A Crash Course Shipping Tutorial For A Lolita From The USA : Domestic and International

Hello and thanks for stopping by! After a much needed hiatus, I am returning to blogging in full force and in doing so also start my lolita spring cleaning. Now when spring cleaning comes to mind, the act of shipping your old items to their new homes is almost always mandatory unless you have a lot of folks in your local community that have very similar tastes to you. After much contemplation I thought it might be a good idea to go over some good methods as well as tricks and tips I use and will share to make your shipping experiences easier.This is unfortunately a tutorial for lolitas within the usa shipping domestically as well as internationally. 

First thing first is finding and obtaining shipping materials. If you visit USPS's website you can actually obtain packaging envelopes and boxes as well as any other priority materials to your house free of charge [ link to supplies can be found here.] Now if for whatever reason your particular post office can not ship to you, all of these items are readily available to you in the lobby of your local post office. 

With these materials you will notices most of the boxes and envelopes will be marked 'Priority' or 'Priority Express.'  You can only ship with the method mentioned on these materials so make sure to watch out what you grab and order, priority express ( and priority express guaranteed ) is like the equivalent to EMS so the postage can get expensive if you are not paying attention.

Another thing to mention with priority mail is there is Priority flat rate and Priority by weight. Most envelopes or boxes will state if they are flat rate like the images above. If they are not they will be priority by weight ( tyvek bags, and boxes.) If you are mailing priority flat rate, the weight of the item does not factor into the cost of shipping. This can dramatically cut the cost of shipping if done properly.

As you can see in the photo below, I like having an assortment of options from them as I tend to ship a lot of things quite often. The top envelops and boxes to the right are flat rate while the bags to left are by weight.

I like using priority shipping because whether it is domestic or international shipping, a tracking number will always be attached and an automatic $50 in insurance . [ I will show you how to pull the tracking for international shipping later in this post. ] Tracking is very  important for a lolita that buys and sells items because it creates a record of an item being properly received. It also protects you as seller, so I would suggest to always include tracking and insurance whether you are buying or selling to safeguard yourself as well as the item.
But for some people who don't usually have your own packaging on hand, the free shipping materials are a plus. Here below are some other shipping components though if the ones above are not available to you. 

I picked these up at Office Depot in bulk and most of these envelops will cost 3.99 for a 4 pack. Now you do not always need to use priority boxes or envelopes to ship priority either, you may use your own packaging like these items above. Now in the case you might be shipping something fragile or might need special packaging, I have also included other shipping materials that are good to use.

In the photo above I have included clear cellophane bags, air bags, and bubble wrap. I'm going to include the use of brand bags as well because taking a note from BTSSB and AP, sometimes the best shipping packaging covers are these exact bags. They are sturdy, waterproof, and do well for use shipping overseas. I have collected quite a bunch of these materials from saving these items from shipments to me from Japanese retailers direct, second hand stores and ss services.

Now that we have all the components needed to ship our lovely items to their new home, lets cover how to prepare our items for shipping. As I mentioned before I prefer to ship priority because it is the cheapest while including tracking. I will be using flat rate envelopes in my examples, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand as long as they are sturdy and will keep your item safe from damage and weather.

I usually tend to wrap the item I'm sending out in a protective covering. In the image above you see the plastic wrapping to the right which I mentioned before, fully covers and protects the garment from water and other elements. If you do not have bags like these on hand you can also use Ziploc bags, like the dress on the right.

When packing the dress or garment into the bag, make sure to fold it neatly and tightly. It should fit into the gallon bag rather snug and if it is a regular cotton or chiffon, it should become very compact. Not all dresses can be packed this way so try not to force it. (  I have had some dresses before that took two gallon bags, every garment is different so pack accordingly! )  But in this example it does fit and the bag closure should come together nicely. Before closing it all the way, make sure to apply pressure to the bag to push out any excess air before closing it. This will create a vacuum seal effect to the contents of the bag and making the bag smaller and fit snugly to the garment. In a lot of cases, when this is done your ziploc bagged dress can fit into the flat rate envelope shown below. Sometimes also for added protection, I will wrap my ziploc bag in a priority tyvek bag with the address attached ( The priority by weight bags ) just for the extra added protection in case the envelope should break. 

You should be able to fit the ziploc right into the flat rate envelope. After placing it in the envelope take the flap over and seal the envelope closed. There might be a little bit of bow in the packaging, and to ensure the closure and envelope to stay sealed, you can add additional tape to the top closure. The Priority flat rate envelopes have a flat rate of up to 4lbs, so as long as your dress isn't velvet or other heavy material ( in which case I would not recommend shipping with this regular flat rate envelope, I would suggest shipping with the Priority medium size flat rate box OR Priority by weight tyvek bag. ) it should be a fine fit. Photos examples are below. 

