Getting a tailor out here to make something for you is a bit of a risk! You might get someone who is way cheap and does an absolutely FABULOUS job, or you might get someone who is cheap but does a TERRIBLE job, or you might get someone who is expensive and does either great or terrible!
Let's just say it is a risk you have to be willing to take if you want stuff done for you the way you want it!
I LOVE designing dresses and stuff and so was really excited about finding a tailor here that would be awesome and make stuff for me for super cheap but quality items. After numerous recommendations and research, I finally settled on Tailor Chen - who came highly recommended from people in my branch here in Beijing! He was a little more pricey, but supposedly the best for if you wanted to create your own designs and have him make them!
Well, as he doesn't speak English much, you can expect there were some things that got "lost in translation"! However, it wasn't at all like I expected. The whole thing was a bit of a mess as he quoted me one price, and then when it was time to pay tried to tell me it was way more than the original price! My friend ended up getting in a shouting match with him over some matters, to which I feel extremely bad Ash for making you do that since I couldn't speak or understand him - altho I am happy she did because we realized in the end he was just trying to rip us off!
This is the tactic that the chinese use here - they tell you a price and then try to tell you that it is better quality, or took way longer, or cost more than they thought, and they try to bully you by shouting at you and getting in your face and making you feel bad and so you will just pay for it. When she told him that he wasn't being fair and that he quoted us a different price he said: "well her husband probably works for a big compnay and makes a lot of money so it isn't even a big deal to them if it is a little more - just tell her to pay it!"
OK NO!!!! It is not about the actual price, it is the principle Mr. Chen that you said one thing and then tried to make us pay more - I probably would have still had him do it for the higher price had he quoted it originally, but because of this I wasn't about to pay him a bunch more, especially for something that was COMPLETELY wrong, as you are about to see.
He really got upset when I said I wasn't paying at all - as in $0 - for one dress and vest that he completely made wrong! I mean, not a SINGLE line was right about it from the picture I gave him, and so I didn't want it. In the end he just gave me the dress and vest because he said he couldn't do anything with it and I kept it to show how off it was from the original item I asked for. However, I did meet him in the middle and pay a little more for Chip's shirt and the other dress since he was causing such a ruckus.
All in all, I feel I won the battle, probably will NEVER use him again because of his poor business etiquette and how off he made the one, altho the bag and the other dress did work out! He said that he didn't understand the one dress because of a translation error and that I hadn't shown him the picture I pulled up at my house - but I showed him my email history and proved him wrong, and I know my friend translation didn't get it this off - that is another tactic they pull - that it is my fault do to translation - WHATEVER!!!!
So anyways - here is the 3 things that we had him make - and you will see for yourself that some things, just from pictures alone, can not possibly be translation errors!
First - my loved my Vera Bradley diaper bag (mine is orange) and so had him make one for her with Vera Bradley fabric we picked up from the fabric market - it turned out AWESOME, but he did charge her more than he originally said, and told us he needed twice as much fabric next time to make the same bags! Hello - you made this one with the fabric we gave you - why would we give you more next time- so you can keep it and make others to sell! So yeah, we found another person who can make them just as well and not cheat us out of money or fabric! It does look awesome tho!
OK this is dress #1: I gave him the picture of the wedding dress on the left and told him i wanted it made exactly like this dress, but with the flower strap taken off and just little straps put on and then with NO train since it was going to be for prom and then the awesome bolero jacket (picture of this not included here) that came with it done in the same green fabric! He said he could do it! Well, below is the dress he brought over - you will see NOT A SINGLE line is correct - from the weird mermaid bust top, to the 8 panelled dress/skirt that is nothing like the pictures, without the flowers on the seam by the knee, and just entirely hideous!!! When i saw it I said I hated it and he tried to say it was still a nice dress and that it would work even if it weren't my first choice - I said I wouldn't have my sister wear this no matter what anyways, as I hated it - and in the end he just gave it to me.................after also trying to charge me more because he said he used more fabric than I gave him! I know this is a lie too as I took it to a different place later in the markets and asked how much fabric was used and they told me an amount considerably less than what I had given him!
Anyhow, I took it home to show my sis and get a good laugh, and yet when she put it on she actually made it look good, and with a little fixing from Grammy Rosen they like it and she got a free dress for the next dance! Pretty much she can rock any dress, and so in the end we win again!
Here is a picture of Kimmy and Cash is wearing the jacket he gave me, which was NOTHING at all like the picture and something that will end up getting chucked in the trash, but Cash loved putting it on with Kimmy and posing for the picture!
Finally - Dress #2!!! This one was more complex I thought then the previous, as I gave him 3 different picture of dresses that I wanted all combined, and then with some explicit instructions of my own changes that I wanted incorporated, and yet somehow he got this one way more close! It turned out beautiful on her, and altho it had to be altered by our fabulous dressmaker Maryanne in Utah before she could wear it - it worked out and she looked gorgeous in a one-of-a-kind dress for prom!
I designed the jewelry and belt too and had them made at the pearl market out here - and they turned out FABULOUS!!!! We were really happy with this one, and it somewhat redeemed the other bad taste I had gotten from the previous one!
Kimmy in the yellow prom dress
The sleeves were a little bigger and gapey than I had designed, but she looked awesome in it anyways! Maryanne was able to fix them a bit too!
Twirling and having fun!
A couple from the actual night - she looked GORGEOUS and had so many compliments and I hope she felt like a princess the whole night - she certainly is beautiful and the color was amazing on her!
Heading out!
Needless to say, I am NOT having him try any ballroom dresses for me, altho I have 8 designed and have found some of the coolest fabrics out here ever - I am having Maryanne sew them as they are super complex and hard, and I want them fitted perfectly to Kimmy and to not get ruined like what may happen here!
While I was in Utah I actually made a latin one - the first one I designed out here - with help from my mom and Maryanne!!! Let's just say that it was WAY MORE WORK than I thought and after numerous needles breaking on the machine, problems fitting certain parts together, sleeves getting cut off, and over 100 fittings on Kim to see how it was coming I have decided to just stick to designing and then rhinestoning myself, and having Maryanne make them for me! That will assure they are right! However, the one I did make is coming along great and I can't wait to post pics of the finished product - I am just hemming it and working on the rhinestones right now! Stay tuned for the pics of that to come soon!
