‘You wouldn’t even cover your loo with it’: Teen, 16, is left in tears after her dream £140 made-to-measure prom dress looks ‘horrendous’ when it arrives from China

A TEENAGE girl, who was excited when her prom dress arrived, was left devastated to find it looked nothing like what she had seen online.

Lucy Hollamby, from Dunstable, Bedfordshire, fell in love with a £140 pink gown she spotted it on the internet.

The website she ordered her perfect dress, Shillas.co.uk, advertised an embellished pink maxi gown which featured an illusion neckline.

But the 16-year-old burst into tears when she ended up with a dress that looked nothing like the picture.

Disappointed Lucy : "I was really excited about seeing it but when I opened it, it wasn't how it was pictured on the website at all.
"It looked like something you'd wear to a fancy dress party not to your prom."

Her mum Kim described the dress as "horrendous" that "you wouldn't even cover your loo roll with it."

The 53-year-old added: "When Lucy opened it up she just burst into tears. It wasn't the same colour, or the same design. It just wasn't the same dress.

"Lucy doesn't really do dresses, so it was quite a big thing for her to have found a dress she actually liked.

"When I got her to try it on, she looked in the mirror and said "I'm not wearing it".

"I know it's just a dress but when you're 16, it means a lot. They've just had their GCSEs and the prom is meant to be for them to enjoy themselves.

"So far the prom has been pretty traumatic for us."

Mum Kim said her heart sank a bit when when she saw the postage label on the package was sent from China.

She added: "I said to Lucy to make sure it was a UK website, and when I had a quick look at it, it seemed alright.

"I feel a bit embarrassed that I've let it happen, as I'm usually quite careful. But for a UK website to send products from China, that's not right.

"I'm sure there are a lot of other girls that have been in Lucy's shoes."

Kim, who contacted Shillas for to get her money back several times, said the the company has refused to offer a refund as "the dress has been made to measure".

Luckily, Kim's credit card card company has offered her a temporary refund which has allowed her to pay for a new dress for her daughter, just in time for the prom which takes place next week.

She added: "A friend of mine is now making her a dress. Lucy's just had a fitting, and it looks really lovely on her.

"But that's costing me £150. And the credit card company have warned me that if they are unable to claim the money back from Shillas, it will be put back on my card."

Lucy added: "I'm quite lucky really because my mum knows someone who makes dresses. But it's not fair because other people might not be able to get hold of another dress.

"It would be quite humiliating really, if you had to actually wear something like that to your prom."

The Sun has contacted Shillas for comment.