ChiChi Me

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I haven't been onto a blog lead this fast since….since never.  Ziyan of Pork Chop Yum literally pointed me in the way of ChiChi's Colour Zone, about ooh-umm 6 minutes ago and I just couldn't wait to post it.  My HURRAH feeling over finding a new Etsy seller is the knowledge that there's a growing momentum that clothes with a definite direction at not so ouchy prices are coming our way, and Etsy is the breeding ground. 

ChiChi's Colour Zone's name is a little unfortunate, because strictly speaking it's an adjective that means overly trendy/pretentious.  I've only ever heard this fake sounding word used in American programmes and can't vouch for its validity.  Still, ChiChi is exactly NOT what this Etsy seller does.  Something in the lengths, the fabrics, the finishings actually ALMOST pushes certain pieces into mumsy territory.  But then something pulls it all back and with the help of some good lookbook images, ChiChi's Colourzone pieces come off as serene, beautifully crafted and strong in its message.

**EDIT** It seems my suspicions over the name might have been confirmed because a reader has informed me that these designs are actually factory-made pieces, thus going against what Etsy is about!  They just have better lookbook images than the usual eBay ilk….

Chichi1

Chichi3 Chichi4

Chichi2

Chichi6 Chichi7

Chichi8

Chichi9 Chichi10

51 comments

  1. Oh my effing god, these things are too beautiful for words! Thank you for being so quick to post them up. xo

  5. OMG OMG OMG! Thank you SO much for sharing this with us! Her creations are AMAZING! Love every single piece! The colours, textures, draping…oh, why oh why do I have to be broke right now? 🙁
    LOVE IT!
    xx

  9. Wow! I am definatly going to check this out, thanks for sharing that with us!
    Totally in love with the very first dress, and the grey halternecky dress!

  10. WOW! These don’t even look like they came from an Etsy shop… these easily look like they could be in a big-time fashion editorial. And the prices are so low! Definitely will be purchasing something from here soon. Thanks for the heads up, Susie!
    <3 Allyson
    http://radio-clash.net

  11. I know everyone has said this but: OMG this is ETSY? These close remind me of greek sculpture and how everything is so flowy. The skirt of the first piece reminds me of feathers.

  12. ‘chichi’ means ‘yuck’ in nepali…but these clothes are the exact opposite. mmm quite tasty indeed, particularly the second outfit – wide-legged floral trousers, slouchy grey cardigan, open toed summery sandals with black stockings showing – so many disparate elements working together in perfect harmony.

  13. These are amazing…way to go, Etsy.
    I especially like the second last one, but all the pieces are quite spectacular.

  15. I think I’m going to order the one I linked you for graduation. The only beef I have with it is that the boobs look out of place. lol

  16. I’ve been blown away by what I’ve been able to find at Etsy, such design talent. These are wonderful also, especially the first dress. Thanks for sharing!

  17. wow this is so amazing! I want it all! haha oddly enough my nick name is chichi… great post susie!
    xoxo
    Jules

  20. First comment on your blog although I have been reading it for some time (infamous as it has become :)) but that green dress (that is far too humble a description), wide legged floral pants, ultra-colorful rainbow-ish cardigan, and the norwegian wood angie style fringe (except this skirt is almost reptilian in that it seems as though it has scales) -esque skirt have me on board..thanks for the speedy uptake.
    Emilie

  24. Wow, these ARE amazing. Hats off to Ziyan! Cinderella’s Party – the most intricate – is under $200 USD! And it’s ‘high quality silk/linen’? (top cotton & 5% spandex). They say it takes longer – 15 days – but the others are made in three?!! This isn’t a hoax, right?
    Better snap it up ASAP, girls, while you can. This can’t last.
    btw: I’m pretty sure the ChiChi is ironic. They say Americans don’t get irony but actually some of us do. Thanks for posting, I can see why you were so excited! jCx

  27. Her shop is incredible – I absolutely do not know how she can keep her pricing so low – these are as low as the high-street with better quality fabrics. She says they are all handmade, but they must be made on a large quanity in a factory somewhere? I am bemused.
    BTW susie – my f156 dress is finished and on my blog if you wanna check it out.

  33. Wowwwww these styles are so nice and the fabric is super luxurious! I can’t believe the price though…how can she afford to sell it for so little? Maybe she has an awesome wholesale silk hookup or maybe she just sews a million times faster than me. Hmmph…well….get it while you can!

