There is a really big Bodyline shop located in Osaka. It is right in the main shopping street (nearby the Disney Store), so it is hard to miss.
As per usual there is a neurotic Disney remix playing in the background. As this store is pretty big, with 2 floors, they sell almost all the items Bodyline advertises online. The ground floor holds the "normal" items, like socks, shoes, blouses, and wigs. The second floor holds the lolita dresses, cosplay suits, etc.
When I gave the blouses a closer inspection I found some really nice ones hanging between the awful pieces. There was one slight problem, the blouses I picked out were a size M, and I wasn't sure if that would fit me. At the Bodyline stores you are not allowed to try things on (while in the Tokyo store you are allowed to try shoes on), and there is a no returns rule, so I wasn't sure what to do. However, one of the shop girls (I'm really sorry for them seeing as what kind of crazy outfits they have to wear) told me the second blouse was half price, so I caved in and bought 2 blouses, plus a pair of shoes. The blouses turned out to fit perfectly, so I later returned to buy some more.
dinsdag 28 oktober 2014
Metamorphose Osaka
The Metamorphose Osaka store is hidden away really well. To find it you have to pass an alley past a few other shops and then take a small stair down. But searching for this store is well worth it.
Upon entering the shop I was greeted very friendly by two shop girls, of whom one was really energetic. I was looking around the shop when I noticed the Princess Wardrobe Pinafore JSK Set. The energetic shop girl quickly came to explain the different sets (mostly in Japanese so I just smiled at her most of the times). She showed me the different cuts and colors, and when I tried to ask if it would fit my size she happily noted that I was allowed to try it on (I did not know you could try special sets on). I had picked out the ivory pinafore set, and everything fitted great, so I bought it. As I was used to by now the shop staff escorted me to the store exit with my purchase.
Upon entering the shop I was greeted very friendly by two shop girls, of whom one was really energetic. I was looking around the shop when I noticed the Princess Wardrobe Pinafore JSK Set. The energetic shop girl quickly came to explain the different sets (mostly in Japanese so I just smiled at her most of the times). She showed me the different cuts and colors, and when I tried to ask if it would fit my size she happily noted that I was allowed to try it on (I did not know you could try special sets on). I had picked out the ivory pinafore set, and everything fitted great, so I bought it. As I was used to by now the shop staff escorted me to the store exit with my purchase.
Kera shop Osaka
This will be a bit of a short post, as I wasn't that impressed with the Kera shop.
The Osaka Kera shop was pretty small, with only half of the shop dedicated to lolita. The shop was pretty crowded and with the small walkways between the clothes it was sometimes a bit hard to move around in the store. Most of the brands here I had never heard of, and I'm not really sure if that was because they are just plain not well known brands, or just not popular overseas. I had come to the Kera shop in hopes of buying some Triple Fortune items, but I couldn't find anything by this brand.
I did buy 2 GLBs, one being the new issue (it felt so nice to finally have a chance to read a GLB while it is still was current).
The Osaka Kera shop was pretty small, with only half of the shop dedicated to lolita. The shop was pretty crowded and with the small walkways between the clothes it was sometimes a bit hard to move around in the store. Most of the brands here I had never heard of, and I'm not really sure if that was because they are just plain not well known brands, or just not popular overseas. I had come to the Kera shop in hopes of buying some Triple Fortune items, but I couldn't find anything by this brand.
I did buy 2 GLBs, one being the new issue (it felt so nice to finally have a chance to read a GLB while it is still was current).
Innocent World Osaka
We had a bit of trouble finding the shop, because it is located in a pretty normal apartment building and our only clue was that it had to be on the 5th floor. After some searching and a bit of help from the locals we found the right building.
This being the main shop I expected a pretty big store, but the size disappointed me a bit. However, what this shop lacks in size it makes up with what they managed to put in there. They were selling both the old and new releases (like the popular flag dress that was just released back then). The shop had a nice classic look, contrary to the 2 sweet shops I had visited before. In the back of the store was a display where the shoes were shown too.
While I was browsing the clothing a shop girl offered to store our shopping bags behind the counter, we really appreciated it as we were carrying quite a lot. After I had selected some items I wanted to try on the shop girl guided me to their fitting rooms (I learned quite quickly that in Japan you should always ask if you can fit something, plus I couldn't find the fitting rooms), it turned out that they were hidden behind big mirrors. The fitting rooms were just as elegant as the shop and quite roomy compared to normal fitting rooms.
After I had tried everything on and selected a few extra things I went to pay. While I was trying on things my mom had found a beautiful necklace that she bought for herself. After paying we were escorted back to the elevator where I was handed my new purchases.
zondag 26 oktober 2014
Angelic Pretty Osaka
The Angelic Pretty store in Osaka can be easily recognized by the pink storefront. Upon entering the shop I was greeted by the friendly shop girl, who then minded her own business (I like to be able to look around for my self first).
