oh shabby apple...

So for my birthday my Mother did an excellent job getting things I really wanted! She had a little help though, in the form of my Amazon wish list. Now I don't really have this list so people will just decide to buy me presents off it. It has a cool function where you can add anything from all over the internet with a link, so I use it to keep track of things I like FOR MYSELF. I sent a link to it ONLY to my mom, just in case. :)

Well she ordered this Shabby Apple dress that I had on there, and I got it on my birthday. I tried it on and not only did it look horrible on me, but it felt cheap and looked cheap. (They make them look so chic on their site.) So I googled the brand on the tag... which brought me to this:

www.chicstar.com
It's trashy, it's sketchy, it's nowhere most Mormon girls would go looking for a modest fashionable dress. And apparently it's where Shabby Apple acquires some of their ridiculously pricey dresses.

Case #1: My dress
Chic Star
Shabby Apple

Mine was red, which Chic Star appears to be out of right now.

Price difference: $36

Case #2:
Chic Star Dress
Shabby Apple Dress

Price difference: $24

That's all I found for now and I don't want to spend the time looking for more.

Now, I understand mark-up. I understand that is how you make money. And I appreciate that Shabby Apple has found modest, fashionable dresses and made them available to the Mormon masses. But the dress I got was not at all what I was expecting it to be. It felt like something I would buy at Forever 21. Which is fine, but it isn't the way Shabby Apple markets their product. They market their product as top quality, and their impressive website helps with the illusion. Which again, is fine. It is business... But I want you, my friends, to know.

Now I have to pay return shipping and because they will send out ONE exchange for free, I am actually exchanging my dress for another item that claims to be "Made for Shabby Apple." Here's to hoping it looks and feels a little better and that I don't end up having to pay return shipping again.
Apparently not.

Edit: In defense of Shabby Apple, they list this manufacturer on a couple of their dresses...

Shabby Apple
Stop Staring

Shabby Apple
Stop Staring

Apparently there wholesale price is much better on this line, as their prices are significantly lower than Stop Staring. (Which I assume is why they actually list this as the manufacturer; it makes them look reasonable.) The lesson here is that there are gems to be found on websites most of us would never look twice at.