Comfort update - so how are those shoes holding up? Bodyline 251 and An*Tai*Na 9988b

^^ This is a 4/6 months update on the comfort and durability of the shoes I bought in the autumn 2013 ^^
An*Tai*Na 9988B
Bodyline 251

An*Tai*Na 9988B

Original Review post <<Click link :)

Received: November 2013

Review date: March 2014

Frequency of wear: (Approx.) I've used these shoes every other weekend (alternating) so, perhaps 8 times per shoe-pair during the past 4 months.

Storage: Original carton shoe box in my wardrobe. I handle them gently, and they are stored in separate plastic bags, as not to touch each other.

Total wear after approx 4 months:

Coords

Cherry coord :)

Classic Velveteen

There is an optical illusion on the picture to the right! XD

The inside of the shoes is white, and paired up with the white lace stockings - this makes my feet look weird XD

May be good to think about, if you take photos with these shoes- white socks may create this illusion.

So what is my final verdict? :D

An*Tai*Na 9988B shoes

4 months update: Still 5/5 Hazelbelle nuts! :D

These shoes are amazing! It is so easy to make beautiful coords with them and they really make my outfits :)

I can't believe how comfortable they are, even with the heel. I wear them for hours all day long and I have NEVER had sore feet! :D And that says a lot, usually I get sore feet immediately when wearing high heel shoes. The shoes do get a little bit warm, as they are not made in leather. But I actually do not mind because the design is so aaammmaaazing :3

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Bodyline 251

Original Review post <<Click link :)

Received: August 2013

Review date: March 2014

Frequency of wear: (Approx.) I've used these shoes twice a month, perhaps 12 times during the past 6 months.

Storage: IKEA polyester shoe box (SKUBB) in my wardrobe.

Total wear after approx. 6 months:

A few coords...

Wine, grey and brown :)

Brown x White

So what is my final verdict? :D

Bodyline 251 shoes

6 months update: Raising the grade to 5/5 (from 4/5) Hazelbelle nuts! :D
I must say, these shoes are very comfortable. I have actually walked at least 100 km in them in total (often 8 km in a day!) (In Sweden we rely on walking and on public transportation to get around ;)

The PU is of very high quality and is also durable. They are also very water resistant and can tolerate the harsh weather of the Swedish winter

I do, however, find them more difficult to coord than the 9988B. Design-wise, they are not really super low sweet tea parties, and the lack of heel can make the longer classical skirts look a bit off. But, as I mentioned, they are amazingly comfortable and it's really simple to walk 10 km in them without sore feet.

I rated these shoes 4/5 in august, but I simply must raise the grade to 5/5 :)

The only set-back is the design. When I bought these shoes, I was very new to Lolita and knew little about how much slight details can alter the complex "feeling" of an entire coord. These BL shoes have a more chunky and "upward" round toe, compared to Sweet Tea Parties, which might make your legs look a bit off under a classic skirt with less poof. So I'm rather careful what kind of skirts that I can coord with these shoes. I do believe the design is a bit more "clumsy" and "chunky". I might actually put these up for sales and buy more An*Tai*Na 9988B models in various colours instead!

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Coming up! My next coord :D

My next coord with the An*Tai*Na 9988B gold shoes will be with +Krad Lanrete+ Lost in Sea Aqua OP themed up with my gold vintage leather handbag. ^^

<3 Hope this post is helpful for you! <3

BIG HUGS! /Mary

An*Tai*Na Lolita shoes REVIEW! Antaina, Taobao shop :) Review model 9988B - tips and sizes!

Taobao shop and shoe factory An*Tai*Na makes Lolita shoes in every possible model and colour you could ever dream of!

They also create great cosplay, punk and other alternative fashion style shoes.

The prices are amazing - even including long distance shipping.

This is my review of my order from An*Tai*Na.

International orders are handled through email with the manager, missyoyo0510@gmail.com

I first browsed through Antainas Taobao site and settled for two pairs of low-heeled Lolita shoes, in gold and red. Model "9988B".

