In Bird Rock, Chez Bride Moderne’s Sudden Closing Leaves Brides Scrambling to Locate Their Gowns
When we went to
report on the February closing of Bird Rock bridal shop Chez Bride
Moderne, we ended up stumbling into a gown-related furor, as documented on Yelp.
According to reviews, in the wake of the store’s sudden closing, brides
were — and still are — contending with overdue wedding dresses,
disputed credit card charges, and, according to one, “radio silence” on
the side of the boutique owner, Cher Roesch.
The Feast got in touch with two former clients of the shop. Says one
client, who prefers to be identified as a March bride, her dress was
expected to arrive mid- to late-January.
“I ordered the dress in August,” she says. “Like any bride, I was hoping
for ‘mid,’ but by the end of January I hadn’t heard from them. I
started to call to get updates, but was getting the runaround — ‘Cher’s
out of town, don’t stress’ — by the first week in February I had gotten
no call back.”
The March bride’s gown is by Amsale, the fashion-forward, Madison
Avenue-based designer who, she emphasizes, has been “really helpful”
throughout the process. “[Then Amsale] started asking me questions — I
didn’t realize they had closed. I contacted Amsale on a Friday and the
owner Cher [Roesch] sent an email that Sunday saying they were closing
their retail location but she would make sure I would get my dress and
not to worry.”
But Roesch’s take on things was different to that of Amsale’s, says the
bride. “When I talked to the Amsale rep, I was told they were owed ‘a
substantial amount’ from the shop and that my dress was not going to be
sent.”
This was mid-February, a month after the dress was supposed to arrive,
according to the bride, who has since had to dispute her payment to the
shop (60 percent of the cost of the gown) with her credit card company.
“You know it’s not a good sign if the designer is asking if I had been
by the shop,” she says.
In the end, it all worked out for the bride — Amsale sold the dress to
her wholesale (still, the bride has paid over 100 percent for her dress,
she says), and shipped it directly to her.
We sent a request for comment to Roesch, who didn't respond by deadline.
Another former client, who prefers to be attributed as a July bride, has
had a more positive experience in the month following the shop’s
closing. She ordered her reception dress — not her ceremony gown — from
Chez Bride Moderne.
“I was referred to the salon by a girlfriend, who absolutely loved her
experience and ran into zero hiccups working with Cher and the rest of
her team,” she says. “My situation was similar — although I never met
Cher personally, I worked with her colleague mostly, who was always
sweet and professional. I thought the salon carried gorgeous gowns, so I
was super happy to have found one during a trunk show at a discounted
price.”
In this case, Roesch has been communicative, says the July bride. “The
owner has been in contact with me and is assuring [me] that I'll receive
my dress as ordered and planned,” she says. “I was contacted by the
owner about the store closing. I was told that my gown would be ready
this month, and that she would be in touch to arrange pick-up. She left
it open for me to contact her via email or phone with any questions. I
don't feel left in a lurch; I'm just hopeful all will unfold as the
salon and designers are promising.”
Still, she says, she did dispute the Chez Bride Moderne charge. “We were
directed to do so while the salon and designers worked through any
changes on their end, so we did,” she says. “I can't tell you if it is
or is not necessary at this point; I have not received my dress yet, but
there is no reason to believe I won't.”
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