whats your opinion on taobao brands for j-fashion, like infanta, diamond honey, and YLF for lolita and kittybxllet for jirai kei (only examples i have desu)i think infanta and diamond honey are pretty but idk if thatd be ita of me. im not even really a lolita person im into other j-fashion styles. but i like guro lolita, military lolita, nurse lolita a lot and infanta has that goddamn bunny hospital jsk that i need so badalso if anyone has guro lolita jsks or brands that make that style that you can recommend id appreciate cause all the small brands are inactive
It's common in the lolita community to dislike Chinese brands because they often have different aesthetics and the quality is often lower than jpn brand (but so is the price).The only thing I really dislike are the mass production dresses (lolita equivalent of fast fashion), I have nothing against buying from Chinese brands in general. Chinese brands rarely have anything that I like enough to buy though. I do like ordering shoes on taobao from antaina and Angelic imprint. I don't remember the brand right now but there is a sock brand on taobao that is said to sell decent printed lolita socks. Those aren't my taste but I did try some of their non printed socks and I can't recommend them to people who are even just a little bit taller than 165cm. The quality is also super low (of the non printed socks) but for 4$ I don't think you can expect much. I don't know any brands catering to guro, but if you don't find anything you can always make or buy a white dress and splatter red paint (or actually carefully paint blood stains, I'm sure there are templates online for that).Buying from taobao doesn't make you ita, but still wearing garbage tier quality dresses many years after you started wearing lolita absolutely does. There is a variety of quality available on taobao, and the dresses you can get for under 40$ are usually really low quality.
Since I was already buying Japanese brand before taobao really became a thing, I never got into it as much as other lolitas have. But I think if the quality is good, then it doesn't matter. >idk if thatd be ita of me>i like guro lolita, military lolita, nurse lolita >bunny hospital jsk that i need so badLiking taobao doesn't make you ita but this sure does; you're choosing the most costumey and gaudy lolita styles and one of the ugliest dresses. I don't think you're going to have the eye or the skill to pick out good quality from bad if this is what you're coming out with.
I'm in at least 3 communities where I'm not allowed to say "Taobao brand" anymore because some tiktok personality said it's racist and hurtful. You have to say indie brand from China now. I feel like an old boomer angry about happy holidays instead of merry Christmas but I can't be alone...
>>10930945Isn’t it crazy that some people like experimental lolita and don’t just like the same 3 substyles over and over? It’s weird because you say you were buying brand before taobao but you don’t remember metamorphose or some older AP styles that were nurse/guro inspired. And military lolita is still VERY common for AP, btssb, and meta. Your just making stupid assumptions about some anons coording abilities.
>>10930955nayrt, but I think switching from just calling it taobao to "chinese brand" is a small price to pay to stay in the conversation so you can be the voice of reason when there are people recommending all tiers of chinese quality just because it's lolita.>>10930945>>10930991I'm not a big fan of wearing "themed outfits" (nurse, maid, sailor, military, guro, etc) but it does not make you ita. I think those are a bit costumey but not costumey enough that it becomes a costume and ceases to be a fashion. I absolutely love seeing these themed outfits when they're done right. Old meta dared to do things most (if not all of) other brands didn't and came up with stuff before anyone else did. Not all of their products/outfits were great but the ones that were absolutely helped shape lolita in a very positive way, much more than their bad/less good stuff detracted from it.
