How does our quality compare?

     How can you be confident that you'll receive great value from us, and what sets our items apart? Tropical Accents is a small business team with an effective blend of fashion talents:

• Skilled experience
  We draw upon 20 years of custom-tailoring experience with clients who bring an idea, a request, or a photo. We begin with thorough study and design... then the material planning and preparation... careful measuring, master-cutting and stitchwork... all the way to the custom fitting and fine touches like embroidery or beadwork. We've created dresses for satisfied buyers in several countries throughout the world, and now we proudly offer our services and original designs to you via the internet.

• Pride in handiwork
  The finished designs are the fruit of our hands – made by us and our small team of helpers. We're not passing along someone else's work, and we take an artist's pride in our craftsmanship because we know that the quality will reflect directly on us. Therefore, you can be sure that each item is designed and sewn with great care, from our simplest sundresses to our more elaborate gowns. We want our customers to come back again and again and be long-time friends!
• Design and materials
  We don't use ordinary or cheap fabrics, and we don't choose ordinary accessories and materials (like zippers and trimmings) or skimp on supplies. There is always a noticeable difference in texture and color tones among fabrics with varying degrees of quality. The fabrics are studied and chosen to best fit the styles that we've envisioned – to drape, fit, look, and feel the way we planned in our designs.

• Stitching
  We skillfully utilize appropriate types of stitching for a sturdy, long-lasting result that looks terrific. Some features may receive a fine-point kind of stitching for a neater outcome; others need a lengthy zig-zag stitching method. Certain slippery or delicate fabrics require great skill to produce a neat and sturdy sewing job. The stitching holds each dress together, so if a tailor is rushed and the stitching job is ragged and careless, the garment can soon come apart or the fabric can "run". That's why consumers should be aware of the stitching and examine it closely.
• Creative flair and enthusiasm
  We love what we do! With artistic inspiration and careful attention to detail, we strive to offer appealing alternatives to the mass-produced selections here in the USA. We love the challenge of designing and creating our favorite kinds of attractive dresses and tops – ones that seem personalized for each buyer. We also enjoy collaborating with our customers on ideas and new designs – to make the kinds of items that you want most.

Who and where is "Tropical Accents"?

     The Tropical Accents partnership spans two continents, and it relies on teamwork and collaboration between each member:

• Administrative tasks such as payments, shipment of in-stock items, returns, and internet updates are handled here in the USA in suburban Maryland.
• Our small and talented production team is based in Davao City, Philippines. Each new custom-requested item is created in this lovely island location and carefully shipped to the individual buyer.
• Since we use our own imaginations and handiwork to design and produce each item, we will never be forced to employ cheap sweatshop labor or child slave workers – the way many large manufacturers do to unjustly keep their costs low. We are more of a family and not a faceless corporation.
• From experience, we know how difficult it can be for a petite woman to find feminine, classy designs that fit her slender size and shape correctly. (We also know the frustration of having to look for clothing in the children's department!)
• We prefer lasting looks that are simple and elegant, modest and shapely – not trendy fads that will soon fade away.

The future...

     We plan to grow slowly – gradually introducing additional new designs while accomodating your customized ideas and requests. However, our main focus has always been the personalized attention that we give to each customer and item, so we intend to always remain small enough to continue our same level of hands-on service.