Regimental Instruments: Lief Review ^_^

First, some background: 

I Love buying Brand Lolita, like BABY/A/P ;) But, every once in a while, i'll be drawn to the offbrand/ indie brand prints & styles...& just recently, I had started watching the Korean Lolita Brand, Lief on Facebook ^_^ Of course I love their older prints, but when they announced the newly released Regimental Instruments Reservations...I HAD TO HAVE IT!! ^_^

It actually ended up being a super early Christmas present from my Dad ^^

So after I got the funds, I needed to figure out how to reserve the dress, but luckily I liked them on FB and started watching them on Tumblr, so I messaged the owner, Sora on facebook to ask about the measurements and she was more than happy to answer all my inquiries ;D

Then, after I finally decided on the style & color, I saw that One Day in Paradise was doing a GO for the reservation, so I thought about going through them, but...they're located in Australia, and I'm in Hawaii...so...I saw on Lief's tumblr that I could just email my info for the reservation, so after confirming with Sora again, I did & after that everything went smoothly & I got my order in & just got my package this past week ^_^

And now, here's the review:

9/27 - Inquired about sizing ^^

New Reservation info up:

Order Period: Oct 1 - Oct 14

Shipping Period: Nov 16 - Nov 30

(She replied right away & even took the trouble to take measurements for me & post proof pics ;D )

9/30 - Inquired about ordering.

I decided to order through email b/c ordering directly from Korea would be easier than going through Australia, even though I know they are a good site ^^

10/4 - Emailed my order.

With the language barrier, I wanted to be sure I was ordering the right product, so I had to ask a few more questions...she answered right away again ;)

I also got my invoice & paid this day.

10/14 - Received message on fb saying they'll start making the dress ^^

11/13 - Received email that my order shipped & got the tracking for EMS ;)

11/22 - Received Package!! ^_^

but...I was busy all week, so I didn't open it until today, Nov 24...

Ordering was really easy going through email & everything came in perfect condition ^_^

And now...THE PICTURES! XDD

 Here's the box everything came in ^_^

I open it & see the packaged dress & brooch (which is amazing, so I'm glad I added that in ^^)

along with a cute Lief sticker ^^

Lief Regimental Stripes ^_^

SOOOO AMAZING ^_^ 

Excellent Quality!

The dress itself is fully lined as well ^^

 But what made me want this so bad is the PRINT ^_^ I'm a Band Geek at heart, so music prints always call to me XDD

 The JSK has a back invisible zipper, which I sometimes have trouble with...but, I was able to zip it up myself ^_^

 AND IT FITS!!!! ^_^

 a closeup of this super cute brooch in brass ^^

 And then, b/c i was so excited...I Put together a Quick coord (which actually I might wear to an upcoming Lolita meetup...or at least do a photoshoot of) ^_^

I had thought about wearing a beret, like with my last outfit, but...I already had my burgundy scrunchie on, so it came out more like a Music Student Look XD And of course with my Piano bag ^^

 And now the breakdown:

Blouse: Offbrand (Goodwill)

JSK: Lief

Socks: Jane Marple

Shoes: AATP

Bag: offbrand

I'm sooooo happy with my purchase & now that I know I can fit the size, I DEFINITELY will buy from Lief again ^_^

Random Outfit post ;)

So, I REALLY wanted to the LBC this week...but...I have too many other things to do & i'm still cleaning, so instead...I randomly decided to wear casual Lolita today...but...after opening my new packages...Inspiration struck & I quickly made a coord ^_^

This is how my day started ;)

I wore my BABY tartan dress w/out a blouse b/c it's HOT...& I was cleaning...

 But then, after opening up my new packages, I got a new wig & some socks...and...I was inspired to put together this NavyxMaroon coord ^_^

At first I wasn't sure if it would go together, but...I like the result ^^

Coord breakdown:

JSK: BABY

Socks: Jane Marple

Shoes: AATP

beret, jacket, wig: offbrand

& my Chocomint gold star clip

 closeup of the AMAZING Jane Marple socks, which are sooo comfortable & fit me perfectly ;D

 And just for some added glitz, i clipped my chocomint star clip to my beret ^^

NEW STUFF ^_^

Alright, it's been a while, but i've got LOTS of new Lolita goodies from the comm sales/ facebook sales, etc...

