Liz Lisa Gingham flower bikini (Summer 2016)

I had convinced myself I didn't need another Liz Lisa swimsuit since I barely go to the beach despite living in Hawaii and rarely wear the ones I already have. However, I really liked the design of this one, and asked Lauren to grab me one during her trip if she happened to see one in store since online had already sold out by the time it got to a decent sale price!

See also:  Summer 2014 - Liz Lisa gingham flower swimsuit set
               Summer 2015 - Liz Lisa bandeau rose swimsuit set

Gingham flower bikini in red (161-9908-0)
ギンガムフラワー水着

I love the flowy ruffle detail on both the bandeau top and the bikini bottom. It's so feminine without feeling too over-the-top. When I first saw the images of this swimsuit, I was only about the pink color which I thought was the girliest and seemed to match with me the best. However, as I saw more and more pictures, I realized I also really liked the classic feel of the red one, especially with all the red accessories they were releasing for the strawberry jam series (which I wasn't able to get my hands on but still really liked)! Since I already have a pink Liz Lisa swimsuit anyway, I am happy to have this one in red. Hopefully I don't end up with a sunburn to match!

The design of the top isn't something I'm familiar with. I admit that I don't keep up with swimsuit trends very much, so I have no idea if this is now a common thing, but the top is a whole piece bandeau that has two small fasteners (one on each side) to secure it instead of just one big one in the back (see fifth photo above). Even if one or both of these fasteners came undone, I probably wouldn't panic very much because the majority of the top would still be in place. Due to this design, you have to pull the whole thing over your head when putting it on or taking it off, and it doesn't have a ton of stretch. I probably wouldn't recommend this for someone with broader shoulders or a larger bust. The halter straps are completely removable and not necessary to keep the top up (for me). The "sleeves"/ruffle have some elastic in the top but it mostly just falls where it wants to and does restrict movement slightly. This is not a swimsuit for doing serious swimming lol. The bottoms are fairly straightforward with the ruffle in the same material as the majority of the top but the bikini part being made of more of a traditional lyrca/nylon type material which makes the pattern's color appear in a slightly bolder way up close.

with Flag J sandals and gingham bow cherry earrings by Rebby -

with Liz Lisa corsage actress hat and Liz Lisa seashell pouchette / Liz Lisa happy winter tote -

with GAP cardigan -

 with Hollister denim shorts -

Sorry these aren't really "coordinates" lol. As someone from Hawaii, I've never really understood the concept of dressing up to go to the beach or having a "beach outfit" beyond just ...a swimsuit lol. We usually wear a swimsuit underneath something like extremely casual shorts and a tshirt with slippers to drive/walk over the beach. You take it off anyway and you don't want your clothes or bag and whatever to be objects worth stealing lol. Basically, you don't want to take anything of value with you to the beach because it's hard to secure them, but the above examples are probably as close to a beach coordinate as I can get while still being semi-reasonable (minus the high heel sandals ofc which I really only need for photo purposes for this post lol).

Even though I didn't really need to get a swimsuit this season, I'm really glad I did because I love the look of this one, and I'm really happy with the red color! It's definitely different than the two other swimsuits I have from Liz Lisa. Despite it being probably the least practical for actually doing something at the beach, I hope this will be the encouragement I need to get out there a little more often ♡

Buyee purchases 5 - Liz Lisa x My Melody 2nd collab OP (pink) & Liz Lisa novelty floral poncho towel

Note: The photos at the bottom of this post could possibly be deemed slightly nsfw so please don't continue if viewing a person in a swimsuit/bikini is not a good idea for you right now.
For some reason, the consolidation process for this package was fast but actually shipping the items took a few days. I shipped with SAL right before the holiday season and that seemed to take forever compared to the week that I'm used to for SAL. But I wasn't in any particular rush to get this package, so I didn't really mind. These blog posts are still all backed up because I prioritized the trip posts so heavily, but hopefully I'll be reasonably back on track soon and not a month backlogged for these shopping posts. I suppose they're not really time sensitive though - especially the secondhand ones because there's pretty much just the one listing for each item and I got it lol. In any case, I won the auction for these items on 11/4 (poncho) and 12/3 (OP) and I received the package in the mail on 12/22.

Liz Lisa x My Melody collab vol 2 in pink; Condition: Used

This was the colorway I originally wanted but I bought the white in an earlier auction because I just wanted to jump at the chance to get it. I had never tried it on before or seen it in person, but after receiving the white one, I knew I would also like it in pink. I wasn't planning on getting it, but the bid was pretty low so I just took a chance with less than an hour left and no one else outbid me lol. Good timing, I guess. I still can't believe that I could have had this new when it was first listed years ago and hesitated too much and missed my chance -__-. But regardless, now, a couple years later I have it in both pink and white (albeit secondhand and used), but still in reasonable condition and I'm not unhappy with the price I ended up paying for them.

with Liz Lisa lace up back pumps -

with Liz Lisa knot wedge sandals & Betsey Johnson bow handbag -

with Liz Lisa flower applique beret, Liz Lisa flower lace up back set ups & Liz Lisa batwing knit + Kate Spade New York purse -

The pink dress is exactly like the white except the color of course. I enjoy the fit and the length and can easily see why this was a popular item at the time and continues to be now even though it doesn't have any print or specific My Melody branding on it.

Liz Lisa novelty poncho; Condition: New

I had really, really wanted this when I had seen it first promoted during the summer of 2014. Since I was purchasing a Liz Lisa swimsuit for the first time that same season, I thought this novelty item would be the perfect accompaniment to the bikini set and the towel and would be quite useful. I've looked for it many times on the auction sites and from secondhand sellers but I could never find it for a price I was comfortable paying in new condition until this listing. Luckily I didn't have to deal with a bidding war to get it, maybe because it's a bit off season lol.

with my Liz Lisa floral gingham bikini from summer 2014 -

The swimsuit I bought from 2014 doesn't exactly match the towel print (which matched with a different bikini set also from that season) but it's close enough for me lol. The poncho itself actually a bit wider than I expected it to be but also shorter? Well I think my expectations are just off and not the poncho itself. Regardless, it's quite cute imo and another great novelty offering by Liz Lisa. I would have been so happy to get this free with purchase lol. I don't know how much I will actually use it since I already have four Liz Lisa towels that don't get regular use, but maybe this will be my excuse to tag along with S when he goes fishing. (Although it's not like he doesn't let me go with him. I'm the one who usually resists haha.)

I'm quite happy with both of these items. This was a small set of items (just 2!) but the poncho towel was already sitting for so long before I won the auction for the pink Liz Lisa x My Melody collab OP, so I just wanted to get the shipping over with. Since there wasn't a lot else that I was interested in purchasing at the time, once there was another item to consolidate, I just cut myself off lol. I've really come to realize that I want to scale down my secondhand purchases anyway. Even though the auction item price might be low, everything else with the service fees and domestic and international shipping really add up and are often unpredictable which I'm not the hugest fan of. I think I allowed myself a little more leeway with these items because autumn/winter tend to be slow purchasing times for me for Liz Lisa items due to the season and type of items being sold, but it's already picking back up and I can't wait for spring!