So this month Holley sent me three pairs of leggings as well as a skater dress. Due to how much I have to review and how photo heavy this is going to be I'm going to try and make it as to the point as possible with most of the information summarized at the end. :)
(Also I apologize in advance for the inconsistency in my photo editing! My camera was acting up that day and I tried my best to make them all as uniform as possible T v T)
~*~*~*~*~
Alright~! So my Holley Tea Time package was shipped in a priority two day envelope with bubble wrap on the inside~!
Considering this is a sponsored package it was shipped priority and arrived quite fast but before you order from Holley Tea time make sure to read her information about shipping! All clothing items are made to order meaning that once you place your order you need to allow 4-5 weeks for the item to be manufactured and then it will be sent out.
Along with the clothing that Holley sent me I also received another little package that was wrapped in bubble wrap
Inside was a cute pink draw string bag! Holley had included a business card, two stickers, and a candy shaped ring!
The stickers feature two of her kawaii characters~! One is her traditional sweet character and the other features her creepy cute girl. I think I'm going to put these two on my backpack hehe c;
The ring that Holley sent me arrived in a little ring box! The ring itself is a candy shaped resin ring with a slight polkadot pattern. This ring is quite adorable and I was so happy to receive it! In addition to clothing Holley Tea Time is also quite known for her adorable accessories that can pair with any sweet Japanese street fashion.
I just love the subtle pattern to this ring! The light polkadot pattern is really sweet and then I love how the pink ends sort of fade out. The ring is also very well made! The resin is incredibly sturdy and there are no evident air bubbles. All of the edges are also finished off smoothly.
Then the ring base is attached on the back~! The ring is adjustable too so it will fit many different hand sizes. I did wear it a few times to get an idea of durability and it held up quite nice! I am always so terrible with rings because they seem to break very easily on me but so far so good with this one. The only complaint is that it did tint my finger a bit but to be honest I haven't found any ring bases that haven't turned my fingers a weird color T ~ T
Now then! Onto the clothing!
~*~*~*~*~
Everything that was sent to me was folded neatly and wrapped in plastic! Considering I already have so many photos for this review I opted out of taking pictures of the packaging but just know everything arrived safe and sound! It was wrapped up neatly and nothing was harmed in shipping.
So first the leggings! I'll start by giving some general information about the leggings as a whole and then I'll go more in depth later with details about each pair.
All of Holley Tea Time's leggings come in a variety of sizes.
XS - 30"~35" hips / waist 23"~27" / thigh 20"~24"
S - 33"~38" hips / waist 25"~29" / thigh 22"~26"
M - 36"~41" hips / waist 27"~31" / thigh 24"~28"
L - 39"~44" hips / waist 29"~33" / thigh 26"~30"
XL - 42"~47" hips / waist 32"~36" / thigh 27.5"~31.5"
2XL - 45"~50" hips / waist 35"~39" / thigh 28.5"~32.5"
They range from an Extra Small all of the way up to a 2XL! This is wonderful because many tights only come in one, maybe two sizes whereas in this case the range of sizes means many different people can enjoy them.
I received my leggings in a size Large! My hips measure around 38" and my waist is around 31-32" inches. In this case I was sort of in between sizes but I usually always go a size up when Im unsure about sizing! And I'm glad I did~! The leggings fit perfectly. Regarding the shape of the leggings, instead of sitting at your hips they are actually high waisted leggings so the elastic is located on your waist. They are quite breathable and not at all restricting! The fabric that they are made of is just so nice that they are actually my favorite pairs of tights/leggings. The leggings themselves are made from a nylon and spandex material so they have a little bounce to them! They stretch quite nice and are extremely soft.
So! Which leggings did I receive?
The first pair of leggings Holley sent me are her Rainbow Stardust leggings.
