Problem
I received an exciting email from Intu, the shopping mall in Watford , North west London, England.(Intu have more malls all over the country). Meghan's wedding dress inspired dresses with boat necks at unbelievable prices (low! affordable! - to high) but missing an essential fact - what's the fabric?
I then go onto ASOS, and I see more of the fabulous designs. Again, not enough information. I see one or two captions mention lace, but most give no indication of the material.
Answers
What I like about Amazon and ebay is usually see what you are getting. Ebay even has reference guides to: types of fabric; silver; and so on.
I have worked out the meaning of sand-washed silk and other types of silk. One word, or rather phrase of description which confused me this week was Ice Silk. As far as I can see it's almost a brand name, a synthetic, not silk from a silk worm. I was on the point of sending off a complaint to ebay when I thought about it and had second thoughts.
If they banned thre phrase Ice Silk, maybe they would have to stop advertisers using the term Thai Silk. I love Thai silk. I often search for Thai silk. Thai Silk, which is not silk, is a term I understand.
Thai Silk
After a long time thinking Thai silk was always real silk, then I found out it's usually a patterned synthetic fabric with a lovely gloss or sheen, and looks expensive. I am happy to buy it again and again.
Ice Silk
However, the term Ice Silk is new to me. I feel it should be Ice Silky or Thai Silky.
Faux Leather
The same caution grips me when I read 'faux leather'. I don't feel outraged. I feel confused, afraid that I am being cheated, foolish, stupid, gullible. If nothing else, it wastes my time giving me pages of synthetics when I am trying to buy the real thing. Therefore, I run out of time and patience and go away buying nothing.
It took me a while, and a couple of wasted purchases, to find out that noil silk is not soft and smooth but bubbly.
Fresh
I am also bothered by a brand of juice called Fresh, because now when I look at menus I can never tell whether the Fresh juice really is the brand or made freshly squeezed on the premises.
I recall the phrase 'buyer beware'. I'm sure the sellers are making a fortune and have many happy customers. I am not yet one of them. What do you think?
At least, with a name like faux leather, or Thai silk or ice silk, you can google away until you find out what the fabric really is. Because I speak French fluently, I know that faux means false. But when there's no description, how do you know what you are getting?
I can see for myself if it looks boat-neck, or pleated, or lace. But will it turn out to be backless? Is it lined? Elasticated? Could I wear it more than three hours? (Before it fell apart!)
If you are buying goods for a wedding or honeymoon in the summer heat, you may be concerned about the fabric. Is it lightweight, cotton, washable, crease-free, stain repellent, soft, scratchy, machine washable, dry clean only, hand wash only - what?
Useful Websites
https://intu.co.uk/inspire-me/meghan-markle-wedding-dress-dupe?utm_medium=Newsletter
http://www.asos.com/search/wedding%20dress?q=wedding+dress
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
I received an exciting email from Intu, the shopping mall in Watford , North west London, England.(Intu have more malls all over the country). Meghan's wedding dress inspired dresses with boat necks at unbelievable prices (low! affordable! - to high) but missing an essential fact - what's the fabric?
I then go onto ASOS, and I see more of the fabulous designs. Again, not enough information. I see one or two captions mention lace, but most give no indication of the material.
Answers
What I like about Amazon and ebay is usually see what you are getting. Ebay even has reference guides to: types of fabric; silver; and so on.
I have worked out the meaning of sand-washed silk and other types of silk. One word, or rather phrase of description which confused me this week was Ice Silk. As far as I can see it's almost a brand name, a synthetic, not silk from a silk worm. I was on the point of sending off a complaint to ebay when I thought about it and had second thoughts.
If they banned thre phrase Ice Silk, maybe they would have to stop advertisers using the term Thai Silk. I love Thai silk. I often search for Thai silk. Thai Silk, which is not silk, is a term I understand.
Thai Silk
After a long time thinking Thai silk was always real silk, then I found out it's usually a patterned synthetic fabric with a lovely gloss or sheen, and looks expensive. I am happy to buy it again and again.
Ice Silk
However, the term Ice Silk is new to me. I feel it should be Ice Silky or Thai Silky.
Faux Leather
The same caution grips me when I read 'faux leather'. I don't feel outraged. I feel confused, afraid that I am being cheated, foolish, stupid, gullible. If nothing else, it wastes my time giving me pages of synthetics when I am trying to buy the real thing. Therefore, I run out of time and patience and go away buying nothing.
It took me a while, and a couple of wasted purchases, to find out that noil silk is not soft and smooth but bubbly.
Fresh
I am also bothered by a brand of juice called Fresh, because now when I look at menus I can never tell whether the Fresh juice really is the brand or made freshly squeezed on the premises.
At least, with a name like faux leather, or Thai silk or ice silk, you can google away until you find out what the fabric really is. Because I speak French fluently, I know that faux means false. But when there's no description, how do you know what you are getting?
I can see for myself if it looks boat-neck, or pleated, or lace. But will it turn out to be backless? Is it lined? Elasticated? Could I wear it more than three hours? (Before it fell apart!)
If you are buying goods for a wedding or honeymoon in the summer heat, you may be concerned about the fabric. Is it lightweight, cotton, washable, crease-free, stain repellent, soft, scratchy, machine washable, dry clean only, hand wash only - what?
Replica of Kate's wedding dress, from Chinese source. Wikipedia.
Useful Websites
https://intu.co.uk/inspire-me/meghan-markle-wedding-dress-dupe?utm_medium=Newsletter
http://www.asos.com/search/wedding%20dress?q=wedding+dress
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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