Now that you have your dress packaged and ready, you can either take it to your local post office for the shipping label, or you can print the shipping label at home. Shipping this particular way with the Priorty Flat Rate Envelope costs a whole $6.00 usd with an automatic $50 insurance with the option to cover to full amount of the item up to 5,000 for an additional cost. Thats a steal for both you and the buyer. It really doesn't matter which way you choose if shipping domestically, but if shipping internationally I would recommend printing your shipping label from home.

At the post office when shipping internationally, priority does not offer a tracking number and you must pay more for it to be a registered mail parcel to get the tracking. When shipping from home or from your usps account ( they are free to make ) tracking will be provided for the parcel free of charge. There will also be an option to send a copy of everything to your email as well as notify the recipient by email that you have mailed the parcel as well as send the tracking information.

Something to note though, when shipping items internationally and printing the labels at home, you will have to fill out the same customs declaration forms as you would if you are at the post. Make sure to fill them out as clear as possible, and be aware of the weight of your package because you will have to include that in your customs declaration. I would suggest procuring a digital or household scale for this. Again, this does not apply to domestic parcels, just international ones. And in the rare occasion for whatever reason the online post states that the customs forms need to be included in its own windowed portion located on the parcel, put it in a ziploc bag and tape just tape the bag to the box. I know it sounds crazy.. but it works, trust me. This has only happened to me when shipping to the Netherlands and to Spain, but both took the package with the customs taped to a ziploc bag. Just make sure the customs forms are readable while in the bag.

When using the usps online store to print your shipping labels it creates a paper trail for you shipping the package and makes the tracking information easily accessible for both parties. This can be a handy tool especially if the item gets lost or the buyer for whatever reason opens a paypal claim in regards to the shipment of an item. What is also really cool about printing shipping labels from home is after you've printed your labels, USPS.com keeps a history of every label you've ever purchased and paid for and keeps a log of all of the tracking. So in case you might need to pull something up for your records or the buyers, it is readily available.

So lets say you need to pull the tracking number because you forgot to add the buyers email when filling out the form. You would just sign into your USPS.com account, go to the shipping history and search for the buyers name or address, or you could even search by date. The page will look like the image below. All of the label information will appear; from the address, the buyers name, the label tracking number as well as how the transaction is paid for. From here you can copy the label information to give to the buyer or paypal and there will be need to keep receipts from when you go to the post!

I hope this has been a helpful resource for how to ship items within the United States domestically as well as internationally. If you have any questions regarding shipping items please feel free to inquire, I would be very happy to help! Happy closet cleaning and stay tuned for more from your neighborly Texas lolita!

Thoughts of a Millinery Collector: Triple Fortune Bonnets

Hey there and thanks for stopping by. Today I'm going to shed some light on some of the popular bonnets that Triple Fortune produces. I currently have two of their older full style bonnets and three of the newer crescent half style bonnets. I know since the event at Rufflecon ( you can view my experience at the convention here ),  their own event Brilliant Star, and their appearance at La Vie En Rose; Triple Fortune has become intensely popular in the Western world as well as in the Japanese lolita scene. Now not only is this duo dabbling in millinery and clothing, they also perform!

These bonnets are bit on the elusive side, but are obtainable at their physical events, Atelier Pierrieot, and KERA online as well as purchase/special order at any physical KERA. And as always, secondhand is always an option, but the competition can be fierce. I plan on doing an in depth How to Buy Tutorial but I am still waiting on a couple of items from the various ways I have procured them, before writing this up.

So lets get started! First up is the older full bonnet style. 

This is a fuller rounder style of the two. The brim measures to 13.5'/34.5 cm across not including lace and 4.5"/11.5cm tall and the depth 2.5"/6.5cm for the back covered portion of the bonnet.

The brim of the bonnet is laced with gathered chiffon and accompanied by a flower rose assortment attached to the top right corner. It is usually decorated with three different types of lace that usually drapes down over the wearer as well as on and over the top of the brim. 

The back of the brim is usually adorned with feathers of various colors depending on the bonnet color you purchase. [ I have only seen white and black ] It is most common for there to be one single feather with the older style and it is usually white. As to why they put white feathers with cream bonnets, I have no idea why but I think it has more to do with stock and what is readily available during the construction process rather than personal preference.

The back of the bonnet is plain except for the gathered chiffon covering the back hood; three roses adorn each side of the bonnet with a chiffon bow which drapes rather luxuriously when worn. The six roses have always been a color to match the particular bonnet color and can be different from the front rose.