Some information on these leggings from Holley's website: " ☆ In the design is a cute magical rainbow unicorn with wings. The rainbow unicorn has friends in the magical sky a kawaii shooting star friend and a happy cloud friend. All 3 friends have fun and play in the sky and make happy memories that create all the stars in the sky. Pastel rainbows, moon with stars and sparkles all over this print for extra cuteness. ☆"
The leggings come in a soft lavender color and then have a kawaii sky theme to them! The pattern features pastel moons, rainbows, shooting stars, and one of Holley's unicorn characters.
Because of how diverse the pattern is between colors and motifs it makes them incredibly easy to coordinate which is always a plus! Shooting stars and moons are always popular in kawaii fashion so these leggings could easily be coorded with many different street fashions.
I especially love the design of the unicorn that's printed on these leggings! I think this particular unicorn is one of my favorite characters that Holley has designed! It's so soft and yet whimsical, and I just love the colors used.
What's also nice about this pattern is that it isn't too "loud". The colors all blend very nicely together and it isn't too over the top. Again, this is a plus in coordination. You can dress these leggings up in a more over the top coordinate but they are also soft enough that you can dress them down as well.
As far as construction is concerned I'm very pleased with these leggings!
All of the seams are sewn very evenly and there are no loose threads, tears, ect. Something to note is that Holley doesn't print or sew these leggings herself. The design is sent to a manufacturer which then produces the leggings for her~! The bonus of doing this is that the quality is almost always consistent. Instead of something that is hand screen printed or hand crafted the manufacturer prints and creates the clothing which means that the clothing is almost always department store quality. Although some may be disappointed that Holley Tea Time doesn't screen print the goods herself, (I too am such a supporter for businesses that do!) when it comes to mass producing clothing I do think there are an incredible amount of advantages of getting a company to assist you. The quality of these leggings is truly phenomenal and I think Holley chose a really great company to work with!
As far as branding is concerned these leggings came with two different tags! The first is a Holley Tea Time paper tag which includes the brand logo, price, size, and website! In addition to that there's also a Holley Tea Time cloth tag sewn into the back of the leggings. I think nowadays tags in indie brands are so incredibly important! Having tags with store / brand logos on them really just enforces the professionalism of the product!
Something that really makes these leggings shine is how they look after you put them on. I've found with most tights (at least on my legs) may look cute "on the rack" but once I put them on the print stretches awkwardly and the color fades. This is definitely not the case with these leggings! I was actually quite surprised over how stunning these leggings look on! The colors are just as vibrant as they are off and the pattern is just as crisp. I admit that I'm always skeptical of buying any kind of indie tights or leggings online because I've struggled with awkward fitting garments but goodness these are just so satisfying!
Unfortunately my camera didn't quite pick up how great they look in person but you can really tell how great they look on with the next pair of leggings!
~~*~*~*~
The next pair of leggings that I received from Holley Tea Time is Holley's Saturn's Wish leggings! Now unfortunately these leggings currently aren't available on the website but I'll still be reviewing them anyway~! The reason why I chose to put them in the muddle of the review though instead of towards the end is because I think this print especially shows Holley Tea Times versatility when it comes to all of her different patterns!
Saturns Wish is another space / sky themed print but in comparison to the print above it's definitely much "louder". This print has a darker lavender base and then depicts a kawaii outerspace with planet and star motifs! As the name suggests the focal point of this print is a large pink Saturn with multicolored rings~ In addition to that there's also a heart shaped Saturn like planet as well!
Honestly this print is just truly incredible- for a lot of different reasons! First I'm really a fan of the color choices! The colors used are quite easy to coordinate because how many different colors there are but with that said I really don't think this print is at all messy. With all of the different colors and ideas a print this busy could easily be lost but I don't think that's the case with these tights. I like the variation of sizes of the different motifs and I especially like the placement of them! The balance overall is very well done. These tights are loud and vibrant but I don't think they're "too much" (whatever that means!)
At the base of the leggings there's also a cute rainbow which I found to be a nice subtle touch.
Just as the leggings above these are made just as well! As you can see the quality of the leggings is incredibly professional.
