Alternative Days Out

As much as I love tea parties and picnics, after a while they can start to lose their sparkle. Don't get me wrong, I still love these sort of events but surely there is more out there to do? What sort of activities are suitable for us young maidens? Are they considered lolita enough? It is very easy to get stuck in the tea party rut so I had a little think about what sort of lolita meet-ups I would like to see.

Berry Picking

When I was younger, my dad used to take me berry picking. I fell out with my dad and we never made up before he died so some of my happiest memories of him involve berry picking. Berry picking is relatively cheap and you get to take all the lovely fruit home with you! Perhaps you could have a competition to see who can bake the best item with what you take home. I really want to learn how to make my own jam. Obviously berry picking involves a lot of bending down and potentially muddy ground. I think if you wore one of your least favourite dresses and got some wellington boots, you would be able to pick berries relatively hassle free. Plus wellies come in lots of fantastic colours and patterns now so you could even match them to your outfit.

Cathedral/Stately Home Photo Shoot

When I pick up my Gothic Lolita bibles I lust over the fantastic photo shoots they do at historical buildings. The models look so elegant and pretty. The great thing is that almost any church will do. Go visit a church and have a good long look at the different features. Would that arch make a good backdrop for a photo? Are there any interesting statues/shapes/gargoyles? How could you use the aisle? There are endless possibilities. I know a lot of gothic lolitas like using graveyards for photo shoots but don't ignore inside the buildings. I like strolling around the gardens pretending to be in a Jane Austen novel. I am a bit of a daydreamer.

Aquarium

You are surrounded by beautiful, colourful tropical fish. By using a simple water feature on your camera, you can take stunning pictures. There is something very mysterious and magical about aquariums. Plus, you have something entertaining to look at too. Make use of all the unusual colours and you too could be Ariel.

Clothing swap party

If you know enough lolitas a clothing swap could be a fun way to get yourself a new wardrobe. Be realistic. If one person brings brand and everybody else brings Bodyline, this could leave to arguments. I suggest putting a limit on brand items. Part of the fun is finding random items you may not have considered wearing before. Or maybe you have envied an item your friend owns and now you have a chance to own that piece. With correct organising this could be a very successful meet idea.

Make-over party

This is an excuse to try new ideas and get feedback off other lolitas without the fear of posting it on the online communities. Get everybody to bring their make-up, hair stuff and maybe even some clothing. You could try an entirely new style without spending any money. Some lolitas like to bitch about lolitas who make mistakes. If you disagree with somebody's fashion choices then how about giving them a make-over instead of saying nasty things? These sort of parties are very girly and get a bit giggly. It is also good for a bit of bonding.

Beauty salon

Along the same lines as the last idea, you could go to a beauty salon and get a treatment done. It does not need to be expensive. You could get a cheap manicure done. Nail art comes in a lot of varieties and the possibilities are endless. Or you could get a professional to show you how to use heated hair appliances so you can do them at home.

And if you really want to hold a tea party...

Don't dismiss your local village or town hall. Yes, some of these places may not be very lolita but with a little decoration you can transform any room. Some tea rooms can be expensive and with a little hard work you can create your very own tea room. Get people to help decorate or volunteer their services for hostessing. Don't automatically dismiss any venue.

And these are just some suggestions. The possibilities are endless. Plus I have a confession to make... I don't even like tea! I think you should always try new things and get a bit of variety. You never know, you may even prefer these new ventures!

Closet Child shopping review

Those of you who have been following my blog will know that I recently purchased my very first bit of brand wear. Well, it has arrived! *cue excited dancing from Luna*

As I am currently unable to afford brand at full price (and also I love a good bargain) I decided to go down the second hand route. One of the websites I had heard other lolitas talking about was Closet Child. I know a few lolitas have had negative experiences with this site but my experience was very positive.

Shop browsing

With the help of Google Translate I was able to browse the website very easily. There are also options to list the items starting with the lowest price to highest which is good if you are on a budget. I would recommend entering your budget amount into a currency converter like xe.com to see how much yen you can afford. You must allow for shipping on top. The details about the clothes were clear. Closet Child gives the individual items a rating out of 5 because with second hand clothes you may get a bit of wear and tear. Thankfully the skirt I ordered was exactly as described.

