Quick Taobao Order Review

Let’s start this review by prefacing how amazing Superbuy is as a shopping service. Whilst the delay in me receiving this order was partly my fault (I paid for shipping too late and it hit the Lunar New Year holiday), partly it was due to governmental directives aimed at preventing further spread of the coronavirus. Throughout that process Superbuy kept me informed through pop-up announcements and internal messages, including estimated dates when shipping would resume. I was never in a particular rush and received my order in plenty of time, besides, I’m of the mindset that there’s no point lamenting something that’s outside of anyone’s control. So I’m glad that the parcel is here, even if later than I would’ve liked. And maybe that delay will motivate me to stop procrastinating and get on with things?

My order consisted primarily of crafts materials of various kinds. As these are not strictly lolita, I won’t review them individually. Having said this, I will give a special mention to two shops: Purple Dream Home and fanfanDIY, where I purchased some more traditional crafts materials like ribbons and findings. Their domestic postage was swift and their products are great quality for what I need. In particular fanfanDIY has a fantastic range of materials appropriate for a range of crafts from jewellery making to sewing. So if you find yourself in need of something and were going to do a Taobao order anyway, check their page out for things you could add.

Now, moving on to my more lolita-specific bits (even though not all of these were from lolita-specific shops). This time I’ll cover them from largest to smallest items, and they will also move from lolita-specific to general fashion shops.

After seeing Lovely Lor’s video on blouses, I jumped on the chance to buy this Sentaro blouse. Truth be told, I almost bought it once in comm sales, however, the owner said that the colour was more true red than wine. Maybe Sentaro has updated their colours since they got this blouse, because on Lovely Lor’s video it looked wine enough for what I needed, so I took the plunge. Actually, they had to have upped their colour offerings because the listing has a whopping 19 different colours on offer. The wine on Sentaro’s stock photos is much redder than it is in real life. The shade is still not as deep as I might like and does photograph brighter red than it is, but I’m happy to say that it is a red-based wine and not a purplish one, which is what I needed. The neckline, despite looking shirred, is not, it’s simply ruffled very heavily, so no off-shoulder looks with this, if you were planning any. The babydoll cut means a fully shirred waistline, and the cuff adding shape to the sleeve is also fully shirred. The blouse is made entirely out of polyester, although the bodice is lined. The outer fabric feels on the cheaper end of the polyester scale, it feels more like a shower curtain than the nice polyester that Infanta, Yilia or Chess Story use. However, the inner lining is softer, providing a bit more comfort of wear, as well as keeping the blouse opaque, so you could totally wear this with a skirt or pants. Whilst those who genuinely need blouses made out of more breathable fabrics would still find this uncomfortable and sweaty, it’s good enough to justify the price of 288 CNY (approx. £30 at the time of writing). Unfortunately, the fit is on the smaller side. This blouse comes in one size only and although it is fully shirred, the shirring isn’t actually that stretchy. Moreover, the bodice is cut pretty high, so the elastic sits at the same level as the bottom of my bra, so with any movement it’d ride up unless held in place by a very tight JSK or waistcoat. The elastics holding the sleeves are also very tight. My arms are fairly average, yet even I found the elastics too tight to wear. You don’t really need them, to be fair, because up to the bell at the bottom the sleeves aren’t very loose and cut pretty straight (and again, if your arms are larger, you might even find these tight, as there is no stretch to this polyester fabric). Despite the fit, I feel like this is a blouse I’d repurchase in another colour – might as well take advantage of this range – even if judging by the difference between stock photo and actual product it may be a little hard to colour match certain shades. However, if you are plus size in any part (bust, shoulders, arms), I’d consult with someone who owns this first before buying.

All that ruffling reminds me a bit of the Krad Lanrete blouse (you know which one I mean?).

This is the closest I could get to photographing the colour - and in fact in real life it's still a little darker than this.

Witness that sleeve!

