It was simple but tasteful and was very attractive on her. I complimented her on the dress. She laughed and said, "I got it at Target!" My friend was having her photo taken on formal night, and someone standing in line commented, "I love that blouse!" I didn't tell her that my friend had bought it at Sam's Club! :DTherefore, I believe you can find nice formal dresses and outfits just about anywhere. It all depends on your budget. But you can definitely put together a nice outfit on a budget!

[cruisebie]

Do you have a Ross in your area? They sometimes have nice formal dresses for ridiculously low prices. I bought one there for my first cruise and paid about $25. Also, as prom season ends, the dept stores will start deeply discounting their remaining dresses. I remember getting a good deal for DD one year at Dillards, the dress was priced 75% off of the original price. I would start looking now, because sometimes they start the discounts before prom season is completely done.

[1sttimecruzin]

Do you have a Ross in your area? They sometimes have nice formal dresses for ridiculously low prices. I bought one there for my first cruise and paid about $25. Also, as prom season ends, the dept stores will start deeply discounting their remaining dresses. I remember getting a good deal for DD one year at Dillards, the dress was priced 75% off of the original price. I would start looking now, because sometimes they start the discounts before prom season is completely done.

 

 

Great idea about Ross! We also have a Marshalls; I'll look there, too. I hadn't even thought about Ross & Marshalls - Thanks!!

[bthorn1108]

Great idea about Ross! We also have a Marshalls; I'll look there, too. I hadn't even thought about Ross & Marshalls - Thanks!!

 

I was going to suggest Ross, but someone beat me to it. They just had a BIG dress sale a few weeks ago, and I managed to pick up a BEAUTIFUL strapless evening gown for $40. It is unlike anything I have ever seen on a ship. I can't wait to wear it in November.

 

At any rate, the sale may be over, but I don't think they went through and remarked all the prices, so you should look there sooner rather than later.

[SyddyShores]

idk your budget or age but charlotte russe usually does me good :P

[cb at sea]

Right now, even dept. stores are giving good discounts/sales! Any dept. store will have a "formal" section....go and try things on! Dresses can be gotten for $100 or less, if you hit a good sale!

Ross, Marshall's and TJ Maxx are good places, unless you're a very small size or very large!

[TnMama]

EBAY!!!!! they have a TON of stuff.Its where I got my semi formal for my ten yr reunion.and plan to wear it when we cruise.

[rockwood84]

Ditto on Ross & Ebay. I've been to Ross recently, and they had lots of stuff at great prices. Both of my girls got dresses for our cruise for less than $35. I bought one for myself a couple of years ago on Ebay, and I ordered another one from Newport News (online).

 

A good reason to book another cruise - so you can get the most from your formal wear. You don't want it to just hang in the closet, do you? :D

[Pegs222]

I always get a new gown for the first formal night. I love this one store that is very high end BUT, when the seasons are over they always have a sale on what is left. On our last cruise I bought a $200.00 gown for $45.00.

[45014]

I have always had luck in Dillards. Just check the sale racks. I have gotten many "dressy" dresses for different occasions.

[kicia]

I've gotten a few formals at Penney's and got great deals by looking after prom season or after Christmas and New Year's. I've also had good luck at Carson's if you have one by you. My husband even got his tux at Penney's.

[Wennfred]

We are taking our first cruise in July & I was just looking for ideas on where I should buy a dress for formal night. DH & I want to get pretty dressed up (he may even wear a tux:eek:)! The only formal dresses I have are left over from high school proms (many moons ago) & my wedding dress. Any ideas/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

 

Where do you live? people can give you ideas of stores in your area. I would start with Fredericks of Hollywood or Victoria Secrets. :D

 

 

 

Fred

[DocF]

The cocktail dresses my wife wears for formal nights (she is 4' 10" so long dresses look strange on her) came from Dillard's junior department. They were not expensive at all, about $50 each.

 

My tuxedo, I bought online from a company called uniformalwarehouse.com. You can Google them. It was much cheaper than one night's rental.

 

Doc