/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

There's a Taobao thread already. Unless you're trying to talk about Taobao/offbrand Lolita specifically?

>>9411046
I get what they're going for, the other taobao thread is junk. A taobao lolita only thread would be nice

Any recs for brands with extremely high quality lace that make Baby wedding dress style classic looks? I've seen a few that looked like it in the new release announcement but in the actual photos look terrible and cheap

It really depends on where you get it, but I've had good experiences with most taobao brands so far. The only things I haven't bought yet are shoes.

Going to comment on some of the dresses I've bought:

- Pumpkin Cat Whales normal waist JSK: Material and lining were thin (good for summer), reason I sold it was because the print itself was so poorly done (looked like an unfinished sketch)

- KL Lost in Sea JSK: looked pregnant in the damn thing, sold it, I'd buy the OP to make into a JSK though. Overall quality was nice

- Yolanda Berry River JSK: Liked it well enough but the material felt sort of flimsy and I eventually ended up selling it because I didn't think it'd hold up over time. Print was passable

- Kirakira JSK: fit and material were trash, sold off

- Rococo Soul gingham JSK: material and lining were thin (good for summer), fit was questionable and the buttons were pretty bad. Sold it because I wasn't interested in keeping it

Overall I find that some designs are nice enough to try out but the fit and/or material tends to end up disappointing me.

Following >>9412034 's example and will list what I have bought.

-Cookie Bear Princess Crown JSK: Material and Lining were really thin and the laces and ribbon were incredibly cheap. That being said it was $70 with shipping. You get what you pay for.

-KL Lost in Sea OP & JSK: Love both! Print is beautiful and the dress didn't feel like it would fall apart. Only complaint is I had to sell the OP since it was too big in the shoulders. Practically hung off of me and it was the small. Do not have that problem with the JSK.

-Ista Mori Night Elves Crown JSK in Navy: Love it! Not too thin, great print and incredibly soft. I am thinking of buying it in the other colorway.

Quaint Lass gli elfi di fiori OP: Gorgeous! Good for summer due to the chiffon but has a lot of skirt. The under print is beautiful and its a shame that it gets covered up by the over lace.

Cheap & nasty costruction. Cute prints not worth it. Might as well buy off the high street.

>>9412232
>Might as well buy off the high street
Ah yes, I go to the high street for all my lolita needs.

I've bought a lot of dresses from different taobao stores and I haven't really had any bad experiences with them (except one meh quality dress).
My only issue really is the guilt I feel preferring a lot of taobao designs over brand.

>>9412245
Why?

>>9412252
Because a lot of people profess (especially here) you're not a real lolita or you have shit taste if you like taobao more than brand. In fact a lot of people here make complaints about AP or Baby stating "this looks like a taobao dress"

I understand the construction issue like >>9412232 pointed out but honestly nothing has stolen my heart quite like Inori's prints or Ista Mori or even LSE.

I just keep the preference to myself and pretend brand is king design wise since I'll automatically be shat on in most places.

We really don't need two taobao threads

I'm a pretty big brandwhore, but I think taobao gets a worse rap than it should. At the very least they try to have new designs, even if some of them think they're the new AP/Baby/AATP.

Anyways review time

- Krad Lanrete - I've bought a ton of stuff from them. Unfortunately, I think their quality is going downhill, and since they've started to look more and more like cookie cutter AATP/BTSSB, I've stopped paying attention to them. I find their newer prints boring. My first and foremost favorite dress is Mozarabic Chant, followed closely by the 12 Constellations dress. The first is such an unusual and unique design and was the first dress to bring me into lolita. 12 constellations is very well constructed, the fabric is textured, and I like how thought is given to how the dress is with lining of the pattern on both the bodice and the skirt. Close runner up is La Mariage de Bourgogne. The velvet is luxurious and I haven't had issues with the embossed print. Lower I would say would be the Medusa print, while having an innovative bodice (at least the one I bought) has thinner fabric. I was disappointed with their latest release sad to say. I didn't really bother with their Cinderella or Beauty and the Beast prints since they're not my cup of tea. Lost in Sea was beautiful but in the end I sold it because it didn't fit me physically and stylistically.

