What do they call it when a collection of sellers monopolize the market and demand the prices they want?
Whatever the technical term is, what it is, is ridiculous.
Today, as we watched some television with my aunt and munched on some nuts, the subject of wedding dresses came up after she mentioned that she was invited to two weddings soon. I was flabbergasted at the prices being traded.
Those ugly overdone cheap looking dresses with plasticky glitter I see in window shops? Those apparently cost over $1500 to rent for one night. Not a designer dress, not a silk one, nothing. Just an already rented fluffy white dress with droopy flowers. If you want to be the first to rent it, be prepared to shell out around $2500 for a likely made in China, whole sale imported, cheap ass wedding dress.
This is mind boggling to me in all honesty. Just go online, and type in wedding dress on google. You can pretty much get new amazing looking even custom made dresses for $400. Heck, throw in the shipping, costs for making minor adjustments with a seamstress if needed, and you'd still come out saving a ton of money. And you'd actually own the dress.
I saw a gorgeous Reem Akra dress (famous Lebanese designer in NY whose customers include hollywood actresses) on sale with a price tag of $2250. And this is a designer dress.
It goes beyond dresses here though. If you go to a salon here to get makeup, and let slip that you are getting married, are the sister/mother of the bride/groom, the price suddenly triples. It's as if when weddings are concerned, the make up is magically more expensive. And you'd think with all the extra money, they'd might manage not to make one look like a hooker on her wedding day. I still remember Hala and I doing her own make up for graduation and her Gala dinner, and it looking better than almost all of her friends with the professionally done make up.
Let's not discuss the hair styles. They have grown larger and more bizarre recently.
What a strange thing fashion, or lack there of, is!
Whatever the technical term is, what it is, is ridiculous.
Today, as we watched some television with my aunt and munched on some nuts, the subject of wedding dresses came up after she mentioned that she was invited to two weddings soon. I was flabbergasted at the prices being traded.
Those ugly overdone cheap looking dresses with plasticky glitter I see in window shops? Those apparently cost over $1500 to rent for one night. Not a designer dress, not a silk one, nothing. Just an already rented fluffy white dress with droopy flowers. If you want to be the first to rent it, be prepared to shell out around $2500 for a likely made in China, whole sale imported, cheap ass wedding dress.
This is mind boggling to me in all honesty. Just go online, and type in wedding dress on google. You can pretty much get new amazing looking even custom made dresses for $400. Heck, throw in the shipping, costs for making minor adjustments with a seamstress if needed, and you'd still come out saving a ton of money. And you'd actually own the dress.
I saw a gorgeous Reem Akra dress (famous Lebanese designer in NY whose customers include hollywood actresses) on sale with a price tag of $2250. And this is a designer dress.
It goes beyond dresses here though. If you go to a salon here to get makeup, and let slip that you are getting married, are the sister/mother of the bride/groom, the price suddenly triples. It's as if when weddings are concerned, the make up is magically more expensive. And you'd think with all the extra money, they'd might manage not to make one look like a hooker on her wedding day. I still remember Hala and I doing her own make up for graduation and her Gala dinner, and it looking better than almost all of her friends with the professionally done make up.
Let's not discuss the hair styles. They have grown larger and more bizarre recently.
What a strange thing fashion, or lack there of, is!
Yeah I know the whole salon price thing, the ongoing advice before I left was just don't tell them what the make up is for and you'll get to keep the price under 50$ at some fancy place. Not to mention that I hardly ever like how they do the make up anyway. A few good tips online or from some book, just buy the stuff you need and you're set to go!
ReplyDeleteBut I think you're exaggerating dress prices, I'm not sure where 3amto went (in Les ami then yeah they're ugly and expensive) but other places in hamra, prices range around 400 - 800$ for nice dresses with good material. Though it's still not worth it for me honestly to spend so much on one day. If you go to m3awwad prices drop to around 150-400$. You could also go to places like moustach, H&M, mango, veromoda and some others, they have evening dresses and they're usually not as expensive as in 'evening dresses' places, not to mention nicer. If 3amto is looking for a dress you might want to tell her what i wrote and to avoid hamra.
Talking about "wedding" dresses. Not exaggerating. She went to Mar Elias, walked into a random (not fancy) store out of curiosity, and asked about a really not that nice looking dress. $1500 to rent an already rented dress. Rent a new one? $2500. She also mentioned her friends who, getting married, were also looking at prices. Same thing. Evening dresses, well then you can find good deals, but apparently on weddings, you have to get creative: order from a abroad, sew the thing in Syria, find a seamstress, or some such thing.
ReplyDeleteWow the dresses I saw were seriously ugly. And the prices!!!
ReplyDeleteActually I remember a while back looking with Yara at GORGEOUS wedding dresses from a Spanish designer, seriously lovely and they cost (for you to own) that it does to rent in Lebanon.