Contrary to Donald Trump’s claim about sold-out dress shops, one boutique has a sale after ‘low demand’

Demand for ball gowns was down at at least one Washington boutique. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)

President Trump has inflated the crowd size at his inauguration, and before the big day, even claimed, erroneously, that all the dress shops in Washington had sold out of gowns.

The reality: not quite so yuuge. At least one Washington boutique said demand for fancy frocks was way off previous years, and the owner is now trying to unload the inventory that didn’t move. Gilda Mizrahi, owner of Signature Dresses in Georgetown, said that based on her previous experiences with inaugural weekends, she had loaded up with about 200 extra gowns. “More than half are still here,” she said.

She’s marking them down by 30 percent this weekend, hoping that Washington social types will stock up for the coming season of galas and weddings.

Mizrahi, who has been in business since 1990, said some of her clients opted not to attend at at all and others went to fewer formal do’s than usual. Why the low demand? “I don’t want to get political,” she said. “I have many customers. But I just didn’t see the level of excitement that I have.”