- Dear Celine - bought a blouse from them. I like the quality a lot except the lace looks like it was pulled from a taobao store.

- Jewelry in Sunrise - Their qi lolita releases are absolutely beautiful, I have their qi lolita JSK with the flower embroidery which is so very qi yet very subtle. They manage to balance the qi elements with restraint which is what makes their qi lolita appeal to me. I also would love to get my hands on some of their other releases. Only thing is that the skirt portion of the JSK is kind of shiny, but it's an underskirt so I can live with that.

tbc

>>9412291

- Amastasia - bought the green JSK from them. It's a great JSK which can be worn without a blouse for a more vintage feel. The fabric choices are appropriate - a soft light fabric for sleeves and for skirt, a heavier one for the bodice. Zipper is hard to pull though, like notably harder to pull than brand zippers. I have difficulty getting out of this dress myself because of this.

Surface Spell Gothic - bought their made to order Judgment day skirt from them. Took forever and a day to get to me. It's decent, and the trim is nice and soft, but the embroidery tends to fray easily. I sold it after growing out of my newbie stage.

Night Knight Book of Kells - I feel like the print could have been stunning but when it came IRL it looked busy? I thought it would be closer to Mozarabic Chant but nowhere near the quality, the print has a hint of blurriness as well. Lace is this shitty Joann tier gold lace. I wish I could be more excited about it, but I'm not.

I'm pretty excited about the new Ragnarok dress from a new-ish lolita brand Fun Ccnio. The design looks fun at least. If worse comes to worst, at least I didn't sink too much money into it.

Can anyone review Hawberry or Diamond Honey?

>>9412361
I bought Diamond honey's kingdom of the forest JSK. It was pretty nice. Good lace, thick fabric and nice construction - fully lined. The print is crisp. My main issue was the fabric chosen is an odd colour. Listed as black but looks navy. Overall great store though.

I own Krad's Lost in Sea OP and Magic tea party's libra high waisted skiry. I'm considering their Beauty and the Beast jsk.

>>9412262
If you've found taobao pieces that work nicely for you then that's great. It's not as if brand hasn't had a slew of QA related issues lately too, I sold the last two AatP JSKs I got because the materials were shit and not worth keeping.

Honestly if we were properly wise about our reviews we'd review individual releases rather than overall brands.

Yolanda's Herbal Bunny JSK was my most recent Taobao purchase and I'm super surprised by how good it looks and feels. Maybe I got lucky, but the construction was pretty on par with my AaTP and AP dresses.

Has anyone got stuff from Grovedeer? I just bought a blouse from them and am wondering how their JSK quality is.

>>9412428
fuck that's cute. god damn big boobs wouldn't fit tho

-Pumpkin Cat chocolate jsk rerelease
The fabric is good, texture reminds me of some of the baby dresses I've owed (and sold because that texture is abysmal on my skin) its liked, no loose threads and the chiffon isn't shit quality.

-Precious Clove Singing in the rain jsk/ Fox Who Steals Stars OP
The printing on both of these is gorgeous and the material is so soft. Only downside I've had is the lack of shirring. But that's only an issue because I'm a bit busty.

-Magic Cat Street (they were taobao mostly when I got these jsks) Tiramisu/ Summer chiffon
Cheap chiffon on both but not terrible. The printing on the tiramisu jsk is pretty good. The use of cheap ribbons and buttons are very off putting.

I've become a do it for Precious Clove releases. I'm super excited about the Royal Milk print and bummed I missed out on the Rapunzel jsk.

Pumpkin cat seemed to be getting better and bolder with what they sell.
I'm dying to get something from Chess Story besides accessories, and diamond honey has some strangely cute prints.

I'm breaking my no high-waist rule because this OP is just too adorable.

>>9412866
I have a 97 bust and have bought Magic Tea Party before, you just need to get the XL size. Any larger than that you're probably shit out of luck though.

