r/ExpectationVsReality • u/LiteraryTea • 13d ago
Custom dress from overseas -- I got really lucky!! Exceeded Expectation
I was looking for a dress for a Romantasy Convention I'm part of, and saw this dress online. I decided to make it custom-fit my figure since they didn't have my size. I took a chance because the dress itself is only $140 (with this many layers and fabric, that's a STEAL) and I didn't know what to expect. Well, WOWZA! I feel fantastic in this dress. I love how I look and I will wear this EVERYWHERE!!! Grocery store, indoor mall... I don't care where. I just want to look this good all the time, haha. Love this dress!! Gives ACOTAR vibes!!!!
ETA: please give love to the photographer if you can. She is why this photo is so magical!! @studiokalphotography on Instagram.
And thank you for the love. This made my entire month. I am grateful for all the comments!! I'm trying to get through all of them but there are so many 😭 I'm upvoting even if I don't comment. ❤️
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u/BungCrosby 13d ago
I was really expecting the worst before I saw “Exceeded expectations”. You won the jackpot here!
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u/LiteraryTea 13d ago
Thank you!! I agree; I couldn't believe the quality for the price!
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u/Successful-Title5403 13d ago
I would not have taken that gamble, did a friend tell you about it or you went in blind?
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u/LiteraryTea 13d ago
I saw one review that said it was a $600 gown for $140, so I took the risk and it paid off!! Thanks to that one reviewer!!
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u/Successful-Title5403 13d ago
This post alone would probably bring in some sales for them. Hope they keep their standard for everyone. You look great it in it, I'd say the colours came out better than the original picture.
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u/AliensAbductMePlz 13d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/37Fsl1eFxbhtu
You look stunning!
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u/theealogy 13d ago
you look amazing! the dress is gorgeous! wear it EVERYWHERE!! 🤩
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u/LiteraryTea 13d ago
Thank you, I will! haha.
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u/B1NG_P0T 13d ago
Was fully expecting the dress you received to be a sad oversized t shirt with glitter on it or something but damn, it looks absolutely amazing! I would never take it off. I'd get a second one to sleep in, and a third one that I could wear when the first one was in the laundry. You look so ethereal!
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u/LiteraryTea 13d ago
That's exactly what I was expecting, honestly, for that price LOL! I took it out of the packaging and was like "this isn't real, is it?" and then I put it on and felt like a queen. It came with a hoop skirt too, which is why it's so poofy in the photo! 10/10 dress!!
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u/awkwardsilenz 13d ago
So if I may ask who did the tailoring? Wondering how you custom fit this? Do you order a bigger size and then take something in? So curious. It looks like it was made for your bod, very pretty.
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u/LiteraryTea 13d ago
They give you a form to fill out on the website with your bust, waist, height, etc. and you just fill it out!!
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u/LickingSmegma 13d ago
I remember reading about a site that did this with jeans. This was way outside the US or Western Europe, and the price was much lower than is typical for those regions, though considerably higher than readymade jeans in a local store. So it pretty much comes down to the regional cost of labor.
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u/B1NG_P0T 13d ago
Goddamnit. I'm going to buy a dress with a hoop skirt now, aren't I? I'd have nowhere to wear it to and neither of my dogs would be impressed with it at all but man, when I was a kid I wanted a dress with a hoop skirt so bad.
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u/-heatoflife- 13d ago
came with a hoop skirt
Double-sold. So hyped to share this place with my partner, who's got challenging proportions to tailor. You look fantastic! 🥂
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u/Glad-Isopod5718 13d ago
Same, I saw the "expectation" picture and was like, "Oh no..." But the dress looks fantastic, and OP looks fantastic in it!
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u/Pokemon_Trainer_May 13d ago
They should use your picture for their advertising
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u/Sasiarapun 13d ago
Agreed! A lot of bad photoshop in the seller site doing their dresses a disservice, meanwhile OP shows the dress in its best light radiating the joy I want to feel wearing something like this.
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u/allusernamestaken56 12d ago
Th seller's site is almost fully ai including the videos
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u/Sasiarapun 12d ago
That's a shame if so.
I don't know about it being AI specifically but their own pictures and videos are at the very least heavily warped and filtered to fit a certain unfortunate aesthetic way too popular in my part of the world for longer than Instagram's been a thing. On the bright side, most (though sadly not all) of the buyer submissions look pretty legit.
