Clothing Review: Cry Baby

Just Your Average Vintage Baby

I have a soft spot for brands and companies that are run by women for women. Why? Well, for starters, I am a woman, and usually, women know what others need – like real pockets in our jeans (revolutionary right?). Cry Baby is a clothing brand owned by Esma (@esma), a woman who screams girl power all over the brand’s official Instagram account. Oh, and she’s also the designer. I’m already impressed.

If I had to describe this brand in two words it would be: Vintage femininity. The clothing pieces are everyday basics with a vintage twist that makes my 90’s born baby heart swoon. Some of the items sold on the website are also inspired by the owner’s celebrity crushes. (Take for instance their Rachel Green Skirt which is inspired by, of course, a skirt that Rachel Green wore on Friends. There is also the Lima Top, which is inspired by Adriana Lima.)

Now onto the pricing of these pieces. This brand is independently owned, which means they style, design and create their own pieces from scratch. As a result, some of the clothing items are a bit pricey. However, I can confirm that while the items are on the more expensive side, the quality is top notch. So in other words, you pay a lot, but the quality makes it worth the price. Keep in mind that this is an American based brand and the prices are in USD, the actual price of the item may be more or less depending on the currency of your country.

Shipping isn’t so bad either. Living near the bottom of the planet, buying things from the USA usually takes two or so weeks to get to my doorstep. However, after buying multiple pieces from the brand (individually), shipping is approximately one to one and a half weeks. Which again, since I live all the way at the bottom of the world, is actually really great. I’ve learned to be patient either way.

As I mentioned, I’ve bought multiple items from this brand already, so in this review, I will specifically review those items.

The first piece I ever bought from this website was the Secret Garden Top. What caught my attention in this item was the fact that it’s a top where you tie up in the front. Now, I’m not the kind of person who reads Vogue every month so I wouldn’t know if everyone was wearing tops like this, but the style of this top was what convinced me to buy it. The material doesn’t feel cheap (thank goodness because in NZD this was expensive), and it doesn’t look cheap either. Using the size guide I figured out my size but I ultimately decided to size up, just in case. Sizing up meant that the top was slightly loose but nothing too troublesome. Overall, it is an adorable piece and worth the money, in my opinion.

A month or so later the second item I bought was the Selena Wrap Dress. This dress was inspired by a dress that Selena Gomez wore a few years ago.  The first thing I noticed was that the material was really light. I read some of the reviews of this dress on their website before buying and a lot of people commented that the material felt cheap. I really don’t know what to say about that. Personally, I thought the dress felt really light, breathable and comfortable for a hot summer day, so I didn’t have a problem with the material since of course, I planned on wearing the dress in summer. (Side note, I always recommend reading the reviews of an item before buying anything). The one thing you should also know about this dress is that it is a popular item on the website and it sells out – really fast. Since my size was sold out I took the risk and went a size down, since it was the only one in stock. So if you want this dress, be quick. (It fit perfectly if you’re interested).

The final item I bought (during their Black Friday sale in November) was the Angel Dress. I went up two sizes for this dress because I wasn’t completely sure what my size was. (Also, I would prefer sizing up rather than sizing down. If I size up then I can always get the clothes adjusted to my size later on whereas if I size down and it doesn’t fit me there isn’t much I can do). Now, since I went up two sizes I’ve found that the dress is slightly loose around my waist, nothing a sewing machine can’t fix though. The main reason why I decided to buy this dress was that I have always wanted a casual dress in a polyester/ satin material – I’ve never owned a dress in that material. So in this case, the material played a huge role as to why I bought the dress.

Now, while I have a lot of praises to give this brand, please be aware there are some things you should keep in mind if you do decide to do your shopping here. The main thing is that all international sales are final, so if you are like me and you don’t live in the USA I suggest you take your time and figure out what size you are. Use the size guide and if you’re in-between two sizes I recommend that you always size up. I’ve also noticed a few complaints on customer service – mainly dealing with USA returns. I’ve never returned an item so I can’t tell you if those issues are major or not, but keep this in mind.

The brand has no celebrity endorsements (that I know of!), but Ariana Grande follows the brand on Instagram, so that is definitely something. There are also a good amount of influencers who do wear their clothing (mainly @madisonbeer and @chanteljeffries and until recently: Ariana Grande herself has worn a jumper from this brand).

Overall, I’m generally happy with the items I bought from the website, the clothing and concept of the brand is really unique as well and, I suggest checking them out.

Disclaimer: I believe in complete transparency when I am making reviews, and so I will always inform you, if I have been sponsored to write a particular article. This article was not sponsored by Cry Baby or anyone involved with Cry Baby at all.

***Note: All images were taken from Crybaby.com***