Cymbeline, Paris

I went to the NYC Boutique and everyone was very nice and helpful until it came time for alterations. Less than a month before my wedding my dress was destroyed... holes, pulls, ruined seams, uneven tool, I can go on and on. But instead of being reasonable and admitting fault, the manager of the store treated us as if we were garbage telling us we were seeing things. Just a terrible experience altogether. Never in my life was I treated so poorly as a customer. Never again, stay away from this store and especially the alterations department.

Although I am probably not going to buy from here,I enjoyed my appointment at rue Lecourbe. I was welcomed in a relaxed style, but felt that I had to select which dresses I wanted to try on rather rapidly. To help me choose from those selected, the friendly, sensible assistant divided them into lacy and silk, and we worked to find the best from amongst these. She was aware of different prices amongst them, the possible material options, and custom options. She was also willing to listen to me moan about wedding stress!

The dresses are mainly in the £1000-£2000 band, and on first impressions, I would say that they don't have quite so much couture detail/ work on them as others slightly more costly - BUT - at the same time, they mainly have a lighter, airier, younger look and feel which I liked, with only a very few grandly formal items.

The best dress of all for me was that which she recommended - I guess she knows what suits whom. It was great - a natural silk, slightly unusual bustier dress - but I feel it is a bit like a Coast dress and not worth £1400! I may well change my mind...

If you're in Paris, and want to browse before going for an appointment, the main Galleries Lafayette store has a large number of Cymbeline dresses on display on the 6th floor.