like presents under a tree

Busy doing spring cleaning - getting rid of things I don't need, and organizing the things I'll be bringing for school in the fall. Picked up a matched set of pretty paper boxes at Michael's - usually they're pretty pricey, but this week they were on sale for 40% off, so the total was less than $15 including tax.

So pretty - like packages under the Christmas tree! Just looking at them makes me happy.

eShakti Review

Haven't posted in a long time - went through some personal stuff and lost interest in beauty/fashion for a while.

I lost some weight over the last year, and while I've generally enjoyed buying new clothes (or finding that old ones now fit again), I still have problems finding dresses and shirts that fit well because my shoulders/chest are a couple of sizes bigger than my waist/hips. I considered having clothes custom-made to fit me, and even signed up for an account on eShakti a while ago, but the dress I had chosen went out of stock and I sort of forgot about it. But back in February they emailed me asking if I'd like a sample dress to try, custom-sizing included, so I picked a dress - and here it is!

I picked the contrast trim poplin dress and had it custom-sized to my measurements, as well as shortening it to above-the-knee.

eShakti Contrast Trim Poplin Dress in Navy/Off-White, $69.95

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...