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Lolita Charm: Summer Shoes: Secret Shop & Qcute Review

Monday, May 4, 2009

Summer Shoes: Secret Shop & Qcute Review



I had never had a pair of lolita open-toe shoes before, and when I saw another girl wearing the same pair, I knew I had to give them a whirl! I'll be reviewing both the actual shoes (from Secret Shop) and the shopping service I used to buy them, Qcute.

The Shoes!

Let's start with the pros. I'm a believer in good news first, right?
  • They are open-toed, which lends them to a whole new range of options not usually possible with your average lolita shoe. For one, it means showing off your cute toenail polish! I made sure to treat myself to a new bottle of bright 80s pink, called Fuschia Power, by Sally Hansen, but any color you like would look nice. Because they are open-toe, you can definitely get away without wearing knee-high socks, which can be a godsend in summer heat. I have seen the Japanese girls in the Bibles wear socks with open-toed shoes but I can't stomach it, myself. Maybe it's training that socks + sandals = tacky, or maybe it's the more practical reason that I am sure the toes of my socks would be goners, but I won't be wearing socks with these.
  • They are very adjustable. I have a long foot with long toes and a narrow heel and narrow ankle, so I always need a reliable strap. The front cross-straps are both adjustable, and so are the ballerina ties on top (all of these fasten with a hidden snap; the heart buckle is decorative). If you need them to be even smaller, like me, you can easily poke a new hole where you need it with the tip of a knife or Exacto-knife. But if you have wider ankles and calves, these will also fit you - they have plenty of strap to manipulate.
  • These are tall! If you don't want to be taller you might not like this, but I'm only 5'2" at best, and these finally put me on level with everyone else! They are on a wedge, and the heel itself is 2 and 1/2 inches high. Because they are on a wedge and not a heel, they are more comfortable to stand in. If you are not used to high heels they might take a little getting used to when walking in them, but if you're a rocking horse or stiletto veteran, you should have no trouble :)
  • Tiny heart cutouts and faux-lace. Need I say more?!
The cons. Yes, nothing is perfect, and these shoes have some of those.
  • I believe they are a knockoff of an older Angelic Pretty shoe line. I don't have any problem with this, but if you're against knockoffs in any form, they probably aren't for you. That's the end of that discussion! Moving on!
  • I got the shoes in the mail, tried them on, clomped around the house, etc. The next day I put them on with the intention of wearing them out. Uh-oh! The ballerina ties are kept in place by a small loop at the back of the heel (similar to tea party shoes, if you own these). The loop had come out of its pocket, where it had been probably glued into place. Using crazy glue, I was able to fix this. The pocket is small, so you my need to widen it a little with an Exacto-knife. So far the glue seems to have held well. If you want more security or the crazy glue does not work, try Gorilla Glue and maybe a few stitches of matching thread. Short of this, try a shoemaker. I'm betting Secret Shop is not going to be interested in a fault in their product. To continue the story: I wore them on Sunday, with the right shoe fixed, only to have the left shoe break in the same way. My tea parties (Secret Shop) have also had the same problem. It seems to be a common defect. But I am under the impression this would also happen with brand shoes, so you might as well get the knockoffs (I don't have direct experience with this, but I have heard that brand shoes are not much better quality and are sometimes made in the same factory! If you would like to comment on your brand vs. offbrand shoes, please do :)
  • These come with detachable bows. I am not big on detachable bows because I am always sure they will come off and get lost, so whenever I buy a shoe, I mentally remove the detachable bows - I won't be wearing them. They do have bows on the heel however, sewed in place, and I like them without the giant front bows anyway.
  • If you adjust your straps smaller, you may need to trim them or add extra holes.
QCute!

I can honestly not say enough about how easy and pleasant it was to use QCute as a shopping service. I ordered the shoes with the intent of wearing them on my island vacation this May, and was worried about them getting here before my plane leaves. I mentioned this and I was assured they took 10 days from order to arrival, and they really did. I ordered them, paid the quickly-sent invoice, and 8 days later told my shoes had been shipped. I also received a tracking number, so I could watch them leave Shanghai and arrive at JFK Airport. They were well packaged and came with their Secret Shop eco-tote. They were also marked as 'GIFT' so as to avoid customs. I would definitely recommend them in you have an interest in their products. They sell many kinds of and different makers of shoes and are a courier few Hong Kong lolita brands like Momo Jia, Infanta, Rose Melody, Dear Celine, etc. It also appears they offer some custom sizing for their shoes, which is excellent if you're not an easy shoe size to find.

Love them!

Prognosis? I love them. They have the summery feeling I wanted, can be worn without other clothes outside of Lolita style, and have about the level of quality I expect for lolita shoes. The price was pretty decent as well: about $45 not including shipping. Interested in finding out more?

QCute

See them in action with my new Sugary Carnival jumperskirt!

I'll also be reviewing Starry Candy Box, the service I used to buy my Sugary Carnival jumperskirt, later this week - so stay tuned!

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posted by Victoria Suzanne @ 2:25 PM

3 Comments:

At May 4, 2009 at 3:50 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow I think I'll *definitely* buy them now...

I hesitated at first, but then I saw a pair that made my heart jump!

I'm gonna go for it! :)

 
At May 4, 2009 at 9:46 PM , Blogger Violet LeBeaux said...

Oh wow those are cute, perfect for summer!

 
At December 24, 2009 at 5:04 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just received a black pair today that I bought off the egl sales community and I can't wait to wear them

I prefer open toe shoes so I'm excited about wearing these in the summer without socks since I'm in the South
...knee socks in Atlanta can be rough

thanks for your review (which I found through google)

 

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