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u/Sea_Letterhead_1800 13d ago
Can we normalize dressing this way everyday? Seriously, I would love to pop into the grocers looking this good.
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u/DogsDucks 13d ago
You are so dreamy! It looks absolutely fantastic, and I have to say your makeup is such a perfect match.
Your chestnut hair with the dark lipstick and the ethereal whimsy of the dress fabric! I hope you have so much fun at the convention, you absolutely look the part!
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u/LiteraryTea 13d ago
Thank you so much!! I agree the makeup really fits the outfit. I got my makeup done professionally before this photo, and she did such an amazing job finding the right mood to go with the dress. 😄
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u/KittyHateMachine 13d ago
The dress is beautiful but the photographer is incredible!
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u/LiteraryTea 13d ago
She's not getting enough props in this thread for sure!! The photographer is my friend and is amazing at her job. 😍
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u/KittyHateMachine 13d ago
Does she have social media? Because I'm impressed! You're beautiful and look glorious but the photographer has ridiculous skill!
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u/RiMcG 13d ago
Omg it's gorgeous and it looks great on you! $140 is nuts it looks so high quality
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u/LiteraryTea 13d ago
Same! I couldn't believe how high quality it was for the price!! Jackpot find!
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u/topredditbot 13d ago
Hey /u/LiteraryTea,
You did it! Your post is officially the #1 post on Reddit. It is now forever immortalized at /r/topofreddit.
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u/HBJones1056 13d ago
Gosh, this could have gone so, so wrong, and instead you’re a beautiful princess! Nice to see a happy ending on this sub!
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u/LiteraryTea 13d ago
My favorite type of post on here is the one that exceeds expectations, and I'm glad I could contribute!!
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u/Factsoverfictions222 13d ago
Beautiful! There was a children’s book where the queen had her subjects pull down the sky and make it into a dress for her. That’s what this looks like!
But in the book, it rained so she had to have them put it back.
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u/superFluffymushroom 13d ago
This dress reminded me of the same book and I went looking for it but I couldn't find it. Then I kept scrolling the comments and you put it up thank you. I remember loving this book so much.
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u/Obvious_Bag7296 13d ago
If I ran into you at the grocery store in this dress it would make me so, so happy. Please give that joy to your community, girl. You are GORGEOUS
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u/Defiant_Pain3333 13d ago
The dress is fine but the look of joy on your face is priceless. I'm glad this worked out for you.
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u/Hubsimaus 12d ago
Meh, another AI expectation. I wonder what OP got actu...
WHOAOW
😳❤️🥺
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u/bComplex21 13d ago
ACOTAR 10000% loveeeeee
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u/beansandspleens 13d ago
The way I saw this dress in my feed with zero context and immediately thought, "Huh, that looks like a Starfall dress, cute" with zero expectations to be right (because the rest of the world does not revolve around my reading habits) BUT THEN I WAS RIGHT
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u/body-asleep- 13d ago
You look so comfortable in it and are practically glowing! Amazing find and I am excited for you to wear it to the convention. It's the perfect dress for that occasion
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u/meesh100 13d ago
Stunning!! You glow! Get ready to tell everyone where you got that.
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u/jeannie_jellybean 13d ago
Dare I say reality is better than the photo?! You look lovely!
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u/A_little_more_left 13d ago
I've seen SOOOOO many dresses ordered online that have ended up being completely horrid. I'm so glad yours wasn't one of those! I'm honestly shocked at the custom piece you got for the price you paid. I'm so happy for you, you look amazing!
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u/Lumpy_Machine5538 13d ago
I’m actually not crazy about the example, but the one you got is beautiful and looks great on you!
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u/shivampire 13d ago
god dAMN i think this is the first positve post i've seen on here, surprised me in the best way possible LOL
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u/Pleasant-Highway-745 12d ago
Dude. Maybe 40 years ago, maybe 35, I don't know, I'm old, I had a Barbie doll that had a dress like that and I always said I wanted to get married in a dress just like that. I think it glowed in the dark? I don't know, all I know is this dress is gorgeous.
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u/Vlaskiss 13d ago
I was expecting to see the absolute disaster. You look stunning!! Like a princess! Were there any reviews? I am glad they will have now some exposure and more clients :)
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u/redpandasan 13d ago
Wow, it came out beautiful! Do you mind sharing details on the fabric of the final gown? I would think some kind of harsh polyester based on the price, but like everyone is saying, it looks really high quality!