These leggings also came with both of Holley Tea Time's tags: the clothe tag sewn into the back of the leggings as well as the paper tag attached with all of the leggings information.
Now onto what I'm truly excited about! How these leggings look on!
I can't stress how excited I am about how nice these leggings look when you wear them. With all of the different colors and patterns I was sure that there would be at least one section of the leggings that stretches weird over my legs- but gosh was I wrong. The print stays incredibly crisp and smooth and isn't distorted in any way. The colors also stay very vibrant and don't become translucent at all.
In this particular coordinate I chose to wear them much more casually with a simple errand running look but even with a simple outfit these leggings make a statement! They can be dressed down like this but they could also easily be dressed up for any over the top street fashion.
(look at how vibrant they are !!! )
~*~*~*~*~
The last pair of leggings I received from Holley Tea Time is her Twinkle Heaven leggings! Now the Twinkle Heaven print is, in my opinion, one of Holley's most subtle prints.
From her website: "☆ In the design is a magical heavenly world filled with clouds. Angelic moons with wings and stars that sparkle in the gradient / ombre color sky"
(Sorry for the sudden drastic change in lighting and editing for my photos! It just seems nothing is on my side for this review aha)
So for this print~ Twinkle Heaven is yet another sky / space themed print but it's vastly different from the other two. Instead of having a lot of different motifs and characters this print is quite simple. It's a gradient of light blues, pinks, as well as just a little bit of lavender and then features clouds and moons with wings on them.
As far as stock photo accuracy is concerned I do think their stock photo is a little misleading. The blues and pinks are definitely incredibly vibrant but not quite as much as the photo on the website displays.
What I love about this print in particular is how whimsical it is. Holley Tea Time definitely creates a lot of over the top prints so it's so refreshing to have her produce something so soft and delicate.
The transition between colors on this print is so smooth and elegant and the moons are subtle but still add a cute touch! I'm especially fond of the little sparkles that are scattered across the print. They may not be as noticeable from far away but I definitely feel as though they make the print much more cohesive and it brings the whole pattern together.
And of course the quality is just as incredible as the other two pairs of leggings! Everything is sewn straight, even, and there are no loose threads.
The leggings also included both the clothe and paper tag. (paper tag not shown in the image below.)
When it comes to the appearance of these leggings when worn I was in for another surprise. Typically soft prints such as these don't resonate well in tight form but yet again I was wrong! On a quick side note- It seems like I'm proving myself wrong a lot in this review which is definitely a good thing. I think other people are probably having similar doubts as mine when it comes to these new products so it's actually really cool that I'm proving myself to be wrong because I think that means a lot of people will read my review and will be pleasantly surprised as well! Anyway! Two of the pictures below don't quite accurately portray the color but the worn photo that follows does.
These leggings are just precious when you wear them! The gradient between the pink and blue is executed so well and I found that the moon print stands out much more than I thought it would.
The two pictures above don't necessarily show how great these leggings are but in the coordinate below its quite evident how vibrant the colors are! Unlike Saturns Wish these leggings aren't a statement piece but they're definitely perfect if you're looking for something to pull a coordinate together. I've found myself using them a lot when I try to incorporate blues and pinks in coordinates that I'm unsure about. They definitely are great when it comes to completing looks! In addition to that they're also incredibly easy to coordinate.
(Originally this picture was only going to be a photoshoot preview shot for my social media sites like twitter and facebook but I must say they do display the colors of the tights quite nicely!)
~*~*~*~*~
Now the last thing that Holley Tea Time sent me is incredibly special and to be quite honest I feel incredibly honored to be reviewing and modeling it! Holley Tea Time sent me her Rainbow Sweets Skater Dress! (as pictured above and below c':) The Rainbow Sweets dress is priced at $115USD and comes in many different sizes~!
From Holley's website: "☆ In the design is a cute bunny named Sweets eating a yummy cupcake. In the design features pastel colors with hearts, stars, dripping heart lollipops, milky rainbows and lots of sprinkles. A sweet lovers paradise!"
