Western Indie Brands thread

>What have been your experience with Western Indie brands?
I have a Mullberry Chronicles dress, a dress from Lady Sloth, and a skirt from Elegy. I'm also waiting on a dress from Peppermint Fox

> Do you find they're a better alternative to Bodyline/Taobao?
Bodyline yes. Taobao it depends. They're all definitely more expensive than bodyline or taobao so it's not something I would recommend to newbies. I find that sometimes the construction is about the same as good taobao.
> Which Indie brands would you say are comparable to Brand quality?
I don't find any of them to be comparable to brand quality. Mostly because their handmade so more prone to mistakes usually. I would put Lady Sloth and Elegy as least brand like in quality. Elegy also gets points docked because she takes an eternity to ship.

>>9554263
Which Peppermint Fox dress did you order?

>>9554285
Tea emblem rerelease

What's Sweet Mildred's quality like? Thinking of ordering a JSK from her.

Can I ask what Western brands you think of as best and worst? What comes closest to brand quality?

>> What have been your experience with Western Indie brands?
I've gotten a bunch of basics from Lady Sloth (blouses, underskirts), but that's about it.

>> Do you find they're a better alternative to Bodyline/Taobao?
Bodyline's blouses look cheap to me, so definitely, but I'm still going to wear their shoes. I think taobao is a better deal for the price though, unless buying (not-lolita-branded) accessories off etsy counts.

>> Which Indie brands would you say are comparable to Brand quality?
I really don't think the material, construction, and designs are brand quality. I'm especially wary of places that will do custom sizing. Accessories are usually comparable, though. T B H brands just sell overpriced costume jewelry, so I'd rather go to etsy for that.

>>9554465
I have a jsk from her. It's very sturdy although her bows can sometimes be floppy. Good for daily wear but not on brand levels

>>9554465
I've seen a few of her pieces and I've really like them. They seem very sturdy and remind of atelier pierrot.

Has anyone gotten anything from dollbe? I keep eying one dress from her but I really can't tell what the quality is like from the pictures on the shop.

>>9554503
Better than Bodyline though at least?

>>9554498
>especially wary of places that will do custom sizing.

So basically you're admitting that one of the main reasons you think burando is so quality is cause it keeps out fatties?

>>9554249
Those look like something you'd find on ModCloth t b h

>>9554481
I think the best for me are Mossbadger, Voodooodolly and I Do Declare. Worst is probably Violet Fane, but I still really love her designs. The pieces I've got from her have had really poor quality, so I haven't tried any of her new releases, though they look like they've improved greatly, so I might in the future.

>>9554525
No, they're just more likely to be low quality fuckups.

>>9554532
But what does custom sizing have to do with it??

>>9554534
naryt, but custom sizing requires re-making patterns to accommodate different body sizes and shapes, which can be very difficult and allow for a lot of errors when the person wants something custom but isn't present to do a custom fitting to their body. When there's just one size the pattern is set and if you don't fit it then it's not the designer's fault, whereas it's the other way around if you're doing custom, even if it still isn't the designer's fault (wrong measurements provided, people not disclosing differences in their body composition that could mess up fit, etc.)

>>9554534
nayrt, but many smaller shops that offer custom sizing don't realize what they're getting into and don't have the skill set to actually do custom orders. I'm talk custom, not just multiple sizing. Many western brands are great with having many sizes.

This isn't everyone, but I'd only place a custom order from a more established western brand.

>>9554541
What do you consider as the more 'established' western brands btw?

>>9554528
I've noticed most Western's brands main problem is quality fabric choices, its hard to take a designer seriously when all they use is cheap fabric you can find at any local Joan's. This is why I'll only consider Indie brands that use custom fabric from Japan only cause Joans shit NEVER looks good!

>>9554548
Brands that have had consistent online presence and items for sale. I don't usually have to order custom sizing, so I'm not sure if everyone offers it, but I'd trust Mossbadger or Belladonna to do it to name a couple.

>>9554558
Because only fabric from Japan is suitable... ok

I agree with the rest of your post re: Joann, but your weeb is showing there at the end.

>>9554524
Definitely better than bodyline. Better looking lace and fabric styles.

>>9554559
I don't think number of years in the business really matters all that much in the grand scheme of things desu. I mean sure, I think everyone would probably be more wary & cautious with a brand-new indie brand that has yet to gain exposure/reviews but honestly I've seen/heard of plenty so-called 'well established' indie brands also have their share of horror stories so number of years doing this isn't a guarantee, ya either got the talent or you don't.

I mean hasn't there been constant drama and hit or miss stories about longtime indie brands such as Ick?

>>9554565
I mean the whole fashion originated in Japan and the Japanese know it the best so yes I would prefer the fabric coming from there then anywhere else if I had to choose, cause they've mastered the Lolita aesthetic. I mean its a J-fashion for a reason.

lbr have you ever seen a Korean Indie or Taobao brand ever make it into the GBL and be upgraded and seen among gulls as REAL brand?

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I swear by Lily of the Valley forever.
The accessories are top notch and often custom made to go with planned coordinates and the main pieces are fully lined, have pockets and boning, and in general extremely good quality.

>>9554575
Plenty of Japanese brands fuck up on fabric all the time. Look at all the bad reviews for AaTP and AP lately. It doesn't matter if the fabric is from Japan or not. Designers should be able to identify a quality material no matter where it's from.

Western Indie brands aren't in GLB because they aren't located in Japan and it'd be crazy cost prohibitive to suddenly cover everyone around the world. Besides, even this is changing with Western brands being sold at Pierro.

I'd also argue that Krad Lanrete and Haenuli are extremely popular non Japanese brands that are more prolific than a lot of smaller brands in Japan. Ofc the fashion started there, but again you're weeby as hell if you think everything from Japan must be better.

>>9554583
>>9554583
>Western Indie brands

I wasn't talking about Western brands though, I was specifically referring to other Eastern, non-Japanese brands like Taobao and Korean brands.

>Lady Sloth
I ordered one of her lace series and the quality was actually phenomenal. The lace was top tier and if there were other designs in her shop I liked, I'd buy again.

>Sweet Mildred
I've only bought accessories from her but they've all been good quality. Some pieces are a bit more fragile (like her skull headbands) so be gentle with them.

>Lily of the Valley
Again, have only bought accessories, but they are very good. I do like some of her dress designs and am considering purchasing one.

>Violet Fane
My only purchase from her was the Asylum set, and the quality was awful. It was too bad, because the print is amazing. Bad stitching and uneven hems, no lining, print ran on both the dress and the tights. Unless she has improved, I wouldn't recommend her clothing items but I haven't had any of her jewelry, it does appear alright though.

>Hysteria Machine
Not technically lolita, but the jewelry I've gotten from the shop has been very good.

>Voodooodolly
Beautiful pieces, my only qualm from her is that I paid full price for one of her crucifix rings and the crucifix was completely off-center. I would expect a defect like that to be set aside and sold for a lower price (I didn't know it would be that way when I got it). It was a bit upsetting.

>Necrosarium
Recently bought from them (brooch and ring) and the pieces are so gorgeous. Fragile and antique-feeling, but so beautiful.

>Peacockalorum
Amazing quality wrist cuffs for the price. I definitely recommend them.

>Sheena's Bella Bows
Some of her pieces are a bit questionable in taste, but the basic bonnet I bought from her was made very well and held up. Also bought other hair accessories that were really cute and held up well.

>Teja Jamilla
Fantastic tights, I've worn mine and they've been through the wash many time and no cracking on the print or rips and as great as when I first got them.

Sorry for my long post, but wanted to give a basic rundown with stores I've bought from.

>>9554590
Ok but still. They aren't featured because they literally aren't in the same country. I'm not sure how powerful and rich you think the GLB is. They just ended their print magazine, too.

I have a feeling with any new online versions, they'll be sure to include more international brands.

