Design-your-own dress site puts bridesmaids in control

The design-your-own trend is one we’ve seen brought to countless product categories already, including — on several occasions — dresses. What’s interesting about New York-based Coco Myles is that it brings the concept to bridesmaid dresses, allowing the bride to choose the colour scheme while the bridesmaids design their own styles. Consumers can create a variety of types of dresses at Coco Myles, including those intended for special events such as weddings and proms. All dresses are custom-made to the customer’s specifications and then cut and sewn by hand by a team of professional dressmakers. That’s all well and good, but the company really caught our eye for its special services for brides and bridesmaids. Specifically, brides can use the site’s tailored interface to choose the color and other features of their bridesmaids’ attire while permitting the wearers to choose a style that is right for their own tastes, body type and comfort. Available in sizes 0 through 32 — including maternity designs — Coco Myles’ custom made-to-order dresses take only about five weeks to produce and cost approximately USD 150. A Bridal Fabric Reservation System even lets brides make sure that their bridesmaids’ dresses are all cut from the same bolt, no matter when they get ordered. There’s no doubt letting consumers design their own dresses is a smart move, but targeting the niche of bridesmaids’ dresses is particularly smart. It’s a rare dress indeed that can please every wearer, so putting the bulk of the design decisions in the hands of the bridesmaids themselves is bound to make for happier bridesmaids — and happier brides. (Related: Design your own swim shorts, earn up to $1000 — Design your own jeans, custom-made for $145.) Spotted by: Murtaza Patel