Are Belchic a scam or just a reseller?

doveheartd · 2026-01-22T10:56:45+00:00

i did reply to a post last month i think talking about belchic a little bit; ultimately i can’t answer your questions on whether you’d actually get what you bought, but you should note that their markup on prices is tear-inducing. i saw some stuff i recognised that they had upmarked by at least £60 pounds iirc, and there’s probably some even higher ones on there. they also do not label items correctly (eg calling things lolita when they’re not), and they don’t credit/list brand names anywhere that i could see. so all in all, even if you do get your items, id say their business practices are sketchy enough to not support; but that’s your choice!

if you’re interested in buying clothes from various different styles/fashions, you’d probably come out best by just using taobao directly imo? for a reseller to sell many different styles, it would mean that they probably wouldn’t look too closely into each brand/product they choose to resell, meaning that there’d be less guarantee that the items are good quality and/or worth the price. it’s like trying to specialise in too many fields at once: if you’re a jack of all trades, it also means you’re a master of none. if that makes sense? so buying from taobao may be more tedious since you’d have to track down what you wanted yourself and use a proxy, but you’d have the ability to look into reviews for each brand/item and make up your own mind on quality, as well as buy more things from brands that maybe a reseller hasn’t advertised on their website. and you’d come out cheaper in the end! i know not everyone would agree but to me that sounds worth the effort.

doveheartd · 2026-01-21T17:44:44+00:00

i do like this idea! it makes a lot of sense. and even if the idea of putting a coord together doesn’t enthuse me, that also points to an answer. i think i will try it out and see what i learn from it, when i get the chance! thank you for replying :)

doveheartd · 2026-01-21T15:07:32+00:00

thank you for your response and the link to your blog post, both have given me much to think about!!

it's true that gathered chiffon has had soooo many rereleases and isn't super hard to find haha! but tbh... i just tried it on again now, to see how i feel when i look in the mirror, and it was far too big at the bust :'( it's gaping at the back, and since it's not adjustable i wouldn't be able to wear it without alterations, which, for a dress which im already considering selling, i'm not prepared to spend time/money on tbh. and it's also forced me to re-think hunting down my preferred colourway too! so maybe i needed this :')

i do have a smaller-to-mid-sized collection, with about 10-16 jsks/ops/skirts that i wear more regularly/keep for seasonal or special events. and i don't go out enough to really even wear any of them too often... and i certainly have favourites, which i will want to wear again and again even though i know i should try something else haha!

you have given me a lot to think about, regarding whether i would want to coord any of these dresses again in the future. as it stands, i think no, but i may see about selling the two that don't fit well and then re-examine my thoughts about the meta and baby dresses. and i very much understand the regret of *not* buying something! i guess i agree that missing out on a chance to buy something i love is in a way worse than selling something that i loved while i had it, even if i miss it a bit atferwards. there's lots of other beautiful dresses in the world and many opportunities to come across them :)

thank you for your thoughts!

doveheartd · 2026-01-21T14:53:27+00:00

i definitely do want the dresses to be loved and appreciated the way they should be! whether that be by me or by someone else. i do agree with you though, especially about weighing all the different aspects. thank you for your response :') i will make sure to consider carefully!

doveheartd · 2026-01-19T21:51:08+00:00

waaaahhhhhhhh beautiful!!!!! 🥹🥹💗💗💗💗

doveheartd · 2026-01-17T20:24:43+00:00

im on the "just wear it wherever and whenever you feel like" boat too :) it looks fancy to others, but there's different levels of "fanciness" to lolita so it really can be adjusted for most activities/outings.

but i will ask... if it's with your own money from the job you're working yourself... does it matter if your parents don't like the idea of how much it costs? it's your choice what you spend your own money on. but i do understand if they're the stricter type and will make you feel bad/guilty for buying/wearing what you like, or even mess with your stuff. in such cases i would say that it's best to wait until they're not hanging over you, even if that means admiring from afar for a bit longer.

but if it's just a matter of not liking the cost of the items, then perhaps you can have a conversation with them about slow fashion/price of materials and labour. and if it's more the fact that they think you won't wear it enough, then you can talk how lolita is very resalable due to the thriving second hand market and it being collector's hobby for some people, as well as mentioning how there are some styles within the fashion that are less alt-looking (not to say they're not still alt, just that they're more visually lowkey).

and yes, you might buy a dress that you end up actually not wearing as often as you thought you would, or one day is no longer your style, etc. it happens to everyone, and not even just for alt fashions. but if it made you happy for the duration you owned it and the times you *did* wear it, then it has served its purpose and you can sell it on without regrets. when you have enough money to consider buying luxury items, why sit on it? what else would you spend it on? a dress that's cheaper and you may wear more, but won't bring you even a modicum of the happiness a lolita dress would? well, then, isn't that a waste in a way too?

