Clobba Online Review: Emperor and Nightingale Coat

Hello Everyone! Sorry about the lack of posts over the past month or so. I don't really have an excuse but I've got quite a few plans to blog about coming up soon so you'll be hearing more from me!

I ordered this coat from ClobbaOnline.com. I started my ordering process on 12-7-10. I sent an email to ask about shipping prices before I ordered and they got to me within 12 hours. They gave me prices for EMS, SAL, or SEA mail. They have a DHL option listed on their site but it may not be available for all items or something since they didn't give me a quote for it. I ordered the Emperor and Nightingale Coat in Black with the optional mantle. I had some issues getting their order form to load on 2 of my 3 computers but I was able to place my order later that night.

By the time I woke up the next day (12-8), I had received my invoice. I paid immediately and they confirmed that they received my payment shortly after. They did not tell me how long it would take for them to actually ship the item. On 12-16, I sent them an email asking when my order was going to ship. I received a response the same day from them stating:

"The coat set is not ready yet. The supplier is making a new batch at the moment. There were a few left from the previous batch but they ran out too fast. I will email you once it's ready. :) "

On 12-26, I sent another email to ask about when they were expecting to receive the coats and received an email back a couple of days later.

"The coat will need another 2-3 weeks. The supplier is still doing the embroideries for all the coats at the moment. :)"

I asked for another update on 1-11 and expressed my concern about how long it was taking.

"Please give me an update on the status of my order. It has been more than 1 month since I sent payment. (8th of December) There is nothing stated on your website that the items were out of stock. Since I paid through paypal, I am only covered for 45 days from date of payment. I am starting to get concerned since this time limit is fastly approaching."

They responded the same day with a link to their feedback on EGL and the following:

"The embroidery is still not done. There are more coats in this batch as this will be the last batch before the holiday begins. The supplier will not make more of these coats after the holiday as spring collection will be coming then. Most Infanta pieces does not need to be manufactured. But this coat runs out too fast everytime after a new batch. So you will need to wait some times. Most customers ordering the Emperor and Nightingale coats are like that since this Oct. I'm sorry if there's any confusion."

On 1-23-11, I received another email from them to let me know that they had received the coats and that they would be shipping out as soon as possible. At this time, I asked if it would be possible to order something else with my order. They said I could but they warned me this time that it would take time because they were having issues receiving shipments from Dream of Lolita. I decided to have them just ship the coat for now. I received an email with a picture of my package and tracking number when they shipped it on 1-28-11.

I couldn't get my tracking number to work but I received the item on 2-4-11. I ripped it open without getting a picture but the picture they sent me works well enough XD. The coat was nicely folded in the package with the unattached back ruffle, jabot, and mantle. The back ruffle and jabot attach with pins and the mantle has a button. The coat came with an extra rose button and an extra pin. The wool is nice and thick and very comfy. The coat is fully lined and the fur is really soft. It is very warm and will definitely keep me warm in the northeastern winter.

Say hello to my new dress form that my Mum gave me for Christmas! Here's the coat without any of the extras.

With the mantle only

With the back ruffle

Without the back ruffle

Back ruffle close up

Jabot close up without mantle

Jabot close up with mantle

Jabot (Sorry about the sideways pictures here... For whatever reason it won't let me remedy that...)

Close up of crown charm. Unfortunately it is missing its rhinestone. It's not very noticeable but worth mentioning.

Close up of the cameo. The cameo feels a bit loose. I may have to sew it on tighter. It's made out of plastic and looks a little cheap under the flash of my camera but it's fine in real life.

There are long threads that weren't cut on the jabot. Not a big deal again, but worth mentioning. It's easy enough to snip them off.

The back of the jabot. The back ruffle attaches the same way.