>>9554575
>have you ever seen a Korean Indie or Taobao brand ever make it into the GBL

Uhh yeah, Ista Mori and Surface Spell were both in the GLB, among others that I can't quite recall since I don't have the issues on hand. Nameless Poem was a massive hit in the west (gulls included) and the vast majority of any review would always state that they felt the quality was on par with the big brands

>>9554592
>Violet Fane

I honestly don't see what's so special about her prints either? They're just your typical yawn-worthy boring classic types.

>>9554590
>mfw you remember Bodyline is literally Japanese themselves yet they'll never be featured in the GLB in a million years.

>>9554525
I think >>9554537 and >>9554541 pretty much covered it. You can't just shift-click on a pattern to shrink or enlarge it, bodies just don't work that way. It's going to fit funny. Also if there's a certain way part of the print is supposed to be aligned on the bodice, it's gonna get weird.

>>9554576
All the coords she posts look really solid, too.

>>9554592
Did you ever contact VoodooDolly about the ring, or ?

>>9554592
I've had stuff custom made from LOTV and loved it so much. It took a while, but that's to be expected, but the quality was great and it was just what I had wanted. Did you ask Voodooodolly about the issue item you bought? She's fantastic about working with customers and I'm sure she'd replace it for you, she may not have even noticed.

I also feel your Asylum set pain. My fucking print transferred onto another dress in my closet and ruined it and I had to sew ALL the ties on the dress back down because they were falling off like crazy. I thought the dress was super cool, but the quality was abysmal and if i had any idea it would have been that way I never would have bought it.

>>9554608
They used to be featured in the early issues.

>>9554612
What got them booted off?

>>9554617
No idea, it may be because as the GLB went on the fashion expanded so there were better things to fill the pages with, but I'm not sure.

>>9554617
Mr. Yan probably.

>>9554592
Having a bad review for Violet fane as well. The waistband is sewn very ugly and the fabric of the skirt isn't shared equally over it, which makes it look weird in Lolita. The color of the waistband also clashes with the dress. (The color is very dark and nowhere to be seen in the light print/skirt.) The border lace is also sewn ontop of the skirt instead of below it, which looks incredibly ugly. (You can see the part of the lace that is suposed to be hidden.)
I am planning to bring it to a professional tailor, to get a new waistband and have the border lace removed and maybe replace it.

I really love the print and I still want the matching tights and accessory, but I don't think I will buy a skirt or dress from her in the future.

>>9554617
I don't know if they were booted off so much as were too cheap to continue paying for advertizing once their name was established as the cheap lolita shop.

>>9554633
What print, the Asylum or a different one?

>>9554606
To each their own. I think her ideas for guro and horror prints are unique and attractive.

>>9554610
>>9554611
Nah, I never contacted her, but now its really not that big a deal. It was a couple of years ago I bought it and I sold it to a friend.

>>9554611
So would this be a pretty accurate list from what I've ventured based on this thread?

>Top-tier
Belladonna
Lily Of The Valley
Moss Badger
Lady Sloth
Voodoodolly
Sweet Mildred

>Mid-tier
I Do Declare
Peppermint Fox
Mulberry Chronicles

>Shit-tier
Violet Fane
Ick

>>9554696
I'd say so, but I'd honeslty put I Do Declare in the top tier; her construction and materials are fantastic, but the sizing is generally restrictive.

I don't think Ick is even a brand anymore, though; they haven't made anything for a couple of years, so I'd say it's safe to just kinda leave that one out.

>>9554723
I saw some bad reviews of her once though, granted they were old so maybe she's improved?

I'm still kind of upset about my custom accessories from Lily of the Valley. I've only read the best about her, so my expectations were high. She used two very different golds in my sash. They clash and it's very noticeable, even from afar. The quality and construction were great, I just think it's a weird design choice to use a warm, orange-y gold together with a light, pale gold.

I also own a skirt from Lady Sloth, the fabric and construction are pretty great.

Could I have a link to Lily of the valley? I can't find it when I search for it

>>9554776
Her etsy is SakuraFairy
https://www.etsy.com/shop/SakuraFairy

>>9554723
IDD just bugs me because where does anyone buy her stuff? Her Etsy doesn't appear to sell a ton, is it con-only or commission or? I'm genuinely asking, this has always confused me and I can't seem to find a real answer.

>>9554818
I think you have to follow either her Insta or FB, since she posts when she adds new items to the Etsy. That seems to be the main place she sells stuff; last fall she posted a few dresses which were really nice.

>>9554249
This is just my opinion ofc, but I find that Western indie brands that make actual clothes are destined to fail, and can't be as good as Taobao. This is due to the massive difference in economy. Every western indie brand I see lacks beautiful details. They just slap a cute all over print on a basic af dress and call it a day. This is not because they are bad designers, I'm sure if they had the means they can make incredible stuff, but the cost of production in the West is huge. Buying custom printed fabric, trims, using a lot of time to sew intricate details on each dress amounts to a large net loss for someone living here. They already charge $300 for these basic dresses, because they know that 1) people would not pay more and 2)this is the best they can do here with that budget.


China is a production powerhouse right now. They have factories and everything is cheap, and is made for cheap. Even if these western indie creators ordered a lot of supplies from China, like trims, they still have to pay a lot more in shipping.

It's very sad but that's the truth. Westerners should stick to accessories unless something changes.

Source: tried to start up my own brand, found out how much it takes here.

Does Lady Sloth have a swatch list of the chiffon they use? And does anyone have experience with the "custom color" option?

>>9554611
Can I ask what you had made from LotV? I've been seriously considering getting a JSK commission from her with my own sourced fabric, it's just been difficult to get a straight answer from her as to her availability.

>>9554996
What if they work with a wholesaler to create the dresses and drop ship them here?

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>>9555048
I think that's what designers like Haenuli do, and I haven't personally looked into it, but it would be pretty nice if they could do that.

This new brand, and brands like Mulberry Chrinicles, Pepfox, would surely benefit from more detail. Otherwise I really agree with >>9554528 that they just look like Modcloth, and no one wants to pay those prices for basic pieces like that.

>>9554996
I think that the brands who can design custom prints are the best. I have a dress from Belladonna that is very unique. Afaik they don't produce the kind of stock prolific Taobao brands do though.

>>9555033
Unfortunately no main pieces, just a hat and some accessories.

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>>9555084
That brand would benefit from a decent pattern.. Jesus.

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Saw this on Lolita Updates recently from Victoria's Kingdom. Isn't it just another years and years dress?

>>9555183
It's very similar to a chemise a la reine dress, yes. My thought was pretty similar when I saw it. But it looks a bit better constructed than the Candy Violet (??) one from years ago. The proportions are cuter, and I think the CV one had an elastic waist that they hid with the sash.

>>9555183
I think a lot of people really like the idea of a Chemise a la Reine dress, but everyone makes fun of how that CV person was claiming that the design was extremely difficult to adapt or something. I'd buy one.

>>9554558
Wat

You can get extremely good quality fabric from all over the world (I'm partial to Italy.) The problem is with people buying meh quality fabric that is intended to be used for something like a quilt or tablecloth.

>>9554723
I'd put IDD in the top tier if they did that kind of work and had good customer service for commissioners who weren't her friends

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>>9555183
>just another

That reminds me, whatever happened to Lilith et Adalia's 18th century lolita-ish dress plans? They were supposed to make 4 different designs and then make them available to order but they only made this one chemise dress (which sold out literally in 60 seconds) and that was it.

>>9555227
I get salty every time this dress is mentioned.
>all my classic plans wasted

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>>9555183
Oh that's pretty

>this stock photo

That's um, interesting. How is their quality?

>>9555242
The Lilith et Adalia dress? Why salty?

>>9555007
It's on their Facebook in an album afaik

>>9555243
Yikes... I hope the model is just too tall. The construction looks ok.

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>>9555261
Either she's tall or that particular dress was short

>>9554570
>I've seen/heard of plenty so-called 'well established' indie brands also have their share of horror stories
This is my favourite kind of lolita drama desu. Anyone else remember talia_speaks?

