taobao shop: nanshen pavilion
As a plus size lolita, it's always a challenge to find well designed dresses that aren't too sweet and are well made. You tend to go through pages and pages of crap before you can find some nice dresses that doesn't make you look juvenile. And if a shop offers custom size, all the better! Luckily, I stumbled on Nanshen Pavilion.
I've always been on the hunt for the perfect qi pao/cheongsam lolita dress and when Long Ears and Sharp Ears came out with their Kylin in Red Flame JSK, I jumped on the opportunity to get it. Even though I really love the dress, it wasn't quite what I wanted and didn't really capture the look I was aiming for...it was a different style than the romantic, soft characteristics that I associated and loved about the lolita fashion. Happily, Nanshen provided me with my dream cheongsam dress! The cut is beautifully soft with delicate lace, oodles of ruffles, and frog closures that compliment the dress well. Best of all: custom sizing!! I immediately had my SS order a dress right away!
Nanshen Pavilion also had other beautiful offerings that feature delicate prints, soft-styled dresses, and custom sizing on some of their releases. They do tend to run a bit smaller than what I hoped but sizing boasts an impressing max range of 120-130cm! I also ordered their Lily of the Valley OP in black. Other items include printed skirts and waist belts to accessorize or compliment alongside their various dresses.
They offer traditional Chinese/Japanese styled dresses also. I would've loved to get the kimono-esqe OP but there was too much pink...so much pink. ;__; This is where I wish there were roses or macabre themes instead. Overall, Nanshen Pavilion offers a good range of style from classic to sweet and seem to come out regularly with releases. I'm hoping the quality is good and the garments are well made as some shops sometimes have disappointingly cheaply made offerings.