The model is inspired by Baby the Stars Shine Bright "Antique Ribbon Shoes" (<3 thanks to Lolita Fashion Mentor Shannon for info <3) but they are an original An*Tai*Na design, so don't worry about wearing a replica! :)

Miss Yoyo communicates in good English and is very helpful and friendly from start!

She is very concerned that you should order the right size in shoes straight away, and emailed me this picture as to how I should measure my foot:

It wasn't all that easy to measure my foot! I ended up getting different measurements all the time, but luckily I had purchased a pair of (wrong sized) 9988B before in Chinese size 42. 

My Bodyline shoe size is 255, and the 9988Bs in CH sz 42 are 265.

I would use Bodylines shoe size conversion chart to help choose the right shoe size, if you have trouble measuring. 

It's not as complicated as it looks! I.e. I have EU40 (European shoe size 40) that translates into Japanese size "M" 25.5 = 254 mm. M and W stand for Medium or Wide girth, how broad your foot is.

I emailed back and forth to Miss Yoyo, 'cause she insisted me to order a larger size than I thought would be good for me. She was very friendly even through all my insecurity how to make the right measurements, and when I decided to choose Chinese size 41 (25.5 cm shoe inner length), she was quick to make the final order for me!

It seems that the orders are made especially for you. My final email reached Miss Yoyo the 30th October, and she let me know that the factory needed 7-10 work days to complete the products.

Hi Maria,

Please browse the final order by following details:

Model 9988B:

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.3.w1017-2293476668.37.0GAfuU&id=19245710680&

Color: one in gold and one in burgundy matt, please browse attached 2 photos,

Size: 41 (25.5cm shoes inner length),

USD 32/pair, total USD 64,

Shipping by register airmail to Sweden, USD 37.55, transit time: 12 to 20 working days (please attention: risk of lost parcels by post office system is around 1/100)

Paypal trade fee: USD 4.02

Order total amount: USD 105.57

Delivery plan: we need 7 to 10 days to finish your products,

Please advise parcel address and TEL NO., thank u,

We will send a new payment request within today, please attention it, thank u,

Greetings,

Yoyo

The communication was very clear indeed, Miss Yoyo sent attached photos on the products I wished to buy, as well as the internet link to strictly confirm that there was no misunderstanding when making the order! ^^

Now that is excellent customer service! :D

These are the shoes I ordered.

Price: 32 USD/ pair

Shipping: 37.55 USD

Paypal fee: 4.02

Order total amount: 105.57 USD = 689 SEK (ca 345 SEK per shoe! :)

The shoes where shipped from China (I got a tracking code :) 8th of November and I received the parcel 3 weeks later, the 25th of November.

 The outside of the parcel, plastic bag and brown packing tape.

 Two individually plastic wrapped shoe boxes.

An*tai*na*

 Handwritten colour, code and sizes are accurate!

The shoes are in one plastic bag together (I would have preferred that they are individually wrapped up in one small plastic bag each, so they don't touch each other, but the shoes looks perfect anyway! :)

 One big plastic bag for the shoes.

 Wiii! They are so pretty :D
On this photo, the far left red bow seems to be off-centred, but it is not.
The bows have some degree of moving freedom,
but when I checked they are attached properly and it is easy to centre the bow.
The bows do not deviate from the centre, when I wear the shoes either.

Logo in shoes

Waiting for my next coord ^^

I love these shoes - they make me so happy! :D

The details of the shoes are lovely. You can tell that they have put a lot of design into these shoes - The lace trim, the straps, the heart clasps and the bows!
I also love that the red shoes have dark brown wooden heels and that the gold shoes have lighter brown wooden heels - this makes them harmonise better colour-wise.

They are really comfortable as well and they fit my feet perfectly (probably thanks to Miss Yoyos thoroughness with sizing!).
I can't wait to get them in beige, brown and navy as well (:

REVIEW UPDATE  (1 March 2014) >>>
Over the past 3 months I've been wearing these shoes for several occasions.
They are amazingly comfortable, I've been wearing them for several hours at meet-ups, without feeling sore.
I'm definitely going to get them in more colour ways!