>>9555372
Talia_speaks drama was my favorite. She could have just bowed out gracefully and stopped taking orders but she kept digging her own grave.

>>9555243
>>9555307
Looks like she's in a box. Stop hunching, gurl.

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>>9555372
Indeed I do. That was good drama, especially because it had so many layers (the dbs, her mod trial period, and her commissions). Sigh. They just don't make drama like they used to.

To stay on topic, anyone get in on Voodooodolly's Widows Cross preorder? I decided I need an ostentatious cross necklace to spice up some of my solids.

>>9554510
construction is probably shit quality since the owner is that one black obese lolita (http://princess-mint.tumblr.com/) so it's probably better to just order the fabric from her spoonflower shop and commission a local seamstress to create a jsk

also fyi has anyone NOT learned from shitty customer service/alterations leads to a bad reputation ala Truly Darling (don't steal AP lace u hos)

>>9554548

nayrt, but I wanted to mention that Lady Sloth started out as making custom size clothing. I think instead of "this brand has been around", you want those brands that have "established" that they can make custom things, for eg Glitter Tale (non western) frequently posts customer photos of custom one-off pieces on their facebook, so I'd trust that more than a shop that has been around for years, but doesn't have a solid rep for making custom things.

>>9555084
The princess seams on the JSK look like such ass. Instead of being a graceful curve at apex of your bust, it takes like a SUPER sharp turn a good inch above it.

The OP bodice is so not salvageable. Weird normie banded sleeve cuffs, baggy as shit, the top of the armscye is like actually fully resting on her upper arm, strange boat neck instead of a more elegant crew neck cut or something. Also why didn't they iron the OP? Hella wrinkles in the sleeve and in the skirt.

>>9555243
>>9555307
Ew. That construction and material honestly looks disgusting. What kind of shit taste do y'all have if you think this looks good in any way??

Why are there barely any sweet/OTT sweet western brands? Seems like most of the western designers cater purely to the classic and gothic crowds. Is it cause of the undercurrent of prudish and mistaken stigma in the west regarding ageplay?

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Thoughts on the brand Fluffy Tori?

>>9555413
I was gonna until I saw those little hollow crosses on top. Not a fan, to me they look too normie/generic and bring the whole piece down.

>>9555222
Got any deets or is it mostly vague observation?

>>9554654
Different one, I believe it's called La Reine. This print luckily doesn't run.

>>9555625
I'm sorry but this just looks like cheap Bodyline shit. The fabric, the print design, everything.

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I haven't purchased anything from them yet but I like to follow what https://www.etsy.com/shop/SakuraFairy is up to. Her Insta is also really cute and I love seeing her nature and mushroom photos. Been eyeing up pic related forever.

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>>9555643
I want her mushroom jsk, but I'm afraid to ask when I'll be able to order one. I don't want to pester her.

>>9554818
Follow her FB and Etsy page closely. If it fits, buy it.

>>9555619

Blue Ocean, anon. If you want sweet with prestige, you do either AP or Btssb. If you want cheap new sweet dresses, you do taobao (or Bodyline). Expensive accessories, you do Qpot. Cheap accessories, Swimmer.

Between them they've saturated the market so much that even AP dresses are having problems selling. Even Automatic Honey accessories don't sell out if they don't tie into a popular burando release. Doesn't really make sense to try and compete in that market.

With classic or gothic you can also cater to the Western alt subgroups, eg- the goth goths or the hippie whitelighter-types. So, a less competitive market, with more opportunities to make extra income from other niche markets.

What are the best western shops for things like nice hats and bonnets? I know about Voodooodolly and MissDangerShop, but there has to be more gothic hair accessory shops. R-right, gulls?

>>9555671
How gothic are we talking? MedusaCouture did those batwing bonnets for a while, but their etsy doesn't seem to be active atm.

>>9555669
Still, I find it hard to believe there's no market for 'middle of the road' sweet dresses, smack in between that brand prestige and Bodyline cheap quality. I mean you could also argue the same for Classic. Due to OTT Classic being 'in' right now (at least among western lolitas) there tends to be an oversaturation of it too.

>>9555669
>>9555619
There are some well established western brands that make sweet prints every once in awhile, Sweet Mildred is one of them I think.

>>9555183
>Victoria's Kingdom
Just a sad ass middle aged mum who thinks her followers are interested in irrelevant pictures of her kid and that her terrible jewellery and clothing 'designs' are uniquely 'Australian Gothic Lolita', like it's a new sub-style or something.
An embarrassment to the Melbourne EGL Community.

>>9555673
I think they are closed, I haven't seen them sell anything in a year or so.

>>9555413
I pre-ordered one. Excited to get it once they're sent out.

>>9555427
Wrong. Her construction is solid and someone being large doesn't equal not having good knowledge of fit and sewing. Fuck off with your judgmental bullshit.

>>9555427
From what I've seen her construction actually looks pretty good but it's her prints/fabric choices that are low quality. I don't really see the point of ordering a dress from her if you're not obese and have better options, but for obese girls I'd recommend her.

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I'm really interested in this Russian shop I came across, they have some worn photos of one of their dresses from an event and it looks really good.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ShiroiTsubasa

>>9555912
oh I remember that shop! I once had the velvet cross dress, though figuring out the brand was really hard.

the dress was okay quality, slightly prone to wrinkling, but overall fairly nice

>>9555912
That's an interesting find anon. I'll keep an eye on them.

>>9555721
knowledge comes with expirience, anon. if she only knows how to do plus size, there's a good chance she fucks up smaller sizes just because she's used to do plussize. there are a lot of differences in fit and looks between plus size and petite (or regular size for that matter). you need to practice and study quite a bit to get every bit right

I kinda wish a lot of Western Indie brands would back off on JSKs and OPs, because you can make a nice lolita skirt without having uber tailoring skills, but bodice fit can easily go south if you don't know EXACTLY what you're doing.
There are "brands" I've seen on etsy where they source good fabric and they know how to gather a lot of material into a waist band properly; but then the top of the dress looks horrible. If people could be more realistic about what they can do well and what's just out of their league, I think there would be more successful, dependable indie western brands.

>>9555997
Do any of the top-tier established indie brands do this or are their bodices generally acceptable?

>>9556009
Their bodices are generally acceptable. I think it's a good tip to start out with skirts if you're a new brand, but the ones in top tier know what they're doing.

>>9555997
I've never felt comfortable making fitted bodices to sell because while I can make nicely tailored JSKs and OPs for myself, I'm not confident in making something for anyone with different proportions unless there's shirring and corset lacing to make up for it. So I get your point. Would you say skirts sell well, though? The majority of my comm only wears dresses and the ones who wear skirts often bought them because they couldn't get their hands on the dress version of a print they wanted. Is there even a market for non-print handmade skirts? I worry that because rectangle skirts are relatively simple to make, most people will look at a non-print skirt and think "no point in buying that, I could make it myself".
I've been hoarding lots of nice lace off AE. Maybe I should make some old school skirts with tons of ruffles and pintucks and lace and see if there's any interest there.

>>9556048
Given how small the waist on a lot of old school skirts are, I think there is market potential there.

>>9556048
I would love some oldschool if you have access to good quality cotton. personally I haven't found any perfect fabric yet, but if your price is right, I'm sure there are people out there who want it.

>>9555997
Personally I hate skirts and never buy them. So while this idea makes sense I think they could potentially be cutting off a lot of their customers who wouldnt ever buy skirts. I know Im not the only one who doesnt wear skirts

imo they should just practice and git gud at making bodices

>>9556048

As a tall lolita I would love an old school skirt long enough to look right. If you set up an etsy or something, sold items that were ready-made to start, and had closeup photos of finishing details (seams, pockets, etc) I'd easily take a chance on someone with no reputation.

>>9556048
Old school design skirts with a more "modern" (not short as fudge) length would be cool. Here's the main problem I find that seems to get in the way with Lolitas not wearing skirts as often as dresses; it's hard to find "loliable" vests or boleros that are not brand, but have the right design features to go with lolita.

