Lolita gifts

My fiance is off to Japan next week on a business trip - sadly, I don't get to tag along! (Well, and I'm too busy to go right now, anyway). Since he'll be in the Lolita Motherland, and since he's got a vague idea that I like all this frilly stuff, he's offered to bring me back something from his trip. I should be excited about this... but I'm mostly not :(


My biggest concern is price. He's offering a gift, not a shopping service, but even the little things I might ask him to get me, like socks or hair trinkets, are so much more expensive than "normal" brands would be for similar items. I'd like a parasol, for instance, but I can just imagine his reaction to the price tag on a Baby umbrella! My love is a very practical sort, and while he has his own indulgences (*cough* video games *cough*), they tend to be few and far between. I once made the mistake of telling him the price tag on a Vivienne Westwood handbag I'd been eyeballing, and I thought he was going to pass out!

I've been joking with friends that I don't want him to get me something because I don't want him to know how much it costs, and that is partly true. Of course, very little of my wardrobe is purchased new; second-hand shopping for lolita items, however, demands a pretty thorough knowledge of brands, sizing and prints. I'm not sure sending him to Closet Child (if they can even find it!) with a list of photos will result in anything more than frustration, and a funny story for the salesclerks.

Mostly, though, I don't really want to dictate what he should get me as a gift. My taste is pretty particular, and brand is too expensive to buy on the hopes that it will be "okay". I've told him I'd like a frilly umbrella, or any other cute thing he feels like bringing back, but I'm honestly hoping he doesn't go digging through Laforet on my behalf.

Does that make me a bad lolita? I hope it makes me a good fiance, at least!