Gossypia

I went here because I read the negative reviews about their wedding dress selection and I’m a glad I did! No, they don’t carry thousand dollar dresses or Cinderella ball gowns but they carry a good selection of brand new dresses that are a little more casual. I bought a Mon Cherie Destination dress and when I showed them a photo they said oh, we have that dress! I felt like they could really focus on me because I was the only one up there during my appointment. If you want simple, not overly formal but still beautiful and inexpensive go check them out! They’re so nice and really helped me pick my dream dress and gave me great reccomendations for a seamstress to get my alterations done.

What are these positive reviews for??? This is not a real bridal store! (A lady working there even said that) it is a little odds and ends hippie trinket store. The gowns are upstairs and the ones I saw were $ 49-​$ 69! Sure sounds great… But obviously they are cheaper then a nice sweater. You get what you pay for. They had no ball gowns and no accessories just weird flat cheap white dresses. Not wedding gowns!

I went here with my sister-​in-​law-​to-​be yesterday to try on wedding dresses. We had an appointment at 11:00 am. We are both getting married in the next year. My wedding isn’t until 2015 but my sister-in-law’s is in October, both beach weddings. We were both told by the employee when we arrived that we only 45 minutes because there was someone else coming in for an appointment.
When I told her we were both getting married and would be trying on a couple of dresses (and let me add that we’re both very low-​maintenance, laid-​back people looking for destination wedding dresses– not Bridezillas that would need hours to try on gowns), the employee told us that I was not allowed to try on dresses because my wedding was too far off. And that I would have to come back closer to my wedding date.
She also sat upstairs while my sister in law tried on her 3 dresses with her arms crossed and didn’t once offer her help or assistance. She accepted a phone call from downstairs while we were just getting started and replied «She’s almost done.» I asked if we needed to be out (it had only been 20 mins since we arrived) and she replied «The next appointment is on her way. And her wedding is next week so she NEEDS to find her dress.» We felt completely rushed and like she didn’t care that we were there to possibly make a purchase.
My sister in law finished trying on her dresses by 11:30 and we still had 15 minutes to spare according to our 45 min appt. window. I asked her is she’d like to make a sale today and if I could try on my dresses very quickly. She allowed me to only try on 3 of mine and once again was very annoyed that I was even trying on her gowns.
Needless to say, we both did NOT purchase a gown from this lady. And will not be returning here. I never write reviews on here but the service here was so AWFUL that I felt I had to share.

A funky and unique shop! The clothing is very California mature, as I call it — in the Bay Area so many of the mature women wear linen and flowy funky clothes, even I fall for it sometimes. There is a ton to look at, and you’ll never know what you’ll find. The staff is super helpful! Jewelry and accessories are super fab — I walked out with a beautiful skull cape/​shawl that is just to die for and handmade in India.
They have an amazing collection of handmade Indigenous goods from Latin and South America that are unlike anything I’ve seen outside of those regions or museums. Regardless, this store is a unique and awesome place to visit and unlike any shop in the DC metro area.

Have to admit, I didn’t come here for the clothing, but rather to shop their selection of «Day of the Dead» folk art. (best to come a week or so before the holiday (around Halloween), as that’s when they have the best selection). Lots of great skeletons, Freda Kahlo folkart, Peruvian pottery figures (nativities), etc. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Will be going back this year!

This is a bridal review from the perspective of a wedding vendor. I’m a wedding photographer in the greater DC area and I went to Gossypia with my best friend (the bride) and a few other bridesmaids. I’ll go ahead and say that the bride is Sarah E. (another reviewer on here), so if you want the full story of our experience, please read her review. Her review is filtered along with another bridesmaids review. I wish we had read some of these filtered reviews before going to Gossypia.
Overall, it was a completely unprofessional experience. At a typical bridal gown store, you have an appointment set up, you get matched with a salesperson, you pick as many dresses as possible for the bride to try on within that appointment, and it’s a fun process for everyone. This was not the case. We showed up on time for our appointment, our salesperson was late, and she scolded us for pulling dresses for the bride to try on. But honestly, out of everything, the most shocking part was how our salesperson spoke to and about the bride. I’ve never heard any salesperson speak this way about a potential clients figure. The salesperson kept referring to the bride as beautiful but «fuller figured» and «bigger than us» so we had to be mindful of the fact that most of the dresses we pulled had to go back on the rack. The worst was when the salesperson claimed the bride was three times bigger than her, so she refused to let the bride try on a gown we all liked, even if it was unzipped. That took the cake for us and we left the store immediately. We were there maybe 25 minutes tops, but lasted only about 10 minutes with the salesperson there.
This is such a shame for a store that has some nice vintage bridal gowns. At this point, it looks like we’ll have to look for vintage and vintage-​inspired gowns elsewhere, likely in Baltimore or NY. And honestly, it’s completely worth the travel to have great salespeople to work with and to potentially leave the store with a wedding gown.

