Thursday, June 26, 2014

Letter from a Reader: Designer from Hell - Take 2

Bridal Gown

Entourage Member's Gown

Mother's Gown
Images courtesy of Fashion PULIS reader

In this supposed merry wedding month of June, we are again hearing horrible stories, often dubbed as wedding nightmares by the hapless victims. Here we'll feature the latest victim of this torment and her alleged tormentor. As is usual, the culprit is the wedding designer whom we will refer to in this story as Mr. R.

The Mother of the Groom MG never expected to have problems with her son's wedding ( set on June 18) because she had the services of one of the best Wedding Planners WP in the industry. But that was not to be so. Here's the sequence of events that led to such a nightmare:

Last February, before going for her trip abroad, MG asked her soon-to-be-daughter-in-law DL and Her Mother HM to meet up with WP so that he could introduce them to professional and trusted designers who would make a nice wedding gown for a pregnant bride and her entourage. But it did not happen, as DL and HM decided to engage the services of designer Mr. R on the strength of recommendation (or hard sell) of DL's cousin. MG gave in to them even though she wasn't exactly in favor of their choice.

MG, although committed to shoulder the expenses for the wedding, wanted to defer to DL's family especially when it came to her wedding gown. Why was MG not in favor to hire Mr. R for the job?

First off: First impressions last. For such a big project, Mr. R chose to meet them at the mall, as he didn't have a shop/atelier. MG already raised her concern about this bit and Mr. R said that he normally does his fitting in the homes of his clients and that it worked perfectly in the past.

On that meeting at the mall, Mr. R beautifully sketched the designs of the gowns, to the delight and satisfaction of DL and HM. Afterwhich, he asked for a 50% downpayment, purportedly to buy the materials needed.

On the same week, MG and Mr. R agreed to meet at MG's bank located in a mall. It was there that the next alarm bell started to ring again for MG. Mr. R made her wait for three hours!

MG called up DL to tell her that she could not work with such an unprofessional designer who didn't respect and value the time of his clients. Yet once again, and contrary to MG's better judgement, DL told MG not to worry and to go ahead with Mr. R as her cousin was confidently vouching for him.

After giving him the 50% downpayment, MG then agreed on the date (March 9 ) for Mr. R to go to their house to take the measurements of the whole entourage and discuss details of the materials to be used. But on that day, Mr. R just sent his staff instead to do the measurements because he said he was busy with the Little Miss Earth contest. MG was about to blow her top at that point.

Then nearing Good Friday, without anything to show in terms of work progress, Mr. R was again asking for an advance payment, which MG objected to at the start.

But again, DL meddled and appeased MG once more and she relented, gave Mr. R additional Php 10,000, raising the total amount to Php76, 500 that was advanced to Mr. R.

All this time, MG and family have not seen any single finished gown at all. Worse, Mr. R cancelled another fitting set April 28/29 just before MG and family were to leave for Europe.

On MG's arrival from Europe by the 3rd week of May, for the nth time, Mr. R cancelled another scheduled fitting. At this time, DL and HM were already worried, but apparently trying to mask it from MG for obvious reason - they were the ones who were insistent on engaging the services of Mr. R.

On the last week of May, Mr. R came up only with the linings made of Gina silk, so horribly made that members of the entourage (MG's nieces) cried. DL was trying to contain her obvious worries as she was ashamed of MG, who although fuming mad, had to accept (not really believe) Mr. R's promise that he would make good his commitment to deliver finished and well-made gowns on time.

At this point, MG was hell-bent on looking for another designer. Unknown to MG, WP had been quietly working in the sidelines much earlier, doing her best to look for one. MG asked DL to make the decision on this, but again DL stood by her cousin's word that Mr. R was really going to deliver.

All this time, all DL was trying on was lining upon lining of fabric because Mr. R convinced her that in her pregnant state, her gown had to be finished at the last minute as her tummy was getting bigger. DL was gullible enough to believe him.

On June 10, just eight (8) days to the wedding, Mr. R delivered MG's nieces' gowns, so outrageously done with plastic beads and ugly appliqués ( totally different from his drawings). Right there and then, MG made a decision. She commissioned her Own Designer OD to be the one to do her nieces' gowns ( all 5 of them). OD was also the one making MG's terno and her 2 sisters' gowns.

