Regalia Purchases Reviewed- Picture Heavy

I thought today I would go in to detail about what I purchased at Regalia. I could have quite easily brought a lot more but I was very fortunate to have some very wise friends with me who talked me out of buying a few things that I wasn't sure about! It is a good job that I didn't buy too much as 2 days later, my dream bolero popped up on auction! But here are the items that did make the cut.

First up this strawberry themed brooch from Mossmarchen. Strawberries are starting to become a bigger theme in my wardrobe again and I really like the more classic look of this brooch. The embroidery has been done so neatly. The strawberries have crisp, sharp details to them and I thought it was quite clever using the ribbon to make the leaves. The brooch has an interesting texture to it as well, which is something you wouldn't normally see on a brooch.

Here is a little side view. It looks pretty tidy from this angle as well.

The backing for the brooch is very heavy and has an interesting design to it. I found the fastening a little bit stiff at first but I find it is getting easier to un-do the more I open it. 

Next up is another macaron ring from Sweet and Tiny! I have brought many times from Mo's store so I know what sort of quality to expect. I loved the shopping bags and packaging that Mo used this time. It really suits the theme of her products. This macaron looks good enough to eat! It looks quite realistic.

The ring is of a generous size. I like that the strawberries have a glazed finish to them. All the bits of the ring feel secure and it doesn't feel likely that they would break off.

The backing for the ring has a lovely design to it as well and it is sturdy enough to support the weight of the ring. I like that the ring base is adjustable too.

Next up is my only Bring and Buy purchase. It is a Metamorphose cardigan which came with the tag still attached, so I am guessing it hasn't really been worn. It is quite a recent release as well. The material has a nice thickness to it that would suit Autumn and early Winter. I don't think it would hold up too well when it gets very cold though! The material also feels very soft and it feels very comforting when worn. It is also quite stretchy and I feel it would be a suitable size for most standard sized wearers.

The ruffles stop the cardigan from looking too plain. They have been done very neatly too. The buttons are a little bit simple in design though. I also feel that the embroidered logo on the front could have been clearer, as you can't really make out what the swirly writing says.

The arms were the perfect length for me. The only issue I could see with the cardigan is that it is full length, so it may not be suitable for wearing over a typical lolita silhouette.

This headdress is from Summer Tales Boutique. I have to give a special mention to the store holder who was very helpful and showed me all the different headdresses. She was super friendly too! I really like this headdress, although I think the top and the veil parts are a little unbalanced. The round top of the headdress is quite big and I feel the veil part needs to be a little longer in length. 

I can't fault the choice of materials. The feathers seem to be of a good quality. I like that the ribbon used for the bow is matte and the chiffon is really soft. I purposely went for the veil without the giant cross charm and at first I was a little unsure about the beads, but I do feel that the beads help to disguise the ends of the feathers. The bow is a little bit uneven in this photo, but that is easy to reshape.

The ends of the veil were generally quite neat with the only messy bit being a few loose threads that appeared on one of the corners. After carefully snipping the thread away it looked a lot better. I liked the choice of lace too.

I am pleased that there are 2 clips instead of the usual one clip you usually see on these kinds of veils. Considering the size, this headdress definitely needs both of them! I might even add more pins when I wear it, as I wasn't keen on the way it sat on my head. My main criticism is that the clips are not sewn down to one place and they tend to slide along the little line of ribbon. So overall, I do have a few issues with this headdress but nothing bad enough to put me off buying from this shop again.

Next up is the Innocent World blouse I managed to get after IW reduced everything by 50% (score!!!). The slightly sheer chiffon blouse is so soft to the touch. It feels really silky and luxurious. 

The details on the blouse are so pretty. The ruffles have a lot of texture and movement to them. The pleats are neat and everything about the blouse is neatly laid out. There were just one or two small loose threads, but nothing too drastic. The only thing I would change is to maybe have a loop of thread on the back of the neck to help hold the velvet neck tie in place. The neck tie is decent length to tie a small bow and I love the star charms.

When I got to the stall they only had a size L blouse left. I could have maybe gotten away with a M size blouse but the L size fits me quite well. And I like that there is a tie near the bottom of the blouse to help pull it inwards if I need to.

I thought I would include a close up of the neck area without the neck tie. If I was being picky, I would say the button design is a bit plain. I love the use of ruffles around the collar though. They sit so neatly and look pretty when worn.

And once again, the sleeves are a generous length. In fact, they may have even been a bit long on me, but with the style of cuffs this is not too noticeable. I would definitely consider getting an Innocent World blouse again, especially if I get another chance to get one so well priced!

And my final purchase was these OTK socks, also from Innocent World. I had been eyeing them up on the IW site for a while, so I decided to buy them whilst I had the chance to get them in person. The strange thing about these socks is that they are actually made of tights material. So I would base your decision to buy these socks on how well you fit brand tights, as I found the sock sizing very similar to full tights I own from Juliette et Justine and Metamorphose. 

As you can see from the photo, the pattern and colours on the socks are quite bold until we reach my knee area. It is a little bit better around the knees when my legs are not bent like they are in the photo. Most lolita pieces reach the knees anyway, so I guess it is up to the wearer to decide if this bothers them or not. I am about 5'4'' and the socks reach a little bit over my knees. My only concern is how well the socks are going to hold up, as I don't feel the elastic at the top of the socks is strong enough to hold them up for long periods. I guess I will have a better idea of how they stay up once I have worn them to a meet. So far, I really like these socks but I am not 100% convinced by them just yet. I need to see how well they wear first.