So I have to admit the clothes here are not what I would normally consider my style. Some were very ornate and colorful. What drew me into this interesting little shop though was the jewelry, specifically a pair of unique vintage looking earrings in the window. The two women working that day were very friendly and helpful. One of them retrieved my earrings out of the window, no easy task as this store is packed with items, and offered to let me try them on to see how I liked them. The price was very reasonable and they were cute — SOLD! They carry not only clothing and jewelry, but all kinds of accessories and also small gift/​artsy items that looked to be from Mexico. I would like to come back when I have more time to browse the interesting selection of items they have because I have a feeling there are some things in there (besides earrings) I might like.

I had a great experience with Gossypia! every time i go in there, i see something very funky and cool that i know nobody else has. They have beautiful jewelery and bags there. Its a bit expensive, but it is worth the money because the products are of GREAT quality! :) Love IT!!!

Ornate clothing, loose-​fitting. But what I love here are the ornaments and little statues and things imported from Mexico. Charming. I agree with others who are underwhelmed by the clothing but it’s simply not my style of clothing.

I have been shopping at Gossypia for years, long before they had a website and on-​line reviews. Reading some of the less than flattering reviews recently prompted me to write in and try to add some balance. Gossypia is a shop for women who have a unique personal style and the self-​confidence to enjoy shopping for it, putting pieces together and wearing them. They don’t want clothes that look like everyone elses. They don’t take their style cues from the latest silly fad. The shop is overflowing with wonderful clothing, accessories and gift items which means you’ll need to take the time to fully explore it. No one is rude or unhelpful. They know their stock and they can help you find an item or put aside your picks in the dressing area, but they are also happy to let you poke around at your own pace. If that sounds like the shopping experience you like, please visit them. You’ll be delighted! If you’re looking for a mall chain store with this week’s «must have» design so you can look like everyone else you know, perhaps you should stick with the malls.

This store is great. Fabulous unique outfits, bright colors a feast for the eyes. If you enjoy individuality in your clothing this is the place. Do remember that you pay for quality and custom clothing I listed it as moderate because it is for what you get.

*** bridal review ***
I’m torn between a 2 and 3 here. I’m trying not to be biased based on my style preferences, most of which were not met at Gossypia. However, overall, their store is charming.
Everything is sold off the rack here. I’d say there are many more 8’s than anything else, but there is a smattering of all sizes.
I’d say for the style, though, most of the dresses are either really plain or [hideously] ornate. They also seem to carry a lot of vintage-​looking styles, which would be good for some brides to be.
Kirsty, who was working in the bridal area this Sunday, was very nice but a bit slow. It took forever to try on six dresses. She was also very fixated on sizes — in that some of the dresses I was trying on didn’t fit me — even though we had already announced to her that we were looking at styles and not necessarily the specific dress.
I will say the prices are grand. Furthermore, the store downstairs is full of Mexican housewares and clothing, which was pretty cool.
I’d say come here if you’re specifically looking for one of these funkier styles and, maybe, if you just happen to be in the area already.

A great place for brides who don’t want the silly «it’s your special day» sales pitch and who don’t want to spend over $ 1000. A ton of dresses — all off the rack but they sent me to a great local dressmaker for the adjustments needed to have it fit perfectly — and it was easy to find one that was just right. They like you to book a time so they can have someone there to help and my friends and I went in, I tried on a dozen or so dresses, the sales lady was as honest as my friends about what looked silly and what looked just right, and 45 minutes later I had a new wedding dress for $ 500. Not that I ever plan on getting married again (!), but I wouldn’t hesitate to go here again or to recommend it to anyone lookign to get married without buying into the silly princess drama.