>>9412570
I got this dress, and I love it too! Fits really nicely (I have a larger bust), and the blouse is great quality too. Also, their customer service is A++++.
I ordered a small accessory which somehow didn't get shipped with my order. They ended up sending me a replacement, plus another one in a different color for free (because apparently I overpaid on shipping somehow?).

Also all our interactions were basically me using google translate + occasional help from a friend of mine who speaks Chinese, so I'm sure most of my side of the conversation was pretty obviously butchered, and they totally could have taken advantage of me since I understood about 40% of what was going on lol

>>9412281
The other one is full of non lolita junk that shouldn't even be posted on this board (normie fashion, house goods, etc)

>>9412906
>NEED
What is this,anon?

Bumping with a request on this brand, Bacio's Bouquet. Any idea what their quality is like? I know their cat print popped up in the taobao thread some time back but I don't remember if anyone bought it?

>>9413856
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=547022809613

Arcadian Deer's Four Elements of Astrology: Air. It's still on preorder and is going to be shipped at the end of June.

I love me some Taobao brands. I included a shitty collage of the pieces I have, and my reviews match them in order from left to right.

CEL St. Augustine's Abbey JSK: The material and construction is solid. The print is fuzzy up close.

Cynthia V Collared Dove JSK: Solid construction, good material, and I love the design. My only complaint about the store was I preordered 2 blouses and they only sent one of them to my SS, had to get a refund for the other.

Rose Aria Autumn: The design is lovely, the chiffon is heavy. It's sheer at the bust, which means wearing nude bras.

Cala Rossa Blackberry & Bay Laurel: This dress was inexpensive. It's solidly made, the material is lightweight but I don't care for the stiff material of the neck/sleeves. It's decent quality for the price.

Infanta Love & Canary JSK II: This was my first lolita purchase. The lace is thick and soft, though generic, and the print is crisp. The material is 100% cotton, sturdy. Infanta's a good, cheap beginner brand.

R-series Dear Friends JSK: The material is super soft, and I like any dress that isn't wrinkle-prone. The print is detailed and clear.

The Memory of Lily The Echo of Love: The materials are great quality. There is a sewing error smack dab in the middle of where the bodice dips in a V to the skirt, which makes me sad, but it's not too noticeable.

Fairytale Girl Thousand Feather JSK: I'm in love with this dress most currently. The material feels wonderfully soft. Beautiful design, it has a built-in petticoat and came with a cute veil. It's comparable to brand quality.

Elpress L Veronica: This dress is so heavy! The fabric is textured, and it has so many details and different kinds of soft lace. It's comparable to brand quality.

Lost Tree Akademie der Meerebriste: The material is wonderfully thick. The construction is probably the sturdiest I have. It's comparable to brand quality.

So far I've only gotten pic related, Heaven Iris, The wedding of Mrs. Fox. It's a light fabric and a bit wrinkle prone, but the pattern is crisp and no flaws that I can find. I would have loved to have had it in purple, but was late to the party. Also, can we start providing search terms to get to some of the stores? I've tried a few and get the sobbing Taobao mascot

I don't care about taobao dresses anymore, there are simply too many releases and I can't keep up with all the new shops popping up. But I try to stick to Krad Lanrete, Dear Celine and Little Dipper whenever I need new wardrobe staples such as blouses or underskirts. I can't say anything bad about the quality for the items that I own. You mostly get what you paid for.

Grove Deer makes wonderful items! I love my OP that I bought from them.

What's the general consensus on Taobao resellers? Is Lolita Wardrobe popular?

>>9415521
I think I saw one for sale on lm

>>9411030
Personal favourite is Pumpkin Cat- their designs are super cute and unique. I own British Shorthair JSK and the quality is lovely!
Otherwise I'm a big fan of Dear Celine's designs, though I've found their quality is lacking in comparison to Pumpkin Cat. HMHM has some really cute stuff too.

>>9415636
It's usually easier and cheaper to just use a shopping service unless you're trying to buy from Krad, in which case a reseller is mandatory.

