How to Order from Tokyo Fashion - Updated

Notice 12/2015: I have not purchased from Tokyo Fashion since this was originally written and do not intend to do so in the future. Their website has since changed and I am unfamiliar with current procedures. As such, I am unable to answer email inquiries regarding the ordering process. This post will be left up only as a reference in case it is helpful.

Since I wrote my original tutorial on ordering from Tokyo Fashion, their signup and payment processes have changed. I think they're a bit more straightforward now.

Tokyo Fashion (東京著衣) is a popular Taiwanese brand founded by Mayuki Zhou in 2005. Along with its sister brands Mayuki and YOCO, Tokyo Fashion is one of the top Taiwanese webstores, and they have consistently good quality. Their styles often get copied by Chinese wholesalers, unfortunately, but if you want the real thing you can buy directly from them - they ship internationally, and the price works out to about the same as a wholesale site anyway.

You have to sign up with their system to order, but then you actually order by email. Even though they do have instructions on their site, only the general instructions are in English, and I thought that non-Chinese-speakers might have some difficulty navigating, so I made a quick guide.

Part I: Signing Up

Part II: Shopping

Part III: Placing an Order

Warning: image heavy! Click on the images to expand.

Outfit 10/03/12

What I wore today:

Cardigan: Forever21

Camisole: Kirkland (Costco...yes, seriously)

Shorts: Forever21

Socks: Forever21

Shoes: Forever21

Bag: B.D.G.

Ank Rouge 2012-13 A/W Collection: Classic Chapel

Ank Rouge is one of my favorite clothing brands - everything looks so doll-like. A lot of their stuff is probably too young/girly for me to actually wear, but I love their new A/W collection.

Can't wait for the weather to cool down so I can wear boots and the trench coat I bought back in June!

Introducing Voyya

Tokyo Fashion recently started carrying a new line called Voyya:

The name "Voyya" comes from "Voyage." They carry a good selection of basic items and have a men's line as well as a women's line. Many of the menswear item match up with the women's items, which is nice for couple dressing without being too over-the-top (if you like that sort of thing).

(More information and review after the jump)

ModCloth Review

Placed my first order at ModCloth! I bought these ridiculous socks...

小可愛

The post title (小可愛) is the Taiwanese word for camisole. It literally translates to "small cute [thing]" so I was confused the first time I heard it because in  my mind a lot of things can be "小可愛!" The mainland Chinese word is 吊帶背心 (literal translation: vest/sleeveless shirt with straps) which makes a lot more sense but I suppose isn't as catchy.

Anyway, my mom came back from Taiwan recently and bought me a couple of things ^___^

I asked for this organizer because I kept on accidentally leaving stuff I needed when I switched between bags. It's the perfect size to put in the white bow bag I bought from them earlier this year. Haven't put anything in it yet, but it has lots of differently sized pockets.

PG Beauty Polka-dot Purse Organizer, 99 元

Window Shopping - Modcloth

Still on a shopping moratorium, but that doesn't mean I can't window shop!

I love window shopping at Modcloth. Their stuff is a bit pricey, though. I've been looking at these three tins for weeks but don't know if I'll ever be able to justify paying nearly $50 for some pretty containers...

Contain Your Excitement Canisters in Coffee, Sugar, and Tea. $14.99 each at Modcloth.

When I was little I wanted to be the person who came up with color and product names for cosmetics or clothing, but I don't think I could be half as clever as whoever does product naming for Modcloth...
Love: a-line, sweetheart necklines, blue and pink, tiny dots, floral and fruit prints.

Blueberry Buckle Dress, Cottage Tea Party Dress, Cute Clipper Dress

Koi to the World Dress, Little Blue Peep Dress, Primrose Picnic Dress

Pull up a Cherry Dress, Traveling Cupcake Truck Dress, You Are Cherry Welcome Dress

Ray July 2012 - 18 Items, 30 Coordinates

Larger images, online lookalikes, and all 30 coordinates after the cut.

Recent Consumerism

I haven't been dressing up lately so I haven't had much reason to post, and even if I had, I wouldn't be able to share photos because I forgot to bring my camera cable with me >_<

Reasons I've been a slob (T-shirt, jeans/shorts, sneakers) lately (in tiny text because it's kind of whiny)
When summer started, I was super lazy and wore pajamas all day. Okay, this one is totally my fault.
My eyes somehow became sensitive to my contacts, so if I wear my contacts my eyes get red (especially my left eye), but if I wear glasses for a couple of days they go back to normal. No pain/itchiness/irritation. I threw away my old contacts and tried a fresh pair on Monday (eyes had been totally clear for ~3 days), and everything seemed okay for the rest of the day and on Tuesday, but on Wednesday morning my left eye was red again. So I'll be wearing glasses for the foreseeable (ha) future, and I don't like the way I look with glasses, so I don't feel like dressing nicely. 
I have tendinitis in my feet and have to wear supportive shoes, preferably sneakers with an orthotic insert. Usually I can get away with wearing other shoes for a few hours if I put in arch supports (and am willing to have my feet hurt for a couple of days after) but recently it's been pretty bad - my feet hurt even after walking in the sandals for too long. So it's sneakers, all day, every day.
I work in a neuroscience lab and have to wear pants and closed-toe shoes. 
It's super hot and humid here, so my hair frizzes as soon as I walk out the door.

