by Character Diva
I really wanted to do a fairy tale photoshoot with my children, particularly my daughter. To be honest, I’ve wanted to do this since she was a baby and I was taking pictures for her Alice in “One-derland” birthday party. And over the years, between Walmart, Target, Mom Approved Costumes, and one of my husband’s co-workers, we had accumulated quite the costume collection. But for this shoot, there were still a few fairy tale characters I wanted costumes for that weren’t represented. But just like the fairy tales I wanted to represent, when all hope seems lost, you find yourself with a happy ending, and after some diligent research on the internet, I came across Marilyn Rigaud and her Etsy shop, Socute2.
The thing I love most about Marilyn’s shop is that unlike stores or sellers that focus primarily on princess apparel, she offers unique character costumes you can’t find anywhere else. Sure, you can find an Elsa dress almost anywhere, but how many places can help your little princess transform into Mary Poppins?
In addition to Mary Poppins, some other “rare” character costumes you can find in her Etsy shop include Lilo from Lilo and Stitch, Dorothy of Oz, Alice from Alice in Wonderland, and Wendy from Peter Pan. Marilyn was generous enough to provide a Wendy costume for us to review, which made me ecstatic because that was the costume that led me to her store in the first place.
Let me just say that I love the fabric and design of the dress. The dress is a beautiful blue color (you can also buy it in white or pink) with a ribbon sewn around it, and comes with a matching hair ribbon. It is simple, lightweight, and perfect for Halloween or your next Disney vacation. Disney Diva Tip: While wearing any character costume or even a Disney themed shirt will get you extra attention at Disney theme parks, wearing a unique or harder to find costume such as Lilo, Mary Poppins or Wendy will get you even MORE attention from cast members and other guests alike. And nothing makes your little one feel more special (and your heart melt) than watching them receive extra attention and compliments from others.
The main perk of the costumes being lightweight is the weather. While this may not always work out for trick-or-treating outside, it is perfect for going to Disneyland or Disney World, especially if you’re traveling during the peak seasons. The last thing you want to do is waste time scouring the parks for a new wardrobe because your child is uncomfortable.
Another perk… it’s machine-washable. After purchasing a few costumes from Target and Walmart and realizing I had to handwash or spot clean them, finding costumes that were machine-washable quickly moved up on my priority list. The Wendy, Mary Poppins and Alice dresses are all made out of 65/35 poly/cotton symphony broadcloth and are machine-washable, which definitely is a seller in my book. So if your kids are trying to eat their Halloween candy en route or really want that Dole Whip float, they can help themselves, and you don’t have to worry about wasting a ton of money for a costume that will be covered in chocolate or sacrificing precious time away from your vacation, desperately trying to wash it by hand.
And speaking about money, I also love the prices of the costumes. As a stay-at-home mom with three kids, I’m always hunting for a bargain. After looking at various listings on Ebay, Etsy, and around the web, many costumes looked lovely, but were way out of my price range, especially for something like Halloween or a Disney vacation where the dress could turn into a “one and done” type costume. Socute2’s listings are very affordable and still provide a beautiful, well-made costume at a price that fits more into my budget.
Other factors I take into consideration when shopping online are customer service and turnaround. The customer service is great. I received quick, courteous responses to all of the emails I sent to Socute2, and Marilyn was extremely friendly and helpful. I definitely do not have any issues in recommending her to friends or family (and have already done so).
Before contacting Socute2, I was a little nervous about the turnaround. It doesn’t do me any good to order a dress if I’m going to have to wait weeks (or in some cases I’ve seen, months) for it to arrive and my daughter hits a growth spurt or it’s after our vacation. Seeing as we were going on vacation and I had plans for shooting a Peter Pan scene, I knew I would need the dress in a hurry and didn’t know if it would make it time. Fortunately, Socute2 keeps most of their dress sizes in stock, which are available for next day shipping and the dress arrived quickly, with plenty of time to spare. In the rare event that a dress is not in stock, it would take about 10 days or less to make it and mail it to you.
Does your child have a favorite stuffed animal or doll she wants to match? Socute2 also offers doll dresses to fit dolls or stuffed animals that are either 15 or 18 inches tall (both sizes are available, and the only difference is the length). So if you have a Duffy or Shellie Mae stuffed animal and want to add to their attire, or an Itty Bitty Doll, an American Girl doll, or dolls of similar sizes, they too can match your little one’s attire.
The Lilo dress has different size leaves according to the size of the dress. The leaves are applicayed on and is made of 100% cotton. The fabric is prewashed, and customers ordering a Lilo costume receive washing instructions as well. Socute2 recommends washing in cold water (this is because red tends to bleed if washed in warm or hot water and nobody wants pink leaves).
But the best news in regards to the Lilo dress, is that Marilyn from Socute2 has graciously offered to donate one Lilo doll dress (fitting an 18 inch doll or stuffed animal) to one lucky reader! The dress is absolutely beautiful, and as you can tell, my daughter loves it and definitely approves!
So how do you enter? Just scroll down to the Rafflecopter entry form below. Good luck!
Disney Diva Disclaimer: Socute2 provided tipsfromthedisneydiva.com a Wendy costume and a Lilo doll dress in exchange for a review and giveaway. While these items were donated to our blog for free, all thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and are not biased in any manner. Also, the images of the dresses by themselves are from the Socute2 Etsy website, and are only used for promotional purposes. All copyrights to those images belong to Marilyn Rigaud, and are used with her permission.
GIVEAWAY: Want to enter to win your very own Lilo doll dress from Socute2?
For the Facebook visits, you must like each page for the entry to count. Tips from the Disney Divas will verify each entry received.
