February Collection 2020

I ordered the water fairy outfit.  I think it should look good on Mirwen (my elf Asuna ver. 2).  

Only managed to get the bunny slippers. I was after the Sailor dresses as well and the bunny pouch. I'm being good about the rabbit outfits. I don't need more. I think. 

The dress does match really well with Pod which is a nice coincidence. 
 

Surprised to hear the Bunny Slippers stayed online longer than some other items. Those were the only thing gone in store when I got there though strangely I don’t remember seeing the sailor outfits at all.. must have just missed them. 
 

I wish the full size animal suits looked as good as the mini ones. For the minis they wrap nicely to the head and the balance of bagginess is perfect. But for the full sized dolls the bagginess everywhere is just too much and looks like the doll is swimming in the outfit. Shame. 

As a general comment, it really seems like Volks is doing a lot better at judging demand and having items available. Right now, one day later after this event started, the majority of the items are still available. It's mainly the quirkier (for lack of a better term) stuff that still goes, like that bunny bag and the pom-pom skirts. All of the other shoes are still available and those used to always be hard to get.

8 hours ago, Misuka said:

Only managed to get the bunny slippers. I was after the Sailor dresses as well and the bunny pouch.

When I first got into the site, one hour after it started, that bunny pouch was one of the few items that was already gone.

You can have another chance when Volks USA has this stuff for lottery.

Just to be sure you are aware, there have been two releases of those sailor dresses; Dolpa 42 had them in blue and now there was the red and ivory ones. The blue pair is in the current Volks USA Dolpa 42 lottery event:

https://volksusastore.com/webstores/event/index.php?dispatch=categories.view&category_id=1816

2 hours ago, Beani said:

Those were the only thing gone in store when I got there though strangely I don’t remember seeing the sailor outfits at all.. must have just missed them. 

It's probably just oversights or website quirks, but both releases of the sailor dresses have been a bit weird. The blue pair were part of Dolpa 42, yet they aren't shown on the Dolpa outfit page:

https://www.volks.co.jp/event/dolpa42/sumika.html

It's gone now, but the Volks Japan webstore did have a separate banner for them. They are also a Best Collection rerelease, but this is only stated on the store pages if language is set to Japanese. Now with the red and ivory ones, they also have their own banner on the store, and they too are Best rereleases, but again only the Japanese pages state this.

They are one of the rereleases that isn't technically a rerelease anyway. Designers Collection voting page, #06:

https://dollfie.volks.co.jp/special/dollfie20th/en/pj02_bs/02dress/

Only the mini one existed previously, released way back in May 2010, Dolpa 23.

I didn't try to get these as they aren't really my style, but I have to say they are really cute, and when I just have a random mental image of what a traditional doll is, this is the type of outfit I would picture for it.

11 hours ago, Galvatim said:

I ordered the water fairy outfit.  I think it should look good on Mirwen (my elf Asuna ver. 2).  

I'll be interested to see your pictures. I bitched earlier about the fur, and while I still think the old ones without it are nicer, many of the Volks store blogs have pictures of these, and as usual they look better than in the Volks official pictures. There are many more but here's a few links:

https://www.volks.co.jp/blog_nest/hiroshima/2020/02/19/010658.html

https://www.volks.co.jp/blog_nest/osaka/2020/02/19/010654.html

https://www.volks.co.jp/blog_nest/mado/2020/02/22/010697.html

Unlike the official pictures, these make the pastel colors look really nice. If it wasn't for that fur I'd probably have gotten them after seeing these pictures.

Edited February 23, 2020 by cfx

My white shoes shipped out a couple of days ago and are sitting in San Francisco now!

33 minutes ago, Gallye said:

My white shoes shipped out a couple of days ago and are sitting in San Francisco now!

Yeah, the dresses I ordered are in SFO too. They should be here Monday. 

My order is in the US, but given recent experiences with USPS and EMS, it'll probably be Wednesday at the very earliest that the package gets to me.