Even up to that time, MG was hoping against hope that Mr. R would redeem himself so she sent him a Viber message telling him that she decided to have someone else make the gowns of the five (5) members of the entourage so that he could concentrate on the remaining entourage members AND the bride DL. MG even added that she was still going to pay Mr. R for everything as long as he made a beautiful gown for the bride.

Four days before the wedding, the flower girl gowns were delivered - all so sloppily done. MG had OD repair them. (OD did not charge her for this).

Two days before the wedding, MG could sense that DL was not happy. She was not looking forward to her wedding but she did not tell MG. All DL said was that she thought she looked like an elephant in her gown and that her bridal veil was yet to be delivered and her secondary veil looked like it was purchased from cheap tiangge.

MG called up WP who suggested to her to request DL to take a picture of herself in the bridal gown in all angles. When DL sent the pictures, MG almost had a heart attack! The bust area was not aligned, the color was a dirty beige, the cut hideous. It was to MG the most hideously constructed bridal gown she had seen in her entire life.

MG sent the pictures to WP who immediately talked to OD who was gracious enough to agree to make a bridal gown from scratch in 36 hours!

But that wasn't the end of the story.

In the afternoon before the wedding, MG got a call from DL saying that the zippers of HM's gown and that of the maid of honor and three bridesmaids were all broken and that they were trying to find someone to fix them.

MG once again called WP who begged another one of her designer friends, this time a staff to help them. It turned out, the zippers were the least of their problem. All the gowns looked horrible, so sloppily done. They had to have the beadwork totally changed and the construction of the gowns adjusted to make them wearable, at the very least. All of these are documented in pictures by MG and WP.

MG's exact words: " I can't believe this horrible ordeal happened to us. I thank God I had WP who defied all odds and helped us make the wedding a beautiful affair after all. I am writing upon the suggestion of WP so that this Mr. R who almost ruined my son's wedding may hopefully get his comeuppance and not be allowed to ruin somebody else's wedding in the future. "

Indeed, in this day and age when con artists and double-dealers have become commonplace, to be vigilant is our only armor.

" A lie may take care of the present, but it has no future. " ~ Unknown

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89 comments:

  1. Tsk! Sue the sh*t out of that designer!

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    1. Korek! Bagay sa mga ganitong tao eh pinapublic shaming! Pangalanan iyang designer kuno na iyan!

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    2. agree 100% sue the designer

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  2. Si bride naman kase eh! God gave us will and intelligence so please use it wisely. Kung ayaw gamitin ebenta mo na lang. Grabe!

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    1. so this is how you solve a situation? sisihin ang bride? yes, God gave you will and intelligence, so please use it logically, rationally, and reflectively. you will probably see how ironic your comment is.

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    2. Uy, si bride pikon! That is not the way to rebutt a commenter. Tandaan mo, ikaw at yung cousin mo ang may malaking kasalanan dito. Pasalamat ka mabait si Mudrabelles in law.

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    3. tama kasalanan ng designer ng brise at ng pinsan yan. buti nasalba pa ng mother in law mo kahit papaano ang wedding mo. kung ako mother in law mo bahala ka magmukhang ka T sa wedding mo.

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  3. Replies
    1. OMG. who in the world is this? pangalanan please! for the sake of his future clients.

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  4. OMG, clue naman sino si Mr. R. Pangalanan na yan. So unprofessional.

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  5. Buti nagawan ng paraan ng mother in law, kundi nganga ang wedding.. c daughter in law namn kc namili p ng so-so n designer, may budget namn pala.. nadoblehan p tuloy s gastos

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  6. Dito palang sa statement na ito - "DL and HM decided to engage the services of designer Mr. R on the strength of recommendation (or hard sell) of DL's cousin" malaki na ang problema nila. Si cousin ba ang mag babayad ng mga gown? Si MG dapat ang masunod since siya ang mag babayad. Ang moral ng story? Huwag makinig sa mga pakialamera. Alam naman ni MG na trusted and reputable yung kukunan nya ng gown tapos makikinig siya kay "cousin" na wala naman palang store yung bagong mananahi.

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    1. I agree! In fairness ang swerte ni DL at mabait si MG. At mahusay si WP na anticipate nya ang problema. Lol bka nagtatago na yang "designer" na yan ngayon. If they had a written agreement they should definitely sue that incompetent fraudulent @$$ho£€

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    2. Korek. Ang laki ng pagsisisi ng bride. Buntis pa naman, niloloko pa siya!!

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  7. Juskopo!!! Que Horror!!! What has happened to the world?!