I'd say the one "holy grail" category of Lolita clothing not being made by indie brands is the bolero / cardigan / vest / cropped jacket. If someone just made those in more "western" sizes / measurements then I think you'd see more willingness to buy skirts even over dresses. I have this one bolero in brown from Anna house, bought secondhand on lace market. Ever since I got it, I have never had a "fear" of separates, because it's so Lolita that it always pulls the look together.

>>9556234
I totally get wear you are coming from. I don't have any really good top layers other then the one mentioned; so even though I like to wear pastels, I'd not buy a pastel skirt simply because I don't have a good jacket or something in that color range.

One last suggestion I just want to throw in is more underskirts and affordable bloomers; I hear a lot of Lolitas complaining about not wanting to spend a ton on the layering pieces; they're looking for things that get the job done and that they can depend on (like bloomers you can throw in the wash without worrying; so you can have a fresh pair everyday without needing to own multiple pairs).

>>9555227
According to their Facebook they had some construction/design issues which delayed things. I don't know, there must be more going on because it shouldn't take you almost two years to put out a single prototype gown.

Anyone have good sweet suggestions? Dresses or accessories

>>9555912
Interesting, I've seen this shop before and was always iffy about taking a chance. But the dress in that pic is really pretty. I wish I could see it in person.

>>9556263

Seconding the bolero problem! I finally just ordered myself some nice doubleknit and lace, I'm just going to make myself a fitting bolero from an otome no sewing pattern. JSK + Bolero is my favorite way to dress because I find it most comfortable and breezy, but it is so hard to find bolero for wide shoulders :(

>>9556329
Sweet Mildred is the only one who does Sweet decently of the indie designers imo.

The other ones in the top-tier like Belladonna, Lady Sloth and Mossbadger probably would too but they don't do Sweet at all unfortunately.

>>9556329
Baby Ponytail maybe?

>>9555631
The hollow crosses didn't stand out too much to me, but I agree that it would look awesome with slightly more ornate crosses. At least they're antiqued nicely, the crosses being shiny would be awful.

>>9555706
Same! Seems like she didn't get the maximum number of orders either. I'm hoping that after she finishes there'll be some new designs because I need more jewelry.

>>9556329
What kind of sweet accessories are you looking for? Have a print in mind?

>>9555673
Doesn't necessarily have to be super vampiric gothic. Just not "sweet Lolita item but in a black colorway" tier

>>9555227
I know I love their children's designs and I'm so disappointed by the shit they dropped at rufflecon

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>>9556737
I was stunned with how bizarre and awful these dresses were. I like the concept of the one in the middle but without the clashing blouse. Still, a far cry from the pretty--if derivative--18th century dresses they promised.

>>9555690

Anon, actually look up Blue Ocean, Red Ocean, because you have it backwards.

The saturation is not from the buyer's side, it's from the SELLER'S side.

When you get into a market where there's already ten million other shops selling the same kind of thing you have, it's going to be much harder to even get noticed, let alone sell anything. It doesn't matter if ten million girls are also looking to buy, you'll just get lost in the crowd of other sellers.

Ideally you want to be in a market where the girls are thirsty to BUY, and there's not enough sellers -- and that's OTT classic being in right now among western lolitas but not quite as popular with the Japanese ones, so there's fewer prestige brands catering to that. So that's a nice little blank spot with less competition that someone can step into, and Western brands did just that.

See, you answered your own question. You just had to think about it more logically.


As for the in-between brands, that's taobao. Better quality and more expensive than Bodyline, without the prestige of brand, and easy to order from reseller shops if you can't taobao direct/via SS.

>>9554503
Different anon: good to know. I've been eyeing Gourmet Coffee for a bit. I really like her accessories and hoped that her dresses hold up as nicely.

>>9554575
I feel like you're showing your weeb too, but I agree on the aesthetic level at least. I've seen Kinki Kitty's fabric haul from Japan and there are some really cute and unique designs that'd be hard to find at Jo-Ann's. That being said, there are specialty warehouses that sell fabrics that are a step or two above Jo-Ann's collection.

>>9556908
Don't forget, unlike sweet brands like AP and Baby, Classic brands are rarely as generous with their shirring so there's more of a need for western indie brands for that style in particular in order to account for more diverse sizing.

>>9557180
Classic brands have better length though
VM also has fully shirred stuff now

>>9556908
>but not quite as popular with the Japanese ones
Classic is the most popular substyle in Japan currently

>>9556829
wtf these fabric choices
left and right could have been salvaged with different fabric/trimmings respectively but that middle one is just garish to me

>>9556724
Not that anon but sweet cream house?

>>9554818
Also Lolita Collective has some of their pieces... you can PM them to ask what they have (I don't think they have them on their website at all). I saw several at AX so i know they have them!

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Anyone else notice Snow Field is trying to come back from the dead?

>>9558516
Can anyone even tell me what happened with her? She seemed to vanish for some reason, then came back.

>>9555671
Cloudberry Lady is top tier, I got one of her bonnets from RuffleCon last year. It's so goood

I also love Bloody Tea Party's stuff, but she only does a few things and doesn't often take good photos of them. You can sometimes catch a nice one of their witch bonnets at Lolita Collective though.

>>9558516
I heard too many horror stories about them to ever consider buying

>>9559042
What are these horror stories? I've never heard any drama regarding Snow Field other than she left at one point.

>>9559133
I've heard tons of stories of orders never being fufilled, though I think most everyone who has this happen was eventually refunded. Her stuff isn't worth the risk though. If I wanted to gamble with my lolita pre-orders I'd buy from Krad Lanete

I'm trying to start an accessory line of products but I don't think it's becoming Lolita appropriate.
Basically two way clips and purses. Would anyone be opposed to be dumping recent work for con-crit and suggestions?

>>9559712
Post what you got to the resin and indie crafts thread, they offer better concrit

>>9559712
I'm an accessory designer for Lolita who's had some success and one peice of advice for you I have is not to try too hard to make it 'lolita' . Automatic Honey and Restyle are very popular with Lolitas despite not being obviously lolita. But if you'd like specific critique, post in the handmade thread and I'll take a crack at it

>>9559705
The only time I heard about orders not being fulfilled was when she disappeared a few years ago, and, like you said, everyone was eventually refunded.

>>9556928
Gourmet Coffee is really cute irl, I wasn't in the market for it at the time, but I think I'll pick it up eventually.

>>9558567
I might be mixing them up with someone else, but it sounded like someone close to her may have passed away suddenly.

>>9559757
No, you're right. A close friend of hers passed away suddenly. It's no excuse for what happened, if I recall there were petticoat orders that weren't fulfilled or something and she took ages to address the problem because she disappeared off the face of the earth. I don't remember what the timeline was though, I'd have to dig through the archives.

>>9559761
And by no excuse I don't mean she shouldn't grieve, I mean that she shouldn't have taken so long to address the problems she was having.

>>9559761
>>9559765
No, I agree, but anon just asked why she disappeared. There's a right and wrong way to handle that sort of thing when you run a business, and disappearing without notice isn't the right way, even if you explain when you get back.

>>9555997
People don't want to buy skirts though. I sell handmade Lolita stuff here and there. (I don't have the time to be my own brand though.) And skirts sit around forever not getting sold. But I'm actually really good at making a nice bodice. So jsk's and op's for me.

>>9559823
I find that fully shirred ones do well at cons for the bigger girls that can't fit into much and also don't want to spend the $ on dresses.

Is there a complete list of western/indie lolita brands? I used to have a link to someone's blog that had a full list, but that link has since 404'd. Every other list I've found is either non-complete or hasn't been updated in forever.

>>9560506
this hasn't been updated in a while but:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OxEPf0lbGUmhPJhUq68qrPq-0ngp9t6lrEEcGKd0I8I/edit#gid=0

Anyone ever buy anything from Truly Darling? How is the quality?

