Review: Clobbaonline and Krad Lanrete's "Marie Antoinette"!

Back when I first started out in Lolita (4 or so years ago) I made some of my first purchases from Taobao, through Clobbaonline. I immediately liked this reseller, as the communication was extremely personal, the service was excellent and Martin was always incredibly helpful. He always went that extra mile to make sure that my measurements for my custom made garments had been taken correctly, and let me know if something looked off to him (I really had no idea what I was doing..)

However, that was many years ago. How's the service today? Here´s my experience!

I made my order for the Krad Lanrete "Le Portrait de Marie" JSK (Clobbaonline still has a couple in stock) with a matching bonnet on the 14th of June, through their order form system, and my order was confirmed on the 16th. I received an apology for the late response, due to "replies on weekends being slow". That's fine, imo. I received the price for shipping and was invoiced, and I paid right away and asked if everything was already in stock, or if the bonnet was made-to-order.
The next day I received an email from Martin, letting me know that we would have to wait for my (pre-made) bonnet to arrive from Krad Lanrete. However, my JSK was ready to be shipped out.
And so I waited.

It took 10 days (including weekends) for my bonnet to arrive, but as soon as it arrived, the order was dispatched. I sent an email or two along the way, checking to see how everything was coming along, and Martin always responded within 24 hours. Today, it finally arrived! Talk about slow shipping and customs! But that is of course not Martin's fault.

Clobbaonline ratings:

Communication: 5/5 ♤'s.
The communication is easily understandable, personal, and Martin still goes that extra mile to make sure that everything is completely clear. 

Ordering System/Site Navigation: 04/05 ♤'s.

The order form is fine and easy to fill out. However, I always prefer a shopping cart system. It's just quicker than having to fill out size, quantity etc. Especially when you're making a bigger order than mine.

Packaging: 5/5 ♤'s.

My dress was wrapped up in a cardboard box, which was wrapped in bubblewrap, and all of that was wrapped in plastic. No issues what so ever! The most sturdy packaging I've ever tried!

All in all, Clobbaonline's service is as always excellent. From me, they get a 5 out of 5 in the end. Being a reseller, they are of course a little more expensive than purchasing through a Taobao SS (which is also possible from Krad Lanrete. You can find my list of SS's at the bottom of the page here) but it's worth the price.

Here we've got the bonnet and the dress out of the bag. Let's start with the dress!

This is the dress straight out of the plastic. The fabric is nice and smooth, and the color is true to the photos.

The quality of the lace all around the dress is alright, but not at all brand quality. I'd give it a "meh". Not bad, but not that good either. 

The bows are nice enough. Soft. Not the same kind of grosgrain that BtSSB uses. These are more smooth and silky in texture. One of them looks crooked in the photo, but that was easily corrected.

I LOVE the print. It's pretty crisp, the colors are more vibrant than in my photos, and the attention to detail is exquisite. They used 4 paintings, which are lined up on the front, and in the same way on the back of the dress. The portraits are of course a little more grainy than the rest, but that is to be expected. Paintings are not HQ photographs!

I love the fan. It really shows how intricate the details of this print are. I might be drooling a little.. a little.

This is the inside of the dress. As you can see, it's pretty much fully lined. The craftmanship is great! I found no loose threads at all, so thumbs up for that.

According to the label, it's even machine washable, as long as you're careful. Good to know that the print doesn't run!

That's it for the dress!

As you can see, the inside of the bonnet is lined with a very soft type of chiffon, which also make up the bows and the ribbons that you tie beneath your chin. The bows are well made and even. I like the design of the bonnet, where the lining extends like a stretchy cap on the back of the head. It looks good when worn, and helps keep the bonnet in place a little.

The lace quality is about the same as on the dress. Pretty enough, but not something to write home about. It serves it's purpose and looks very good!

All in all, this is my ratings for the Krad Lanrete dress and bonnet!

Quality: 4/5 ♤'s

As lace is pretty important in Lolita, it's enough to drag my ratings down a spade. However, everything else is just fine! The fabric is gorgeous.

Craftmanship: 5/5 ♤'s.

No issues. Everything is tidy and even. 

Print: 4/5 ♤'s.

A little crookedly drawn in places, but not that noticeable. It's very crisp, detailed and overall gorgeous! 

All in All: 4,5 ♤'s!

