Liz Lisa & other cute stuff

It's been hot here... 🌋 (it's a volcano.) Not as hot as the first two weeks of July last year, but still. I went downtown this past weekend and the heat was unbearable. 🌞 Plus, too many people.

Back in April, I ordered two Liz Lisa pieces with From Japan. I received them at the beginning of July. A week later, I made two purchases in physical stores (it had been a really long time since I had purchased anything clothes-related—except underwear—from a physical store.)

Liz Lisa lavender gingham sukapan

This sukapan looked really cute in the seller's picture and I love gingham. Also, I had never seen it before. Despite its exorbitant price, I decided to buy it... 💸

Unfortunately, I didn't know that between the time buying it and receiving it, I'd come to prefer wearing longer skirts, below the knee...

The sukapan looks really cute, but I feel it just isn't my style anymore... so I put it up for sale.

I love the embroidery on the hem. It says "Baby's Breath ❤ Bouquet Story".

(I didn't know the sukapan was from this collection.)

Two little snags which infuriate me because I paid a lot for this sukapan

Lodispotto/mille fille closet light pink sweater

I've wanted these sweaters since I saw them released from mille fille closet's 2018 Spring collection. Indeed, all three, because it is also made in white and light blue. But I had to abstain myself because of the price.

I was surprised yet very happy to see the sweater for sale secondhand. It was actually listed by the same seller who I bought the LL sukapan from. Strangely, the sweater was so inexpensive compared to the sukapan and I'd thought it'd be the opposite.

I haven't even tried the sweater yet (blame the hot weather) but I love it already. The sleeves, the frills, the (removable) bow, the hem, everything is so well-made. Also, I haven't found any flaws or defects like on the LL sukapan.

The details on the collar are so beautiful. I had not noticed them on the stock pictures (or I forgot about them cuz the release was one year ago). Thankfully, the collar is removable, so I will be able to wash the sweater without having to worry about damaging it.

Beige plaid skirt and white bow belt

I bought this skirt at Mia Mix. I've been seeing this store for a few years each time I exit Les Cours Mont-Royal to go to the subway. Although I always noticed the lovely outfits displayed on the models at the front of the store, I had never stopped by because I thought the clothes were very cheap (like some stores from China on eBay).

That day I finally couldn't resist and ended up in the store. I didn't dare take any pictures inside but I would have liked to. The store decoration looks really cute. 🌷 I found nice blouses with lace in beige and ivory, the kind I can only find online. Most of the clothes are free size but the seller told me they also carried multiple sizes at the back of the store.

Except for clothes, they also have accessories; the ones I can think of on top of my head are belts and jewelry. They have a lot of cute belts in different designs and colours. A lot of them have bows in the middle. I admit they look quite cheap (it's no Gucci belt) and I guess you could find exact/similar models on eBay for less than half the price. However, you'd probably have to wait 1-2 months for shipping and the chance of seeing these types of belts in other physical stores is pretty slim.

I was surprised to see the store carried vintage-like skirts as I had never seen such designs in physical stores, like Simons or H&M. A beige plaid one and a black x white one caught my eye, but in the end, I decided to go easy for my first visit and only choose to try one of them. I chose the beige one and eventually bought it. I like how I can match the skirt with shirts in different colours: white, ivory, purple, black, navy, red, bordeaux, grey, etc.

The skirt isn't lined and the fabric isn't the best quality. Also, the hem of the skirt slightly rolls up, but when wearing it, you don't really notice it. Nonetheless, these inconveniences don't affect how the skirt looks when worn and the price paid is a good deal IMO (24.99$ CAD). Maybe I could have gotten a cheaper one on eBay, but I really didn't have the patience of skimming through several hundreds of skirts just to save some bucks.

Love the buckle on the belt

The salesperson helped me found a belt as I wanted one to match with the skirt. Since there were a lot of models, finding the best-matching belt took a while, but the seller was really nice and had great taste.

The bow is sticky on the sides (no idea why), but I just don't touch it.

As you can see, the inconvenience of this belt is that it attaches with a hook that risks damaging the skirt by rubbing constantly against it. I'm presently thinking of a way to prevent that from happening, even if it involves replacing the hook by something else*. I'd also like to make the belt tighter since it is a bit loose (and the same goes for the skirt—the waist could definitely be smaller, which surprises me because it is Asian clothing.)

Cute bag

With a white shirt I had bought earlier from Simons.

Sorry, the bow on the belt isn't centered, ugh!

