AliExpress Dress

By now you have probably seen the ads for Aliexpress.  This marketplace has been around for years and offers pretty deep discounts on factory direct goods.  When looking at the stunning photos of dresses which are selling for less than $50 it seems too good to be true.  So, you may have wondered if you will really get a beautiful dress for a bargain or if you'll get ripped off.  Well, I decided to buy a few things from Aliexpress just to see if they really measured up.

I bought three dresses from Aliexpress and this one was the first to arrive.  In the listing the dress is called "Aihuyigui 2019 Summer Runway Designer Sexy Spaghetti Strap Shoulder Sequined Letter Dress Women Dot Tulle Mesh Dress"  Very long title and the word "dress" gets used twice, so it seems a little less than legit.  Then there are the photos which all look like this:

Typically when you only have photos like this they're stock photos which get used my tons of sellers regardless of how much the photos resemble the real thing.  It can be a red flag if there are no photos of the actual dress, so I checked the buyer reviews and fortunately there were lots of buyer photos and they all seemed to be pretty much exactly like the dress on the model.  For $25 I decided to risk it and the result was....(pause for dramatic effect........)

The dress is actually quite lovely and well made and it fits nicely too, though the size I bought was one size larger than I typically wear, so keep that in mind when buying from this store.  I was really pleasantly surprised.  Dresses with these built-in bra cup fronts tend to fit most women rather oddly.  For myself and most of the reviewers though, this dress is actually a good fit.  The straps are not adjustable, however, and they can't be reversed to hide the bedazzled jibberish on them, but that is really my only qualm with the dress.

One of the things that I really appreciate about Ali is that unlike a lot of websites out there where you see an ad and then go to their site tp make a purchase, Aliexpress is a marketplace and you have buyer protection if your order never shows up.  That is a great comfort and one of the main reasons that I shop on Ali.  One of the three dresses  I bought (the one at the far right in the collage above) I won't be able to show you because it never arrived, but I did get a full refund even though it took a month.

The main complaint that buyers and clothing buyers in particular have about purchases from Aliexpress is that the sellers all use the same stock photo of a product that they're not actually selling.  They're selling a knock-off which looks similar but not so similar that they can really get away with not taking their own photos.  

People understand the use of one or two stock photos, but sellers need to show people what they're actually getting.  That dress that I mentioned that never arrived, well I looked at it from two different sellers both using the exact same stock photos and when I asked for photos of the actual dress one provided photos of a dress that vaguely resembled the stock pics and the other seller claimed that was the actual dress.  I highly doubt it.  Anyway, more on this topic in my next Ali post.

This is quite a lovely feminine dress and I can envision wearing it to the theatre or for a nice date night out, but you know I like things that are versatile, so I decided to style this dress with a blazer and bootie style heels just to make it more of a wear-to-work look.  I love the way it looks with the blazer and I can't wait to wear this to the office.

This elegant little clutch goes in and out of stock at Shein all the time.  It was on my wishlist twice previously and sold out before I could buy it.  The third time was the charm and I finally managed to get one.  It sells out rather quickly when it comes around and I can see why.  It's so stylish and inexpensive with a glitter veneer and a gold leaf clasp.  It also has an optional gold chain.

So, this first dress purchase was quite a success, well worth the cost and I am really pleased with the quality and fit.  The last dress was a total bust.  It didn't arrive so I don't have anything to show you and there's no point in creating a post about it.  It took a few weeks to get a refund, but the seller was very nice about the whole thing.  In December we'll come back to the black dress with the hearts and I'll do a full review with photos.  See you then!

Shopping Info:  Summer Runway Dress, Blazer from Amazon, BGBG Heels from Poshmark, Bag from Shein