September 2017 Haul- Casual Bits and Bobs Edition

Happy Shopping! Knowing that I will probably have to start thinking about Christmas present planning soon (urgh...) I decided to try and get one last haul in before all the holiday madness kicks in. The under-current of this month's haul was 'Will I, or Won't I?' because of customs fees, but I spread out my ordering so that I was always prepared to get hit. Luckily, only my Lolita Desu order got hit. Anyway, these are the J-fashion related items I purchased...

First today is a bag I ordered from Spreepicky. I would have ordered this bag from Taobao, but I was having difficulties locating it. So Spreepicky was the easier (although slightly more expensive) option. But the service was very convenient. I went for Airmail rather than EMS, because the EMS fees seemed ridiculous for ordering just one bag. This meant shipping was a little bit slower, but my bag arrived well within the estimated shipping time. The bag was well packed and there was a protective mesh bag inside for extra protection.

I absolutely adore this tarot card design! The embroidery parts are done neatly and the design is very crisp. I was torn between ordering the white or black bag, but I am happy with my choice. I like the gold colour on the white version. 

The bag is fastened with one simple popper. This is probably the biggest disadvantage to this bag. It doesn't feel overly secure and there are open bits at either end. This means that I probably wont be able to use this bag in very wet weather, as the rain will just enter the bag at the ends. 

The bag is of a reasonable size. It is meant to be a clutch bag. When fully opened up, I was able to fit 3 fingers width inside. So it is big enough to hold the absolute essentials, but not a lot else. The bag is well lined and has an inner pocket. I was also impressed that the bag didn't have any strange odors coming from it, as a lot of my Taobao bags have been a bit dodgy smelling on arrival. The little silicone packet inside was obviously doing its job well!

The strap and chain feel very sturdy and I think it will hold up well. It is a decent length and there is a bit of room for length adjustment too. I am now debating whether or not I want this bag in black... I was given a store discount coupon, although it doesn't last very long. I would say this bag was worth the price paid, even if I could have gotten it a little bit cheaper with better Taobao sleuthing. 

I also placed an order with Lolita Desu, as there were a few bits there which caught my eye. I got a few bits to make the order and shipping price more worth it. I went with Airmail again, which was just a few days longer than I would expect if I had gone with EMS. The tracking still worked, so I was happy with the service. Also, because I am a repeat customer, I got a slight discount. Nice bonus!

This order was also well padded and wrapped up. I even got a little thank you note, sticker and free candy in the order (although I purchased the Blueberry Cheesecake Chupa Chup because we don't have that flavour in the UK and it sounded nice). This made the order feel a little bit more personal, which is unusual for a company of this size.

The first thing I got was this Strawberry Jam Jar brooch which is by Swimmer. I really am going to miss Swimmer now they are closed... Their accessories were so affordable and the designs were very cute. This brooch was quite well made. The embroidery is well executed. I love the little details such as the ribbon and bow on the lid. There is even a little fake pearl on the polka dot bow. The stitching around the edge keeps things neat. As this is a felt brooch, the material is quite flimsy and bends easily. But with reasonable usage, this is not really an issue. The back has a simple badge pin. A 2-way clip on the back would have been a nice touch, but I am happy with just the badge option. I will be keeping my eye out for more Swimmer goodies on Lolita Desu in the future, as they seem to get quite a lot of their stuff and I imagine it will get harder to find as time goes on.

I also got this skirt by E Hyphen World Gallery. This was out of curiosity more than anything else, because it was super cheap and this is my first item from the brand. As I am getting in to Larme more, this is a brand I keep hearing about. The skirt is made out of very stretchy fabric. It reminds me of cutsew style material, but even stretchier and slightly thicker. The colours are really lovely. They remind me of mint ice cream.

There is no opening or shirring in the waistband, but it is so stretchy that sizing is not an issue. I had no issue stretching the skirt to get it on. It probably wouldn't be ideal for larger wearers though, even though it can stretch further. 

It is very fitted and clingy when worn. Obviously I wont be tucking my top in when I wear it properly, as it causes an unsightly bump in the fabric. I am generally quite happy with the skirt for casual wear. My only disappointment is in the length. It ended a lot higher up my leg than I thought it would and I kept having to pull it down at the back. It did keep all the essential bits covered, but I like a little bit of length at the back for added security. The skirt came with the original tags attached, so I could see how much it originally cost. It was quite cheap to begin with, but I admit I wouldn't pay full retail price for this skirt. I am happy with the skirt, but only because of the really low price it was being sold at. It is a fun design though, so I will be keeping an eye on E Hyphen in the future, even though I am not 100% convinced.

Finally, I got a F.i.n.t skirt for casual wear. I first saw this months ago, and the store discount was enough to convince me to take the plunge. The ivory colour was a bit darker than I was expecting, but otherwise I really like the colours. The material this skirt is made of is very strange though. It is very lightweight, but the strange part is that it reminds me of the material used for umbrellas. It has that sort of weird feeling when you touch it. 

I bet you can all guess what drew me to the skirt! I love the print so much. The moons and stars are well dispersed.

There is a ruffle of tulle at the bottom. I am sad that it is left unfinished. Hopefully it wont get damaged. The tulle used also feels quite cheap. This definitely seems to be one of those skirts which looks good, but when you get up close and handle it you realise it is cheap.

This skirt also doesn't have an opening, but there is shirring this time. It stretches quite far. I found I was able to pull it over my hips with ease with a bit of room to spare.

The skirt is lined. Given how cheap some of the other skirt details are, this was a pleasant surprise.

And a worn photo. The skirt felt comfortable to wear. I was surprised that it almost reached my knees. Seeing this picture, I think I would wear a light petticoat with it. It looks a bit sad and droopy here! 

