Not gonna lie, I might have teared up a little bit from joy when I put this dress on.
I’d been nervous in the past about ordering custom dresses; what if I messed up the measurements? What if I didn’t like it after all? Would it be hard???
Luckily, ordering from Hearts and Found allayed all of my fears and then some!
I’m a huge fan of supporting small businesses (especially women-run businesses!), so it was great to see that Hearts and Found works with local tailors and shops at local markets. It’s easy to use “Made in the USA” as shorthand for an ethical purchase, but that definitely isn’t always true, and I’m happy for my shopping habit to support local talent all over the world. Really, the thing that concerned me most about ordering from Vietnam was the shipping time since, in the immortal words of Veruca Salt:
I was really impressed with the communication from Marjorie while ordering from Hearts and Found. I’ve always kind of thought of custom clothing as something very fancy and special, and Marjorie definitely made me feel like I was special! She even immediately checked in after receiving my measurements to double-check they were correct, since they seemed a little off…fear number one taken care of! She was really communicative, and the dresses (yes…dresses) came along much quicker than I expected. For my own personal timeline, I placed my order on July 5, received confirmation that the package had shipped on July 12, and the package was delivered to me on July 20 (and required a signature, so I had to go pick it up at the post office the next day, but that doesn’t count). I don’t know how standard this is for Hearts and Found, but I know I was quoted a longer wait time and was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the garments were created and made it to me.
But enough blah blah. How about that dress?
As soon as I saw the “Ring a Ring o’ Roses” fabric, I knew I had to have it. I’ve never really been a big fan of pink, but I’ve seriously been vibing on it lately. I’ve been admiring pink things and working pink accessories into my wardrobe, but I still didn’t own any pink clothes. So why not go full in with an ultra femme pink floral dress?
Hearts and Found allows you to pair any of their fabric choices with any dress pattern; after much deliberation, I selected the Grace dress. I loved the flattering ruched bust and of course the big gathered skirt, and I figured the adjustable straps would be a bit forgiving if I’d messed up my measurements somehow. (Can you tell I was really concerned about the measurements?)
In person, the dress is absolutely beautiful. It’s fully lined, which is amazing, and the fit is absolutely spot on. The pockets are real deep, and it’s seriously just so well made. I always worry a bit about handmade items looking a little “Holly Hobby” up against the “pro” stuff, but it looks perfectly at home on my rack of store-bought garments.
I was wishing I had some cake-themed jewelry to wear, since I was definitely feeling the Marie Antoinette vibes in this, but then I realized that, as always, Disney knows the way. “Make it pink! Make it blue!”
The blue and pink bracelet my grandma gave me last time I visited was the perfect pairing! Add in my adorable pink typewriter pin from Ann Shen, a vintage-inspired necklace from a local maker, my trusty pearl earrings, and I was in business!
As for the second dress I bought…well. You’re just going to have to wait until I have the perfect opportunity to wear it! I can tell you that I’m already drooling over the Hearts and Found Etsy shop, trying to figure out what I should order next! I whole-heartedly recommend ordering here, especially if you’re a little nervous about going custom. Marjorie will take good care of you.
The Sconnie Sling 