Tuesday, September 24, 2013

A Plus-Sized Light in the Box Review

I first stumbled across Light In The Box's website when I was searching for the perfect, affordable wedding dress almost 3 years ago. I remember distinctly just how excited I was. For the first time in my life I had access to red-carpet attire, just like those worn by the celebrities our culture idolizes. Best of all, they weren't only available in a size 0. 
   
You can buy that dress up to a size 26. Thank me later.

I contemplated purchasing my wedding dress from their site for a mere $150 over 2 years ago. It was a beautiful dress that caught my eye immediately and the reviews on the site were nothing but praises about the fit and quality. However, I let my skepticism take over, and I ended up going with a dress that I was able to physically try on at a local boutique. I do not regret that decision, but  I now know that my fears about ordering a dress from this website were unfounded.

Since that first encounter with their website, I have purchased two dresses from Light In The Box.  Both of them were perfect for what I needed. More importantly, both dresses made me feel like I was wearing designer-qualitygowns.


The first dress that I purchased was heavily inspired by Reem Acra's 2008 dress worn by both Olivia Wilde and Julie Bowen above. I look nothing like either actress and I am certain that I alone weigh more than the both of them combined. Still, the reviews and customer-submitted photographs on Light In The Box's website proved to me that the dress looked amazing on all body types. I took a chance and ordered it in navy for my best friend's wedding.

It looks a little long here, but that's due to the high grass.
I was impressed by the quality. The fabric and construction were impeccable. The bodice was so well constructed that I was able to wear it with-out a bra. Mona and Lisa were not going anywhere if they tried.



I did have one regret though. I did not pay for the custom-sizing, though I should have.  Custom sizing would have only cost an addition $50 and would have saved me the time it took to get it hemmed by a local tailor. Being frugal and stubborn with my order ended up costing me more in the long-run because my local tailor charged me $92 to have it hemmed to the right length. Lesson learned.


It certainly was a blast to twirl in.
The other dress that I ordered from Light in the Box was also extraordinary. For LESS THAN $100, I received a beautiful bridesmaid's dress to wear to my other bestie's wedding. It was airy and made for a great dancing dress, even in the stifling Texas heat.  This dress looks like a bridesmaid's dress because of the color, but not because of the design. In fact, I would wear it again if it were not a powder blue that screams "I only own a dress in this color because I was in a wedding!" (And that, ladies and gents, is why I let my bridesmaids wear any black dress they already owned.)


If I have to attend another formal event in the future, I know precisely where to look first. Their regular shipping takes about 2-3 weeks but that is super speedy when compared to the usual 10+ weeks Alfred Angelo and David's Bridal require. The $50 custom sizing is absolutely worth it.

 Where else can you get red-carpet dresses sewn to your exact body measurements at such affordable prices? If they exist elsewhere, please share the information! :-)

9 comments :

  1. both of your dresses are so, so, gorgeous, and I hope you wear both of them again. The photos are just lovely. Thank you for taking the time to write about this store, though I'd heard of it and visited a few times, I never realized they custom size stuff there. I'm a little sore though, because my hip measurement is like 1 inch larger than the max. I see that your skirt looks really flowy, but how close was the bust and hip to your actual measurements? It's difficult to tell how much ease you have because of your fabulous bouquet :P

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  2. Diana, you look FANTASTIC! I wish I had known about this website weeks ago. We have a family wedding next week and I was in despair over finding a dress that fit my weird body. I finally settled and got a dress that I just barely feel okay about. I will definitely keep them in mind for the next event. They have stunning evening gowns!

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  3. @bonewhiteglory

    Thanks! The dresses were very snug and I would opt for custom sizing, if you do not find that you fall with in their size range. However, these dresses are meant to be snug in the bust area because they are constructed with boning and an internal bra so that you don't *have* to wear one. (I didn't-- in either dress, which I NEVER do!)

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  4. @Ana

    Ahhh! You're BACK! I'm so glad to see you blogging again!

    The dresses are amazing. I know you will look stunning in them!

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  5. Thank you for sharing. Your post worth of reading. Waiting for new posts.

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  6. Hey Diana, thanks for this post! I was considering buying some things from Light in a Box, but quickly became skeptical because, all the models were very thin Asian women. I didn't think that their "Large" and "XL" sizes would be true to their titles. Have you bought any regular clothing from them? Did you end up with the same amazing result? It would help a bunch, thanks so much!

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  7. Hi diana i must say that you have put some extra effort in creating in stunning post. TBT looking gorgeous i came to know about Light in box after reading some articles over internet. Their collection is just fabulous. The royal blue one is something should be bought. thanks for writing this review

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  8. I have bought several items from LightInTheBox, and the service is good, sometimes the prices is a bit high though. But when the price is right I can recommend LightInTheBox. Especially for LEDs and electronics.

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