Next is a pair of simple berets in navy. I was surprised how hard it was to find navy berets on Taobao! There were plenty in other colours, like black or red, and of course lots of ones that are already decorated from shops like Cutie Creator. I also found lots of berets in the wrong shape, the ones that are more like flat caps. Maybe I simply used the wrong search terms (I basically used Taobao’s own search function with Google Translated key words) or maybe it genuinely isn’t a popular colour. In the end I found what I needed on a shop that Google translates to Rat Eating Raddish (happy year of the rat anyone?), which also had these in other colours. They appear to be out of stock for now and the shop is a whole mishmash of various things, from fashion to home items, so it’s probably best browsed with either endless patience or a good page translator to avoid scrolling through irrelevant pages. There’s nothing else I could add to this, really, they’re your typical beret that you might purchase on eBay or AliExpress for a £1, except that from a shop on Taobao.

Simple, timeless staple. And the shade of navy is just right.

Next is probably my favourite item of the whole order: this stunning necklace. Available in gold and silver, it came from a shop called Official Silver Jewelry Store. Even though I saw the stock pictures and then the proof photo sent to me by Superbuy, I did not expect the necklace to be this gorgeous! The gold is darker than pictured, while the gems shine and sparkle beautifully. This feels very well made and is on the heavier side, which I guess is understandable for the size. It’s certainly not a casual piece, though it’s also enough to instantly add that bit of detail to a more OTT coordinate without having to wear loads. Part of me wishes that this came in other gem colours, as I’d love to add more things like this – but my wallet is certainly grateful that it doesn’t. Even though at 37.50 CNY this was not expensive, and even at full price of 69 CNY it’s not too bad, I could easily have gone overboard without meaning to. Maybe one day I’ll brave scrolling through the whole shop’s offering to see what else is available…

One of the most beautiful necklaces that I've ever seen!

Still can't believe that this was sold alongside the most normal normie jewellery you could imagine. This is also a better reflection of the shade of that gold metal.

Last but not least I bought a navy ring. Or more specifically two of the same ring because the price was so low (1.22 CNY!) that I bought two sizes in case one was too small. Turns out that I didn’t need to worry as size M is already a little too big on me and L is just massive – but that’s alright, I’ll probably give the other one away to someone. The shop’s name is Qingdao wonderful decoration industry foreign trade jewelry and they seem to specialise in fast fashion jewellery aimed at foreign markets. The rings were packaged like something you’d see in Primark or H&M, attached with a plastic strip to a piece of cardboard backing, but I bet those fast fashion shops probably charge at least a £1 if not more per unit, thus making around £0.80 profit per unit. The stone part of the ring is a little bit smaller than what I would’ve wanted, although still large enough for the colour to come across if the light is right. It feels comparable in quality and size to my Primark gold rings, which is what you’d expect. It makes for a nice filler piece and I’m sure I’ll get plenty of wear out of it, so this was worth every penny spent on it (of the 20 or so pennies that it cost me lol!). Again, maybe one day I’ll brave browsing through the shop’s entire catalogue – whilst most of it will be typical modern fast-fashion jewellery, there may be more hidden gems like this which would make the search worthwhile.

Excuse my bone dry hand, it was hard to get the ring photographed so that the blue would show up.

Whilst I had a few other lolita pieces, they were purchases for my friends, so I’m not going to review them properly here. Everything else were my crafts materials, which I will share in due course once the actual crafts are finished.

I’m enjoying discovering these various shops on Taobao that I otherwise wouldn’t have come across. Of course, when looking for pieces that are specifically lolita, it’s best to stick to the tried and tested brands that will fit the quality tick box. But for anything smaller, be it craft materials or jewellery, or even other miscellaneous items, it’s sometimes worth using Taobao’s search bar. Together with Google Translate it can be easy to search for common terms, even if some more specific ones will likely require at least a rudimentary understanding of kanji. Having said this, you could just as well keep trying various combinations of words and phrases with Google Translate’s help until something sticks. After all, until you hit buy, you’ve not committed to anything and it’s a good way of getting yourself familiarised with Taobao as a shopping platform and finding the best deals for yourself.

