Liz Lisa x My Melody 9th collab cherry print OPs and tote

The 9th collaboration between Liz Lisa and My Melody includes 5 different items - a cherry & My Melody print OP in white and pink, a stuffed My Melody pouchette (size: W22cm H16cm), a stuffed My Melody charm, a cherry & My Melody print iPhone case (5/s and 6/s) and a cherry & My Melody print 2-way "tote" bag (size: W23.5cm H18cm).

Since I hadn't purchased any items from either volume of the 8th collab (in which the OPs were adorable but long sleeve winter items), I knew I definitely wanted to try to get at least one thing from this collab.

The preorder for the 9th Liz Lisa x My Melody collab on Tokyo Kawaii Life was set for March 18 at approximately 19:00 Japan time.

This is the first time that TKL has done a pre-order for the LLxMM collab items. It was expected that it would be similar to the regular release but just a week earlier and the items wouldn't ship right away. The exact time the listings would release for purchase was announced but "approximate" and not exact. Luckily, I was online about 40 minutes earlier than the listed time and already refreshing the page. Some things I noted:

There was no countdown as there had been for a handful of previous releases, and the listings for the MM collab items kind of just popped up in the middle of the regular new releases for this week, with stock available to be added to your cart immediately.

The first accessories appeared at around 18:27 starting with the charm and the pouchette followed by the phone case and then tote. The OP listing appeared last at around 18:29.

Pink OP sold out by 18:40 (sorry, don't have an exact time but likely a few minutes earlier) and white sold out shortly after although it took longer for the listing to update as "Sold Out". At some point, the listings for the accessories disappeared (so you weren't able to add them to your cart even if there was stock) and then reappeared later in the night.

(All times are in Japan time.)

Since the tote appeared first, I added that to my cart and then quickly went back to refresh for the OP. I added the pink version of the OP first since that was my first priority and then went back and added white. I looked over my cart very quickly to verify what I was purchasing and checked out quickly so as to avoid any server issues with other people bombarding the site. I was able to complete my purchase with so little issue that I was almost afraid I didn't do it right wtf.
Thankfully all went well, and I received an alert that my order shipped from TKL on 3/24/2016. On 3/26, I tried to pay for SAL small package shipping since the package weight was under 2kg, but Tenso rejected that a day later, and I had to go with EMS. Because of delay, my package shipped out a bit later on 3/28. I received it on 4/4 (7 days later).

Liz Lisa x My Melody cherry print OP in white and pink (161-6026-0) -
☆LIZ LISA×My Melody☆チェリー柄ワンピース

These dresses are just as cute as expected. White and pink are visibly different although still equally cute and distinct in their own way depending on your taste. There is no back or side zipper but the back of the waist area is fully shirred and the neckline is also elastic. There is definitely room in the top part of the dress to accommodate a bust much larger than mine and there's even a couple more inches in the waist area than I need. Tbh when I first put it on, I found it almost uncomfortably loose on me because I'm unreasonably obsessed with a really fitted waist and the part of the dress under the arms "poofed" a little more than I would like because of the extra fabric, but when I look at how the dress appears on me in photos, it's really not that bad imo. What really helps is the placement of the bow and the slight volume of the skirt. It still feels loose, but as long as it doesn't appear to be hanging off of me like a sack, I think I can deal with it.

Liz Lisa x My Melody 9th collab OP in white with Liz Lisa 3D flower pumps -

with Liz Lisa heart suede pumps and Forever21 heart pouch ("hair accessories" are earrings also seen above handmade by @rebikkuma) -

with Liz Lisa knot wedge sandals, Liz Lisa x Yui Kanno collab rose drop cardigan, Liz Lisa beret and Liz Lisa x My Melody 9th collab tote -

The white color is definitely pretty white (vice an ivory or even a weird light beige that Liz Lisa sometimes calls "white"). It's not the brightest white of whites, but definitely passable. The print stands out nicely from the background, and I really like how the red color from the cherries pop just a little but not an obnoxious amount. The red pumps might be an odd choice for some but I really wanted to exploit that part of the print lol. Balanced with a small red bag, I don't think it looks too terrible! Also shown above is the OP with an off-the-shoulder neckline. Although I like this look in a general sense, because of the slight bagginess of the top part of the dress, I'm not 100% sold on it on me like this.

Liz Lisa x My Melody 9th collab OP in pink with Liz Lisa flower wedge lace-up back sandals and Liz Lisa rose hair clips -

with Liz Lisa (pom pom) pumps, Liz Lisa x My Melody 9th collab tote, Liz Lisa batwing cardigan (I stole the fake pearl necklace from a doll I had as a child years ago before we gave it away wtf. Added the earring as a "pendant" to cheat replicate this necklace from Liz Lisa lol) -

with Liz Lisa pom pom knee-high boots, Liz Lisa x My Melody fukubukuro pom pom coat, Samantha Thavasa purse -

Pink was really my first choice for the OP, and I really love it. It's a lot girlier and the print is a bit more subdued, but I don't mind that. I feel like it pairs a bit better which my white outers. I particularly like it with the (pom pom) pumps in pink but white shoes also seem to be a reasonable choice as well. Although this dress was released for spring, I think it can easily transfer to other seasons if the weather isn't wildly extreme. I tried to show a summer look with the open toe sandals and a winter look with a coat and boots to demonstrate that.

Liz Lisa x My Melody tote bag (161-9904-0) -
☆LIZ LISA×My Melody☆トートバッグ

The print on the tote matches the print on the hem of the OPs but the background is slightly different. I'd say it definitely has a pink tone but it's not as pink as the pink OP if that makes sense. It's definitely not as white as the white OP either. I don't usually go for the totes from the collabs because I feel like I can't justify the price for the item due to the material. They do sell pretty fast and never make it to a sale, but I really love the design they chose for this collab's bag which is more of a handbag than a tote IMO so this was my next priority after getting the OPs. It matches well with the OPs of course, but definitely can be used with other outfits!

with Liz Lisa off shoulder ribbon blouse, Liz Lisa opal flower skirt and Liz Lisa ribbon pumps -

with Liz Lisa faux 2-piece OP, Liz Lisa flocking cardigan and Liz Lisa (pom pom) pumps -

Apparently there was some concern about this bag being made "cheaply" or something, but I have pretty low expectations for Liz Lisa accessories to begin with so I wasn't too worried myself. I mean, fake leather is fake leather is fake leather is fake leather. I can't expect it to be like real leather or hold up or act like it lol. I'm really not disappointed with what it is, and I feel like I'll find a bag this size to be really useful. That it features a super cute print with My Melody is a really great bonus.

Short YouTube video including close ups and coordinates in motion <3 -

I love all three items I received from this collab, and I definitely feel lucky that I was able to get everything I wanted from my 9th collab "wishlist" online so that I didn't have to worry about hiring a shopping service. If you're planning on trying to get items online for other popular releases, there are a couple of things I would suggest - be in a place with a solid internet connection, log into your TKL account in advance (and have your address, payment info etc set up or ready) and don't stop refreshing. And definitely know that the release time announced by TKL is approximate. In past releases, the listings have dropped 15 minutes early, 2 minutes early, 1 minute late, etc. This time, it was just a bit more than 30 minutes early. Since the release is nearly always during my average sleeping hours, I don't personally stay up the whole night since I need to wake up early for work, but I definitely like to give at least 45 minutes cushion or more. Even at that, I do consider it a little risky though because who knows what TKL will do? Good luck!

I also posted scans from the Liz Lisa My Melody mook corresponding to this collab. Check it out if you're interested!