Stunning Gowns

My bf and I were chatting up a salesperson at one of our favorite shops the other day and she was telling us that she'd recently relocated from Los Angeles down to Santa Ana, which is inland Orange County, CA.  Her new home was in an area called the Arts District and though there wasn't a lot to do in that part of town- according to her- there were a number of really great restaurants, galleries, and shops.  Curiosity peaked, I did a quick Google search for general location info, and off we went just a few hours ago.  A Sunday road trip is always welcome. 
A couple freeways later we were driving down a very residential looking N. Broadway street towards what we hoped would be some great finds.  We definitely found some treasure, but it wasn't what we'd imagined.  Seeing a Starbucks on a corner and lots of people milling around, we parked, and started our stroll.  We walked down their 4th street which went on and on and on as did our quest to find the hipster spots.  Now, this is just an observation--- I'm white, my bf is black and everyone else on that street was of Latin descent.  Don't shoot the messenger.  I'm being completely serious when I say that nearly every other store was a bridal shop with dresses like these in the window.

Hello gorgeous!  One particular block had five consecutive bridal shops and directly across the street was the same thing.  We walked about eight blocks and I lost count of how many of these stores we passed.  I pulled out my Iphone and discreetly started snapping pictures of my favorite gowns.

Looking at these wild designs, I nearly forgot why we'd come down there.  I stood frozen in front of the above display window and tried to imagine a wedding where a bride or her bridesmaids would be wearing that.  I would certainly love to attend.  Why wear white when you can wear tangerine....

...or pink and sea foam green?

I'm speechless.  If John Galliano had designed this, it would be $40,000.  That dress, as I went in and asked, is a mere $600.  $1,200 if you get the full treatment which includes a bible covered in the same fabric as the skirt, matching jewelry, a bouquet of exploding jewels, and the tiara.  A small price to pay I say.

Wow.  Just wow.

That one is the most understated out of all the dresses we saw.  It's covered in gold butterflies which match the gold piping in the corset and the gold neck bow.  Treasure found!
Eventually we did stumble across the "Arts District" which was just one block down.  Most of the stores were closed on Sundays and a number of the restaurants hadn't opened yet for dinner, but the trip was totally worth it.  All and all if you go to Santa Ana, CA, make sure you spend some time on 4th street.  And if you're planning a wedding.... well.... you clearly know where to find the dress(es). 

***UPDATE***  I'm adding this a day after its original posting.  A couple commenters let me know that these are Quinceaneras or Sweet 15 dresses.  I did a little Google search on those dresses and some sites say they are for 15th birthdays and others say for 16th birthdays.  Maybe that's a sales tactic to sell twice as many of those things?????  I have a number of friends who are of Mexican descent and some have told me about Quinceaneras parties which they've either been in or attended and not one of them mentioned an elorabate fairy tale gown.  When we arrived at 4th street, the first store I saw had a Bridal Shop sign above its door so I just assumed they were all wedding, bridesmaids, or mother of the bride dresses.  Color me culturely ill-informed.  So whether these gowns are for Sweet 15 or 16 parties, weddings, or a wednesday afternoon of shopping, they all- like diamonds- possess the three C's: color, costume, and camp.  And I'm ALL about those things!  Thanks and hopefully I haven't offended anyone.

Comments

[wickedorchid]

Are you sue that you were in a Latino area? Because these gowns reek of Irish Traveller to me. I keep hoping to locate a traveller community to try and infiltrate because these folks can throw a shindig!

http://chateaudelu.blogspot.com/search/label/Irish%20Travellers

Also, some dish on the RH kinda. I went to see Kathy Griffin on Friday night. She did a little riff on the housewives. Basically that the OC gals were kind of vapid shopaholics and the subsequent franchises were just nuttier and nuttier. She did indicate that these "ladies", esp the NY gals, really have convinced themselves that they are celebrities. The make all sorts of diva demands and are all obnoxious famewhores. She also reported that she's hoping Maggie can master the "PROSTITUTION-WHORE table flip" if her ratings slip. She confirmed that Slade and Gretchen are an item. And she referred to Luanne as "the fake countess". The show was killer so make sure that you see her if you ever get the chance.

As to the poster who say's she's your most avid fan. She better back off before I "adjust" her wig! LOL.