1 Dress 4 Looks Take 34

Ever since I’ve worn Lady Sloth’s Winter Spices skirt in five different ways last December, I knew that this post would be a challenge. In a way it’s good that I got my immediate go-to ideas out of the way already, as this really forced me to think creatively. It won’t stop me from actually wearing this skirt with whites, reds and the occasional brown and black, but at least this post gave me an opportunity to see what else might work. And as a result I discovered that Winter Spices is an even more versatile print than I had previously thought.

Look 1: Festive Green

| Axes Femme cutsew | Metamorphose Dressy OTKs | Innocent World heels | Imperial Fiddlesticks headbow | offbrand brooch | 4 Aces and Jane Marple rings |

Ok, this may not be the best start to proving how versatile this skirt is. Red and green is a typical colour combination for Christmas coordinates – which is why I wanted to get it out of the way now. This outfit, or a version of it, was something I had considered wearing as one of my work coords last December. I can’t remember why I decided not to in the end. But it has a chance to be showcased now.

Look 2: Winter Snowflake

| Axes Femme cardigan | Metamorphose Snow Crystal OTKs | Sosic Shop heels | Cutie Creator headbow | Sweet Dolly House snowflake brooch | offbrand necklace | Angelic Pretty Cute Ribbon wrist cuffs |

Yes, we’re still on seasonal themes. However, a white and sax with pops of gold is not the colour scheme you’d think to put together with this warm-toned print. I quite like it, but then you know me, I’ll always try to put reds and blues together. I think if you add enough of them into the coord, you can get away with adding a colour to an outfit that’s not featured in the print. Just make sure there’s enough of it to look intentional, as well as balanced, otherwise it ends up looking like an afterthought.

Look 3: Sweetie Cutie

| Dear Celine blouse | Haenuli Secret Garden tights | Metamorphose heels | Angelic Pretty Twinkle Sky headbow | After Midnight doughnut clip | Mademoiselle Boutique necklace | Angelic Pretty Logo Ribbon Charm wrist cuffs |

Pinks are always a good colour combo with reds. Thanks to the light fabric of the blouse and generally a lighter colour palette, this coord could almost make this skirt wearable outside of winter. After all, this is just a food print, not that different from other food prints, right? I wish that I had a sweeter red brooch to add to this outfit, as I feel one more pop of red around the neck/chest area would be a good finishing touch. Discovering gaps in your wardrobe is what these posts are for!

Look 4: Warming Mints

| Crown Label cardigan | Haenuli Secret Garden tights | Bodyline heels | offbrand beret | Angelic Pretty Sweet Cream Princess heabow | vintage necklace | Sweet Dolly House and Chocomint rings |

I like the look of red x mint as much as I do red x blue. Although mints probably match a little bit better since they’re just another shade of green, which we all know compliments red. This cardigan is super fluffy and warm, great for colder months. And for warmer weather I’d substitute it with my singular mint blouse and maybe add some wrist cuffs. Pretty versatile, isn’t it? Though I admit, my favourite part is probably that beret and headbow combo. They look so cute together, I feel like I have to wear them sometime soon.

Phew, and we’re done. Once I finally got going, the outfits just came to me like they normally do, but it took a bit of work to get over this initial mental block of ‘I’ve done everything with this skirt already’. Now not only do I have four more coords to wear with this skirt, but I’ve also regained some confidence in my wardrobe. I have a few other pieces that I started to think I ran out of ideas for. Seeing these four looks inspired me to keep at it and work through the creative block instead of going down the easy route of selling them. Not without a fight first.

Do you have any pieces that you think you’ve worn in all the possible ways that you can? Does it bother you, and if so – do you think you’ll sell the piece or try coming up with something first?