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>>9560857
Given how you can tell how shit quality her alterations are just by looking at the photos she posts, I doubt that her original designs will be any good construction-wise

>>9560886

Wondering why so many people like her then? Her FB page has 2k likes. And so many people defending her when shit went down last week???

P.S. I have photos of her shit work and I'm dying to share them!

>>9560895
Sauce?

>>9560895
I wanna see.

>>9554576
Agreed. I love LotV and will be buying more main pieces as time goes on. Really quality and also I love her choices in themes.

Can we also have some worn or coordinated pics of western brand stuff? I'd like that alot.

>>9556048
I often prefer skirts over JSKs because as a gothic lolita I love wearing corsets like Excentrique's or Sheglit's and they usually are much easier to combine with skirts.

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>>9561262
cutsew: Nemeth Wild

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>>9561326
dress: Eat Me Ink Me

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>>9561327
dress: Peacockalorum

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>>9561330
dress: Cloudberry Lady

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>>9561331
skirt: Eat Me Ink Me

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>>9561333
everything but shoes and tights: Lily of the Valley

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>>9561335
dress: Antique Frills

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>>9561337
dress: Antique Frills

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>>9561338
JSK, tights, hat: Lily of the Valley

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>>9561341
Lily of the Valley dress again

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>>9561342
dress: Eat Me Ink Me

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>>9561344
dress: Antique Frills

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>>9561345
dress: Atelier Sucre

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>>9561347
dress: Eat Me Ink Me

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>>9561348
dress: L'Esprit de la Noblesse

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>>9561357
ditto

>>9561071

I've seen her stuff in person, and can't say I'm impressed with her sewing quality. Not trying to hate. Just being realistic. She's self taught and does her best. I love her designs, but she really needs to work on her construction quality. Definitely not as bad as I've seen for others though. Would recommend to support her so she gets better.

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>>9561014
>>9561058

Truly Darling's Truly Awful Alteration Sewing Series (incoming photo dump)

-Overlocked with navy thread on black fabric.
-Sewed the right side seam open, but caught the left side and didn't bother to fix it.
-Left side armhole got clipped when she overlocked and now the seam is uneven.

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>>9561395

She cut new sleeves to insert for this alteration and probably didn't use a pattern judging by that 1" seam allowance that she left in. She sewed it multiple times to try to get it to fit in.

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>>9561398

When she cut brand new sleeves, she definitely didn't use a pattern. When I took them off and stacked them one over the other, they weren't even the same. You can see the right one is much bigger than the left.

Here I have them folded face to face, lying in the same direction. As you can see they are both similar with the front dipping in more than the back. This means she cut 2 left sleeves and just forced the right side in.

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>>9561404

There was a misunderstanding with the customer where she had asked to increase the bicep by 1" when she actually meant the armhole. So why the F did she insert a 7"-8" wide band into the bicep area?? And why is one 7" and the other 8"?? (Pins are where her seam lines are.)

Showed this to my friend and their answer to me was, "She can't even F up on a consistent basis." Truer words have never been spoken.

>>9561408

The inside of the sleeve. Her seams match up OK here but it's still ugly.

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>>9561413

Forgot pic.

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>>9561414

But compare it to the other sleeve and seriously WTF happened here???

Seams don't match. Ugly AF.

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>>9561416

And the entire time she is sewing this sleeves, she's using black thread on the white lace, and white thread on the black fabric. No attention to detail.

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>>9561420

Collar set unevenly at the back. And that zipper. Work of a true "professional seamstress".

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>>9561426

Folded the neckline matching center back and front. Found that the shoulder lines didn't match and were off about 3/4". At first I thought this was due to poor AP construction quality because I didn't think she opened the front yoke that far.

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>>9561434

Welp, I was wrong. She did open the front yoke and restitched the shoulder line of the linings, which was what didn't match.

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>>9561437

Sorry I doubted you AP. I should have known better this far into this dress that it wasn't you.

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>>9561438

This girl is dangerous with a serger. Clipped the back lining here with it and now I have uneven seam allowance when I try to go back to reset the lining in.

>>9560895
I've noticed that indie brands, if run by someone who's considered likeable enough, will get almost unwavering support from their local community. It's happened several times in my own comm, with girls who honestly aren't actually very good at sewing and probably shouldn't be selling their work yet but started doing so anyway because everyone around them keeps telling them how great they are. They would also organise tea parties to promote their brand and be very active in running the comm even if they're not mods. I think many lolitas realize how valuable a good local lolita seamstress could be and therefore want to support and encourage local seamstresses even if they still have a long way to go. Most girls in my comm would honestly prefer to buy from Japanese brands or Taobao over these local indie brands, but will sometimes throw them a bone by buying a small accessory and will rally around and circle the wagons any time they're mentioned negatively online. It's more about community and friendship than quality and professionalism at that point. People want to support their local community, and will defend it until (or sometimes while) the indie brand owner is caught being extremely shady or outright scamming because they're One Of Us.
If the brand owner is cunning, they've also put extra into buttering up influential people in their local comm. Nina from Lockshop for instance is still supported by the mods of her own comm and probably kept her shady behavior to a minimum when dealing with locals so that she'll always have a solid base going "Well, she's always been very professional to ME!"

>>9561442

I guess that makes sense. It's like when BP had that oil spill and there was a public outcry, but, hey, they are still in business, aren't they? And the entire banking industry after the bail out.

What I don't get is why not tell her the truth? I mean you don't have to say, "You F-ing suck!" But, hey, be realistic. "You need to redo this because it looks sloppy. Try again." It ain't that hard! As friends/supporters, you're not doing this girl any favors by placating her shit work. She needs to improve. Calling her out on bad work is what she needs. But she needs to be mature enough and professional enough to take the criticism when it's deserved. Whiteknighting her and defending shitty work with shitty business practices isn't going to make her work any harder or better.

>>9561442

Judging by the pictures, she clearly has no idea what she's doing. Why would anyone willingly hand over their expensive brand for her to ruin it? Is it just as long as it looks "nice" on the outside, that's good enough? I wouldn't even trust her with Taobao brand stuff. I wouldn't trust her to do alterations even if she did it for free.

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>>9561440

Front collar of a Meta dress she altered where she squared the ruffles (???) and let them overlap like this at center front.

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>>9561455

Another uneven collar set in.

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>>9561457

Uneven stitching. Caught some fabric and just didn't bother to fix it.

>>9561442
are you a Dutchie by any chance? because the whole description sounds like summer tales.

really, I like the tea parties, but her very first designs were god aweful

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>>9561462

Another terrible color choice for thread: black and white overlock on green fabric. That uneven seam. That sloppy overlock.

>>9561395
So glad to see more photos from you anon. This alteration is absolutely disgusting and TD handled the whole situation with zero grace and professionalism.

>>9561442

Are there any indie designers without this kinda drama that's actually worth the follow?

>>9561472

In all honesty, I am not posting to hate (maybe just a little) but really this needs to be said and the Lolita community needs to know that her work is bad. I'm not saying she shouldn't be in business. She can do whatever she wants, but she really needs to step up her game before she can charge the prices that she does. She's a snake oil salesman and girls need to know not to buy what she's selling until she gets some real training/experience.

>>9561471
>>9561479
damn, anon. she really fucked up. I sometimes fuck up too, but I fix it and would not even charge that much for alterations.

I wonder for how long she already sews?

>>9561483

I imagine that most of her work looks this sloppy on the inside, but you can't never tell when she posts cutesy pics on her IG. She never shows her WIP pics.

As for how long she's been sewing? Not nearly long enough if her sewing still looks like this.

>>9561487
yeah, I couldn't really see any mistakes in her FB album of the commission pieces.

DESU, she should have sewn for a few more years before accepting alterations to brand. I sew for at least 7 years now and I only ever alter brand for myself, because altering stuff is a lot more difficult than sewing a dress from scratch.

>>9561450
>>9561452
Fortunately, none of the local seamstresses I've known where quite THIS shitty. I wouldn't hand over my precious burando to them to alter but they're at least better than this.