Under the lace, you can see the exposed seam of the gathered chiffon as well as the canvas that makes up the top brim of the bonnet. It's not easily seen with the aid of the lace but I wish it were also not exposed? This is the inside of the hood. A triple fortune label is placed just inside. The seams and sewing are all straight, uniform, and clean. Depnding on the size of your head this particular bonnet might be a challenge to wear as the hood is on the shallow side and may be harder if also adorning a wig. This style is no longer in production and is usually found second hand.

It has been my experience when wearing this style to butt the back part of the bonnet against the back of your head and press forward as much as you can. From there within the holes of the overhanging lace, carefully bobbypin the bonnet to your wig and head. You will usually have to pin it at the top as well as each side to keep it firmly in place. By doing this it ensures that the bonnet stays forward and upright and does not flop forward to look like you're wearing a weird hat.

Next up is the newer half bonnet style which is a little bit more versatile.

This is the taller style of the two. The brim measures to 12"/31 cm across not including lace and 5.5"/14.5cm tall from the base to the top ridge of the bonnet.

The brim of the bonnet is laced with gathered chiffon just as the old style and accompanied by a flower rose assortment; though it is placed on the left side. On the the top right corner there is a pleated ribbon embellishment with a crown on the right side. This particular one is  decorated with three different types of lace that usually drapes down over the wearer and over the top of the brim just as the other bonnet does.

Something to note about the ribbon decoration is that it is actually glued into the bonnet so these items can't be removed or moved about on the bonnet with ease.

This bonnet has two feathers that are white and fastened to the left side. The base is similar in the aspect that it too has a bundle of three roses attached to each side of the bonnet. With all three of the new style that I own, the back flowers have been this peachy cream color and there has not been much variation in the flower colors in regards to the color of the bonnet. I think the only time they might be different is if it is black.

The back of the bonnet being a half, is open and there is an additional ribbon a well as some lace to further decorate it. I think it's a nice touch but I'm not so sold on the satin on these in comparison to the chiffon used.

These photos are of the inside of the bonnet to show the exposed bottom of the gathering of chiffon thats usually hidden under the front part of lace. All the sewing and lines are pretty clean and you can tell that someone has hand sewn the comb into the top part of the bonnet. Under the comb you can see the Triple Fortune brand tag, very similar to the previous one, just a different color. 

These bonnets are a lot easier to wear. They pop on pretty easy and the added comb helps to keep them in place if wearing them with your natural hair or with the added thickness of wearing a wig. I usually end up pinning the bonnet on the sides though just for added security and have never really had any problems with keeping this particular style rigid and upright during the course of a day given they are taller than their counterparts. 

The breakdown: 

 A notable difference between the old style and the new style are the hood portions which are nonexistent in the new, and the lack of ribbon accompaniment which is usually located on the right side with the crescent version. The newer versions when worn come down to points like a half moon while the full style ends at an abrupt angle and squares off just at the jawline. The older style is also a bit thicker so it sits higher when stored as well because of the added backing.

There is use of chiffon in the older style which is replaced by satin with the predecessor; this is also seen in the use of the bows on the back style of the bonnet. I do sort of think the satin looks cheap in comparison to the chiffon though, but I like the fact that the brim is taller with new ones so I feel that is an even trade off. The flowers of the older series have a lot more color and depth as the newer versions are much more plain.

I really feel like the newer style is a lot easier to wear but the elegant touches of the older version holds a lot of sway with me so I feel these are evenly matched. I guess it just depends on what your personal preference is with stiff brim bonnets and I'm pretty adaptable so I'm content with both.

I have included photos wearing both the new and old style. You can see with the newer bonnet it has a defined crescent shape while the other is much more rounded and blunt at the bottom that resembles more of a halo..

The old rounded style

The new crescent style

Which style do you ultimately prefer?

Bonus: Bonifide Bonnet Storage : 

In addition to this I figured it might also be interesting to show I store my bonnets, as these are not the only ones I own. A friend once asked about this on Rufflechat, if I remember correctly a while back, and I actually have a worthwhile answer now. 

It has been in my experience bonnet stacking is a rational way to store your bonnets, but if you want a more realistic approach I would strongly suggest decorative boxes. With these I can fit three Triple Fortune bonnets nicely with room for other millinery items. I usually stack two new style to every one style on top so as to give the full bonnet that added rise it needs to not smash the back during storage.

So far I have about three of these boxes just for bonnets and they've held up quite nicely. You can pick them up at your local craft store for next to nothing if you watch the sales. I have also tried looking into hat boxes, but most of the ones I'd found in stores can't accommodate the depth needed to store as many as these boxes do while still keeping the cost down. 

I hope this has been informative to those of you interested in all the rage that are Triple Fortune bonnets. Check back again with more reviews and rantings from yours truly!