Not Wearing Lolita to a Meet

This is certainly not a topic that you’d expect to see on a blog all about wearing lolita fashion. However, since becoming a mod for my local comm I have been noticing this question more. Usually, though not always, it comes from newcomers who are yet to order any part of their coordinate, who are nonetheless keen on joining the community asap. I thought I’d share my opinions on this. To me it’s important to consider both points of view: that of the person asking to attend a meetup not in lolita and that of the community, as well as address some general bits. Hopefully this will help someone out there and invite discussions on how other communities approach these requests.

General points

It should go without saying that matters like this are resolved at the discretion of the meet organiser and the community admins. Some comms are stricter than others, some may have a dress code explicitly in their community rules or in the event description. The golden rules here are to ask permission, to review these requests on a case by case basis, and to not be a dick about the whole thing regardless of your position in this discussion.

If you are new to the community, I suggest making yourself known first by being active in the group online. This is also a good way to kill time while you build your coordinate. However, if you’re determined to meet the community before your outfit arrives, you’re more likely to be accepted if the mods/host have already interacted with you through group discussions. Making it clear that you want to be part of the community is the way to go, else any request to attend a meet not in lolita inevitably seems suspicious and raises alarm amongst mods/hosts.

Another general thing is to consider whether there is a more appropriate place for this. Sometimes the person asking may not be wearing lolita yet, but might already be into fairy-kei or decora, or menhera, or whatever other J-fashion. Are they asking in a lolita community because that’s the only J-fashion group they could find online? From what I hear from my UK friends, finding groups specific to other J-fashion styles, in a way similar to lolitas, is hard as these groups either don’t exist or are very inactive. Besides conventions, there may not be an opportunity for people to wear those styles in a group and asking the nearest other J-fashion community they can find seems like the best thing for them. So if you know of communities focused on other J-fashion or kawaii fashions, or about events centred on those, why not link these somewhere on the group to make it easier to find? Or cross-promote each others events? Lolitas flock together into communities in ways that other fashions often don’t and keeping this in mind may influence how you approach both meetup organising and responding to/asking these questions.

Everything else I have to say will be specific to where one sits in relation to the question at hand, so let’s dive right into it.

I’d love to attend a meetup not dressed in lolita fashion

Most of the times the reason for asking this is because you’re waiting for your coordinate to arrive. This is a perfectly valid reason and we’ve all been there. Consider the kind of meetup that you’re asking to turn up to in something else. Often any casual activities will be marked as such, but in case it’s not, look at the planned activities. This should give you a good idea on whether the host/admin would ok your request or not.

This look felt cute enough for work, but I'd feel
self-conscious and underdressed if I was amongst
lolitas in this.

The important thing is also to consider what you’d wear instead of lolita fashion. Make sure to clear that with the host and get a green light from them. On the one hand turning up in plain mainstream fashion might make the group forget to include you without necessarily meaning to, particularly if you’re new. On the other, think about how you’d feel in jeans and a hoodie whilst amongst lolitas, even those dressed casually. This might inadvertently end up having a negative effect on your self-image and/or confidence without anyone saying anything. Offering to come in other J-fashion is a good route to go as that offers you a plethora of cute styles that may be more accessible or doable with what you own. Whilst evening and formalwear would potentially work too, and that’s certainly the case for those dressing in menswear, remember where the line is between partywear and formalwear.

I have come across cases where people asked to arrive not in lolita due to other activities before or after the meetup. If that is you, consider your other options. Is lolita fashion in any shape or form unacceptable at this other event? If you think you’d get away with a very casual coordinate, consider wearing that. It’d save you having to change and leave you with the option to spice the outfit up with accessories for the lolita meet, which you’d then take off for the other engagement. If not, again, consider the occasion. Turning up to a lolita meetup in paintballing gear is likely not going to be appropriate, but your Sunday best for church might be ok. Whatever it is, clear your outfit choice with the host in advance. Sometimes it may be possible for you to simply change from one outfit to another, so if there’s an appropriate space to change and you have the energy to carry an extra bag, this is an alternative to think about.