Review:

Did the items match the pictures on Taobao? 5/5 Absolutely!

Where the items of good quality? 5/5 Very good quality, great details.

How was the sellers communication? 5/5 plus stars for being thorough with sizing! :)

Cost versus quality? 5/5 Absolutely affordable!

New (3 months review update) > Comfortable? 5/5 Very comfortable, the heel height makes them gorgeous yet still easy to walk in. 

I'm giving An*tai*na model 9988B 5 out of 5 Hazelbelle nuts! :D

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Hugz/ Mary Hazelbelle

Bodyline shoes 251 REVIEW

From Bodyline I ordered these sweet shoes, SHOES251 in brw (Brown).

I payed 40 USD + 10 USD for shipping. (350 SEK).

I have shoe size EU 40 (UK 6) and I ordered size 255, which fitted perfectly.

Lolita Memes in English

Trying to figure out which shoes size you have is kind of tricky: I used the following converter.

Bodyline has two shipping methods to choose from, and the flat rate USD 10 "Air Fee" is the most economic choice. I ordered the shoes August the 12th and received the shoes August the 29th (17 days shipping approx.)

They were delivered in a sturdy shoe box, individually wrapped in silk paper.

The bows are lovely and none detachable.

The straps are adjustable and have a great quick-pop construction:

So cute on!

The final test was a day out on town! :D

I am really not fond of PU shoes (I prefer real leather), but I must say, that even though these shoes never can be as breathing and "walk on air" as true leather shoes can be - they are VERY comfortable!

I think it has to do with the rounded toe front, they really fit my feet perfectly. 

(And of course, the fact that they are flats ;)

I used a step counter and I walked more than 10 000 steps (ca 8 km/ 5 miles) in these shoes over a day.

This is what the soles looked like after a day:

And here are the shoes after a day on town!

Some barely noticeable specs of dust, but no real signs of wear! :)

These are amazing Lolita shoes! They are comfortable, durable and really pretty.

There is only one thing that I can complain about: The PU looks really plastic.

My shoe-snob friend (who preferably would spend his days in John Lobbs) looked at the shoes and stated right away "the material looks awful"... 

I'm not quite as snobbish as he, and I love the design of the shoes, so I'm absolutely forgiving to the man-made material. But I'm not going to give the shoes the top Hazelbelle Nuts reward, since I want to save the 5/5 to shoes that breathe.

Even do I didn't get as sweaty feet as I first imagined, PU has a long way to go before I'd call it breathable.

So, these shoes receive 4 out of 5 Hazelbelle nuts! :)

>>>REVIEW UPDATE! So, I have been wearing these shoes at several occasions the past 6 months and they hardly have any scuffing! The outer material is very durable. The comfort is absolutely fantastic 5/5! I've actually walked 8 km in these shoes once (in town) and after a days walk, they still are very comfortable.
I do however find them rather difficult to coord, due to how they balance the skirts - for some skirts, these shoes doesn't flatter my legs. Sometimes I wish I bought Tea Parties instead.

(Would have got 5/5 if they were made of leather!)

Review:

Did the items match the pictures on Bodyline? 5/5 Absolutely! But the quick snaps for the straps was actually a surprise, but a positive one :).

Where the items of good quality? 5/5 Very good quality, durable - no signs of wear after a long day!

How was the sellers communication? 5/5 Very good, shipping was traceable.

Cost versus quality? 4/5 Very good value for your money!

>>>6 months update: Comfort and durability? 5/5 Very good! However they are a bit difficult to coord. I sometimes wish I bought Tea Parties instead.

I highly recommend these shoes :) to everyone!

The guide to comfortable Lolita shoes

This is an image heavy post :) Hope you like it! Please feel free to comment :)

This guide is divided in to three sections:
>A debate about the lack of real leather in Lollie shoes<
*Comfort tips for any new Lolita shoe!*
#Real leather Lolita shoe tips with pictures and links to online shops#

So many pretty shoes!
Yet all of them are made of plastic...

