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Saturday, March 8, 2014

Floral dresses from Nineteen89

I stumbled upon Nineteen89's facebook shop after I stumbled upon Chanwon's blog while I was browsing Dayre [here's my page] lol. Her rainbow pastel outfit set at the very bottom of this post interested me enough to check out the shop she got it from.
I'm always a bit nervous to order from Facebook shops, especially ones that aren't domestic (this shop is located in Malaysia), but the owner has posted several testimonials and posts regularly on Facebook and IG which was a good sign to me. I communicated with the owner via Facebook Messenger but I believe she also uses We Chat, Line and Whatsapp. Unfortunately, the rainbow pastel set was out of stock so I didn't buy anything immediately, but my interest was piqued by these cut-out back floral dresses
https://www.facebook.com/nineteen89boutique/photos/pb.497217496975273.-2207520000.1394238737./718870811476606/?type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ash3%2Ft1.0-9%2F1888515_718870811476606_1881995771_n.jpg&size=960%2C960&fbid=718870811476606https://www.facebook.com/nineteen89boutique/photos/pb.497217496975273.-2207520000.1394238737./718377841525903/?type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Fscontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-frc3%2Ft1.0-9%2F1922018_718377841525903_520219662_n.jpg&size=960%2C960&fbid=718377841525903
They are no longer in-stock but was available in white, pink, yellow and blue. I couldn't decide between pink and white.
The prices are listed in RM, but you will get charged in your country's currency by the owner. I was told that the dresses were $19 each and the shipping for one would be $11, and for two dresses the shipping would be $13, so I decided to just get both. My total was $51.
The owner does not send PayPal invoices (no explanation and I personally find it kind of weird) but requested I send the correct amount to her PayPal email address. I sent the money while she was online, and she confirmed receipt of payment.
The estimated shipping time was 14+ working days, and I was provided a tracking number (which was somewhat unexpected) upon the package being posted about 3 days after I paid which included a weekend.
It seems like it took around 5 days to get from Malaysia to LA, where it then processed for a bit, and then took around 5 days to get forwarded to Hawaii. I was really worried that it would get stuck at "ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS)" because, according to google and yahoo answers, international packages have been known to get stuck there for literally months and some *never* turn up. I'm glad my two dresses didn't get stuck there for very long and am thankful that I don't have to worry about the International Service Center in LA every single time I place an international order because that was very nerve-racking for me lol.
I would have received it on 3/3 but the package requires a signature so that's why it says "Unable to deliver" in that slot. I placed my order on 2/14 (PM on a Friday) and (should have) received it on 3/3 which is pretty close to the estimated time, especially considering that I technically ordered during a weekend.


Onto the dresses ~ !  [Warning - A bit photo heavy. I had a bit of time and sunlight to work with so I just decided to try them on with a whole bunch of different shoes/accessories. My hair was a little wonky though]

White dress
Without footwear 

With Liz Lisa OTK boots (and Liz Lisa batwing knit, Liz Lisa beret)
 

With Liz Lisa ankle boots (and Liz Lisa beret)
 

With Liz Lisa t-strap wedges (and white floral garland)

With Liz Lisa yellow wedges (and white floral garland / Liz Lisa knit and floral headband)

Pink dress
Without foowear

With Tralala wedges (and Liz Lisa beret again lol)

With Liz Lisa lace-up back pumps (and lace fold down socks, Liz Lisa x My Melody fukubukuro coat, Liz Lisa beret)

With Nine West wedge sneakers

With Flag J Hawaii sandals (and Liz Lisa crochet knit top / pink floral garland)
 

With Liz Lisa ankle boots again (and Liz Lisa flower chain cami, pink floral garland - admittedly too much floral)

With Liz Lisa knee high pom pom boots (and Liz Lisa x My Melody fukubukuro lace collar knit)
 
 

    My thoughts - 
This is a free size item, and it works for me. I like the length and the general fit.
The material is definitely synthetic. I thought it would be partially cotton based on the photos, but I'm pretty sure it's 100% polyester based on how rough it is. A positive is that it has lots of stretch though.
Quality is appropriate for the price point. It's not A+ but it's about average - no better or worse than Forever 21. The zipper functions although there are difficult spots where the fabric is thick. The strap adjusters also function but they do require a bit of extra manipulation.
Not all florals are created equal. I'm not really fond of the abundance of orange of the flowers but it's accurate to the pictures so I knew it would look like this. Not sure if I would order another product in this print though given the strong orange tones.
Service from Nineteen89: Owner was polite and used business-appropriate language. She was patient with me during my decision making process and easily provided information such as shipping prices. She let me know when the package was shipped in a timely manner and a tracking number was provided. She also reminded me of the estimated shipping time. The only thing I question is that she doesn't send PayPal invoices but rather expects you to send the money. It's not necessarily bad but I find it quite odd.
Will I buy again? I thought the service and product were adequate, but knowing that my package first goes to ICS LA (where many packages are lost) makes me very anxious. There are probably other places to get this dress (possibly cheaper) but I don't mind this distributor at this price and shipping cost. I know there's a mark up from what she buys it from, but I don't think what she charges is wholly unreasonable. That being said, I'll have to *really* want something to purchase again...like anything in that rainbow pastel. For some reason I just love the color/print. If anyone knows where else I can get it I'd love to know!

Overall, positive and satisfactory transaction

4 comments:

  1. I love all the outfits you put together ^.^ Lol. Hard to choose which ones I like best.

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    1. Lol I was lucky because today was somewhat sunny (or sunny *enough*) but not overly hot. Otherwise I probably wouldn't have had the patience to do all the different coordinates haha.

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  2. Wow pretty dresses! I love the floral prints and the colours (I like the pink dress best), kinda reminds me of Liz Lisa summer dresses. :D

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    Replies
    1. Haha maybe I'm really particular but the print and the cut remind me more of cheaper brands here (like Forever21). But who knows what LL will come out with for Summer 14?

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