J-Dolls and Sekiguchi Boots

While looking around online to see what kinds of shoes/clothes I could find for my J-Dolls, I found some Victorian high-button boots made by Sekiguchi that I absolutely fell in love with. Not surprising given my interest in Victorian-era clothes! But I wasn't going to pay over $20 for molded plastic shoes that are less than 2" tall. Then, while getting myself in trouble surfing eBay, I suddenly found a store that had them on sale, at a price I was willing to pay. Not only that, but the store is located right here in Cleveland (although I don't think they have a physical storefront), so I got the shoes the day after I bought them. On the downside, I did have to pay sales tax. But I managed to pick them up after all!

Sekiguchi is the company that currently makes Momoko dolls. I've put in a link to the website, although it is all in Japanese. There is a link there, however, to global shopping at the Petworks store, which is in English. The boots apparently were part of a line which is called Sekiguchi The Other Channel, or STOC. I found it interesting that the name and the acronym are in English (it's also referred to on the package as the STOC Market.) Perhaps they are called something else in Japanese. I was surprised that some Japanese doll manufacturers sell so many separates, everything from shoes to tops to tights, because in the past I've read other companies, such as Tonner, can't really make enough of a profit with outfits alone to justify adding more into the lineup. Dressed dolls have been where the money's at. Madame Alexander has also reportedly turned down consumer requests for more separates for Cissy, for example. I know people seem to go nuts for extra clothes and accessories for ball-jointed dolls too, so who knows? Maybe selling separates instead of entire outfits is the draw? Or maybe it's just a difference in collectors? While the prices at the Petworks store are much more reasonable, at least for shoes, to what I've seen at places like eBay and even other Japanese outlets, many people seem willing to pay big bucks for dolls like Momoko, Azone and Pullip, and what they wear. Hey, as long as it's not coming out of the grocery money, whatever. Still not paying over $20 for molded plastic shoes, myself. :)

The boots work pretty well with J-Doll, although the white boots were such stiff plastic that I had a hard time getting them off of Melanie, my model. The poor girl even lost her lower leg at one point! :O I don't think there was any permanent damage, although I did see little bits of flash on the table. She did stand by herself wonderfully in those, though. The black boots were much softer plastic on top, almost rubbery, and didn't support Melanie at all, plus they were frustrating to photograph. And I know you want to see the photos, so I'll finally move on to those!

They kind of make Melanie's feet look too big, but they're not horrible

My shaky hands did not help detail on these boots come out well, either.

Surprisingly, Melanie rocks the black boots even with the light outfit. I think the black polka dots and the fact that the outfit looks Victorian inspired both help.

I have to admit, the extra detailing on the back of these boots is nice.

Here's a picture of their height. Even though the metric numbers are backwards for those of you use them.

Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase. I'll definitely be extra careful with the white boots, and the black ones, I just hope those don't stain. The Petworks site does warn that some of their shoes might do that. Maybe if I get solid tights instead of lace ones it would protect the feet and legs?

So do you like to buy different outfits for your dolls? Do you change their clothes often? Do you buy direct from manufacturers, or from individuals on places like Etsy?