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  8. Grabe na talaga, dumadami na ang mga manloloko! Isama ng ikulong yan kila Sexy at Pogi!

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  9. Bibingo na tong designer na to. Pangalawang beses na to diba fp?

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    Replies
    1. No, it's a different one. The 1st one was Designer Daw whose name is D. Eto magugulat ka, because he is already quite known in the industry, as in!!

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  10. Here we go again. Sana man lang pangalanan para malaman nang mga soon to be brides who not to go to.

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  11. Ang ipinagtataka ko sa mga ganitong kakila-kilabot na mga karanasan ay bakit AYAW PANGALANAN ang mga sinasabi nilang halos sumira ng isang napakaimportanteng event ng buhay nila!

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    Replies
    1. Kasi nakakahiya din sa family. Nadala sila sa maling akala.

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    2. Baka naman pinangalanan nung reader (letter sender) kaso ni-censor lang ni FP lahat ng names since there's no way FP can verify the story.

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  12. Who is this designer? How can ppol avoid him if he's not named? Still, madami pa to mabiktima! I sure hope this is not the same with the first one. Nakakarami na sya kung ganon..

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  13. Pangalanan na kasi nang maiwasan ng lahat at nang maturuan ng leksyon ang manlolokong ito. A wedding is sacred and among the handful of most treasured memories. Not merely an opportunity for money-making or, worse, a chance to scam people of their money!

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  14. buti mabait si MG. kung ibang manugang pa yan baka inaway na nya yung bride. tsaka si MG nmn pala ang gagasto sana di nalng nakialam yung bride

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  15. Hay naku, dapat pilipitin ang leeg ng pakialamerang cousin at uto utong at matigas ulo na bride! Anuba?? Nakakaloka kayo!

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  16. Pangalanan na yan para wala ng mabiktima pang iba.

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  17. Mm m...Mr.R? Eto ba yung may issue din dati na tinakbo ang mga bayad ng bride nya at biglang nagtago? At take note, bumalik pa sya sa wedding industry after ilang months at nawala ulit ng parang bula!

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    Replies
    1. Ateng andito na sa US yang tinutukoy mo. nameet sya ng sis ko dito. nfernes gumagawa na sya ng name dito. even dressing hollywood stars. sana ng bago na tlaga sya kc not everyone is getting 2nd chance.

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  18. FP, the name of the designer should be revealed. para di na ito makaulit. the same thing happened to my friend's wedding. may store naman yung designer and he came through in the end. kaya lang the anxiety that my friend/bride and her in-laws had to go through knowing that the gowns and suits of the entourage was not yet finish 2 days before the wedding! yung suit nga tela pa at di pa nagugupitan! this designer is currently doing well in the US.

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  19. Bongga ni MG, parang ansarap maging mother-in-law! xD

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  20. R should be sued for moral and exemplary damages. Matuto siya hindi magsinungaling.

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  21. Ang galing ni wedding planner at ni Mother.

    Imagine:
    1) MG and her sisters and related entourage had to rush their outfits with OD
    2) OD fixed flower girl gowns for free
    3) OD also fixed bride's dress! KALOKA!
    4) WP had to find a THIRD designer to fix mother of the bride and bridesmaids outfits!!

    Kasuhan na!

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    1. Actually from scratch yung bridal gown, teh

      KINARIR sa 36 hr deadline...talagang NKKLK!!

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  22. That cousin....haist

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    1. true! bka me komisyon! lol hindi ko ma-take ang bridal gown lalo xa ngmukhang buntis.

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  23. Ang sama ng cutting, draping, zipper man lang hindi maayos...

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  24. Why not reveal the name of this irresponsible designer so that others would not be trapped anymore to this designer.

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  25. Name the designer!

    Yeah, why would the bride listen to her cousin? That's her special day, why should she listen to someone's hard sell?

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    1. She would listen probably because she thought the cousin knew better? Or simply because she's her COUSIN. We even listen to our friends, or anyone whom we thought could help us. Unless you are in the situation, you have no clue about the details. Funny how some people can put the blame on the victim, instead of putting it on the abuser. So classy.

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    2. very well said thank you for this comment

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    3. Hello Bride. If there is a next time, try doing a background check muna on the designer. Ano naman ang say ng cousin mo? Sana nag apologize sya sa nangyari sa iyong kasal. The abuser slearly is at fault but there were red flags all over, even the MIL sensed it and yet common sense and gut feel evaded you. But nevertheless, it was good that everything turned out just fine. Best wisher to you!

