Quick outfit update!

Despite this originally being conceived as a diary of travels, I've been the most rubbish at updating since moving to London - and that's not because of a lack of travel! I'm now working and soon-to-be-living in Paddington (like the bear) and will hopefully manage to churn out something vaguely coherent on our family trip to Paris and Venice. Until then, have a photo of my outfit for Hyper Japan (I may have gone just for the chance to eat decent Japanese food, something of a rarity in London)

A skirt.

I was particularly excited about this skirt. It's one I've wanted for a wee while now, and when it appeared for sale second-hand I pretty much snatched it up as fast as I could (being online and all, there was no physical snatching involved)

Then of course when it arrived, I felt like it matched nothing in my wardrobe and I was forever going to be stuck matching it with off-white and possibly dark purple. And then someone suggested red, and I came up with this. I'm pretty pleased with myself.

See: hipster glasses. Also, I think this is the first time I've ever worn that neckbow.

I wore a dress.

I actually do have some thoughts to post about my doctoring, but finding the right words so that I not only say what I mean but that my meaning is likely to be understood is proving a challenge. One of these posts has been sitting around since March.

Also, I went to Wellygeddon. I think I look super old in these photos, going to blame the makeup rather than the "natural ageing process".

Photo taken by https://www.facebook.com/bentodan/
I have 2 petticoats on - the Classical Puppet's A-line and Melikestea PT06, but this dress EATS petticoats

Photo taken by http://www.behindthethemes.org/
Face looks better in this.

Melikestea (aka anatnof) review - positive! Direct petticoat comparison included (Victoriangirldress vs. Classical Puppets vs. Melikestea)

In my quest for the perfect petticoat, I stumbled across a petticoat commissions post by anatnof on the egl_comm_sales. She is a Brazilian seamstress who periodically takes commissions for dresses, skirts and of course petticoats and also has a website for these commissions, melikestea. All the petticoats she makes are netting, which appears has fallen out of popularity to an extent with the wide availability of softer, swooshier organza and chiffon petticoats from places like victoriangirldress and Classical Puppets.

I commissioned the Poof Monster in lavender (PT05) and the Cotton Candy Petticoat (PT06) in black to fit waist 25"/64cm and hip 34"/88cm, at the standard price of 45R$ and 64R$ (Brazilian reals). I also ordered some hair bows in lavender with clip backs for 7R$. Combined with shipping to New Zealand, the total came to 163R$ which at that point in time converted to $84.24 USD - so averaged out, it's around $40 for each petticoat including shipping, which is not too dissimilar to Classical Puppets. Apparently they can be cheaper if you do not want a full lining, but I think with netting a lining is essential so that tights/socks don't get snagged and you don't get itchy. The only time I would recommend not lining is if they were always worn over another petticoat.

Poof Monster - photo from Melikestea website

Cotton Candy Petticoat - photo from Melikestea website

I ordered on the sales post on the 1st of April, was replied to and invoiced on the 2nd, and informed that my items were beginning production on the 3rd with a manufacturing deadline of 30th April. The manufacturing guidelines on the website are 10-15 business days for the first item + 10 for the next, so this deadline was well within that timeframe. I was given a shipping number on the 29th of April and received the parcel on the 8th of May, which is very reasonable for international shipping here. The petticoats arrived inside sturdy plastic bags taped shut inside brown paper wrapping, and the plastic bags were very solid and thick.

Parcel did not arrive like this. I got excited and ripped it open!

When compared to the stock photos, what you see is pretty much exactly what you get. I have absolutely no complaints about the photo accuracy given that I ordered in custom colour rather than the standard white. 

Featuring naptime Nala.

The short version:

Actually ordering: 10/10 - You fill in the order form and get invoiced, how simple is that? The website itself is easy to navigate with very obvious tabs at the top to find the relevant information, and orders can be made in multiple languages.

Manufacture/shipping time: 10/10 - as stated on the website

Packaging: 7/10 - Although the outer packaging is paper, the bags the petticoats come in are very sturdy and appropriate for the garment.

Accuracy to stock photos: 10/10 - they look the same, but are just a different colour and squished from shipping.

I then of course tried on and measured the petticoats to make sure they fit. Unstretched, the waistband of the lavender petticoat is 52cm and the black is 54cm; fully stretched they are over 100cm wide. The elastic used is very stretchy but not super tight, which worried me because I thought that the waistband might stretch and my petticoat would slip down, especially with the black one due to its weight. My way of testing this was to do some jumping up and down with both petticoats on. 