>>9415636

It’s cgl man, there’s always an anon around the corner who wants to jump down your throat for being too chicken to taobao yourself instead of going through a reseller.

That said, Lolita Wardrobe is a middleman, and a Chinese business. They aren’t out to scam you, they really, really do want to ship you your things so that they can take your money. But the brands they resell are sometimes slow to deliver or mess up, and as a reseller, not the actual shop, they can’t really do anything about these kinds of situation. And if you get too demanding they’re kind of likely to brush you off due to the culture difference, they aren’t going to hold your hand or anything.

Honestly you face the same problems even if you go through a taobao shopping service, if the shop is problematic there’s not a lot you can do. But at least it’s easier to check the shop’s reputation and feedback directly on taobao.

>>9411896
You've seen Elpress L, right?

I can't comment on many taobao brands, but I will comment on Dark Box (Krad Lanrete's gothic lolita brand, I guess) The piece I have is Kostelik Vech Savtych JSK I.

Dark Box claimed it was "Japanese made jacquard"(?). I'd like to know if any Chinese lolitas know what happened with this release and if that's still the case. If they're trying to claim Kostelik was made with "japanese brand tier jaquard" then that's just laughable because I've never owned thin, shiny brand jaquard like this. It was a common complaint on Lolita Updates as well. I do know before release there was a more matte fabric choice and a "japanese jacquard" choice, then something happened where they only ended up printing it on a thin jacquard. I'm not sure if they ended up having to get some lower quality Chinese jacquard to print it on, but that is certainly what it feels like.

Regardless, the overall design is simple, from lace to construction, and not at all a $218-241 dollar piece, depending on if you chose the long or short version. It's one of those "brand prices but not brand quality" indie brands.

In general, I'd avoid buying Krad and their offshoots if you think it'll at all be on par with Japanese brands. I've seen them switch up things on their orders before (fabric choices, materials used, designs etc.) as well long before Kostelik, so that is something to be wary about with them. Make absolutely sure you are getting what is pictured before placing your orders and possibly do not pre-order too early. Read descriptions as well because sometimes they use old stock photos which doesn't help anyone. Even though the Chinese tout Krad as one of their best and even when they claim they buy Japanese materials, it simply is not up to par.

-Fantastic Wind/Magic Wind: Love some of their designs, the OP and Apron I got were very soft and comfortable, but I had to add a few stitches here and there to get their lace details to sit right and not flop and sag.

-Miss Point: Construction was study, everything I got was lined. The caplet I got from them was very warm, feels like it will last. They sent the wrong size for one thing, or I just horribly misjudged the fit.

-Yi Liya: Ordered a couple of blouses, was pretty pleased with the feel and fit. Good sizes for fatties.

-Magic Tea Party: Quality varies a bit. I'd say their quality is a bit better than Bodyline with much better pricing.

-Classical Puppets: What I have from them is unlined, but the prints are crisp and construction and fit are good. I've heard that their petticoats aren't as good these days, but they sent me a free petticoat with my most recent order for some reason and it's just as good as my older ones.

No one has mentioned Souffle Song, which I think is one of the easiest to get cause they have a shop out of Taobao.

Quality is not great, certainly not as good as Infanta, Surface Spell, etc. and it's usually overpriced at the non-Taobao shop, but they have good deals and lucky packs every now and then that are good value for money and get there fast with DHL. They also have some nice blouses and their heart bags are great and cheap af.

>>9415733
I've heard their blouses are great but the fit of the dresses is always awkward and loose.

>>9415570
Little Dipper is my true taobao love

>>9415708
I disagree. I like how lightweight it is. Just because something is lightweight doesn't make it cheap, anon. Also they do gothic right, too many brands make gothic prints all cutesy or church like.

>>9415719
Oh good, I'm glad someone's gotten Fantastic Wind stuff, I keep looking at their OPs but haven't taken the dive. Might hop on this next release then.