But even when I don't dress up, I still like pretty things...so here's the results of my recent consumerism/bargain-hunting.

Wearing Kids' Clothes - Target Edition

Every so often there's an article about adults buying children's clothes for themselves, usually because it's cheaper or because they like the style. Probably the most well-known article is "Cool, Condensed" (New York Times, 2011), which focuses on adult interest in Gap Kids following its Stella McCartney collaboration.

A lot of petite bloggers (like Jen of From Head to Toe and Xiaxue) mention wearing clothes from, for example, J. Crew's Crewcuts line, or Abercrombie Kids. My mom is very petite (5'2" and ~95lb) so she occasionally wears girls' jeans (she has a pair that I wore in 6th grade), but I always figured I was too big to wear kids' clothes (5'4.5" and ~135lb), so I never looked seriously. But today at Target I found this dress on sale for $13 and fell in love with it:

Cherokee Girls Eyelet Dress - White

Cute detail - the straps are lined with pink seersucker material. The back is totally shirred, and the straps (which are crossed in the back by default) are attached in the back by buttons, so I was able to uncross them - and then it fit perfectly! I was so happy, especially since I just donated my last white sundress (from J. Crew) because I bought it when I was about 10lb heavier and it's too big for me now...

I'm kind of tempted to buy the same dress in navy. The seersucker dresses are pretty cute, too, and they have the same button straps and shirred back. Too bad they're all sold out online/ my local store...

Cherokee Girls Eyelet Dress - Navy, Cherokee Girls Lawn Dress - Pink, Blue

I grew up wearing Target's Cherokee line, so it's pretty funny to me that I can still wear (some of) their clothes - and that I still like them!

I wouldn't recommend buying kids' clothes online because the proportions tend to be different, but I think I'll start looking through the kids' section whenever I shop in-store.

Do you wear kids' clothes? Would you?

Where to Buy China/HK/TW YesStyle Brands

Since for some reason a lot of people have contacted me regarding various brands or websites with which I am not familiar, I created a page with information regarding YesStyle brands based in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Everything I know about these brands is on that page, and it took probably ~15 hours to track down all that information.

I cannot read Korean or Japanese and am probably not the best person to ask regarding brands or webshops originating in these countries, so please do not ask me where to find those brands.

Sorry for the super-lame post.

PG Mall/ PG Beauty Review

Established in 2003, PG Beauty is a popular Taiwanese handbag/accessory brand.
They have their own online shop, PG Mall, as well as a Yahoo Taiwan storefront and TaoBao storefront. Their goods are also sold on YesStyle (marked up significantly, as usual).

Overview, timeline, reviews, and price comparison with YesStyle after the jump! You can also check out how to order from PG Mall/ PG Beauty here.

How to Order from PG Mall/ PG Beauty

PG Mall is the webstore for the brand PG Beauty/PG 美人網, a popular Taiwanese brand that produces handbags and accessories. You might have encountered it on YesStyle or TaoBao (or Yahoo Taiwan), but they actually do accommodate overseas buyers, so you don't need to go through a middleman.

Prices are pretty reasonable, mostly in the 200-400NT range. They seem to release new styles pretty often.

If you can read Chinese, they have instructions for overseas buyers here. If not, don't worry! That's what this guide is for.

Warning: image-heavy!
Note: click to enlarge all images.

Nail UP! May 2012

After keeping my nails short for years for practical purposes, I started growing them out freshman year of college - but for the last few months they've been breaking/peeling and I don't know why! I started using Sally Hansen "Hard as Wraps" base coat, and that seems to help, so I'm growing them out again now.

The school year is ending soon, so tests/papers/finals/projects are all piling up, but I definitely want to start painting my nails again. May's Nail UP! has a ton of gorgeous ideas:

Collections:
- World Map: Paris, LA, Hawaii, London, Bulgaria, Bali, Spain, Brazil
- Jewel Box: Emerald, Pink Diamond, Ruby, Pearl, Sapphire, Amethyst, Diamond, Turquoise
- Favorite Characters: Disney, Sanrio, animals, etc.
- Private Nail
- Fall in Love

Order Nail Selection: Pink, Nude, Pastel, French, Wedding, Gel

Bonus: Spring Pedicure

Warning: image-heavy!

