I've seen quite a few shotty replicas recently, and I think a resource of seamstresses, and their replicas will be really handy for people who may be deciding to commission a replica.
If you have commissioned a replica off of someone, please comment below with the form.
(NOTE: You may include partial-replicas, and Fan+Friend items, but try to keep this post replica-only, and not just random custom clothing. Thanks guys!)
Commissioned item: Metamorphose antique bouquet set
Seamstress: I commissioned
hearts_princess (a.k.a. nessaneko for this item, because she was offering replicas of the item in pink, blue or green; and I didn't really like the colours the original item came-in, so this seemed like a great opportunity. (I was also still building my wardrobe at the time, and commissioning a replica seemed like a nice cheap way to get some gorgeous clothes.)Original item photo:
Item you received: I commissioned a skirt, capelet, and an Alice bow because head-dresses don't suit me.
Cape-let close-up.
Alice bow close-up.
Goofy photo with my boyfriend of me wearing the skirt, and bow.
Item review:
Right from the get-go Nessa was wonderful to work with. The price was amazingly reasonable, and she let me pay in instalments, because at the time I was a pov Uni student. I'd already seen photos of Nessa's previous work, so I knew what-ever I got would be beautiful.
From the photos you can see that the item commissioned isn't 100% exact to the Meta one, because Nessa picked out three fabrics for buyers to choose-from with these replica sets. (I chose the pink one, because I'm a sucker for pink.)
Another difference between the items is the fact that Nessa wanted to use lovely cotton eyelet lace, instead of the cheaper-looking rachel lace that Metamorphose had used on their set. Nessa wanting to use the best materials really won her big points in my book. Another thing was, Nessa was always asking me where I wanted the lace, or what extra trimmings I wanted. She left me in full-control of how I wanted the clothes, and this was wonderful. I left most of the decisions to her however, and was rewarded with a wonderful set of clothing.
I gave Nessa as much time as she needed to complete her other work, while doing my stuff at the same time. It took quite a few months to get my set, but it was well worth the wait.
After Nessa was finished, I paid for extra postage because I wanted it by the weekend of a meet I was planning. Sadly the dress arrived after the weekend, but Nessa refunded me the extra postage I had paid as a result. Also, when I finally got my parcel with the set in it, I was surprised to find that Nessa had given me a little Hello Kitty pin. (As a Christmas present, she's such a sweetie! ^0^)
Now, onto construction. I was so surprised with the level of quality with these items. You can tell from the photos that they're gorgeous, but everything is fully-lined, and finished off beautifully. (No fraying edges, loose cotton, falling-apart pieces to speak of.) The skirt is quite heavier than it looks, and the capelet is nice, and warm over my shoulders. As expected the lace was lovely, and not scratchy or uncomfortable to wear. The skirt also fit perfectly in length, and around the waist. (It's not elastic, but has an invisible zip in the side, with a button up the top.)
In conclusion, I recommend
hearts_princess to anyone looking to commission a replica. She will do a wonderful job of staying true to the original design, but allowing you as much in-put into the design process as you want.Keep in-mind of the waiting period of her items though, don't ask her for a commission, and expect it the next week. Be patient, and know by the end that you'll have an item that you can both be proud of.
Over-all rating: I'd give
hearts_princess a 9 and 3/4 out of 10. (Only because of waiting-time on the item. Otherwise a perfect score.)