Designer Dresses in Boston

CLIPSE dresses are delivered across Boston and Cambridge — evening, cocktail and corset styles shipped by tracked courier from our Calgary warehouse.

Boston is small, old and walkable, and its social year runs on an academic clock rather than a seasonal one. Both facts change what a dress here has to do.

What Boston does to a dress

Brick and cobblestone decide the shoe

Beacon Hill, the North End and the older parts of Cambridge are genuinely uneven underfoot, and the city is compact enough that people walk between dinner and the venue rather than driving. A stiletto is a bad bet on brick. Once you accept a block or low heel, the hem has to come with it — a floor-length dress cut for a higher shoe drags. A midi, or a maxi checked against flats, is the version that survives the evening.

The register is restraint

New England formality rewards the plainest correct thing in the room. Heavy embellishment reads as trying; a clean line in a serious fabric reads as belonging. This is the opposite of what works in Dallas, and it is worth knowing before you order. See black dresses and evening dresses.

The year runs on the academic calendar

With Harvard, MIT, BU, Northeastern, BC and Tufts inside a few miles, the busy weeks are commencement in May, the start of term in September and the winter formal season — not the summer. If you need something for May, order in April: that is the single busiest fortnight of the local year.

Winter is wet as well as cold

Nor'easters bring slush rather than dry snow, and the walk from the car is over salted, wet pavement. A hem that clears the ground and a fabric that recovers — crepe, heavier satin, velvet — matter more than an extra layer would.

What the year asks for

Commencement, May

The densest fortnight in the Boston calendar, and the ceremonies are outdoors and often cold for the season. A midi that behaves under a gown and again at the dinner afterwards; see the graduation guide.

Wedding season, September and October

Short and concentrated in the autumn, much of it out towards the Cape or in the Berkshires. The guest guide covers colour etiquette and dress-code wording.

Winter formal season, December to March

Symphony openings, hospital and university benefits, and the holiday run — all indoors and after dark. Heavier fabric, sleeves worth having: evening dresses.

Delivery to Boston

• Ships from our Calgary warehouse by tracked courier, with signature on delivery.
• Typically 2–5 business days after dispatch. Timeframes are estimates, not guarantees — weather, customs and carrier schedules can move them.
• Shipping cost is calculated at checkout from your address, and shown in full before you pay.
• Any import duties or taxes are set by the destination authorities and are the recipient's responsibility. Full terms are on the shipping page.
• Orders are processed Monday to Friday, so an order placed on Friday evening leaves on Monday.
• Same terms across Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, Newton and Quincy.
• Returns within 14 days of delivery.

Getting the size right the first time

Ordering across a border makes a return slower and more expensive, so it is worth ten minutes with a tape measure before you choose.

1. Measure over bare skin or thin underwear, wearing the bra you plan to wear with the dress — a padded bra moves the bust measurement by several centimetres.
2. Take four numbers: bust, underbust, waist and hips. Keep the tape level all the way round; the most common mistake is letting it ride up at the back.
3. Match them to the size chart, which maps our sizes to US, UK and EU equivalents — our sizing is cut to European proportions, so do not assume your usual US number.
4. Between two sizes, size up on anything structured. A seam can be taken in; fabric cannot be added.

For corset and bustier styles the deciding measurement is underbust, not bust — a boned bodice has almost no give and has to sit correctly vertically as well. Our corset sizing guide covers it, and the measuring guide walks through each number.

Still unsure? Send your measurements and the dress you are considering to info@the-clipse.com — we answer with an honest recommendation, including when the answer is that neither size will work.

Returns, and what happens if it doesn't fit

Returns are accepted within 14 days of delivery. Items must be unworn, with tags attached and in original packaging. Email us with your order number and we reply with instructions — please don't send anything back before that, as unannounced returns can go astray.

Refunds go to the original payment method within 5–10 business days of the parcel reaching us. Return shipping is the customer's responsibility unless the item arrived faulty or incorrect, in which case we cover it. Because the parcel travels back across the border, allow longer than a domestic return — another reason to settle the size before you order.

Frequently asked