La Joli Mode

The store is clean, but looks very low rent. They have invested 0 $ into this being a permanent location. The stick down carpet squares and fluorescent lighting are atrocious. The dresses are ridiculously over priced. My cousin chose a $ 230.00 bridesmaid dress, and fell for the «discount» they offered because she bought her dress there. I found almost identical dresses at DB for half the cost. Although we were all measured all the dresses had to be either let out by a lot or taken in my a lot. Most of the girls paid close to $ 100 for alterations. When being measured we were told that each dress is custom made to our measurements and that the seamstresses could make any changes we wanted during the sewing of the dress. This was untrue, as I was checking out the cashier told me the dresses wouldnt be started for a few weeks and would then be mailed from china. The dress was made of the cheapest material possible. it felt like gauze, rough to the touch. Not silky and flowy. It hung like a wet towel and felt like one too, It kept getting stuck to itself as the day went on. I actually chopped it in half after the ceremony because I was sick of hiking it up so it wouldn’t wrap around my legs and stuck to itself.
Also, they required that the dress was paid for in full at the time measuring. This was troublesome for me as I’d rather make a full payment only when goods are received.
Do not shop here.

Giving 2 stars only because the wedding dress did actually turn out well. But the customer service is negative stars (too bad they don’t have that). It should be noted that they also go by LJM Bridal if anyone is having issues finding them. My sister was looking for a dress and we wandered in here without an appointment. It was dead so they agreed to see us (yay). I agree with some other reviews that they tend to make you feel like you should be spending more on a dress. I mean come on, it’s a dress you wear once. My sister certainly could have afforded more but she chose to limit her budget. They had several cute dresses and she decided on one that looked amazing but she was not a fan of the top. It was a sweetheart cut but very plain on the top. There was some nice beading and jewels near the waistline that she really liked so we decided to pay more and get a custom piece made based on their recommendation. In order to get an idea of what it would look like, they have generic pieces (strands with beads on them you can put around certain areas of the dress) that we put along the sweetheart line; however, it would not be the same beading as the final product. She paid for the down payment and the custom piece and received a receipt. We were in July and they said the dress would come in in November (wedding February 28). We eagerly awaited the arrival because the dress she tired on was off white and she ordered in white and the beading was completely new for us.
The dress finally came in around the holidays and it was quite busy around then so we didn’t get to go in until January. No worries, they knew the date of the wedding so if they were cutting it close, I’m sure they would have advised us. The first fitting was scheduled for a Tuesday evening so we took off from work in the Loop and drove out there. We got there and she showed us the dress and immediately we were concerned. The custom piece was not sewed on. This was one of the main reasons we wanted to see the dress. When we asked the person did not bother looking or anything (a good salesperson would have pulled the receipt before we arrived of course) and just said ‘you didn’t order that.’ Um, yes I did and I paid for it. They asked if we ordered it there or from a contractor. We ordered from there and paid for it there and the girl who said she was going to make it was there. She tried on the dress and the salesperson went to check. She said it was still being worked on. So not only was it not on the dress but it wasn’t even done and we’re only 2 months from the wedding. They assured us it would be on the next time, which was in two week’s time. They also refused to start her alterations that day. They claimed that day was just to see the dress. Okay, that was weird but I digress.
The next visit is where it went from bad to horrific. As we are parking my sister gets a call. She checked the voice mail and it’s the girl who was creating the custom piece saying she did not drop it off at the store and she could not do so. We are fuming at this point, obviously. So we enter the store and told them and they were so nonchalant about it. Immediately they refused to do anything about it and said we’d have to call her back. Um, we are at the store right now yet you want us to call an employee that isn’t here? Apparently they weren’t joking. So we had to call her back and she just blamed the staff there for not telling when the appointment was (mind you, it’s been in the books for two weeks). The staff, in turn, blamed her saying she was the manager but when she builds custom pieces she is a contractor. Um, do we, as customers, care? We bought this from here and paid here and it was sold to us here so I don’t care what role anyone plays. Not to mention she is also the manager of the store! So we go back and forth for about half an hour and finally she said she’ll drive it over. So it’s not attached to the dress and part of why we wanted to try it on is so she could see if it bothered her arms and skin cause, if so, we would still have time to alter that. Well now we didn’t. As a token for our troubles, she added a bit to the beading on the dress for free. The attitudes of all employees that day was so unbelievably bad that I really don’t understand how they’re still in business. No one cared that we were upset, that they guaranteed this would be done this time, or that they messed up. They all acted as though we should just understand that they messed up and not care and pointed fingers at each other. Completely unprofessional. So… fast forward to last week. Her final fitting was Thursday and (surprise, surprise) they call Thursday saying it’s not done and she had to come in the following Monday. At this point we felt like we must be on a hidden camera show so of course it wouldn’t be ready. Possibly the worst customer service we’ve ever dealt with.