Checking earlier I noticed I had been charged. I guess Volks Japan no longer sends out that "Notice of Credit Card Payment Procedures Completion" email as I didn't get that and I believe didn't get it with the last order either. I used to get that email a day or two before the one with the shipment and tracking info.

Edited March 2, 2020 by cfx

Volks Doll Point store blog added another picture of a DDdy wearing the mermaid dress, as well as a suit picture:

https://www.volks.co.jp/blog_nest/akiba/2020/02/27/010733.html

Love the DCH-16 girl.

 

I would've never expected this--the mini red sailor dress is really cute on Iori:

https://www.volks.co.jp/blog_nest/yokohama/2020/02/24/010706.html

By design those are already short and high-waisted on MSD/MDD, so I'm surprised it works so well on the much taller DDP. It just shows much more of the bloomers...

Edited March 2, 2020 by cfx

2 hours ago, cfx said:

Volks Doll Point store blog added another picture of a DDdy wearing the mermaid dress, as well as a suit picture:

That dress doesn’t look good on DDDy imo, at least in the Volks photos. The DDDy figure is just too curvy for it. 

 

2 hours ago, cfx said:

I would've never expected this--the mini red sailor dress is really cute on Iori:

Those are nice outfits, just not my style. I think they work well for childlike dolls. I do like how Volks does classic styles like this from time to time. 

47 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Those are nice outfits, just not my style. I think they work well for childlike dolls.

Childlike is what it's intended for I'm sure. It's not my style either but I was surprised how cute it is on Iori and I like it on her while I haven't really liked how it looked otherwise, well, because the usual dolls for it aren't my thing.

It's so uncommon to see anything at all from Volks on DDP that I like. 

Looking at the DDDy image more closely it isn’t the curvy nature of body that is the issue, although I think it exacerbates two underlying issues. 

The first is the joins between the thighs and the hips are outlined. 

The second is that the DD waist is so thin it makes the body look segmented, like a wasp’s. 

Edited March 3, 2020 by BeyondTime

The February stuff came in. I fell surprisingly in love with the White Fringed Dress on 2B. I also expected to hate the Mermaid Dress, but I'm also pleasantly surprised by it. I tried highlighting her curves (such as her nicely sculpted tumtum) with the pose and the way the dress sits on her.

 

Comparing yours and @Beani's pics to the ones Volks put up, I think 2B's shapely bust works better with that dress than the regular DDdy bust.

Otherwise, looking at your picture it's clear the dress is pretty tight around the butt area so careful posing seems to be the key to keeping the dress looking sleek so it doesn't bunch up or wrinkle.

I didn't really like the white fringe dress in Volks' official pictures, but as usual it looked a lot better in some of those store blog pics.

My stuff has arrived as well, but I didn't make it to the post office to pick it up because the weather here was awful today.

Edited March 5, 2020 by cfx

28 minutes ago, cfx said:

Comparing yours and @Beani's pics to the ones Volks put up, I think 2B's shapely bust works better with that dress than the regular DDdy bust.

Otherwise, looking at your picture it's clear the dress is pretty tight around the butt area so careful posing seems to be the key to keeping the dress looking sleek so it doesn't bunch up or wrinkle.

I didn't really like the white fringe dress in Volks' official pictures, but as usual it looked a lot better in some of those store blog pics.

My stuff has arrived as well, but I didn't make it to the post office to pick it up because the weather here was awful today.

I also have a regular DDdy bust I can try the dress on later. I don't think it'll make that much of a difference, but we'll see.

 

But yes, most movements will bunch the dress in unflattering ways and it needs some maintenance and careful posing. It's really meant to elegantly drape over a taller, skinnier doll, and not be so desperately clingy.

42 minutes ago, lardroom said:

But yes, most movements will bunch the dress in unflattering ways and it needs some maintenance and careful posing. It's really meant to elegantly drape over a taller, skinnier doll, and not be so desperately clingy.