Jewelmint Review

So I didn't check my mail for a few days, and this is what I found today:
Jewelmint, Hollister, geocolouredlenses.com, and eBay packages!

I've heard a lot about Jewelmint, but most of it is from aggressive advertising - actual reviews seem to be pretty mixed. Personally, I rarely pay $30 for jewelry, and definitely not for costume jewelry, so I wasn't about to commit to paying $30 for jewelry every month!

But I caved and bought one piece - just one.

Mini Beauty Haul

Caved and bought some Dolly Wink Lashes off eBay, along with a case. Total was $40.49 - I know you can get them cheaper from SaSa, but I had $16.09 in eBay bucks so I only paid $24.40, and I was happy to have tracked shipping from the US (California).

Picked up some flat iron spray at the supermarket because there was a coupon for $2 off, and I need some help managing my short(er) hair. Also got a plain matte brown eyeshadow for contouring/filling in brows/actually using as an eyeshadow, with a $1 off coupon.

Left: Organix Brazilian Keratin Therapy Flat Iron Spray, Maybelline Expertwear Eyeshadow Singles in Nutmeg

Right: Dolly Wink No. 1 (Dolly Sweet) and No. 13 (Baby Girl), Dolly Wink Eyelash Case

I want to try out the lashes, but I don't have any reason to - next few weeks are filled with papers/exams >_< although I did put them up to my eye just to see, and the edges seem a bit poky to me...

Outfit 04/08/12 - Easter Sunday

What I wore today:

Dress: Liz Lisa

Shrug: a.n.a.

Shoes: Journee Collections

Socks: Rinka Collections

Bag: B.D.G.

Necklace: Swarovski cross, gift from my mom's friend

Went to church for the first time in a while. We (the college fellowship I attend) were supposed to wear pastels for a group photo, but I don't own any pastels >_<

I didn't get a chance to take an outfit shot until after church, so my hair was kinda bleh. But the photo on the top right was taken before I went to church, so it looks okay then. 

This ankle-sock-and-loafer-pump looks is growing on me...I need to get an actual pair of ankle socks. 

Accidental Haircut

So...a couple of days ago I got pretty frustrated with my split ends/fried hair (the bottom part has been dyed 4 times) so I started trimming the damaged part. and kept trimming. and trimming. and then I looked in the mirror and realized how much hair I had really cut off! aargh. so much for trying to grow it out.

Before and after:

My hair hasn't been this short for years. Because it's naturally curly, the ends flip out all over the place, even if I flatiron them >__< I don't know what to do with hair this length! TIME TO INVEST IN A WIG. ;__; 

I texted K right after I cut it and was freaking out...turns out he couldn't even tell I had cut it =__=; which...ehh I don't know if it makes me feel better or worse haha.

I think I'm done with lightening my hair for now...I'll probably dye it back to black in a few weeks/months when the roots become obvious.

Betsey Johnson Serenn Platforms - Lita Lookalikes

Who doesn't like Litas? Yeah, they're kind of becoming a cliché, but admit it - they're pretty cute.

Jeffrey Campbell Lita Platform Boot in Slate Suede, currently $162 at NastyGal.

I'm not the kind of person to spend that much money on shoes, though, so I've been looking around for an alternative and came up with these:

 

Betsey Johnson Serenn Platforms in Gray Suede, currently $29.99 at Street Moda (MSRP $160)

I've never bought anything from Street Moda before, so I was a little apprehensive - the rather eclectic brand collection seemed a bit strange, but they have an A+ ranking from the BBB and a quick Google search turned up a good amount of positive reviews, so I gave it a shot.

Outfit 03/28/12 - Hello, Heidi!

What I wore today:

Blouse: Mossimo (Target)

Salopette: Ank Rouge

Safety shorts: 五分埔 (Wufenpu, wholesale garment district of Taipei)

Shoes: Journee Collection

Socks: Forever21

Necklace: gift from my brother's girlfriend

Awkward hands are awkward.

K was sick today, and when I stopped by to see him, he said, “Hello, Heidi!” Funny thing is, my parents almost named me Heidi…I’m glad they didn’t, though.

I don't own any ankle socks but wanted to try out the trend, so I folded up a pair of knee socks! It works pretty well I think (looks a little chunky up close, but not too bad). This is the first time I wore these shoes, I think, even though I bought them about half a year ago - never had the right outfit for them.

