Review: Korean brand Baroque's Pearl Drops on the Dry Flower
When I heard that Lief and Baroque was doing a collaboration, I was eager to get my hands on one of the pieces. The black JSK was the one that caught my eye, and I decided to order individually. I didn't realize that Baroque had a Facebook page until after I had ordered.
I've seen Baroque pieces in real life, both from my friend's closet and at the Frill convention. I am also a big fan of Lief's illustrations, so this collaboration was definitely something I looked forward to add to my closet.
Baroque's page (opens in new window)
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TIMELINE
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June 5: Went to the Baroque website to order, paid instantly via PayPal after selecting my size & colour.
June 6: Checked the Baroque website again to make sure that I had done everything correctly and noticed that there was a notice about notifying via email. I made sure to email Mana (Baroque's owner) to make sure that she received my order.
June 7: Received a reply back from Mana, telling me to read her blog entry instead at http://blog.naver.com/domoae86.
July 28: Since I haven't heard from Mana for a while, I decided to email her to ask her what the status of my order was. I had checked the Baroque FB page and noticed that she noted that the dresses were ready for shipping on July 19th.
July 29: I received a reply from her, saying that she had LOST my order. She told me to wait one week until the dress can be shipped. I let her know that it was okay to take more than one week, as long as she updated me every 4 days about the status.
August 6: I didn't hear anything from Mana and decided to ask her what was going on.
August 7: My package was shipped from Korea via EMS.
August 11: The package arrived at my doorstep.
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REVIEW
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I have to admit I was very worried when this box came to my door, since it looks beat up with one strip of tape on the middle of the top and bottom of the box:
Thankfully, the contents were secure inside. I did notice when I took the dress out of the package that the cloth was slightly damp. The package included a nice note on how to care for the dress, as well as a face mask package. I didn't expect the barrette to be included with it. The "accessories" for the dress included the bow pin and bib. The bib can be secured onto the dress via buttons.
I always liked looking at tags, and this is especially nice.
The listed sizing for the dress is B92/W72, and those measurements are usually a good fit for me. This dress was definitely roomier than noted; I did a quick flat measurement of the bust area, and it measures 47 cm across.
The gifts were nice, but I had some issues with the construction. I understand that the dress is "handmade," but these are things that I felt shouldn't have been overlooked.
1. Misaligned pattern on the waist area (front and back of the dress). See the top left and bottom right of the band.
2. The buttonholes on the bib are pretty flimsy; some of the buttons wouldn't stay hooked. I did wear out the dress and had to constantly check to make sure the bib is still placed on the dress. It didn't fall off, but it's still worrisome.
3. The added panel of fabric and misalignment on the right hand side.
I decided to give this brand a neutral review, mostly due to the communication and the fact that there is a panel of fabric that wasn't aligned properly to my dress. I've honestly never had a dress with this type of "fix" before, and I didn't think it was acceptable considering the amount I've paid for the dress. Perhaps I've just been lucky in that sense.
Total amount paid: 198 USD (JSK) + 30 USD (shipping, EMS).
Type of Feedback: Neutral
Communication: 3.5/5
Accuracy of item description: 3.5/5
Was the item shipped when agreed upon?: 4/5
Packaging: 4/5
Overall experience: 3.75/5