Paper Doll doesn't carry the same lines as anyone else on Vancouver Island - for wedding gowns that is. We are carrying one line of bridesmaids the same as a store in Victoria, and one line of formals the same as a store in Nanaimo, but the majority of our bridesmaids, prom and formal lines are also exclusive.
To me, this gives a bride choice. I remember when I was looking for my wedding gown 9 years (!) ago. I had tried on gowns at all the stores in Victoria (and now I know how much of a pain in the arse I probably was!), and none really leaped out at me. I wasn't sure what I wanted, but knew that I'd know it when it was on.
I bought every bridal magazine I could get my hands on, and it wasn't until one of the US magazines that come out later in the year (but before the fall) fell into my hands that I saw The Dress. Remember, this was nine years ago and pick-up skirts were just being introduced to the marketplace. There it was - a Sincerity gown with pick-ups on the skirt, photographed so magnificently that it looked like the model was wearing a waterfall. I fell in love instantly. My brain couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing, it was so beautiful.
Nowhere on the Island had the gown. No one in Victoria, Nanaimo or Courtenay (I looked). I didn't check out Duncan because I didn't even know Duncan had a shop (I think it had two at the time, but even so, no advertising at all!). I went through New Westminster and asked every store on the strip. No one had that gown. Whether or not it would have suited me is beside the point - it's The One That Got Away. The one dress that I needed to try on just to SEE if it might have suited me, fit me, made me feel like a princess, etc etc etc.
I did eventually find my dress in Victoria but purchased it in Nanaimo to support my home town. I loved that dress (still do), and it's a Sincerity too. A princess-cut a-line with a sweetheart neckline, embroidered bodice, small off-the shoulder sleeves and a plain skirt that I sewed 21 cloth buttons down the back seam onto, with a sweep train. I felt amazing in that dress.
But I will always wonder about TOTGA. It's a feeling no bride should have to go through if at all possible. And THAT'S why we carry lines that no one else carries. Not to stop the price comparisons that brides will do (as they should - it's a major purchase!) not to stop the woman who comes in 'just to check out what you have' because that will always happen, no matter what you carry.
No, we carry exclusive lines to give the BC bride a world-class choice in the gown for her special day. And if we don't have it, we'll get it. Just so you can know that it didn't get away.