>I've been thinking about Lolita shoes lately<

My friend is a true shoe nerd. He would never-ever buy anything in PU leather, yet alone in low quality leather - thin leather that scratches easily. His dream shoes are handmade by real shoemakers, such as John Lobb.

Lolita's are all about high quality, fancy brand dresses that sell for 2500 SEK, high quality lace that doesn't scratch your skin, handmade bows, accessories etc etc...

So why does the Lolita society succumb to PU leather? Why are the plastic fantastic shoes so popular?

I guess the answer to the question is simple: There are no high quality real leather Lolita marketed shoes out there! And even though there are a few Lolita's that wear the fashion everyday, most Lolita´s simply only wear their shoes for a day or two, when dressing up.

90s Chunky Leather Heels

The Lolita shoe style with the rounded toe and the clumsy heel, was a mainstream fashion of the 90's, and the retro mainstream fashionistas have not yet flicked the eyes toward the thick, chunky heels... (YET. Give it a few years and you'll see Lolita style shoes and boots everywhere ;)

A lot of lifestyle Lolita's do think that the PU shoes are comfortable and wear them a lot. But, as often as I hear praise for the PU, I hear girls (and boys) moan and complain about blisters, the lack of breathing from the shoes material and general dissatisfaction.

Honey Cross Shoes

I do find the lack of real leather (which for me stands for high quality) in Lolita shoes rather odd. And that even brand shoes are sold in PU? (I've seen some with leather lining, however - but still!) That's just plain strange and it seems very overpriced for a piece of plastic.
There should at least be a choice! 

But as I ventured online shops I did notice how difficult it is to find good shoes, in real leather, in pastel colours. White is common, as is various shades of brown, red and black - but the baby pastels are rare (except at modcloth)!
Please post if you find real leather Lolita shoes in pastels online!

The Classic or Gothic Lolita seems to have a wither range of choices than the Sweet Lolita.

*The key to all comfortable shoes are the following:*
1) That they fit your feet! Lolita shoes are often made for Asian feet - short and wide, while many European/ American girls have long, slender feet. And if you are inbetween sizes, always choose the bigger size ^^ - over a day your feet will swell up slightly, because standing up causes blood to gather in your feet.

2) That the sole is thick enough! Cheap shoes sometimes have very thin soles, making you feel every sharp stone as you walk down to the meet-up... A thin sole can be compensated by a separate inner sole; but then you must buy a bigger size shoe to fit the sole!

3) Mary Janes are the best! (And the most beautiful and classic style for Lolita) Open shoes, such as ballerinas without straps or high heels without a front are devastating to walk in, because your foot doesn't necessarily stay put in the shoe ;) Especially if you have heels, you automatically involuntarily cramp with your toes not to drop your shoes with every step! This leads of course to stressed feet muscles and PAAAAAIN... o___O

Think about it, try out your shoes at home :) Adding some extra straps to your open shoes or an extra insole to your thin-soled shoes is a great way to add comfort!

If you have a pair of shoes that you know that you get blisters from (or if it is the first time you wear a pair of shoes), save yourself a lot of pain by just prepping your feet with extra plasters at home!

Ballet dancers know how to prep their feet!

The key to find real leather Lolita shoes online are the search words, use "genuine leather", "real leather" and "100% leather". When you come by a nice shoe that you like, look for "leather upper", "leather insole" etc. Man-made, PU, "Japanned leather", "patent leather" and "other materials" are words for plastic - that's all right for the shoes outer sole. (Leather soles are difficult to wear! You can for example not wear leather soles on a rainy day (they get ruined!), and they are very slippery to walk in - this is therefore common in dance shoes, because you only wear them inside.)

A textile lining is also all right for leather shoes because the textil + leather combo breathes nicely.

Secret Shops popular bootleg of Baby's Tea Party Shoes

The common aesthetics for a Lolita shoe is such:

1) Round, closed toe

2) Low, flat or chunky heels

3) Decorative ornaments such as bows, lace, straps, string etc.

Essentially the toddler/baby shoe Mary Jane is the model for Lolita aesthetics:

Silk baby shoes

If you have smaller sized feet I guess you always could rumble the children's section, but for the rest of us...
I've made a small online guide.
Don't forget that taxes and postage may be added to the price!