I'm very, very satisfied, and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase something from Krad Lanrete again. It's just as good as what I've owned from Infanta or Rose Melody, in my opinion.

Finally, I couldn't wait and I had to make a coordinate right away! This was my outfit today.

What do you guys think? 

I hope you're enjoying your summer, or your winter, as much as I am! Until next time~

Review: Loris, Foxcherry, AnTaiNa, Candy Tower and Bodyline!

I received my package a little earlier than I thought I would, so without further ado, here's my review, with a bonus Bodyline review as I received my blouse today too!

I'll start out with the Taobao stuff. I used Yoybuy as my shoppingservice, and DHL for shipping.
As you can see from the picture, everything is individually wrapped. It all arrived in one big box. The AnTaiNa box was a little beat up, and the bags had become a little bend out of shape from being squished down there with the rest of the stuff. It was all squished so tight that there was no way anything could rattle around.

Loris "Star" Bag

As you can see, it was bend a little bit out of shape (I had tried to straighten it up a little bit), but apart from that, the bag is beautiful. It feels nice and sturdy, and it has a cute little star charm as a zipper. 

The bag is lined with what feels like polyester, but it's a strange bourdeau color. Not quite what I'd expected, but nobody's really gonna see that anyway. All in all, it's a very cute bag. It's a little more of a nice light pink than the picture, on which it seemed almost salmon.

All in all, I'd give it a 5 out of 5 spades for quality cuteness!

♤♤♤♤♤

Foxcherry hairband

I bought a cheap hairband off of Foxcherry as well, as I'd previously bought a bunch of very pretty headdresses from her, and I was not dissapointed! For the price, the quality is pretty superb. The lace is soft, everything is spaced out nicely, the flowers are not flimsy. Everything is glued onto a pretty sad, white headband, though, that's wrapped in soft white ribbon. It's better than just using a dollarstore plastic headband, but still, I'd have liked something a little more sturdy. For the price, I'm not complaining. I got a free pink bow clip too!

I'll give it a 4 out of 5 spades.

♤♤♤♤

Candy Tower "Cupcake" Bag

I purchased this really cute bag from a brand I'd never heard of before, called "The Candy Tower". I've mixed feelings about it, but all in all, I'm pretty fond of the bag. It feels even sturdier than the "Loris" bag. The bag is lined with a pink polyester fabric with the brand's tag sewn into it. The details are adorable and the colors are a lot more vivid than what my camera can project.

I really like the warm copper color that they used for the zipper and the clips. It just looks cuter than a cool metal zipper would. There's a matching heart charm attached to it.

However, the hearts are really, really wonky. They look a bit like pink, chewed gum that's been sewn onto the bag. They look a little wonky in the stock photos too, so I should've just paid a little more attention. There are small chips on the bag here and there, but nothing you'd notice from afar. 

All in all, I give this bag a 3 out of 5, for sturdyness and cute details, but bad craftmanship.
♤♤♤

Last but not least from the Taobao order, we've got the
An*Tai*Na shoes!

As soon as I took them out of the bag, it really felt like they were fresh from the factory. Wow, did it smell like nail polish in here! And they felt almost damp, as if the paint hadn't even dried yet! I've no idea what that was about, but it was.. special.
The shoes are really adorable, though. They're very slim and sadly, way too small for me, even though I know I bought them in my size! I'm very sad about it, because they're just beautiful. An*Tai*Na has a "no returns" policy, so I'll probably have to trade or sell them, if I can't get a professional to stretch them out.

The cherry on top has to be the pattern under the soles. Look how cute they are! It's Cinderella and her glass slipper!

All in all, the An*Tai*Na shoes get a 4 out of 5 spades, for being perfect, but unwearable to me.

♤♤♤♤

Bonus!

Bodyline Blouse "L159"

As usual, my blouse arrived in it's own separate Bodyline bag, neatly folded.

And here it is out of the bag! The blouse is a very thin cotton fabric, and nicely fitted. It has darts down the back as well. That's really nice, as it's got no waist ties to keep it from being baggy.

I was afraid the lace would be bad and plastic-y, but it's not. It's actually surprisingly soft to the touch.

The sleeves are long and very full. Even better than I thought they'd be! There's soft lace running along the ruffles all the way around.

And here's the bow. I'd hoped it would be nice, simple neckties with a flower clip, but nope. It's a silly butterfly on an elasticband with a flimsy plastic flower. I'm thinking I'll just remove the flower and try and wear the bow without, if I decide to use the bow at all. I primarily bought the blouse for the sleeves.

