Reviews

Classical Puppets A-Line Petticoat Review!

/ lolitaland / 11 Comments

And here comes the review. 🙂

I purchased this petticoat from the Taobao store Classical Puppets in the color white. When I opened up my Taobao package and saw the Classical Puppets petticoat squished into a plastic bag about 6 inches long, I thought to myself, Oh no… this can’t be good. It looks so… tiny. 

But I was in for a pleasant surprise! When I tore open the plastic packaging and took out the petticoat, the whole thing floofed out immediately. It was definitely a huge poofy fluff monster upon opening the package. I was rather intimidated to be honest, but also relieved that it wasn’t as tiny as it looked in the plastic bag.

Since it is an A-line petticoat, I assume it will look awkward with skirts meant for cupcake-shaped petticoats. However, I think the A-line petticoat is pretty versatile. (And if I need a cupcake petticoat, I think I’ll stick to layering the two cheap petticoats I already have. This method seemed to work for my past coord attempts. I don’t think I’ll be investing in another petticoat for a while.)

Last weekend, I had a friend snap some photos of me with and without the Classical Puppets petticoat to show the before and after effects. I apologize up front for the awkward and hasty coords (I didn’t have much time but knew I would have even less time as the month trudged on, so I quickly threw on clothes for the purpose of this review). I did not wear any makeup and I didn’t style my hair, oops.

Here is an example of a skirt (light fabric; I think it’s chiffon with lining) without a petticoat:

Image

And here I am with the Classical Puppets A-Line petticoat:

Image

I also tried on a heavy JSK to see if the petticoat would still provide a nice poof for the silhouette.

Here is a picture of me wearing a heavy velvet JSK without a petticoat:

Image

And here is the JSK with the Classical Puppets petticoat:

Image

I really love the look! The petticoat still poofs out nicely in an A-line shape despite the heavy velvet fabric. I think this petticoat will be a nice versatile one. 🙂 I might experiment with layering in the future to see if I can use this petticoat with a light shorter one on top to simulate a cupcake shape. For now though, I’m really happy with this petticoat all on its own. It’s really poofy, and I am currently storing it stuffed into a bag. But I take it out to check on it sometimes, and it poofs out again naturally. I don’t know why it does that, but I’m not going to complain. ^-^

OVERALL REVIEW: 5/5 – Comfy elastic waistband, many layers of fluff, soft fabric, great poof, retains shape very well, great construction

All in all, I’m really happy with this new petticoat! If anyone has any questions about this petticoat, my Taobao experience, or my Lolita coords, feel free to ask me!

I really hope I can build up my Lolita wardrobe to the point where I can wear it often. (My dream is to be able to wear Lolita fashion every day. ❤ I love it so much!) At the moment, my goal is to dress in Lolita fashion at least once a month, even if it is just a casual coord. It’s difficult at the moment though, due to long classes and Kpop dance rehearsals. But I’ll find a way, at least once a month! (Once a month is not often at all either… So I’m sure I can do this.)

Thank you for reading. ❤

Taobao Experience

/ lolitaland / 5 Comments

I just received my Taobao package!

I’ll be posting reviews of the items soon. Maybe I’ll even post a video of me opening the package? >w<

In any case, I used Taobaospree as the shopping service to order from Taobao. I did a lot of research on various shopping services and Taobao stores before placing my order. The agent who worked with me spoke fluent English and was very helpful. She answered my questions clearly and promptly. At first, communication seemed slow, but it was because of the time difference. I started checking my email around 11 pm to 1 am, and usually I would receive responses around that time. (Night time here is day time over in China, I presume.) Taobaospree was a great shopping service, and I will definitely use it again if I ever make another Taobao purchase. If anyone is curious, the shipping I used was EMS. I had no problems with it – no issues, it didn’t take too long, no customs fees. I know some people use DHL, but I’ve never used DHL before. This was my  first overseas purchase, so I’m in no way, shape, or form an experienced shopper, however, I thought maybe someone will find this useful.

My Taobao shopping experience was pleasant. Although also difficult because there are so many wonderful items on Taobao that I wanted to purchase.

My Taobao shopping process:

  1. I browsed through Lolita Taobao shops. Here’s a list that I found really useful: http://egl.livejournal.com/15204857.html
    (Also, feel free to check out these Lolita items from Taobao; I posted items that I found cool/cute/nice but not all of them are still in stock: http://xiaorawr.tumblr.com/tagged/taobao%20wishlist)
  2. I emailed myself a list of products I liked. I narrowed it down to things I thought were great deals (cheap, but seem to be good quality). I added a staple (a Classical Puppets petticoat). Then I decided to browse cosplay-related items to see if I could find some deals (since I’m a cosplayer too) and decided to purchase two sets of false eyelashes (they’re so much cheaper on Taobao than in the US!) and a few wigs (also so much cheaper than wigs from the US!).
  3. I researched the companies that these products came from. I read reviews, both specific product reviews and general company reviews.
  4. I narrowed down the list further.
  5. I emailed my order form (an Excel spreadsheet) to Taobaospree.
  6. I received a response. (Sadly, some items were out of stock by this point. But the agent gave me recommendations and I looked into them.)
  7. I confirmed the order. Taobaospree accepts payment through Paypal, which makes things a lot easier. 🙂
  8. And today, I received the package! 😀

To be honest, I’d love to order from Taobao again… but I don’t think I will any time soon because I currently can’t afford it. Maybe in 2 years? (I love how cheap items are on Taobao, but the international shipping fees are REALLY expensive… I still think my order was worth it though. But I won’t be making another overseas order anytime soon)

I hope someone will find this helpful! Feel free to ask me any questions.