16. Sheer Prom Dress

Original Dress Price: $2,000*
Original Made by: Hayley Paige Bridal
Knock-off Purchased at: AliExpress
Knock-off Purchased for: $100-$200*
Hayley Paige Bridal designed this stunning sheer dress with an intricately detailed bodice and a full waterfall skirt.  It’s not hard to see why buyers would fall head over heels in love with this dress that usually retails for around $2,000. It’s on trend and striking enough to make a prom date sit up and take notice.

Sheer Prom Dress. @KnockOffNightmares/Facebook.com
Of course, AliExpress wanted a slice of the pie and were quick to come up with their own version. It may have been miles cheaper, but the result is beyond horrific. Think wedding cake meets Victorian christening gown – only worse.

17. Sweetheart Gown

Original Dress Price: $1,700*
Original Made by: Berta Bridal
Knock-off Purchased at: eBay
Knock-off Purchased for: $200-$300*
When it comes to weddings, there are a million things that can go wrong and that do go wrong. The catering, the venue, the cake – but above all else, the dress has to be immaculate. If the bride isn’t happy, the groom isn’t happy.

Sweetheart Gown @BridesBeware.com
Berta Bridal creates some breathtaking dresses which is why they aren’t cheap, retailing for an average of $1,700. It’s a small price to pay for treasured memories, but not everyone can afford to splash the cash. In this case, a blushing bride was left red faced when her eBay version of the dress came in.

18. Red Fishtail Gown

Original Dress Price: $500*
Original Made by: Sherri Hill
Knock-off Purchased at: Wish
Knock-off Purchased for: $100*
Red is a daring color that few can pull off, but this Sherri Hill design is the epitome of drama, with enough fire to burn up the dance floor. Cheesy puns aside, it’s an eye catching fishtail gown that looks more expensive than it actually is – if you order it directly from the source.

Red Fishtail Gown @Marrahayley/Twitter.com
If you order it from Wish, you’ll end up looking like Sebastian from Disney’s The Little Mermaid just like this flummoxed buyer. Unless lobster-chic is what you’re going for, it’s probably best to save your money and avoid this mess.

19. Red High Neck Formal Gown

Original Dress Price: $300-$350*
Original Made by: Mac Duggal Couture
Knock-off Purchased at: AliExpress
Knock-off Purchased for: $60*
Red is a bold color for anyone to pull off, so it has to be done just right. This stunning gown is originally by trusted gown designer Mac Duggal Couture. It’s so dramatic it would be at home at the Daytime Emmy Awards, but Ali Express had other ideas.

Red High Neck Formal Gown @jjacoby14/Twitter.com
A seller on the website tried to create its very own version of the dress, only to fail miserably on all counts. Instead of high-quality material and a tight-fitting bodice fit for a queen, the buyer ended up looking like one of Pepsi’s Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Needless to say, the gown won’t be scoping any awards.

20. Retro Dress

Original Dress Price: $80*
Original Made by: Collectif
Knock-off Purchased at: Sweet Cherry
Knock-off Purchased for: $30*
Vintage clothing brand Collectif have a very solid reputation as the place to go for ‘50s-style dresses and beyond. Many of their products regularly sell out, so there’s a strong market for the good quality clothes they peddle. That might be why one Chinese website called Sweet Cherry tried to mimic them.

Retro Dress @KnockOffNightmares/Facebook.com
When this vintage lover made the purchase from the website, they likely thought they’d get (at the very minimum) a dress that fit. What came was more suitable for a toddler than a grown woman, but then again, what do you expect for $30?

21. The Sweetheart Dress (Again)

Original Dress Price: $1,700*
Original Made by: Berta Bridal
Knock-off Purchased at: AliExpress
Knock-off Purchased for: $100*
This Berta Bridal dress proved such a popular style that companies were falling over themselves to replicate it. It seems like every single one came up with something drastically different – including AliExpress.

Green Edwardian Dress @BridesBeware/Facebook.com
You may expect the color to be right, but somehow, what should have been a white dress was dyed mint green. The result was a high-necked gown that was more Edwardian than 21st century chic. On the plus side, it does make a very good woodland sprite costume so all is not lost.

22. White Lace Prom Dress

Original Dress Price: $100-$200*
Original Made by: CiChic
Knock-off Purchased at: N/A
Knock-off Purchased for: N/A
In all fairness to retailer CiChic, this dress doesn’t look enormously removed from what actually turned up. While the pattern is different and the length of the dress is drastically shorter, it’s not exactly appropriate for prom either way.

White Lace Prom Dress @Sydd_Thee_Kiddd/Twitter.com
Regardless, the buyer still felt incredibly short changed by what arrived. Although it’s pretty clear that she was going for a sheer look, she didn’t realize just how sheer it would be. One thing’s for sure – it’s a sheer disaster from start to finish. No one wants to look back on pictures of that in 20 years time.

23. Red Carpet Gown

Price: $1,000+*
Made by: Gucci
Knock-off Purchased at: AliExpress
Knock-off Purchased for: $80*
Blake Lively has served us with some impressive red carpet looks over the years, wearing gowns by some of the most loved designers in the world. The burgundy Gucci number she wore to Cannes in 2014 got a lot of attention thanks to its thigh-high split.