All in all, I'd give this Bodyline blouse a rating of 4 out of 5 spades! One detracted for the bad quality flower.

♤♤♤♤

That's it, folks! To sum it up, I'm pretty ecstatic and looking forward to wearing it all out!
I'm staying positive about the shoes and giving the shoemaker a chance. Maybe he can fix them for me. 

52 Weeks: Purses That I Love

This week's "52 Weeks" challenge is a very "chill" one, and though quite appropriate, as spring is approaching here in the northern hemisphere. To a lot of Lolitas, that means spring cleaning! Spring cleaning of their closets, that is. What better way to celebrate that than to browse the interwebs for new items for this years Lolita collections?

As the owner of a sad little collection of no more than 3 purses, this topic is one that I've been starving for.

Personally, I have a weakness for purses that do not look like purses, so that's what I'll be hunting for. I'm gonna put the links to the stuff I find throughout the post!

To me, it adds a lot to the feel of a coordinate, if the bag is like a prop to the story your outfit is telling. Giant candy or biscuit bags, like the one above from taobao, gives an "Alice in Wonderland" or "Strawberry Shortcake" feel. As if you were a tiny princess in a land of giant sweets!

The same goes for treasure chests, crowns, or bags camouflaged as books! They're not "just" a purse. 

One of the famous Alice and the Pirates book purses!
Someday you will be mine. Just wait.

The newest bag in my collection is a purse made from a book. It was made by NovelCreations on Etsy! She goes out and purchases old books, and turns them into purses. If you want, you can get the pages that she removed as well. I wanted the "Jane Eyre" purse that she listed in her shop, but you can also request to have a specific book turned into a purse for you!

Another cute find from Taobao!

I also have a bit of a weakness for bags that look like musical instruments. It adds a bunch of elegance to a classic or gothic coord, IMO. I already have a violin bag, but it only kind of looks like a violin, and it's really worn. It just doesn't look good anymore. I need a new one!

So many bags I need. So little money! Well, I guess it just needs to go on my "To-Buy" List. Whether we like it or not, a good bag completes a coord, even more than a nice parasol does.

I hope this post inspired you girls a little bit, when it comes to what your closet needs this coming spring!

Photoshoot: Urban Maiden

This weekend I had the great joy of once again modelling for the talented photographer mr. Christian Møllnitz of Imagen Photography, and this time I got to do it in my frills!

It was cold, it was wet and it was quite the adventure crossing the dark waters (an empty, muddy lot) to get to the abandoned silos, but I had a blast as always and we got some stunning photos out of it!
Personally, I love the contrast of sweet and elegant classic Lolita in an urban setting with the graffiti and concrete walls.

OK, on to the photos I picked out especially for you!

Coord Rundown:
JSK and Bonnet: Infanta
Blouse: HMHM
Coat: HMHM
Socks: Secret Shop
Shoes: Offbrand
Parasol: Alice and the Pirates
Accessories: Offbrand

Review: Yoybuy, Victoriangirldress and Infanta's Sleeping Beauty!

After almost a year of nothing new in my closet what so ever, I finally have a new addition in my closet! I had almost forgotten that giddy, excited feeling of receiving a pack of goods from the other end of the world!

Usually when people recommend shoppingservices it's personal services (one person who live in japan or china and ships stuff to people) or the very well-known ones, mainly Taobaospree and Taobaonow. For this purchase, I decided to try another one, for two reasons: Yoybuy is a lot cheaper when it comes to shipping, and has a very neat, easy to use shoppingcart system. I read a lot of kind of mixed reviews, but most of them seemed to be positive, so I went for it! And this was my experience:

Yoybuy

Website: ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ 

Their website is easy to navigate and has pretty much all of the information that you need listed exactly where I expected to find it. The search bar that lets you search for a taobao item directly from the Yoybuy website and just put it in your shoppingcart is great- No worries about correctly filling out forms or anything!

It would be even better if you didn't need the exact link to the item, though, but now I'm just being nit picky. 

Making a purchase: ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠♠ 

Very easy and pretty much like any other internet transaction where you check out with a shoppingcart. The only problems I had was that I was unsure what to enter in the price declaration field. It all went smoothly, though, and I didn't have to do anything else!