So, I’m sort of at the beginning of the process, but so far I give this salon 5 stars.
I work in the wedding industry, and I see hundreds of dresses a year. Last year, I kept and eye on dresses my clients had to find some unique looking dresses (as you can imagine, white dresses kinda blur together after you’ve seen so many of them). I had one client who got her and her bridesmaids dresses here. Her dress was the only one that stood out to me the whole year.
After a really annoying discouraging situation at Davids Bridal, trying to play box store version of «say yes to the dress» I was really anxious about how my experience at LJM might be.
It was not very busy when I initially arrived. They let me browse the racks and pick out dresses I wanted to try on. I already kind of know what I like and what styles fit me, so it didn’t take me too long.
My consultant who (sorry, I can’t spell her name off the top of my head), was very helpful getting me in and out of dresses, informed me I could virtually make any dress I wanted tea-​length (which made dress shopping less stressful, since Davids Bridal was all, «no, we don’t alter it that much.»
Basically whatever I wanted I could have. I tried on the dress I liked a second time and a few people helped me make some decisions on alterations I wanted.
I wish they allowed me to take a picture of the dresses I tried on, but they don’t because they’re custom dresses (I get it) but it was hard to compare the ones I liked there, to other ones I liked there, or to other ones I tried on else where, to make a decision.
The only thing I had a problem with was getting ahold of them on Sunday… And then I realized I called before they were open, because I thought they opened the same time they do on a saturday… so… My fault.
I hope alterations and stuff go well after it comes in. :)

I bought a dress for my daughter for prom from LJM. The sales staff were all wonderful. My daughter probably tried on a dozen dresses. Each one more beautiful than the one previous. That probably is not a big deal to most, but my daughter is plus-​size. In the end, my daughter looked and felt like a princess. I would recommend LJM to anyone looking for a dress. The selection is fantastic, The prices were more than reasonable. The staff was helpful, positive, and knowledgeable.
Signed,
A very appreciative Mom

The bridal experience was good (only because of Susie) — However, the bridesmaid experience was miserable. First, the bridesmaids made an appointment to try on the dresses that we had previously picked out. The store was closed (due to weather… keep in mind my bridesmaids made it there with NO problem and no other businesses were closed due to weather) they made no effort to call and let them know that there would be no appointment or anything — which was concerning to me because I was having a winter wedding and if I was suppose to pick up my dress and they decided they were not going to open that day, it would not be a very good situation. Once they made another appointment, the girls at LJM treated my bridesmaids like crap — they had to clip their own dresses to see how they would fit and didn’t give them any customer service. Once we decided what dresses we were going to go with, my out of town bridesmaids had to call in to pay for the dress. Multiple times, my bridesmaids tried calling in and they could not get through — I tried calling multiple times and couldn’t get through. Once I finally got through, the ladies were very rude and saying that it was our faults we couldn’t get through (I left voicemails so clearly this was not our fault or problem). Finally, I talked to Kenyatta (the «manager») — she was not a friendly person by any means. Any time I had to talk to her, I regretted going there for the bridesmaid dresses.
Everything finally came in and my dress was perfect, the bridesmaids dresses looked great, BUT almost all of the Zippers broke on their dresses.
I called in to see if I could get my dress steamed before the wedding and the girl I talked to said yes and that it was free since I bought my dress there. When I brought it in to be steamed, Kenyatta proceeded to tell me that it was $ 35 and that the lady should not have told me it was free. Kenyatta argued with the lady at the front desk and even went as far as saying «then she (employee who said it was free) was going to pay for it.» I’m sorry, but as a manager, you should never say that in front of a customer, you deal with that behind closed doors. After she agreed to steam the dress and veil for free, she proceeds to tell me that there is no point in getting the dress steamed because it’s going to go back in the bag when I take it home and it will wrinkle all over again. Talk about adding stress 2 days before your wedding. She suggested I pay $ 75 for them to come dress me — they steam the dress the day of and get me into the dress. I told her no, you can just steam my dress for free and I’ll be on my way.
In the end — I only found Susie to be helpful. Kenyatta was rude and talked down to you and was not customer service oriented at all.
If you go here, go to Susie, but make sure you only ever talk to Susie (she has special days she works). My dress turned out amazing and I love the bridesmaids dresses, but the experience was not nearly as great as it should have been.