  35. Still can get over this. Just ordered the 2nd to last dress and the floral pants. Ahhhhh so good. I bet she’s getting bombarded with orders.

  38. I think something is amiss here. The prices are WAYYYY too low for that kind of handmade workmanship. I would also be suspicious until I start seeing customer feedback and that people actually receive their items and are satisfied.

  39. These clothes are made in China, by a factory. Not a designer. I have seen them online before in one of those cheap wholesale shops. That’s why you see the centimeter measurements, versus inches (which is what it would be if she/he were a designer in California.) Too good to be true, unfortunately you pay for what you get.

  40. Mirelle – how disappointing that these clothes were made in a factory. As an etsy seller (well a newbie seller – have just started and no sales yet!) I put in a lot of time to handmake all my items which is the entire purpose of etsy. Damn those factories in China. Sigh…

  41. Mirelle….that is really really gutting….oh well, just as well as I haven’t ordered anything…. I will add an EDIT….

  43. Yes, the items are way too cheap for being handmade…
    Its sad for all other Etsy sellers (including me) that work so hard.

  44. As an Etsy-er, it is quite sad to see that there are people who try to take advantage of the marketplace and going against everything that Etsy stands for. While I appreciate the photos and was tempted to buy one of those tiered dresses, I’m glad I trusted my instincts. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

  45. Omg really? I guess it is too good to be true. I was about to buy a dress too… I feel horrible now. I hope no one got ripped off because of my link.

  46. In addition to being made in a factory, at least 2 of the designs pictured are copies of other label’s designs…

  47. i am a member in Chichi craft team, i really want to say something now. These days, we received some messages from other Esty sellers, and also saw the message here. it seems people have a lot of doubt just because of the price. i really want to say something now. Because it is really humiliating our work. We work so hard, provide good design, try to cut down the price so most of the girls can afford that, but it turns out everyone doubts this because of the price. Our goal is, every girl can have a nice dress, every girl can afford a good quality dress. The shop owner, Chichi, was born in China. a smart , and talented girl. About 2 years ago, she tried to sell her own designed clothes online. And to her surprise, it became very welcomed. All the clothes are original designs, we never did a wholesale thing ( please give us a link “the cheap wholesale “. Unfortunately, Last year, an accident happened, chichi was hospitalized for 6 monthes in the hospital in China. She has got a very rare disease which can not receive good treatment in China. So right now,she came to America for better treatment. i know her from internet also, which she needs a person who like doing handmaking clothes. i learned a lot from her. Also our group members. She is keeping designing good things. And we are also new members of her group. Before we started esty, we used to discuss about the size, Chichi’s idea is that the clothes she designs, is more suitable for Asian girls, and for Asian girls in America, always difficult to find a perfect size. That is why she decided to still keep the size in Asian standard, and offer custom for people needs different size. . We do have one online shop in China(because it is original design and handmade, it is also very popular there, and right now, we opened our second one in Esty. all the clothes are original designs. Anyone who said it is not, please give us the link which do the cheap wholesale. i think some of you already ordered the dress in our shop, you will see if it is good when you receive it.
    chichi’s craft team member: Lily

  48. so we have decided to leave esty, we thought esty is an enjoyable place. but we are surprised to receive so many doubts from different people. we would just focus on our craft show. thank you , everyone.And goodbye ,all the etsy lovers.
    chicih’s craft

  49. It wasn’t the first time either. Some while ago I bought a piece from an Etsy seller, who then promptly dissapeared, with similar excuses. Her shop looked cunningly like this one. Then she opened another shop, only for that one to close down very soon. She still has a shop on Artfire, I guess the smaller exposure allows for them staying under the radar. SAYING WHICH, I wouldn’t have minded so much if the item was factory made, IF it was of decent quality, alas is wasn’t moreover it didn’t even fit, despite many emails specifiyng sizes. Just sad.

  50. Now that Etsy has become pretty mainstream, there are more of these factories(/or people who buy cheap wholesale and then pose as a designer), than ever on Etsy, trying to compete with real struggling designers. It’s unfortunate. That’s what was supposed to set etsy apart from the rest of the retail world. There are a lot of forums about this topic on Etsy. It’s frustrating for the small designer to have to compete with this in a marketplace which was supposed to be different.

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