I was planning my NYC wedding while living in Spain, and I flew to NY for one week to look at dresses. Designer Loft is one of the few salons in NY that carries Jenny Packham dresses, and so I had high hopes for my appointment. They did not let me down! I don't consider myself a princess bride. I wanted something classy and different, and they have so many dresses that fit this deion. I was lucky enough to find a dress that fit my personality and the event perfectly, and it was on sale for half price! The atmosphere is friendly and intimate, and the people were very accommodating. Because I was only in town for a couple of weeks before the wedding they squeezed three dress fittings into two weeks. Thank you for making wedding dress shopping (which could have been stressful) into a lovely experience. See some pics of the dress here: http://mercinewyork.blogspot.com/search?q=tina&x=0&y=0

I am typically not the kind of person who writes a review on a business or service, however, my experience with this bridal boutique in Manhattan was so horrific that I felt I owed it to every other bride out there to let them know what I went through. Planning a wedding should be fun and exciting... and although at times it can be stressful... the last thing any bride wants or needs when planning her big day is added stress and unnecessary drama!!

I went into Designer Loft in November to try on wedding gowns and fell in love with a veil I tried on in the store. It took 3 months of shopping around before I finally called back to place the order. I received my invoice which stated that I had ordered a Lori London Fountain Veil (the veil of my dreams!!) and that it would be ready to be picked up in a few weeks...

The day before I was supposed to pick up my veil I was surprised that I hadn't gotten a phone call from anyone saying that my veil had come in... or that it was ready to be picked up. So I called and asked if it had been delivered and if I could come in the next day to pick it up. The girl on the phone told me that the veil was indeed there and that I could come in as scheduled.

When I got to the store, they brought the veil out in a clear plastic bag and showed it to me briefly before placing it back in the bag so that I could take it home.

When I got home... and after looking at the veil a little more closely, I began to have some doubts about whether or not this was the veil that I had ordered. Although it looked almost exactly the same... I am extremely detail oriented and noticed that there were a few things definitely "off" about this veil. The comb (that would secure the veil to my head) was much longer and heavier than the comb on the veil I tried on in the store, and where the tulle was sewn to the comb was definitely not the work of a professional. The tulle was bunched up where it should have been smooth, ect. The thing that finally made me think that there was a chance I had been ripped off was that there was no "Lori London" tag attached to the brand new veil that I had ordered.

At first I was furious and thought about going right back to the store the following day... but then I thought, why not call Lori London directly and see whether or not Designer Loft even placed an order for the veil??

After an afternoon full of phone calls, I finally got in touch with the owner of Lori London and explained my situation. Sure enough, they didn't have any order on file for the veil I purchased... which meant that Designer Loft had one of their seamstresses in the back of their store copy the design of the veil I wanted and charged me the same $225 I thought I was paying for a designer veil!!

In the end, the owner of Lori London sent me a REAL Lori London veil which I wore on my wedding day... and Designer Loft refunded my money after a lot of unnecessary arguing and stressful phone calls. The store also received a cease and desist order from Lori London's lawyers stating that they are no longer allowed to carry their products in their store. What kind of shady business copies someone else's design and tries to make a profit off of it?? Not to mention takes advantage of girls planning one of the most special and important days of their life?

Please, if you live in NYC or are thinking of purchasing anything from this store... don't.

I liked Designer Loft, but you don't always get the best service over the phone. In person, however, they treated me like a star. (And I wasn't always the easiest person to deal with, to be honest.) I got a Jenny Packham dress, and they had all the accessories I wanted (NOT cheesy ones either!) for a great price and looked fab on my wedding day. I had my doubts about the dress though - but remember: they don't do exchanges, or returns. So be SURE when you're buying. I would go back & recommend my friends.

I had a great experience at the Designer Loft. I got my dress and all of the bridesmaids dresses here. They have a wonderful selection of quality dresses at reasonable prices and the sales women are not snobby. I have heard horror stories about brides getting their dresses ordered too large so that the bridal salons can make more money in alterations. This was not the case for me. My dress was sized perfectly with minor alterations.