And so ends another haul post without any obvious lolita in it! There hasn't been a great deal available that I have really wanted lately. I am thinking about saving up for a bag that I want, but otherwise I am focusing on casual daily wear more. But as a lover of all things strawberry related, I am sure you will be seeing the brooch in a lolita outfit from me soon!

February 2017 Haul

Despite telling myself I was going to spend less in 2017, I am today presenting my latest buys from Japan (and there will be a Taobao review soon too...). I ordered from Swimmer and Angelic Pretty, and also got a pair of AP socks on auction.

First up is my Swimmer order. I wasn't actually intending to place this entire order but I accidentally discovered a replica of the bags on Taobao and saw that the original was from Swimmer. I decided to take a chance and look on Swimmer's site to see if they were still available. To my surprise, they were still available. So as I was having a hard time deciding between 2 colours, I ended up getting 2 colours and a pair of socks that I thought looked cute. I added the AP stuff afterwards.

You probably wont be surprised to see that it is a moon design! Considering the price, I thought the bags were worth it. You can tell by the feel of the material that it is not top quality, and I will be super careful to take care of these bags to make them last longer, but Swimmer's prices are pretty cheap. In fact, they were only a tiny bit more than the Taobao replica. So it was definitely worth double checking Swimmer still had them! I don't think they will hold up that well in heavy rain, but they should be able to withstand a reasonable amount of bad weather. Some of the metal rings holding the beads looked slightly open, meaning the pearls were at risk of falling off. I was able to take a pair of pliers to them though to close the gaps. The scallops were well shaped.

I was very pleased to see that my bags had at least some cardboard to help protect the bag in transit. I forgot to photograph it, but the metal parts underneath the card were further covered in a bit of protective plastic, just to keep them a bit more safe. The bag was stuffed as well to hold its shape.

There is a small pocket on the back of the bag, but I don't think I will use it because it feels a bit tight and there isn't much room to put anything other than a couple of tissues or hair pins in there. As you can hopefully see in this picture, the stitching on the bag is really neatly done.

After lifting the flap, I found there was another popper in place to help the bag keep its shape. I thought this was a nice touch.

The bag was actually a lot bigger than I was expected. It seems really roomy inside and there is an additional pocket on the inside as well. The bag is lined well. I am also happy to report that this bag did not have that distinct smell that a lot of cheaply made bags seem to have!

I got the bag in black as well as off-white. I didn't want to risk either colour selling out before I made a decision, so in the end I got both! Both colours are really lovely, although I think I like the black one slightly more. The straps were easy to clip on and are adjustable, so you can change the length.

As I was ordering from Swimmer anyway, I added this pair of constellation ankle socks to my order. The label had some washing instructions on them. Even though I can't read Japanese, the symbols were pretty straight-forward and easy to understand. 

The socks were a bit darker in colour than they appeared on the site. They almost look black, although in person you can tell that they are dark blue. The constellation pattern was crisp and very clear to make out.

The socks felt very soft and were a decent thickness. They fitted my wide feet comfortably. I think some lace around the ankles could have looked cute, but as they are, they are a lovely pair of casual socks.

I also ordered these British Crown socks in wine from Angelic Pretty. Japonica very kindly included the shopping bag that AP give with each of their purchases. I really wanted to get these socks in ivory and possibly black as well, but I left it too late to get those colours. But I am still really impressed with the wine colour, which is quite vibrant and bold. 

The pattern is very crisp. I absolutely love these socks, even though I complained a bit about the upside down crowns when I discussed this series on this blog.

The one part of the design I am not so keen on is the bows on the ankles. It is a cute idea, but the bows have not been well formed. The shape of the bow looks a bit rushed. Also, unless you are wearing low backed shoes this bow is not going to be on view anyway. 

I have noticed with more recent AP socks that they seem to be a bit thinner and shorter than they used to be a few years ago. They are still reasonably thick, but when I tried on the other pair of AP socks I got (see below) I couldn't help but notice that these newer release socks are very obviously thinner in comparison. As you can see, these socks do reach over my knees, but only just. There is no way I could stretch them further. I am still impressed with the quality, but they don't quite match up to the quality of my older AP socks.

I thought I would include a photo of the ankle bow. I don't think they look much better when worn. I am actually tempted to take the bows off.

Finally, I got this pair of AP Holy Night Story socks on auction. The socks were like new and I could tell they had barely been worn. I really love the bold colours. In case it is not obvious- I love royal and emblem themed legwear!

The design is super clear. Even from a distance it is easy to make out the sock design right away.

These socks are a couple of years old, which is why it is interesting to try these on after trying on my British Crown socks, which only came out about a month ago. As you can see, these socks are a bit longer and ended a couple of inches above my knees. I can also confirm that the material is thicker, and therefore warmer than the newer release socks. Despite both pairs of AP socks being of a good standard, I do think it is a shame that their quality has appeared to take a bit of a dip in more recent times. I have noticed it with my other newer AP socks as well. I suppose because I tried these 2 pairs of socks in such a short space of time, the difference in quality was a bit more noticeable. But despite this, I still think the newer AP socks are worth it. Angelic Pretty do some really lovely sock designs and come up with interesting patterns, so it would be a shame if the quality were to deteriorate any further.

So that concludes my impromptu spending spree. I am really glad that I discovered those bags and then made sure to check if Swimmer still had them. Overall I am really pleased with all of my new purchases. Despite a bit of negativity in this post towards the more recent AP socks, it has not put me off buying from Angelic Pretty at all. I also feel the Swimmer items were good value for the price paid. I have made a mental note to check their site more frequently from now on. I am looking forward to pairing my new items with my royal and cosmic themed outfits in the future!