Barong & Formal Shoppe

Went to get our son a barong for my parents 50^th anniversary. Great selection, very helpful. Prices were reasonable ! Glad we found this place !

A very happy mama here!
Thank you, thank you, thank you Barong & Formal!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Ms. Levy and Ms. JoAnn!!!
I was able to complete my twin sons baptismal outfits today!
With my first son, I was able to purchase a baby-​sized Barong for his baptism. Some years later, I looked to Barong & Formal for my younger sons baby-​sized Barongs. I didn’t know they had moved from their old location near Tropical Bakery. I was nearly heartbroken when I drove up, but thanks to Unilocal*,I was directed to their new address, just minutes away.
On my first visit to the new location, I ended up purchasing the one and only small-​sized organza Barong they had. I was told by Ms. Levy that another shipment was expected soon, and that hopefully there’d be more organza styles. I paid for the one Barong (very reasonably priced!) and left my name and number with hopes I’d receive news of another Barong to purchase.
I returned two weeks later to more organza Barongs, but all were too big. There were plenty of piña/​jusi style Barongs in the size I needed, but I wasn’t interested in those styles. I left my name and number with Ms. JoAnn this time, as I put a darker-​colored Barong on hold. Not even an hour after I left from this second visit, I received a call from Ms. JoAnn that there was another shipment expected that night with more organza styles.
A little Barong 411, if you will:
The style I preferred is a shiny polyester material. It’s lighter in color (more white-​ish) and because it’s a synthetic material, it’s lesser price wise. There’s also jusi and piña Barongs. Jusi is made from banana leaf fibers and piña is from pineapple leaf fibers. According to Wiki, Barongs made of piña are more laborious and will probably cost you more. But, these are beautifully made dress shirts and gowns, and they are absolutely worth every penny.
I returned today, and met with Ms. Levy again. This time there were more than enough baby-​sized organza Barongs for me to choose from! I really got excited, especially since I don’t have much time to be picky (baptism is this Saturday!)
Ms. Levy was very, very, very gracious and generous to allow me to choose two Barongs, but only pay for one, as I’m allowed to return the first Barong from two weeks ago. She understood our schedule and location differences, so allowing me to purchase what I did today and make my return tomorrow is such a big help! Thank you!!!
Customer service is top notch! There is a nice selection to choose from, and if you plan ahead of time, you’ll more than likely find what you’re looking for here! Prices are very reasonable. You have to understand that there aren’t very many stores out here that carry such beautiful merchandise. And, these styles come straight from the motherland Philippines, so you have to allow at least two weeks per each shipment to come in.
Store hours are a little weird, but it’s understandable. They are open from 10am-​2pm and then from 5pm-​7pm Monday thru Friday. I was told by Ms. JoAnn that the hotter temps in the late afternoon make it hard to run a small shop. They are also open on the weekends, Saturday from 10am-​6pm and Sunday from 10am-​4pm.
The parking lot is small, but I was always able to park right in front of the store.
You can pay with plastic with no additional charge to do so. There’s plenty of Filipino themed items and religious knick-​knacks to purchase here, as well as sundresses and other not-​so-​formal clothes.
Barong & Formal, thank you again! :-)

I soon as I walked in I was greeted and the lady asked if I needed help. Right away she helped me find the right size for me and offered suggestions for different styles. They have a beautiful selection and great customer service. Would come back again.