>>9411030
People shit on Taobao for being lower quality but I like that about them. I feel less worried about messing them up since they aren't high end delicate brand, so they're easier to live in.

Am i the only one desperatly waiting for this here?

I honestly like Infanta more than my burando. I feel less worried when I wear it out because of the lower price, and the construction is just as good as AP's.

>>9420666
It's obvious you dont own brand. Infanta is medium tier of taobao, it isn't as good as brand.

>>9416342
I agree with what you said about the weightlessness, but
>too many brands make gothic prints all church like
You realize that this dress design is taken from a real, existing church?

>>9415342
>when gulls put a lot of time and effort into helping other gulls, and get no appreciation
Don't worry anon, I appreciate it! <3
The last one is super cute, and considering your feedback, I might get it!

>>9420671
AatP for one has gone really downhill. I wouldn't say Infanta's construction is as good as AP's but the anon also said they didn't feel so worried to wear it for the lower price. It's reasonable to feel that way.

>>9420706
Aww thank you anon, haha. I like it when people review Taobao brands because there's usually so little information on shops, especially ones with few releases.

I know Lost Tree is planning on rereleasing that sailor series for a third time! There will be an ouji set, but besides that I'm not sure when the release will be or what cuts/colorways they'll have. I highly recommend them.

>>9420887
I know right? And there's a lot of really pretty stuff on there
I have two dresses from Soufflesong and they're just lovely (at least in my opinion, and for the price)

>I know Lost Tree is planning on rereleasing that sailor series for a third time
Oh, that's nice! I was a bit sad when I saw that it wasn't available anymore, but then I'll keep an eye out for it. Thank you!

I just bought some R-series blouses can anyone comment on their quality?

>>9415708
Is it really that shiny? I really love Gothic, and I love the print design. I am very interested in this dress since they are doing a re-release now, but I don't really like shiny dresses and I am not very convinced about the fabric.

>>9422214
I do have a blouse and two dresses from R-Series and I must say they are have the best quality of all my taobao items!

Is there a tier list of lolita taobao stores?

>>9415342
Side note but you have really pretty taste.

>>9414337
>https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=547022809613
God I need this. Any figure out where it says what the price will be once its released?

I don't mind taobao per se but I dislike the way that taobao designs has influenced the japanese brands. I think saying that many releases from AP or Baby looks like taobao isn't necessarily a poke at bad quality or contruction but more at the lack of originality.

The OTT Classic trend was the worst thing to happen honestly, pastel-puke and AP clones was at least iconic.

>>9420658
Hasn't it been released already?

I really like Long Ears and Sharp Ears. Their items look just like the stock photos and they are easy to order from. With Taobao you really do get what you pay for, you can see where they have cut corners especially design-wise, I've received itemswith a different colored lace and lessential frills. I'm not saying that burando is better but it's good to read reviews, even Diamond Honey's stock photos weren't accurate.

>>9420658
this has been released like twice anon, what rock have you been under?

>>9412902
I've got a Chess Story jsk I bought ages ago and I love it to death! One of my favourite taobao pieces to date. Only thing I'd say is that at least the jsk I bought is a fair bit longer than most pieces I own (95cm instead of the usual AP 86) and can look a little odd on my short frame, but I feel like for most people that wouldnt be an issue

>>9415733
Souffle song is pretty mich shit-tier. The fabric and the print quality is just awful and their blacks aren't even black.

>>9420658
This is the only Taobao print I genuinely like and would like to own, plus the quality is really quite good. But at the same time the fact that they had 10000 reservations for it is kind of putting me off.

>>9423165
? I have a few souffle song dresses and theyre not bad. i have the Saintess and Pigeon in black and it s actually one of my favorite dresses

i just did a count of my wardrobe and slightly over half of my dresses are from taobao brands. Others are a mix of JP brands, indie, and Korean. I love my taobao dresses, I have yet to truly have a bad experience with a dress I got from one of their brands.

>>9415342
I'm glad to hear Cynthia V is good quality, I was thinking of getting bloomers from them when the listing goes up again.