*Edit August 14th 2019: My mom moved the "patch" with the three holes further to make the belt tighter. She also sewed a black piece of fabric behind the white patch so that the hook won't rub against the skirt fabric and damage it. It's perfect now:

Lots of Lodispotto OPs

Since purchasing my first Lodispotto OP (secondhand), I found that what's amazing is that you usually pay more than half the price of a Liz Lisa OP. The downside is that this encouraged me to buy a couple more of old school Lodispotto OPs.
I got them on Mercari for a really good price—all under 2000 yen. The problem was the commission (500 yen/item) added with the EMS shipping fees (cuz I didn't want to wear them only 1 month later) that basically destroyed my bank account. BTW I ordered with Japonica Market.

I am satisfied with 6 out of 7 OPs* (and satisfaction is relative for some). However, my mom did have some sewing work to do on some of these.

*I am presenting here 6 OPs since I bought the 7th one on Fril with DEJAPAN. You can see it by going to this post.

The OPs

Floral OPs

These two dresses came together. On the seller's pictures, the lighting was very dark so it made them appear much darker, especially for the one on the right that looked blue-grey. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was much lighter, exactly like a mint green.

..

When I saw the dresses, I thought they looked plain. I felt the wide "band" at the waist was awkward and that it should have needed something more, like a ribbon cinching it.

Though the dresses didn't look astonishing, I purchased them because I really liked their square neckline and because they looked light and comfortable for the summer. Also, it was two for the price of one.

Closeup of the neckline with everything I like: lace, frills and ribbons.

White specks sewed, they give a cute look and add some texture.

As for the fit... it's a little bit weird. I kind of expected it though. The shape of these dresses isn't A-line at all. So unless you've been blessed with hips like Yuri from SNSD, the OPs will fall like a sad I-line on your body.

..

I think I could actually add criss-cross ribbons on each side of the waist to make it tighter and create a more flared shape where the hips are, but honestly, I don't want to complicate things. Moreover, I don't mind leaving and wearing the dresses as is.  I could also wear a wide waist belt; I think a brown one would look really nice with the white dress. In addition, I have tan mid-calf boots I got at Walmart last year and I think they would look great paired with it. I could even wear some tights and wear the outfit during fall.

Light pink & black OP

I initially thought it was black & white, but it's rather black & light pink. I was a bit disappointed at first, but I came to like it better. The light pink actually goes very well with black and I think it gives the dress a more unique look.

In the description, the seller had stated that the sleeves had lost their elastic, but I thought this was something my mom could repair (and in fact, she did).

Pearl buttons, lace collar, vertical pleats and frills... love it.

Even the sleeves have lace detailing. 

We couldn't see the lace clearly on the seller's pictures so I thought that the sleeve had been ripped. Took a chance by telling myself this was maybe the lighting and still bought the OP. I also thought the seller would have mentioned it in the item's description, especially when she had pointed out the issue at the sleeves.

In addition to fixing the sleeves, my mom also tightened the elastics at the waistline because they were extremely loose. Now it fits like a glove. This OP is definitely my favourite out of the whole bunch. For a chic look, I'd wear it with a short black cardigan, white socks and my mary janes from Amavel.

Black & light pink OP

I liked the vintage feel of this dress and the pleats. The colour of this OP looked like a light pink-orange on the pictures, so I was a bit bummed to see it was darker and more orange in reality.

The fit is okay. When I raise my arms, the fabric above the waistline goes up; this gives a "bubble" effect at the bust and is not very flattering. I thus often have to lower the dress down every time I raise my arms, but it's pretty easy to do and it's not dramatic.

Also, you can't really see it, but my mom added beige lace all around the dress hem. I felt the hem looked a bit incomplete before and I am super satisfied with the result. The lace also adds supplementary length to the dress which I prefer.

Forgot to mention the buttons, which are pretty flower diamonds

Cameo pattern OP

When I first saw this dress on Mercari, its colour along with its cameo pattern really charmed me. I had some doubts about the fit, mainly because of how the waistline was elasticized (two separate rows of roses), but I still bought it and hoped for the best.

The fit is really ugly, at least on me. I still like the cameo pattern and the hem, but everything up to the waistline and above is just plain ugly. I don't have any cardigans or sweaters that would look good with the dress (and hide the upper part), so I don't know what I'll do with it. I suspect it's the waistline that really makes everything unflattering; it should have been a "normal" waist design like the previous dresses.

 White & pink OP

The design of this dress is very similar to the light pink & black OP I adore, so it's not a surprise that I also bought it. Note, however, that both dresses are distinct (you can compare the differences between the collars, waistlines and hem designs.)

There's a very soft look about this dress. The pleated collar has white lace around it; the polka dots are really small and light pink. You have to look carefully to see the amount of detail because everything blends in so well and nothing about the pattern is shocking. I'd say the hem is what stands out the most.

Fits very nicely. My mom also had to tighten the elastics around the waist because they were a bit too loose. I'd definitely avoid wearing this dress with loose hair though, and a braid would be the limit. I think I should wear it with an updo, a low bun, or anything that keeps my neck free of any hair to keep up with the elegance of the dress.