Holley's Rainbow Sweets dress is just as the name suggests- perfectly sweet! This particular dress is a light pink shade and has just the cutest motifs on it! The dress has a border print featuring rainbows and sprinkles as well as a perfectly cute bunny! The rest of the print features cute foods like cupcakes and lollipops and the lots of cute shapes like hearts and stars.
My favorite thing about this piece is how Holley genuinely took the layout of the print on the dress into consideration! Instead of just making it have an all over print she does feature the design throughout the whole dress but includes borders on the base of the skirt and the waist. The rainbow on the bust portion is placed perfectly in the middle with two bunnies on either side! I just think how the print was organized is spectacular.
The bright and pastel colors of the smaller print is eye catching and quite sweet and it's well balanced out with both of the borders!
I admit this print definitely has a lot going on, but I don't find it to be too busy. I really think the combination of the all over print with the borders creates a nice balance. In addition to that the colors all work perfectly together! I think making the base of the dress pink was a great idea because it makes the print stand out quite nice. It's also printed very well! The images are crisp and vibrant.
Just as the leggings were, this dress is made beautifully! To give you an idea here are the seams on the bottom of the skirt and the shoulder. Because they are factory made everything is sewn straight and evenly.
The dress also featured both of Holley's tags! It had the paper tag attached on the side of the bodice with Holley's sweet logo and then sewn into the top is the clothe logo as well.
As far as fit is concerned I was pleasantly surprised! I worry quite a lot when buying dresses especially online because I rather tall and curvy! Despite my doubts though this dress fits wonderfully! Here's a list of the sizes that the dress comes in:
✩ Available Sizes: XS, S, M, L, XL and 2XL. Plus size friendly. :)
S (30"~37" bust) (25"~32" Waist) (30.7" Total Length)
M (32"~40" bust) (27"~34" Waist) (32.7" Total Length)
L (35"~43" bust) (29"~36" Waist) (34.3" Total Length)
XL (39"~46" bust) (31"~39" Waist) (35.8" Total Length)
2XL (44"~52" bust) (35"~43" Waist) (37" Total Length)
I received the dress in a size Large! For my measurements I'm roughly 39 inches around my bust and then around 31 inches on my waist which falls rather nicely in between the measurements offered for the size Large. My biggest concern is the bust fitting correctly because of the different of sizes between my waist and bust- I thought maybe there would be a little space towards the sleeves but I was again, pleasantly wrong!
The dress fits absolutely perfectly! I must also point out that it is incredibly comfortable! This dress is made from polyester and spandex and has a lot of stretch to it! Because of this its also just incredibly soft and smooth~! It really is just so nice to wear because its not at al constricting and has a very silk touch to it. And because of how much room there is in the skirt it looks wonderful layered with a petticoat! In the picture below I have a cheap bodily petticoat with a Pinkly Ever After overskirt over it to add just a little extra poof. In the future I'm definitely going to go to the extremes though and poof it out way more! This dress can hold many, many petticoats under it.
~*~*~*~*~
Now then! Thank you to everyone for sticking through this review eheh~! Now that I've finished breaking down each garment I was sent it's time for the overall shop review!
As you all know I have been personally shopping at Holley Tea Time for years now and I have been sent a review package before. With that said! This overall shop review is only taking into consideration what I was given this time around and everything below will only be based off of this experience~
Shipping: 10/10
Shipping was perfect! All of the garments were packaged carefully in plastic wrap and then shipped out in a bubble wrap envelope. In addition to that there was also a surprise ring, business cards, and stickers sent in a little pastel drawstring bag which also arrived safe and sound! As mentioned above almost all of Holley Tea Time's clothing is made to order! Something to keep in mind while shopping from her store is that items need to be manufactured first and then sent to you. Because of this it states on her website her shipping can take up to 5 weeks. My package was shipped differently because it was sponsored so that is something to keep in mind!
