Monday, May 7, 2012

taobao retro girly and otome shop list -- revised!!


Sporadic updates a-go-go!
I've put together this listing for others who might be interested -- & also for my own reference / selfish benefit -- of Taobao shops who carry clothes or accessories that I like and have had favorable experience ordering from (with the help of Taobaonow -- I promise I'll write a review of you guys someday!!) The trend here is pretty self-evident with its retro girly leanings, so let's get on with the list. Any suggestions of shops in a similar vein are so welcome!!



Basic list criteria:
  • Good presentation
  • Active store (currently in business with consistent stock/updates)
  • Clothing, accessories, or other fashionable goods
  • Satisfactory item quality
  • Positive customer reviews
  • Exemplifies some tenet of retro girly stylishness -- 'natural-kei' or 'natural style,' otome-kei or 'maiden style', 'mori-kei' or 'forest girl style,' gamine cuteness, or any other romantic feminine looks
Click on the links or photos in the left column to visit each shop! 

**last revised and simplified 13 October, 2013!

SHOP
COMMENTS
 very… I want to say, ‘avant-garde’? you never quite know what to expect from artka, but there’s always something interesting to see. it’s an online shopping mall in itself filled with category-defying items from the bizarre to the mundane. definitely on the more expensive side. natural-kei, mori, feminine silhouettes, nomad(??) style, hoodies that will make you look like an escaped lawn gnome… it’s all here.
gyaru, hime, sweet. pleats, flowers, plaids, florals, lace. excellent if you enjoy looks featured by yumetenbo or liz lisa.
retro vintage, 1960's, british collegiate (think japan's take on "british style" à la vivi magazine), mod cuts, plaids, peacoats; coherent collections with stylish presentation.
soft and sweet. still carries romantic looking otome and retro girly items, but is heading in a more streetstyle-y gyaru/ kawaii-kei direction as of late. note: double check measurements as everything tends to run small.
mori, otome, natural-kei. muted colors. romantic, fairy tale-esque dresses, outerwear, tops bottoms, and accessories. fantastic photography, and I cannot emphasize enough how great the shop's website design is! it always has me coming back, even if i'm not looking to purchase anything, just to search for inspiration and take everything in.
offers a huge variety of very embellished (and great quality) mori girl clothing, shoes, and occasionally accessories. seems to be one of the most popular purveyors of mori style on TB, and not without reason!
mori, natural-kei, otome, lolita, hand bags, accessories. the clothing selection isn’t really tailored to one specific point of view, but they really shine with their array of "zakka," popular character goods and housewares. stocks japanese replicas from brands like Q-POT, Axes Femme, Liz Lisa, snidel, etc.
otome, ‘natural-kei’, onee-gyaru, sweet, vintage silhouettes. casual OL clothing, shoes, accessories.
mori, natural. all items are from the in-house brand, and are tagged as such. somewhat basic pieces that can be mixed and matched for an effortlessly cute kind of look.
small stock, but carefully selected bright, soft, cute, and casual pieces. mori/natural. nice shoes, too.
lots of blouses and dresses with sweet and modest details, lace collars, breezy skirts, soft colors, flower motifs. natural and mori-able items.
s. korea inspired casual, comfy-cute, natural-kei items, shoes, and accessories, layerable with feminine accents.
romantic, delicate, billowy. lace, ruffles, chiffon, light fabrics. skirts, blouses, cardigans, cutsews, layerable sets.
a small stock of beautiful mori pieces, supposedly made from all-natural cottons and linens.
vintage-y, comfy, shabby-chic. Lots of sweaters and DIY/ repurposed cutsew sweatshirt knit hybrids. stock is updated often and they have a small selection of cheap zakka and accessories. great for mori and natural look, and let me just note that everything i've ordered from here immediately has that special vintage-wash softness...
great selection of natural-kei clothing! tartan, denim and fairisle that makes you want to go camping. yes, you too can look fashionable while doing outdoor activities.
youthful & nostaglic s. korea women's "college" style. nautical/sailor tops, pleated skirts, school-uniform inspired cuteness, piped blazers and plenty of tartan.
super cute mori and natural-kei collection.

12 comments:

  1. Thank you for the list; it was very helpful~! ^^b

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    Replies
    1. you're very welcome, and happy shopping! i'll be adding to the list again soon.

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  2. Omg thank you so much for the list!! *o*

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    1. hii and thanks for stopping by! i hope this list helps you out. suggestions are welcome too, if you have any stores you'd like to recommend ^^

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  3. hello, please write me here shop from Korea with blouse lace; thanks very much!

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  4. This is awesome! Thanks so much!

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    Replies
    1. you are so very welcome! I hope the list has been of help.

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  5. Just wanna say thank you for the links! I randomly came across this entry and it's very helpful. :)

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    Replies
    1. no worries and thanks for stopping in! this is for my own selfish benefit too, ehehe. happy shopping! :D

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  6. Thank you for the list, it helped me a lot when it came to purchasing items :)

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  7. Hello, This list is amazing. Thank you very much.

    I recently found this taobao shop,
    http://shop60226745.taobao.com/?spm=a1z10.3.w3689577-3402383451.1.BI6RNb
    and I love their dresses. I'm dying to get my hands on one of these, but I can't tell whether they are legitimate or not. Any comment?

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  8. I once bought from MM Angel. Very nice stuff with quite good price too. Really value for money. But their clothes tend to run small

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