News » sizing

• Moving on up!

  Published Jun 12 2020 in Canadian Designer, Cherry Velvet, Cherry Velvet Dresses, Customer Appreciation, Fit, inspiration, Made In Canada, Made in Vancouver, sizing, Staff, staff updates, Vancouver-designed, what's new

  We have some big news....!
  

  
  
  After many years in Vancouver, we are moving our operations to New Westminster. We close our doors in East Vancouver, at the end of June. We will definitely miss the bright and creative atmosphere of this neighbourhood; it was always so inspiring to be surrounded by local artists. 
  
  We've made so many memories in this studio. One of the first notable ones is our #stunningatanysize shoot which we made right before we moved into our fresh new space.
  
  
  
  Since then, we've done so many photoshoots and events, What a pleasure it's been to be here. <3
  
  
  Cherry Velvet's "Pucker Up Party" Valentine's Day Event, 2016
  
  
  Our Men's Shirt Launch, 2017
  
   “What about Studio Shops and Personal Shop Appointments?”
  
  For the time being, it will not be possible to shop in person. However, we will be holding Pop-up Shops and doing events when it becomes safer to do so.  The best way to find out what's happening with us is to sign up for our Newsletter  (Not to mention 15% off, if it's your first online order.) 
  
  Getting Your Best Fit Online

  During this time of transition, we encourage you to shop online. We are always happy to help with fit and answer your questions.

  "The very best way I can accurately help you with fit is to email your measurements. It is just as important to me as it is to you to ensure your dresses fit!" ~ Diane

  Please also be sure to check out each style's specific fit guide (found on each product page).
  
  Don't have a tape measure? Click here for our printable, handy dandy solution!
  
  So that's our big announcement! :) We're so excited about the future ahead, and we always appreciate your continued support. 

  As always...more new dresses coming soon!

  
  XOXO 
  
  Diane Kennedy & The Cherry Velvet Team

• The Survey Shakedown

  Published Feb 20 2020 in Cherry Velvet, Cherry Velvet Dresses, customer feedback, Dresses, pricing, prints, sizing, survey, what's new

  As many of you know (almost 300 of you in fact!), we asked you, our wonderful customers to do a survey.  We wanted to know what you think, so we can better provide you with the frocks that will most delight you. Thank you so much for your participation.  We have a lot of fun and interesting statistics to share!

  First of all, congratulations to the 13.6% of you that's part of the "Cherry Velvet Collector’s" Club. You've got yourselves more than 10 different dresses of ours over the years! 

  

  It’s not a problem, really. It’s a solution!

  And thank you to all who have responded our survey from far and wide. We even had a respondent all the way from... Russia!? Spasibo! (That's "Thank you" in Russian 😊 )

  Here's something we found out about your style preferences: 60% of you are all for short or cap sleeves. Over 70% like their skirt right below the knee. And about 70% like your skirts either full or A-line, with many of you requesting very full or straight skirts. It’s clear to us that many of you enjoy a very balanced fashion - not too much and not too little!

  

  And finally, the juicy stuff:

  Our most popular prints are, by far, the florals and the polka dots. These timeless classics have been remixed in many ways over the years, and we always make sure to bring them back! We currently have many of those available, including the Doris in Black & Red Polka Dot or the Chrissy in Bird of Paradise for example.

  Here are some hot takes from what you requested.

  1 - Cats Rule and Dogs Drool

  Not by a lot, but cats still definitely took the lead here: Cats got 23% preference, and dogs only got 14%. It's nothing to bark at, but it's certainly the cat's meow to hear!

  

  2 - You really looooooove Space

  With an incredibly high amount of mentions – between stars, space, and galaxy, we have just about 20 specific requests for Space themes. Don’t worry, ladies, we’ll keep them coming (out of this world)!

  

  Marlene in Written in The Stars / Dita in Golden Galaxy

  3 - You want Dinosaurs, Books, Music, and Geometric Prints

  What does that say about our audience?

  Maybe you're a math-loving brainy bunch, with a palaeontology hobby, erudite music training, who love spending time in libraries familiarizing yourselves with the classics of English literature!

  We're not sure we can find a print specifically with all those factors in at once (what a print it would be, huh?), but we hear you! We'll make sure to incorporate (or perhaps already did... mua-ha-ha!) these very hotly requested themes into our next seasons. Stay tuned!

  And the most unexpected requests were...

  Krakens and Yetis.

  Nothing against them, but those prints might be hard to find!

  

  Best friends forever

   Q&A

  On our Survey, you also had the chance to tell us anything you like, and it was so delightful to hear your feedback and concerns. Most of the comments were so sweet - we were smiling all day reading them!

  We’d also like to answer a couple of the more frequently asked questions here. Although we’ve addressed some of these before, we’re more than happy to revisit them.

  • Manufacturing issues (slight fit inaccuracies)

  All our garments are handmade, very carefully by local seamstresses here in metro Vancouver. As such, we can often deliver a much higher standard of quality than clothing manufactured overseas. There can, however, be some small variations from seamstress to seamstress. No different than getting your latte from different baristas There is also the off chance that a garment can get the wrong size label. While it is RARE to see a manufacturing flaw, they do happen, so please inform us immediately so we can fix that for you. 

  • Limited sizing

  All our dresses are limited edition runs; if you love a style, you may want to grab it in your size quick. We enjoy knowing that as each limited run sells, our clients will have the satisfaction of knowing they are one of a few to own that special print.
  