After about 4 bounces, the lavender petticoat moves down a small bit from my natural waist, but stops just below my navel where my measurements are about 68cm and does not move further unless I jump around very violently. Normal walking around does not make it move at all.

After about 4 bounces, the black petticoat moves down a lot to sit on my low hip at the level of my iliac crest, where my measurements are about 75cm. Continued bouncing makes it feel like it is moving lower but it does not go over my hips. Normal walking around feels like it is going to fall down and it does slowly move down over the space of a couple of hours.

I do think this is an issue, especially if you have narrow hips and like to wear your petticoat at your waist; I would also imagine that the waistband could stretch over time and that this would become more of a problem.

Quick! A picture to break the wall of text (actual discussion below)

 I also double checked the length of the petticoats because they appeared to be slightly shorter than the length measurements given. Of course, measuring the length of something poofy can be a bit difficult because of all the gathering and length measurements can be taken in different ways. I used a measuring tape and ruler and measured both on the inside and the outside to bring you these measurements. The purple petticoat was advertised as 40cm, however measured in at 37cm to the end of the lace. Likewise, the black petticoat was advertised as 45cm but measured 43.5cm. This bothers me a little simply because of the discrepancies rather than a wearability issue - I feel that if a garment is advertised as a certain length, it should be that length, and I know that this could be a problem for people who want a particular length petticoat for a particular garment.

This is a terrible photo. Trust me when I say it did measure 43.5cm.

I am definitely happy with the construction, but I did notice some points about the way the petticoats are made that makes me question how customised the sizing actually is.

The lining is about the same length as the petticoats, and it looks as if it was cut the width of the selvedge and then stitched together at the edges. This means that the hem circumference of the lining is significantly smaller than the petticoat, which is pretty standard for petticoats but also means that the lining needs to be shoved up if you want to layer them. This same piece of fabric is used for the waistband, rather than there being a separate waistband attached - this explains why the petticoat stretches to the measurements above as I imagine the lining comes a standard fabric width of about 110cm. Looking at this construction method, I am actually wondering whether there was all that much custom sizing to my petticoat given that I seem to fit the standard size range that this fully elasticated waist offers - I would have thought that for smaller waist sizes pulling the elastic tighter would be more appropriate, as with an elasticated waist of this type and stretchiness a 11-13cm difference between "smallest measurement" and "my waist measurement" is barely enough to hold the weight of either petticoat without it slipping off my waist.

French seam; hem; selvedge visible; the one loose thread I found on BOTH pettis!

All the lining seams are french seamed, and the hem of the lining, rather than being edge-finished and turned under has been doubly folded and then stitched, which is nice, and the edge of the tulle is sandwiched into the waistband.

The short version:

Fit - 8/10. They both 'fit', but there are issues with them slipping down off my waist which shouldn't really happen with custom sizing. I do not have the same issue with my Classical Puppets or victoriangirldress petticoats despite the lack of custom sizing. Given that they slip down, my conclusion has to be either that they don't fit, or that the waistband elastic is inappropriate for the garment. Obviously, I believe this is due to the latter; the stretchy elastic in the waistband is very comfortable, but pretty useless for holding the petticoat on my waist.

Pattern/Construction/etc. - 8/10. Really happy with the overall construction. I feel like the fit issue is more related to the elastic used, but if that is the case the pattern should possibly be altered so that the waistband is smaller and more fitted, e.g perhaps using  a half elastic waistband or pulling the elastic tighter.

Now of course the most interesting and important part - the poof! I bought both these petticoats for specific purposes - the purple for a shorter dress with a drop waist, and the black to hopefully help stand up under my heaviest velvet dress. For review purposes I have compared melikestea to two of the most commonly recommended pettis, victoriangirldress basic A-line (hereafter referred to as VGD) and Classical Puppets bell shape. As a fair disclaimer, I have owned my VGD petticoats for over a year, and the Classical Puppets since late January. They are stored in a drawer which definitely does them no favours in terms of keeping them poofy. I have previously owned a Classical Puppets A-line but found it too triangular and too long for most of my dresses.

Classical Puppets bell shape in white, VGD basic A line in red XL, VGD basic A line in purple XXL,

Starting with the lavender...

Left to right: No petti, XXL VGD petti, Classical Puppets bell shaped, both VGD petticoats, Melikestea PT05 petti

The Melikestea petticoat creates a very nice A-line shape, does not show under my dress (you can see the Classical Puppets is too long in the middle photo and is trying to escape) and removes the need to wear 2 petticoats. I am very happy with it for the price!

And then the black...

