Need opinions on this dress...

[selflove]

Okay, so I fell in love with that gown on ebay and got impulsive and ordered it. The company has finished it and sent me pictures but I didn''t think the pictures of the dress they made looked the same as the dress on ebay. So they said they''d make alterations. They took pictures of the altered dress and it doesn''t look any different to me. You guys have to tell me if I''m halucinating...

And this is only the back that they''ve sent photos of so far.

 

[selflove]

This is their first attempt....one more pic to come...

 

[selflove]

And this is the "altered" dress, which I don''t think looks any different than the "first draft" and certainly doesn''t look close enough to the original that I thought I''d get. I''ll give them a few more chances to get it right but this is getting ridiculous!

 

[selflove]

Just an FYI...that first pic with the real human being, that is the picture that was on ebay.

 

[flopkins]

selflove-
first of all I love the back. on the first pic.

but yes, the 2nd and 3rd look the same, except they tucked the hem under, and straighted out the right side

the 2nd/3rd pics look like they're missing the extra french bustles on the sides that are in the top pic.... and they probably can't 'alter' that w/o making a new dress bc the existing dress as it is can't be bustled that much w/o the fabric ending up not touching the floor if you know what I mean.

It also looks like a different type of fabric too... the top pic has a really shiny satin look to it and the other two look more matte.

ETA after looking at it a bit more, it seems like maybe there are the bustles on the side, but they're more to the front of the dress than in the first pic??! but it's hard to tell.

 

[selflove]

THANK YOU Flopkins--I didn''t know what they were called but now I will use the term "french bustle" to describe to them what I''m talking about.

As for the fabric, I knew the fabric would be matte satin, not shiny, and I asked them if it was possible to get shiny satin and pay extra but they said no. (Should that have been my first clue that I wasn''t gonna get what I saw on ebay?)

 

[qtiekiki]

I can see similarity between the actual dress and the model picture, but the actual dress is definitely not as impressive as the model picture. The draping piece look like it was attached afterward and not a part of the dress as it is in the model picture. The pick-ups doesn''t look right. I think maybe it''s because of the fabric. The fabric on the actual dress looks like thin skinny satin that just kind of hang there and not hold its shape well.

Hopefully they will get it right for you because it sucks that you are in love with the dress and you don''t get what you want.

 

[E B]

I agree with the previous poster; the first "drape" was meant to look like part of the skirt (ie the same piece of fabric) because they apparently blurred the line into the rest of the skirt. I don''t like how it''s obviously just been cut and draped over the rest. Also, there are several pick-ups in the ebay photo that just haven''t been made in your skirt. On top of it all, the fabric looks different.

What''s this company''s refund policy? I''d give ''em one or two more shots to get it right or no deal. You deserve a beautiful dress! If you still love the design, take it to a dressmaker in town. Choose fabric that you can feel with your own hands. Show her (or him!) these pictures you''ve shown us, and tell her that they''re what you DON''T want. Good luck! <3

 

[MelissaSue]

Yeah.. whats their deal? in the first pic.. the dress has pick ups.. even that big fold looks like a pick up to me.. and in the "real" version.. they just threw an extra piece of fabric on there.. I don''t think it looks BAD but its certainly not what they represented in the picture.

 

[eks6426]

I think the biggest difference here is the fabric. The fabric in the ebay picture looks like a thicker, glossier fabric. The fabric in the dress they are making is much thinner and obviously matte. But it''s the thinness of the fabric that is causing the dress to not look the same. Even if they followed the pattern of the ebay dress exactly the draping would look different because the thinner fabric cannot hold the shape as well. Using the fabric that they are, this dress will never look like the one in the ebay picture. Not that it won''t be pretty...it just won''t be the same.

 

[Caribou]

Seflove, I thought we were dress twins. *scratching my head confused* This doesn''t look like the dress I bought last week. Did you change your mind??

The back is beautiful by the way....and I agree the only difference in the two pictures is that the mannequin is turned.

 

[BrightSpot]

Yeah, I agree w/ IslandDreams. It looks like the fabric is the major difference between pics 1 & 2. In the first, there''s a sense of heavy, luxuriously draped fabric. The second dress is pretty, but it just doesn''t drape the same way. Also, the seams look a bit different to me--not as finished in the second dress. (Maybe this is a function of the different fabric...) The second dress is still quite lovely, but not the same dress as the first one, IMHO.

 

[selflove]

Caribou--yes we are dress twins...this is actually the third dress I''m buying. I know, it sounds weird but here''s what happened: We were planning two weddings of two very different styles. So in the back of my head I was thinking the whole time "If I shop well maybe I can find 2 dresses!" So I got "our" dress at Davids and at the same time bought a big poufy ball gown from David''s $99 sale. (Two totally different styles for 2 totally different wedding venues.) But neither was what I call my "dream dress" (even though both did make me giddy when I put them on so I know they were the right choices). However, when I saw the ebay dress I just drooled over it and fell in love. It was only $100 online and I thought "What the the heck--if it works it will be less than the alteration cost on just one of the other dresses." So that''s how I got to dress #3.

