10 things I wish people knew about my brand
1. "Wardrobe by Dulcinea" garments come with labels that say "Size: Yours" and that is the only size I believe in. We absolutely do not care whether someone would label you as a "plus size" or "petite", there is no such thing here as there are no extra charges for different shapes and figures, everything is made from scratch and to unique measurements of yours, whatever they may be, and in proportion to your height.
2. Some of our items even feature custom made, hand dyed colors, because I (the owner and the designer) hand certain fabrics to achieve just the shade for the specific bride. For those items, I make and mix my own dyes, therefore feel free to provide your own color references, as I can definitely create 50 shades of blush or dusty blue. If an item features a part that may hand dyed, it will have a custom color selection in the drop down menu.
3. While I only work online - I consult extensively, so any and all questions are welcome, just list any and all questions and they will be answered. It's far from an "add to cart and check out" kind of shop. I also fully understand the hesitation of online purchasing a wedding or formal wear and even have this blog post about this topic that can be a starting point to get to know my ethics and my brands point of view: Buying a wedding dress online
4. I take great care of my employees and make sure my studio is as far from a sweat shop as it gets. There is a video om Youtube where you can see how my studio and a day at work looks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p5PqS-iMwc If you a care about conditions your dress is made in (and you absolutely should), my brand is a wonderful choice for your occasion.
5. I don't charge extra for rush orders, because I see them as a matter of scheduling - it is either possible, or it isn't, nobody in my studio is staying overnight to work on anyone's dress. On top of that we already only ship with DHL Express Worldwide couriers, door to door delivery, tracked at every step of the way. We cannot imagine worrying about whether the bride got their dress on time.
6. I don't use professional models for my listing photos. It is either me (in the majority of the pictures), or my friends. While it is sometimes flattering to read that I am "a beautiful model", it is also a little sad to be asked things like "Can I see this on a real person?!"
7. Our photos are edited at a bare minimum - such as untimely pimple is removed from my face, horizon of the shot is made straight if wasn't so already, lighting is adjusted where necessary. That's it. Not a single garment wrinkle is ironed out by post productions, my legs are not elongated and colors are all very real and accurate. We have absolutely no intention of providing false expectations to the customer, the dresses are what they appear to be.
8. We have a Facebook page "Wardrobe by Dulcinea" where you can see a large customer gallery of our actual brides and another album that is incredibly helpful with color decisions: hand dyed work examples. I personally also have an Instagram account @wardrobebydulcinea where you can also see lots of brides photos and a lot of behind the scenes of our studio.
9. We do not make custom designs. We can however customize or change many specific details about existing designs though, such as: different neckline, sleeve length, skirt length style (for example high low or tea length instead of floor length) where applicable. Just inquire if a specific item or a few can have your dream features, or, which items could?
10. I myself take care of all customer service. I will respond politely to every inquiry or question, usually in a matter of minutes (unless I am asleep, on vacation, or dyeing someones tulle) and I will personally oversee every detail of your garment production as well as take full responsibility for any error, should they occur. As suggested by our 600+ positive only reviews, errors are definitely not common. If you had read all of this, I know I will be thrilled to hear from you, you are already the customer of my dreams. Looking forward to chatting with you.
Sincerely, Inge - the owner, the designer, the colorist of the fabrics, the customer service representative, the model, the marketing manager, well, you get it, this is Etsy after all :)
2. Some of our items even feature custom made, hand dyed colors, because I (the owner and the designer) hand certain fabrics to achieve just the shade for the specific bride. For those items, I make and mix my own dyes, therefore feel free to provide your own color references, as I can definitely create 50 shades of blush or dusty blue. If an item features a part that may hand dyed, it will have a custom color selection in the drop down menu.
3. While I only work online - I consult extensively, so any and all questions are welcome, just list any and all questions and they will be answered. It's far from an "add to cart and check out" kind of shop. I also fully understand the hesitation of online purchasing a wedding or formal wear and even have this blog post about this topic that can be a starting point to get to know my ethics and my brands point of view: Buying a wedding dress online
4. I take great care of my employees and make sure my studio is as far from a sweat shop as it gets. There is a video om Youtube where you can see how my studio and a day at work looks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p5PqS-iMwc If you a care about conditions your dress is made in (and you absolutely should), my brand is a wonderful choice for your occasion.
5. I don't charge extra for rush orders, because I see them as a matter of scheduling - it is either possible, or it isn't, nobody in my studio is staying overnight to work on anyone's dress. On top of that we already only ship with DHL Express Worldwide couriers, door to door delivery, tracked at every step of the way. We cannot imagine worrying about whether the bride got their dress on time.
6. I don't use professional models for my listing photos. It is either me (in the majority of the pictures), or my friends. While it is sometimes flattering to read that I am "a beautiful model", it is also a little sad to be asked things like "Can I see this on a real person?!"
7. Our photos are edited at a bare minimum - such as untimely pimple is removed from my face, horizon of the shot is made straight if wasn't so already, lighting is adjusted where necessary. That's it. Not a single garment wrinkle is ironed out by post productions, my legs are not elongated and colors are all very real and accurate. We have absolutely no intention of providing false expectations to the customer, the dresses are what they appear to be.
8. We have a Facebook page "Wardrobe by Dulcinea" where you can see a large customer gallery of our actual brides and another album that is incredibly helpful with color decisions: hand dyed work examples. I personally also have an Instagram account @wardrobebydulcinea where you can also see lots of brides photos and a lot of behind the scenes of our studio.
9. We do not make custom designs. We can however customize or change many specific details about existing designs though, such as: different neckline, sleeve length, skirt length style (for example high low or tea length instead of floor length) where applicable. Just inquire if a specific item or a few can have your dream features, or, which items could?
10. I myself take care of all customer service. I will respond politely to every inquiry or question, usually in a matter of minutes (unless I am asleep, on vacation, or dyeing someones tulle) and I will personally oversee every detail of your garment production as well as take full responsibility for any error, should they occur. As suggested by our 600+ positive only reviews, errors are definitely not common. If you had read all of this, I know I will be thrilled to hear from you, you are already the customer of my dreams. Looking forward to chatting with you.
Sincerely, Inge - the owner, the designer, the colorist of the fabrics, the customer service representative, the model, the marketing manager, well, you get it, this is Etsy after all :)