>>9561466
Maaaaybe...
I'm not a fan of STB's original work aside from some simple accessories, but I've also never heard about her being shady or scammy at all so I include myself in the group of people happy to support her just because it's nice to have her and her shop around.
I should probably mention that I was including resellers in my definition of indie "brands"/local shops even though that's not exactly what this thread is about. I was talking partially about STB, partially about Lockshop and partially about a certain reseller shop that's no longer among us but used to be at the center of the entire comm. You see it with AM and Shop in Wonderland, too. They (fortunately) aren't REALLY at the center of their comm but they would sure like to be, and even with their shady history there are people who support them. Simply because they're local, they're convenient and they organize shit. That's all it takes, apparently.

>>9561474
I don't know. Afaik most don't really have drama bad enough to blow up online, and if there is drama is stays within the comm so outsiders wouldn't know about it. Until something happens and it all blows up like what's now happening with TDB, anyway.

Is it worth posting a PSA to RC about TDB's sewing? I mean I get some people are going to believe what they want to believe, but shit... I don't think anyone knows how bad her shit really is... And with these pictures, can anyone really deny it then?

>>9560506
My Inspiration for accessories and handbags

>>9554537
Not really. I good tailor has tricks to upsize/downsize clothes. It depends on the cut of the original design. Its not really hard if you went to school for it.
Thats my pet peeve with western brands. They charge brand prices with no training or quality control. If you cant afford to fix your mistakes dont take the order.
>>9554583
History of the world. Europe is not known nor has it ever been known for fabric. The closes is russian and theirs have chinese influences. Cant fault anon for not wanting to wear bedsheet qaulity at $300 a pop.
>>9560886
Why do people keep asking about td. The alterations look like she hasnt had one class and the clothes -meh.

>>9561526
>Europe is not known nor has it ever been known for fabric.

What? Have you not heard of Italy? Almost all couture houses buy fabrics from Italy. And French mills.

>>9561526
>Thats my pet peeve with western brands. They charge brand prices with no training or quality control.

This. Even if you did have experience and skills, try to start an indie brand now and you just get lumped in with these fools.

>>9561526
>Why do people keep asking about td.

Cause people are still buying from her. And as long as that happens, I'll still be shitting on her.

>>9561508
If you want to keep dragging this drama out, then sure.

>>9561539
I bought some bloomers from her and they were fine? I don't think she's the best seamstress ever and I wouldn't send an alteration to her. This is a ridiculous hill to die on.

>>9554510
Someone posted a coord with a closer to normal size dress, it looked okay

I don't like western indie brands, their stuff is always either too plain, too wild, or insanely ugly tassel trim stuff

>>9561539
Girl, let it go. You are fucking obsessed.

>>9554592
Peacockalorum wrist cuffs look bad worn imo. Not enough lace gathered so they look like frilly sports wrist bands

are there any indie brands that sell simple cutsews (preferably white with crochet lace)?

>>9561674
>I don't like western indie brands, their stuff is always either too plain, too wild, or insanely ugly tassel trim stuff

Aside from Sweet Lolita, which AP and Baby have a monopoly on, what would you like to see in a Western indie brand that would make you want to buy from them?

>>9561929
Nayrt but I always wonder why no Western indie brand has jumped on IW's style of classic/sweet-classic, particularly their florals and solids. No original prints to complicate things and the cuts are varied, but still rather simplistic. Is it because IW itself is already affordable enough and comes in multiple sizes?

>>9561865
first post in coord dump >>9561326

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>>9561865
I think The Black Ribbon just did one in ivory... I saw a pic from the where it was coorded with a Belladonna look pic related

>>9561958
One thing an indie brand could do for the better is better bodice cuts, meaning no tube bodices. I love Innocent World but that shit is not flattering on most bodies.

>>9561929
You know, I think there could always stand to be more sweet items in general. It seems to be a uniquely Japanese thing, especially with accessories. I think Automatic Honey's success was making actually good sweet jewelry that even AP could not compete with that matched up with a lot of AP's prints.

For style, sweet is really big right now and I never see Western brands capitalize on it. I always hear people lament the loss of Pinkly Ever After and it's sort of original Fairy Kei/Lolita style.

What I would personally buy the hell out of is a very traditional "oldschool lolita" brand. Most of us have to wait on brands like BtSSB to release things that pass as oldschool, scour for old things, or I've seen taobao very rarely release oldschool.

>>9561958

IW bodices are flattering on flat chested girls.

Source: Am flat chested. Fits into IW.

I imagine that a lot of Asian girls have flat chests, so they cater to a market segment that maybe the other brands don't really do.

>>9561998

I think old school can be very difficult to get right if they weren't around for Lolita during that time. A lot of what makes old school "old school" is actually having old pieces. Idk about you, but new old school pieces just feel like it's trying to be something it's not.

>>9561990
>better is better bodice cuts

Do you mean being more form fitting to the figure?

I always imagine that Lolita bodices look this way on purpose. To give a less mature look. After all, emphasizing the bust makes one look more "mature" or even "sexy" and that's not at all what Lolita is supposed to represent. A flatter bust silhouette or something that just doesn't emphasis your chest makes you look younger, I guess??

>>9561617
>This is a ridiculous hill to die on.
>>9561678
>Girl, let it go. You are fucking obsessed.

Idk. I'm personally invested because I feel insulted she calls herself a "professional seamstress" when this is my actual profession and she's making a mockery of it.

>>9561985
I own one of their bat collar blouses. That cut isn't the best for lolita coords, but the quality is awesome and it's comfy. Their other more loliable blouses are probably just a good since they are similar materials

Does anyone remember the brand/designer Samantha Rei? Cause she just got on Project Runway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it5Eda85VzQ

>>9562124
Nice! I don't watch PR, but I hope she does well.

>>9562027
When I think better I think more appropriately shaped rather than tighter i.e. not tight like a rockabilly dress, just not so tubular you boobloaf even without having boobs

>>9561929
...I mostly wear sweet. Even Etsy accessory makers are shit, they add ugly stickers and beads to their pieces instead of focusing on nice, cute, simple craftsmanship. I would love to buy indie sweet dress and jewelry sets. Indie bags and shoes would be even better, so long as they were cute, original, and fanciful

I would consider buying gothic or classic from a western brand if it had lots of small details like I'm used to in sweet. I don't buy gothic at all because so much of the main pieces are plain. For example, lady sloth and elegy is very, very plain to me and so is solid moitie. However, moitie uses nicer lace and better designs. Also moitie offers shirring and corset lacing, indie brands always try to do sizes, which I hate. I am constantly changing size depending on time of month and the weather. So I would like a fanciful, detail oriented gothic that fits a range of sizes because of good design

Classic, I used to buy a lot but IW was getting very samey. Same cuts, different print, no nice details like tucks and ruffles in many of the dresses I had. It made my coords very formulaic. I would like more interesting classic pieces. More military lolita, more country, and of course lots of florals with nice lace and ruffles. The worst thing about indie classic is that it's often super basic to the point of looking like homemade otome trash. No one tries to make interesting floral prints, they just buy ugly tiny prints that are boring to look at, slap a tube bodice on a circle skirt, and call it a day. Indie classic is disgusting with the exception of LoTV and other well known indie brands.

>>9562121
Yeah they seem to do a mix of retro/otome stuff and then some more specifically lolita pieces. I've seen their fashion shows at Fanime a few years now. Their stuff looks nice though.

>>9555702
Their Etsy is open again. No sign of the bat bonnet, though. Just a bag.

>>9562020
I'd buy the shit out of a brand doing nice old school blouses and long bloomers though. I am a noodle person. All the Western blouses right now seem to be ugly chiffon shit.

>>9562184
>>9562124
Wow I am unreasonably excited for this. I mean I feel like the chances of her bringing some of the lolita aesthetic in are pretty low, but I'll be rooting for her!

>>9555997
People balk at the idea of paying a lot for skirts as well. Sure, they are cheaper than JSKs and OPs but not by that much when you consider how cheap fairly desirable brand print skirts often sell for.