Lastly, for those who are asking because they don’t own a coordinate yet, one request: do not ask other lolitas to lend you clothes. If you are close friends with someone, they may be willing to give you a makeover, yet even that is entirely at their discretion. No matter how many clothes someone else might have, it’s in poor taste to ask that others show you that kindness and trust you with pieces they’ve spent money, time and effort to collect. Do you even want the responsibility of having to be super extra careful because you’re wearing someone else’s clothes, even if it’s ‘only’ Bodyline? Behaviour like this won’t warm the community members up to you and whilst I’m proud to say that I’ve never witnessed anything like this in my comms, I have heard some true horror stories from people who lent things to others or from newer community members showing quite an entitled attitude towards the longstanding members.

I’m hosting a meetup which someone asked to attend not dressed in lolita fashion

For those hosting, before anyone even asks, it’s good to clear up any confusion through your meetup or event description. State explicitly if what you’re hosting is a casual get-together or a more formal event. Specify the dress code (lolita fashion only or any J-fashion welcome) and mention any practical concerns regarding dress code to address, e.g. will attendees need practical footwear for cross-country walking or is there a risk of drinks spilling. Give all your attendees the details, so that they can adjust their coordinates accordingly. This will help preempt most questions. You’ll be surprised how often even lolitas themselves will query dress code and its meaning with you (I had that before OT-Tea, for example).

If the meetup is so chill even your cat can come,
then give people that space to get to know the
community. Equally, it's ok to not compromise if
the meetup really is just for lolitas.

Where it doesn’t, remember the golden rule: don’t be a dick about it. People have their reasons to ask and it’s normal that excited newbies want to join the community asap. If you have to decline, do it politely and in a way that leaves the door open for the person to join something else. It’s ok to say “I’m afraid this particular meetup is restricted to those wearing lolita. But look out for other events, the comm attends cons/hosts casual meetups where other J-fashion styles are welcome” or something to that extent. Point to the specific event, if you know that one is on the cards already. It’s also ok to invite the person to organise a casual J-fashion meetup if your community allows for anyone to host. Many lolitas wear other J-fashion styles and I’ve heard a few complaints myself that they often don’t get the same hangout space and opportunities for decora or fairy-kei as they do for lolita.

In cases where you are ok with someone turning up in non-lolita outfit, particularly if it’s someone new to the community, be clear with them about expectations. Explain if it’s a big or small meetup, encourage to start a discussion on the event page to get to know people in advance, ask them to make themselves known to you upon arrival so you can check they’re still with you throughout the day. And crucially, confirm what they will wear. Depending on what you’re comfortable with, it doesn’t necessarily have to be other J-fashion, although something that stands out against the normies will help identify the person as part of your group. Take the time to explain a bit about the activity too, in case this might be affected by the person’s dress choice (anything from potential stains to the fact that this is an alternative/kawaii fashion space and certain things won’t go).

Final words

In my experience, these questions are quite rare. Whether I’m lucky as a comm admin in having very understanding newbies or that newbies know to join a meetup once they have a coord, it’s hard to say. The only time I personally hosted a meetup where someone wasn’t in lolita was super casual, the person that was someone I’d met before, and they had good reason (attending a church mass before the meetup). Other times I’ve seen people at lolita meetups who weren’t in lolita themselves, they were wearing other J-fashion and the meetups were hosted by groups explicitly open to all J-fashion styles (though even then they cleared it with the hosts/mods). Even if you’ve not encountered people asking this, it may be worth considering hosting a more style-open meetup at some point. It could both be a good way to invite newbies to engage and meet people, and to provide your active members with the space and freedom to show off some of their other styles. I’m sure you’ll also have people who are into other J-fashion styles besides lolita – and some who wanted to experiment with their looks who simply haven’t had an opportunity yet.

What has been your experience? Have you been to lolita meetups with people not in lolita in attendance? Have you had people ask you as a host if they can come in something else? Or maybe you were once that person? What was your experience like, positive or negative? Share your stories and thoughts, I’m very curious.