Review #25: The Floral Notebook

Recently I discovered the new indie brand The Floral Notebook, run by a girl who makes the loveliest blouses. I hadn't seen a single negative review of her products, so since I had sold of a few older pieces I thought I could get one of her gorgeous blouses guilt free ^__^

On the 6th of April I commented on her page asking about available colours, and she linked me to an image of the available fabrics within a day. I mulled it over for a while and eventually contacted her for the order from on May 9th. Then I was lazy and didn't complete the form until the 23rd, and on the 25th I got a PayPal invoice which I paid promptly. I was told it would take about seven days to make and she'd let me know when it was done. On June 3rd I got a message saying it was done and she's post it that week, and it would take about ten days to get to me in Australia. So I was estimating it would get to me between the 18th and the 20th and lo and behold! It was here on the 18th ^__^

All in all communication was excellent; I always got prompt and helpful replies. However, I never was sent my tracking number but I'm pretty sure if I had cared to ask I would have been given it quickly so I don't really consider that much of a deal. Everything happened in the time frame I was told it would and all in all, customer service wise I'm a very happy camper. Though that's kind of misleading, because quality and fit wise I am also a very happy camper! The fit is perfect, the fabric is quite nice and only a little sheer and the construction is very good. There are a couple of loose threads but it's no big deal. I am really over the moon about this blouse, it's totally perfect for me. For $49US including shipping [which was about $55AU at the time] it's fantastic value.

But. Yes, there are two buts. The first one was obvious the moment I opened the bag - the colour is different to the stock image. It's a lovely, warm wine red, like the sleeve that's in shadow in the stock photo rather than the rest of the blouse. However, it's an absolutely wonderful colour and it actually works better for me than the brighter red I was expecting would have. And I also suppose that given that it's obvious that the stock photo was taken in strong sunlight that the colours may not be accurate. It's a difficult colour to catch on camera, my phone entirely refused to get it right, so I got into photoshop to try and make a colour swatch, which is still not 100% accurate, but is close.

Secondly, there are two slight deviations from the stock image. The buttons are small, round and black unlike the red ones in the stock photo: like with the colour, I don't mind at all but it is different. The other difference was that the neckline ruffled came over the buttons, and in fact had a button hole sewn through it, presumably to keep it in place. I thought this was a bit odd [the buttonhole bit, not the ruffle placement] and have taken a close-up photo to show how it looks. It's not bad, and not even noticeable unless you're really looking at that area, but it's another deviation from the stock image.

All in all I love my blouse. It's gorgeous and it fits me perfectly. However, if I was really expecting exactly what was in the stock image, I would have been disappointed. So if colour and small details like buttons are very important to you [which I imagine they are for most people] please talk to the owner before ordering. From my experience she was lovely and helpful, and so you really shouldn't have any issues ordering exactly what you want from her.

I would heartily recommend The Floral Notebook's blouses and though I'm set for blouses at the moment I fully intend on buying from her again when I need a blouse in a less common colour.