The Infanta logo and crown embroidery

The embroidery of the bird cage. The birds eye is a little rhinestone as well. ^ ^

Overall, I am very happy with the coat. The delay was a little annoying but, it is understandable. I just wish that they had let me know about the delay before I had both placed and payed for my order. Would I order from them again? Most likely. The quality is great and it was well worth the money I spent on it. I'm thinking I may press my luck in the near future with their Dream of Lolita section since I really want one of those nice spade purses! Thanks for reading! I'll do my best to post more often! And on an unrelated note, Binghamton now has two lolitas! We've been hanging out and it is wonderful! But more on that later! ^ ^

Minkyshop An*Tai*Na Frill RHS Review

I fell in love with these shoes the moment I saw them and was really happy when I came across them on Ebay (Minky Shop)at what I feel is a fair enough price. I had a choice between the oval or heart-shaped buckles. I preferred the heart shaped buckles, but decided to go with the oval buckle because I noticed that half of the stock photos of the various colors had the heart buckles on upside down. I don't know if this is an easy remedy, but I didn't feel like dealing with it. I placed my order on 8-13-10. On 8-14-10 I received an email from them letting me know that they were making my shoes and that they would ship in 1-2 weeks. It says that it can take up to 15 days for the item to ship. On 9-2-10 I still hadn't heard anything about whether or not they had been shipped. I sent an email to ask what the status of my order was. They responded on 9-4-10 saying that the shoes had been shipped a little while ago and that they should arrive with 5-7 days. The postmark on the package stated that the shoes were shipped on 9-3-10. They arrived on 9-7-10. They were packaged well inside a box. Each shoe was individually wrapped inside a plastic bag.

I ordered the shoes in size L (24). They fit fairly well. They seem to be a bit smaller than my other size L shoes, so they might end up being not very comfortable at first. This must just be how An~tai~na sizes are. It is my hope that with some wear, they will stretch just the tiniest bit. I tried to look into their sizing a bit before I made my choice, but couldn't really find much information anywhere.

As you can see in the photo below, they did not honor my request for oval-buckles. Since the heart shaped buckles are on the right way and the ones I preferred, I'm not upset, but I do think that it is very sloppy of them to ask me which ones I would prefer and then ignore my answer.

Other than my sort of complaint about being given the wrong buckle, I can't find any issues with the actual construction of the shoes. I do noticed that the straps to really sit flat when worn, most likely because of the snap under the buckle. The shoes are easy enough to buckle on and off, so I'm not really sure why there needs to be a snap there. I think it's a problem that will eventually fix itself with wear though.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with them. I don't think I'll be rushing over to buy from Minkyshop again any time soon though. To me, it appears that they may have hurried up and shipped my shoes once I finally emailed them about it. That on top of the heart buckle mix-up, I'm not sure I feel that they are a terribly reliable seller. The end product is in perfect condition, with little to no flaws, but the service was not anything to brag about. I probably won't buy from them again unless they have something that I have to have but can't find anywhere else.

Refuse to be Usual 7 Heart Buckle Shoe Review

I really wanted a pair of normal-ish shoes that were not actually a boot or a rocking horse shoe, so I decided to go with these. I placed my order on 8-13-10. It says that it can take up to 10 days for the item to ship. I received positive feedback on 8-23-10 from Refuse to be Usual stating that my shoes had shipped the same day. They also provided a tracking number. I received the shoes on 8-31.

The shoes were packed in a box and each shoe was in its own individual bag and had paper inside them to help them keep their shape.

I ordered the shoes in size 8-8 1/2. I normally wear a size smaller but the sizing chart the seller used seemed to put me at this size. I'm glad I got the size I did though, despite them being a hair too big. They are not uncomfortable in the least bit and there is a nice amount of wiggle room for my toes. The shoes zip up in the back so you only have to go through the trouble of adjusting all the straps once, which is nice. The shoes are well made. They actually have a little bit of a grip on the bottom, so it will be easier to wear these than some other shoes by Montreal.

My only minor complaints are the bows up top seem to be slightly off to the side when I wear them. It's not at all noticable if it's not pointed out to you. More annoying though, is that the bows on the toes are slightly lopsided. I'm not really sure lopsided is the right word for it, but the bows both seem to curl up on one side, while they sit flat on the other side.

Overall, I am happy with these shoes. I do think that I should have gotten them much sooner since I did pay for EMS, but it does specifically state in their TOS that is can take up to 10 days to ship. Once it left their hands, it's obviously not their fault that it seemed to stay stuck in customs for like 4 days, but I honestly didn't think it would take them a full 10 days to actually ship them. I definitely wouldn't hesitate to buy from RTBU again. They did keep me updated throughout the process and I did like that they provided tracking without me having to ask for it. All in all, it was a pleasant experience.

After having worn these shoes for about 12 hours straight, I must say that they are quite comfortable too. The shoes have ample toe-room and seem to have enough support in the bottom that they don't need inserts or anything. I'm very happy with them. I own three pairs of Montreal shoes and I'm very happy with all three of them comfort wise.

