Jemel Countess/WireImage, Ryan Pierse/Getty ImagesGood news for Chinese brides-to-be! It just got more affordable for the betrothed beauties to pick out the Vera Wang wedding dress of their dreams.
After last week's uproar over reports that the designer's Shanghai shop was charging women $482 for a scanty 90-minute session try-on fee, Wang has decided to drop the scandalous charge, which had many accusing the wedding dress designer of discrimination.
"Upon careful investigation and review of the policies of our international operators, we will be abolishing appointment fees in all of our stores," Wang told Women's Wear Daily. "We wish for all Vera Wang customers to enjoy the same standard of excellence worldwide. Treating our customers in a fair and equitable way remains a priority. The store in Shanghai has only been open to private VIP preview appointments. The official opening to the public will take place on April 29."
So, why exactly did the Shanghai flagship make it so hard for Chinese women to follow in the fashionable footsteps of celebrity brides like Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson and Ivanka Trump, who all walked down the aisle in Wang confections?
Chinese stores have been known to institute fees to prevent counterfeiters from duplicating designs, so that may have played a part in the pricey access to Wang's gowns. But a Wang staffer also claimed the practice was instituted to ward off pesky teens.
"A lot of high school and college students were coming here and weren't serious about buying a wedding dress so that's why we started the fitting fee," the staffer revealed to WWD.
Hmmm, we wonder how just many high school kids managed to book VIP preview appointments. Whatever the case, it seems the scandal seems to have left Wang—rather than brides—blushing.