The Ordering Process

The actual ordering process is probably the one area which could have been improved (although I don't think this should put other lolitas off). English shopping instructions are available. I say English, but in some places it is very broken English so it does not actually make very much sense. When you place the item in your cart, you have to wait for 2 e-mails. On the second one (which should include a shipping total on it) you need to send a reply saying you want to go ahead with your order. This was a little confusing but I eventually got the hang of it. Once Closet Child know you are going ahead with the order they will eventually send you an invoice. You pay the invoice and then they will send you the tracking for your parcel. Closet Child can be a little slow to respond. This is mainly due to there being only a small number of English speaking staff. So you may need to wait for them to be available.

The Shipping

I think I was charged about 2000 yen to ship one skirt from Japan to England. I was kind of expecting it to be this much anyway. You can't really complain when you are getting brand skirts starting from £40 compared to their original retail price. Here is the really cool bit though- Closet Child mark the parcel as second hand so in theory, you wont end up with a customs charge! Closet Child did this for me without even asking. I was very pleased. Also, the skirt arrived before the estimated arrival period which took me by surprise. I think Closet Child were quite fast. I was impressed. The skirt was packaged in a sturdy box. It was wrapped so well I spent about 5 minutes just trying to get into it.

And now on to the skirt itself!

Ta-da! It is Old Emblem by Metamorphose! A very classic print compared to my other sweet items. The skirt was clean and the sizing given by Closet Child was accurate. Sorry for not showing a picture of it worn. I don't have my full co-ordinate for this skirt yet. I am currently hunting down a headpiece from the same set and a deep red cardigan.

And here is a close-up of some of the print. I love it! I am hoping I will have finished my co-ordinate in time to wear it to Hyper Japan at the start of October. I can't wait!

Going out in lolita

When I am at home I wear lolita around the house. I feel great and I know I wont be disturbed (although I did give the postman a shock once when he had a parcel for me...). However, going outside is a different story. I think even the most confident people struggle to go out in public in lolita. Whether you like it or not, you will stand out. People will stare, some may comment and you may even get people approaching you.

I have worn lolita in public. As I stepped out the door I started to wobble a bit. I think it helped that we were in a rush to get to the train station so I had no time to analyse the situation. As we waited for the train I could feel a hundred eyes looking at me. It was a little unsettling.

However, once you get over the fact that everybody is looking at you, you begin to relax. Most people have a good look but then move on. I think little children give the best reactions. Sometimes the parents can be a little funny with you. This one woman dragged her child away from me. I don't think she had heard of lolita fashion before. In fact, most people of a certain age will only remember the film with the older man and a young girl. Lolita will always have a fetish side to it so you have to be careful. Apart from that one woman, I have been lucky. I have had people complimenting me. Some people take sneaky pictures of me but I find it is usually people who are too scared to approach me. I wont bite! Please feel free to ask for photos. As long as it is not sexual up-skirt style photos, I don't mind!

There are idiots who will heckle you. I have been relatively heckle free- just one or two nasty comments. Just ignore them. They don't know you. Do you really care about what some person who you will only see for 7 seconds thinks? Every lolita will have a bad experience some time. So make sure you are safe and out in public. Never provoke anybody and keep yourself to yourself. If you get somebody giving you trouble on public transport I suggest you move if you can.

When you step out your door, take a deep breath. Keep telling yourself it will get easier with time. If needs be, invent some sort of alter ego who is confident. Obviously Luna is not my real name- it is my lolita name! Luna Rain is actually a play on my real name Lorraine which is where I got the idea for my name from. If you feel really nervous, ask a friend to go out with you. If you are going to a lolita meet-up ask somebody if you can change at the venue. I find your confidence grows when you are not alone. If you find yourself in a situation where you are getting a lot of negativity, try focusing on the positive comments you receive. Don't let these people spoil your experience of lolita fashion.

Baby's Princess Honey's Tea Salon and Mephisto Cathedral

Baby the Stars Shine Bright have been very busy recently releasing a lot of designs recently. There is another dress they have released which I chose not to discuss (Aristo Kitty's invitation) and there are some Alice and the Pirates designs too which I hope to discuss if I can find a decent picture! Today I shall write about one Baby print and an Alice one.

Princess Honey's Tea Salon is a basic floral print which comes in classic colours. I have chosen the sweetest colour (pink) for my picture here. I love the structure of the dress here. The gathering with the bows at the bottom looks really cute. The lace used is of good quality and is used in an interesting way.

This is a close-up of some of the detailing at the bottom. There is a line of rose lace and underneath the bow is a double layer of lace. It sort of reminds me of one of those doilies that like what grandmother used to use. I think Baby have pulled this off well without making it look too old-fashioned.

Here is a close-up of the print. The print is sweet but somehow mature. I love the little rose cupcake.