[Bonni]

Just so you know, the phrase "chatting up" means something rather specific in Australian and English dialects. It means "hitting on". You know, you see someone in a bar or other place, you start talking to him/her with the intention of hooking up? That's "chatting up".

I just thought I'd mention it, since you use the phrase in this post and I'm pretty sure you and your boyfriend were NOT chatting up the salesperson. ;)

[Lisa Brower]

Those are the most outrageous bridal gowns ever. I don't believe in big, tacky weddings, but after seeing those I want one.

[Vern]

I'm pretty sure the orange confection is going to be my subtle "mother of the bride" ensemble.

[David Dust]

Oh HONEY ...

If I ever find a man to gaymarry me, I am starving myself so I can fit into the red Scarlett O'Hara number (2nd to last)!!

Great post!!!!

XOXOXOXOXOXO

[Snarf]

My fave is the one in whore red. Glamour!

[S. Rockwood]

The worst part is that these are not wedding dresses, these are dresses for quinceaneras. That's the Mexican Sweet 15 birthday celebration. Being Mexican myself, I never had one of these horrible parties but was in 6 of them when I was 15 and I had to shell out money for these hideous dresses. 25 years later I can laugh, not so funny at the time though.

[Cathy]

I live in Santa Ana, those gowns are for Quinceneras and yes, 4th street is mainly made up of Mexicans, well put it this way Santa Ana is the next thing to Tijuana. By the way if you ever come down again, you should try the 'Memphis" right across from American Apparel, great food.

[SheMan]

This is America, not Australia or England, and here in America "chatting up" means talking to, gabbing with, just general chit-chat. Pretty much what I imagine Gilmore and his bf WERE doing with the salesperson. Or maybe they DID have salacious intent. Hmm, there's a visual for bedtime.

These "gowns" look like they should be on that cheesy Barbie in the Barbie cake. I laughed my ass off at getting a bible covered in the same fabric. The sad thing is that someone will probably do just that.

Great pics, funny as hell post.

[maggie]

Aren't BF's the best! How fun I would have had to try one on for sure. I never had a real wedding dress, I got married by the constable who use to evict people for the real estate company I worked for. Anyway, I secretly have thought about going to buy a wedding dress at Filene's Basements big bridal dress sale and wearing it around the house. After a few margarita's I probably would have been sold on the last one above, the sort of Glenda the good witch look, TMI.

[Blisterina]

Yes, these must be quinceanera gowns; if these were for brides, there'd be bigger skirts and more bling! Aah, to be a fat, four-eyed, 15-year-old Mexican girl again! Not so fond memories, trust me.

You wanna see bridal gown central, hop on over to downtown Temple City sometime!

[Vern]

Oh SheMan! My real first thought exactly! I wanted to play Barbies AND Dawn dolls when I saw these gowns!

[Vern]

Although I do really want to wear the 'tangerine dream' It's f-ing awesome!

[Shelley]

Are there toilet rolls under those things?

[Ari]

hunny... you have not expierenced the real quincenera expierence until you've been to a border town... texas... mainly laredo... yea. that's where i'm from... and i'm not kidding when i tell you that quince dresses are really that elaborate. i dont know how many quinces i attended when i was a younger, but i'd have to tell you that i've seen baby blue cinderella ball gowns... hot pink barbie dresses... and some more modest colored dresses... all in all... i did live that life... and that's exactly why i never wanted a quince of my own. lol. if you ever wanna have a faboosh time just wandering around, come down to laredo,tx and expierence our city. downtown is the mecca for all things glittery, glitzy, and not to mention CHEAP! plus it's only five minutes away from mexico... so hey... you can shop till you drop hunny. lol. this was a great read. i've been reading ur blog for a long while now, yet i've maybe commented once or twice. this was great. reminded me of the early 2000's and my highschool years. lol. takes me back.

[Michelle]

Oh my you drove right past my place in Santa Ana when you got off at Broadway,I would have loved to have you and your BF over. Anywhoo too bad you missed the hipster galleries and restaurants. 4th St. is a trip I was born and raised in Santa Ana, believe it or not I was engaged once and I made a deposit on a more sutle gown at one of those bridal shops, they are a bargain you know. Thanks for treading into my neck of the woods..

[modest dresses]

I would have thought the same thing! I still am not a fan of the dresses though, no matter what occasion!