Hello, my lovelies~!
In preparation for Con Season 2014, I hosted a Fanplusfriend group order in May. My goal was to spend $650 so that we could qualify for free shipping. Thank the stars I have an awesome comm, because after all was said in done, our group total came to about $750! Clearly, we're overachievers.
Fanplusfriend is a strange animal in the Lolita community. For some reason, it's just kinda... there. It's relatively ignored even though the store offers awesome services like custom sizing, and for some items, even custom colors and fabric. The overall feeling I get from others is that Fanplusfriend isn't bad, but it's not good either. I'm not sure how or why it became this way though, since my first experience with them was extremely positive. I have to say that for me, Fanplusfriend ranks higher than Bodyline.
Anyway~! I ordered several items in this GO, because I don't have a lot of headwear when it comes to Lolita. All together I purchased two berets, a JSK, and this awesome veil. I was in love with everything and I think the quality is good for the price. On top of that, I didn't have to get custom sizing! 10 points to F+F.
Fanplusfriend is very good with communication as well. As soon as I placed the order, I received an e-mail notification from their automated system that said the order was placed. After that, I got an e-mail from someone named Lily, who was kind enough to let me know that one of the items I wanted was out of stock and that they needed more information for a custom sized item. I replied with more information and the order was underway! Lily told me that I would receive the tracking number for the package, but I didn't get one. Imagine my surprise when DHL comes a-knocking at my door three weeks later with a huge package in hand!
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| Package full of awesome! |
I immediately ripped the package open because I couldn't believe that $750 worth of Lolita fit in such a small package. I was expecting a huge box, but nope, everything was stuffed in there. And surprisingly, nothing was squished or misshapen. Awesomeness, right?
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| A glimpse of the products |
Brown Bustle Vest
My items came in plastic packages that were marked with the Fanplusfriend logo. The first item I opened up was my brown bustle vest. Its "official name" is the Classical Gothic Lolita Detached Frill Bustle Jacket Vest. I ordered the product in a Lady 95, which has a bust of 107 cm and an 86 cm waist. I ordered it a half size up from my normal size because I knew that I would be wearing a blouse underneath the vest. I also asked for a custom color, from the chart provided on the product page. The vest was $58.
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| Product image, from Fanplusfriend (I DO NOT OWN!) |
I was so pleased with the construction and fabric of the vest. The buttons are secure and the fabric is sturdy without feeling too heavy. And I love love love the color.
I bought the vest to make a Classic coord with my Magical Painting skirt. I still have to get shoes, but I wanted to try it on just to make sure I got the colors correct. And surprise, surprise! The two go together pretty well, if I do say so myself.
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| Excuse my random blue shirt, haha! |
Honestly, I wish the vest wasn't so pricey. $58 for a vest is not all that affordable for Lolitas with a tight budget, but it's still cheaper than most brand pieces and it has this super cute bustle in the back! So really, I can't complain too much. F+F, your vest just got an 8/8 from this happy Lolita! Nicely done.
Headwear
The two berets I purchased were $8 and $12, respectively. Though I haven't had a chance to try them on, I have seen them worn and I was pleased with the quality as well. I took them out of the package just to touch them, but I lose things easily so I figure they are safer in the package.
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| Product image: Royal blue, $8 beret |
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| Product Image: Sax, $12 beret |
Both berets look very nice and the colors are accurate. They were an excellent price and the embroidery on the sax beret is really pretty.
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| Berets in real life |
The mini veil that I purchased cost about $12 too. It's super pretty, but I have in braids right now, so it wouldn't sit in my head properly. It's so lovely!
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| Black $12 rose hairdress |
Lady Marine Jumperskirt
A while back, I purchased a navy hat with a stripped ribbon from a fellow comm member at a swap and sell. I had every intention of buying the matching dress that went with it and now I can happily say I own that dress! I've had my eye on the Lady Marine JSK for a while, mainly because it's navy. For some reason, I really love blue things in Lolita, so my eye goes straight to that shade whenever it's an available color. I bought the JSK in a Lady 90 and it fit perfectly. I wouldn't recommend the dress for anyone with a bust higher than 105 cm in that size, but F+F does custom sizing so for lolitas with a bust of 106 cm+, go ahead and order a custom size.