Love Love Kenyatta!!! She knows the dress that will compliment your body. She is the manager and helps the wedding dress process run smoothly. LJM has multiple dresses and styles: Reasonably Priced. Ursula (seamstress) is also a great asset to this establishment.

After a god-​awful experience at Eva’s Bridal down the street, I decided to stop here on the way home, not wanting to end my first day of wedding dress shopping on a sour note. I have to say, I knew nothing of LJM, except that they used to have some pretty prom dresses in their window at their old location close to the Oak Lawn library.
The place is extremely well organized. Each dress is in it’s own garment bag, and the dresses are sorted by general style. I gave my consultant Alyssa a few pictures and a description of what I was looking for, which she clearly understood. She also gave me and my bridesmaids some «tags» to mark dresses we were interested in, which she would grab and put in the room for us. When trying on dresses, she was extremely professional and adept at lacing me into dresses that weren’t even my size. She had an excellent eye, very clearly finding dresses that fit my figure. Even when I got a bit overwhelmed, she was incredibly nice, not pushing a sale at all.
This place is almost dangerous if you’re indecisive. They design all of the dresses there, and are very willing to customize anything. Do you like two different dresses and want them combined? You’ve got it! Different fabric, maybe one piece ungathered? Done.
I would have definitely gone back to get the dress that I had really liked customized. They had a great selection, but really didn’t seem to have dresses in satin/​charmeuse material, which was part of what I was really looking for. However, I did learn what the best shape and amount of sparkle I wanted. I loved the veil I tried on there, and my bridesmaids loved the dresses they picked out there, so I will definitely be going back! Mom also seems very excited by their selection of «Mother of the Bride» dresses.
Overall, service and prices were great. Selection is pretty great, especially since you can customize everything. A little bit of a lack of satiny material (why they get 4 stars), but highly recommended overall. I can’t wait to pick up my veil and my mom’s dress!
FOLLOW UP — Got my veil and my mom’s dress here. Great experience!!! Just upped my review from a 4 to a 5.

Im in the process of getting my dress, but Ive had no problems. The sales woman (an middle aged woman with long blond hair) was great! Their dresses are so much classier and beautiful. I had bad expierences @ Davids bridal and House of Brides, the dresses @ those stores seemed cheap and ugly. I figured I would try a boutique and Im so happy I did. I am also able to customize my dress which is great, because the dress im going to order was strapless and I wanted something a little more conservative since Im getting married in church. At any rate I would definately recommend this place if you want good service and a beautiful dress.

I hope I still get my dress for the wedding considering the way they have been treating me on the phone. If I had to get another dress I would not go to this store. Very unprofessional sales associates.

This boutique SUCKS… I have two Maids of Honor for my wedding. they ordered their dresses March 12, for my July 15^th wedding. To ensure that they got their $ 300 dresses on time, they paid an extra $ 50 per dress to expedite the shipping. Their receipt said that it would be back in 9 – 10 weeks. My girls just got their dresses on Saturday June 11^th! That would be about 14 weeks later!!! The store refused to return the $ 50 for the expedition fee stating that «they still received the dresses alot sooner than a normal dress order would be in!» WTF!!? Not only that, the dresses are waaaayyyy too big. My two year old son could fit inside the dress with one of the maids of honor. My twin sister (the other maid of honor held her arms up in the air, and the dress fell to the floor!!! Not only are they huge, the bow on the dresses were supposed to be a shade darker than the rest of the dress, and its not. These dresses are horrible and my Maids of honor are going to purchase entirely different dresses because the cost to do the major alterations needed would be the same as buying an entirely different dress! My wedding is 30 days away, and my MAIDS OF HONOR don’t have dresses!!!