Designer Dresses in San Francisco

CLIPSE dresses are delivered across San Francisco and the Bay Area — evening, cocktail and corset styles shipped by tracked courier from our Calgary warehouse.

San Francisco has the coldest summer evenings of any major American city and the most informal daytime dress code. Both catch people out, and both are easy to plan around once you know.

Two things that surprise people here

The evening is cold in July

Fog comes in over the city most summer afternoons and the temperature drops sharply after sunset — a June evening outdoors is genuinely cold, colder than October. A strapless dress with nothing over it is a mistake here in a way it is not in Los Angeles two hundred miles south. Plan the dress and the layer together: a sleeve, or something that works under a jacket without the shoulders fighting it. Midi lengths and heavier satin are the local default for a reason.

Hills decide the shoe, and the shoe decides the hem

Even a short walk here can involve a serious gradient and a steep, uneven pavement. Whatever you plan to wear on your feet, walk in it before the night — and if it turns out to be a lower heel, check the hem clears the ground at that height rather than the one you tried on in.

The dress code is soft, except when it isn't

Bay Area professional culture runs informal enough that people under-read invitations, and then the symphony or opera opening turns out to be genuinely black tie, as does most of the museum and hospital benefit calendar. When in doubt about a Bay Area invitation, the venue tells you more than the wording does — the older institutions mean it. See evening dresses.

Autumn is the warm season

September and October are the clearest, warmest weeks of the year here, which is why so much of the wedding and outdoor calendar sits there rather than in midsummer.

What the year asks for

Opening season, September

The symphony and opera openings anchor the formal calendar, and they are properly black tie. Floor length, restrained, in a fabric with weight: evening dresses.

Wedding season, September and October

Concentrated in the warm weeks, and often out in Napa, Sonoma or Marin where the evening drops further than in the city. The guest guide covers etiquette; bring the layer.

Graduation, May

Berkeley, Stanford, USF and San Jose State finish within a few weeks, mostly outdoors and mild. A midi under a gown — see the graduation guide.

Benefit season, autumn through spring

Museum and hospital galas fill the indoor half of the year. Black and corset styles carry most of it.

Delivery to San Francisco

• 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 San Francisco, Oakland, Berkeley, Palo Alto, San Jose and Marin.
• 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