PersonalizationProduct eBay shop review: neutral

When Momo’s Fairytale World on eBay was still around, it was my favourite source for Lolita clothing. Buying Lolita clothing is usually tricky for me, because I’m built very differently than the average female. But I never had to order a bespoke size from Momo’s or worry about whether certain styles of theirs would fit because their dresses were made with long torsos, generous sleeve length, and broad shoulders, even in the standard sizes. I was very sad to see the shop disappear, and have been checking eBay regularly to see if they’ve re-surfaced. Well, it’s possible that they have.

There is now an eBay shop called PersonalizationProduct which makes Lolita dresses using all of Momo’s old styles. This gives them a rather untrustworthy image, because all their photos are stolen from Momo’s. However, the fact that the text on their listings is exactly the same as it was on Momo’s – font, colour, and all – and the fact that their size chart lists exactly the same measurements for the standard sizes made me suspect that PersonalizationProduct may be a reincarnation of Momo’s Fairytale World. So I decided to take the plunge and order a dress from them to find out. This is the dress I ordered.

It cost $49.99 plus $18 shipping. I bought the standard size medium, which supposedly fits an 88-98 cm bust, a 68-78 cm waist, and 90-105 cm hips. For reference, my measurements are 89 cm chest, 81 cm waist, and 89 cm hips. I figured I’d probably have to stitch-rip the elastic bands out of the shirring panel, because my waist is larger than the maximum, but I’d rather do that than order a size large which needs to be taken in everywhere else. I also didn’t want to order a bespoke size, because it costs extra and very few eBay shops do custom sizing well.

I know halter-style dresses are usually a recipe for disaster for someone with a flat chest, but I chose this style anyway because it’s a simple design with minimal lace that even less-competent tailors would have a decent chance of making correctly. This was just an experiment to gauge the quality of PersonalizationProduct’s materials and craftsmanship and determine whether I’m comfortable ordering a riskier style from them.

I placed my order on 8 May and received the package on 25 May, which is within the estimated arrival date provided by eBay. Here is what the package looked like.

And here is the dress that was inside.

The fabric is pink cotton with decent thickness, but it is slightly rough to the touch (probably lower thread count than what Momo’s used to use). I was disappointed that the dress is a warm, sort of coral pink, because in the stock photos it looked like a cold pink, which I prefer.

The ends of the ribbons in the shirring panel are not finished, so they’re fraying a bit. That can be easily fixed with clear nail polish. Notice that the panel is made smaller at the top and larger at the bottom, the reverse of how shirring panels usually look (and the reverse of the one in the stock photo). This struck me as an odd feature of a standard size dress, because this shape is more comfortable and flattering to a male body type.

This is how the dress fits me.

The sizes appear to run large, because I had to tighten the shirring a lot to keep the dress from sliding down(definitely no need for the stitch ripper). Considering this is a women’s garment, I’m amazed at how well the construction seems to cater to a masculine body shape. In addition to the construction of the shirring panel, the edge seams of the dress are straight, not curved, and the torso is very long. I imagine most girls would have been horrified if they’d received a dress that fit like this, but it works out very well for me.

There are, however, two unfortunate flaws in the construction. First of all, there is slightly more space between the first and second band of ruffles than between the second and third (though the spacing evens out on the back of the dress). Second, the under-bust seams are sewn strangely, so the torso looks wrinkly. At first I suspected this might be caused by my lack of breasts, so I donned a stuffed bra to find out.

Here's a closeup of the torso without the stuffed bra.

And with it.

It really does look like a problem with the seams, because the breasts don’t improve the appearance of the torso. In fact, I think they make it look worse, probably because of the overall masculine fit.

In conclusion, PersonalizationProduct do not appear to be the same as Momo's Fairytale World, because they're definitely inferior to Momo’s. However, the quality is much better than that of the average eBay shop that uses stolen photos. The quality of their materials is good, but the construction leaves a bit to be desired. The fit of their garments is better suited to a masculine body type than a feminine one. The best thing to be said about this shop is the incredibly low prices. Although the “Buy It Now” listings, like the dress I ordered, are usually $49.99, it’s very easy to win a dress from an auction for 20-35 dollars. So if you have a boyish figure and a good tolerance for small construction flaws, or are willing to spend some extra time and money improving the dress you receive, PersonalizationProduct is a good choice for you. Otherwise, I’d recommend you take your business elsewhere.