In conclusion...

As I said, I am quite happy with my purchases. Of course, I like some dresses better than others. I don't plan on going on another Lodispostto OPs spree because except for these dresses, there weren't many that caught my eye (thank God because now I've got enough dresses anyway.)

First order with DEJAPAN: good but a tad confusing

Because I had been really satisfied with using From Japan to order from Fril & other shops and Japonica Market to order mostly from Mercari, I hadn't been drawn to try other proxy services in a long time.

A month ago, while I was cleaning up my bookmarks, I came across DEJAPAN, a proxy service I had bookmarked once but had since forgotten about. I noticed the mention "0% commission" and thought about giving it a try. I had recently made an order with From Japan and thought it was a bit expensive, despite it being cheaper than most other proxies IMO. I did check if the website was legit, which seemed to be by the positive reviews on YouTube and Reddit.

Of course, because of my unforgettable experience with ZenMarket, I had to ask DEJAPAN the question before ordering anything through them:

"Can you buy from marketplaces such as Fril, Mercari, Shoppies, etc.?"

Here is the answer:

Following their answer, I bought two pairs of mary jane pumps from Amavel (first purchase from their website!) and one Lodispotto OP from Fril. I'll show them first then talk about my experience with DEJAPAN.

Clothing

Amavel pumps in black and beige (size M)

I've been wanting mary jane pumps from the time I started to buy jfashion... which is circa 2016. I had actually bought a pair on eBay from a Chinese seller back in fall 2017, but one of the shoes had arrived with a glue stain on the heel and plus, they were too big (my mistake though because I had ordered a size 7). But anyway, I never wore the shoes more than two times and I was disappointed with this purchase.

Since then I had resumed my search for mary jane pumps on various websites (including non-Japanese websites), but I never liked a pair to the point of buying it. When I saw the mary janes on Amavel, I thought they looked nice and didn't see anything wrong with them. I decided to first buy them in black, size M (23~23.5 cm). According to previous purchases of shoes online, a size 7 US is too big, a size 36 (23 cm) for Bobon21 shoes fit me, and a size M (23.5 cm) for Liz Lisa shoes fit me. I based myself on these observations to choose my size for the Amavel shoes.

I was a bit scared to be disappointed with the fit or the look in real life (as opposed to the website's stock pictures and one try on pic with the shoes in beige), but let's say I took a chance. And I'm very glad I did.

The shoes look amazing. There's nothing I dislike about them aesthetically and I'm usually really picky. As for the fit, they were a bit loose at the back (even when wearing white cotton socks), but I put soles in them and they fit much better now.

As you can see on the picture, you attach the strap by buttoning it which is different from the Bobon21 & Liz Lisa shoes I already have. I was first worried the strap would easily unbutton this way, but in reality, it feels pretty securely attached. Moreover, the shoes are easier to put on and take off like this.

Three days later, I decided to buy the same shoes but in beige. I always wanted a nude pair of shoes because they elongate the legs. I had actually almost bought them at the same time I had bought the black ones, but had decided not to because I felt it was too much spending. After thinking about them for three days, I believed purchasing them was in fact justified; lol.

Nothing negative to say about them either. If I really have to complain about something, it's probably the shoebox that is quite ugly and plain looking. I expected it to look nicer. But the most important is that it successfully protected the shoes from being crushed.

Both pair of shoes were almost out of stock when I saw them on the website. I actually bought the two last M size pairs there were in black and beige, so I am quite thankful to my instincts for prompting me to buy them at that moment...

Lodispotto red mesh pattern OP

This OP caught my eye when I bought another Lodispotto OP from the same seller back in March. Because I was really satisfied with my purchase, I decided to "go" back and buy this dress. I wouldn't say it's an exceptionally splendid piece on its own (I'm not fond of the hem), but I liked the mesh pattern and the red colour, furthermore the price was affordable.

I was again not disappointed with my purchase from this seller. The condition of the dress is excellent and the fit is great. I've actually been loving it more every time I see it. The pattern reminds me of a berry mix during autumn (even though there are no berries, only flowers). I'm just disappointed for discovering this seller now only (she had other cute and affordable pieces, but they were already sold out by the moment I first bought from her shop.)

My experience with DEJAPAN

My experience was very positive. Everything arrived securely packed and without any damage. Here are pros & cons I personally found. They are rather individual; a disadvantage might not be one for you.

Pros

• 0% commission (and no hidden fees found);
• Relatively fast and friendly service. I asked them a couple of questions through their Contact Us form because I had uncertainties about my order and couldn't find the answers on their FAQ. They always got back to me quickly and even put smileys and exclamation marks in their speech.

