[nimah]

Today I finally received the costume that I custom ordered from Dahlal 6 months ago. All my costumes prior to this one have been bought used or off the rack, so I was really excited to order a costume just for me.

Here's the problem: the costume I received has several differences from the costume pictured on their website. The site does say "Please remember that because the costumes are made by hand, slight variations in color and beadwork will occur. We cannot be responsible for slight design variations."

So my question is, what qualifies as "slight"? What have you gals' experiences been with custom ordering costumes? Is it common to receive a costume with several differences from what is pictured and/or from what you saw on the rack?

My point in posting is not to be a whiner or an ingrate, but to seek you gals' advice on whether I have enough cause to share my disappointment with Dahlal, or if my disappointment is not called for, and I should just hold my tongue.

The costume pictured on their website has only silver and gold embellishments. The costume I received has only gold embellishments. There is no silver anywhere in the costume, so I can't wear it with my silver jewelry (which is what I intended)...and it also has lots of sequins that are kind of a greenish, peacock-kinda color.

The costume pictured has very long gold fringe coming down from the center of the bra. When I tried on the off-the-rack one that Dahlal had back in October, I was very impressed by this fringe. It was so long, it almost touched the top of the skirt. The bra fringe on the costume I received is not gold, but black, and it is only about three inches long. The fringe on the skirt in the website photo is also gold, and several inches long, but the fringe on the skirt I received is also black. Because it's the same color as the black skirt, the fringe doesn't "pop" like the gold fringe does.

And speaking of the black, the costume I tried on was made of a lycra with a twilight finish to it. (like where if the light hits it it kind of has a tiny bit of a shimmer to it?) The lycra in the costume I received is straight black.

The arm gauntlets in the photo are shown worn from the wrist to the elbow, so when I supplied my measurements, I measured my wrist and just below my elbow. The gauntlets I got, I can wear up at the very top of my arm, and they're still too big. Also, both the gauntlets in the photo have the same design on them. One of the gauntlets I receved is an inch longer, and an nch bigger around at the top, than the other one. And the 2 gauntlets have 2 different designs on them. The smaller one actually has a more crowded design than the larger one, which is designed more sparsely, so they look very odd together.

The bra cups are huge. I do not look at that bra and think, "The people who made this had my small chest in mind!" I stuck some "add a whole cup size" pads into them and they'd probably still need a little more padding to not gap on me. While it's amusing to sometimes pretend that the boob fairy had been a little more generous with me, I think that cups that big kind of overwhelm my little frame.

(A note regarding the too-large gauntlets and bra: I had a professional seamstress take all the required measurements before I ordered the costume, so I know that I was measured accurately.)

Another huge discrepancy is the design along the body of the skirt. I actually don't mind this difference because the design I received is more elaborate than the design pictured, but I'd be really annoyed if the design they decided to slap on there instead of the one pictured was a design that I really didn't like.

The beading that lines the top and bottom of the gauntlets, the edge of the headband, the top of the skirt, and the outline of the bra is shown as gold in the website photo. On the costume I received, it is black, so it's pretty much invisible, unlike the gold, which pops.

On top of all this, there are 12 rhinestones missing. There aren't any loose rhinestones in the box they shipped it in, so I know they sent it out that way. Rhinestones falling out during normal use I can understand; paying good money for something that arrives already defective is just maddening.

Lastly, there is some perilously loose thread along the beaded hem on the skirt. I can't pull it tight because the loose thread is knotted in the middle. I'll have to totally restitch it if I don't want to risk stepping on it and breaking the thread.

The skirt is 1" shorter than the length I specified. I'm tall, so I'm very picky about skirt length.

I look at the costume and I think, "That is a beautiful costume," but I am disappointed because it was not what I was expecting.

Man, I'm just so bummed. I don't think I'll be special ordering from Dahlal again. Next time I need a costume, I'm bugging you guys instead, because I like you all much better, and I know that I'll get what's described! :)