Communication: ♠ ♠ ♠ 

Communication was my only real issue with these guys, and it was mostly language barrier stuff. The color options on the items when I had to check out did not translate probably ("Furnished appartment? But I'm buying a dress..!") and their english is of course not perfect, but for the most part it is easy enough to understand. You are able to follow the process of your order on their website, from when it is purchased, when it ships from the Taobao store, and when they ship it to you, and you'll receive an automatic e-mail telling you to review your order when it arrives at their warehouse, and before you pay for shipping.

Shipping: ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ 

Shipping is cheap and you have a lot of options to choose from, with all the information you might need about each one. You can choose to get your package insured for a couple of bucks extra, but the price is very reasonable- I chose it, just to be sure. They shipped my package out very quickly after I made my final payment, and I received a tracking number. Everything arrived in a bubblewrap envelope in seperate clear plastic bags. No tears or anything.

All in all, I think Yoybuy deserves 4 big ♠ 's, and I'll definetely use them again the next time I need to spoil myself!

And now for the main event- 

Infanta's Sleeping Beauty JSK

Right out of the bag, without detachable bows!

I ordered the Infanta Sleeping Beauty JSK in the largest possible size (Size XL), and it fits pretty well! The length was the main reason I ordered this size since I'm pretty tall (about 5'9, or 178 cm) and the waist sits almost exactly at my waist, and it reaches my knees exactly. 

The dress is fully lined, except for the back. The lining is smooth, a tad shiny and doesn't rustle. In general, the fabric used in this dress is very smooth. A light and plain cotton(?), I'd say. No extraordinarily interesting texture compared to my only printed brand piece, but nice enough. The lace is not as thick and soft as what I expect from brand, but pretty close.

As you can see from the picture, they have tried to make the print match up as the seams. They've done alright. Only the "gate" really looks off, but it's not noticeable when worn. 

The print is nice and crisp, but very different from the photo, color-wise. The roses are more of a purple-ish color than the warm pink they show in the pictures. The brown details on the dress are also more of a dark chocolate brown. The small detachable bow is cream and not brown but that, to me, is a minor detail. The difference in the print color does, however, mean that the items I was thinking of coordinating this dress with won't match at all, so that will be a bit of a problem.

The waist-ties are attached with beautiful gold and cream heart-shaped buttons! The holes in the ties themselves are too big for the buttons, though. They detach easily. I have to get that fixed somehow.

This is the back of the detachable bow. The bow itself is a teensy bit crooked and one of the needles were sewn on upside-down. I like how the needles are attached at the edges of the bow, though. That way the bow doesn't "flop down" the way it does on a couple of my other offbrand dresses.

I bought the matching bonnet, and it's absolutely gorgeous! I love the stripey ruffles. It is very big, which I like. The ribbon used has a sheen to it, but is not shiny. The lace is lovely, except for the kind of scratchy gold tips around the bonnet, but so little is used that it does not look costumey.

All in all, I rate this dress:

Quality:  ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠
It is very, VERY decent. Not brand quality, but definetely better quality than any regular clothing brand.

Construction:  ♠ ♠ ♠ 

Alright, but I'm unable to wear the waist ties at the moment. No other big issues.

Likeness to pictures:  ♠ ♠ ♠ 

The colors are pretty different, and the big bow is a little more.. wonky.

I was actually pretty impressed, and this is definetely not the last Infanta piece that will end up in my closet!

Victoriangirldress Petticoat

I had heard a lot of good things about Victoriangirldress, and they are incredibly cheap, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. And I was very pleasantly surprised! The dress arrived in a clear plastic bag.

And right out of the bag, it was poofy all over the place! The material is not regular, cheap costume tulle from my experience. It is pretty soft and very comfortable to wear. The top fabric part of the petticoat is quite long, but you get a great cupcake shape when you fold that one down and wear it a little below your waist.

It even stands on it's own, haha! I'd say it's even more poofy than my Dear Celine Frothy petticoat, and that's for less than half the price I paid!

My only complaint is one thread that was not sewn in place. I'll just have to cut that one. I don't think the petticoat is gonna fall apart or anything.

I'll rate it:

Quality: ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ 

Pretty good, especially considering the price and that it was not made with a "lolita's needs" in mind!

Poofyness: ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ 

Extraordinary!

I hope you found my review to be useful! I'll update with a worn picture when I get the chance!

(I'll just have to make one. I physically can't wait to wear it all out!)