Paris 1900

For years I walked by this place and thought many things, 'When I get married I'll get my dress here,' 'I bet the clothes are too expensive,' 'This place is never open,' etc. etc. Well I am getting married and I did get my dress here. The dresses are extremely reasonable and quality-wise are equal to the dresses I've tried on in Beverly Hills that cost 3000 on up. And the place is open. Read the sign. Go to the website. Or simply call and leave a message. Susan, the owner, called me back promptly, told me when she'd be there and I didn't have to make an appointment. The whole thing was easy peasy and totally humane. I need to keep this brief but if I had the time I'd write for hours. Paris 1900 is the place to go if you're looking for beautiful clothes that don't cost an arm and a leg. Susan's collection is really rather stunning but also unique. The dresses feel like everything from late 1800's to late 1930's. She has something for every body type, doesn't encourage you to overspend (she actually not only thought I didn't need to go over my price range but I looked best with a dress that was under 1000). And she has patience. I went back on three different occasions to try on my dress, not able to pull the trigger. I felt I needed to be thorough trying all different sorts of wedding stores and dress shops. But three's a charm. It was very clear. Nothing compared. Didn't even come close. I don't know what my wedding will be like, you can plan and plan and try to control every detail but at the end of the day, it's just south of a crapshoot. But I know I want to look good, be comfortable, feel glamorous and be beautiful for myself and for my fiance. Which is why the dress is one of the few elements I feel I need to nail. Might not be able to predict the whole day but I know if I'm wearing the right thing, I'll feel better in that day. So it's easy to end with this: if you're a bride and you're looking for a unique beautiful wedding dress, walk don't run. more

I have to say about Paris 1900 that it is a one of a kind shop in Los Angeles. I had a wonderful experience buying my wedding dress. I liked all dresses that Susan offered me -- all are unique and so elegant! Susan and her assistant were perfect and delightful, and the ambience of the shop really transports you to Paris 1900. Try it!!! Pros: The best place ever more

I adore this store. It is a landmark of Santa Monica. It's proprietess offers old world service in a beautiful setting. Known for bridal, they also carry beautiful blouses, petticoats, lingerie, jewelry and more! I find a new treasure every time I go in! It's a great place for husbands. Mine goes for every gift giving occasion and gets great advice on what to get. I love it every time! Pros: Bespoke Service, Beautiful items Cons: N/A more

I discovered Paris 1900 after looking at dozens of the same style of strapless, poufy wedding gowns in other bridal stores. The shop is so pretty, with its romantic art nouveau decor and vintage and new vintage-style clothes and accessories. The owner is very knowledgeable and worked with me patiently. I tried on several different gowns, including one-of-a-kind designs made from antique lace. I didn?t feel pressure to buy, but I did end up finding the perfect dress and head-piece and also stayed within my budget. Thank you, Paris 1900! more

Paris 1900 is not a shopper friendly store. Susan, the owner is uptight, opinionated, prickly, and rigid. I went in to shop for wedding dresses and tried on about 15 different ones ranging from $400-$1000. Susan acted as if the dresses I was trying on were $15,000 couture dresses, and they weren't. I had my maid of honor and mother-in-law to be with me and she was very rude to them. Not even allowing them to drink bottled water. When I would come out in the dresses, she would belittle my friends opinions and was pushy with her style choices. She also made caddy comments, and rolled her eyes quite a bit. It was not a fun experience as I imagined shopping for dresses would be. She would not even showing me all of her stock. I had to ask to browse the items in the back showcase, and found a dress I loved there. (She was not being forthcoming about those dresses, as she thought she knew best what I should wear). I found a dress, and put down half the deposit. She said it would take a few months to come in. It came in within a week, in a standard size 4. Within the next week, my fiance lost his job due to the economic crisis. My mom offered to pay for the other half of the dress, but my fiance and I decided that we should use our parents efforts in better places. I called Susan and explained the situation to her. She absolutely wouldn't budge. She said that I either forfeit the cost of half the dress or I could come pay the other half and buy the dress. I said I did not want to lose my deposit, may I come in and look for a less expensive dress? She said no. She said my money only was good for this particular dress. I said I needed to think about it and call her back. She called me back two days later and was very pushy. Asking what I was going to do. I said I'm a little torn about the money, and that I know she wants to sell this dress to someone else, as it is a standard 4 and she will add it to her stock of dresses. She said she is not in the business of helping people with their wedding budgets, and that if I didn't come in and purchase the final balance on the dress the next day she was going to put it in her stock. She gave me an ultimatum to buy the dress in 24 hours. I said originally the dress was not supposed to come in for months, and now you are forcing me to buy it today or I'm losing my deposit. She hung up on me. I called her back, she said I can't help you and hung up on me again. The dress at this point feels tainted and I don't even want to wear it at my wedding. She was unwilling to let me purchase a less expensive dress, unwilling to give me more time to come in and buy the dress I loved, and completely unprofessional in her business practices. Although the store has lovely items, the experience has been difficult, unsympathetic, unprofessional, and overall dingy. Very poor customer service. I have lost my money and have no time to come up with the rest to pay for a dress that I'm being bullied into buying. And again, it is a standard size 4, nothing was custom made for me. She is going to sell it and make money off of me and someone else. She has many showroom dresses she sells. I would be mindful of supporting this woman and her practice, steer clear. Pros: pretty dresses Cons: owner is unprofessional, rude, unaccomodating more

I joined just to review this place. The manager was quite rude and whispered about me while I was in the fitting room. Um, I can hear you, the store is not that big. They are very unaccommodating, unwilling to let you take photos or pin back a dress so you can see how it actually is supposed to look. I left feeling depressed and bad about myself. I suppose the manager believes that if a bride falls in love with a dress, she won't care about customer service. But I'd never purchase anything from here. Shopping for wedding dresses is a really emotional thing, and making catty comments about a potential customer is just bad business. Pros: Interesting assortment of items Cons: manager is rude more

After the last time I squeaked out of this whimsical shop due to the owners lack of civility, I could not help but find myself entranced by the store's delightful window decor, viewing what is to me, a hypnotic delectable journey into the whims of my uber feminine caprices. To my wonderful surprise, the owner contrasted her previous snobbery with a cheerful and gracious and yes, authentic manner. My oh my, she is a human being. Like all the rest of us, sometimes good, sometimes not, look even closer, one might even see a little curl in the middle of her forehead. She is OK by me, and then some. Pros: transfixes the soul back in time Cons: eh, I m over the cons. more

Astounding ! more

I searched all over Los Angeles for the perfect wedding dress that was unique to me and something no one could ever duplicate. I found it at Paris 1900! The dress truly is a work of art and it beats the 100s of dresses I found anywhere else. If you're looking for unique one-of-a-kind classic vintage lace dress this is your place. Since I've purchased my dress back in January the owner and designer (who I got to meet) have been very helpful. I even took a photo of them with the designer's mom who helped add beading to my dress to make it even better. I highly recommend this if you're like me and want it to be special. This is the place where you can find more than a strapless white ball gown that weights a ton. Pros: the collection, the staff Cons: it's on the west side if you live far east. more

I have never had a worse retail expereince. The owner of Paris 1900 was rude and offensive to me. I am amazed that she can stay in business. Her mechandise includes many prom dresses being passed off as wedding dresses. She treats customers horribly. She has no sensitivity to the many emotions that come up when buying a wedding dress, and instead points out why dresses will not look good on the customer. This is the most negative experience I have had in both retail and wedding planning. I actively recommend that brides-to-be avoid this store. more