There is just one word with which I can describe the shop interior, PINK! Everywhere you looked you saw pink, from pink shelves to the pink carpet. The decor is really cute, as were most of the dresses that were sold here. I'm not really into sweet lolita, so after browsing a few racks I left empty handed.
BtSSB Osaka
Another shop I visited during my stay in Osaka was BtSSB. The shop is pretty easy to find, whit a small stair you need to decent. The shop is a bit small, but it did not feel crammed. The lay out looks pretty similar to the one in Paris.
Upon entering there were 4 girls in the shop, all were part of the staff, so it was already pretty full in there. They all stopped what they were doing to greet me, but I don't think they ever had heard about being nice to customers. During all the time I was here (which was obviously not that long) they kept on staring at me, and not one of the shop girls tried to smile, they all gave me some kind of dead glare. As BtSSB is one of my favorite brands (and I buy from their online shop regularly) I felt really disappointed.
I was not dressed in lolita (I was after all on vacation, and lolita isn't the most moveable kind of clothing) so that might have triggered their reaction, but looking at the other stores I visited where I was treated nicely it still doesn't really make sense.
Upon entering there were 4 girls in the shop, all were part of the staff, so it was already pretty full in there. They all stopped what they were doing to greet me, but I don't think they ever had heard about being nice to customers. During all the time I was here (which was obviously not that long) they kept on staring at me, and not one of the shop girls tried to smile, they all gave me some kind of dead glare. As BtSSB is one of my favorite brands (and I buy from their online shop regularly) I felt really disappointed.
I was not dressed in lolita (I was after all on vacation, and lolita isn't the most moveable kind of clothing) so that might have triggered their reaction, but looking at the other stores I visited where I was treated nicely it still doesn't really make sense.
Maiden Clothing Osaka
During my trip to Osaka I visited quite a lot of lolita shops, one being Maiden Clothing. If I had to shortly describe Maiden Clothing I would say it is the Closet Child from Osaka. Contrary to Closet Child Maiden Clothing only has 1 lolita store (there are 2 stores right next to each other, but the other one only sells a handful of lolita items), this means that it is much bigger than the Closet Childs I've visited in Tokyo.
To reach it you need to take a green elevator (if you see a grey one instead you are standing at the wrong building, and need to move to the building next door).
I was the only customer in there, so I had the whole shop for myself. However, the shop clerk mainly minded her own business, so I did not feel pressured at all. The clothes are all aligned on clothing racks along the wall and in the middle of the shop. Contrary to Closet Child where items were sorted on kind, at Maiden Clothing everything is sorted according to brand (so for example a cardigan could be hanging next to a dress). I spend quite some time with my mom sorting through the items and picking out stuff I wanted to try. We mostly stayed on the right side of the shop, as the left side was completely dedicated to gothic lolita (I did try on a Moitié dress, they had a lot of those, but even though it fitted it did not look good on me).
When I was finished picking out items I asked to try everything on. Here it was no problem to take everything in the fitting room (I later found out this was not the case at Closet Child). The fitting room was pretty roomy with a clothes rack and the typical face covers (to protect the clothes against make-up stains).
After finishing trying everything on I went to pay for the items I picked out, I was glad to hear they accept credit cards. Everything is packed for you and you are given your purchases at the door.
I found the prices at Maiden Clothing a bit lower than at Closet Child, but they had less rare items.
To reach it you need to take a green elevator (if you see a grey one instead you are standing at the wrong building, and need to move to the building next door).
I was the only customer in there, so I had the whole shop for myself. However, the shop clerk mainly minded her own business, so I did not feel pressured at all. The clothes are all aligned on clothing racks along the wall and in the middle of the shop. Contrary to Closet Child where items were sorted on kind, at Maiden Clothing everything is sorted according to brand (so for example a cardigan could be hanging next to a dress). I spend quite some time with my mom sorting through the items and picking out stuff I wanted to try. We mostly stayed on the right side of the shop, as the left side was completely dedicated to gothic lolita (I did try on a Moitié dress, they had a lot of those, but even though it fitted it did not look good on me).
When I was finished picking out items I asked to try everything on. Here it was no problem to take everything in the fitting room (I later found out this was not the case at Closet Child). The fitting room was pretty roomy with a clothes rack and the typical face covers (to protect the clothes against make-up stains).
After finishing trying everything on I went to pay for the items I picked out, I was glad to hear they accept credit cards. Everything is packed for you and you are given your purchases at the door.
I found the prices at Maiden Clothing a bit lower than at Closet Child, but they had less rare items.
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