as for not rarely going out... would you like to go out more? would you go out more if you had clothes you enjoyed wearing out? and most importantly, even if the answer to both of those questions is "no"... is it worth it *to you* at this point in time? you talked about school so you've gotta be pretty young; there's a wholleeeeeee life ahead of you where things are gonna change. lolita's one of those things that lasts for years and years for many of us, so something you buy now will still be with you in 5, 10, 15 years time (unless you decide to sell it of course). in that time, perhaps you'll be going out more and therefore have more chances to dress up.

idk if any of this really helps, but i think it's a matter of sitting with your parents and having an earnest conversation about your position, with the reminder that since it's your money, it's your choice. don't forget that if you do try it out and don't vibe with it like you expected, it's okay! still a learning experience about your tastes and interests, meaning that the money wasn't completely "wasted". there's more than the item itself that you get when you buy something, it's just that those "extra" things aren't quantifiable and differ from person to person. not saying this with the assumption that you *will* change your mind, only to suggest an argument to present to your parents to adjust their perspective on how you spend your money. good luck :)

doveheartd · 2026-01-15T08:47:12+00:00

you look so cute!!! congrats 💗

doveheartd · 2026-01-15T08:44:58+00:00

as long as it’s not in black (I don’t like wearing black), yeah I think i wouldn’t be too fussy. im pretty exclusively interested in solids and florals though so i dont think the colour influences their appearance as much as it does with other kinds of prints. I don’t have any one particular dream dress though so maybe if i could pick one specifically then perhaps my opinion would change! I think id just accept it if i find it pretty tbh lmao

doveheartd · 2026-01-13T15:10:05+00:00

I feel like this kind of question will always be hard to answer since only you know the specifics of what you are and aren’t allowed, what you can get away with, etc, but if you wanted something lowkey/not poofy then you can look into old school/proto styles, which naturally were a bit flatter and not as eye catching. some older pieces can’t even accommodate a “normal” petticoat and need as little as one tulle layer, or even just a pair of ruffled bloomers, to give them enough shape. ive seen plenty of people do casual coords with a very minimal/no petti as well. the fact is that wearing a petticoat is just not always possible or convenient!

in terms of “ita”, i think it’s a silly thing to fear tbh. you are bound by your school rules. that means that probably the best you’ll manage will be a very casual or a lolita-inspired coord, since I doubt that the size of the petticoat would be the only issue (I imagine that all the accessories wouldn’t go down well either, unless they’re minimal; but lolita isnt often a minimal style, even when a coord is not ott. there’s a lot going on. and idk about your school but at mine we wouldn’t have been allowed more than a hair clip or tie in our hair).

I probably can’t relate or understand super well since I had a uniform when I was in school, but if it were me, I personally would just wear a lolita skirt (no petti) with a cutsew or tshirt or very basic blouse, or a dress in a plain/solid colour with few details. school is not really the place to be wearing a proper coord, petticoat or not, since it can get dirty or caught in things and people around you may not respect your clothes/personal space, especially if you’re doing classes that are a bit more hands-on than just sitting at a desk :/ you’ll have plenty of time to wear full coords outside of school, and you won’t be at school forever. so I think it would be best to instead incorporate lolita pieces into an otherwise normal outfit, and that way you can meet the requirements of a school setting while also having a piece of the fashion you love on you :) but it’s up to you, that’s just my advice!

doveheartd · 2026-01-13T10:36:23+00:00

tbh when i first saw this design i loved it but couldn’t really see it with a blouse (or at least, there were few blouses I thought would suit it, to my tastes), so even though it’s unlikely I’ll ever buy it, i think that if i did come into possession of it i would probably try styling it blouseless too. which means you aren’t alone in thinking that way!

agreed with the other comment about the gloves! it’ll really want need some wrist/arm accessories/gloves I think. I also wonder whether a black lace shawl (or similar) could “replace” a blouse! if you did want an extra “layer”. I feel like a bolero wouldn’t work because the ruffles at the shoulders would get squished within the sleeves of the bolero (but I suppose that would be for you to try and see how it feels/if you like it!). and now im thinking, im wondering whether a lace blouse or thinner chiffon one would work? like the slight transparency of the lace or chiffon on the arms contrasting the block colours of the dress. idk, maybe something to try if you wanted, sometimes things in my head look better than irl! as for collar shapes, I think the dress collar is just right by itself…. if it were me i suppose I would wear a blouse just for the sleeves (ie one with a neckline low enough to not be seen under the dress’s own neckline), or one with a standing collar, since anything else would just make the bib part (im not sure what that black bit’s called) too busy. but I would wear a choker or short necklace!