First of all - you'll need clip-on bows to get the right Lolita aesthetics :). Clip-on bows are a great way of getting the most out of your shoe! You can easily change colours to match your outfit, or even mood :).

Classic Lolitas doesn't have to add bows, but they still might want too...

You can buy them online, reuse one from a dress you bought or create your own.

Generally it is smart if the clip is vertical to the bow, to fasten the bow properly on the shoe.

But the T-bar shoes are great, 'cause it's simple to attach an ordinary hair bow to the bar.

Clip on Baby bow tie

I generally prefer a bow with a good clasp on the back, they seem to be the most sturdy.
If you prefer something more permanent, you can just stick the bows or whatever on to your shoe with a glue gun!

Clip-on Shoe ribbon with clasp from Monki

All of the below real leather Lolita-wannabe shoes stay in an affordable midrange price (from 50 USD/ 327 SEK/ £32 to ca 200 USD/ 1300 SEK/ £129), so everyone has the ability to buy one pair of good Lolita shoes!

Joy and Merriment Flat in Café 57.99 USD

#1) Indie brands!
Check out Etsy, Ebay, Aliexpress, small boutiques, up and coming designers :D

Etsy

Genuine Leather Lolita Shoes from Aliexpress

#2) Jeffrey Campbell
Well known amongst fashionistas for making fabulous shoes that you can actually walk in, Jeffrey Campbell has something for every Lolita!

Carmilla Boot 203.99 USD

Life of the party planner 159.99 USD

Principal dancer flat 114.99 USD

Amuse Mint Park Flat 139.99 USD

Cherry Jam Heels 159.99 USD

Jeffrey Campbell Refresher Course Flat 106.99 USD

Delightful droplets Cherry Wedge 124.99 USD

#3) Irregular Choice
Irregular choice makes comfortable and fun shoes in great styles!

http://www.irregularchoice.com/

#3) Modcloth
Shoes, retro and vintage! They have a huge selection of every different kind of vintage items.
And they even have pastel flats! :D

Stroll in time heel 186.99 USD

Delightful Footsteps 89.99 USD

Brocade for each other Heel 76.99 USD

Out in the open house Flats 109.99 USD

Home made Ice Cream flat in mint 37.99 USD

Plie Date Flat 114.99 USD

Stylish step in rose 69.99 USD

Parade my day heels 187.99 USD

Bow N Places 134.99 USD

Gift-wrapped perfection heel 89.99 USD

#4) Hush Puppies

Hush Puppies Lolita pump bow £65

Hush puppies are very comfortable shoes, and they have loads of beautiful models for a Lolita. Most shoes come with a little heel, but they have many flats as well. These shoes are truly made for walking and standing all day long!

But, unfortunately I did see that a LOT of the Hush Puppies shoes have a wooden heel, which may or may not coordinate with your outfit...

Hush Puppies Lonna £65 - Add a bow! Or two! :D

#5) Ecco
Ecco has flats and low heels in leather that are very comfortable. Besides red, brown and black they have some odd yellow, green and blue hues.

Ecco Sculptured 1000 SEK/ £98 - TIP! Change the shoe lace to a beautiful satin ribbon :D

Ecco Pawi 1200 SEK/ £118 - something for the Classic Lolita

#6) Dansko
Although they originally are a clog-company, they have lately made lighter and sweeter shoes.

#7) Clarks

Mostly boring mainstream shoes, but they occasionally have a good Mary Jane for Lollies.

Teal Suede Mary Jane

#8) Dr Martens

Don't think that Dr Martens are all clumsy boots! They have very comfortable Mary Janes, mostly black or muted colour schemes, but keep your fingers crossed that they will release more!

Dr Martens Mariel Shoe £90

And here are some high end brands to dream for!

Little Bunny Shoes 249.99 USD

205 Euro - Repetto Mary Jane Lio

Something for the EGL or Aristocrat :)

Miu Miu

Miu Miu - 590 USD