I’m not usually a fan of flowy, linen, oversized clothes, but every once in a while I’ll try on something that normally wouldn’t be my style and it turns out to look quite nice. This place is filled to the brim wih those kinds of clothes. Today was that kind of day, and I found a few tops here to my liking.
They have a lot of clothes, bags and artsy things imported from Mexico, Guatemala, etc. And here comes the depressing part: one of the things I bought today was a violet colored huipil. A huipil is a traditional blouse, usually embroidered at the neck, worn by Mayan women in Guatemala and Chiapas. Each region has a different type of huipil and different colored fabrics and embroidery (I don’t know these differences, so don’t ask). The huipil at Gossypia cost me about $ 50. Now, you would think that I, being from Guatemala, would have some sort of inside track and could get a huipil there for much cheaper. No, I could not. The indians, who have gotten quite clever at selling their wares, charge about the same amount of money for them there as they do here. In dollars. To make matters even more depressing, the quality of the huipiles here is actually better, because these huipiles are made to be exported. In other words, they keep the dodgy stuff for their countrymen and stupid tourists, and send the good stuff somewhere else. And that’s why Guatemala is in trouble, IMHO: they never hold on to the good stuff.
In any case, the amount of goods for sale at Gossypia is overwhelming, as is the amount of lovely ladies all up in your face as you look around and try things on. It kind of made me crazy. They also have air conditioning issues, as in, they seem to not believe in it.
They have a bridal section upstairs, full of vintage-​looking wedding and party dresses. Here is my confession: although it might not be considered cool to actually want to get married, or to even think about it, I occasionally like to daydream about the subject. As in «this is what will happen in the future…» kind of thing. Gossypia definitely indulged me.
Besides clothing, they have jewelry, bags, little nativity sets, small statues, a whole bunch of interesting stuff. It’s definitely worth a look when you are in the area. Old Town Alexandria is such a nice neighborhood, too. Afterwards, walk down to the river and hang out, maybe even stop into the Torpedo Factory to take in some local art.
3.5 stars

i’m sorry, but the lady who «helped» us was rude and acted like we were going to steal something. she wouldn’t let us go to the upstairs part until a person came down and then proceeded to get annoyed when we asked her questions about the jewelry. The clothes are definitely not modern nor high quality, so unless you are looking for something for Halloween I would say don’t bother.

Ok, the clothes here are not my style. At all. But my friend was in town and looking for Day of the Dead stuff for a engagement party gift. We went in and a sales associate took us up to the second floor where all the knick knacks are. Everything was wonderful and clearly handcrafted. My friend picked up bride and groom skeletons that the actual bride-​and-​groom-​to-​be loved.
This store is completely packed to the gills with clothes and to my eyes doesn’t look particularly organized– not good for someone like me who likes stores that are easy to shop on their own. But they had a great (organized!) jewelry selection, lots of silver and turquoise. I will definitely go back to pick up some jewelry for my relatives who like chunky necklaces and earrings.

I just bought my wedding dress at Gossypia and it is such a wonderful find. I felt l like I had my own personal shopper. I wandered in there after reading about it here. Downstairs is wonderful New Mexico type of clothing and art (great stuff) then upstairs are all their dresses that are different and affordable. Not different in a bad way. There was no pressure. It was fun. I hadn’t even eaten all day and I was still OK. One stop shopping. I am so not into the bridal craziness — this was wonderful.

I almost forgot to post a review of this place in my flurry of reviews of places I discovered at the Old Town Warehouse Sale. At the sale, the shop owner had a table full of shirts with different textures and an array of colors. I picked up a blue v-​neck that has little raised circles on it (it is hard to explain, I posted a pic).
I checked out the store to find arty-​inspired items as well as some unique jewelry. Gossypia also has a wide selection of wedding dresses that can be used for an informal or destination type wedding.