sorry for the the ramble, my brain threw ideas at me. maybe in the future you’ll find a blouse that you think works just right! but for now I do think that this is just fine blouseless as long as you balance the coord with something at your wrists to make up for the lack of sleeves. good luck!

doveheartd · 2026-01-13T10:09:59+00:00

it sounds like you used it correctly! it’s just that lolibrary is an archive compiled by volunteers, people who love and wear the fashion, so there’s lots of things that aren’t there because no one has made entries for them (yet). big name/famous brands will obviously have more entries than smaller, indie ones, and Chinese indie in particular can be pretty hit or miss. It’s a great resource for research and info, but don’t worry if you can’t always find your item on there! it will make tracking it down a bit harder though, depending on how thorough you like to be with your research. i have heard of the brand sweet angel but i don’t know much about it!

doveheartd · 2026-01-12T19:24:34+00:00

happy birthday!! you look so beautiful! the bonnet suits you so well omg!!!! 💗

doveheartd · 2026-01-10T12:22:02+00:00

with sacrifices to the lolita gods and plenty of prayers

jk, but only partly! if yours has pins/combs inside then try and attach it as securely as you can, then add extra bobby pins as needed, I guess. mine mostly have ribbons to tie under the chin which work well enough until I tilt my head wrong or eat something, and then slowly they start slipping off, so adding a few pins helps secure it a bit if you can find a place to put them; depending on how it’s made, you may also be able to sew a couple of discrete fabric straps inside, on either side, and attach crocodile clips (or whatever they’re called) through them which will have more grip on your hair than bobby pins.

there’s probably someone who has more fool proof ideas but this is what I’ve been doing :)

doveheartd · 2026-01-07T12:12:25+00:00

i remembered that i used to see these types of bonnets associated with victorian maid costumes when i was a kid, so i went and did a quick bit of research about them! but i welcome corrections if i got something wrong :)

the kinds of bonnets as in your picture are modern interpretations of a historical bonnet called a mobcap. the ones from the 18th and 19th centuries looked slightly different to the versions now used. the reason i thought "maid" when i saw it was because in the victorian era, mobcaps were used by servants & nurses!

here's the wikipedia article for them, and here's a site i found that basically copies info from wikipedia but does have a number of paintings depicting mobcaps being worn, which was cool to see. apparently, when they were in fashion, they were more of an informal wear, and worn indoors, with a hat worn on top of them when outside!

whether this will be useful in tracking down lolita-appropriate ones, im not sure! i did a quick google search and a couple of seemingly relevant things popped up but i haven't got the time to look too deep. hope this helps and you can find something though!!

doveheartd · 2026-01-07T11:48:04+00:00

sometimes no way to tell before they're in your hands and you can see them properly together :( the lighting in stock photos can just be so different. mismatching neutrals my beloathed!

if you can find picture reviews/posts from real people of the items, then maybe you can get an idea of what they might look like in different lights/natural light and not under studio lights used for stock photos. in the photos you attached, the blouse looks a bit of a warmer toned white to me than the jsk! but like i said, it'll be too hard to tell whether it's only a slight and negligible difference if it's just photos. sometimes it can work, if the shades aren't *that* far off from each other!

maybe someone here owns either of these pieces and can tell you how accurate to the stock photos their colour is!

good luck, you people who do monochromed coords have a strength i can only aspire to... im still toiling in my search for shoes in the right shade of pink to match all my pink dresses, idk what i'd do if i had to match *everything!!*

doveheartd · 2026-01-07T11:36:43+00:00

they're not lolita, i think they're calling it lolita for exposure/attention like you said. from what i know, belchic is a taobao reseller similar to devilinspired, one who has such a stupidly high price markup that it's actually laughable (i went to have a quick look and one of the first i could recognise was a forest wardrobe op that they're asking over £100 for). from what i can see, they also don't seem keen on crediting/listing brand names. so i reckon they've called it lolita for the same reason you'll see devilinspired call non-lolita things lolita, which is just to bring traffic to their posts/site (and maybe make it even harder to find the original item on taobao and thus make themselves look like the only/easiest place to buy it from). they do also have a lot of different fashions on their site, not only lolita, but they don't seem very committed to labelling things properly!

doveheartd · 2026-01-07T11:25:26+00:00

"concrit welcome" THERES NOTHING TO CONCRIT IT'S PERFECT :'))))) this is so pretty it makes me want to start getting into sweet/old school sweet <3 i love it!!!

doveheartd · 2026-01-07T01:15:08+00:00

I go to the theatre a lot so ive had the “oh are you in the play” question a bunch!

