Packaging:
They came in plastic bags, shoes are wrapped in paper and others in plastic bags. The standard stuff
Shipping:
I ordered on the 21st and they arrived this morning so that's hmmm 8 days, from Japan to UK.
On to the real stuff:
1. Shoes
shoes167.
Black and white.
I was looking for some low-heeled basic shoes that I can wear with anything. Low-heeled because the place I live in now is absolutely a nightmare to walk in anything but stable, chunky, ideally not-too-high heels. Think gravel and cobblestones with dirt and moses in the cracks. Romantic yes, but also suicide in stiletto.
These shoes are very basic. The heel is of a negligible hight and there's no chaffing or anywhere that's too tight so I think they'll be fine to walk in (I've only worn them around in my room since they arrived in the morning).
However, the downside is that they are very plain, and makes your feet look rather chunky from the front-view. The side-view is fine. I'm going to get some shoe-clips and make some bows to clip on.
Sizing:
Based on my shoe shopping experience while traveling... I'm a UK 4-4.5, Europe/China 37, USA/Southeast Asia 6-7, Japanese 23.5
These shoes I bought in 23.5, and they fit perfectly.
Warnings to those with a high arch -- the strap may be tight for you.
Verdict: Suitable if you need some basic, decently walkable shoes
2. Three panniers
acc003 in black and white
pan035 in black
They're cheap, and they'll give you a bit of poof, and that's it really. The polyester lining isn't as bad as I thought, but I'd imagine they'll be horrible in summer. Also pan035's waistband is covered in tulle so that's horrible if under an OP in summer since that'll be right next to your skin.
At any rate, I think for the price and the $1 shipping they're decent, basic stuff that'll last me till the weather get warmer and I receive the rest of my proper organza, cotton-lined panniers…
Some photos of how much poof they'll give.
Pan035
On it's own:
It's short and I've lent out my standard loli-shaped skirt so here's a normal short chiffon skirt to substitute, just to show the effect.
Before:
After:
Minimal daily-usage sort of poof. The tulle is rather soft so I don't think it'll last too long as well.
Verdict: Don't buy.
acc003 white
I thought the cutting of acc003 would suit a-line dresses which is the normal cutting in classical-lolita which I wear a lot. It's less a-lined than I thought though. However, the mild degree of poof is exactly what I wanted.
White so you can see the details better…
Under a standard a-line classical-lolita dress.
With bloomers underneath the panniers there's a bit more puff.
Lastly, for reference's sake, here's my pooffiest pannier which is entirely organza (which I got off taobao)
I would expect the $8 bodyline panniers to slightly deflate throughout the day, and possibly deflate quite a lot under heavier skirts, since they are tulle. Definitely go for organza if you want something that don't deflate much.
Verdict: acc003 is ok if you want some cheap, basic just-slightly-poofy panniers, especially if you're not going to wear it a lot. It's $8 after all.
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Overall:
This order is rather 'exploratory' since I've never ordered from bodyline before. Hence also the stuff I ordered are on the cheaper side.
I'm quite happy with the shoes, especially given the $1 shipping. The panniers are ok for the price and purpose -- cheap ones to last me for a couple of wears before I get my proper ones back. And then they may retire as back-ups or for layering I guess.
So yes I will buy from bodyline again, but probably just the shoes, since I wear mostly classic rather than amai/gothic.