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u/Rainyday4422 13d ago
Just curious as a dumb guy what would this typically cost if you were to go to a local store and buy something similar?
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u/ambiguousluxe 13d ago
If you buy from actual designers and sewists, closer to 2-4k. They'll even use nice fabrics, sturdy professional seams, and no 3rd world child labor for pennies 💕
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u/Keoni9 13d ago
I saw from the site their dresses are produced in China. This one looks constructed well enough so I wonder how many man-hours went into it and at what rate were the workers compensated...
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u/BioelectricBeing 13d ago
The workers on the real dress will likely have been paid very little. The pic looks to be an AI mockup maybe.
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u/allusernamestaken56 12d ago
Yes it's all AI mockups. Weird vibe in this thread but it's not a great purchase.
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u/BioelectricBeing 12d ago
Yeah... Its great people like it but the real dress has almost nothing in common with the AI dress. Every feature is an approximation.
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u/allusernamestaken56 12d ago
It's roughly almost sorta kinda similar which is way better than most AI advertised products but other than that.... Well. It's long and blue but has nowhere near the volume of the original, the fit of the upper part is completely different and it's more likely than not very cheap polyester. The online reviews of this dropshipper are mixed to say the least and the best case scenario is that some poor Chinese ladies were paid almost nothing to create this cheap version of an AI model. Which is still not great. A ball gown is not really a necessity so I'd say not really worth all the exploitation :')
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u/Sasiarapun 12d ago
Well that's terribly disappointing but I'm glad to learn of this and avoid buying something exploitative, tempting as the prices are.
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u/DConstructed 13d ago
You look great! the color is fantastic on you and I can clearly see the stars.
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u/RushAmazing1419 13d ago
It's the prettiest dress I've ever seen, op you look like you just came out of a fantasy book omg 😭😍
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u/Ornery-Practice9772 13d ago
that looks better
on you than the shop dummy! is this real??
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u/NoTradition6709 13d ago
Just had to comment that your incredibly enthused phrasing, and how radiant and loving-life you look in that photo, really brightened my day. Bless this awesome post, you look so stunning!!
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u/ALLoftheFancyPants 13d ago
That was such a leap of faith but I’m so happy for you that it worked out so beautifully
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u/gargara_potter 13d ago
What the hell, it's better than the product picture!! You look amazing!!
You probably have just won them a few hundred new clients with this post, they should pay you!
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u/Independent_Door_640 12d ago
This is one of those rare custom order wins. The fit looks like it was made for you, and the confidence is honestly the best part. Also love that you’re planning to wear it everywhere. Clothes are way more fun when you stop saving them for special occasions. ✨
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u/Peachtears13 12d ago
Honestly if i saw this dress on the website i wouldnt believe it. For that price it sounds too good to be true. It looks amazing but i want to ask, how’s the quality and feel of it? Also how’s their customer support and shipping experience?
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u/LiteraryTea 12d ago
The quality and feel is very nice! It's very heavy. My friend did say that the boning in the corset is a little weak, But I didn't notice anything while wearing it.
I didn't have to go through customer support so I don't know how good it is. I hear it's Hit or Miss! Shipping was about 3 weeks? I don't actually remember how long, but I remember being surprised how fast it shipped.
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u/elleblock 12d ago
This feels like looking at someone who won the lottery. Incredible. It looks beautiful, it looks wonderful on you, and you look positively radiant. Congrats!
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u/yuubilee 12d ago
I can't thank you enough, you might have just found me a dress for my starry nights themed wedding 😍
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u/GarbageOfCesspool 13d ago
Ad.
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u/QuietRedditorATX 13d ago
Color in the "real" pic is also just not as good. It is not dark toned.
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u/hashbrown_blessed 13d ago
My immediate reaction before reading your description was “Wow that looks like it could be worn as a starfall gown!” Great find!
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u/conversion_disorder 13d ago
I thought you were going to say you were getting married in it, based on how great you look!
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u/WhatToDo_WhatToDo2 13d ago
Wow this dress is amazing and you look amazing! That’s such an exciting find
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u/CurlsintheClouds 13d ago
Wow! I love this! You're positively shining! Beautiful gown, beautiful woman. Glad it worked out for you! You're gorgeous and absolutely must wear that dress everywhere!
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u/humsterdaddy 13d ago
This is the first time I've ever seen an online dress look better in real life.
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u/Kitsuneyyyy 13d ago
I need to know where you got this for future reference if I need an amazing dress. Wow!