Thread: Need A Custom Costume Broker....

Hello Bhuzzers, this is a spinoff/update on the thread that asked the question about "who is to blame for costume delays, the designer or broker".

As I posted on the earlier thread, I have waited 15 months for a custom Hanan from Dahlal Internationale and to make a long, frustrating story short, despite many many MANY (did I say MANY?) phone calls to them since July of LAST year, I still do not have my costume or any confirmed ship date. ..cr.:I'm so done with this! I have therefore requested a full refund if they don't have my costume in by April 15th. I no longer believe that situations such as this are the "fault" of the Cairo designer - the costume broker is accountable for good customer service once they have been paid in good faith, period, end of story!

Since I order costumes on a custom basis to get fit, style and color I want - can any of you recommend a broker for custom Egyptian/Turkish beaded costumes?

In any case, thanks for listening!

I've often wondered this, too, as an outsider to the vending side of BD Land.

It took about 9 months to get my fucshia Garnet Goddess Eman from Dahlal (on the web site, they quote a general lead time of 6-8 weeks, I think) and the bra is a 34" band when I specified 30". Not that it wasn't fixable...but I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to order from them again.

Now, on the other hand, girls get custom Bellas and Legends with insane amounts of beads, cutouts and bling within 3 weeks.

I never quite understood this.

I also blame the brokers. Not that I don't feel sorry for them, I do, they're caught between the designer and the buyer and don't have a lot of control -- but then, they *chose* to be in that position and make money for being in that role, supposedly as our advocate and liaison.

If I couldn't find a reliable supplier for a thing, I wouldn't offer it for sale and take your money for it.

I know the designers are notorious for delays and errors in custom orders. (and yes, to me if a costume isn't the colors or measurements you specified on a custom order, that's an ERROR) but if the brokers who are major distributors don't demand that they step and meet certain minimum customer service standards, they never will.

IF I were in the costume business, I don't think I'd take any custom orders at all. I'd only sell ready-to-wear. But then, if all the vendors did that, the women whose sizes are NEVER in a shipment wouldn't have many options, and I'd want to help them. *sigh* What a frustrating business it is.

Back in June I ordered a custom made costume from Necklemanns and I'm still waiting... they don't even reply to my e-mails. It's so bloody frustrating. I know they are ingoring me which is even worse. ARG! Trust me I know how you feel.

I was thinking of getting a custom made Hanan from Dahlal but your message made me re-think it. I don't think I'll take the risk and have yet another costume "on hold". Then again you never know if there was some kind of error when sending the custom order request... I mean, she can't possibly produce only 1 costume a year can she???

I might try to contact Mme. Mahmoud directly and see what happens ..c:: arg! this is so frustrating.

Shira wrote about going to a costumer in Egypt. While she was there a customer walked in, noticed some costumes on a rack waiting to be shipped, and 'bribed' the shop owner to sell HER the costumes instead. Maybe you ladies are creating custom orders that are TOO irresistible!

Nisima - why not just deal with the designer directly? I know Hanan Mahmoud has a website. Though I've not ordered from her yet, she has responded quickly to email inquiries. If you're still wanting to stick with someone in the US, try these guys for non-custom orders: Belly Dance Costumes Hip Scarves and Dancing Accessories I know the owner and he's a great guy married to a belly dancer. His Hanan's are beautiful!

Reading the custom horror stories on Bhuz over the years has me convinced I'll never order a custom costume from a designer "over there". I know there are plenty of dancers with great experiences, but for me I just know I'd be one of the ones who wind up in a nightmare situation.

I'm having Bhuzzer Eshta from LA make my first custom costume. She asks for a metric crapton of measurements, sends fabric swatches before she begins, and (at least in my case) is sending it to me for a fitting after the basic construction is done. And the final turnaround time is expected to be around the 6 week mark.

"Crapton", I like your new unit of measure.

*nods* the gorgeous Hanans that they have at Lost Treasures is what made me fall in love with Hanan designs to begin with. Sadly they don't ship internationally ..cr.: why oh why

Originally Posted by maurazebra

Shira wrote about going to a costumer in Egypt. While she was there a customer walked in, noticed some costumes on a rack waiting to be shipped, and 'bribed' the shop owner to sell HER the costumes instead. Maybe you ladies are creating custom orders that are TOO irresistible!

I saw this happen at Eman's studio.
I don't know what to say about turnarounds. I usually guesstimate anywhere from 6 weeks to 6 months depending on the difficulty. But now that I have a seamstress to help me yay! I am hoping things go faster. But I really sympathize with you girls stuck waiting for 9 months - year. That is totally not ok. You should at least be able to email after a month or so and find out what's going on so you can plan for future gigs. Not hearing back is unacceptable in my view.
But knowing how busy I am I can only imagine how busy the ladies in Egypt/Turkey are I am not surprised that a custom would take 6+ months.
One thing I was thinking of doing is taking pics of my future available designs. Because I often by fabric and create things that would be one of a kind and they all need a home. If someone wanted to jump on one of those the time line would be shorter because the design is already sketched and materials are already purchased. Just an idea I have been having.

Which designers do you like? I'd be tempted to just try to order direct. Having said that, the hanan i ordered directly to be ready when I was in egypt (which was agreed) wasn't even started by the time I had to leve Cairo, and the email I sent a couple of weeks before I arrived to check on the progress went unanswered! I have just emailed again to say I still want the costume and to ask about timeframes to get it shipped here instead, so we will see what happens...she quoted me a great price and I love the costume, otherwise I'd just have cancelled the order.

This happened to me as well - Dahlal and Hanan, looooong wait and then, when it finally showed up, the costume was not even the design I ordered!! Dahlal blamed Hanan for the slow turn-around and incorrect order. However, I emailed Hanan directly and received a custom costume in less than 3 months. I recommend going direct to the designer, but I also strongly recommend being EXTRA DETAILED AND CLEAR about your order - include photos of everything whenever possible (design or sketch, color swatches, etc.)

Currently waiting over a year for a custom Pharoanics via Audrena. I'm just done with the middle man. Going directly to the designers - Pharoanics, Bella and now Eshta (so excited for this one!!)...it just feels better to give the designer my full business.