Shopping Services and Taobao

Here is my confession.

I'm scared to use shopping services. During all my years in Lolita I used one exactly once, and that was only because I was determined to get my hands on the Twinkle Journey OP by Metamorphose (which I ended up selling a year later, but that's besides the point). I didn't get scammed or end up waiting for ages. Nothing was damaged or needed to be tracked down during shipping. But. I was very, very anxious the entire process, and I couldn't feel truly relaxed until I had the dress in my hands. From that day forward, I vowed never to use a shopping service again.

Naturally, this limits quite a lot of things I can buy from taobao stores. For the most part I've been okay with this. My-Lolita-Dress is offering more and more from many of the popular indie brands, and there are so many beautiful things to be find from second-hand sales I never felt like I was really missing out.

Then the other day I was reading over at Luna Rain's  blog, where she recently posted a review about her newest taobao order. I was instantly stricken when she showed two beautiful cutsews from one particular taobao store and I could absolutely not get them out of my head. For what feels like a ridiculously long time I have been searching for simple, but elegant knit tops to wear with casual, Lolita-inspired coords and have grown more and more infuriated by the lack of options! I honestly can not believe the lack of cute details in just about every place I have searched, except for-of course, Korean or Chinese sellers on ebay where anyone with a 96cm is listed as a 2XL (and the garment is probably STILL too small).

But as I'm browsing this shop (and per the review discovered these tops would likely fit quite comfortably), I have to admit, I'm wondering if it's time to give the ol' shopping service a try once again. Just take a look at these!

How can you say no to that! I have to admit, every day I am more and more tempted, and once I buck up the courage I may finally attempt my second ever taobao order. Wish me luck!

My first lucky pack!

I am so excited! I have finally purchased my very first lucky pack!

For as long as I have been a Lolita, I have always adored the exciting Lucky Pack posts that sprinkle egl, wondering what goodies awaited inside the many packs from the likes of Angelic Pretty, Baby the Stars Shine Bright and Metamorphosis. I longed to have one too, but many factors always stopped me- I don't like shopping through a shopping service, lack of funds and a general fear of wasting my money on a bunch of items I wouldn't even like or fit into.

So I waited.

Then just yesterday I was browsing through My-Lolita-Dress.com,  and I came upon this:

Oh gosh, so many cute possibilities! And for such an affordable price!

I was super anxious. I had never heard of the brand Pink Up before and my goolge-fu was failing me. Still, with only 100 packs total (and only 1/3 of that in my size), I knew these babies were going to get snapped up fast.

Luckily some other Lolitas were able to help me out a bit and I learned that Pink Up is affiliated with the brand Long Ears and Sharp Ears Studio, which was only a hair more well known. Still, from what little I found, it seemed the brand had positive reviews and adorable options, and I was already chomping at the bit to finally experience what seemed a Lolita rite of passage.

I do admit I am very nervous about the sizing. Because of the lack of reviews, my only clear indication about their sizes is that they ran small. I ordered a size Large as their chart listed a bust of 96-98cm and a waist of 76-78cm, both of which should fit me quite comfortably with a little wiggle room to spare. However, my one review of the Long Ears and Sharp Eyes brand indicated that their L-XL size fit someone with a waist and bust at least 10 cm smaller than that! Oh dear...

Still, I'm keeping my hopes up! While about half their items look a little too sweet for my tastes, the other half is absolutely gorgeous and classic and mature! And as I'm especially focusing on expanding my wardrobe color palette and styles, I'm very much looking forward to what surprises are in store for me. Sadly my order won't be shipped out until the end of the month so there's a bit of a wait time, but I'll keep myself focused elsewhere until then.

I'll be sure to post a review once it arrives. Keeping my fingers crossed for a lucky Lucky Pack!

Saying good-bye...

This is Nazomi. 

He's a Dream of Doll Kirill, and I purchased him in 2007. I am devoting this post to him because I am selling him.

