Have you noticed all the subtle changes to our sites? 

Our new logo that you see here is showing up on all our sites.  On our invoices and shippers now too!

We couldn’t figure out how to work in a boy and keep it simple. . . . 

This logo is to help identify our special occasion clothing boutiques of all ages but especially to show the special bond between mother and child - big sister and little sister - bride and flower girl - all those very special occasions in life for which we’re here to provide your attire!

Have you noticed the precious new photos at our home page www.ThePerfectPear.com?  Especially the ones for Baby & Christening Department and for Girls Dresses & Gowns.  So sweet!

The new little guy for Boys Suits & Tuxedos is an example of the really fine styles to come!

These are all examples of the subtle changes that are happening here at Perfect Occasions by The Perfect Pear - children’s special occasion clothing boutiques and now special occasion gowns for juniors, misses and women too!

Silk Christening gowns and baby suits are in high demand these days.  Silk is a gorgeous, luxurious fabric that is ideal for such a special occasions as a Christening, Blessing, Dedication or Bris.

But one of our manufacturers received several calls in the past few months from customers who encoutered problems when they took their silk outfits to the cleaners.  They claimed that the fabric had fallen apart when dry cleaned and came out with holes and damages.

Is this to be expected?  Or does this mean faulty garments?

They did quite a bit of investigation on the matter.  They pulled samples out of their typical silk stock and took them to multiple dry cleaners to have them tested.  In fact, they put each outfit through the cleaners several times.

The result?  They all came through the process beautifully and with no damage at all.

They requested a damaged garment from one of the customers.  To their surprise, the gown was stained, discolored and the fabric was stiff to the touch and was severely water damaged.

The dry cleaning company had washed it in a washing machine!

It is wise to know your dry cleaners.  Not all know to use the right processes with silk.  If you experience a problem, you should hold the cleaners responsible for damage they cause.

Our manufacturers carefully select the finest silks on the market.  Proper dry cleaning will NOT damage our garments.

And yes, this really applies to ALL garments made in silk, whether for infants, children or adults. 

We get this question a lot: 

 ”What length dress is the model wearing in the picture - tea or formal?  I can’t tell.”

We understand what you’re really asking - how long will it be on MY child?

We usually don’t know which length dress the model was wearing when the photo was taken.  Why not?  Because it really doesn’t matter . . . . that dress is going to fit every child differently.

So how do you know?  By using the size chart linked in the description of that dress.  It tells you how long that dress is expected to run (it will be within less than an inch of accuracy). 

A formal length dress on one child may be a tea length dress on another  -  and a tea length dress on one child can be a formal length dress on another.

How do you  know how it will be on you child?  By using the size chart and measuring.

That’s the ONLY way to determine fit.

And be sure to use the extensive tips & directions provided under Measuring & Size Selection.   A link is included in the description of every special order style and is under “Need Help?” in the top navigation link from every page.

THIS IS EXCITING NEWS!

A whole new series of baby suits, baby dresses and Christening gowns are arriving.  You can see them in our Newest Additions department as well as going to our Baby & Christening Department styles.

These new styles are:

• Made in the USA
• Gorgeous, made of rich fabrics and classically styled
• Available QUICKLY!

We think that’s a recipe for success, don’t you? 

Our staff is working feverishly to add all the new styles as quickly as possible.  You’ll find them available with wonderful accessories too!

Some are traditionally styled while others are innovate.  We hope you check them out - and would love to hear your comments about them!

It’s true - it’s not just a “buzz saying”.

We pack every shipment with loving care.  Whether it is a Christening gown, a suit or a gorgeous gown - it is packed with tender loving care.

This week we had the honor of packing a rather large shipment of baby dresses all selected in sizes 6M and 9M for a new adoption that came through.  We were SO thrilled to be part of this wonderful occasion in the family’s life - actually, we feel blessed to be a part of it.

Every little dress - whether pink, blue, lavender or white - was packed with such loving care.  That kind of care goes into every package we ship!

 On this day before Sweetest Day - we wish you love!

 Sending love to you and your family from our team with every box we send . . . .