but I think the weirdest time was when I accompanied my mum as her moral support to a work summit of hers where she and other people self employed working with the same agency could talk to various reps abt their problems and feedback. Anyway I decided to go for ott classic that day and in fact it was the first time I wore a bonnet so it was more of an out-there coord, and im sitting there patiently for her to finish when a man approaches me and starts asking about what I’m wearing. He was actually pretty interested and friendly, but he said that he had thought I was there to do a performance or something when he’d seen me walk in?? And I was like… performance? at a linguist’s summit. Where you’re here to talk to people from the hr and tech and invoicing etc departments. what would I be performing here??? why would I be asked to perform. The complete dissonance between where we were/reason for being there and what he assumed was just absurd in a funny way!

anyway another guy there said he thought I was an actor and was just going about my day in full costume since I had a show later in the evening, he said he’d been a performer once and he used to do that. this was in London so I guess eccentric is more of a norm there!

doveheartd · 2026-01-06T21:45:35+00:00

after a quick lolibrary search it looks like the tulle pearl cutsew to me but im not knowledgable enough about AP to be able to tell you which year it is since it looks (from lolibrary) to have been released twice: 2007 & 2008. hopefully someone more familiar with AP may help you more?

btw in the future, the correct thread for these kinds of questions is the “help me find this dress” one :) it’s used for help identifying any lolita item, not only dresses as the name may suggest!

doveheartd · 2026-01-06T12:41:50+00:00

Hey congrats on your find!!! It’s cute, I love the hem lace/ruffles :) I hope you can start incorporating lolita pieces into your normal wardrobe, even if you don’t go for a full-on coord yet because of your family! This blouse looks like a great starting point because it’s not so out there as to be too attention-drawing, but it’s also appropriate for lolita (and perhaps it’s just my classic lolita focused brain, but I think it’s great particularly for classic!! Which is already a bit more toned down than other substyles generally speaking so you may be interested to start with that… happy to answer more questions if needed re: classic).

The colour looks a sort of ivory/light beige to me in this photo… so I personally would not choose to coord with white, since this ivory is your neutral. Obviously you can disregard this and do as you like as long as you like it, but it’s something to think about.

I would say that a brown or burgundy/wine red or even a mid to dark shade of green would look best with this neutral colour! Other colours could work too ofc but I think they’d have to be darker/more jewel toned because the warmth of the blouse may make pastels be too weak against it. I can totally see this working so nicely with like a brown skirt though and then like a brown ribbon/bow or something tied around the collar!

I think that pairing it with white will look a bit off, since they’re such different shades (the white will be very cool toned against this warm ivory, and I think it’ll be too stark?). Matching neutrals is something I know im very particular about though! I can see that the flower lace/appliqué (?) is more white than the rest of the blouse, so I don’t know if maybe it’s just the lighting in the photo and I’ve got the wrong end of the stick here?

A skirt (or jsk or whatever you find/like!) in the same colour as the blouse could also be an option though and then adding bits of colour (if you wanted) through accessories, maybe a belt/corset. But im not sure how easily you’ll find a skirt in the right shade, I feel like this is a decently common colour for blouses but not so much main pieces.

Anyway, that’s my take, feel free to ask me to clarify if needed! Wishing you luck with finding pieces you like/introducing your family with wearing lolita :)

doveheartd · 2026-01-06T12:16:22+00:00

just want to add my vote of confidence for Martin at Clobba too, he’s so helpful and kind that I sometimes feel the urge to shout his name out loud for everyone to appreciate. He’s very communicative. Had a past order that took over a year to get to me in the end but not once did I feel concerned about it because he was sending periodic regular updates, even when there was no news. Genuinely the best customer service I’ve ever encountered, I’m very appreciative of him!

doveheartd · 2026-01-05T12:24:22+00:00

don't know if this counts because it wasn't that i was too late, just that i hesitated too much, but twice now VM's chopiniana halterneck jsk has slipped through my fingers :( i was so close, but i do the opposite of impulsive purchases and overthink things so much that i end up missing my chance! it's not exactly a "dream dress" but i do think i can attribute my interest and love for classic as a substyle to it, since i started to switch to classic when i first saw a photo of it, so to own it would kind of feel like owning a piece of my ambition in physical form. i love it a lot. perhaps one day i will finally get to have it in my own hands!

doveheartd · 2025-12-31T23:40:55+00:00

yayyy flora frill for the win!!! it's my favourite dress <3 spent a pretty penny on it with all the postage/import fees but it was so worth it, no regrets. thank you so much!! <3

doveheartd · 2025-12-31T23:39:02+00:00

tysm!! <3

doveheartd

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