Items I Probably Wouldn't Buy From Brands

My post on Buyer's Guilt last week got me thinking about how and where I choose to spend my money when I am buying lolita. Items from the big Japanese brands are generally seen as pieces to covet and spend our hard earned money on. That is not to say that Bodyline, Taobao and the like are not great, because they can be, and this post will probably help to demonstrate that. However, there is just something about buying brand that feels exciting. Yet there are times when brand is probably not the answer. Not all brand items get the same amount of hype and praise in the community. As time has gone on some Taobao brands have been greatly improving in quality. So is brand always best? In my opinion, the answer to that question is no! Here is a list of items which I feel just aren't worth buying from the big name brands.

Novelty Items- You see a lot of the free brand novelties being sold on various second-hand sites and some of them (like the Lyrical Bunny candle above) are very cute. However, once you have them they can become kind of pointless. I don't know anybody who has ever burnt their candles, you see people collect brand teacups who are too afraid to use them in case they chip them and people who wont use their stickers/calendars/diaries in case they ever want to sell them on. So these novelties sort of just sit there and end up gathering dust. They are cute little extras and it is fun when you receive one with an order. But actually spending money on them is completely different.

Bloomers- I think brand bloomers are pretty expensive considering the only person likely to see them is the wearer. I don't always wear bloomers when it gets really hot anyway. The way I see it, my money could be better spent on a cheap second hand brand skirt or some nice accessories- something I can actually show people. There are some beautiful off-brand and cheaper alternatives out there. Shalisa does some lovely ones for Sugar Trampoline which Sammi is always raving about!

Petticoats- It's not that there is anything wrong with brand petticoats, in fact I have heard positive comments made about AP's petticoats. It's just that there are so many well-loved petticoats by brands such as Classical Puppets, Dear Celine, VictorianGirlDress etc that have a much better reputation. It makes sense to me to go to a store that has had many glowing, positive reviews from lolitas who have worn these petticoats for years, without them losing poof. A lot of these petticoats are cheaper than brand petticoats and with such positive reviews, I think it makes sense to go for these cheaper alternatives than brand ones which haven't been so widely reviewed.

Shoes- I have been told right from when I first started wearing lolita that I shouldn't bother buying brand shoes. For ages I couldn't understand why, and then I went and got a pair of brand shoes and understood exactly why. Brand shoes are honestly no better than Bodyline shoes. For the price you pay, you expect the brand shoes to be made of better material, to last longer and generally be more sturdy. But a lot of brand shoes are made from cheap pleather and the basic designs are nothing to write home about. Some of you may remember the story on the EGL Livejournal community of the Baby shoes that apparently fell apart after hardly any wear. Luckily I haven't had such issue with my brand shoes so far, but stories like that are quite worrying. My AP tea parties are cute, but so not worth the price and I am glad I got them quite cheap second-hand. If I had paid retail price for them, I would have felt ripped off. 

Sceptres and other trending items- If you genuinely love the latest trendy items, then by all means go ahead and buy them. If on the other hand you want something because you have seen a bunch of lolitas using them on Tumblr, then perhaps you should hold off. Lolita trends come and go and there are plenty of lovers and haters of every trend out there. Sceptres are a trend I could never quite understand. They look great for fashion shows and professional photo shoots, but if they are just being carried around at a meet then in my opinion they are a bit pointless. And I am sorry to say it, but in my opinion the Baby butterfly sceptre looks like it came from Claire's Accessories (don't shoot me!). Do you remember the Chocomint and 6% doki doki star clips from a few years ago and how every lolita had one? You don't see those around much any more and they don't always get the best reaction when they do make an appearance (Although for the record, I still love my star clips!).

So having a look at my list, it seems that in most cases the brand items are not bad, but there are many cheaper alternatives out there that are possibly better. But that is not to say that loving and supporting a big name brand is a bad thing. I love brand but generally prefer to go about purchasing lolita with the attitude that a higher price does not always equal better items. I know a lot of you reading this post might have purchased some of the brand items above. Perhaps you may agree with me, or completely disagree. A lot depends on a lolita's income and their personal sense of what equals good value for money.