I suspect that's kinda true for this style of dress in general. A full-size dress in this style probably works better on a more slender girl rather than a girl who is shaped like a DDdy. Different body types are flattered more, or less, by certain styles of clothing.

Edited March 5, 2020 by cfx

4 hours ago, lardroom said:

The February stuff came in. I fell surprisingly in love with the White Fringed Dress on 2B. I also expected to hate the Mermaid Dress, but I'm also pleasantly surprised by it. I tried highlighting her curves (such as her nicely sculpted tumtum) with the pose and the way the dress sits on her.

That looks a lot better than the Volks photos. The waist looks normal, and while the leg / hip join is showing, it looks normal because of the pose. I want to try the two dresses I got on my SD16s this weekend, but I am going to try them on DD too.

Edited March 5, 2020 by BeyondTime

I also got those white ankle-strap shoes in today's mail - they're just what I was looking for. The soles are kind of weirdly plasticky, but they look fine. They also look like they're stuck on there REALLY well, so I feel like I can count on these shoes to not fall apart.

I love the fake 'buckles'! If I had to actually buckle and unbuckle those things by hand I swear I'd buy a whole new set of feet just to keep the shoes on. It'd be easier! 🤪

33 minutes ago, Gallye said:

I love the fake 'buckles'! If I had to actually buckle and unbuckle those things by hand I swear I'd buy a whole new set of feet just to keep the shoes on. It'd be easier! 🤪

I've got quite a few Volks shoes with the ankle straps, and all the buckles are like that on what I have. I believe they have made a few where the straps snap instead at least on some of the Mary Janes type shoes; I've seen those in pictures of some D'Coords and I believe I read that one version of Mariko came with shoes like that.

The little buckles do still work though; I had one pair of shoes where I felt the straps looked too loose, and I was able to move the buckle to the next hole in the straps.

Most of the soles are some kind of plastic though I won't know if these are like others I have until I get mine tomorrow.

6 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

That looks a lot better than the Volks photos. The waist looks normal, and while the leg / hip join is showing, it looks normal because of the pose. I want to try the two dresses I got on my SD16s this weekend, but I am going to try them on DD too.

Having a DDdy 2B as a first doll is an interesting challenge. Thighs, hips, and bust are out of control and just blow out normal DD or SmD clothes while SD16 requires some tweaking. It doesn't help that Volks isn't quite accurate on official fits and even the pictures won't be super accurate. I almost didn't buy the mermaid because of the first Towa picture, but thankfully there were some follow ups posted.

I really like putting SD16 clothes on 2B, but she's just so short! Shorter than a DD even by about 0.5 cm. I need to find some DD compliant high-heeled pumps that'll try make up that height difference. The white shoes for this event were nice, but I was hoping for a taller heel.

For the mermaid dress, after I stopped trying to forcefully make it look like how it fit on a DD or SD16, it turned out great. Placing her in more asset highlighting provocative poses brings out a different aspect of the dress, I think. I really like it. I just need taller heels.

I really want an SD16 girl, but missed out on the November FCS. Ah well.

Edited March 5, 2020 by lardroom

2 hours ago, lardroom said:

I really like putting SD16 clothes on 2B, but she's just so short! Shorter than a DD even by about 0.5 cm. I need to find some DD compliant high-heeled pumps that'll try make up that height difference. The white shoes for this event were nice, but I was hoping for a taller heel.

Dollheart has clothing that they list as specifically for DDDy. Don't have a DDDy, so I can't say if the fit is good but the outfits are cute.

3 hours ago, lardroom said:

I need to find some DD compliant high-heeled pumps that'll try make up that height difference. The white shoes for this event were nice, but I was hoping for a taller heel.

For that, you'll want Volks shoes sold as SD16, as long as they also list they work on DD (about 99% do). THey're made for the SD16 high-heel feet but work fine on DD because the ankles have that much range of motion. Generally, they're actually a better fit on the feet than the SD (lower heeled) shoes.