>>10930945infanta is seemingly good quality. a lot of brands do military lolita though and yeah maybe it's a bit costume-y, if im gonna get into lolita i want to enjoy what im wearing and show what i like through themnot that i dont like sweet lolita, gothic lolita, and other more popular lolita types. id probably wear gothic lolita>>10930955racist? how? i dont care to listen to tiktok kids, tiktok has ruined fashion communities. im still gonna call it taobao online because the brands originated on there. though if i was in an irl space id say its from infanta or whatever brand i bought from>>10930991>>10931002metamorphose's nurse pieces are genuinely so pretty. but yeah lots of brands have military lolita pieces, i really like amavels ones and when i can im definitely getting onei hope i can do a decent job coording these styles as theyre some of my favourites. ill probably come back and ask for advice when i can afford them, just in case
>>10930991Nurse/Guro/Military aren't substyles. They're themes. And while the Meta Nurse series is cute, the Diamond Honey Bunny Hospital JSK is an ugly eyesore ita magnet.If you see all of the dresses and brands that lolita fashion has, and you choose that dress instead of anything else? Then yes, I will make assumptions about your (lack of) ability to differentiate good quality vs bad.>>10931002I don't have a problem with the themes themselves, but I question any new person who wants to come into lolita and what they want to wear is the extreme OTT styles like guro. They tend to approach lolita like a costume or like cosplay instead of a wearable fashion.
>>10931136>They tend to approach lolita like a costume or like cosplay instead of a wearable fashion.Ayrt and you're 100% right, it didn't occur to me at all.
Most pieces released by taobao brands don't interest me at all. On the grand scheme of things, their style on average has developed away from the typical japanese aesthetic and become its own flavor that is heavily catering towards chinese tastes with strong influences from cosplay, idol outfits, maid outfits and historically inspired (but mostly not accurate) costumery. It feels like lolita fashion is being carried and accepted much more as sort of a costume and not as alternative fashion if that makes sense. Just the other day I visited chinese lolita updates on facebook again after years of not visiting, and seeing the new advertised releases on there feels like I'm looking at a completely different fashion style. I have bought and tried a fair share of taobao pieces, but most of them have left my wardrobe again after short time, sometimes after just trying them on once, simply because I was severely underwhelmed by the finish and cost product value I received. The shimotsuki sakuya constellation jsk and nameless poem are some of the few exceptions that I still like.It also doesn't help that there's only a handful of brands or shops that make pieces that are worth their money. Chinese brands tend to go for the appearance over quality route, making dresses look extra as hell to give it a luxurious and sophisticated look, making it work on camera for some instagram photos, but once you hold the piece in your hand, it's clear that its quality is very low and not meant to last for long with zero wearability. And yeah, it does go hand in hand with loads of new shop opening up and just as many disappearing without a word, hoping to make quick buck on a trend.The one thing I do recommend taobao for however is stuff like petticoats, accessories, shoes and to a degree also bags. That's where you can get some real bargains that will help you bolster your wardrobe.
i like taobao for accessories.
>>10931136may i ask what exactly is wrong with the bunny hospital jsk? what exactly about it is bad? cause to me i think its cute but im not exactly a big lolita person. its not the diamond honey one either, its the infanta one, although diamond honey has a bunny hospital jsk as well>>10931157chinese lolita has basically become its own thing it seems, some of it is cute to me though. those 2 pieces you mentioned are so pretty though, especially the nameless poem oneim so worried about bad quality as infanta looks decent quality, but the flashiness of some pieces worries me. diamond honey looks between bad and good quality as welltaobao shoes like angelic imprint are amazing. im buying them for jirai kei outfits even if i dont end up getting into lolita
>>10930850I like brands like AmaStacia, Surfacespell and Dear Celine.China can have some good, quality stuff but you gotta really look into it. I believe if you find a good quality piece, design and material-wise, that you like where it comes from it shouldn't matter too much. picrel
>>10931176nayrt, taobao is great for shoes, petticoats and maybe generic offbrand bags imo. But the quality of chinese brand clothing seems to have decreased quite a bit since taobao started being popular, and these brands were rarely on the same level as jpn used to be to begin with. This is not something you might notice (or care about) if you're used to fast fashion standards and don't mind replacing your clothes every year. You will get a lot more wear out of higher quality pieces and this means the cost per wear is lower than with low quality items. But this also usually means a higher cost to purchase.Generally (some exceptions apply) you do get what you pay for.Figuring out if someone is worth buying from chinese brands can be difficult. Items are often a lot worse irl than in brand ads and stock photos. They don't show you the inside. You cannot solely rely on people saying (insert brand/item name here) is decent quality because you do not know what standards they are applying. The best you can do is try to see the item irl. Maybe someone in your local lolita comm has it.
>>10930850I have some Taobao dresses that I absolutely adore even though the fabric quality/construction isn't anywhere close to brand. I am a fairytalefag and they release a lot more fairytale themed dresses than any sweet brands do these days. I think many of them are better than Bodyline at the least, since they're not scratchy/hard. It's a good way to get your feet wet in lolita if nothing else.For jirai, it's great because brand jirai often looks cheap and tacky anyway. Very little difference.
I honestly prefer Taobao dresses over household names like Angelic Pretty or BTSSB because I like the variation. Most of the time I can't even tell the difference between the big JP brands, to me it's just same shit over and over. Do the Chinese indie brands always adhere to strict guidelines on what constitutes lolita? Not really. But I don't even call myself a lolita, or call my clothing style lolita, so it's no big deal. I just like pretty clothes!
>>10930850Most taobao main pieces look tacky and cheap. Shoes and bags are generally fine, and blouses can be hit or miss (those fully shirred ones are always hideous)Secondhand brand is often not that much more expensive than taobao as long as you are patient. The problem is that so many zoomers want a whole wardrobe immediately, so they go drop a few hundred on DevilInspired or 42Lolita rather than seek out high quality pieces
>>10933666you honestly can't tell the difference between AP, btssb and meta?
>>10933698>those fully shirred ones are always hideouswhen you said that my mind instantly went to those chiffon cropped blouses that just have an elastic under the bustI'm thankful beginners need that instant gratification and buy chinese brand instead of trying to buy second hand jp brand. The second hand market is already frustrating enough as it is. Last thing we need is a beginner who snatches a sought after piece for cheap because they were at the right time and in the right place.
>>10933698>Secondhand brand is often not that much more expensive than taobaoAs long as you don't wear Moitie, that is.
>>10933765nayrt,or any sought after brand or sought after piece.
>>10931191This dress has nothing, and I mean nothing, going on. I have never seen a more boring piece of crap dress. Anyone that uses this as an example of "good taobao lolita" needs tto get their head checked.
>>10931014Infanta is really not good quality. I bought from them before because people kept recommending it for some ungodly reason, but the construction and material was horribly disappointing.Just go with secondhand JP brand.
>>10931395ive bought taobao dupes of jirai pieces that feel better than real jp brands. like i got fake ma*rs and lizlisa pieces and honestly they felt so good, like cotton mix. bought real dml and it feels like synthetics. bit disappointed but yeahtaobao do more guro, nurse, and military ones as well. theres amavel in jp which i love, and metamorphose, but china has diamond honey (awful looking quality, cute though), YLF (beautiful military themed pieces) and toalice that has some cute nurse pieces>>10933666while i can tell the difference even as a newb to lolita, china does have a lot of variation with their pieces>>10933698my brain is like "if i cant use afterpay, its too much" even if theyre the same price, so i usually hunt taobao resellers on aliexpress. after making this thread though ive decided to get an amavel piece first to see what real brand quality is likelace market is littered with chinese brand stuff now though so it makes it difficult to find what i want. im constantly trying to search on there for pieces i want (mainly old amavel)zoomers are so fucking stupid (me included) and will instantly drop money on anything that slightly piques their interest>>10933797probably too used to the quality of big jp brands that it just felt like shit to you
>>10934298It feels like shit because it IS shit. Saying someone is "too used to good quality" like it's a bad thing kek
>>10934307was not saying its a bad thing or that its high quality. just saying that people recommend it so much because they likely dont own many or ANY brand pieces, and that to them its "good enough"but when you exclusively wear big brand pieces youre obviously not gonna see what they see
>>10934298Jirai is a cheap fashion anyway because it's all fast fashion to begin with. There isn't going to be much difference between Taobao and Japanese clothing because it all comes from the same Chinese factories. The MA*RS and LizLisa knockoffs probably came from the same factory as the originals with different tags, and those brands are cheap (as in low quality) fast fashion even within Japan
>>10930850ok everyone op here. decided on getting amavel instead of taobao but need help coordinghow is this and what socks/tights/stockings should i use (if any at all)?