Many of our items are “in stock” - especially infant and Christening items and also Clearance items.  Quantity is limited on stock items, of course.  In fact with Clearance items, it’s almost always “1″.

We know that you are entrusting us with your most special occasions in life and take that very seriously.  So, we work faithfully to keep the inventory/availability information up to date by updating the shopping cart daily Mon-Fri (and often on Saturdays, too). 

What we don’t do is “pre-sell” a shipment.  What is that?

Well, have you ever ordered something - say, from a catalog - and were given a date 5 or 6 weeks from now for when it will be available to ship?  That’s pretty common.

And then 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 weeks from now you get a card in the mail saying “availability date has changed” and it gives you another date several weeks out?

That approximate date was nothing more than a best guestimation.  They want to get your order.  They’re pre-selling the next shipment to arrive.

If anything goes wrong, it’s late and you get a card in the mail. 

Truth is, they may actually be hanging out to see if there are enough orders to justify having that shipment actually made by the supplier.  In other words - testing whether sales justify placing the order to have it made.  Meanwhile, you’ve made plans and think it’s all taken care of, but maybe it’s not.

So the cards come unilaterally changing the delivery. Take it or leave it.  Eventually, you might get one that says it isn’t going to be available and your order has been cancelled.  Why?  Either they pre-sold the entire shipment and not enough people cancelled to fill your order — or — not enough orders came for that item to justify placing a wholesale (read:  bulk / large volume) order.  So they cancel on you.

We don’t do that.  If it’s expected to be available now, we take the order.  If it’s not, we don’t.  If we get more orders than we have stock items (shopping cart is updated daily, but this can happen over night and does some times) - we notify you right away and ask if you would rather select another item or cancel.

We don’t string you along.

We frequently get inquiries “when will this (not available now) size be available?”  That’s asking you to give them one of those guestimation dates in the scenario above.

But we value our customers’ special occasion trust far too much to make up something to get that order.  We feel it is better to be bluntly honest and let you know it’s not available now - we cannot pre-determine when/if it will be again - and encourage you to select something that IS available rather than hanging on to the hope that it might become available in time for your occasion.

We don’t pre-sell hoping to get that item in again.

In fact, most stock items won’t be available again.  They’re made for a “season” and then are gone. There are some exceptions, of course - especially with the styles that are made exclusively for us.

Example:  Style #WB-06181 -  This is one of the gowns that we keep restocking.  Size 6M is sold out right now.  When can we expect more to arrive?  Approximately - some time around -  mid-December.  Can we promise you they will get it by then?  No.  Will we take an order in hopes to fill it by then?  No.  It’s currently available in sizes 3M & 9M - and many other styles ARE available in size 6M.  Our website will be updated as soon as size 6M is available again.  We cannot predict with any accuracy when they will arrive.

Why?  For one, the amount of hand work that goes into many of these gowns is extensive.  So, production can - and does - vary.  That’s just the way it works.

We’re watching out for you rather than trying to build our bottom line and risk dashing your hopes.

You know, it got so busy here the other day that I never really got to finish the entry on Dress Spotlight - #US-820.  So much is happening around here that it becomes overwhelming at times!  But more on that later . . . let’s talk abont color coordinating for weddings and how style #US-820 can be used perfectly for this.  We show it here in different color combinations from the previous post so you can see just how versatile this dress really is!

NOTE:  This dress isn’t just a great flower girl dress, either.  It is perfect for recitals, Daddy/Daughter dances and perhaps a Mitzvah too (with a jacket, of course).  Remember - the flower can be removed.

First, you order the dress in a color that coordinates with your wedding party - white, ivory, black or champagne.  This is one of the few dresses actually available in the gorgeous champagne color - that coordinates SO well with all the browns and taupes that are so popular right now - and black too!

Then, you order the sash and flower in a color to accent. 

Will that color match brides maids dresses?  No.  That’s a given.  We’ve discussed why extensively in this series - and more is available under FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) in our website and also in our FREE Wedding Tips (have you requested yours yet?).

The beauty is that it’s just a sash - a splash of color - so matching isn’t required! 