Ordinarily I try not to dwell on the selling of a doll as I try to come to complete terms with it by the time I sell them and I'm more than ready for them to move on. At this point I've already sold two full dolls and two floating heads. It's not the most fantastic feeling in the world to realize a doll would probably be more suitable for a different home, but it's sometimes a necessary evil. But Nazomi is a little bit different. Nazomi is special.

He was, after all, my first doll.

I know there's a lot of differing opinions about selling one's first dolls. Some owners simply can't dream of it. Some owners hold onto their first even after they no longer like the sculpt. For some owners the sentimentality makes it worth it to keep first dolls around even long after they've been outgrown.

And other owners are different. Some sell their first doll within the first year. Some owners don't have a strong emotional bond to their dolls. Some owners never felt attached to their first at all and viewed them as a starter doll.

Neither type of owner is correct or incorrect. There are all sorts of reasons after all as to why someone may or may not choose to sell their first doll. And up until recently I was always in the camp of never being able to let him go. He is, still, quite special. He was the first doll I was truly smitten with and saved vigorously for. I purchased him as a graduation/birthday gift to myself. He arrived to me in my very first apartment on my own, and his arrival date just happened to fall on the birth of my cousin's very first son. He represented an original character who meant a lot to me and I had created in my final years of high school during a very difficult time in my life. Needless to say, he was quite precious to me.

But a lot changes in 7 years.

My tastes have changed. Even this little picture of him shows just a fraction of the amount of work that has been put into him in order to hopefully get him to look the way I want. He's been through more face-ups, wigs and outfits than any of my other dolls in a desperate attempt to get him to look how I envisioned. But there was always an underlying structural issue. His nose and lips were too thin. His chin was too pointy. Something, anything that could not be changed.

His importance to me as a character changed a lot as well. Although I still immerse myself in the fictional world that fuels my creative juices, the character of Nazomi had changed drastically, and is no longer as an important influence on me as he once was. He's no longer even a he!

I admit, it was a long process to accept the fact that he needed to be let go. Every time I looked up and saw him on the shelf, I was stung was annoyance over the money I poured into him and no matter how hard I tried, he just didn't aesthetically appeal to me anymore. Sometimes I would imagine what I would do if I could start over, would I get the same dolls? The answer was always yes...except for Nazomi. But I couldn't get over the guilt. He was my first doll!

Eventually, I caved. It wasn't easy. But after a lot of thought, I realized this doll had served his purpose to me. He helped me into an amazing hobby. He brought to life a character that was precious to me and encouraged me to continue chasing after my writing and artistic pursuits. He was an amazing inspiration to me that will continue on even after the doll is gone.

So this sweet Kirill is going to a new home. He is no longer Nazomi, and that's okay. Getting rid of the physical form does not diminish the spirit of his character, nor does it erase the wonderful memories he's brought me. I'll carry them with me and hope he can bring just as much joy and imagination to his new owner.

Good by Kirill.

The Dress Pt. 2

David's Bridal (1)

Although I had been intending to wait awhile between posts pertaining to me wedding dress shopping escapades, I have to admit the whole ordeal is still so fresh and exciting in my mind that it only makes sense to get it all out in the open now. While it may deviate slightly from my original Lolita-related intent, I find this is just such an important milestone in my life that it's difficult to really ignore it.

So while this little collection of posts might be a bit different than what I usually write about, perhaps that in turn is a good thing as it urges me to take that step forward in broadening my horizons and leaving reviews and examining other fashion outlets outside of strict Lolita.

Now, without further ado, I'd like to start with the first leg of my dress-shopping journey. The one, the only:

David's Bridal.

Yes. Just about every (American) bride knows of them, heard of them and perhaps even has an opinion on them. I've heard it all-from the amazing $99 deals on gorgeous gowns, to the shudder-inducing label as the 'Wal-Mart' of bridal stores. So I admit, this wasn't exactly my number one place to go shopping.

