Finding the one-of-a-kind dress

Looking to beat the Filene's Basement rush? Afraid of being seen in your knickers, trying on wedding gowns in the aisles? Think a little closer to home — the North Shore boasts a variety of wedding gown store options.

All you need is a little windshield time to find exactly what you want.

Right now The Golden Hanger on Cabot Street in Beverly has a dozen wedding gowns, but the inventory should pick up soon, says owner Kim Weaver. She's expecting last season's design samples to arrive — new and unworn bridal gowns from area bridal boutiques.

''All of our dresses are brand new, never worn, from bridal boutiques,” she says. ''Each is a designer sample; some, one of a kind.”

Each gown is tagged with its original price, too, but Weaver will sell it at one-quarter to one-third of its retail value.

''In some instances, a $2,000 gown is selling for $400,” she says. ''We aggressively discount the inventory of boutiques which have gone out of business. Each dress is very unique as far as new gowns are concerned.”

Weaver expects new inventory within the next 30 to 60 days, to meet the peak of bridal-gown shopping.

''The bridal boutiques have not brought gowns to me yet for this season, so I don't know if I'll have 20 or 50 gowns,” says Weaver, who has been in business for four years. ''It's too early in the season to judge.”

The Golden Hanger also offers accessories, bridal crowns and headpieces, and an extensive collection of jewelry, both precious and semiprecious, to adorn the bride on her special day.

''And wraps — wraps are a very popular accompaniment for outdoor receptions,” Weaver says.

While The Golden Hanger does not carry gowns for bridesmaids, Weaver has an extensive selection of dresses for mothers of the brides and grooms.

''We have a much larger selection for mothers; again, all brand-new designer originals, and some are accepted after being worn for one occasion,” she says.

Shoppers can be encouraged by the extensive selection in sizes of all the dresses, from 2 to 18, not ''models-only” sizes.

''And we're happy to outfit the girls in their going-away outfits,” Weaver adds.

For a lot less money, but equal in quality and condition, consider a gently worn bridal dress. The Rerun Boutique, on Rantoul Street in Beverly for seven years, has 30 bridal dresses in inventory, all in perfect condition.

''The dresses I have now are the only ones available now through June,” says owner Linda Lugo-Israelsohn, who plans to discontinue offering bridal dresses on consignment at that time. ''Brides-to-be are seeking more of a sleek look these days, not so much the puffy sleeves — although we do have a limited up-to-date selection featuring those.”

Many women don't want to wear something already worn, but may consider it for an unbeatable price.

''The money saved could be used on a better honeymoon or a down payment on house,” says Lugo-Israelsohn, owner of the boutique since Jan. 1. Listed at prices between $150 and $1,500, the dresses are bargains for brides on a shoestring budget.

''I also have bridal veils, a few crinolines and head pieces; about 10 mother-of-the-bride dresses; and a selection of formal wear,” she says.

''And I have some bridesmaid dresses, extremely popular with a look that can be worn as an evening gown.”

Over the Rainbow on 1A in Wenham inventories only wedding-related clothing and accessories.

Currently with 75 to 100 bridal gowns in stock, Over the Rainbow lists gowns for as low as $200, on up to close to $2,000, says owner Jackie Martin.

''When they're used, we sell the dresses for half what they were originally,” she says. ''So the prices are all over the board. I just sold a Monique L'Huillier designer dress for $450 which originally listed for $3,600.”

All the bridal gowns are gently used, worn once. And the styles are current, Martin says, for a very good reason.

''Brides today are happy to part with their dresses a whole lot sooner,” she says. ''And when the dresses are current they can be consigned for a lot more money.”

Martin has new dresses on the racks as well.

''Brides change their minds, on the dress or the guy,” says Martin, who has assumed the business started by her mother in 1976.

Over the Rainbow features strictly wedding-related clothing, including the bridal gowns, dresses for mothers of the brides and bridesmaids gowns.

Flower girls' dresses are limited at this point in time — Martin has four.

Francine Thornhill has been sewing women's wedding dreams for 30 years.

''A girl has in the back of her mind an idea for a dress, or she's held onto a picture of a dress since she was a little girl, and she can't find it in stores or a magazine,” Thornhill says. ''So she comes to me. We sit down, she describes what she's looking for, or she brings several pictures of different dresses with the features she's looking for.”

And together, they build her dress.

''We talk about different fabrics, laces, and I give her a price after I've done the research,” she says.

Her prices are competitive with the Priscilla or Yolanda stores, not the bargain bridal shops. The advantage she offers over the stores is a private, one-on-one environment.

''I work out of my home in Salem, where it's comfortable for a girl to come in and sit down,” Thornhill says. ''In a store, they're busy and you might not get waited on right away.”

Her custom business is just as popular as her alterations business, which she figures runs about 50/50.

''A lot of dresses the women bring in are too small, and I add gussets to make the dress fit,” she says. ''It happens when the brides-to-be buy the dresses two years in advance and they don't fit the way they look today.”

''I can let dress out by adding fabric and matching up the laces to make it look like the rest of the dress.”

Another common request today from brides is a gown in a color, not the traditional white.

''I have every sample imaginable, of silks and satins in every color,” Thornhill says. ''I can make her dress however she dreams it to be.”