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  26. Grabe, umpisa pa lang eh ang dami nang red flags! EE din tong si daughter in law! Si mother of groom naman, may mga amiga palang designer/mananahi, dapat pinilit niya si DL!

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  27. Ang s naman kasi ng bride at mom nya. Di nman cla gagastos sa mga gowns na gagawin. She deserves to wear that dress from hell kasi naniwala sa mga pakialamera. Mukhang si cousin eh may cut pa dun sa bayad ni mudra.

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  28. Totoo ka dyan Anon 12:32 Parang yung designer si Mr. R sya yung nahihilig ngayon sa j. Hula ko lang to ha - Chenelin Fresh

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    1. Di ka nagkakamali, SIYA nga YUN, as in J!!

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    2. I thoroughly searched for this horrible designer and alas! tumfak n tumfak k anon 2:48. hilig nya sa j kya bigyan ng j yan! hahaha

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  29. Baka naman pwedeng I reveal si OD? Buti naman we have real designers!

    Not that unprofessional fake poseur R!

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  30. how could the public be warned when the designer is not named

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  31. Grabe ang panget ng gawa, magandanpa giwn sa divisoria kaloka

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  32. I pity the clients but di ko nabasa lahat di ko naman kasi kilala yung designer. It will help if you give out more clues about the designer. Pag ganito kasi yung article wala kang idea who it is.

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  33. May clue na guys. Designer daw sa miss earth? Magoogle nga

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  34. "...But on that day, Mr. R just sent his staff instead to do the measurements because he said he was busy with the Little Miss Earth contest. MG was about to blow her top at that point."

    There's the clue! Little Miss Earth 2014!

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    Replies
    1. Pwedeng hindi rin. Pwedeng yabang lang nya yun. Pero you can try to search

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  35. I know this designer. He's a former housemate of mine. The way he operates syang sya talaga. After getting your money, tapos ka na sa kanya.

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  36. Parang sya din ung may kaso sa wedding sa t?!!! grabe!!!

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  37. can afford naman si MG eh di sana hinayaan na lang sa designer ni MG pinagawa,

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  38. Walanghiyang R yan pero mas nakaka-buwisit sa katigasan ng ulo yung bride. Sorry to say but good that her (wrong) decision served her right. Sa pagkakagawa ng walang kuwentang R na yan, parang pine trees ang DL at HM. Bow ako kay MG sa pasensiya kina R at DL. Kudos to WP & OD.

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  39. Such HORRIBLE work!!! Mr. R is definitely not a designer, bad fabrics, cutting, draping, appliques and the design itself. The designer HAS to be named! Si Mother In Law naman go lang ng go kay bride. Hay!!!

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  40. Susko! Duda ko may galit si cousin sa bride kaya yun ang sinuggest niya. Hahahaha

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  41. you don't have the right to judge the bride don't even dare to tell that it's the bride's fault!!! pity those who do (kitid lng ng utak) i'm one of the bridesmaid

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    1. All this time, all DL was trying on was lining upon lining of fabric because Mr. R convinced her that in her pregnant state, her gown had to be finished at the last minute as her tummy was getting bigger. DL was gullible enough to believe him....


      "MG asked DL to make the decision on this, but again DL stood by her cousin's word that Mr. R was really going to deliver."


      So, it's not just the designer's fault, my dear.

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    2. Name the designer na teh!

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    3. Bridesmaid and bride---If you do not have the guts to take in the comments here, then this should not have been brought to FP's attention. I feel sorry for what happened but please huwag pikon.

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    4. Heneku bridesmaid, malamang kasama ka sa OD designed gowns kaya hindi ka ganun ka affected

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    5. Malamang ikaw ang pinsan! hahaha!

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  42. FP, is this the same designer from your previous article?

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    Replies
    1. No, it's a different one. Dumadami na nga sila eh.

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  43. ako rin im so tempted to say the bride & her mom deserves this, siguro ex ni groom si cousin kaya gumanti hahaha! pero im getting married soon din & i dont want this to happen to me! grabe ang swerte nya sa mother in law nya ha...

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  44. Ako nalang sana ang naging daughter in law mo.