Cons

• The items you bought do not have links leading to the item's page on the platform (this is more of an ergonomic remark);
• Consolidation fees aren't a fixed price (100 yen/item so it becomes quite expensive if you buy for e.g. 10+ items from different sellers—although still cheaper than ordering From Japan and pay the 300 yen/item commission);
• Checking out is not clear for this part:
  
  It tells you "Consolidation + Inspection + Insurance Plan" is "free" when it actually isn't (see above point form). This is odd.
  Moreover, the box is already ticked! This is confusing because you think this is the default (and free) option when it actually isn't: if you don't uncheck this box, DEJAPAN automatically assumes the item(s) you ordered will be consolidated with other items. So you will have to pay consolidation fees even if you ordered one item only because you kept this box ticked.
  I get you just gotta uncheck the box, but for a first time or an infrequent user, you can definitely select the wrong option.
• Ordering from Mercari seems a bit complicated (500 yen handling fee and I'm not sure what does "order[ing] [...] in a roundabout way" look like, but the method doesn't appear fast and efficient. I'm thinking about Japonica Market and I am always impressed at how fast they buy the item(s) once I ordered them.

Of course, the cons are nothing serious and the 0% commission overtakes them by far.

So does that mean...

I will use DEJAPAN again? 
Absolutely! I've already ordered through them to buy two mille fille closet sweaters* last week.

I will always use DEJAPAN from now on?
No.

• If I order from Fril & other shops (e.g. Lodispotto, TKL, etc.), I'll use DEJAPAN because it's 0% commission and more advantageous. I'm not sure if this would work, but I could order all the items from each shop separately (and have multiple parcels—one Lodispotto parcel, one TKL parcel, etc.) to avoid paying consolidation fees. This just came up in my head though and I'm not convinced it would actually be profitable.
• If I order from Mercari, it depends; both DEJAPAN and Japonica Market charge a 500 yen fee per item (well, for JP, only if the item price is between 1~2500 yen). However, consolidation is free with JP while DEJAPAN charges 100 yen/item consolidated (so it can go up pretty fast, and don't forget the 500 yen handling fee from earlier).
  So I guess this is a case by case situation. I'll choose the proxy depending on the price of the item(s) (because this will influence JP's commission) and how many items I buy from Mercari (because this will influence DEJAPAN's handling and consolidation fees).

And whether I'll ever order again with From Japan, I don't know for now... I've never had a bad experience with them, but the 0% commission at DEJAPAN is just amazing. To be continued...

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*July 12nd 2019: I thought I should make an update here to give more info about the consolidation plan at DEJAPAN. It's quite particular IMO and I need to record this info somewhere.

A couple of days ago, I made my 2nd payment for the shipping of the mille fille closet sweaters I told you I had ordered with DEJAPAN. I ordered both in the same order (cuz I was buying from the same shop) and at the same time.

The 2nd payment amounted to 2340 yen, which included international shipping (Surface Mail) and domestic shipping: 1800 yen + 540 yen = 2340 yen. As I had expected, I wasn't charged any consolidation fees; I had made only one order after all, what was there to consolidate?

But when I went to check my order details, I was perplexed:

It says the Combination Price is 200 yen

(BTW I find "Combination Price" confusing cuz they usually call it "Consolidation",

so I wasn't sure if we were talking about the consolidation plan here [but yes]).

I was surprised because I thought I didn't have consolidation fees to pay and also surprised to not have been charged these fees (even though it seems I should have been).

I sent a message to DEJAPAN to clarify the situation. The first two questions concern my order, while the third question is just a fictive case I made up:

Their answer:

OK, maybe I did leave the box ticked. I, however, thought I had unticked it, but anyway**. I got my answer. Still don't know why I wasn't charged that 200 yen consolidation fee though...

I sent them another message just to confirm I had understood their answer well:

And their answer, which was very interesting:

What I retain from this conversation:

1. If I make one order comprising of two items (i.e. bought at the same time and from the same shop/seller), I still have to pay consolidation fees (2 x 100 yen) if I want the two items to be shipped in one parcel. That is if I leave the consolidation plan box ticked.

I admit I find this a little strange since I don't know how much work there needs to consolidate two items that, I suppose, already arrived together. But it is said that they are "trying to negotiate" to charge the fees per parcel instead of per item. I find this more reasonable.

2. The hack described in DEJAPAN's last message is what I actually tried to do when ordering the mille fille closet sweaters. Well, it seems I semi-failed because I was told I had left the box ticked for the consolidation plan... but! ...I didn't pay consolidation fees and still got my two items shipped in one parcel. Maybe there was a mistake, I don't know.

Anyhow, the functioning of DEJAPAN's consolidation plan is pretty vague. Honestly, I think they should make it clearer on their Consolidation info page because it is not very detailed.


**July 18th 2019: While cleaning my Images folder, I came across this screenshot I had taken the time I had ordered, and in fact, I had not ticked that box...!