My husband and I just got back from our destination wedding in Hawaii and we’re really happy with the short-​sleeved Barongs we purchased from Barong & Formal Shoppe. Prior to our day trip up to Los Angeles (we live in San Diego), I researched this spot on Unilocal and thought it was worth a visit after attending another event in the L.A. area.
Levy, the owner was there when we arrived on a Saturday afternoon in mid-​April and was very helpful with our needs. We told her we were getting married in early August and we needed to order Barongs for our six groomsmen and two ring & coin bearers, but we only had their shirt measurements. Since all eight live in all parts of the U.S., having them come to this shop to try on a Barong before we placed our order wasn’t an option.
We ended up custom ordering all their Barongs after eyeing a really nice, short-​sleeved one in the shop. We put down a deposit and returned back a month later to pick up the orders. We knew of the lag time since these had to be custom ordered and shipped from the Philippines, but since we had plenty of time to get these before we flew to Hawaii, it was the least of our worries. They were delivered on time as we were told.
The great thing is that all the Barongs fit nicely for all but one groomsman. We had to place another order and go up a size and since we still had over two months before our big day, we still didn’t worry about not getting it on time. Fortunately, I was able to phone in my second order with Levy without any issues and one month later, it arrived.
Like most stores that sells formal wear, the return policy is consistent with other places. We didn’t bother asking if we can simply exchange the snug Barong for the extra one we ordered, it was our loss, but not a big one for us since hunting for the perfect Barong came easy for us once we stepped foot in this modest shop in Carson. When that order came in, Levy text me and offered to ship it directly to the groomsman. I thought that was nice of her and knew it was worth the extra shipping cost since it saved us time & money in having to make another trip to L.A. just to pick up one Barong.
With the tropical weather in Hawaii being super warm and humid as the hot sun beats down on you in the middle of summer, you want to be dressed comfortably. Fortunately, these Barongs delivered and our guys looked great!
Our wedding motif was mango and thought it was super cool to find the undershirt for sale in that color at this shop. My hubby wore it under his Barong (which we already owned) and it stood out nicely from the rest of the guys.
If I ever need to order Barongs state side, at least I know that we can go to Barong Formal & Shoppe. I know it’d be a whole lot cheaper if I asked my Mom to pick up some the next time she goes to the Philippines, but knowing my Mom’s eclectic style, our guys would probably look like back-​up dancers for Elton John and they’d probably hate us for that.

I was hesitant to go to this store at first because one of the reviews wasn’t very good but figured I would just give it a try. I needed a Filipina dress made to wear for my Hermana Mayor fiesta in the Philippines. I went to this store on Oct. 12 and the owner told me the dress would be ready on Nov. 22. On Nov. 16, they called me and said the dress was ready. The skirt was a little too big around the waist due to a measurement error and the owner agreed to alter it. After a week I got a call from the store saying that the dress is ready. Everything was perfect this time! I just want to say thank you for making such a beautiful and classy Filipina dress! My husband and my son got barongs from this store as well. I will definitely come back again!