Red Carpet Gown @LivinLegend/Twitter.com
It’s not known exactly how much the Gucci dress cost, but given the high-end nature of the brand we can safely say it was upward of $1,000. AliExpress’ version was significantly cheaper, and while we can’t say it’s the worst we’ve seen, it certainly isn’t that true to the original, either.

24. Pink Fish Tail Gown

Original Dress Price: $300-$350*
Original Made by: Mori Lee
Knock-off Purchased at: Unknown
Knock-off Purchased for: Unknown
When it comes to wedding and prom dresses, Mori Lee does it exceptionally well. The designer has been big in the game for years, so this Paparazzi gown was just one in a long line of exceptional creations.
We don’t know where this knock-off came from, or even how much it cost – but it can’t be anywhere as expensive as the real thing. This unsuspecting buyer got a bucket load of disappointment when they shelled out for this. Regardless of how much they paid, no one deserves that.

Pink Fishtail Gown @itsme_sxm/Twitter.com

25. Burgundy Prom Dress

Original Dress Price: $400*
Original Made by: DHgate
Knock-off Purchased at: N/A
Knock-off Purchased for: N/A
DHgate is a big supplier that offers up tons of dresses made in China, but some turn out to be more successful than others. They aren’t cheap, so buyers could easily be forgiven for thinking they’re getting a high quality product – or at the very least, one that looks like the picture.

Burgandy Prom Dress @Taylandfrench/Twitter.com
Back in 2017 one Wellington, Kansas student was looking forward to prom when she purchased her burgundy gown from the site. What turned up was a bright red satin number that turned her into a piece of gilded upholstery fit for Buckingham Palace. It wasn’t exactly the look she was going for.

26. Structured Short Pink Dress

Original Dress Price: $62*
Original Made by: DHGate.com
Knock-off Purchased at: AliExpress
Knock-off Purchased for: $20*
Remember the phrase “Pretty in pink”? There’s a reason why the classic color remains so popular, even today. Girls across the world stick to the chic shade for big events, which is probably why this DHGate dress is so popular. After all, at just $62 it won’t break the bank, either.

Short Pink Dress @KnockOffNightmares/Facebook
However, if you purchase the knock off version from a site like AliExpress you might break your heart instead. There’s nothing worse than unwrapping a parcel only to discover you’ve been well and truly duped by a dupe. We’ve all been there.

27. Maternity Dress

Original Dress Price: $100*
Original Made by: ASOS
Knock-off Purchased at: Lukalula Maternity
Knock-off Purchased for: $40*
Maternity shoots are a big deal for many expectant moms to be. Picking the right outfit is the backbone of the entire thing – after all, who wants to look back on a memory and shudder at the photos? This gorgeous dress looks classic and stunning all in one, but the knock-off? Well, that’s a different story.

Maternity Dress @KnockOffNightmares/Facebook
“One day away from my maternity photo shoot and stuck with this disaster!” wrote the disgruntled customer in a Facebook post. “Please beware of Lukalula Maternity. P.S. it took almost a month to get this mess and I paid for two different dresses and only one arrived!”

28. Crystals V-Neck Prom Dress

Original Dress Price: $200*
Original Made by: Wanelo
Knock-off Purchased at: KoseGari
Knock-off Purchased for: $75*
It’s every high school senior’s dream to wear a knock-out dress to prom. Some students spend their whole academic careers thinking about what they’re going to wear to say goodbye to high school, so imagine the utter disappointment when one buyer spotted this Wanelo design on a much cheaper website and placed the order.

Crystals V-Neck Prom Dress @KnockOffNightmares/Facebook
The original is pretty with lots of fine detailing, but the dress that arrived? It leaves a lot to be desired. For a start, where’s the diamante detailing? The cut? The quality? There’s no way this disaster dress could be saved.

29. Black Mesh Ruched Dress

Original Dress Price: $25*
Original Made by: PrettyLittleThing
Knock-off Purchased at: N/A
Knock-off Purchased for: N/A
If we’ve learned anything from this deep-dive into the world of online fashion, it’s that knock-offs aren’t always the problem. Originals can be just as bad. Take this $25-dollar dress that was purchased from popular retailer PrettyLittleThing.

Black Mesh Ruched Dress @KnockOffNightmares/Facebook
While the customer bought a UK size 8, what arrived was only suitable for an elf. The customer couldn’t even fit the black bodycon dress over one leg, let alone her actual body. The dress may not have been all that expensive, but it was still a waste of money nonetheless.

30. Boho Mustard Maxi Dress

Original Dress Price: $45*
Original Made by: Novashe
Knock-off Purchased at: N/A
Knock-off Purchased for: N/A
We’ve all been tempted by online product images of models wearing clothes and thought, “Yeah, I could rock that.” That’s the whole point in advertising – to make items look so good we can imagine ourselves in them. One unhappy customer ordered a yellow linen dress from Novashe only to be surprised by what arrived.

Boho Mustard Maxi Dress @KnockOffNightmares/Facebook
Far from being tight-fitting around the waist and flowing with the wind, the actual dress resembled the uniform of a monk. While there’s nothing wrong with exploring your spiritual side, it doesn’t exactly make for the most flattering outfit.