Natalie M. — Local services in Leawood

I've been to two other boutiques that were attentive, made me feel confident like a princess, but at Natalie M's I felt like garbage! If you need a dress for your little girl's beauty pageant or prom dress I'm sure Natalie M is incredible. Their whole store is decorated with photos and dresses from little girl pageants so I guess that's their true specialty. For bridal? It was a hard miss for me. The biggest turn off for me was the way I was treated. In spite of me being the bride and the one paying for the dress all she wanted to do was address my mother who was with me and always addressed me as a third person like I wasn't there. She was not in tune to my feelings for a dress at all, not once did she ask ME how I liked a dress, she'd only talk about the dress to my mom. I voiced my opinion on dresses and I also came with pictures of dresses for inspiration, she maybe had two that were similar and had a random dress she recommended that she thought I'd love--which looked NOTHING like what I said I liked, I looked like an Amish sheep herder! I know she does custom work, but if someone is missing the mark this badly I would NOT trust them to do custom work for me. Also, not a good place if you are self conscious about your weight. I'm not by any means a large person but even I got my self esteem hurt a bit when the only dress sizes she'd let me try on were way too small to even zip up all the way. This was way different from the other boutiques I've visited where their stock dresses are big--to better fit all shapes and sizes--and they just clip the back of the dress to temporarily fit you. Also very surprised there was no offer to help me in and out of the dresses other than to zip up the back. I would think for a liability stand point you'd not want your client risk tripping and falling or accidentally ruining the dress. By the time I was done, I was not sure if I wanted to cry, laugh, or just throw something...I'm sure I'll look back on this one day and laugh at the worst dress shopping experience of my life. There's plenty of other custom bridal boutiques in Johnson County that offer way better service and don't treat you...

Hello! Sabrina Boswell DARLEY - ARB 2022 Elegant Ms Kansas here singing the praises of Natalie M!! What’s not to love about the Natalie M Studio? It’s in a great area. It’s a roomy comfy place to shop with FABULOUS dressing rooms complete with a mini stage, lots of mirrors, and LOTS of room to practice strutting your stuff. I love the organization, selection, and presentation of the inventory. Service is impeccable - even if it’s a bit crowded you’re having fun waiting because you get to watch so many beautiful girls/women trying on gorgeous gowns and cocktail frocks! And oh my, wandering in when a bridal fitting is in progress can be breathtaking! Feedback from Lisa and Myra is ALWAYS honest and fashion forward. They respect your budget and all other concerns. And to top it all off Georgia is a whizz at hem and tuck and she and Lisa really pitch in to work in custom touches finding matching fabrics and embellishments! I especially support Natalie M in my pageantry journey as the shop is so dedicated to supporting pageantry in general and the Natalie M Foundation GIVES SO MUCH BACK to our community through recognition of outstanding Role Models of all ages, and the general empowerment of women - helping us always look our best, and supporting us as we work to make Kansas City an EVEN Better Place! Natalie M is my Gown Shop and I got so much cocktail wear at the last sale I’m set for a few functions for sure! Timeless, classic pieces I’ll wear over and over! Buy LOCAL!...

Look no further for your formal and pageant needs! Trust me when I say Lisa cares about you feeling confident and looking amazing in the dresses you pick to add to your wardrobe. To say she goes above and beyond is the understatement of a lifetime! You will get real advice, expectations of realistic timelines regarding tailoring needs, and with her eye of what looks flattering for your body type. You won’t be disappointed! The atmosphere offered while shopping is also my favorite. You may walk out the door not only with amazing dress selections, but new best friends to last a lifetime! Which is a true story, Katy and I met while I was trying on evening gowns for my National Competition. I can’t imagine what life was like without her because she’s as fabulous as the dress I found!

Highly recommend Natalie M. for your formal needs or bonus besties. You can’t go wrong either way! Happy Shopping and you’re going to look gorgeous. I...