Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Oh, Canada




Operating online, we think it’s imperative that we be able to accommodate customers all over the world. To date, we have shipped dresses to every continent except Antarctica. We’ve limited our Google paid-search campaign there so we’re not overly concerned.

We’re particularly happy with our Canadian business. Although we do charge $40.00 for international shipping and handling for Canadian orders, this fee is generally decreased, or eliminated completely, when more than one dress is shipped to a particular Canadian location. We’ve also found that our customers are usually surprised when they find out that we take care of the import duties and fees. It seems they’re used to other online retailers leaving them with the duty bill at the end of the day.

We just received these beautiful photos from Melanie, a happy Canadian customer. The dresses shown are in our orange satin and charmeuse. The photos really help show the difference between the bright charmeuse fabric and the more subtle satin. From left to right in the standing photo, we have a Strapless Top/A-Line Bottom with Pearl Ivy Beading in Orange Charmeuse (makes a nice maternity dress, no?) followed by two Scoop Neck Tops with Asymmetrical Bottoms and Waterfall Beading. All the ladies are sporting short red satin sashes as well.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Mix and Match Examples





We love when our customers send us photos. We think the following pictures offer great examples of different styles (in the same color) being used to coordinate a bridal party.

The first photo shows five of our Navy Satin dresses with Strapless Tops. As shown on the left-most dress, we do offer customers the ability to add spaghetti straps to our Strapless Top if requested. This dress also shows how the Asymmetrical Skirt looks paired with our Ballroom Skirts. Much thanks to Angela for sharing the photo with us!

The second photo features both our Scoop Nec (l) and Criss-Cross (r) Tops in Wine Satin. There's also a Short Sash in Brown Satin featured on the Criss-Cross dress. Many thanks to Cierra for sending us the photo!

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

More Modest Offerings

If we had to speak about one facet of our offerings that has been most influenced by our customers, it’d be the trend towards more modest dresses. It may very well be that not all women are that comfortable with the selection they have at traditional retail stores.

We’ve recently introduced two new modesty tops – a long sleeve modesty top and a ¾ sleeve modesty top. These tops are available in the same fabric, color and beading options that we’ve always offered. We’ve also added a new option for these tops – bows. The bows can be placed on either the wrist, neckline, or down the back. These tops are particularly suitable for religious events that require a more modest dress. So far as we know, we’re the only ones offering these kinds of options for modest dresses.

Ix the next few weeks, we’ll also be offering a pickup skirt which will be a perfect complement to the modesty tops. Our customers will also be able to match the pickup skirt with any of our existing top options, with the exception of the empire top.

We’re always happy to add to our Custom Couture line in order to give our customers as many options as possible and we look forward to continuing to receive your feedback so we can continue to offer you what you want.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Lighthouse Weddings




Much thanks to Shannon for sharing these beautiful pictures of her wedding with us. Shannon is wearing our Sweetheart Top with a Ballgown Skirt in White Satin. The beading on the dress is our Pearl Ivy. She paired her dress with one of our long sashes in pink satin. We think she made an excellent choice. We love the lighthouse photo -- especially how the clouds match the white satin.

Friday, September 28, 2007

Coco Myles in Prague




Prague is widely acknowledged as one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the world. We were thankful when one of our customers, Veronica, sent us these photos from a wedding that took place in this majestic location. We had to deliver the dresses (shown here in our Lime Green Satin) to Wisconsin and Germany but had no idea that the wedding was taking place in Prague. We especially love the photo of the betrothed coupled getting bombarded by bubbles. We’re very happy, and honored, that our dresses were part of such a beautiful celebration.

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Tffany Blue Wedding?

Given the amount of requests we've had for a blue that resembles that used by Tiffany's, we've decided to offer a new satin color called "Jewel Blue". The color is now available in our satin color palette.

Dyed to Match . . . Chuck Taylors


Much thanks to Amanda for sending us photos of her wedding. While we don’t offer dyed-to-match shoes (yet), we’re quite tempted to simply stock up on a wide range of Chuck Taylors so we can accessorize the footwear for both the bride (yes, she has them on too) and the groom. We’re also very honored that the décor of the hall matches the beaded stars on our Katie dress.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Brides Magazine Editors' Pick – Coco Myles!



We’re thrilled that Brides Magazine has selected Coco Myles as an Editors’ Pick for bridesmaid dresses in its September/October ’07 issue. We were able to provide Brides with a few of our dresses for a photo shoot and they loved them. In the recent issue, which is now on newsstands, they have a photograph of one of our Strapless/Asymmetrical Navy Charmeuse dresses with a Short White Charmeuse sash. Considering they’re the most widely read bridal magazine in the world, we couldn’t be happier. Hopefully, we’ll be able to post an image of the article. We’d do it now but we don’t want to run afoul of any copyright issues. For the time being, you can find us on page 186.