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>>9562027
No I mean they are literal tubes. They don't need to emphasize the bust per se, they just need to be cut in a more natural shape. Even flat people aren't tubes. Pic related is a much better bodice shape for example.

>>9561965
thank anon, but they only have bloomers in stock in their etsy.

>>9561534
The fabric is foreign the craftsmanship italian. No one is buying european cotton and calling it regal, but you would buy handmade yard. Imported raw materials.
>>9561536
You couldnt be with a collective cause someone is making bedsheet dresses but isolation leads to higher marketing cost.
>>9561539
I understand but they should move on. Messing up and flip it on the buyer. So many examples of bad sewing mediocre clothes yet they keep asking. Fight the good fight.
>>9561617
Just fine.

>>9562265
I'm having trouble finding longer bloomer too. they are either too short or the lace part at the bottom is too short.

for oldschool blouses I like Maxicimam though.

>>9555625
It looks like the Bodyline carousel print.

>>9559867
I'll keep that in mind. I guess some skirts in the range of 38-48 inches would probably sell more.

>>9561440
Holy crap! That's some of the most amature work I've seen! That "lining" isn't even lining. It is cheep satin fabric that really shouldn't have been used here. That fabric is best used for cheep lingere and maybe pillow cases. Actual lining, preferably anti-static should have been used.

>>9561450
Yes! I agree. If my work was trash, I would want to know so I could get better!

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>>9562364
>mfw that's AP's own lining.

>>9562341
but who outside of >>9555084
is out here making literal tubes? even that example has darts though jesus christ the fit is god fuggin awful.

>>9562030
I'm also offended. I never went to school for sewing. But I've pushed myself to learn everything I can, and continue to do so. My work is quite nice. Her stuff looks like complete noob work. Like maybe she ran a sewing machine in home economics once and called herself a professional. People like her give the rest of us who sew/alter things a bad name.

>>9562369
The shiny satin at the custom collar? The lining that AP used was great. The garbage at the added on collar was what I was talking about.

>>9561471
All of this work looks like the bloomers I sewed myself...and I can't sew.

>>9561487
>>9561495

Years of sewing isn't always a good indicator. I've actually gotten sloppier as I find out how many shortcuts I can take and still have a dress look decent in photos, I actually have no interest in sewing and simply want to wear a dress that I designed in my head. So while I've been sewing for many years and have made a lot of things, I wouldn't sell them because a lot of them are kinda decent but not really worth $200-300.

>>9561508

If you post something like this to RC, it's likely to be seen as shit-stirring. Maybe an addendum to the original complaint post. And you have to prepare yourself for those folks who are going to comment on the stupidity of sending her another dress to alter when a previous dress came back with less than perfect results.

To be really honest I'd rather you post a full account plus all these photos of her terrible workmanship on a blog rather than make a post on facebook, their algorithm pretty much ensures that no one will see it after another year and people will be back to buying from her again because there's very little bad reviews about her.


>>9561452

I think she's popular with the fatties. The only times I hear of her is when she's adding shirring to a dress, including cutting open an already shirred CDC jsk to add more fabric. It's a market that doesn't have a lot of suppliers, so I wouldn't be surprised if most fatties simply suck it up and chalk up any weirdly fitting parts to being fat instead of bad workmanship.

>>9562364
>cheep

>>9562391
>I'd rather you post a full account plus all these photos of her terrible workmanship on a blog rather than make a post on facebook

I was thinking the same. Is Tumblr still have an active Lolita community on there?

>>9562556

I don't think posting it to an active comm matters all that much anymore. I think most people simply type "[brandname] review" into google search before they buy rather than looking through tumblr or livejournal specifically. Plus if it's up on a blog somewhere, even an unattended one, it's easy for other people who are in active comms to simply drop a link to it anyway.

You just need to pick a service with some longetivity, eg- not photobucket that's dying and trying to charge $400 a year to host photos.

>>9562030
How is someone being a shittier seamstress than you making a mockery of your profession? If anything this helps you because you look better in comparison?

>>9562349
>just fine

"Fine" as in nothing wrong with it and a normal product, but if you want to get pedantic ok

>>9562677

Because she's claiming to a be a professional. If someone believes her work is at a professional level, what does that make me? If I claim to be a professional too, then people will be comparing me with her. And we are not on equal footing. For the average lay person who knows nothing about sewing or fabric quality or design aesthetics, it's easy to just believe someone is a professional if they just claim to be. Also, she has more influence in the Lolita community than I do, so it's easier for people to say "TD is more active, therefore she is more professional" even if one thing has nothing to do with the other.

Claiming to be a professional with her poor sewing skill level really ruins it for the rest of us who are actually on a professional level.

>>9562370
My original comment said that indie brands have the advantage over Innocent World, not that indie brands were doing it.

Bump for more reviews etc

>>9562020
Old school is a weird paradox. They want old school to come back, but only ever dig deep into old lolita for their pieces. I sometimes don't think their love of the old school is genuine and they're just getting these pieces to be collector's or to satisfy some nostalgia.

That being said, I'd kill for some more white x black traditional EGL. Old school seems most popular in the western community, so I'm not sure why it's not a thing.

>>9562463
Thank god I'm not the only anal-retentive bitch who noticed that.

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I really want Twin Flower to start making things again, but I'm starting to think they've moved on.

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Anyone know why Rouge Aerie disappeared off the face of the planet? They are the brand that made the Cthulhu dress, but I remember seeing some interesting designs in the works waaaay back when. I know some family stuff came up like last year and they had to take a break, I wonder if that's still going on. Sick mother or something.

>>9561327
Can anyone attest to the quality of EMIM? I've been ogling some of her dresses lately but Idk if it's worth it.

>>9561347
Oh man that one's bad.

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Atelier Pastelchan

>>9562020

I still find IW bodices unattractive as hell on myself, and I'm an asian with small boobs. I wish they'd be more flattering, like VM's bodices. >>9562341 is more my style.

>>9561707
This. They're also way too fucking tight and I have baby wrists

>>9561707
Idk, I've had ones that are like you said and nicer ones. I think it depends on which you get.

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>>9563480
Is she any good? Her website photos of her pieces look really...questionable. Not awful, but they remind me of Violet Fane in that I look at them and think something looks slightly off.

>>9562768
I apologize I misunderstood.

>>9563630

Judging by the photo, her works looks sort of sloppy. And plain. I personally would not buy.

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What about Ivy Frozen?

>>9563630
If what you see is what you get is say no, she doesn't seem to be any good. Most of her stuff looks to be made for her own personal measurements and it still looks frumpy and awkward on her so imagine what a custom-sized piece would look like, especially when there's no opportunity for a fitting. This seems to be a good example of someone who should get a lot more experience and preferably take some classes before even thinking about selling her work.

>>9564709
>*I'd say

>>9564709
You clearly don't sew!

>>9564865

I sew. And I totally agree with >>9564709
Her stuff looks pretty bad to me too. Bodice is too long on the form; you can see how it's all bunching up on the side seams. And she doesn't press her stuff. I never trust anyone who doesn't know to press their stuff to get sewing correct as they go hand in hand.

>>9564209

This looks OK if you like the print. I have seen some of her earlier work and wasn't too impressed. Maybe she is getting better. I personally still would not buy from her.

>>9563630
I'd never want to tell someone who's trying to do lolita to stop, but it doesn't look sellable in it's current state and definitely can't compete with a lot of indie brands or even taobao like this. The bodice looks wrong and so does the silhouette. I'd be interested if she did a lot more practice, though.

>>9556048
all I want right now is a beautiful, well-made, tiered all black skirt that I could wear at least once every week. I'm a chubby-chan though and all the nice old school skirts I see don't have enough shirring for me.

>"no point in buying that, I could make it myself"
if your designs have a lot of work and detail put in them no one would think that.

I'd say there's definitely a market for stuff that actually looks pretty, not just good with a print.

does anyone own anything by Elegy or Lusty n Wonderland?

