Today’s brides and dancers are facing increasing costs in all areas of their lives, but especially when it comes to preparing for special occasions such as weddings and proms. Therefore, it is important to create a budget and plan and shop wisely. Getting the best value for money is on every shopper’s agenda and today, more than ever, women have the option to purchase a custom wedding or prom dress at a fraction of the cost, simply by traveling abroad!
Many overseas companies are willing to make a custom dress for women in the US who want a certain style, but cannot afford a high-quality designer wedding or prom gown. If you choose to purchase your dress from a factory abroad, you should be aware of the many important issues that will arise regarding the quality, size, and color of your dress. You will also face all sorts of shipping issues that are out of your control and out of the supplier’s control.
Lately, there have been a host of defunct factories that have been redesigned to address the needs of American women looking for affordable formalwear. Often these factories have no other fashion expertise except how to run the machines and how to convince the public to buy from them. They do not own any of the beautiful dresses you see in the photos and have not made any money selling their dresses to knowledgeable customers.
Low quality
The actual photos of the actual dresses are the property of the actual dress designers, who oversee the production of each and every dress through every aspect of the production cycle. Nothing of that. For example, the image will be just the He suggested appearance of the dress The seller will use a photo of a dress to copy it in your preferred color and size. But please note that the dresses are just replicas of the picture, they do not belong to the actual dress you are seeing in the picture. The copy will be made to look like the same dress even if the material, quality or details are not the same, for the price you are willing to pay.
You most likely won’t even get a dress that looks like the picture, so be careful. A Hong Kong dressmaker told me, “Although the dress will be almost similar in shape, we cannot be 100% sure that this dress is exactly as pictured or that the quality matches the original.” She went on to state, “if the quality was the same as the actual dress, believe me, the price would be much higher too.”
However, even if you were happy in a dress that looked almost Like the picture, you’d be surprised if the details on your dress are from a less expensive version. For example, one customer lamented that her wedding dress looked cheap because her foreign dressmaker used sequins instead of beads. Sequins on a wedding dress! From afar, she couldn’t tell the difference, but she was too embarrassed to wear it to her own wedding, so she had to buy another dress that was of the quality she felt she deserved. To make matters worse, since looked Just like in the photo, not a penny of the purchase price was refunded to her, even though she sent the dress back at her own expense!
misfit
Your custom made dress will be made to order, using your own measurements. If you receive your dress and it needs to be tailored, be prepared for the additional cost and time to get it to fit your body perfectly!
Today, good tailors charge $45.00 – $55.00 per hour. Additional delivery time could be up to a week, or more, if the tailor is not overloaded!
Other common design problems include:
cheap fabric that wrinkles or shows permanent water stains from steam irons
poor labor
plastic beads and crystals
large pearls instead of seed pearls
garish yarn color
poor or non-existent base/boning characteristics
bad finish
unprofessional hemming
transparent lining
While it’s true that many of the authentic design companies use manufacturers in Asia and beyond, not all factories are created equal, we know that. The really good ones are hired by leading design houses around the world and are constantly monitored for quality.
strange color
If you’re shopping online, you’ll obviously see the color options for your dress on a computer screen. Since computer screens have chromatic aberration, especially between CRT screens and LCD screens, the color of the dress cannot be guaranteed to be exactly the same as the photographs you saw. Don’t risk being surprised by the result. Always ask for fabric swatches (swatches) to be mailed to you before ordering! Any reputable dealer will be more than happy to send you samples of various colors and the various fabrics they incorporate into their dresses.
Uncertain shipping time
Shipping time can also be an issue, especially if you are on a deadline and didn’t leave enough time to transport the dress across the ocean. You may not receive your dress for up to 30 days after placing your order. Because you bought the item on the opposite side of the earth, it needs time to ship and the duration on the way to you is out of your control. Once the item leaves the dressmaker’s hands, it too is out of her control. So if the shipper has to add a few days here and there to her travel time due to unforeseen circumstances, she may not have a dress for her next special occasion. Shipping times for overseas packages have much more leeway than what we are used to in the US. Keep in mind that you will not get your money back if the seller shipped your dress on time, but the shipper delayed its arrival for some reason .
While we’re on the topic of shipping, you should be aware that you, the buyer, are responsible for all import duties, taxes, and charges that are not included in the item price or shipping charges. Your dress will remain in a box at the dock until these expenses are paid and the box is delivered to the ground transportation company. This could take up to an additional 2 weeks if Customs waits for your check to clear before sending it out.
Oh, and in the event that you’re so dissatisfied with your dress that you want to return it for a refund, be prepared to pay for return shipping as well.
Are you willing to bet that your next special occasion dress will be just what you want in every way: fit, color, quality? If you don’t want to risk it, make sure you buy from an authorized authentic formal wear dealer. Be patient and conscientious and watch the semi-annual sales of last season’s dresses and you will be rewarded with the best, not second best.