DreamV Rakuten Review

Today I am reviewing my very first DreamV (a.k.a Yumetenbo) order, which I placed through their global Rakuten page.

Ordering Process

Luckily for me, DreamV ship to the UK so I didn't have to fiddle about with shopping services and could order directly from them. Rakuten is pretty straight forward to order from and I found it easy to use. One thing I should mention though is that DreamV uses pictures for their size chart and so Google Translate wont work on them. 

I actually followed the guide on this link- http://ciramisu.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/yumetenbo-shopping-guide.html This blog's shopping guide was incredibly helpful and also accurate. I was able to use this blog post to translate the sizing chart and worked out what sizes I needed. The blog link is also helpful for keeping track of what emails you should expect to receive from Rakuten and DreamV. The timings written on the blog post are very accurate.

One of the things I would also mention is that sometimes DreamV wont let you order certain items outside of a particular sales time. I had to delay my order a few days because the blouse I got as part of this order was outside its sale period. During the sales period the price went down, which is a bonus. It kind of amused me that they refused to take my money when I was going to pay the full price!

Shipping

The order arrived very quickly. The estimated arrival date in an email I got was just one day out and I got it the day after (although this arrival date would have been spot on if I didn't get hit by customs).

My 3 tops were shipped in a very large box which was sealed very carefully with strong tape. The edges were secure and covered well. I do think the box was ridiculously big for just 3 tops and there was a lot of room inside for the contents to move about. Luckily my items were not fragile but I do think it is a bit of a waste to use such a big box. All my items were individually wrapped in plastic. It was all done very neatly.

And now on to my new items! I wanted some basic pink tops and also this pink blouse which I fell in love with.

This is the first top I got which is a basic pink cutsew with a chiffon ribon detail on the back. The material is a bit on the thin side, but looking at the item listing, it does actually point this out. It does mean that you can only wear pale or nude underwear with it though and sometimes you can see the outline of your bra when you are wearing it. The colour is a soft baby pink which is very nice. I have already worn and washed this top and the colour has not faded at all. The design is very basic, but this top was very cheap.

The back has a chiffon bow detail. It is a bit messy looking and you can tell it has been done quickly. The chiffon is soft and you can't feel it when you wear the top. The bow does look a bit better when worn, but it is still a tiny bit wonky. Again, I do feel I got what I paid for.

The ruffle at the bottom is quite basic too but has been done quite neatly.

The second top is a 2-way top that you can wear on or off your shoulders and has a detachable charm detail on the back. I had to order a size bigger for this top because my size was out of stock, but it still fits me quite well and thankfully it is not too baggy. The only real difference I found was with the length and I found I could almost wear this as a dress! My main criticism of this top is the colour. I ordered this top in baby pink as well and I did receive the correct colour. However, this time the colour is more of a peachy orange colour. It is very different when you put it next to my other cutsew above. The fabric seems a tiny bit thicker on this top, which is a bonus. Again, the design is kept basic and this is reflected in the low price.

The back has this detachable charm which you attach to 2 loops on the top. I think this is quite a cute detail, although I kind of wonder how many people would notice this on the back of my neck! I have not had the chance to wear this top out yet so I don't know how secure the charm is, but the necklace style clips do like quite secure.

The top has elastic in it so you can wear it both on the shoulder and off the shoulder. The elastic is quite generous, but when I tried to wear this top off the shoulders I found the sleeves were very slowly creeping back up again. If I was wearing this top for a long period of time I think I wouldn't want to wear it off the shoulders because I would get fed up having to keep pulling the sleeves back down again.

Finally, I got myself yet another chiffon blouse! My chiffon obsession is getting a little unhealthy now... Out of the 3 tops this one is my absolute favourite. The material is so soft and floaty and the lining feels nice against my skin. You can barely feel the weight of the top when you wear it. The soft pink colour is also perfect.

The neck has neck ties which you can't detach but I do like them. The lace and buttons are good for the cheap price. There are no loose threads or anything else that I would normally expect with such a cheap top. Out of all the tops I think this one was also the best value for money. The blouse is very similar to other chiffon blouses I own and was cheaper.

The edges are kept simple with slight ruffles. It is a basic design but has been executed well.

Overall, I am very impressed with DreamV's service. They were quick and although everything was in Japanese, Google Translate and the blog post I linked above made it very simple to order. The items are basic and not always the very best quality, but at such low prices you do get good value for money. DreamV are good for boosting the basics in your wardrobe. If you get hit by your country's customs then it may not work out as cheap, but I still think DreamV is a good option. I would definitely order from DreamV again.