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  45. Anon 6:52: I used to be a bride myself and if theres really anyone who's at fault, its actually the bride who made the decision getting the designer without first researching for positive or negative feedbacks. its a cardinal rule in wedding preparation not to trust your wedding to anyone else unless theyre highly recommended by someone who already had an FIRST HAND experience with a particular supplier. thats why we have internet for "research." I feel sorry for her for entrusting the gowns to an incompetent designer. kthanksbye

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  46. I think the "designer from hell" outsourced the gowns to gown-makers with stalls in Divisoria. when I got married 4 years ago, i made the mistake of having the gowns of my entourage in Divisoria upon the suggestion of a friend para daw makatipid. So I went there and visited some stalls and in fairness, may mga gowns naman na magaganda. So I chose one stall and gave some pics on the style of gowns I would like them to make. Then afterwards, the people from this stall met with the entourage in the mall like as stated above to take their measurements. When the gowns were finished, I immediately gave it to the entourage kasi 2 weeks na lang wedding day na. Within the day tinawagan ako ng lahat na hindi kasya yung mga gowns. So some of them, nagpalitan na lang kung kanino kasya yung gowns pero for some, I really had to have them repaired. Yung isa, talagang pinatahian ko ng bago. So instead na makatipid, mas lalo pa akong na-stress and napagastos. I learned my lesson the hard way so for special occasions, dun na lang talaga sa totoong designer, tailor, dressmaker that you know of or at least one who is known for their reliability.

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  47. bridal gown ba yun? parang damit ng mother o ng ninang...

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  48. The one should be blamed is the designer. Mr. R didn't even delivered his designs properly but only with poor execution of the wedding gown,and the gowns of the entourage. There is no need to do a research or background check on the designer because Mr. R is a credible one since Mr. R have been featured in several publication, and television show. Plus, Mr. R have been doing fashion week, not to mention, a well known designer asked for help from this designer to complete its look. So why blame, and shame DL and HM when they are the victims here? Mr. R, where is your integrity as a designer?

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    1. I think people who lose common sense based in hearsay should accept part of the blame. Ty for the clues btw

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    2. Ano te? Credible si designer, na-featured sa mga publications tv shows etc? Sure ka eh wala nga daw sariling shop. San cya nagpapainterview then? Sa mall?

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    3. I wish I could reveal the name of Mr. R

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  49. I am the mother of the groom. I want to clarify now that the bride was not at fault at all in everything that happened. It was because she chose to trust a family member that this thing happened. It is in fact a character trait that I so admire in her. . . That her trust and loyalty to family is absolute, even when already faced with unfortunate circumstances. I can only hope that now that she is a member of our family, that trust and loyalty will be extended to us. I must also call attention to the fact that our bride is good and beautiful inside and out. Where other brides would be screaming and shouting and crying or having a nervous breakdown already, she just bore everything in silence because she did not want to burden us with more problems. I am so glad that I noticed that something was not quite right and called up WP, because I am so glad we were able to give our bride a wedding that she will remember with joy and gladness the rest of her life. She deserves this and so much more. It must be pointed out also that if her gown wasn't replaced, she would have worn that horrible gown without a complaint at all. She is truly a woman of substance. She knows that although a beautiful wedding would be nice, it is the marriage that truly counts. My regret in all of this is that in calling the public's attention to the wrongdoings of this designer from hell, I left my dearest daughter in law vulnerable to criticisms and comments that she truly doesn't deserve. As for this designer from hell Mr. R., what he did almost ruined (but not quite) the wedding and the damages can't just be quantified in terms of pesos or dollars, but it also brought to light the amazing qualities of the bride: her trust and loyalty, her goodness and serenity, her substance. I am glad that now she belongs to us.

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    1. Wow.. truly a sincere move from the mom in law. Thank you for clearing out ur daughter in law's image. We shall not hold judgment against her. She is one lucky and blessed to have mother in law like you.

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    2. Mommy, you are such a blessing to your DIL. she's one lucky gal.

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    3. You are an admirable lady, mother-in-law. Wish more mothers-in-law are like you. God bless you!

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  50. Ang sarap maging mother in law ni MG. Super nice. Tama kayo MG, ang mas mahalaga eh ang marriage mismo. God bless your family!

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  51. the lesson here is, bumili ng ready made gown sa divisoria/tutuban/baclaran wherever at maghanap ng bonggang bonggang talented na modesta to make the adjustments. makakatipid na, sure ka pa sa hitsura ng gown mo. useless yung magpasukat sukat ka, tapos bubulagain ka at the last minute ng kahilahilakbot na wedding gown!

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