I should've taken a picture of the side to show the height, but the Volks pumps in this post are high-heel:

 

Edited March 5, 2020 by cfx

1 hour ago, BeyondTime said:

Dollheart has clothing that they list as specifically for DDDy. Don't have a DDDy, so I can't say if the fit is good but the outfits are cute.

Thanks! But, all the cute outfits I want on that site are sold out! There are a few other places that sell DDdy specific clothes, like dolldelights, but the selection also gets sold out (Toobs juuuuust missed out on owning a pair of skinny jeans, and I have it in back order).

Still, this collection means that she'll try to cosplay as a classy lady.

32 minutes ago, lardroom said:

Still, this collection means that she'll try to cosplay as a classy lady.

2B should have no issue looking classy imo. 

41 minutes ago, cfx said:

For that, you'll want Volks shoes sold as SD16, as long as they also list they work on DD (about 99% do). THey're made for the SD16 high-heel feet but work fine on DD because the ankles have that much range of motion. Generally, they're actually a better fit on the feet than the SD (lower heeled) shoes.

I should've taken a picture of the side to show the height, but the Volks pumps in this post are high-heel:

 

Thanks. That's interesting. I didn't realize that about the SD 16 high heeled feet and how they're different from SD heels.

I have a "SD16" heel coming from an etsy seller, but looking at your link it seemes like the official Volks ones fit DD the best. Shame, those other heels looked absolutely amazing.

There isn't any SD16 high heels in this collection, but last collection has those white heels with the pearl ankle straps...

5 hours ago, lardroom said:

Thanks. That's interesting. I didn't realize that about the SD 16 high heeled feet and how they're different from SD heels.

Yes. It's not intuitively obvious or anything, but SD16 means high heels, while SD(13) means low heels. SD13 doesn't have high heeled feet, and I guess the regular feet can't be tilted the same way as on DD so the high heel shoes don't work.

For reference, you can see most of the shoes Volks has made on this page:

https://dollfie.volks.co.jp/special/dollfie20th/en/pj02_bs/06dress_sb02/

SD16 open-toe shoes don't look good on DD in my opinion. The DD feet aren't bent at the toes, so the way they fit in all SD16 shoes is they don't really go in all the way,  it's not noticable on a closed shoe but it doesn't look right on open ones.

5 hours ago, lardroom said:

I have a "SD16" heel coming from an etsy seller, but looking at your link it seemes like the official Volks ones fit DD the best. Shame, those other heels looked absolutely amazing.

I've seen 3rd party shoes that look fine, but my personal experience hasn't been good. A potential issue is what I mentioned above about how the feet actually fit in the shoes. If the opening goes too far forward on an SD16 shoe, you'll be able to see how the toes aren't really forward into the shoe. Volks had something going on there with one pair of shoes in particular: SB-SD16G-078, which you can see here:

https://volksusastore.com/webstores/dollfie/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=9629

Notice they do not say they fit DD. My assumption is because of how far forward the opening in the shoes are. What's funny is Volks has been showing these shoes on DD, like in some of the pictures of the navy suit:

https://dollfie.ec.volks.co.jp/item/4518992427911.html

And you can see they have that issue I am talking about. I'll also reference one of @Beani's pics from Doll Point that shows these on a DD closer up:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/145737472@N03/47932909327/

If you are using these with somewhat opaque stockings they'll work just fine I think.

 

As for clothing for DDdy, Volks used to make a very few DDdy-only outfits in the Tenshi no Koromo line, and those tended to be tailored to fit the body in such a way to show off the, errr, assets. One of those is the gangster outfit you can see here:

https://ameblo.jp/blog-dd/entry-10521962367.html

There was also a cute waitress set which I can't find pictures of now other than the Mandarake listing:

https://order.mandarake.co.jp/order/detailPage/item?itemCode=1050487840&categoryCode=020114

All of Alna's outfits fit DDdy obviously, but most are DDdy-specific as well:

https://www.volks.co.jp/jp/hag/item.html

On Mandarake, either search for her name in Japanese, アルナ, or search for "Aruna" to find her stuff. Most of her outfits are in stock.