Designer Dresses in Phoenix

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

Phoenix runs its social year backwards from the rest of the country, and planning a wardrobe here without knowing that is how people end up with a dress they cannot wear for six months.

An inverted calendar

The season is winter, not summer

From November to April the weather is close to perfect and the valley fills up — resort events, charity galas, golf tournaments, spring training, and the arrival of everyone who spends the cold months here. From May to September the outdoor calendar effectively closes. So the dress you buy for “the season” here is a mild-weather, often outdoor-evening dress, not a summer one. See midi and evening dresses.

The desert drops twenty degrees after sunset

Even in the good months, an evening that starts warm on a terrace ends genuinely cool. A strapless bodice with nothing over it is uncomfortable by the second hour of an outdoor event. A sleeve, or a dress that works under a wrap without the shoulders fighting it, is the local answer — and it is the single most common thing visitors get wrong.

Dry heat behaves differently from Gulf humidity

Unlike Houston or Atlanta, the air here is dry. Fabric does not cling or wilt the same way, and a lined dress is bearable at temperatures that would be impossible on the Gulf. The trade-off is static and the sheer intensity of the sun — a daytime outdoor event in May is a different proposition from the same event in Seattle.

Resort formality has its own register

A good part of the calendar happens at resorts and clubs rather than ballrooms, and that register sits slightly below city black tie — polished, but not severe. A cocktail dress or a lighter floor length reads correctly where a heavy velvet gown would not.

What the year asks for

The season, November to April

The busy half of the year: galas, resort events and outdoor evenings. Mild-weather fabric, a sleeve or a wrap, and colour that works in daylight as well as after dark.

Wedding season, October to May

Long here, and largely outdoors, which is exactly why the evening chill matters. The guest guide covers etiquette; the dress code guide explains what resort-formal wording usually means.

Graduation, May

ASU, the University of Arizona and Grand Canyon finish before the worst of the heat, mostly indoors. A light midi under a gown — see the graduation guide.

Summer, June to September

Indoors and air-conditioned. The dresses that come out are for cool rooms, not hot streets.

Delivery to Phoenix

• 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 Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert and Paradise Valley.
• 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