Designs: 10/10
I am such a fan of all of Holley Tea Time's art! There are so many things about it that I really enjoy so let's see if I can organize my thoughts properly ;) To start of Holley Tea Time's designs are typically very sweet. She uses a lot of motifs popular in kawaii fashion today such as hearts, stars, rainbows, cute animals, space themes, ect. While that said though she uses a lot of popular motifs each piece is styled very differently and I think that's my favorite theme. There is so much diversity in Holley's work! She has very quite busy prints perfect for decor fashion but then she also has subtlety cute prints which would be great for every day wear. In addition to that Holley also offers creepy cute prints as well! There's definitely a little bit of everything at her shop.
When it comes to the quality of the art itself its always phenomenal. Holley is always very attentive with details and her art is consistency very crisp and balanced well. The images themselves are cute but she also picks colors that coordinated well together and then makes sure everything is drawn smooth and evenly.
All together I am quite a fan of all of her prints and designs!
Construction: 10/10
The construction of these pieces is all fantastic! Holley Tea Time doesn't sew or print the garments herself but instead she sends her design to a company which produces these for her. Because of this the construction is very constant. The leggings and dress are all sewn very well! All of the lines are sewn perfectly straight and there are no loose threads. I'm not necessarily sure if this fits under "construction" or if its moreso just a general "quality" thought but the designs of the dresses are also printed very beautifully! All of the print work is crisp and the colors are vibrant!
Fit: 10/10
I had no issues when it came to the fit of either the leggings or the dress! The measurements on the website were very accurate and everything fit perfectly. Not only did they just fit well but everything was also extremely comfortable. The pattern on the leggings didn't stretch awkwardly when worn, in fact the print was still vibrant and not deformed in anyway. Same goes for the dress! The dress was extremely soft and comfortable and fit wonderfully. The print also looked just as great on as it did off.
Price: 9/10
Price is always a difficult thing to talk about because it's extremely subjective! People feel differently when it comes to what they find affordable or "worth" it so this category is based solely on my personal opinion. The leggings are all priced at $79USD and the dress is $115USD. It's definitely fair to say that these pieces are expensive. I don't think most people typically spend $79.00 on leggings (whereas $115 for a dress is considered a little more normal). With that said though I believe there is a huge different between "expensive" and "worth the price". To start off, when it comes to anything that's indie brand 99% of the time it's going to be much more expensive than anything bought in a department store. Large online stores and shops at the mall are all big business that have large factories and many workers and can afford to make things cheap whereas this is not the case for indie brands. If I'm correct I believe Holley (and her mother?) are the only two that run Holley Tea Time.
Then brings up the subject of art printed on clothing. This is a huge factor when it comes to price! Not only do you need to consider how much it costs to actually print and receive the clothing but it's important to think about the time it actually takes to conceptualize and draw the art itself. Being an aspiring artist I can understand that creating art is no easy task and it is quite strenuous.
And then lastly another this to consider is the price it actually costs to make the garment. Because Holley Tea Time gets a manufacturer to produce her clothing she needs to be able to pay for the actual pieces and then make money back afterwards.
Now with all of the said of course I need to be realistic. As I stated earlier these pieces are definitely expensive. They may not be as pricey as lolita brand but I do understand that they are out of a lot of people's price ranges. But, I can also understand why they are priced that way.
Overall Shop Review: 10/10
Alright cuties! Time for my overall shop review~! This time around Holley Tea Time receives... a 10/10! I'm always so incredibly pleased with my experiences with Holley Tea Time and this time is no different! Everything she sent me is just so cute! All of the items have wonderful designs with crisp and vibrant art and are so versatile when it comes to coordinating them! They're also made beautifully and are extraordinarily comfortable. I recommend Holley Tea Time to anyone who is interested in kawaii fashions!
Please check out Holley Tea Time's shop and look forward to seeing some modeling photos in the future!