Expanding my horizons and trying new things

I am very excited right now! I just pre-ordered Meta's Fairy Tale series and have already had the 2nd confirmation email to say my pre-order has been completed! So all I need to do is wait for it to come in stock and pay. I fell in love with the print as soon as I saw it.

But by placing this pre-order I am also expanding my horizons.

This will be my very first bonnet. I have got to admit, I have been a little scared to try bonnets in the past. I was worried they would look too age-play on me (especially OTT sweet styles). When I saw the Fairy Tale series for the first time I was hoping there would be a head bow but I was confronted by a bonnet and a rectangle headdress. Although rectangle headdresses have been out of fashion for a while, I think I am more confident wearing these than bonnets. However, for some reason I was really attracted to the Fairy Tale bonnet. The pattern on the Fairy Tale bonnet is not too OTT. The size is fairly big but it is by no means the biggest lolita bonnet I have seen.

So I found myself adding the bonnet to the cart. I am totally blaming Nicola from the Oxfordshire Lolitas! She makes her own bonnets and looks so wonderful in them. I am curious to see how I will look with a bonnet. I don't regret making my choice at all but it is very unlike me to move away from my comfort zone.

I also ordered the fully shirred skirt. I have been really busy recently so I did not have enough money for a dress this time. I find skirts easier to wear anyway. There is nothing particularly strange about this but... I have ordered both the bonnet and skirt in lavender. These will be my very first lavender items in my lolita wardrobe! I have wanted to add lavender items to my wardrobe for a very long time. I feel it will flatter my pale skin very well without making me look washed out. Plus, lavender goes very well with pink. I will probably wear this with my new pink blouse and possibly my pink shoes too if they match well enough.

I decided against ordering the matching socks. I figured that the socks were not as vital anyway. I noticed after I placed the order that Meta have released this necklace which fits the Fairy Tale print very well-

It comes in gold, silver, antique gold and antique silver. The antique ones have a rose and the other 2 have a bird.

I definitely like the antique ones the most. I love the whole antique look when it comes to necklaces. I also think the rose and bird cage look nicer on the 2 antique coloured necklaces.

I have high hopes for this series. The print reminds me of my wedding day and I am hoping this arrives before our 2nd anniversary on August the 6th.

I have had a few ideas on how to co-ordinate this already. I have an idea for a straight-forward co-ordinate. I am also planning something a little more creative and different. I wont go in to too many details right now but I am planning an OTT classic co-ordinate. It could go horribly wrong and I may get slated for it but I have been thinking about OTT classic for a while. Can OTT work outside of sweet lolita? Is OTT classic going too far? I might just make it a OTT sweet outfit instead. That is the beauty of this print- I firmly believe this print will work well with both sweet and classic.

I intend to wear this skirt a lot and will work hard to do different co-ordinates with it. Wearing a bonnet and choosing lavender is already new ground for me, but I want to experiment even more. Let's hope I don't take the experimenting too far!

I MIGHT have just bought my first bit of brand wear.

I am very excited today! Not only has my husband got my pokemon boosters for me to open later, I may have also just purchased my first bit of brand. Surprisingly I was able to find something that fits my 28 inch waist quite easily. The reason I say "might" in the title is that the website I ordered from was a bit confusing. I am waiting for the invoice to come through and it is making me nervous. What if somebody else got it first? The site in question is a second hand one so there was only one skirt in stock. Eep. O_O I am not sure I like all the pressure involved with buying cheap brand. Why am I getting so nervous about a skirt? Ooh... somebody hurry up and email me back... put me out of my misery! :(

I wont reveal what print I have got on my skirt yet. What I will say is that it is a Metamorphose one (no, not the March of the Duck one I am obsessed with), it is a bit more classic than my usual style and providing I actually got it, it cost me approximately £40 without postage. Although the postage will probably be hefty, £40 for a brand skirt is a total bargain. I had saved up more than that so I may have some leftover money to play around with. A cheap non-brand cardigan and a parasol I think!

Speaking of parasols, you can expect a parasol related post soon. Provided my anxiety doesn't consume me first.