It's wedding season, and we ALL know that bridesmaid dresses can be a struggle. All that money for a dress you'll never wear again?
Pass.
So when I learned that Forever 21 has a bridesmaid section, I KNEW that Alle and I had to check it out. With gowns starting at $18, we were curious if this could be a bridal game-changer.
While I've only been in two weddings, Alle has been in eight. "Bridesmaid dresses are always unattractive and expensive, and they ALWAYS need a million dollars worth of alterations. If the F21 versions are cheap and cute, I'm down" Alle said. So we were both filled with hope (and hesitation) to see if these dresses were the answer to our prayers.
First up were the most formal dresses of the bunch.
~fancy~
Alle thought this silver gown was wayyy too shiny.
Alle is wearing a small in the metallic maxi halter dress ($65, Forever 21).
"Online, this dress looked like Nicole Kidman at Cannes. IRL, it was Tinman Goes to Studio 54," Alle said.
That disco ball-chic look.
She almost had to dislocate her shoulder to get it on!
"It has no zips, so you basically either need six handmaidens to dress you, or you need to be a jellyfish so that you can bonelessly slither into it," Alle said.
However, we both thought that the ruffles were a nice touch.
Unfortunately, the material looked β and felt β really cheap. Thankfully, the lining provided a protective barrier.
"The lining was nice, though. It was really soft, which was important because the silver material itself was OMG SO ITCHY. It made my neck all red from where the ties chafed!," she said.
However, Alle never wants to put this dress on her body ever again in her life.
"Overall, I would never wear this dress, not even if forced by the bride," Alle said. "I cannot with the tinfoil, although I did like the ruffle."
Meanwhile, I tried this slinky satin number. I was pleasantly surprised, because this dress fit like a *glove.
I'm wearing a medium in the satin wrapped bodice gown ($48, Forever 21).
*Note: I didn't wear it with the straps, but it still fit just fine!
Usually strapless gowns are too big in the bust for me, but this one fit just right.
I could definitely see myself dancing the night away in a dress like this without fear of it slipping down.
*Dancing queen*
It didn't bunch up near the bottom, either, which I thought it would do.
I was a fan of this gown, and I would definitely wear it again.
The side slit definitely made it easier to walk around in.
Without it, I'm pretty sure I would've been hobbling around for all of eternity. And that WOULD NOT be cute.
Next, we channeled our inner Coachella bridesmaid with a couple of floral dresses.
It's still on the table whether or not you're supposed to wear these to a wedding or a music festival.
Florals? For a spring wedding? GROUNDBREAKING. "I don't LOVE the color β pink is the worst on me β but the floral isn't bad. I'm not offended."
Alle is wearing a medium in the floral print slit maxi dress ($17.90, Forever 21).
She really liked the neckline, and would maybeee wear the dress in real life.
"I liked that this was pretty casual β I can definitely see it for an outdoor wedding," she said. "This dress isn't personally my style anymore (I had a pair of palazzo pants with this print on them in the '90s), but it's cute. Definite re-wear potential."
"The dress was easy to get into, but it has a half-slip that bunches the hell UP," she said.
"As I walked around our studio, the lining wriggled up until it was gathered around my waist like an inner tube. Very un-cute," Alle said.
The dress tied in the back as well.
"I could actually get into this dress. FINALLY."
My free-spirited dress was a cute color and was comfy, but left much to be desired.
I'm wearing a medium in the flowy button-up maxi dress ($27.90, Forever 21).
This dress didn't look like a bridesmaid dress. At all.
It was just a little tooooo drab-looking, especially with the buttons. And it was super revealing since you can see through the top buttons. Once again, this was more of a Coachella dress than a bridesmaid gown.
I would've sized down, however I would be nervous if the armholes became too small.
I liked the back cutout feature, and the ruffles on the back.
I think the ruffles took my dress up a notch. However, the fabric felt a little cheap for what you might wear to a wedding.
OH LOOK ANOTHER SLIT.
I don't think this dress needed so many slits, since there was one on the front and two on both sides. Who needs that much airflow?
A popular wedding trend is to put your bridesmaid in white or ivory. Blame Kate Middleton.
We're both wearing a medium in the soieblu pleated maxi dress ($65, Forever 21).
Although we might look like angels, we both said HELL NO to this gown.
It's like an angelic pillowcase.
