Monday, July 10, 2017

Tokyo Kawaii Life order 53 - Liz Lisa tulip romper, lace up pom pom bag, feather knit cardigan & Liz Lisa x My Melody 6th collab vol 1 cardigan

This was my first order using the "new" Tokyo Kawaii Life webstore after its renewal on May 10, 2017. This probably was made in haste but I saw a few things I wanted from the old releases that I figured I should just buy now or never and included a current item I couldn't resist as well.

Tulip print romper in white (173-6032-0)
チューリップ柄ロンパース
This is a one piece sleeveless romper with built in shorts (print fabric used only on the hem) and an illusion skirt overlay. The print features tulips and roses in muted colors with a keyhole in the back. I was very interested in this when I first saw it in the New Arrivals at lizlisa.com before it was released, but it didn't remain high on my list because I thought that because it was a romper it would be way too short on me. I'm not really sure why I changed my mind, but it ended up in my cart when I was adding a bunch of random items and it made the cut!
with Liz Lisa clear pearl sandals -

with Liz Lisa x Yui Kanno collab rose drop cardigan and Liz Lisa suede ribbon pumps -

with Liz Lisa ribbon platform sandals + Liz Lisa My Melody 2017 fukubukuro cardigan -
I actually really love the length and fit. There's no zippers but the waist has a nice stretchy elastic and the back of the neckline has a snap for entry. The short ribbon tie can be tied in the front of the back and really helps define the waist. The skirt portion is nice and flowy but the shorts underneath feel very secure. Knowing what I know now, I probably could have waited to purchase this and saved some money, but I've already used it more than once and I'm glad to have had it at the time that I did.

Feather knit cardigan in white (162-3032-0)
フェザーゆるニットカーディガン
https://twitter.com/lizlisa_mio/status/790127423178231808
This is a longer length V-neck "button down" cardigan with invisible snaps and two low front pockets with bijou accents. I had not intended to buy this at all and I don't even remember specifically seeing any shop staff pictures utilizing it (although ofc I ended up searching later). For some reason, just as I was about to check out, I went back and searched again and ended up adding this in. I had considered the spring 2017 version of the medium length cardigan that looks somewhat similar instead but decided to go with this winter 2016 one because it was about 8cm longer.
with Liz Lisa tulip romper (above) and Liz Lisa 3D flower pumps + Liz Lisa lace up pom pom bag (below) -

with Liz Lisa x Yui Kanno stripe flower OP and Liz Lisa suede ribbon pumps -

with Spinns top, Liz Lisa floral shorts and Liz Lisa 3D flower pumps -
I guess I got this because I realized I wanted more cardigan/lighter outer (non-coat/jacket) options. I have the one really long cardigan and the peplum cardigan, but most of my others are the same "cropped" length. This is my first one at this weird middle length - not super long but definitely longer than average.

Liz Lisa x My Melody merry go round cardigan in white (151-3023-0)
☆LIZ LISA×My Melody☆メリーゴーランドカーデ

This button down cardigan features a merry go round border print on the bottom half and lace detailing around the round neckline. The sleeves are full length with an additional small print detail near the cuff.
I was quite surprised to see this hanging out in the outlet. I know that the renewal had promised the restock of some popular items but had no idea how far back it would extend. Previous to the renewal, there were times when really old items would pop up in the outlet from time to time, and if you were diligent enough to browse through every page, you might notice it, but I've never seen this cardigan. It's from the Liz Lisa x My Melody 6th collab vol 1 release back in March 2015. I actually bought my two OPs from that collab in store from the Tennoji MIO location but hadn't really considered buying the cardigan, especially at full price. I never really "regretted" not getting it, but since the opportunity presented itself, I decided not pass it up to get it now - especially because I know I love cardigans and will use a white cardigan for many occasions.
with Liz Lisa key skirt, Liz Lisa fur collar (cardigan) and Liz Lisa glitter pumps -

with Liz Lisa pleats OP, Liz Lisa wide brim fedora and Liz Lisa OTK boots -

with Liz Lisa cameo OP, Liz Lisa porkpie hat and Liz Lisa (flower) wedge pumps + Coach small purse -
Like most of the items from the Liz Lisa x My Melody 6th collab, this is oddly a little loose on me, especially compared to the other Liz Lisa cardigans I have. It's not exactly a complaint but it is something I recently realized about that collab in general. Regardless, it functions well for its purpose - I feel like I can hardly go wrong with a neutral cardigan!

Lace up pom pom bag in pink (162-9405-2)
レースアップポンポンバッグ 
https://twitter.com/liz_abeno109/status/781387753804083200
This bag is features a lace up detail on the middle of the top flap with pom poms at the ends. There is a ribbon detail on the top handle. This is a 3-way bag which can be used as a handbag, shoulder bag or backpack depending on how you configure the straps. They only had the stock photo for the bordeaux :| which is mildly annoying, especially since I had to assume it would look similarly to what I remembered, but hey, what can you do?
with Liz Lisa AKB48 modeled gingham floral OP, Liz Lisa peplum cardigan and Liz Lisa 3D flower pumps -

with Liz Lisa English rose frill OP and Flag J pumps -

with Liz Lisa My Melody 2017 fukubukuro sailor blouse, Liz Lisa English rose suspender skirt, Egoist beret and Liz Lisa heart frill pumps -
As useful as these 3-way bags are supposed to be, I rarely end up using them somehow. This design is so popular with Liz Lisa and I know so many people love them, but I think in a practical sense, for some reason, they aren't really for me! I love how they look though and I really like the color, size and shape.

