Custom Dresses

There are a lot of misconceptions about China in the U.S. Most people assume that I can get fortune cookies and lo mein {negative} and that everything is cheaper here {depends. I'll write another post on this soon}. I am happy to report that some things are true: inexpensive, custom-made clothing.

I have been looking for a few months for a clothing market at which to have a dress made for an upcoming wedding. I wanted somewhere with fair prices {I am not very good at bargaining} and that wasn't part of the "tourist track" {these places are hit and miss}. I also wanted the option of getting a western-style dress made with Chinese-style fabric. 

Then, a few weeks ago a friend reported that she found a fabric market and that she had a high-quality suit made. I knew I had to go. Four of us piled into a taxi and found our way to a typical Chinese fabric market: dark, winding and by all Western standards a bit dodgy. However, I found a gorgeous green Chinese-style satin, and had a nice man copy a current dress of mine.

The result? I'll let you decide:

I think I'll go back.