Still, fate has a funny way of turning our plans on our heads. While David's might not have been my top choice to go gown hunting, I was still chomping at the bit to go slip in some floofy white dresses. I had read numerous times online that the best time to go shopping was during the week instead of the weekend. Unfortunately, given how difficult it is for me to take time off work, that didn't seem entirely feasible, especially as I definitely wanted my mother, who also works, with me.

As it so turned out, my office closed down for about two weeks over Christmas and the new year, and I suddenly found myself with quite a few open workdays! I broached the topic to my mother about perhaps finding a day after the new year to make a dress shopping visit and she agreed. Lo' and behold, my little sister wanted to attend, and suggested we bring my cousin, whom we rarely see and would be down for the holiday, with us. Suddenly I found myself with an appointment at David's Bridal the day after Christmas!

Even though it wasn't top on my list of places to visit, I assumed it was a safe place to start. I could try on a few gowns, get an idea of what looked good on me, see some details up close, understand what was within my budget and most importantly, have a totally amazing day with my family. In the end, it turned out to be so much more.

Image from Google-but accurate!

The last time I stepped foot inside of a David's Bridal was almost ten years ago when my cousin was searching for her dress. It was a quick appointment and I remember very little from it. So stepping inside the store was pretty awe-inspiring. I had booked the first appointment of the day and once the doors opened I was floored at how beautiful everything was. Wal-Mart this was most definitely not!

VW351213 in gold/champagne

The second we walked inside I instantly saw this beauty. I admit, I had already been stalking this gown on the David's Bridal website for some time and it was the one dress I absolutely knew I needed to try on that day. It was gorgeous! A Vera Wang design, it had the perfect touch of whimsy with the bow on the front (a design element I have yet to find on ANY other dress), an empire waist that nipped in at the tiniest part of my figure and layers upon layers of gorgeous soft tulle! It was everything I had ever wanted in a wedding gown!

Except it wasn't white.

Yes, for some reason, this dress is not available in white. I had seen this dress in a few photos before and had thought that with the right lighting the gold and champagne might not be very noticeable, and it's true. I certainly don't think the gold is too obvious in this photo, but did I really want to wear something that I would have be trying to disguise all day? Especially as I don't even like gold all that much?

It was pretty heart-breaking. But I refused to give it up. Even when my entire entourage agreed for one reason or another that it wasn't the dress for me, I ignored them. Despite the color, I felt like a pretty princess and I didn't want to take it off. Still, the appointment was just beginning and there were more dresses to be had. So up next, a beautiful gown in stark white...

MK3576

Ah, this dress was so lovely! A David's Bridal design, it too encompassed everything I had wanted-a ballgown, tulle, simple-and it was white! I have to admit, the second they put that veil on you it's almost impossible not to want to get married right then and there.

But something was missing. I couldn't quite place my finger on it, but there was a quality, there was...it. The dress just didn't have it.

But not to fear! That's what a huge selection of sparkly belt, flowers and bows are for! My consultant (and four year old cousin) were quick to rush off and find me a multitude of options that could possible spruce it up a bit. That could hopefully add that touch of dazzle and give that dress it. And I have to admit, there were some very beautiful options.

It was beautiful! It was gorgeous! It had some sparkle now! Some personality! And gosh darn it, did this dress make my waist look good!

You know, from the front.

The side left something to be desired.

It was disappointing. My entire family adored this dress, and I couldn't understand why I didn't. It was everything I had described that I wanted, and yet when it just came down to it...it was boring. I felt like, if a random person was asked to describe a generic wedding dress, this would be it, and no amount of blingy belts could fix it.

But I admit I didn't want to give up on it all at once. After all, it was what I said I wanted. Still, this was only the second dress I had tried on, there were still plenty more to go!

Sadly, this post has already grown quite long, so I will be breaking up the second half of my David's Bridal trip into a second post. I hope so far my review and experience were enlightening!

Part One: Introduction

Part Three: David's Bridal (2)

Part Four: Mafalda's Bridal

Part Five: Bay Area Bridal