As a side note, I made this order because for 3 of the items, it seemed like there was only 1 stock item left. After I checked out, I noticed that the listing said sold out. The next day, I look at the listings again, only to see that there is 1 stock replenished for those that had been sold out the night before. I know it's within a websites right to do this (especially because it encouraged me to make my purchase) but stocking just one item at a time with that intention is a little annoying. I hope this isn't be a common practice.
There was also another top I had wanted to buy but the color I wanted was listed as sold out. I checked again the next morning and there was plenty of stock of it -__-. 

This blog post is getting published much, much later than when I made my purchase, but I just wanted to note a few things concerning the renewal before I forget -
1. The name of the website stayed. It's still "Tokyo Kawaii Life" but there's only Liz Lisa items in there as far as I can tell. (Tralala, Juge Etta etc has all gone away. A few Primevere items remain in the outlet section, but that was a sub brand rather than a sister brand anyway.)
2. It seems like the change that customs see is mostly aesthetic. Different fonts, slightly different item page layout, but with a lot less of the functionality that we became used to in many ways - not being able to sort out sold out items (edit - they have now made a change so that sold out items appear at the end of the category), can't pick the number of items per page, no "log in" button, page numbering only at the bottom of the page but you can't easily tell what page you're on visually.
3. If you had an account prior to the renewal, you could still access some of the information you already had set up previously. You must use the "forgot your password" method and follow the process to "recover" your account, including your point history. You now use your email address instead of a username that you can choose. The order history did not transfer over, nor does it seem like you can actively build one moving forward (edit - your order history is now building with the renewal but it doesn't have the same appearance as before). Your address is still stored in your profile but not in the mailing address section. Your credit card information likely didn't transfer successfully due to new required fields.
4. The check out process is relatively the same, or at least similar (minus aesthetic changes). You can now see how many points you'll earn per item and there's an Amazon JP option which I didn't use because it didn't seem to be beneficial for me. One thing I really don't like is that the photo that represents the item you're purchasing is just the main stock image for the listing. If the main stock photo is the white version of the item, even if you're purchasing the pink or blue option, you'll still only see the white version throughout the check out process, so you really need to look at the color option you selected in the text below.
5. The "wishlist" function works a bit differently and you do need to rebuild it from scratch if you previously had items in your wishlist before renewal. You can no longer select options to be put on your wishlist (ex. you can put the ribbon pumps in your wishlist, but not the ribbon pumps in pink, size L in your wishlist)
6. The cart page no longer displays text that identifies how much time you have left to check out before the items release from your cart. The old time limit was 45 minutes. I haven't timed it yet but I would assume it's still something very similar but they just don't tell you that anymore. You used to be able to know the remaining stock of an item once it was < 10 if you opened the drop down listing for the quantity once adding the product to your cart. If you want to know the remaining stock after renewal, you need to just type in the number you think might be remaining and update cart, and recheck and recheck until you find the number that disallows you from adding it to your cart.

I don't think this information will necessarily be useful to anyone else at this point who actively shops from the webstore since it's been about 2 months, but in case we need to look back at this for reference 2 years from now, I wanted to note a few of these things.

10 comments:

  1. New post ^v^ !
    Usually I love rompers but I didn't really feel this one as much. For some reason the model for them doesn't have many striking looks/coords for me. I do like your coordinates of it, but idk, just not feeling the rompers.
    On the other hand, I adore that fluffy long cardigan! It looks so soft and snuggly. I think it would look great with the skirt just sticking out at the end (like that fuku coat you got with swankiss!) I keep picturing it with a pleated skirt so maybe the check pleat skirt you got from buyee could pair well with it ;0
    Also that bag is A++, it's great I love the ribbon cutouts on teh scallops it's so cute and versatile (I love 3 way bags so much). I really love it with the beret while in backpack form! There's something very vintage feeling about that combination.

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    1. Lol it seems like you disliked my favorite pieces and liked the ones I could probably have left out of the order and not felt much different.

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  2. Love love love the romper. Also I really like your co-ords for the MM cardigan. The fluffy cardigan is about 100x nicer than it appeared online - I really like that length for cardigans personally. They just seem cozier and comfier to me.

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    1. I like the length too but I think it maybe works more casually than I thought?

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  3. The way the feather knit cardi looks with a collared top is completely adorable! and a great way to wear a fall look but keeping the summery aspect with the colors and textures!

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    1. Haha if only the cardigan was a little lighter - I might get a little more use out of it!

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  4. ooh the bun hair style is really cute! i love 3 way bags. i have one from target right now, and it's actually my main bag haha. i wish i could get the bordeaux pom pom bag <3

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    1. Maybe this year's one is another opportunity!

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  5. The Romper and medium length cardigan are so cute!

    Regarding the note you made for the renewal. For item number 6, the time limit might be less than 45 minutes now, I may be wrong though. I had the last brown sweet latte skirt in my cart, and about 20-30 minutes later it was gone. >.< I was so upset!

    Luckily, I was able to get that skirt on fashionwalker a couple days later when it restocked. LOL

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    1. Ugh. I should really time it myself one day...or you know, they could just put the countdown back lol.

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