Wedding dress brand Undone by Kate under fire as brides detail 'diabolical' fittings and 'cringe' results

The designer behind celebrity and influencer-loved bridal dress brand Undone by Kate has found herself at the center of a social media firestorm after a TikTok creator detailed what she described as her 'wedding dress from hell.' 

The drama exploded after content creator Alexander Mae posted a series of videos chronicling her custom dress journey, alleging months of disappointing fittings, repeated design changes and mounting panic as her wedding date approached. 

In her 'wedding dress from hell' series, Mae explained that she went in to try on a 'prototype' in November 2025 for her wedding this month; she was 'happy' with the initial design but wanted some changes made, including more definition in the drop waist and loosening in the back. 

However, when she went for a second fitting in March, she was presented with the dress and horrified by what she saw.

She described the gown as 'literally diabolical,' claiming that the cups were uneven, there was bunching down the center, the skirt looked 'deflated' and it didn't fit her correctly.

She said she followed up the fitting with a 'stern email' voicing her concern and was told by the designer that she shouldn't worry and that it would be perfect by the time her wedding came.

But in May, she went for another fitting and she was still unhappy with the dress, as she pointed out an array of problems ranging from the cups being visible to the seams looking like they were 'barely holding the gown together.'

She noted that she had already 'invested thousands' in the dress and began to panic that it wouldn't come together by her wedding, so she decided to ask for a partial refund and look for a different dress.

'[The designer] responds to me and she says no. She's like, "No, you need to come in for another fitting and your [final] payment is due,"' Mae said.

During her final fitting in mid-June, under two months before her wedding, Mae said she was presented with a dress that looked 'completely different' from the others. She claimed it 'still didn't fit her' and that it was far from what she had asked for.

'The [cups] are in two different places. She did fix the seams but they are wide on the [chest] and then they go in, which is so weird. The top of the dress is so high up it's cutting into my arms,' she stated.

'The waist, which is more-fitted, still has wrinkling and bunching. And the [waistline still wasn't] dropped.'

She said the gown looked like it came from fast fashion company Shein and slammed the designer for having a 'complete lack of integrity' throughout the entire process.

Mae, who ultimately got a different dress, included images of the gowns she tried on all throughout the process. 

'I feel like [the designer] scammed me, she never made my account a priority and in addition to being incredibly rude to me, she never put the proper time and effort into a garment I paid for,' Mae scathed.

Although Mae did not reference the designer by name, online sleuths quickly concluded that she was referring to New York City-based label Undone by Kate. 

In the wake of her viral videos, thousands of viewers flooded TikTok and Instagram with criticism of the brand, with many saying the controversy had prompted them to reconsider booking the designer. 

The backlash became so intense that designer Kate March publicly addressed the controversy despite not being named in the video, insisting she had refunded the bride in full and saying she was 'heartbroken' by the online reaction.

The designer also claimed she 'would never let a bride walk out of my studio, let alone down the aisle' in a dress in the condition shown in the viral videos.

The Daily Mail has reached out to March for comment.

March started her business during the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, but her background is not in fashion design. 

Instead, the business school graduate worked as a freelance wardrobe stylist as well as with celebrity stylist Micaela Erlanger. 

According to LinkedIn, she has experience as a salon manager, social media manager and a merchandiser, but not as a designer or seamstress. 

Her creations have been worn by Selena Gomez, as well as influencers Brigette Pheloung, Serena Kerrigan and Greta Louise Tome, who all happily posted them on social media. 

But some clients were not as impressed as Mae was not the only bride who has talked about their uncomfortable experience with the brand.

TikToker Franki Bartolo also shared a video in late June describing what she said was her experience with Undone by Kate. 

Unfortunately, while she said she ultimately enjoyed her big day and the ensemble, she said it had some major design flaws.

Bartolo told the Daily Mail that when she got her pictures from her wedding 'the zipper stuck out like a sore thumb,' leaving her 'cringing.'

'The zipper will haunt me forever,' Bartolo captioned her viral video about the $5,500 dress. 

She explained that she 'vividly remembered' saying she did not like the zipper because it looked 'cheaply done' during her initial fittings, but claimed no changes were made. 

Commenters accused March of reusing a corset from a prior design while the gown was meant to be custom and were quick to point out 'uneven lace,' 'different shades of white and cream' throughout and quality that 'looked like fast fashion.' 

'Even Zara adds clasps to their zippers,' one perturbed fashion fan wrote. 

Bartolo said she believed 'there could be nothing wrong with the dress' during the process because celebrities like Gomez had used the designer in the past.

'So many other influencers have also used her and have been so happy with her work,' she added.

But she said she now believes that 'just because something is either expensive or someone with status has talked about it does not mean that the quality of the service or product is great.' 

In the popular NYC Influencer Snark Reddit community, one Reddit user claimed they 'had the most heinous experience with undone by Kate two years ago.' 

They asserted that they 'received a dress that looked like it was from Shein' only a few weeks before their wedding. The anonymous Reddit user also accused the designer of 'gaslighting' her and said they ended up selling the dress for $300.