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Skorch Magazine Article

We’re happy to be featured in this month’s (August ’07) issue of Skorch Magazine. About 30 clicks in there's an interview with us. Skorch is an online magazine that features fashion tips and advice for plus-size women. The editors of the magazine fell in love with our website and asked us a few questions about how we came into being and our ability to provide Celebrity Inspired dresses for plus-size women. Besides my incorrect use of the word “jive” (should've been "jibe", oh well), I think the interview went well.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

Jr. Bridesmaid Dress Photos



As we mentioned in earlier posts, our Jr. Bridesmaid dress came about as a result of collaborating with our customers. We know the name is not the most original but we think it’s a great dress to accompany other Coco Myles dresses at a wedding. As you can see based on these photos, the dress also works great for flower girls. The first photo features the Jr. Bridesmaid dress in Ivory Georgette with Lilac Georgette accents (nice color coordination with that matching hyacinth!). The second photo is the same dress in Black Satin with Hot Pink Satin accents. The shot also features our Strapless Top with Asymmetrical Skirt in Navy Charmeuse. Much thanks to Julie, Chloe and Malena for sending us their photos!

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Encrypted . . . and in Good Company

When we started a little over a year ago, we decided that we'd encrypt all the credit/debit card information we receive from our customers on our servers. This does tend to lead to the occasional problem of our having to call a customer for their credit card info if they want to add another item to their existing order or decide to use expedited shipping after placing the order. The usual response is "Can't you just add it to my existing order?" We answer this question by explaining that the encryption is for the customer's protection. This is usually, although not always, treated as a satisfactory answer.

Based on a story today in Internet Retailer, it seems that the hassle is well worth the effort.

On average, only 66% of merchants and other organizations involved in processing payment card data encrypt that data for transmission over the Internet, compared to 100% among best-in-class organizations, research and advisory firm Aberdeen Group says in a new study, “Protecting Cardholder Data.”

We will certainly continue to encrypt credit/debit card info even if it means a few extra calls to customers.

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Yellow is Big

As per the Wall Street Journal, Bright Yellow seems to be the big, new color. We've yet to see a Yellow that's brighter than our Charmeuse version (as seen in the immediately preceding post). Here's a little summary:

THE TREND: Bright yellow on everything from ball gowns to patent platform pumps.
WHO'S DOING IT: Jil Sander, Catherine Malandrino, Nanette Lepore, Burberry and Nicole Miller, among others.
WHY IT'S HAPPENING: Recent spring and summer lines showed splashes of color, and now designers are taking yellow front and center. "Women need a ray of light in their wardrobe," says Ms. Malandrino, who adds that her most popular dress this season is a short bright yellow chiffon number.

Friday, June 22, 2007

Mixing Colors Done Right



We know the usual way to go with bridesmaids dresses is to have everyone wear the same color dress. Usually this works out great, and with our Custom Couture dresses everyone will have perfectly color-matched dresses even if they’re ordered in different styles. However, sometimes it makes sense to be a little non-traditional and get dresses in different colors. We think this works great for large bridal parties. As you can see from the picture above, this method can work extraordinarily well! Having a sunset on a beach doesn’t hurt either; especially when it color coordinates with the dresses! The dresses shown are in our Yellow, Orange, and Hot Pink charmeuse colors. Much thanks to Kitty for sending us this great shot!

Friday, June 15, 2007

Celebrity Inspired with Your Favorite Color


We think one of the really fun things about our site is the ability to get a great Celebrity Inspired dress but in a color different than the dress that inspired it. For instance, Emmy Rossum made a huge splash when she wore this dress to the Academy Awards. There’s no doubt that the brick red color of this is beautiful. However, as demonstrated by our beautiful customer, Grace (a very appropriate name, no?), our version can look quite wonderful in Royal Satin as well.

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Blueberries at the Beach


We’re getting a lot of inquiries about what dress works well for beach weddings. We think our Blueberry dress works really well in this regard especially in bright summer colors. A great example is the dress shown above in our Yellow Charmeuse. We thank Sarah for wearing the dress so well. We love the matching flowers too.

Friday, May 04, 2007

Criss Cross Top/Asymmetrical Skirt


Recently we’ve received a lot of orders for the Criss Cross Top with an Asymmetrical Skirt. We’ve also had a number of requests from folks wanting to see photos of how this dress looks in real life. In the December 12, 2006 post you can see how this dress looks in turquoise charmeuse. And, to the immediate left, we’re especially happy to have the lovely Sarah showing off this dress in our Raspberry Charmeuse with Pearl Ivy Beading. We love how the beading helps to “formalize” the dress. Wicker chair is optional.