Candy Violet Review: Fluffy Petticoat

I'm at it again. I decided I needed a better petticoat. Not that the one I have isn't good, but it just doesn't give that ridiculous amount of poof that one of these guys from Candy Violet is supposed to give. I placed my order on June 14th and received an automated message to let me know that my order went through. The website states that it can take up to a week for items to ship. Vivcore does not charge your card until your package ships. They do not accept Paypal. I received a shipping notice on June 18th from UPS letting me know that my package had been shipped along with its tracking information. This tracking information said my package should arrive on June 22.

Sorry about the sideways picture... the photo uploader refused to cooperate -_-'

The package arrived on June 22 just as the tracking information said it would. It kind of stuffed into an envelope but since these petticoats give poof based on having several layers of ruffles instead of being held up by tulle, this didn't really have a chance at deflating it. Regardless, I don't like seeing petticoats packed like this.

The petticoat itself is definitely very fluffy and soft. I have no complaints there. I do however feel that the elastic on these petticoats is terrible. I realized that these petticoats are simply Malco Mode petticoats, so I don't blame Vivcore for the terrible elastic waist. The elastic is not actually sewn into the waist. When I unbuttoned it to put it on, the two side of the elastic band retreated into the waistband and made it quite difficult to actually pull them out and button it. The website does say that the petticoat should fit between a 21-36 inch waist. The elastic as is, is quite tight and uncomfortable on my 29 inch waist. I'll definitely be replacing it.

Now for the poof factor. I've seen this petticoat in action and have been quite impressed. Now that I've replaced the elastic, I can easily show you how this petticoat holds up once its got a skirt over it. However, I found that it is a little bit too long (or maybe I'm just too short...). I also found that the poof was too much to fit under my BTSSB skirts. It JUST fit under my JSKs. Since both of these issues make it unwearable, I had it shortened by about 2 inches. Somehow this also lessened the poof to a wearable level (Don't ask me how that works, my mother is the seamstress, not me XD) Now for the part you've all been waiting on!

I don't feel that this picture even does it justice. This thing has some serious poof. It kept hitting the furniture and doorways in my house while I was walking around with it on. I think it would be ideal for hime lolita.

Overall:

Communication: 5/5 Candy Violet was great about letting me know that my payment was received and my item was shipped. They even provided me with a tracking number. No complaints here.

Shipping: 5/5 I chose the UPS shipping option and I received my package right on schedule. She shipped quite promptly.

Quality: 4/5 While the elastic sucked to put it nicely, it was extremely easy to fix. The rest of the petticoat is great though. It's extremely soft and does provide a ton of poof.

Overall, I'm really happy with Candy Violets service. For the price I paid I would liked to have not had to fix the elastic, but that's more a problem with Malco Mode than Candy Violet. I would definitely do business with her again.

Etsy Seller: Tea Time Inc. Review

Recently I've been trying to get together a nice pirate inspired coord for the Sterling Renaissance Festival and I decided that a tricorn hat would really pull the outfit together. After a little bit of tutorial searching and some relatively unsuccessful attempts at making my own from felt, I decided it would probably be better to let someone a little bit more crafty than myself make one. I found an amazing hat by Tea Time Inc. on Etsy.

The hats can be made in brown or black and there are two different styles available. I chose the black hat as pictured in the stock image. I placed my order and payed on June 7th. I received an email on June 9th letting me know that my hat had been shipped. I was shocked to come home and find the package on my doorstep on June 10th.

The hat was well packaged in a box and with plenty of tissue paper to keep it from banging around in there.

The hat itself is very well put together. The stitches are all even and well placed. The hat is made from real leather as stated in the item description. It is definitely sturdy. There is no hot glue here. Everything is strongly stitched together.

The hat has an elastic band that is meant to go under the neck. The band is not adjustable but is at a comfortable yet supportive length.

Overall:

Communication:5/5 Since our transaction was finished in like three days there wasn't much of a need for communication. I was informed when my item was shipped.

Shipping: 5/5 My hat was shipped quickly and arrived extremely fast (Washington-New York in 2 days)

Quality: 5/5 The craftsmanship was perfect. No complaints here.

So that's my review. I've got my eye on some of her other items for the future. I highly recommend her work!