prezzie attack!! let's talk about socks bay-bee, let's talk about you and me...

WOW! It's almost the end of February first, my birthday day! I'm a year older now (unfortunately, I'm not sure how much longer I can claim to be an eternal 23 like I have been) but check out this delicious birfday / xmas stuff I received from my Mr. Bun I picked, and he sponsored this lovely collection of items! And SOCKS, LOTS AND LOTS OF SOCKS!!! Party party until it's time for the groundhog?

Twas a smaller haul than usual, but look how cute! Looky!

Fleecy soft long sleeve tops by  小雨夹雪

SO WARM and whisper-soft! The inner layer is all soft white sheepy fluff!
They're just barely too short to be worn as one pieces, but look cute with
lace shorts and leggings!

mori floral one piece from 森女部落

This is adorbs but looks awkward on me, sadly. For some reason I 

wasn't expecting the sleeves to be shorter than wrist length. Maybe the 

model is just tiny, maybe I just have chimpanzee arms, but I don't usually run into

 this problem. SO MANY QUESTIONS. But it's a great weight for winter, kind of

a thick sweatshirt material. A little rough on the inside, but fine for layering.

 Chloe long sleeve lace collar tee from 依立方服饰

Soft and casual jersey knit, featuring La Tour Eiffel!The collar is 

what sold me on this one, I admit.

Excellent vintage background! place your text dress from 一禅一易

umm, lol. This dress is OUT OF CONTROL! I know ripping off

others' designs is wrong, but this is clearly such a good example

of someone swiping a blog header template or whatever off of google

and not even realizing... well, just take a look at the close up:

hahaha, great job, whoever you are...

lacey culottes 崇尚美

These are pretty interesting! What appears to be lace trim is actually an

inside layer that can be buttoned off, if you prefer. I like the lace

myself, but since the attachment is so loose, you can see some seam

lines sometimes if the shorts ride up. Great fun for layering though,

 especially with the floral tunic, and these are really easy to wash and dry.

tick tock bun bun! socks in light & dark brown from rococo 100%

So glad I got these in two colors! I'm late, I'm late, for a very

important date...

deer socks (2 pair!) red & lt. brown set, yellow & dk. brown set from 中国袜子基

Kind of a nice surprise. I kind of derped and didn't realize that each pair of 

deer socks came with a pair of brown ruffle-trim socks as well. Double 

the socks, double the fun. Or something. I'm sure enjoying them.

wooly tutu*anna frill ankle socks from 落雨小铺袜裤殿

YAY!! Lotsa frills for me! It's hard to tell with the socks to the left

and right, but one pair is black, and the other is dark brown (my phone

camera doesn't pick up the subtle difference in color very well.) I thought

these were going to be warm, but they're not, really. Just cute. And that

is OK with me. I've got so many pieces of cute footwear now that

I can layer to my hearts' content... my sock drawer is getting

overpopulated, though.

bear pattern ankle socks in beige and pink from 足下の良品袜子店

These are kind of like the rabbit socks, but a little more cushy. No

complaints here.

tutu*anna over the knee socks in brown and tan from FiFi's Home

I've been scrunching these down, since they don't stay up very

well over tights. When it gets warmer, I may invest in some sock glue

so they'll stay where they belong above my knee!

puzzle POU DOU DOU ankle boot by 多多外贸日系良品

THESE BOOTS WERE MADE FOR WALKIN' AND ALSO

BEING AWESOME. I love them! They seem pretty durable and 

cute as well, and though they are a bit on the large side (China 37/38, 

while I am inconveniently between a 36 and 37) That leaves plenty

of space for sock layering, which is definitely a must this time of year,

and in the climate I live in. One thing to note is that the brown pictured

is not really that dusty brown, they're more of a deep reddish brown.

I'm too happy with them to really notice or care though!!

Beach Blanket Bingo One Piece Swimsuit from ModCloth

The items above came prior to my birthday so they 

were sort of like a combo b-day/xmas present, but

this is a day-of birthday gift from the mister! This suit

has a very vintage 50's feel, but it's quite flattering and not at

all dowdy. It's sexy in a retro pinup kind of way. I'm

used to wearing two piece bathing suits, but I feel much

more confident in this one and not like I have to suck

in my gut all the time, so that's a plus! I can't wait to

hot spring it up in this one, it makes me feel like a star.

 My birthday present to myself (I know, I know) was a

a Sephora spree, which consisted mostly of free samples, hehe.

Nothing too exciting, just some replenishment was needed.

I blew all my points and it was worth it. I haven't gotten a chance

to take all these babies for a spin yet, but I must say I am pleased

as punch with those 'happy birthday' lip balms in the upper right.

They smell and 'taste' awesome! Kind of like lemon sugar cookies?