>>9423099
>>9423053
I preordered it in october, but i'm still waiting for it

>>9423464
oh god that doesnt seem right at all

>>9415659
Their stuff is beautiful, what's the quality like in person?

I used to buy a decent amount of Taobao stuff!
Collage of a few of the pieces I have owned (some have since been resold) for example, I own a bit more Taobao but some of the stock pictures are a pain to find.

As for quality wise, some of the brands can be super hit or miss. Krad is fantastic, the Mozarabic Chant dress is probably one of the best quality dresses I have owned/ seen and well above a lot of my brand pieces.

Chess Story has been hit or miss for me. While the prints aren't pixelated and the construction is fine, sometimes I have found the material used to be a bit cheap and its quite noticeable as well, I definitely found that with the Cinderella JSK and the Yellow JSK on the photo.

Surface Spell has been hit or miss for me as well, the Stained Glass print is AWFUL. Its just a shitty pixelated mess and as a graphic design student I can't believe something that fucking bad was allowed to go into print, even from a distance it still looks like shit and that has made me pretty cautious about their other print stuff.

I'm super OCD about my prints lining up as well, and heaps of the brand prints I own DO NOT DO IT - but then ¥400 Taobao prints I have bought have been lined up flawlessly and small details like that have really put some of the Taobao brands above brand for me.

Personally I prefer Taobao over brand, the price point is much lower (so my broke ass can buy more shit) and there is so much more range in designs and a lot more different range than what most of the big brands are doing at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I still love my brand stuff but for the price some of it is sold at and what I have received its complete shit, not all of it.. but a decent amount of it. (Love my oldschool to death though)

>>9412570
I bought a velvet OP from Yolanda way back in the day and it is amazing. One of my favourite dresses ever.

>>9423077
Seconding this! I've had really good experiences with LESE, and I own 3 of their dresses.
Also, as much as I love the Demon/Angel kitty print from Diamond Honey (own it in 2 colorways, oops) the quality is just okay. Passable, but nothing special. I would rate it as a bit below infanta (who also has some pretty varying quality levels).

>>9420887
I always try to write a review for every shop I order from. I buy from Taobao quite a bit, XP

>>9413760
Which is why I'm grateful for this thread, OP. I'm tired of the normie junk cluttering up the Taobao thread, when I want to just talk about Lolita.

>>9424580
Do you have a blog you post the reviews to?

On another note, I would love a blog dedicated to 'vetting' Taobao brands. It'd have tags for reviews and worn pictures. Maybe they could even form some sort of ranking system, where high quality + good service as reported by X amount of people equals an A, high quality + meh service OR decent quality + good service as reported by X amount of people equals a B, etc. Since there are so many stores, only giving stores a ranking after X amount of people have vetted for them would make it easier to not get overwhelmed, especially if the number is set somewhat high.

A lot of people don't trust Taobao brands because meh brands like Souffle Song get lumped with great ones like Yolanda. That's a shame.

If I had the time, I would do it myself, but for now I'll just hope and wait.

I don't know if Marchen die Prinzessin counts as taobao but I just recieved my first offbrand JSK from them. I really didn't expect a lot from it, but the quality is way better than expected. It just seems to photograph horribly.
The color is a much deeper and elegant wine. The satin layer at the bottom is flowy and soft and the lace quality is brand-tier, but not as detailed. On the pics it also looks like it has a costumey shine, but in real life it reflects light in a very subtle/natural way, even the visible satin part. The lining and corset laces aren't as nice looking, but the lining isn't visible and the laces can be replaced. The cut is very simple but the construction is flawless.

makes you feel like a vampire princess/10

>>9425501
I do! I haven't written any reviews since January though, so a long post of all the shops I ordered from is coming soon. If you Google "Sosic shop review", my blog is the second link.

I actually like Souffle Song for what they're worth. They're also easy to order from and their shipping is much more reasonable. I definitely wouldn't say they're the quality of Yolanda or Surface Spell, but I'd put them above Bodyline and F+F.