Review: FromJapan and Queen Bee Boots

I recently purchased three pairs of Queen Been boots through From Japan. This review discusses the boots in question as well as the shopping service.

Review for From Japan -- ★★★★★★★★★★ / 10
FromJapan.co.jp is a shopping service which promotes itself as "free". It is, for the most part, true. They charge a 5% fee if you use PayPal, to cover their bank transfer and currency exchanges. Compared to the 10%+ that I usually pay, I considered this to be more than fair.

Communication/Timeliness -- ★★★★★★★★★★ / 10
From Japan utilizes a shopping cart system that's really easy to follow. This makes ordering super smooth and FAST.

You make an account, activate it, add the items that you want to your list and submit it. Items through certain sites (Rakuten, Amazon, Yahoo and a few others) will quote automatically and request payment. Items that don't process properly or that come from other sites are quoted manually within 24 hours--my quote came through in less than 3 hours. All told, my actual "ordering" process took the course of an evening. I haven't tried them yet for auctions, but for just buying from stores directly, they're pretty straightforward and easy to use.

Communication is prompt and takes place via automated emails. Everything is outlined in detail and they're very good at keeping you up to date. I received notification for my orders being received, my orders being placed with the sellers, my items arriving at the warehouse and my total items being shipped out in one unit.

Shipping/Packaging -- ★★★★★★★★★★ / 10
As with most services, I chose EMS, which was fast and safe. I also chose "regular" packaging, which meant that my boots were kept in their original boxes, then placed in a (MUCH) larger box for international shipping. My shipping and handling total was 7413yen for all three boots combined to Australia.

The boxes were padded well with newspaper and air bubble pads and the whole box was taped tight. Overall, really highly rate their service for direct shopping.

Review for Items
I ordered from the Marui/OIOI Web Channel and an Amazon page to get the following boots, all in size L/24.5cm:

Queen Bee Boots Q165 in Navy -- ★★★★★★★★★☆ / 10
Source: Marui One/OIOI Web Channel
Cost: 4200yen

Of the three, this pair of boots came packaged the best. Each shoe was firmly stuffed with paper and a foam supporter, then wrapped in thin paper-cloth “bags” to prevent scuffing.

These are a really cute short boot style that comes up just above the ankle. You put them on using a short zip on the inside ankle. The navy colourway has a mixture of faux suede and faux patent leather wrapped in a velour ribbon from the toe to the ankle. The boot itself is several different blues, rather than one uniform “navy” colour, which really appealed to my love of textures and layers. The faux patent and ribbon portions are sort of a slate colour while faux suede is the closest to navy. Another thing I really like is that these boots have a lot of really sweet detailing in the scallops. There is no surface left fully undecorated, but they don’t veer into the realm of tacky with their embellishments.

I don’t have any short boots to compare these to, unfortunately (my only pair, purchased years ago from Shoe Cents, died a horrible death recently due to age and humidity). They’re really very cute, though!

My one complaint is that they’re “wobbly”. When I put them on, the fit is great, but the way the soles are designed, they force my legs to bow out slightly by rolling to the outer edge of the ball of my foot. In my natural stance, they don’t feel very secure. So I guess I’ve solved the mystery of why Japanese lolitas stand that way in outfit snaps. Or something.

Photos (click for full view):

Queen Bee Boots Q164 in Black Suede -- ★★★★★★★★★☆ / 10
Source: Marui One/OIOI Web Channel
Cost: 5250yen

Photographing these was a massive pain in the ass. I just want to say that right off. Black boots on white tile? Bad idea. Next time, I’m photographing things on the carpet. All that said, I’ve adjusted the exposure and fill light on these photos so you can see the details of the lacing and the scallops/ruffles. They don’t stand out quite this much in person, though the enamel has a really awesome shine to separate it from the suede surface.

This pair was the least well packed of the three that I received. The boots came without internal padding and were left to flap in the breeze, so to speak. The boots were also wrapped in rather flimsy tissue which, while it did prevent scuffing, won’t be of any use in re-wrapping the boots for storage, since it tore to bits while I was trying to remove the boots from the box. Considering that these boots came from the same source as the navy booties, I’m a bit surprised—I can only guess that these came from Marui’s physical store and that they have been tried on.

This style is what actually prompted me to do an order at all. I really wanted the boot in wine red, but it wasn’t available anywhere that I looked. Rakuten, Amazon, major retailers all let me down. I even tried FromJapan’s special “find it!” request form without any luck. So I settled, which is fine! Because these are some badass boots!

This pair is the “suede” pair. Like the short booties, the suede is faux and the faux patent leather is enamel. The boots come up just above mid-calf with the ruffles in back.

The biggest construction point I would note on these that I should make is that the Queen Bee boots do not have a zipper. I personally quite like that, but I know some people want easy removal when it comes to boots. Also, the “belt” around the ankle is removable. You can leave it off when you wear them if you like, but I love that little added detail, myself.

Just as with the enamel boots, these have the awkward “wobbly” effect of rolling my feet outward. It’ll take some getting used to and probably change how I walk (ie: no more trucking along, going to have to take dainty little steps, now). Until I get out in them, however, I have no idea how things are going to go!

Photos (click for full view):

Queen Bee Ghillie Boots Style Q130 in Ivory -- ★★★★★★★★☆☆/ 10
Source: Amazon.jp -- Last pair available, so the link no longer works. Sold out on Marui listing in most colours?
Cost: 7200yen

This third pair was the one I had to hunt for the hardest. After searching multiple Amazon and Rakuten shops, I finally found a pair in my size in ivory. This pair came fairly well packed, almost as well as the navy booties. The insides, particularly the toe boxes, were stuffed with paper and foam shapers, and were well protected from scuffing by plastic bags.

Since these came from an Amazon seller, they included a note which I am sadly unable to read in full. From what I can read, it seems to be their returns policy. Anyway, the reason that I bring this up is to mention that this same shop (syusen) seems to sell on Rakuten under a few different names (shoegreen, syusen and syusenstep). They also have stores on Yahoo. So if you’re looking for Queen Bee and come across any of those names, they’re perfectly legitimate.

Now, I really, really like ghillie boots. When I saw these on the site, I originally wanted them in black. After deliberating (and buying a different Secret Shop ghillie boot in black), I ended up deciding to go with ivory to wear them with more classic style outfits.

As you can see from the photos, these boots lack a tongue, exposing your lovely stockings, socks or tights to view. They also lack a zipper, so if you’re not too keen on lacing and unlacing your boots every time you want to put them on, this pair may not be for you. My favourite part of these boots are all the finely stamped lace details. The entire boot is decorated with these stampings, except for the toe box and heel.

The material of the boot is stiff, to support the symmetrical shape of the calf portion and the stamped cut-outs and the heel and sole appear to be real wood. They've got a nice sturdiness to them and a good weight.

Just like with the other two boots, I’ve got to make note of the “wobbly” feel. The boot is a great fit, but again, forces me to stand with my weight on the outside of the balls of my feet. My other complaint with these boots is that though I paid the most for this pair of the three, it is the pair that has some issues in construction/materials. The tops of both boots have very, very faint yellowing. I only noticed (and can’t get the camera to photograph it) while examining the lace stamping up close. I’m not sure what caused it (long term storage? These are a few seasons out of date). Otherwise, the construction/materials are fabulous.

Photos (click for full view):