"I'm wearing a medium, which should have fit me per the size guide β and it was HUGE. As tight as we could pull the straps, it was still massive as hell," Alle said.
"This dress supposedly runs a little small, but can be adjusted… it couldn't be adjusted enough. My boobs didn't fill out the top of this gown."
This dress was see-through, the fabric was bad, and we couldn't get it to fit right.
"This dress was total Art Deco elegance online, and grandma house dress in life. The pleated fabric that looks so chic in pictures is actually rubbery to the touch and so shiny that it hurts to stare directly at it," Alle said.
If you're a bridesmaid that plans on not dancing or eating messy foods then this is the dress for you.
"It was also suuuuuuper long. I'm 5'10" and was wearing 3" heels, and it was dragging on the floor. I just got back from a wedding in Illinois where I did a lot of running around β this is your job as a bridesmaid β and dancing. If I'd worn this there, it would have been filthy after an hour," Alle said.
I thought this dress was a baggy nightmare. I think it would've worked better as a fitted sheet.
I'm also wearing a size medium. Help.
Like most of the dresses, it tied in the back as well.
I thought it would've been too low-cut, but surprisingly it wasn't too bad.
Although I'm still unsure if I'd actually wear this to a wedding β if a bride told me I also had to wear white, I'd probably pick something else.
Finally, we tried the classic F21 bridesmaid dresses. We may look happy, but we were still nervous about trying these on.
Alle LOVED this dress.
Alle is wearing a small in the Pretty by Rory surplice dress ($68, Forever 21).
"By this point, my standards were so low that I was frankly delighted to be able to easily PUT THIS DRESS ON MY BODY," Alle said.
She thought this dress was akin to Reformation dresses, but a much cheaper option.
There were edgy double straps, which took the dress out of #basic territory.
Thankfully, it was partially lined on the inside.
AND it had discreet snaps on the front.
"I liked the double straps at the shoulder, the high split in front (with built-in lining, so you're not accidentally Bella Hadid), and the genius SNAPS at the bust in front (so you can actually put it on)," Alle said.
"I would 100% wear this as a bridesmaid, and I know I'd wear it again after that. This F21 piece would definitely get some extended wear," Alle said.
She also thought it wasn't overly fancy, but was a good deal for the price.
I put my gown on and immediately had a "MY GOODNESS" moment. This dress was LOW-CUT. But it is available in plus-size!
I'm wearing a medium in the contemporary surplice dress ($24.90, Forever 21). I wasn't prepared for alllll of my business to be out there. Also, it's so low-cut I don't think I could actually walk around, much less dance at a wedding without fear of flashing someone.
I thought the double skirts on the asymmetrical dress made this dress unique.
Although the dress isn't my style, I like the design approach. The cut was a little high, but the bottom of the dress was pretty and flowed nicely.
Although the top didn't fit well, the fit was much better on the bottom.
It wasn't too tight around the waist, which was nice, but I just wished the fit was better on the top as well. If I was going to wear this in a wedding I'd have to get it tailored.
I thought the tassels were a nice detail, but pretty much the only significant one.
The quality of the fabric wasn't terrible, and I appreciated that it also wasn't see-through. However the fit on top was too low-cut for me to feel comfortable at a formal event.
Final thoughts: Although the quality isn't great, the Forever 21 bridesmaid dress section is a pretty good option if you have a small wedding budget.
"I think it's a great idea for F21 to carry bridesmaid dresses β sometimes your wedding party doesn't have a ton of money to spend on an event dress, and if you dig hard enough, you can find some tolerable stuff," Alle said.
Key word: DIG. We both found that the site was difficult to navigate, especially with sizing. A lot of the sizes and styles we wanted were sold-out, which would definitely make it difficult to buy multiple dresses for a whole bridal party.
Plus, the majority of the dresses stop at XL, so there's not many options for plus-size bridesmaid. Also, if the colors went beyond pastels and the silhouettes had more range outside of "festival fashion," Alle and I would've been bigger fans.Β
Though Alle *really* liked the black dress (what a surprise), we both wished the other dresses had the same quality. That one dress was proof that Forever 21 CAN make affordable, decent-quality braidesmaid dresses β now the question is, does the company really WANT to.Β
After all, everyone deserves affordable, well-made bridesmaid dresses β hopefully Forever 21 is headed in the right direction.