Personal Favorite -- The Teri


I think this is my favorite Celebrity Inspired dress. I remember the day we first photographed it and I loved how it looked. It looks even better on our friend Tsz who’s wearing it in Royal Blue Georgette with a White Charmeuse shawl.

Friday, April 06, 2007

Do You Know the Way to San Jose?


Our dresses found their way to San Jose recently. They were graciously worn by the bridesmaids (or at least most of them) of our friend, Nadia. We first heard from Nadia back in January when she requested some turquoise and chocolate satin samples. We soon found out the wedding was to be held on March 17 and didn’t start to receive the orders until the first week in February so we were little bit under the gun on this one. Two of the bridesmaids may not have believed that we could get their dresses to them in time and went elsewhere – although they did wear our turquoise satin sashes. We’re happy that at the end of the day we were able to ship the dresses to everyone in time for the wedding. Nadia was good enough to send us this picture of the happy event showcasing our wares. We love the fact that almost of our tops are featured in this photo; demonstrating that, when it comes to bridesmaids’ dresses, personal style and matched dresses can indeed coincide in this crazy world of ours!

From left to right the dresses are: Strapless Top/Ballroom Skirt; Strapless Top/Asymmetrical Skirt; Sweetheart Top/A-Line Tea-Length Skirt; Scoop Neck Top/Ballroom Skirt; skipping the bride; Strapless Top/Asymmetrical Skirt; Criss-Cross Top/A-Line Tea-Length Skirt; not ours (except for that killer sash); Sweetheart Top/A-Line Tea-Length Skirt; not ours (except again for that sash . . . love the way she tied it, by the way). We wish Nadia and her bridesmaids all the best!

Friday, March 16, 2007

Maternity Dress to the Rescue


Thank goodness for our maternity dress! When we first started, we didn’t even offer the maternity style dress that’s now on our site (in three different lengths). Amazingly enough, we were able to scientifically determine that women who fit the demographic of being part of a bridal party may also get pregnant!

We’ve learned firsthand the difficulties of purchasing a bridesmaid dresses while venturing into motherhood. Our friend Noilyn contacted us back in August. She was particularly fond of our Bronze Charmeuse and, along with her bridesmaids, loved the concept of being able to design their own dresses for the wedding. All the bridesmaids ordered without any issues and the dresses were made and delivered to everyone’s satisfaction. However, in the one of the bridesmaids became pregnant and could no longer fit into her dress. We gladly accepted the original dresses in exchange for a newly produced maternity dress. [We wonder how David’s Bridal would’ve handled this!?] Our generosity was rewarded by the powers-that-be when one of the other bridesmaids determined that she ordered the wrong size and we were able to provide her with the dress originally prepared for the then pregnant bridesmaid.

Even with the two dress exchanges, at the end of the day all worked out incredibly well as is evident by the beautiful photo taken by Jenny Stafford of Red Loft Studios shown above. We think the photo demonstrates how nicely our maternity dress blends in with our traditional bridesmaid dresses. We’re very thankful to Noilyn for writing us and letting us know how much she appreciated our efforts on her behalf. You can read her words below in the comment section to this entry.

We Do Try Harder

This has to be my favorite blog comment about us to date. We love the part about our Avis-like “we try harder” approach to customer service. It was posted on favoridea.com, which, as the name implies, is a site dedicated to wedding favors. The only problem with this review is that the satirical part about us being part of a Nigerian spam operation is what comes up in the Google search synopsis. So unless someone reads the full review they may very well think that General Ubgyama, who, from what I’m told, has recently inherited $15 million and needs a U.S. partner to help collect his money, is now designing dresses for us.

Friday, March 09, 2007

Burnt Orange

Maybe it was just a coincidence, but in the course of one week we had five separate requests for “burnt orange”. We figured coincidence or not, we’d better get on the Burnt Orange bandwagon. Thus, we’re happy to announce that we are now offering this color in both satin and charmeuse. In recognition of our prior post, we figured we’d let you know that these colors bear a strong resemblance to Pantone 17-1353 (“Burnt Orange”).