Another option is to order the sash in the color of the FLOWERS instead of the color of the brides maids’ dresses.  This can be a terrific choice!  It enhances your color scheme and looks perfectly coordinated.

And, as we mentioned before, you can always have a local seamstress make up a sash from the same fabric as your brides maids’ dresses - you would have to order that fabric at the same time as their dresses.  See our previous post about that.

Since this dress is ideal for both older and younger girls, it is EXTREMELY versatile.

Today’s Dress Spotlight is on dress #US-820 - a fantastic dress for many reasons!

Are you struggling to find a style that is suitable for a girl who is not “a baby” any more but isn’t into Jr. Misses sizes yet?   Then take a serious look at dress #US-820.

This dress has a classic A-line silhouette that flatters every figure. The peplum over the hipline adds style detail without being “too sweet” as in “tiny baby dress”.

It is available in white, ivory, champagne AND black.  We adore it in champagne . . . . 

And then you can add the sash color of your choice.  We’ve seen it in just about every conceivable combination by now.  Ivory/chocolate and ivory/champagne and ivory/green are very popular.   Those nice, neutral colors aren’t necessary “flower girl-y” and yet they ARE very popular for weddings this fall.

Champagne with cocoa or chocolate - stunning (that’s in the photo shown here)!  Champagne with black - elegant!  Champagne with pink - darling but not babyish!

And even though we’re proposing this dress for the older girl, it is perfectly appropriate for little ones too.  So, this dress is perfect for SISTERS dresses or for Flower Girls in wide age ranges.

Don’t forget, too, that this dress would coordinate perfectly with other US Angels dresses for little ones such as US-720 or US-705, for instance.

I think you get the idea - we love this dress and think you may too!

With the mid-calf length, it’s a terrific dress for the tall/thing girl.  It will just fall shorter - perhaps around the knee - on taller girls.  This is a great look too!

You may notice a small change when you’re shopping with us.

The prefix for the US Angels line of dresses has been changed from “AG” to “US”.  We think that makes a lot of sense.

So if you were considering any dress from US Angels now and want to see it again, you can search for it with “US-” in the prefix and then the number . . . . or simply go to Collections - US Angels (right hand navigation in our store) to see ALL current US Angels styles available.

More will be coming soon!  Look for new US Angels dress styles to start arriving mid-December - a couple may possibly be a bit earlier!

 This is a continuation of our discussion on “I Want to Match” - colors.  Please be sure to read the previous posting first . . . . 

We discussed the “why” of matching colors yesterday - why it’s not reasonable to expect to match dress colors from different manufacturers or even from different dye lots with the same manufacturers.

So what are you to do?

There are a LOT of choices, really!  First, let’s talk about “perfect match”.

Because of this situation, many flower girl dresses are available in white or ivory with accents in the color of your choice.  Very fine examples can be seen in all the lines we carry.  The Flower Girl dresses from US Angels line does this especially well.

First, you select a white or ivory dress based on the color of the Bride’s gown.  If the bride is in bright white, order the white dress.  If the bride is in silk white (which is always off-white) or another shade of ivory, order the ivory dress.

Then order the sash or flower petals to coordinate with the rest of your wedding party.

Of course it isn’t possible to match perfectly - that dye lot issue applies to this like any other garment.  The smaller splash of color, however, isn’t nearly as critical to match as a full dress, however, and usually works wonderfully.

But that isn’t the only option here.  For instance, you can order a white or ivory dress and have an exactly matching sash custom made for it by your local dressmaker as follows:

When you order your Bride’s Maids dresses (or your own gown if you have one with color in it) - order at least 2 yards of the colored fabric - from the same dye lot - as the dresses you want to match.  You have to do this at the same time as you order the adults’ dresses, of course.

Why?  Because then you can have that extra fabric made into sashes for the flower girls’ dresses that match perfectly!  You’ll likely need anywhere from 1.5-2 yards in length but can get many sashes from the width of the fabric - all depending on how wide the yardage comes + how wide you want the sashes to be.

It’s as simple as that!

We’ll discuss it more shortly.