Left to right: No petti, XXL VGD petti, Classical Puppets bell shaped, both VGD petticoats, Melikestea PT06 petti

As you can see the velvet dress is a petticoat eating monster! I was really hoping that the Melikestea petti would be more of a cupcake shape like the Classical Puppets, but it's more an A-line and is actually pretty similar to how I recall the Classical Puppets A-line being under this dress. Still, it is the poofiest of all the petticoats I have at the moment and will probably layer really well when I want to go full on megapoof with this dress. This is not a problem with Melikestea but rather with my hopes about this petticoat!

The short version:

Poof: 10/10 - absolutely what they say on the description. Compares favourably with known brands at a similar price point.

Price/value for money: 9/10. I think VGD still wins on the pricing front if you can get them on auction rather than buy now, but Melikestea is priced competitively and I certainly could not justify spending time making a similar petticoat (with similar construction/details/materials) for the price I paid.

Overall: 8.5/10 - points off for sizing being slightly large/elastic being not tight enough and the non-waterproof outer packaging, but I am very happy and would buy again from them. I will have to really wear these petticoats to see how well the stiffness of the net stands up to time - I expect to get a good 6 months to a year out of petticoats with weekly wear before they pack a sad on me and deflate, so I may update this in future to reflect on their comparative longevity.

Fuzzy cat and myself

Nala has become infinitely more friendly since the temperature dropped...

Casual outfit with new shoes and new-to-me-but-secondhand dress
Pre-haircut, no makeup, and a bit of derp.

New nail polish and an outfit shot!

I was all set to write a serious post about the things I wished I knew as a high schooler about medicine, and the things I wished I knew as a med student about medicine.

And then these arrived in the post.

Mariah Carey liquid sand collection

These have been extensively reviewed online, so they were pretty much exactly as expected - OPI describes them as "matte with sparkles in them" and the texture is a great deal of fun. I personally liked the application of "The Impossible" the best (second from the right) as the texture shows up nicely and for some reason it just went on better than the other three, however the colour is a peachy red that does not suit me at all. The leftmost two remind me of Magic Sand and jelly sandals, which makes them feel like very "young" colours to me. The far right one - Stay The Night - is my favourite of the lot, and is a matte black with dark red sparkle. It did take three coats to get the colour right whereas the others took two, but I think I will buy a full-size one if I find myself using it more.

I also wore this to the grocery store - this is more like my mallgoth style from 2008-2009 as opposed to the froufrou and frills I wear these days, but I definitely think you can see the influence of the latter on the former. I always find it interesting when people ask where one wears alternative fashion. To me they're just my casual clothes (or rather, I don't have regular-person casual clothes these days) and what I wear when I'm not wearing work clothes.

Fanplusfriend review - neutral

I feel like I wrote a novella. Read on if you dare!!

I recently bought the "Dolly Gothic Lolita: Cross Straps Collar Shirred Bust Jumper" from Fanplusfriend and thought I would do a review, since Fanplusfriend is widely known for being hit and miss in terms of quality these days. The dress is pretty much a replica of Mary Magdalene's Rote Rose OP however comes in many more colours and size choices than the original Rote Rose, which is why I ordered it.

I ordered this dress in dark green, size 65, knee length, which was their standard price of $75USD. Although I am not as small as their size 65 I had previously bought this dress in black second-hand in the same size and found it fit me perfectly....so that's points off for sizing accuracy already! I ordered it and paid on the 13th of January, and got an email from 'Jet' asking me to confirm the sizing as "The size lady 65 you chose is quite small, with only 76cm bust and 56cm waist. May you please check our chart and confirm your choice?" I confirmed this with them, and the dress was made and shipped by the 23rd of January (well within their quoted 2-3 week manufacture time), arriving at my house on the 29th of January. The dress arrived inside a plastic bag inside a fairly sturdy outer plastic bag - although that's not an issue for me, people with overzealous customs officers could have issues.

The short version:

Actually ordering: 8/10 - although not the greatest website in the world, I don't think it's particularly difficult to navigate. They also checked to confirm size.

Manufacture/shipping time: 10/10 - as it was as stated on the website

Packaging: 6/10 - it arrived in good condition, but if you have overzealous customs officers who like to cut into everything this could be an issue.

When I opened the package I was initially very pleased with the accuracy of the dress to the stock photo and also its similarity to the original, as well as the colour. The ruffle looked like it was slightly shorter compared to stock photos, but this may be because some of the dresses were the mid-calf length as opposed to knee length. I absolutely love dark green and this looked pretty true to other pictures of dark green items in this fabric on the website.