So, here we go: 

 My Loot: bought from the facebook sales & egl comm sales ;)

 Jane Marple socks: these are sooooooooo amazingly comfortable & fit perfectly ^^

 Meta Candy House JSK in mint

Just in time & perfect for Christmas ^^

 BABY mini skirt: super casual & sadly a little tight, but I got it for cheap, so I may try altering it a bit ;D

 Lady Sloth JSK: maybe...Autumn flowers? I had to sell my other Lady Sloth item, but I really LOVE the quality of their items...they use the softest material ;)

 and i LOVE the sheer overlay of this dress ^_^

 Last, but not least: Meta Teddy Chocolatier OP & matching bonnet in Burgundy ^_^

 I'm such a sucker for Teddy Bear Prints...and if you add a matching bonnet...i want it more ^^

 This bonnet is amazing too...there's wire, so u can shape it how u want it ;) Not to mention the cute teddy bear ^^

 And speaking of bears...bear prints are fun to match with random stuffed animals...

As well as bags ^_^ 

I'm still waiting for a few more things, but my collection keeps changing...but GROWING...it'll be interesting doing a new wardrobe post for next year ;)

Plus, I'm trying to get more essentials, like blouses & accessories ^^

KUMA KUMYA CHAN!! ^_^

Now, I've been a fan of Baby The Stars Shine Bright since looking at the GLBs & watching Kamikaze Girls (i watched it way later ;P )...but...I'm not a huge fan of pink, so...I didn't really want to own or buy a lot of the prints and preferred more of Alice and the Pirates instead XD

But, starting from beginning of this year...I started accepting little bits of pink & sweetness into my Lolita Wardrobe...and one of my ULTIMATE temptations is Teddy Bears ^_^

So, Naturally, I liked the idea of BABY's Usakumya Chan, but could not quite bring myself to buy it...until...I found a super cheap one on Closet Child...and gave in & bought it ^^

It's the Pochette version w/ the beaded handle and kiss lock pouch, which i've already had fun using with one of my Lolita coords ^^

The chain is so delicate, so I decided to shove the pochette into another bag...& I can still use both to hold my items ;)

Plus, I felt I had to buy this after Midori & Misako did the walk through of the Harajuku Store & used the very same pochette as part of the coord they put together ^_^

Then, after I was feeling pretty satisfied...I started thinking I should upgrade my pochette & get the one w/ the sturdier strap...but then...

A new one came out...The Kuma Kumya Mini Rucksack...& it wasn't in pink for once ;)

I normally don't do reserves, but I felt I just HAD to get this one...especially since I had just bought one of IW's latest Teddy Bear prints & the bag would match with it ^^

So, after waiting for reservations to open on the BABY SF site...i realized I'd be at work when it starts... O_O

Quickly, I msgd a friend & after asking if the reservations started yet...I asked her to act as my Shopping Service & she reserved it under her name & I paid her for it after...and...after some time...we finally got the confirmation email that my reservation DID go through ^^

The bag wasn't going to come out until the next month or so, so I patiently waited...and then...BABY SF announced that the store would be doing renovations & wouldn't re-open until after several weeks O_O  It was nearing the "release date" of the bag, so...i wasn't worried...but...slowly I started seeing pics on tumblr of girls with the bag already...as well as a listing on mbok...

But, I knew the SF store wouldn't be ready yet...so, i kept waiting more...hoping that SOON it would come...or my friend would get the email...After the SF store was up & running again, the fb page announced that they would ship out the first reserves, so I started getting excited...and then...earlier this week, my friend got the email that they shipped the bag ^_^

Of course, it shipped quickly and after it arrived today in the afternoon...my friend stopped by tonight & I opened it while she took pictures...and so...here're the pics XDD

 carefully opening the box...

 take out the Pink BABY bag ;)

 And TA DAH! My new Kuma Kumya bag in all it's glory ^_^

It can even go from a backpack to a cross body bag ;D

 It's totally the perfect size too ^_^

And most importantly...IT'S SOOOOOOOOO CUTE!! ^_^

I can't wait to make coords with it ^^

NEW STUFF!! CLOSET CHILD ORDERS XD

Soo...after my super long hiatus from blogging on here...I finally decided to do a blog on my favorite thing, Shopping ^_^

Which translates to New Lolita Goodies XD

But, it won't be just pictures...there's an important story too...& it all started in August...