>>9565222
Not super helpful but I've heard good things about Lusty.

>>9565222
>>9565302
Dug up an ancient review for you

http://egl.livejournal.com/19410235.html

>>9565113
Can you give me an idea of your waist measurement? I want to make stuff like this and just toss it up on lacemarket. I'm very interested in providing cutsew as well, and have black jersey knit in stock but I doubt my first attempt is going to be saleable.

>>9565222
I own a JSK and a blouse from Elegy. They're solid-color items, and not a part of their collections (ex: Eat Your Heart Out). The construction is okay- it's not as elaborate as brand. The materials feel a little cheap? The blouse is cotton, prone to wrinkling and it's a bit crinkly. The JSK feels a unbalanced- the straps are too thin for the weight and heft of the material, and the proportions are a little off. But both items are very comfortable to wear, have interesting details, and are nice enough to keep in my wardrobe. I wear both fairly regularly.

I would still recommend Elegy clothes, because they have unique releases. But just know that you're mostly paying for their creativity, not the construction (plus I think it's a one-woman shop?) I'd love to hear from someone who owns one of their print items like Albino Accord or their newest series Book of Shadows (idk if that's out yet though.)

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I just...I know the conversation has been mostly about established indie brands, but I am so sick of seeing these eyesores floating around online. I understand that we all start somewhere, but this shop was posted in my com page by the owner who said she was a "lolita and fashion enthusiast". How. Why.

>>9565532
I'm so torn between wanting to encourage lolita seamstresses to keep going and bluntly telling people like this that they're not nearly skilled enough to sell. Technically I know the two aren't mutually exclusive, but it seems like most lolita seamstresses are like these skittish little mice that will just cry about brandwhores and give up as soon as they're not getting asspats. Do you think they're more likely to listen if I put up a bunch of my own work first to show I'm not just some elitist anti-handmade bully?

What were the first lolita brands in Europe and America?

>>9565574
blasphemia's closet at least I believe. I don't think they are still active, but they were featured in one of the English GLB.

>>9565574
>>9565583
to continue on that, there was also, in the starlight, candy violet and megan maude. just checking the English GLB from 2008 (vol 1), and I'm taking these were pretty much the earlier western brands. I think most were american though

>>9565222
I have a soft bonnet from Elegy that's fine, but not remarkable in anyway. I had an OP custom made to my measurements (afaik she always custom makes things? because my measurements are very normal and I wouldn't usually care for custom sizing) and it fit like a tent on me. Absolutely unwearable. I wouldn't really recommend them.

>>9565589
other brands the EGLB featured are: NEKO, La Dauphine and sweet rococo

>>9565326
97cm. I'm also really tall though
if it has good petti room, solid construction, and beautiful details (e.g. ladder lace, tiered ruffles, pintucks, anything to add texture and visual interest for kuro) I'd most definitely buy it.

>>9565316
thanks so much anon!
the thing that sucks is apparently the original site is down? I see the owner/designer has an etsy but it looks to be jewelry only...
I'm starting to feel like I should have gotten one of those ink blot OPs when I had the chance. fuck.

>>9565562
I feel you so much on this. I hate how people these days don't know how to take criticism.

>>9565583
Blasphemina's Closet no longer exists as a lolita brand but the designer still does fashion and is on the upcoming season of Project Runway >>9562124

>>9565326
Not that Anon but I completely agree and 75-80cm waist depending on bloating. Hopefully your cutsews have lots of details like lace, puff sleeves, and ruffles. Nothing is worse than a Peter pan collar t-shirt being called a cutsew

>>9565784
>97cm waist
>chubby-chan

>>9554696
I own multiple skirts from vf and honestly I think they're good. Its not like I pay 150 eu per skirt like with AP. I also asked for an adjustment which she did completely for free.

My only qualm is the lack of a decent catalog. They have a lot more prints than I first realised.

>>9565784
Thank you for your feedback--What kind of length do you need?
>>9566041
Don't worry anon, i start with raw jersey, not a base that has already been cut wrong. Thank you for your feedback as well.

>>9562124
I'm excited for her!

I wonder if this helps or hurts the chances of other lolita or lolita-esque designers who are auditioning for the show

>>9566275
no, thank you. I'm glad you're inspired to try and make some good handmade to sell.
50cm is the min length I can deal with as I'm about 6ft and my height is mostly in my legs. I like peeking bloomers too.
you're probably already thinking this but the best thing to do would be to make something with good enough shirring design that can be snug for a slimmer waist (65,70cm) but be able to comfily stretch to a max of 100cm or so. that allowance also helps gals who have large hips but don't want to deal with zippers.

please post pics in the future when you've got some finished pieces! I look forward to seeing your work.

>>9566447
I was semi-wondering the same, but she's done other, non-lolita stuff over the years too, so I guess it'll depend on what she focuses on with the show.

Any new indie releases anyone is excited about?

>>9565222
I've owned three things from elegy:
1. A velvet JSK / capelet
2. Albino Accord V.2 skirt + tights+ headbow + brooch
3. A one-off cream voile jsk
-also a bat collar and white rose brooch from the insomnia collection

>velvet jsk had decent construction, the small bows were super cheap and fell apart.and I felt that the button holes on the capelet could have held shape better with some interfacing
>Albino Accord V2 is fine, i got the skirt and the straps were a tad too long but that might have been me screwing up my measurement. The gold on the headbow was a different color than on the jsk, and the tights were pretty poor quality. No flaws other than that.
>voile jsk: great construction but I don't think voile was a good fabric choice for a dress. She was clear about the material used, I had no experience with it.
>Bat collar is constructed nicely and is the cheapest one i've seen. Brooch is a little heavy but also good.

TL;DR: Elegy is good overall but small things like fabric choices and colors keep her from being great. Avoid her printed tights.

>>9565222

same poster as >>9567667

Just read >>9565331 and I completely agree, sometimes her pieces are unbalanced in weight

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>>9563480
>>9563630
lol this girl is, or was in my comm
A while ago she made some weird post about how she was leaving the community but would still come to meetups. I mean, okay? But when someone on cgl asked if she was really leaving because of how unsuccessful her brand was (she would post to the comm page about wanting to sponsor people with blogs and would get zero replies and maybe one or two likes in a 500+ comm), she flipped out and started insulting the other indie brand designer in the comm and calling her jealous even thought nobody had even mentioned the other girl.

>>9561526
dressmaker =/= tailor, designer =/= tailor. Even within a fashion degree you will have to do post graduate training if you want to specialise, and then work for min 5 years to become excellent. You can do a 3 year degree in JUST embroidery, or JUST textile dev for goodness sakes, stop expecting small indie designers (most of whom have no formal education in fashion) to be maverick jack of all trades.

Stop trying to delude yourself into thinking you know anything about clothing manufacture, or the fashion supply chain to justify your entitlement. btw, its called pattern grading fuck wad and you can get an entry level job as a cutter after your formal education.

Disproportionate reaction I know, but fuck it I am sick and tired of all these people who think that since they walked into a shop one time they are suddenly fashion supply chain experts. There are some serious problems in this industry of people barely making a pathetic living because shit heads like you can't part with a reasonable amount of money. News flash, you've been under paying for your clothes.

>>9569179
As an apparel production manager thank you.

Anyone else curious what these designers look like?

>>9574343
its not like it matters... as long as they design gorgeous dresses

>>9574362
You still have Lolita General in the wrong field famalam.

>>9574343
LotV's designer posts often in CoF.

>>9574362
It matters if they're ita hambeasts. Another thread was mentioning some designers are ugly and fat, and I don't want someone like that making my dresses

>>9574482
I don't care if they're ugly but I wouldn't buy from a fat designer, since they probably don't know how to make a flattering bodice for someone who isn't fat.

>>9574482
Dayum you're a shallow cunt.

It has been nearly two years and I'm still looking for vests in pastel. I'd like something I could wear with some brand skirts. I feel like it would help bridge the gap between JSKS. Ring my primary comfort level and the new possibilities of skirts. Any suggestions?