Lemon sugar cookies that are attached to my face and I can't stop

licking. Umm, maybe not such a good idea after all.......

Here's to another year, and some Bulldog Mansion!!

(original & 'there she is' version!)

fall taobao mini haul: a retrospective, gobble gobble

While I'm still waiting for the next order to come, here's a small order I never really discussed, mainly because the bulk of the items I ordered were small cosplay accessories. Well, that's a story for a rainy day! I do want to review some cosplay shops at some point, but I'm hesitant to open that can of worms, somehow...

 Bow loafers from 娜娜精选女鞋

 Loaf at first sight. I love how simple and yet adorable these are! They go with pretty much everything, and I love effortlessly cute shoes like this that I can just step into and go. I am cursed with the eternal affliction of 

bow loss-itis, however.... similar to another pair of bow flats I had, after only a few wears, one bow flopped off. Luckily I was able to salvage it and then perform some impromptu reconstructive surgery (thanks, super glue!) but it wasn't long after that the other followed suit. I glued that one back on as well and haven't had any issues since, but I'm still hesitant to carry my tube of Krazy glue around with me since I'm the kind of person who will definitely end up using it as lip gloss by mistake at some point. I sure hope I can keep track of the bows though, since when they came off they leave some scars behind where they are supposed to be attached.

 Mocassins from 时尚元素汇

 Ooh la la, these are so comfy and warm! They're wedges too, though it's not immediately evident. For a bit extra you can have them lined with warm fuzzies, which I did. And my feet have thanked me for it. The long bits at the side with the shell accents are cute, but I ended up tying them a bow because they'd somehow find themselves in my boot and pinch the heck out of me otherwise.

  Faux collars by sasa 原创饰品馆

 Love these, but I can't seem to get them to sit right on the shirts that I have. Nice and simple and good for

contrast, or they will be, once I can find a shirt with a compatible neckline. I wouldn't be averse to trying them out with a sleeveless top, but it's much too cold to even think about that right now....

 

 Lace tank from  High-淘

 I've been doing quite a bit of layering with this tank, but it's cute all by its lonesome, too! It's very soft, not scratchy like I had originally feared. The front has sort of a built-in slip, but you still need to wear a

cami or bandeau under it to block easy X-Ray vision.

 "Che Guevara" men's tee by 梦想巴士 大嘴猴 情侣装 APE mickey …可爱卡通T

 Haha, just a present for Mr. Bun... I don't know, I thought this was awesome. Somehow it seems to be a standalone parody of both the commodification of Che's image and kawaii culture,or am I looking too deeply into this? :P Ah well. Nice quality tee but probably should have ordered a smaller size for him (men's M was more like US men's M than expected, in this case, and he prefers more fitted cuts.) The print seems to be a 

heat press transfer, so it's not as durable as a silk screen or sublimation print might be. Machine washing inside out and tumble drying low has worked well thus far, the image hasn't crinkled or  faded like some other prints I've made or bought. This shop seems to specialize in t-shirts with bold and unique prints for about Y50 a pop, though designs are, expectedly, unlicensed knockoffs (think characters that are easy to replicate, like Paul Frank's Julius, Comme des Garcons PLAY, A Bathing Ape, Doraemon.) They also have quite a few options for you if you're looking to follow the "matching couple" trend and pick up a t-shirt, longsleeve tee, or hoodie for both you and your love.

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
artka	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.
bobon21	gyaru, hime, sweet. pleats, flowers, plaids, florals, lace. excellent if you enjoy looks featured by yumetenbo or liz lisa.
cicishop	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.
coconut	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.
dearli	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.
forestgirlfans	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!
love pinky	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.
luckyhouse	otome, ‘natural-kei’, onee-gyaru, sweet, vintage silhouettes. casual OL clothing, shoes, accessories.
m.babyruy	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.
maggie-z	small stock, but carefully selected bright, soft, cute, and casual pieces. mori/natural. nice shoes, too.
magic39	lots of blouses and dresses with sweet and modest details, lace collars, breezy skirts, soft colors, flower motifs. natural and mori-able items.
maomaohome	s. korea inspired casual, comfy-cute, natural-kei items, shoes, and accessories, layerable with feminine accents.
mm angel	romantic, delicate, billowy. lace, ruffles, chiffon, light fabrics. skirts, blouses, cardigans, cutsews, layerable sets.
mmbq	a small stock of beautiful mori pieces, supposedly made from all-natural cottons and linens.
platinum angel	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...
sunny house	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.
guinea pig house	youthful & nostaglic s. korea women's "college" style. nautical/sailor tops, pleated skirts, school-uniform inspired cuteness, piped blazers and plenty of tartan.
vivian!	super cute mori and natural-kei collection.