Questions you just need to ask? Check out this list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and click on the question - you will be taken to the answer further down the page.
To return to the top of the list, click on the back to top links throughout the webpage.
If you have a question you can't find on the list, please email us - thanks!
prints and styles
about the clothes
ordering
shrinking
sizing
shipping
returns
wholesale
newsletter
how is the silk painted?
| prints and styles |
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| can I choose my own colours for the patterns? |
| do you make women's trousers or pants? |
| can you make me a custom outfit? |
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about the clothes |
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| what are your clothes & scarves made of? |
| how professionally finished are the clothes? |
| do you make cotton clothes? |
| why can't i find any cotton clothes on your site? |
| what is chiffon? |
| where are your clothes made? |
| why are your clothes so expensive? |
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ordering |
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can i fax or phone in an order rather than processing my order online? |
| what if i want something that is currently not available? |
| do you have a catalog you can send me? |
| will you sell any of my personal information? |
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shrinkage |
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sizing |
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| what sizes are "Goddess"? |
| how generous are your sizes? |
| what if i can't decide which outfit to buy? |
| do you make plus sizes? |
| can you make me a custom outfit? |
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shipping |
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| do you charge sales tax? |
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returns |
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wholesale inquiries |
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newsletter |
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how is the silk painted? |
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If the silk is handpainted, how is it done and why doesn't it wash out? |
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Answers! patterns and styles |
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| can I choose any painted pattern to be used in any style? |
| yes, you can choose any painting pattern shown on our website to be used in the style of the garmet you would like to have made. |
| can I choose my own colours for the patterns? |
| yes, there are many gorgeous colours and most outfits are painted with two or three, so choose the ones you'd like. |
| do you make women's trousers or pants? |
| no, not at this point, but we're always thinking of the future. |
| no, but it's always possible we may do so at some point in the future. |
| can you make me a custom outfit? |
| we can make an outfit based on the colours, patterns and styles currently on our website. if you have a special request, please email us and we will consider your request. please bear in mind we do not make "fitted" or "tailored" clothing. |
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about the clothes |
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| what are your clothes & scarves made of? |
| our clothes, scarves & sarongs are made of silk chiffon, silk habotai (shiny silk), and bemsilk. some sarongs are made of sheer cotton voile. |
| how professionally finished are the clothes? |
| all of our clothes have French seams where possible, and many edges are hand-rolled (all scarves have hand-rolled edges or very fine stitched hems). sarongs are finished with satin edging in contrast colours. |
| do you make cotton clothes? |
| due to an overwhelming demand from customers, we now offer handpainted cotton clothes - click here to view |
| why can't i find any cotton clothes on your site? |
| we have popup menus on every page, which include the link to the cotton clothing - if you're having trouble finding them, please click here to view |
| what is chiffon? |
| the chiffon used in our clothes is silk chiffon, very lightweight and floats on the breeze, perfect for summer or evening wear. |
| where are your clothes made? |
| all of our clothes are made locally in cairns (australia) although we do buy imported silk, so all of our production is done in australia. |
| why are your clothes so expensive? |
| keeping production local means that we pay more for labor than manufacturers who use overseas contractors; this also means we actually know the people who do the sewing and garment making for us, so we have excellent working relationships. We also create each item by hand, no mass-production, no "sweatshops", no automated manufacturing. Teena works on one garment at a time and paints all the colours on by brush. We don't consider the clothes to be expensive, but we do consider them to be unique, handmade and exclusive. |
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ordering |
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we provide gift wrap for $US4.00 per item (discounts for multi-gifts); just write "gift wrap" in the special instructions box of our order form and let us know what message you would like on the gift card. , just let us know |
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can i fax or phone in an order rather than processing my order online? |
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currently all ordering is via paypal online, but if you have a specific requirement please email us and we will discuss your needs. |
| australian customers can pay with money orders available at the post office, or bank cheque, or direct debit into our bank account. all customers can pay using the secure online shopping cart facility (provided by paypal), and u.s. customers can pay this way from check account or credit card. |
| we are a small company and have many styles that are very popular with our customers. while we try to keep a consistent inventory, sometimes we are unable to meet the demand. |
| what if i want something that is sold out? |
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you can always email us if you would like to order an item which is currently unavailable, and we will let you know about future availability. |
| do you have a catalog you can send me? |
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no, we do not have a retail catalog as we do all of our retail sales via our website. |
| will you sell any of my personal information? |
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absolutely not! we will not sell any of the information we receive on order forms to anyone! we ask for details like a daytime phone number in case we have problems or questions about your order. |
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shrinkage |
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if you follow the simple washing instructions shipped with your order, your silk will not shrink. it is a hardy beautiful fabric but you do need to take care and never ever soak the silk for more than a few minutes. |
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sizing |
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| what sizes are "Goddess"? |
| all AbFab clothes are designed for Gorgeous Goddesses - women of many sizes, from 12 to 28. We also say the clothes are suitable for "big girls", and "Goddess-sizes", which fit large cuddly women. f you have special needs, please email us and we'll consider your request. |
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| how generous are your sizes? |
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our outfits are roomy and comfortable, and different countries have different sizing guidelines, but I would suggest we cover size 12-28. |
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| what if i can't decide which outfit to buy? |
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what can we say? buy both! or buy one now and start saving for your second one ... |
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| do you make plus sizes? |
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yes, all of our clothes are for "plus-sizes", "big girls", and "Goddess-sizes" |
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shipping |
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each item is a unique item and most are hand-painted, so we suggest you allow 4-6 weeks for shipping and deliver. all orders shipped from Australia to overseas destinations locations will be by airmail. |
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shipping costs depend on the weight of the package, the number of items purchased |
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unfortunately no, but please do email us and ask if we have your item in stock, and how quickly we could ship to you. |
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| do you charge sales tax? |
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in australia sales tax (GST = Goods & Services Tax) is included in the retail price. |
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returns |
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AbFab Australia! accepts returns and exchanges for items if we are notified via email within 10 days of item being shipped from our office, and item/s must be back in our shipping department within 14 days (if in Australia) and within 21 days of receipt of shipment outside of australia. no item will be accepted that is not in its original condition (unworn, unwashed). AbFab Australia! will refund the entire amount of the garment and any taxes, but shipping on returned merchandise is non-refundable. ship all returns pre-paid and insured, and AbFab Australia! will refund you within one week. please package in the same kind of secure packaging in which the item arrived. if you have any questions, please let us know. |
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wholesale inquiries |
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please contact us and discuss your requirements, we are very happy to consider alliances with other suppliers who appreciate quality wearable art and gorgeous things! |
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newsletter |
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the newsletter gets written when we have time, not exactly every month or every quarter, but whenever you least expect it! if something new is on the site or something which might be of interest, a sale or new style, we'll certainly let you know.
if you'd like to sign up for the newsletter, email us. |
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how is silk painted? |
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If the silk is handpainted, how is it done and why doesn't it wash out? |
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different artists use different techniques - Teena uses the ancient French technique of silk painting, where large pieces of WHITE silk are stretched on big wooden frames, then balanced on a work bench, and silk paint is painted on by brush (using one brush for each colour). once the silk is dry, it is rolled up in white paper and suspended in a special silk steaming machine, and steamed on high pressure for a minimum of 3 hours. when the steamed silk is unrolled, it is vibrant and supple, and can be washed by hand or in the washing machine on lingerie cycle. when dried and ironed, it can be cut into patterns to make clothes or scarves, sarongs or wallhangings, whatever is required. |
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please contact us and discuss your requirements, we are very happy to consider alliances with other suppliers who appreciate quality wearable art and gorgeous things! |
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