Friday, February 23, 2007

Color Communication Made Easy


We wanted to sing the praises of the Pantone Color Guide for Fashion and Home which is pictured above. We’re happy to source colors for customers who wish to utilize a shade that we don’t offer in stock. However, we pride ourselves on our speed and the color sourcing is one of the more time-consuming endeavors we engage in. First, the customer has to send us a swatch/sample, then we have to source a few possibilities, then we have to send what we’ve found to the customer for their approval and, finally, procure the fabric. The whole process may take as long as 3 to 4 weeks, which I suppose isn’t that long when it comes down to it. In any event, we’ve found that about a third of this time can be eliminated by using the Pantone Color Guide which is a ready-made resource for color communication. Rather than having the customer send us a swatch, they can simply reference it via the Pantone system. This system has worked really well for us so far.

Friday, February 09, 2007

Custom Couture in Georgette

We’re pleased to announce that we are now offering our Custom Couture line of dresses in our georgette fabric. Previously, these design-your-own dresses were only available in our satin and charmeuse fabrics. Our website should be updated within the next week to ten days to include this option. However, we are presently accepting orders for these dresses in georgette. Just send an email after you order informing us that you want your dress in georgette and we’ll make it happen. You can check out the color range by looking at some of the Celebrity Inspired dresses we offer in georgette (e.g. Teri).

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

A Few Great Links

Below are a couple of links to sites that have recently said some nice things about us. We’re particularly proud of the first one, which is from an existing customer who just received her dress this past weekend:

Happy Customer!

A Charmed Event

Wedding Tips

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Madame Butterfly

Another one of our all-time favorite customers is Andi (a/k/a Mrs. Butterfly on weddingbee.com). Weddingbee.com is a site that allows women to post questions, issues, vendor reviews, etc. regarding their upcoming weddings. What struck us about weddingbee.com is how articulate the posters are. It’s great content for anyone who’s in the process of getting married. Sometimes more popular sites like weddingchannel.com and theknot.com can be a little annoying with their automatically streaming video and slow loads.

In any event, Andi was kind enough to write some really great things about us throughout the whole process – from ordering swatches, to communications about our Jr. Bridesmaid dress (she was the first one to ever order it!), to having her bridesmaids wear our dresses. In fact, her comments about us are so good that we feel compelled to inform you that she was not paid for her words (although we did send her one of our fabulous t-shirts). We're very proud of our A+ vendor grade. Here’s a link to all of Andi’s comments about us which includes photos of her dresses http://www.weddingbee.com/index.php?s=cocomyles. You can click on each post's title to see the full posting and photos.

We’re thrilled she had such a great wedding and we wish her – and Mr. Butterfly – all the best for the future!

Thursday, January 18, 2007

New Additions to the Site

We’ve reconfigured our site so that future additions to our Custom Couture can be done in a simpler and faster fashion. We’re excited to formally introduce our Short Sleeved Top and ¾ Length Sleeve Top. We'd received a ton of requests to make some tops that had a little more coverage and we've produced these tops with those requests in mind. The shawls aren’t looking too pretty on the sleeved tops at the moment, but we’re working on that.

We’ve also added purple/violet to our charmeuse color family as a stock color. Based on requests we’ve received over the past two months, purple is a very popular dress color.

We’ve also gotten around to adding a lot more testimonials and have decided to automate this system so that your “kind words” can be shared much faster.

We’re now looking to add a few dresses inspired from the recent Golden Globes awards. At the moment, we’re admiring the dresses worn by Jennifer Hudson, Angelina Jolie and Penelope Cruz. If there’s anything you were particularly fond of, we’d love to hear from you.

Is that Tiffany Blue? No, it’s Ashley Blue



These pictures were sent to us from one of our all-time favorite customers, Ashley, who has to be one of the sweetest people on this planet. Ashley was one of the first customers we had that sourced a non-stock color with us back in June. She had wanted a very light blue satin for her wedding dress and we were lucky enough to be able to source it for her. She chose Chocolate Charmeuse for her bridesmaids. We found it fun to simply name colors after customers once we sourced it for them - - - sort of an homage to those who trusted us to get the right color for their wedding. Lately, people have been asking whether we have any “Tiffany Blue”. We’ll send them a swatch and advise that the color is properly known in these parts as “Ashley Blue”. We're wondering if one day someone will walk out of Tiffany’s with a box and someone will say it looks just like Coco Myles' Ashley Blue.

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

Different Styles Matching Perfectly


This photo was sent to us recently from Helaine who was kind enough to take a picture of herself and her fellow, beautiful bridesmaids in their Coco Myles dresses. We think the picture provides a really good example of how our dresses can be worn in different styles and yet match perfectly since they’re all cut from the same fabric (Brick Red Satin in this instance). As you can see, some dresses are beaded, some are strapless, and one is being worn with a shawl. Now, as for the footwear . . . we assume this picture was taken either pre- or post-nuptials. Thanks, ladies!