Outfit 03/26/12

What I wore today:

Tank top: Wholesale7
Cardigan: 59 Seconds
Skirt: Tralala
Boots: Colin Stuart
Bow: my mom's from when she was in college ~30 years ago

Didn't really go anywhere in this, just one class and then the health center to get a TB test done. It's starting to get hot here and the boots trap heat. I think this might have looked better with fishnets but I'm not too comfortable wearing those around school.

Wearing clip-in bangs. A little shiny, but not terrible.

Popteen April 2012 - Capsule Wardrobes x 5

April's Popteen has Tsubasa Masukawa on the cover, promoting her new singing career as "Milky Bunny." I have to say, I thought she would be one of those annoying squeaky-voiced can't-sing-ers, but her voice is actually pretty strong.

Anyway, that's not the point of this post ^^; I really like the "capsule wardrobe" articles, where 15-20 items are chosen and put into various combinations to create lots of unique outfits, and the April issue features wardrobes by 5 different Popteen models, each using 17 items to come up with 14 outfits.

Collection 1: くみっきー (Kumicky)
Collection 2: みずきてぃ (Mizukitty)
Collection 3: まりも (Marimo)
Collection 4: おかりえ (Okarie)
Collection 5: ぴかり (Pikari)

WanBoo (Rakuten Thrift Store)/Tenso (Forwarding Service) Review

I made made my first purchase from Rakuten recently, taking advantage of their ¥1000 shipping promotion with Tenso.

Overall, I'm really happy with Tenso's service, and I would definitely use them again. I was also very happy with the quality and price of the clothing I bought from Wanboo, a thrift store with a Rakuten storefront.

Ray April 2012 - 10 Clothing Items for Spring

Ray is probably my favorite fashion magazine - everything always looks so wearable. April's Ray has a special on 100 looks focused on 10 big clothing items for spring (with 10 looks based on each item):

1. Yurutero Jacket
2. Color Bottom
3. Tulle Skirt
4. Flower-print One-Piece
5. White Knit Outer
6. Bicolor Tops
7. Loose Knit
8. Happy Print
9. Gingham Check
10. Bijoux Tops

Innocent World 10th Anniversary Skirt (Pink)

Bought my first lolita brand item - Innocent World's 10th Anniversary Skirt in pink.

How to Order from Tokyo Fashion

Notice 12/2015: I have not purchased from Tokyo Fashion since this was originally written and do not intend to do so in the future. Their website has since changed and I am unfamiliar with current procedures. As such, I am unable to answer email inquiries regarding the ordering process. This post will be left up only as a reference in case it is helpful.

Click here for updated tutorial

Tokyo Fashion (東京著衣) is a popular Taiwanese brand founded by Mayuki Zhou in 2005. Along with its sister brands Mayuki and YOCO, Tokyo Fashion is one of the top Taiwanese webstores, and they have consistently good quality. Their styles often get copied by Chinese wholesalers, unfortunately, but if you want the real thing you can buy directly from them - they ship internationally, and the price works out to about the same as a wholesale site anyway.

You have to sign up with their system to order, but then you actually order by email. Even though they do have instructions on their site, only the general instructions are in English, and I thought that non-Chinese-speakers might have some difficulty navigating, so I made a quick guide.

Part I: Signing Up

Part II: Shopping

Part III: Placing an Order

Warning: image heavy! Click on the images to expand.

Please feel free to make suggestions for improving this guide! I am constantly revising it to help provide the most updated information.

Comments have been closed because most of them are questions about things that have already been explained. If you have any questions or suggestions, please email me.

Last revision: August 23, 2012

Tokyo Fashion Review

I made my first online purchase directly from Tokyo Fashion on February 7, 2012. I've bought their clothes from YesStyle before, as well as the now-defunct angiehearts.net. I love the styles, quality, and price of their clothes - but the YesStyle markup is ridiculous, and most of the other places using Tokyo Fashion stock photos are really selling cheap replicas...for about the same price as the originals. Tokyo Fashion has two slightly-more-upscale sister brands, Mayuki and YOCO, but all are sold in the same webstore.

Tokyo Fashion is Taipei-based, and their clothes are manufactured in Hong Kong.

Minimum international order at Tokyo Fashion is supposedly 15 pieces according to their overseas instructions, but readers have told me that they've gotten away with fewer items, and at least one person was told by Tokyo Fashion that the actual minimum is 5 items. In any case, if you're a few items short you can easily add some light, cheap items to reach the item minimum without inflating your shipping cost too much (shipping is pretty expensive, as they only ship EMS).

Read on for an overview, timeline, reviews, and a price comparison with YesStyle.

Outfit 03/10/12

New blog, first post. I used to keep track of what I wore, but found that limiting and so stopped. This will be a loose collection of (mostly) fashion/beauty-related stuff, none of it serious or high fashion (hence the name "I am not high fashion" - I'm really not at all, and not interested in it).

What I wore today: