"July" Lolita Haul

So I did a thing, namely I got my tax return and while most of it got squirrelled away some if it went to funding new lolita! I'm calling this my "July" haul since that's when I ordered it, but  it took a while ^__^

I placed the order with Japonica on July 15, and received a near-instant email letting me know that they couldn't ship by EMS but could hold the order at no extra cost and was I okay with that. I was, so I replied just as promptly. I did have a bit of a panic over the order, because the seller for my first item just wasn't responding and I didn't hear anything for like a month until I decided to check in with Japonica. Turns out they had missed the sellers reply and were able to buy the dress after all but I was a bit sad for a while thinking I wouldn't get it!

Ultimately I got my package on the first of September, though I did have to ship by DHL which was horribly expensive. But let's not dwell on that, let's look at the amazing goodies I got!

The dress that started it all is Meta's Blooming Garden OP in yellow. I've been after a sweet dress in a light pastel for a while, though I hadn't specifically considered this dress before I found it on Fril for a decent price and decided to go for it. I was actually strongly considering buying this no matter what, but once I realised what my tax return was going to be I decided to go for it!

In person it's just lovely. It is hands down the most typically sweet thing I own now, and that's exactly what I wanted. The print is really beautiful, and I love how it's both very soft and very vibrant. With front and back shirring the sizing is very flexible... but I can't zip it up on my own due to the high waist! Oh well, that's what husbands are for ^__^

I also decided that it was high time I bought the Maxiciman Lovely bolero that I've been eyeing off for like a year. If I was going to have a bit of a lolita splurge I was damn sure this bolero was coming with me! I wanted a pink bolero anyway so into the cart it went, and besides, it was on sale.

The bolero also came with a shopping bag, a fan, and some catalogue pages, which were really fun to look at. 

An oh my goodness, I am not a firm Maxicimam fan. This bolero is absolutely perfect. It fits me so well, it's comfortable, it's beautiful and I'm so glad it's out of stock int he other colours I'd want otherwise I'd be buying too many of these! Seriously, if you are plus-size check out Maxicimam's Lovely size, you won't be disappointed.

Then I did a little more browsing on Fril and found another wishlist item - mint OTKS! Admittedly, I was hoping to find something more versatile but given that my only mint main piece right now is Teddy Chocolatier and these are a perfect match I figured why not? As you can see, they were actually part of  a set and while I'm not overly excited about the other two pairs they certainly do go with my wardrobe so all in all I was very chuffed with this AP sock set.

I also picked up a couple of cheap Bodyline main pieces secondhand. The first was this bustle back cherry print skirt. You know me, black berry prints are kind of my thing, and I liked how quirky this was. On the surface of it it's just a cherry pattern, but I liked how prominent the flowers were in the print and I also loved the bustle back. It's a weird mix of casual and OTT, very old school.

But unfortunately, despite being a full elastic waist this skirt is still tiny! Probably a maximum stretch of 70cm and while I have had a 70cm waist I don't think I'd ever be able to get it past my hips or boobs even if I got down to that size again!

And that is a massive pity, because I adore this skirt. I'm toying with the idea of deconstructing is an replacing the bustle back with a wider one, but more likely I'll just sell it. Though it has made me think about making this skirt cut myself so that's a plus side, I suppose. I'm just really disappointed that it's too small to even keep as a "when I lose weight" thing.

Last of all I bought this older Bodyline floral JSK (L003). It's a beautiful simple piece and that's about all I have to say about it. It was a gamble, size-wise and thus it is a bit small for me, but it's definitely something I can fit in time. I actually really love it - I've always thought it was pretty when I've seen it online but IRL it's even more gorgeous! 

So that's my "July" haul. It was really exciting to buy a bunch of new lolita items given how much I've been wearing the fashion recently, and I'm loving the immediate boost to my wardrobe versatility. Stay tuned for outfits with my new things soon!