Photo taken with flash at night under incandescent light

I then tried it on to make sure I hadn't made an awful mistake buying it in the size 65 - I hadn't, and it fits me really well. For reference, my measurements are 31.5"/80cm bust, 25"/64cm waist. I also tried it on with a push-up bra that gives me a 33" bust and it still fitted well! I measured the dress flat, and got 34" bust/25" waist which is a lot bigger than the sizing chart's 30" bust/22" waist! The bust measurements make sense because of course the front part is gathered, but 3" of ease on the waist seems a bit excessive even though there are waist ties. This is a bit of a subjective thing though, as some people may like to wear lots of layers underneath their lolita and of course it is adjustable with waist ties. Length wise it is well below knee on me at approx 100cm long, but I did not ask for custom length, I asked for "knee length" and their standard height is 5' 5" whereas I am about 5' 2".

Photo taken with flash in the late afternoon/early evening

In terms of the construction of the garment, though, I was underwhelmed for my $75.
The good: all the seams are serged + straight stitched, the hems are rolled, and nothing's falling apart, the fabric choice is decent and drapes well. 'nuff said there.
The bad: patterning and what seems to be poor quality control.
One of the first things I noticed was that the zipper facings were entirely different. Now you may say "what's the big deal? No-one sees them..." however to me this indicates that either the patternmaker was lazy or the person who cut it out was lazy. The discrepancy between the two is something like 3/8" - imagine if they'd been 3/8" off with the length of other pattern pieces like the skirt!! I did not have this issue with the black version that I'd bought previously.

The second thing I noticed was that the invisible zipper...was not invisible. To me this is a huge problem as well - if a lower-priced chain store garment can sew in invisible zippers invisibly, I expect that a higher priced  garment would adhere to the same basic standard. This to me shows really poor standards. There is no reason for the zipper to be this visible - I'm not putting any pressure on this seam, the dress is just laying flat on my bed, and yet there is a huge black line glaring at me down the centre back.

"invisible" zipper...yeah right!

There were a couple of other small things that just made me even more wary of F+F. The following photo is the inside of the bottom hem + ruffle - instead of making it in several even parts, they obviously just guesstimated how much fabric they'd need as it's in 4 pieces of varying lengths - the shortest of which is shown below! Obviously someone was all like "ohhhh crap the ruffle isn't long enough" and inserted another part. I can't imagine this is particularly efficient production-sewing wise, and it seems like a pretty decent screwup especially for a standard size garment with no customisation at all - surely the pattern they use should have a standard ruffle piece, unless what they do is kinda gather up the fabric scraps left over from cutting to make the ruffle. This is again an issue I did not have with the black version.

Hi, tiny bit of ruffle...

(this is the right hand side of the bodice)

There is also thread visible from where the bust part is gathered to the underbust - which again indicates some sloppy sewing!

All these issues, although seemingly minor, to me indicate that FanplusFriend are definitely going to be hit and miss - this was not a custom order or asking for anything out of the ordinary, yet basic techniques like how to sew an invisible zipper in and how to pattern symmetrical facings seem to be beyond the skill level of whoever was sewing this dress. This makes me very wary from purchasing from them again as I have no idea whether my clothes will be fine or subject to major quality or fit issues.

The short version:

Accuracy to stock photo: 9/10 - although there was no stock photo of the green, the dress and lace appeared to be the same as the other photos, just in a different colour. Ruffle length may have been different.

Fit: 7/10 - Could be too big on someone who actually is size 65 on their chart, but the ease is appropriate for a fitted garment...it depends whether you like things to be close fitted or semi fitted really

Pattern/Construction/All dem sewing things: 4/10 - Fabric choice is okay, it's not lined but it's also not see-through and still drapes well. However, although all seams are overlocked/sewn together and it's not falling apart, the invisible zip is really very visible and looks like an amateur haphazardly basted it in with a regular zipper foot, which kinda defeats the purpose of an invisible zip. facing shorter on 1 side than the other, and ruffle is obviously not patterned correctly - low rating because these are very basic things to get right for a dress!

Price/Value for money: 3/10 - I'm paying $75 for an unlined dress from a factory that clearly has poor quality control in multiple steps in the manufacturing process. When I compare it to other garments that cost a similar amount (dresses from Taobao) I do not find the same faults. If it wasn't for the fact that I can't find that colour anywhere else I would definitely not have paid that much for this dress.

Overall: 5/10 - there are too many issues to simply ignore, especially given that it was a standard size and colour that they offer rather than a custom order. I might order again if there is a sale and a particular colour and style that I can't get anywhere else, but I definitely won't order again otherwise.