>>10934331Be careful where you cross-post…
>>10934345i wanted to compare answers
>>10931157I’m gonna play devil’s advocate and argue that most Lolita, and hell, most alt fashions are never going to not be costumes. Japanese brand coords still carry connotations associated with specific eras/locations/characters, which makes matching a situation to the coord an activity in itself. Wearing AP Diner doll to a 50s themed party, MM Fleur Antoinette to Versailles, etc etc being some examples. Unless you’re a daily Lolita, most coords are going to be for events where either other Lolita’s are in attendance or have an environment befitting the style. I’d argue that Lolita and other OTT fashions are “costumes” like how Japanese people wear yukata to a festival or Austrian people wear dirndls to Oktoberfest/weddings. How Chinese Lolitas wear it a few times a year to events is not very different, imo, other than the fact that a lot of these dresses can’t really be mixed and matched like dresses with a more subdued design. That being said, I think Chinese Lolita releases remind me of gacha/video game designs. I’ve been playing Love Nikki, and a lot of taobao designs look like something from this. I wouldn’t be surprised if the designers came from a video game/fanart/anime illustration background and don’t have fashion experience to make it look as good in real life. This also explains why the textures in Chinese Lolita coords are just off. These designs don’t really allow the other elements in a coord (purse, blouse, socks, etc.) to really shine and make a holistic picture. It feels like the designers are only keeping the dress in mind rather than the “type of woman” to wear their dresses, in project runway speak. So many designs also seem to come from a desire to fill a niche and capture the attention of ppl interested in the print’s subject matter. Enamel pin mentality. I’m talking about the dresses with burger, boba, dinosaur, and kiddy print concepts Sorry rant over
>>10934331I would recommend black military-esque boots instead and plain burgundy tights. Target has some, if you’re in the US. Military Lolita needs military shoes, and the burgundy tights match the minimalistic nature of the dress. Nothing lacy, frilly, or cutesy really goes imho
>>10934401This isn't lolita
>>10934403Well this dress also isn’t Lolita so…
>>10934405Yes, that's what I just said
>>10934298>probably too used to the quality of big jp brands that it just felt like shit to youYou might be right desuIt also took me a second to figure out my biggest issue with Infanta, but I think it's the fabric. Somehow, even unshirred AP feels like it has more stretch, if that's even possible. The fabric that Infanta uses has the consistency of cardboard.
>>10934400nayrt>I’m gonna play devil’s advocateIt sounds like you actually believe what you're arguing for though.The way most people think about costumes in the context of this conversation is that a costume is something you wear in an attempt to dress or even look like a fictional character, to look like a celebrity, a sexy version of a uniform (nurse, police, etc), a character from myth (a witch, goblin, wizard, etc) or even objects (a hamburger costume). If you want to use a wider definition of costume then anything aside from mainstream casual wear is a costume.Things that are not criteria for something being a costume; it looking eccentric/outlandish/OTT (gothic fashion isn't a costume, and an actual cosplay can be mainstream looking clothes if that's what the character wears). - wearing your own culture's traditional dress (a yukata is not a costume, they're not dressing up as something or someone else.) -wearing something only for events (a wedding dress isn't a costume, neither is a formal dress for a party). You can get costumes of lolita and gothic fashion for halloween. It's the intent that makes these costumes, but other things they have is that they're very low quality and are obviously designed by people who don't have a lot of knowledge about the subject.Lolita can be a costume if it's an anime collab and the design is close enough to the original character design to be deemed cosplay. That still leaves the large majority of lolita styles. Some themed lolita outfits look costumey to a lot of lolitas, that still doesn't make them actual costumes. Think of sailor lolita, nurse lolita, easter themed coord with bunny ears, military lolita, etc. Costumey and costume are not the same thing. Possible reasons why some lolitas think some chinese brand releases look costumey; very low quality as if it's trying to emulate lolita -teetering on the edges of what can be considered lolita because there's too much of something else in the mix.