I did my usual checking of CC updates weekly...and then...I saw something awesome that i wanted, so I added it to my cart & started my Hold for the month ;)  I'm a frequent buyer, so they did the hold for me...which was good b/c i ended up adding 4 more items before my order was complete...this is probably my most dangerous shopping ;P

Anyways, so, September comes around...I got the confirmation email for my order along with the total & to let them know when i'm ready to be invoiced...like usual...and around the due date (i may have been a day off), I replied to the email saying that they could invoice me...and after a few days of no reply (i usually give them a week to reply)...a friend of mine told me about a notice they got:

CLOSET CHILD IS NO LONGER DOING HOLDS! 

Immediately I got worried O_O  but...my order went through, right? So, it'll still be processed?
Sadly, it was a lot more complicated than that...basically, they got so swamped with online orders, they couldn't keep up & had to stop the hold system...

So, after waiting a bit longer, I sent a new email asking about my invoice for my (rather large) order...no reply O_O

Now, I was really worried...after learning that LOTS of other people had the same problem, I continued to wait...but...I kept checking the updates...just to make sure my items weren't re-listed :/

Finally, we reach October...I didn't have funds or interest in purchasing anything new from CC with their new "pay now" policy...until...I saw something that was super cheap & i had to have it XD

So, I added a couple items to my cart & paid for them right away ;D

And, not too much later, I got the confirmation email saying they'll let me know the tracking when they ship it out ^^

And then...I got another email...

And it said, "You have an outstanding order, we have invoiced you, so please pay this right away "
Which means THEY STILL HAD MY STUFF ON HOLD ^_^

I was sooooooo happy...& after I paid for it, my first order arrived ^^
And then, just yesterday, my 2nd big order came...but no one was home to sign for it :(
So, my mom picked it up for me today & after I warned her there would be customs since it's so big & expensive...THERE WERE NONE! XDDDDD 

But, really, i'm just so glad I have all my items now & I'm fine with the no holds system...it's more organized & probably a lot better for my spending habits too ;D

And finally, after all that...here's my loot ^_^

First, up, the Oct order ;)
Now, I had always stayed away from Angelic Pretty...mainly b/c I don't like Pink...or super sweet things...but...i had also always wanted a main piece...just one to add some fun to my somewhat classic wardrobe ;)  And I have a replica Chess Chocolate, but, that one's pretty toned down as far as a bright print...

Anyways, at first, I really wanted DDC...but...after that craziness...I gave up on it & decided to just keep checking sales & see what people post...but...it was still too pink or too expensive...and then...closet child updated with a popular & pretty cheaply priced print:

Holy Night Story OP in White

I almost fell out of my chair when I saw the price & I wanted white after watching Deka Wanko ^_^

 Needless to say...the details on this dress are AMAZING! from the lace-up on the neckline...

 the super cute lace that says AP ^^

 And b/c I just COULDN'T resist...I added the newest Chocomint Moon Star clip to my order...seemed like it matched well ^^

Another fun thing is I had bought the AP accordion ring a while ago & now I can wear it with this print ^_^

And finally, my bigger order...full of bears & halloween ^_^

 I just love their giant boxes...of doom ;D

 The loot all nice & safely packed ^^

 #1) AP Shy Bear Salopette with Hood

There are no words...to express how adorable this piece is....

 Bear button ^_^

 And of course the Shy Bear patch ^^

 And the best thing is it goes with my AP Shy Bear Pochette ;D

Plus, it can be a casual piece too & i've been wanting more casual Lolita items ^^

 #2) Peace Now hoodie ^_^

It's bear-eared too of course...my obsession ;)

And it came just in time for Halloween ^^

 #3) It's a BTSSB collab piece with Macross's Ranka supposedly, but...I have other fun cosplay plans for this...& it will be a halloween photoshoot XDD

 These collab pieces are pretty rare, so i'm really glad i found one w/ the headbow for a really good price XD

And, there's one more item, but it's a gift, so I can't post it ;)

BUT, i'm just soo glad I got all my items & now I don't have to keep checking the updates wondering if they were re-listed...then again, I probably will anyways...

I LOVE CLOSET CHILD ^_^

p.s. I put on the hoodie just for fun & to take this pic...but i'm actually still wearing it as i'm typing...it's super comfortable XD