A woman who claims her £75 party dress 'broke apart' in a nightclub on New Year's Eve has accused an online fashion retailer of 'calling her fat'.
Destiny Campbell, 21, told how she was forced to walk back to her hotel partially naked and humiliated.
She travelled to Liverpool to celebrate with friends at a nightclub but just after midnight, two hours after she put the chain mail dress on, she said it began to fall apart.
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Destiny - a size 10/12 - left the packed club while trying to protect her modesty.
She said the only part of the dress to remain intact was the neck.
Destiny, a sales and marketing consultant, paid £75 for the silver dress in a medium size from Sorelle UK in November and said she couldn't wait to wear it.
But when she contacted them for a refund and to complain, she says she was further humiliated when the company told her she should have chosen the 'size up'.
Sorelle UK claimed it was not deemed a manufacturing fault that the dress had been 'broken into many pieces' - and photos showed Destiny previously 'very happy' with her purchase on the night out.
It was only when she threatened to take further action that she was promised a full refund.
Sorelle UK went on to confirm the dress would be discontinued.
Destiny, from Derby in Derbyshire, said: "I knew I would be out for a long time because it was New Year's Eve so I felt comfortable enough in the dress. I wanted to look nice.
"We went to the club and within an hour and a half my friend told me to look down and my boob was falling out of the dress.
"I was trying to hold the bottom bit so my boobs weren't coming out.
"All of a sudden the bottom skirt part came apart. Everything separated, I'm not exaggerating.
"My friend left the club with me and I was walking home basically naked, holding my boobs with my thong and bum hanging out.
"Men were approaching me and trying to touch me. I was in a strange city and I was vulnerable. It was awful, everyone would have seen. It was embarrassing and I felt humiliated."
Destiny revealed screenshots of subsequent messages she exchanged with Sorelle UK.
The company, despite not manufacturing a large size in the dress, told her: "This is a rhinestone dress that needs to be handled with care and it also needs to be a loose fit as per the pictures of all the models on our website, we would have suggested to choose the size up.
"It also doesn't just rip like that in so many pieces as it's not like that in the other photos.
"Unfortunately, this looks like it has been heavily handled with [sic] and we are unable to fix this."
Destiny told the brand in messages: "Are you taking the p***?
"Do I look like a fat person? Oh my God. You have basically just called me fat which is so wrong.
"The dress broke apart from me trying to hold it all together as I was frantically running home so people would not see me naked.
"You as the supplier have a duty to make sure your dresses are constructed properly and with care. I am not an idiot and I know how to look after a delicate dress so do not insult me.
"If you are not willing to give me a full refund I will be taking this to court immediately and going through my bank to claim my money back.
"I will also be making the public aware of the incident and that people are not to buy from you again.
"Do not insult me by saying I've handled it heavily handed when I simply went to a club. You should be able to go to a club and dance normally or whatever and a dress not break on you? This is ridiculous."
Sorelle UK replied: "We never said or implied you was (sic) fat.
"You ordered a size M as we don't do a large in this dress. It looks like the dress ripped on one side only.
"The dress looked great on you and we will stop manufacturing this dress because of this accident."
After several more messages, and Destiny sharing her experience on social media, the retailer agreed to process a full refund.
She said: "Are they trying to say I'm fat? They don't know what weight issues or mental health issues I have. It's not nice.
"I've put on weight since I was 18 but I'm not fat. I felt like they were saying I shouldn't be wearing their stuff.
"They don't even sell a bigger size and the website doesn't recommend sizing up. I bought a medium and I am a medium. It's so unfair.
"People are saying that's what happens when you buy a cheap dress - but it was £75."
A Sorelle UK spokesman apologised and blamed the initial responses to Destiny on a 'temporary customer service agent due to Covid'.
They said: "We advised the customer as per all companies should that we would suggest getting a size up in this dress style as it is supposed to droop at the back as it has a cowl back like the models and all our customer photos which are tagged on Instagram.
"Unfortunately, we only go up to a size medium in this style of dress as it is very small sizing and that is all our supplier makes.
"The customer was obviously very happy with her purchase of the dress to receive it, take photos and wear it on New Year's Eve with no faults.
"A manufacturing fault would have been a rip up the seam but the dress was then pulled and broken into many pieces so this is not deemed as a manufacturing fault.
"However, we did provide the customer a full refund when this was escalated to a manager.
"The first few responses was a temporary customer service agent due to Covid and we apologise for any misunderstanding.
"We have also discontinued this dress due to this."
