WHERE CAN I BUY A VAGABOND GOWN?
To find you nearest retailer globally, please visit our RETAILER page. If you are not located near a retailer or if the design you’re looking for is not sampled at your local retailer, you are welcome to place an order with us directly by sending us an email. We offer online consultations to guide you through the measurement process. Our flagship boutique is in Cape Town, South Africa.
WORLDWIDE SHIPPING
We ship globally via DHL. It is always recommended that you try our gowns on at one of our retailers and order your gown via them, however if you are not located near one of our retailers, or if the the retailer does not carry the specific design you are looking for, we can offer a direct purchase and deliver directly from our studio. Please mail us for more information [email protected]
PRODUCTION AND ORDER LEAD TIME
Our standard time for production is 4 or 5 months, depending on the style (excluding shipping). Should you require a gown sooner than that, please email your retailer or Vagabond directly to check if a rush can be accommodated. We do offer rushes up to 4 weeks, subject to fabric and production capacity. Rush fees will apply.
Where are our gowns made?
We make all our gowns individually by hand in our own atelier in Ukraine – we have our own full spectrum in house team and do not outsource any workmanship. The gowns are made by skilled artisans with over two centuries of craft experience combined, and we are very proud to offer a high quality, bespoke couture product. We use traditional pattern making techniques, all developed by hand and individually tested. Nothing is automated or mass produced.
CUSTOMIZATIONS
All our gowns are custom made to order in our studio, therefore changes and customizations are absolutely possible. Mixing and matching fabrics, combining tops and bottoms from various gowns, raising necklines, lowering backlines, adding or removing sleeves, extending or shortening trains or swapping linings, as well as creating custom colours on our tulle gowns are all possible changes (subject to confirmation). Please email us or enquire with your retailer for customization queries.
DO YOU OFFER BUSTLES?
We can attach a wrist style bustle upon request. This can only be done if your gown is already the correct hem length, by choosing a complimentary custom hem, done in the production studio.
How does sizing work?
We work on UK and USA standard sizes. UK sizes 4 – 24; USA sizes 0 – 20. Your retailer or ourselves will furnish you with our size chart for detailed measurements. Should your bust, waist and hip measurements fall under different size brackets, we offer a complimentary three way split size (bust UK8 / waist UK10 / hips UK12) on all orders.
We also offer a Made to Measure service, so we can also accommodate orders outside of our standard size range – please enquire with your retailer or email us for more information.
Your retailer will guide you through accurate measurements and selecting the correct size when shopping for your gown. If you are ordering directly, we will guide you step by step on the process to determine the closest size to your body, including measurement guidelines and diagrams indicating how to take them. We are happy to offer an online consultation over a video or voice call to guide you if necessary.
A note to remember: most gowns will require professional alterations to ensure a perfect fit, even if a made to measure gown is ordered. Sufficient time should be allowed for this.
Please allow up to 2cm production tolerance on sizing.
Click to view our Size Chart.
GOWN HEM LENGTH
We have an options of 2 standard hem lengths: “classic standard length” is 125cm from waist to floor in front; and our “standard petite hem” is 115cm from waist to floor in front.
The newly launched PETIT HEM service is specifically geared towards brides who are 168cm and below in height (under 5.5ft).
We also offer our very popular complimentary custom hem service, meaning we can hem your gown correctly to a length of your choice. We require your waist to floor measurement at centre front (WITH SHOES).
We highly recommend that you make use of our custom hem offering as this ensures that your skirt is cut and manufactured to the correct proportions of your body, for example your mermaid silhouette will be adjusted correctly along the entire skirt and not just cut off at the bottom. In gowns that have an ornate trim detail on the hem, it allows you to retain the trim, and eliminates a significant work load for your post production alterations. As well as a generous cost saving of course.
CLEANING YOUR GOWN
All our gowns are composed of mostly polyester, and do extremely well with a gentle cold hand wash, alternatively specialist dry cleaning also works.
If doing a handwash, dry flat on a towel to approximately 80% dryness prior to hanging. Do not machine wash.
For spot cleaning and stain removal, we have found that 99% of marks respond very well to some hand cleaning with white soap & clear spirits (rubbing alcohol), this evaporates perfectly and does not leave any water stain. Hydrogen peroxide also works very well for certain marks. Directions: you would need to dab a piece of white cotton fabric or earbud (that has been soaked in the spirits) over the affected area to try and lighten the mark. If the mark is a bit stubborn, then try rubbing some white soap on the cloth or earbud and again dab at the affected area. If treating the mark with water & soap, use a mildly warm hairdryer at a distance to avoid watermarks.
RETURNS & EXCHANGES
As our gowns are individually and lovingly custom made for our brides to their measurements, and they go through an extremely stringent quality control at numerous production stages, they are therefore not eligible for exchange or return for any reason, other than in the unlikely event of there being a major fault with the gown.
VARIATIONS
We offer an exclusive, couture service, which means that each Vagabond gown is individually hand crafted with delicate and fragile fabrics, and it is therefore normal for there to be minor variations, slight imperfections and inconsistencies, however the integrity of the design will always stay intact.
No liability is taken for minor faults or flaws that are considered normal in hand made couture products. The luxurious fabrics in our gowns can easily pull, and although every care is taken to prevent this, sometimes very minor pulls may occur in the fabric, and this will not be considered a flaw that warrants a return or remake. Because our gowns are individually handmade and depending on your choice of the specific color and fabrication, a dye lot variance of 10% needs to be allowed. This is a standard condition from our suppliers and fabric mills.
The customer understands that a new gown, even in the same size as the sample, will have variations due to it being in a new condition, pattern grading and the handmade nature of the garment.