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| Product image: Lady Marine JSK in Navy |
The dress came neatly tucked into one of those F+F plastic bags. It also comes with a matching choker, which I will definitely be using for something else.
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| JSK package |
I ripped the package open and VOILA! This beauty greeted me. The blue is very vivid in this picture, but its actually navy, as opposed to royal blue.
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| Lady Marine JSK |
I tried it quickly with a white bolero, just so I can get a feel of the JSK. First off, it's pretty long! I'm only 5'2" so looking back, I probably should have asked for the dress to be made a bit shorter. But I think the length fits the style (ie Sailor and eventually Pirate Lolita) so s'all good!
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| JSK paired with a bolero |
All and all, I'm very happy to have given F+F my money! I wouldn't hesitate to order from them again, even though some of their items tend to be hit or miss. This entire experience and all of the items I ordered get an 8 out of 8~! I really like Fanplusfriend's Classic pieces so I'll be on the look out for more beautiful things from them.
Have you ever ordered anything from Fanplusfriend, dear readers? I hope that your experience was a positive one, but I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!
Stay beautiful...stay true, <3
~J
You're totally right with the whole idea that F+F is 'just there.' I used to buy a lot more items from there but I'm right between their two standard sizes and I once bought a custom piece that still needed to be taken to a tailor. I still have two blouses from there that I wear all the time.
ReplyDeletei have been thinking of purchasing from them - prices and sizes are perfect, and the dresses look really well made. i'm brand new to lolita, and i see lots of other brands mentioned. i'm pleased to read your review and surprised f+f doesn't get more love! thanks for your write-up. :D
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading~! I'm glad this review helped!
ReplyDeleteI think it's really unusual how they are viewed in the Lolita community, but I, personally, adore them. Fanplusfriend has seriously stepped up their quality and if I had to choose them over Bodyline, I'd pick F+F everyday!
My first Lolita clothes (which I got last month) were from F+F and my second ones were from Bodyline. I have looked at brands, and though I can afford them, I've not been attracted to them so far (too plain or too popular or too sweet/outside my taste) as I have been to F+F and some other indie/Chinese brands (Infanta and Magical Tea Party for a start). So far, I can say my experience with F+F was also very good, and I've got some other things in a cart with them now. My only issue is I underestimated the sizing, which I'll try to avoid the next time. I'm GLAD to know F+F isn't popular because I'm one of those people who likes to wear things people don't recognize. I saw that hellolace lists their quality below Bodyline (I think it actually says "Poor," but it was my Bodyline clothes that had crooked seams and tons of threads to cut off (though I'll still shop with them, in particular for their shoes).
ReplyDeleteFirst off let me say: thank you very much for reading~!
ReplyDeleteI love F+F and I think it's really sad that they are often disregarded in the Lolita community. I am very appreciative of the fact that they offer custom sizing on most of their items, as I am considered a "plus size" Lolita. I definitely think they have a higher quality than Bodyline.
Hopefully with fans like you and me, Fanplusfriend will get more recognition! :)
You're very welcome! I've been meaning to start a blog for Lolita but I am an expert procrastinator. I will keep coming by your blog to check and see what other cute things you buy. :)
ReplyDeleteI did end up buying the things in my cart from F+F (coming today!). Hopefully they will be as good quality as the last stuff I ordered. If so, there's a coat I have my eye on from them too. I've been very pleased with their customer service as well, so I'll see. I also bought an Infanta dress, which is coming tomorrow, and I have my eye on a Magic Tea Party JSK. I just feel like working from home on delivery days. XD Take care!
I wonder if the below-bodyline quality status for F+F on Hellolace is based on the F+F of years past? I've heard that their first few years were..less than stellar in terms of quality. I own some F+F pieces from 2009 (including a gorgeous coat) that are great quality and certainly nicer than my Bodyline pieces from the same time period.
ReplyDeleteBTW, that blue JSK looks great on you! You're a gorgeous lolita and another reminder that we don't need big 'B' brand to be awesome lolis.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, thank you so much~! <3 You're too kind.
ReplyDeleteSince I'm a fairly new Lolita, I don't really know the quality of F+F from the years prior, but I do agree that I've heard it wasn't so great. I'm sure that has more to do with it than anything else. But they always treat me well and I order from them so much that they gave me a VIP coupon! So I appreciate their