This is a very detailed review, but worth the read if you are considering getting formal wear at this shop. In sum, DO NOT have clothing made at this shop EVER… details below…
I was requested that I go here to get a Maid-​of-​Honor dress made. I went here in March to get measured for a July wedding. Plenty of time to make sure a dress is made properly, right? Three months later in mid-​June, I was asked to come in for my first «fitting.» The dress was made so small that I was unable to step into the dress and pull it up past my thighs or pull down from over my head. Not sure how this happened… but, I remained calm, gave the benefit of the doubt and the owner agreed to have it re-​made (as they should). I mentioned that the sleeves were also not made correctly and that the chest area appeared to be loose and messy-​looking. I was asked if the length was OK. I said yes, «the length is perfect.» (For context, the dress itself was a short dress, with a floor length wrap-​around skirt). I was then told the dress would cost $ 30 more than I was originally quoted, so I guess I was responsible for fixing the error. I didn’t make an issue of it; I just accepted the price and said OK.
Fast-​forward 2−½ weeks later, the owner informs me that the «new» dress is ready. I arrived, saw the dress on the hanger and thought, «Hmmm. That dress looks really short… perhaps it’s an illusion based on how it hangs.» Although the owner was not there, there was a very nice woman assisting me. I tried on the dress… it was indeed VERY short. When I came out of the restroom, my young daughter looked at me and said «Oh, Mama, that’s a nice shirt!» Yes, that is how short it was. How could they possibly make ANOTHER mistake, right? I told the woman in the shop that it was too short and it is not appropriate for a wedding; she agreed. She called the owner so that I could explain the issue. I said «I can get into it this time, but this dress it TOO short.» We bantered for awhile and she INSISTED that it was the same length as the last one (even though she was not there to see it herself). I said, «I am not making this up; this dress is NOT the same length». She proceeded to argue with an attitude and said, «The original dress is hanging there,» at which point I grabbed it, held it to me and told her, this is DEFINITELY not the same length. The woman in the shop measured it, got on the phone with the owner and confirmed that the dress was almost 4 inches shorter than the original. I mention that the sleeves are still wrong and the chest area is still loose and messy looking. I was asked to return later that evening when the owner was back at the shop. However inconvenient, I do so because the wedding is 7 days away and I have no choice. When I return, the owner and a seamstress is present to explain how they will «add a band» to the bottom of the dress to add length. When I mention that the sleeves and fit of the dress is still VERY wrong, the owner INSISTS that it is IMPOSSIBLE to make any additional changes to the dress without ruining it and that it looks «FINE» and it’s supposed to look that way. WHAT??? BUT IT DOESN’T FIT!!! I am frustrated, but I accept because I’m most concerned about the length anyway and am clear she has no intention of adjusting the fit.
Two days later, I am told my dress is ready (wedding is in 5 days). I make the drive (AGAIN!). The owner is not there, but her lovely niece assists. She asks me if I want to see the dress. I say yes. She proceeds to lift the garment bag. I look closely and I can’t believe it… I say, «Are those stains?» Yes, there were 3 water stains on the dress (from the steam in their iron). She replies, «Oh…but you can take the dress to a dry-​cleaner and they’ll get them out.» I said, «Are you going to pay for the dry cleaning?» She calls the owner to discuss, at which point I am told that there will be NO discounts for the dress… not for the fact that that the dress was 1) made wrong TWICE, 2) that I’m settling for a dress that STILL didn’t fit properly and 3) that there were THREE stains on the dress. She said to leave the dress so she can look at it and I can come back. I said, «What? You are asking me to drive out here again? Are you going to clean it? Are you going to deliver it? At this point, I am no longer calm and express my complete dissatisfaction with the quality of work and lack of customer service. The owner told me that I «should appreciate the effort and time spent to satisfy you.» Yes, her exact words! I thought I was getting PUNK’d (J/​K).
I finally decided to pay for the dress and took it to George’s in Santa Monica who has altered many dresses perfectly for me in the past. He looked at the dress and couldn’t believe the shoddy work. He told me all my requests were not at all impossible. He pinned me up… fixed the sleeves, the loose/​messy bodice, cleaned the stains… all ready in 3 days with time to spare.

I was picked as a Sponsor in a cousins wedding and was asked to wear the traditional Filipino Barong. Barongs are Embroidered Formal Filipino Shirts. I first looked in the Internet for the different styles and get an estimate of the costs. I looked in Unilocal (near Carson), but no reviews. I then looked through Google and a couple of reviews for Barong & Formal came up.
I’ve been to this shopping center a few time, but never looked into this store. I was greeted with smiles and the lady was very helpful with sizes, fabrics and their costs, as well as the embroidering. From the Internet, I was leaning towards the Mandarin collar over the Standard collar (Shhhh, I makes me look more younger). You normally wear a white t-​shirt underneath, but I wasn’t wearing one. She asked anyways to try on a size, so when I return, I would know my size.
I returned wearing a white t-​shirt and picked out three different embroidered shirts to try. Finally picked one made from Jusi. This same lady I met previously, was so helpful and cheery which made my experience pleasant. I was given instructions on how to care for the garment.
Did you know, some Barongs are made with Bananas ($ 170) and Pina or Pineapple (appx $ 240)? These fabrics are so soft.
So, if you are in the southbay area and need a Barong, stop by before you buy anywhere else.