Looking Under the Hood

If you are looking for a prom dress that makes you look good, you also need to look for a prom dress that was made good. Not all formal dresses are created equally.Not too many of the customers who cross our door have a great deal of experience buying formal dresses. Nor do they have a mom with a sewing room that's littered with fabrics and all the various materials that go into constructing quality garments.
So how is a girl to know if the prom dress she is dreaming about really is made good?
To some extent, she's going to have to trust the brick and mortar store or online shop that sells her the dress. But with a few tips, she also can make some judgment on her own about the quality of the dress she is about to purchase.

Compare Price to Product

If you shop around for a while, or look for legitimate online retailers, you'll begin to get an idea about how the price of the dress compares to the features of the dress:
• More bling = more dollars: Good quality beads cost money, so the more beads you see on a dress, the more they are going to add to the price of a dress. Sequins are less expensive than beads, so a dress can sparkle with sequins and cost considerably less than a bejeweled dress.
• Lace can be pricey: When the lace trend began a few years ago, prices were quite high as makers had fewer suppliers to choose from and they had to pay up for lace fabrics. Lace dress prices have come down considerably as more lace has is manufactured. But unique, heavier laces that require more time and threads to manufacture still can raise the price of a dress.

• A weighty issue: Heavier weight fabrics are higher quality and come at a higher price. This applies to every type of fabric, from jersey to satin to chiffon to tulle. These heavier fabrics hold up better to the stresses of wear and also are easier for a seamstress to work with on alterations.
You still can buy a good quality, inexpensive dress, but don't expect it to have all the frills of a 

Construction Details

Checking the construction details of a dress also is a way to understand the quality.
Better-quality formal dresses will have more solid construction and bra pads built into the dress so you don't need to spend extra money on an expensive brassiere.
Even the seam allowance will be greater on better formal dresses so seams can be reinforced and more easily altered.
Fabric edges also should be finished on each layer, except tulle, which will not fray, though a tulle finished edge will indicate a truly top-line dress.

Where You Buy

Of course, if you're purchasing your formal dress from an online retailer, you won't be able to check all of these details yourself until you have the dress in your home. A reputable online seller should be willing to answer your questions about quality before you purchase the dress and offer to accept returns if you are unsatisfied with the quality when you receive the dress.
A few years back, one of our suppliers had posted on its website a list of know scam websites that sold fake or knockoff dresses. The list was a pdf, two rows wide in very small type and ran about 4 feet long.
If you want to be ensured of the quality of your prom dress, your best option is to purchase from a local retailer who understands the quality you desire.