Imai Kira Girl Walking on Moon Tights & Mirukuma Shopping Service Review

Imai Kira Girl Walking on the Moon Tights

As the usual segue goes, once I started getting into sweet lolita fashion, oh many moons ago, ha ha, I eventually had the great pleasure of stumbling across and being introduced to the stunning images that make up the great Imai Kira's artwork and illustrations. I, like many others, fell hard and instantly in love with her gorgeous illustrations featuring small, pale wide doe-eyed girls staring up from the pages. They reminded me of another artist whom I love, Audrey Kawasaki, by the melancholy that pierces through their level gazes despite being draped in lovely frocks and frills. Which meant that I begin collecting Imai Kira's art, as if I needed another addiction.

One late night (one of many, as I still haven't really been sleeping, I suspect due to being anxious about the fashion show and getting my runway pieces done among other things), I was surfing about the interwebs and was looking at Mirukuma to see her latest posts from Closet Child and saw the beloved "Girl Walking on Moon Tights" designed by the lovely Imai Kira herself and of course had a near heart attack. Which led to me frantically searching to find them, and realizing I had missed a pre-order on Fairytale Boutique and that they were only sold on Japanese website.

Image belongs to Kat//Mirukuma.

I have never, until recently, taken the plunge in using a shopping service to order things from Yahoo Japan, Mbok, etc, or any other Japanese site (which is probably in all honesty better for my savings as we all know how terribly tempting those sites can be!) I mean, where was I to start?! There are so many choices, so many reviews and suggestions, and good/bad experiences?! I still had Mirukuma's website open at the time and I recalled that Kat, the girl that runs the shopping service, always had stellar reviews on the EGL forums from very happy customers. So after a few days of thinking, and by that I mean... thinking about how cute I would look in said tights and that I NEEDED them in my life, ha ha, I took the jump and contacted her.

Image belongs to Parabolica Bliss

The tights, which can be purchased here, were fairly pricey but it was Imai Kira and since I have settled with myself that it will be a very long time since I can or will ever own any of her illustrated garments from AP, it was worth it! Below is a review of both Kat's lovely shopping service and the tights themselves.

It was a couple days before Kat responded because she was super swamped and busy, but of course, since it was my first time submitting an order request I was worried that I had filled out the form incorrectly. But I was delighted to hear from her----the email was very sweet and kind, and within a day she had arranged for the payment through the Amazon checkout process which was super easy and simple! She kept me informed every step of the way, letting me know about shipping from them to her, and then from her to me! (✿◠‿◠)

After shipping the tights arrived fairly quickly in about two weeks. They were wrapped in a small brown package, and the tights were inside two separate plastic packages to keep them nice and safe on their journey. Included in the package was a special postcard illustrated by Imai Kira and a few pamphlets about other artists and upcoming exhibitions. I spent most of the time sitting in the parking lot of where I work ripping open the package and trying to see them because I was so excited. : 3

The tights themselves look darker in the photographers, and are more of a blacky brown than a pure black, and when worn they become sort of opaque/sheer. The print itself has a kind of pleasant softness so it is not really blurry or in focus---it features a light blue ribbon that wraps up around the leg, showing cute little motifs of butterflies, teddy bears, perfume bottles, roses, etc. The main feature of course is the girl on the left leg near the ankle floating in mid air and reaching up to the moon on the right leg.

I have never actually been a tights kind of girl. I always found them extremely restrictive, and uncomfortable, where it kind of cinched uncomfortably at the waist and dug into the hips. These tights, however are incredibly soft, pliable, and stretchy. Since I'm small they hug the curves of my legs nicely, and sit below the natural waist area, and the waistband of the tights are very comfortable, like I wasn't even wearing any.

For the price, I believe that the manufacturer could have done a better job of lining up the print at the seams. The seams on the left and right side of the leg are a bit misaligned, where the ribbon doesn't match up properly and is off, which makes the print look disjointed---whereas if they had tried a little harder, it could have looked flawless, a seamless, continuous print. That is my really only complaint as I appreciate expensive products that match their seams ha ha.

Because the intricate simplicity of these tights, I feel like I can wear them to dress up like in my pink vintage lacey dress or to dress down with a cute pair of shorts and a chiffon button up top. I look forward to trying out different coords, though if these tights ever get a run in them or rip I will basically just lie on the floor and expire from sadness. (╥﹏╥)

In summary....

Mirukuma Shopping Service:

*EASE OF PROCESS: (5/5)
Easy peezy lemon squeezey! The order form is extremely simple and easy to fill out. You just submit your name, other info, the item you want to buy//quantity//color, and the link to where it needs to be bought from. This particular website wasn't on Kat's list, but she was super obliging and agreed to help me purchase it anyway!   

*COMMUNICATION: (5/5)
Perfect! Kat was always quick to respond, very kind and super sweet. She was never hard to get a hold of and just a fabulous person to work with.  

*SHIPPING: (5/5)
Super quick! No delays in customs, or issues at all! It arrived in about 2 weeks. 

*PRICE/FEES: (5/5) 
I found Kat's fees for her shopping service to be extremely reasonable! I will definitely be buying from her again for all my future purchases!


Imai Kira Girl Walking on Moon Tights: 

*PRICE: (4/5)
The price for these tights were fairly expensive for what they are, but I realized I was paying for Imai Kira brand name and illustration more than anything else.
*QUALITY: (4/5)
They are mostly true to color, soft, and flexible. I still believe they could have lined up the seams of the print better, other than that I'm happy!
*COMFY FACTOR: (5/5) 
Sooooo much more comfy than tights I remember being! It feels like you aren't wearing any.