Shop in Spotlight: Dress Diaries + Giveaway Winner

For the first time in a long time, I have a free day to myself! My class starts at 11:30am tomorrow (No AnaChem lecture, score!), so I can wake up late and get enough hours of sleep which has well-eluded me. :) Finished auditing 2 giveaways today. But first things first, a background on the shop who sponsored my giveaway!

Dress Diaries is one of the more successful online clothing shops in Davao City. Their collections are almost always sold out within a day of posting and during bazaars, their booth is flocked my many a fashionista (I even featured them in one of my earlier posts, read here). It helps that owner Marylou Briones has a great sense of fashion, which helps in picking only the chic-est, trendiest stuff.

I'm so blessed because this is the first time they've sponsored a giveaway! So, thank you so much for accommodating my request Marylou! To know more about Dress Diaries, read my interview with her here:

The Style Reactor: Why did you name your shop Dress Diaries? 

Marylou Briones: This actually started quite funny. My brother Louie and I have been quite addicted to the series 'The Vampire Diaries', so while we were thinking of a good and catchy name for my shop, we spontaneously thought of calling it 'The Dress Diaries'.

TSR: When and why did you start your shop?

MB: Back in 2009, our family and I came up with an idea of putting up a stall during a fiesta bazaar in our hometown, Tagum. My mom wanted to sell some of her pre-loved clothes so she could start de-cluttering her closet, as we were also planning to fill it with new wardrobe. During those times, I also had quite a lot of spare time so I obliged to join the bazaar and help out my mom in selling some of her pre-loved stuff.

On the first day of our bazaar, the clothes have been wiped out like pancakes, and the people hoarded our stocks like crazy. That somehow gave me an idea that we have a market for dresses and clothes, but during that time I was only stifled to the thought of starting out a business in Tagum.

When we came back to Davao, my mom encouraged me to start pulling out stocks from a supplier she has already known for a long time. That's when I started selling clothes online.

TSR: How was it like the few months you started your shop?

MB: The first few months have been quite generous to me. I started out my online shop through my own Facebook account, and since I had a lot of female friends on my list, my business has been well-publicized. Up to this time, I am very thankful for the unyielding support that I've been receiving from my customers. Hopefully, this success will continue over the years.etc) - I cater to almost everyone who appreciates style and comfort. My stocks vary from time to time, so every now and then I make sure that I am able to post different styles to cater the different tastes of my clients.

TSR: What is your best seller? What item do people often request for?

MB: Leopard Prints and Blazers are certainly the most requested from my products.

TSR: What is your favorite item among all the items you sell? 

MB: I'm a big fan of Leopard Prints ;p

TSR: What do you love about having an online shop? 

MB: It's much, much easier to handle an online shop especially when you have a broad network to which you could market your stocks. Unlike the traditional business where you have to pick up a good venue which is visible amongst potential customers, online shopping could easily spot customers who are in search for affordable and fashionable clothes around the metro. Also, you no longer need to pay for rent for your own store, therefore, you'll need not to spend much for electricity, labor fees, and other miscellaneous charges.

TSR: Any advice for new shop owners?

MB: I think the best piece of advice that I could give to budding business women out there is for them to not be afraid of starting from scratch. I know many girls out there who are very much willing to delegate their own shops, but are not confident enough to penetrate the business scene here in the Philippines. Although your early beginnings may certainly be humble, with persistence, patience, and hard work, I could assure you great results from your sales and your product's image! 

Some of my favorites from their newest collection:

 

Love the combo of the snakeskin top and the bandage skirt! That's a huge deal, coming from me, who isn't a big believer of reptile prints (By the way, they're supposedly a trend for 2012). My favorite is that geometric dress!

Anyway, for the winner of my giveaway sponsored by Dress Diaries:

CONGRATULATIONS

Patricia Calma!

Will email you in a bit!

Thank you to Marylou again also for the very generous sponsorship and interview! :)