I don't feel that any of my purchases have caused me any serious feelings of regret and I am really looking forward to trying these items out in my outfits. It definitely helps to have friends around you to be the "voice of reason" when you go to these events. There were some very interesting stalls at Regalia and it will be interesting to see who returns next year.

Revelry Purchases Reviewed

Now that Revelry is well and truly over, I have had time to sit down and have a proper look at the items I purchased during the event. So today I will be doing a review of the items I got.

First up is this birdcage headdress that I got from Shinku Rose. I have to admit, this was a bit of an impulse buy and I wasn't too fond of the price tag. I was a bit concerned about how I was going to transport it home though! It was wrapped up in one of those cardboard cupcake boxes and it didn't fit in my suitcase. Somehow, I managed to get it home without damaging any of the fragile parts. The birdcage part itself feels very firm. Despite being made out of some sturdy wood, it still feels very light when worn. It feels good to know that it has this solid frame, although I think the wood could have been lined up a bit neater. I'm also not a fan of the random pink beads used to attach the veil, as they stick out quite a bit with the ivory and cream colour scheme.

The veil itself is made from standard netting. It is no better or worse than what you find on a lot of vintage hats. The veil is nicely shaped. I really like the lace used to fill in the birdcage gaps. It has got a pretty design to it. The lace also seems to be of a good quality. The fake roses remind me of the ones you can get quite cheaply in Hobbycraft. But aside from the roses feeling a bit cheap to the touch, they look quite pretty. I like how the bottom of the cage has been filled with rose petals so the base doesn't look too plain or boring. There is a random brown petal in there. Whilst it does match the colour scheme, it does sort of stand out a bit. Luckily, the sole brown petal is hidden a bit.

Inside the cage there is a bird perched on a swing. The swing actually moves. On the one hand, I like that it moves because I personally think it looks more interesting. On the other hand, it could prove a bit annoying when worn as it may randomly get caught on the lace or rose petals.

My main issue with the headdress is the clip that is used to attach it to the head. To be fair, the clip has been neatly concealed with ribbon. However, the actual metal clip is smooth with no rough grips. It means there isn't very much to "grip on" to the hair and hold it in place. I found the birdcage moves around quite a lot and slips downwards. I am definitely going to have to replace the clips as I found it near impossible to keep the headdress on my head when I tried it out (hence why there are no worn photos. It would not stay in place long enough for me to take one).

If I am being honest I do regret buying this headdress. It is a bit expensive for what you get and there are some things that do need improving. I am still going to use it once I have replaced the clips. I have heard some very mixed reviews about Shinku Rose's quality and I can understand why some people may be a bit put off by their designs. I don't feel this headdress is a complete disaster but I don't think I will be buying from Shinku Rose again unless some improvements were made.

Next up is Sweet and Tiny!

Sweet and Tiny is a store run by Mini Mo, who many of you in the UK Lolita Community may be familiar with. She used to make stuff a while ago but then went a bit quiet for a bit. But she is now back and I am so glad she has returned! I seriously could have brought everything at her stall. In the end, I limited myself to a ring and a necklace. I got this macaron ring which is quite big in size, but I like it! I love how crisp the Sweet and Tiny logo is. It is a very classy looking logo as well and it definitely reminds me of a French Patisserie. The whipped cream has been piped so neatly and everything has been placed so well.

The filling inside has also been piped with care. I love the little pearl details inside the filling too! Mo makes some of the nicest looking sweet jewellery I have ever seen. It also looks quite realistic and even as I am typing this post I am getting hungry looking at these photos!

I like how Mo has also chosen a slightly fancier looking ring base as well. The gold design is a bit fancier than your standard cheap ring bases. Also, with a wider ring base it really helps to balance the heavy design on top.

I also got a matching necklace. I love the little Eiffel Tower charm! You can maybe see that the filling is spilling out slightly but overall, I am very impressed.

Last up is the butterfly tights that I purchased from Himitsu by Syrup. I was very excited about these tights and the £17 price tag was a nice surprise too. These printed brand tights can go for a lot more than that.

So here is a worn photo. The material is a nice thickness and feels lovely when worn. I think the size is quite standard for Japanese "one-size" tights. I am about 5'4'' and even with my bottom-heavy thighs I found I was able to wear these tights quite comfortably. I think these are just a slight bit more comfortable to wear than my Juliette et Justine tights. I wouldn't want to stretch them much further though, so if you are tall then these maybe are not the tights for you.

I was worried that when I put the tights on it would stretch the print and make the pattern look strange. However, as you can see the print is still very crisp when worn and the colour is still bold. This definitely makes these tights better than my JetJ ones. They do start to look a bit faded when they reach my thigh area but not enough that it is that noticeable. And I will be wearing these tights with knee-length stuff anyway! 

They even have a cute bow design on the ankle. Apologies for the dodgy photo angle!

And finally, it just wouldn't be brand tights without some random stuff going on at the crotch area! This lovely little slogan is displayed on my bottom when I wear these. And now that you know the slogan is there, you wont ever be able to forget about it whenever you see anybody wearing them!

So overall I am quite pleased with my small haul. I strongly recommend Sweet and Tiny and Syrup. I really regret not buying more from these stalls when I had the chance. The Shinku Rose birdcage was a bit disappointing though. I really hope that Syrup come over for another Tea Party Club event in the future. Next time I am determined to save up even more money so I can truly splurge on their stuff! It is definitely worth it.