I was pretty disappointed with the service I received at Designer Loft. Each time I called or visited I had to interact with a different salesperson and each time was required to re-explain my situation (out of state customer planning a destination wedding). When it came time to ship the dress the woman I worked with was extremely rude and unprofessional in planning when/where/how to ship.

Laura was the nicest saleswoman to work with - I wish I could have dealt with her every time!

I drove 5 hours to shop for dresses in NYC, The only concern I have with this establishment is the way they treat you when you are a younger bride. My first impression of the place was a bad one. "When don't do prom", was all she said, I am happy that I considered even staying there. They turned out to be wonderfull and I love every dress I tried on. I would recommend this place but FYI .. Do make an appointment, they weren't pleased with me. But I love my dress and It turned out to be a great experience

I loved Designer Loft! I went to Klienfelds and to Wedding Atelier, but I found the one at Designer Loft. They have a great selection of new and not mass-market designers, along with more popular brands. They also let you touch the gowns and go through them yourself, rather than only having an attendant bring you what she thinks you would want. I found an amazing La Spousa dress. It was very unique and I got compliments on it all night long.

The service also was great. Making alteration appointments were easy and they always started on time. The alterations came out perfect as well. The dress couldn't fit better. Go to Designer Loft!

I had a dress custom made. The designer herself was wonderful, and the dress ultimately came out beautifully. Other than that, the entire process was a nightmare from start to finish. Appointments were canceled upon arrival, after I had confirmed them the same day since I had to travel a significant distance, numerous mistakes were made, and to top it all off, there were problems with my dress when I went to pick it up. This was by far the biggest headache of the entire wedding planning process. I don't think I'm allowed enough space here to fully get out my entire rant about this.

I had a wonderful experience at Designer Loft, they found me the perfect Jenny Packham dress and was able to order and alter in a very short time.

My experience with Designer Loft was fantastic. I had my heart set on a specific Jenny Packham gown, but I was working on a cruise ship and was not able to come in to try on and order my dress.
We communicated via email up until it was time to order the gown, and they were very patient with me, helping me to choose the right size based on my measurements.
I called to place the order when we ported in Guatemala, and they ordered the gown and shipped it to my father in Florida. It was a very unusual way to order your wedding gown, but they took it in stride and were more than helpful.
The gown fit perfectly, too. No alterations necessary!

My dress was gorgeous, the people were friendly, but I felt duped into getting alterations (they had my exact measurements, why did they order it two sizes too large?), and the dress was too delicate for major alterations. I lived hours away and had to make several extra trips because of this. Considering the price I paid for the dress, I was hoping for something a little more out of the business.

I got my gorgeous dress from The Designer Loft in New York City. My rep was Alana and the moment she saw me, she knew the designer that I would fall in love with...Jenny Packham from London. I was not into "frothy, confections" nor was I into anything that looked even remotely traditional...what I went with was a most ethereal, silk charmeuse w/a sheer silk overlayer w/aurora borealis crystal and natural pearls dangling from the low v-cut decolletage. My dress was gorgeous and everything I ever wanted.

At the end of the day, my dress was beautiful, but it was a stressful road to get there. When I first visited Designer Loft, I thought their selection was outstanding - really unique dresses that weren't a fortune. I live in Chicago, but bought my dress in New York. I ordered a dress that was to be made in Spain and I was told I would be called when it arrived so I could fly in for my fittings. A month or two later, I received a call that my dress was ready. So, I flew from Chicago to New York for my fitting. Upon arrival, they take the dress out of the box and its completely the wrong color! I obviously wasn't going to alter the wrong color dress, so they said they would call me in a few days once they sorted this out with the Spanish designer. I was freaking out at this point, because the wedding was approaching and I didn't have a dress. Then I received word that the dress doesn't even come in the color I ordered! (Keep in mind that I have already paid in full for my dress and veil - which were two different colors). As a solution, they told me that they would custom make the dress and "I would never know the difference." Well, believe it or not, they were right. They emailed me pictures at every step of the dress making process to show me how it was coming along and when I flew back to New York again, I looked at the dresses side by side and really could not tell the difference. The dress was beautiful and they turned what could have been a disaster into a great solution. My only real gripe is that I wish they would have caught the color mistake early in the process so I didn't have to waste airfare and hotel for a fitting that never happened. They ended up comp-ing all the alterations.