Everyone--thanks for your opinions--this will help me in telling the vendor what I''m talking about. I found out that the fabric would be different AFTER I won the auction. I think their return policy is like full refund minus 20%. Even if they wouldn''t refund any of the cost it wouldn''t be a big deal. I knew being impulsive might cost me a few bucks.

 

[Caribou]

Date: 1/13/2006 11:47:44 AM
Author: selflove
Caribou--yes we are dress twins...this is actually the third dress I''m buying. I know, it sounds weird but here''s what happened: We were planning two weddings of two very different styles. So in the back of my head I was thinking the whole time ''If I shop well maybe I can find 2 dresses!'' So I got ''our'' dress at Davids and at the same time bought a big poufy ball gown from David''s $99 sale. (Two totally different styles for 2 totally different wedding venues.) But neither was what I call my ''dream dress'' (even though both did make me giddy when I put them on so I know they were the right choices). However, when I saw the ebay dress I just drooled over it and fell in love. It was only $100 online and I thought ''What the the heck--if it works it will be less than the alteration cost on just one of the other dresses.'' So that''s how I got to dress #3.

Selflove, you''re having two weddings?? Lucky girl!!!!

I ordered my dress last Saturday.

So it''s offical, we are dress twins.

 

[selflove]

Well, in theory two weddings sounds so cool...but in reality it''s a lot of work to plan and it''s expensive. I''m really longing to have just one big party with ALL of our family and friends in one place, at one time (which was impossible anyways).

 

[marvel]

Date: 1/12/2006 8:29:21 PM
Author: flopkins
selflove-
first of all I love the back. on the first pic.

but yes, the 2nd and 3rd look the same, except they tucked the hem under, and straighted out the right side

the 2nd/3rd pics look like they''re missing the extra french bustles on the sides that are in the top pic.... and they probably can''t ''alter'' that w/o making a new dress bc the existing dress as it is can''t be bustled that much w/o the fabric ending up not touching the floor if you know what I mean.

It also looks like a different type of fabric too... the top pic has a really shiny satin look to it and the other two look more matte.

ETA after looking at it a bit more, it seems like maybe there are the bustles on the side, but they''re more to the front of the dress than in the first pic??! but it''s hard to tell.

This is my first thought...I think they can make all the alterarions they want and won''t get the same look cuz the fabric is not the same.

 

[selflove]

I got the 3rd set of alteration pictures from the China dress adventure. Give me your opinions...I''ve asked them how quickly they can add some pick-ups on the back b/c now with less than 3 months until the wedding, I can''t waste time.

back: nothing''s different! UGH!!!!

 

[selflove]

And here''s the front, which I''m actually not displeased with:

 

[selflove]

I''m leaning toward having them send me the dress, I''ll then take it immediately to my seamstress and see what she can do...

 

[ChooChoo]

I would ask for a refund, honestly... there''s no intricate draping at all, they just threw on an overskirt over a bustled underskirt. I totally get what you''re going for (Ulla Maija Whirlwind inspired, right?) and this isnt even close. Sorry to be brutally honest

But I would rather have the chance to find something better...

 

[aphisiglovessae]

Honestly, I think she got what she paid for. I can easily see about 100 bucks worth of fabric and labor in that dress (depending on the fabric). I think your seamstress can do a little fixing here and there for a decent price and you will still have your dream dress!

 

[ChooChoo]

Oops! Missed that it was $100 bucks. That definitely explains it. Still, even for $100 you should get a dress that at least tries to look like the product they sold you.

 

[saturn]

I think that if you can live with it the way it is, then you should have them send it and then try taking it to a seamstress.

However, it might not be possible to add pickups to the back, because it doesn''t look like there is a whole lot of extra fabric there to work with. To me, that is the bigger problem with this dress- yes, the fabric is different, but they also tried to skimp on the amount of fabric, which is why the pickups don''t look so "full."

Given that it''s so close to your wedding date, I think you should either take the dress now, or tell them you don''t want it and work with one of your other dresses. Either way, I''m sure you''ll look stunning!

 

[selflove]

Thanks for the feedback...this is what I needed to hear and think about...

 

[AndyRosse]

Since it was only $100, I would take the dress and find the best seastress in your area. See what they can do. You don''t have time anymore to hope that they fix it.

 

[cpster]

Also, do you think you will even like the fabric? I remember when I got married over two years ago and remember reading about other gals on chat boards that ordered similarly from Ebay. I think the first photo posted is probably a doctored photo from the original designer's website or a scan of an ad. The overseas shops often try to sell copies of designer gowns, sometimes they turn out good, sometimes not so good.

I would just hate to see you lose all of your money and wind up with something you will never wear. I can't tell the quality of the fabric from the photos. I wonder if you can dispute the charge to your credit card since vendor didn't tell you about the fabric change unitl after you won the auction?

 

[Tiffany1976]

Selflove,

I think you should ask for your money back, or dispute the charges with your credit card. It is clearly not the same dress, and although it is very pretty, I don''t think it is ever really going to look like the other one. The material is too different, and the details are not there. I think you could find another one on ebay that would be so much better. It makes me so mad when people on ebay are not truthful. I think you would be spendind too much at your tailor, and it would dtill be impossible to fix. Tiffany