  As much as our mission statement is to provide amazing dresses so you can be lovely and stunning at ANY size, it is not always possible to have every print in every size. Running a fashion business that produces ethically poses some unique challenges that brands which manufacture overseas won’t face. Costs can often be prohibitive, and there are minimum quotas and specific requirements when it comes to placing orders. In general, we try to have a broad selection of sizes. We do, however, occasionally opt to produce fewer in certain sizes or skip them altogether for these reasons.

  • What’s up with the pricing?

  The pricing reflects much more than just the fact that most of our dresses come in limited edition availability. Our frocks are ethically manufactured in the same city as our headquarters, Vancouver BC, Canada. Wages in Canada are much higher than other countries and our minimum wages are very much on the rise (which is a good thing for workers!)  Our production does not rely on certain “more affordable” options, we choose the best quality zippers and fabrics we can get our hands on. It’s ethical production, and that's how we've chosen to function. We strongly believe this is a necessary step for the fashion industry. We want no part in the suffering of workers in unsafe conditions. Although our garments may take more saving up for, we 100% stand behind the fact that they are worth it.

  We always love to hear your feedback, please feel free to write us and tell us what you think!

  XOX Cherry Velvet

  P.S. Hope to see you this weekend at our Warehouse Sale / Studio Shop:

  Friday Feb 21 from 2-7 pm

  Saturday Feb 22 from 11-5 pm

  @1635 Powell Street, Vancouver BC

• Best Tips for a Perfect Fit

  Published Aug 15 2019 in Cherry Velvet Dresses, dress size, Fit, Measurements, perfect fit, sizing

  

  We've come up with our best tips for getting the fit of your online dress purchase right the first time. More than anything we want you to be thrilled with your Cherry Velvet dresses! Not only do we want you to LOVE the style, print, and colour, most of all we want you to love the FIT!  Because whether you're a new customer or a tried and true Cherry Velvet girl, your complete experience is truly important to us!

  “I truly feel like I’ve done my job well when a curvy girl finds THE dress, and her face lights up when she sees how perfectly it fits and how beautiful she looks” Diane Kennedy, designer.

  Best Tips: 

  1. Please measure yourself!! We can't stress this enough! Our sizes and fit are different than many other brands. Our sizing is very accurate to both regular (missy) size and plus sizes but that is a very subjective statement. What it means to us and to you is often not the same thing. Measurements don't lie though. Please don't guess! Measurements are the best chance for getting the fit right. Really!
  2. Please read the fit notes for the style you are buying. We've have been working on a revamp of this area on new styles and really hope that you, our customers will read them. While most of our dresses fit consistently there are a few rogues out there...Angelina is one or any style with stretch (spandex) We've been adding size charts to new styles as they come in.
  3. Please measure yourself and compare those numbers to the size chart. If you've never measured yourself before, don't worry it's easy! Here's our How to Measure Chart or you can watch this short, informative video.
  4. If you are unsure of your size PLEASE measure and then e-mail your measurements to us so we can help you. We are sweet little mature plus size ladies, we don't judge, we are here to help you. Our ONLY goal is to help you get the best fit. period. no judgement. ever.

  We want to help you!

  Email us here: cherryvelvetplus@gmail (dot) com

  XOX Diane and Barb

  P.S. Of course if you're local to our Vancouver studio, we're also happy to help you get your perfect fit in person. More info here

• How To Get Your Dress in Your Size

  Published Apr 10 2019 in boutique, Cherry Velvet, Cherry Velvet Dresses, cotton, dress size, Dresses, Fashion, Fit, Limited Edition, Made In Canada, sizing

  Are you sometimes frustrated when you can't find your dress size? If so, we're here to explain how and why that might be and what you can do about it!

  

  Maybe this is a good time to state that we are a smaller, boutique-sized company. While our active online presence may give the impression of a larger business, we are actually a team of just five individuals! If we manufactured our dresses overseas like a lot of larger companies, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation. This is not something that will ever happen with us, as we are proud to be a Canadian company that manufactures our dresses in Canada. This is something that means so much to us as well as the knowledge that no one will ever be exploited while making our dresses. The good news is because we are small we can be more fluid and make small changes that we feel our customers want. 

  While we do our very best to offer the widest selection of dresses possible, it all comes down to the ratio of sizes. You may or may not know that most companies cut their production of clothing in a ratio. The majority of units will be cut in the most popular sizes (middle sizes) and the smaller and larger sizes will receive fewer units. This is common practice in the clothing industry and it's also how retail stores order clothing for their stores, too. 

  As a small online retailer with a local shop, we can't make masses of dresses in each print we offer. We usually make 12-40 dresses per each unique print and those units get divided up over the sizes we carry. That's not a lot of dresses per size as we make 8 different sizes! Unfortunately, some sizes can sell out quickly.

  FYI, we're bringing the classic Chrissy Dress back and it'll be available in all sizes at our Studio shop and online soon in these new prints:

  

  To avoid any disappointment, please consider ordering your size early. As we see an increased demand in different sizes, we'll add more units in those sizes. We truly care about you, our amazing customers and do our best to respond to all your requests. We're always listening!

  We love to hear all of your ideas, feedback, and comments!

  If you are in the Vancouver area this Friday and Saturday we would love to see you at our Studio Shop!

  Join us this Fri, Apr 12, 2pm-7pm and Sat, Apr 13, 11am-5pm 
  @ 1635 Powell St. Vancouver, BC (Free parking is available)