Believe it or not, ruffle detailing is actually extremely flattering

Where do you want to buy your Prom Dress, online or offline

When the prom season approaches, many girls start looking for the most beautiful dresses that fit them the best from many different places. It can be retail stores or online dress shopping malls. Which place has the best price and quality for a buyer convenience and budget?

Online shopping is a new trend since 2000. The annual growth rate is 11% every year. Traditionally, all girls have shopped for dresses at wedding shops, dress specialty stores, or department stores. They tried on black homecoming dress the dresses and compared prices and styles. However, this traditional trend has rapidly changed. Here, I would like to analyze the merits and weak points of online and offline dress buying with a price comparison.

Before you decide to buy a dress, you will need to know the basic price structure of the dress. The true cost of a dress does not mean anything until all the expenses added before it can be sold to the customer as a retail price. Most physical stores have high extras such as the rent, employees?wages, utilities, insurance, etc. Those sums add up to at a least 30% increase from the original dress cost, which is from either the manufacturer or a wholesale store. For example, if the original dress cost is $100, the expenses would be around $30, so you are paying $130 for a $100 dress. Prom dresses are seasonal products from mid-March to before July, so business activity is confined to about half of the year. We need to add this seasonal factor into the retail prices. So, if the owner wants to pursue a 30% profit, the retail price will be $338 (Original cost $100 ?expenses 30% ?seasonal factor 200% ?profit 30%.) This calculation is totally hypothetical but also realistic. It can be vary per stores by stores. You may feel that retail prices are a bit higher and cannot be justified. However, if we carefully observe the nature of the prom dress business the profit margin is not that much because it is not spread out for the entire year. The pure profit of $338 dress is only about $39.

Compared to the offline dress stores, online dress stores have much less overheads. First of all, they are not physical retail stores, so they do not need to have pay rent. Less space needed, less employees, less burden on liability insurance, less maintenance cost compared to the physical stores add up to less overall expenses. Also, the strong point of an online store is its versatility of inventory. They can carry any product they want to sell, so can be less seasonal and have fewer inventories need to carry. If the dress cost is $100, the final retail price on the Internet mall will be around $220 (Original cost $100 ?expenses 15% ?seasonal factor 50% ?profit 30%.) The pure profit of $220 dress will be $52. Here we do not add extra expenses such as technical outsourcing cost, Internet advertising cost, etc, so the actual profit per dress will be decreased after those expenses are applied.

Everyone agrees that price is cheaper on the Internet. However, there are other factors you need to consider such as the availability of a dress, quality, design, etc. You can verify stock availability at the physical stores and online by simply calling them and asking. The main weakness of dress buying on the Internet is it lacks your immediate inspection on the dress by not allowing you to touch and see in front of you before you buy it. You are the person who must see the dress, and then you drive to the store and buy it. This is a great idea. Conversely, if you want to save time and gas, and would like to pay less money for your dress, you may want to try to buy it online. Many online stores provide you high quality customer services and a reasonable return policy. All transactions can be done by their merchant account. This can protect you from being hacked for your financial information.

You can buy great dresses from any place, but the trend is shifting from traditional dress shopping to the virtual stores that we all agree will continue as long as shoppers are looking for lower prices for their dresses.

Thank you for reading this article.

Key Wedding Dress Trends to Look Out For in 2012

Choosing your wedding dress is something no bride should take lightly. With all eyes on you, and photos that last a life time, you need to look your best. Modern brides that are looking to mix tradition with fashion should take note of four key wedding dress trends this year:

1) Lace Capes and Cap Sleeves

2011 was all about the long lace sleeves in homage to Catherine Middleton at the Royal Wedding. In 2012 the sleeve has been replaced by a classy and flattering lace cape. This modest accessory is great for brides who would like a strapless dress, but are self conscious about their arms.

The trend for sleeves continues with small, cap sleeves. Reem Aarca showcased stunning cap sleeved wedding dresses at the spring 2012 Wedding Fashion Week. A dress with sleeves of this kind or a cape is hugely flattering.

The eyes are drawn upwards towards your face and elongate your body. This creates a flattering illusion of being taller and slimmer as it balances out the top and bottom halves of your body. Depending on the style, sleeves and capes will also mask bra jovani clothing straps if you need extra support.

2) Pastel Colours

While the tradition of white, ivory and cream dresses will never go out of fashion, it doesn't hurt to add an injection of colour. Seen on designers such as Vera Wang, soft pastel shades of candyfloss pink, lilac and even mint green are all over wedding dresses.

These dresses make a subtle statement and are perfect for young women looking to stand out on their big day. Many designers have also showcased dip-dyed dresses using a little less colour. This is a bold statement so is best suited to younger brides.

3) Embellished Bodices

In the style of dresses be Monique Lhuillier and Anne Bowen, embellished bodices are a huge wedding dress trend for 2012. Paired with a soft, plain skirt; these dresses really have the 'wow' factor. Bustier style wedding dresses are also popular. This sexy, lingerie style was featured heavily by Monique Lhuillier at Wedding Fashion Week.

Embellished bodices and bustier style wedding dresses are especially flattering for pear-shaped brides. The style will enhance your chest, clinch you in at the waist and skim your hips. This will create the illusion of killer curves.

4) Ruffles lavender homecoming dresses

If you have always dreamed of being a princess, there really is no better time than your wedding day. Oscar de le Renta showcased striking romantic ruffle skirts this spring, perfect for fairytale weddings.

Believe it or not, ruffle detailing is actually extremely flattering on every figure. You can hide or accentuate your curves with the dramatic skirt to create the perfect shape for your body.