Here we have Mephisto Cathedral by Alice and the Pirates. At the moment I can't get enough of their prints. They are elegant with clever details and I love them! This dress is quite simple (well, compared to some of their designs it is). The only detail I am unsure about is the collar in the photo below.

Here is a print close-up.

I like the cross necklace with the chain draped over the book. I also like the scroll and what looks like a sceptre. The cathedral has lots of different towers and spires.

Here is the collar featured on some of the designs. I don't think it matches the rest of the design very well. If the bodice part of the dress did not have the crosses on, I think it might have worked better. At least you have the option to remove it and I am sure the collar would look great with other pieces.

Given the choice, I would pick Princess Honey's Tea Salon over Mephisto Cathedral (and I am not just saying that because I like sweet!). Although I like Mephisto Cathedral, I think when you compare it to other AatP designs it is quite average. I think Princess Honey's Tea Salon would look great on a demure girl and I would love to wear this to a traditional afternoon tea. It is beautiful but not attention-grabbing. Fantastic.

Umbrella/Parasol Inspiration

Seeing as the Summer has been replaced by unpredictable rain (curse you British weather!) I thought I would do a umbrella and parasol post. Please note that a lot of these items may not be available directly through their websites any more. This post is just to give a brief introduction to what sort of styles are available.

When ordering parasols you need to be careful about using them in the rain. Parasols are meant to shade you from the sun. If you require something to protect you in the rain look out for products which have umbrella in the title instead of parasol. Also, you can search online for product reviews. If you can't find a review, I suggest you ask around the online lolita community to see if they can point you in the right direction.

I am yet to purchase a proper lolita inspired parasol or umbrella. At the moment I am using an umbrella I got from New Look.

Sorry for the picture. I don't have a good one to hand. It is basically a clear plastic umbrella with strawberries on it and a frill around the edge. And now on to the lolita brand ones!

First up we have Metamorphose. Out of all the brands I think the Meta swan logo umbrella is my favourite. There have been various umbrellas featuring the swan logo. Here is a polka dot version. The last time I checked, the pink and blue versions of this design was still available (almost sold out, so be quick).

Here is a close-up of the swans! I love the gold coloured logo. Metamorphose umbrellas cost around 3800 yen.

Next up is Moi Meme Moitie. I have heard a lot of negative comments about their umbrellas. Some have described them as "the sort of promotional umbrella your dad brings home from work". I can sort of see where they are coming from. The umbrella they were describing was slightly different to the one pictured. The one pictured is slightly better. This brand tends to be more expensive than other brands and if I am being honest I don't think you get value for money here.

Next up is Victorian Maiden who usually offer very classic designs. I adore this ruffly umbrella. Unfortunately, you may end up paying around 22000 yen for an umbrella from their website. That is almost enough to buy an Angelic Pretty dress direct from their site. Ouch.

Innocent World do a lot of umbrellas which match the prints on their dresses. This is great for people who love to have an entire set of one print. Innocent world are also quite classic. The umbrella pictured features a beautiful rose print. The average Innocent World umbrella will set you back 5000 yen.

Finally, here is the latest umbrella from Baby the Stars Shine Bright. It features a cute birdcage design and has a more dome shape to it. The website claims this is for both rainy and sunny weather.

Here is a close-up of the print. I am currently going through a bird phase so I love anything with a birdcage on it. I love this umbrella but I would still probably choose the meta swan print. The average umbrella here costs 4000 yen.

Off-brands such as Bodyline also offer umbrellas. I have not included any because they were all quite basic designs. It is still worth having a look around. Hopefully I will be able to buy an umbrella before the rain gets too bad. Here in England, an umbrella is not an extra- it is a necessity.

An update on my brand purchasing- I have now paid for my meta skirt. Hopefully it will arrive quickly. Now that the stressful part is over, I am very excited!

I MIGHT have just bought my first bit of brand wear.

I am very excited today! Not only has my husband got my pokemon boosters for me to open later, I may have also just purchased my first bit of brand. Surprisingly I was able to find something that fits my 28 inch waist quite easily. The reason I say "might" in the title is that the website I ordered from was a bit confusing. I am waiting for the invoice to come through and it is making me nervous. What if somebody else got it first? The site in question is a second hand one so there was only one skirt in stock. Eep. O_O I am not sure I like all the pressure involved with buying cheap brand. Why am I getting so nervous about a skirt? Ooh... somebody hurry up and email me back... put me out of my misery! :(

I wont reveal what print I have got on my skirt yet. What I will say is that it is a Metamorphose one (no, not the March of the Duck one I am obsessed with), it is a bit more classic than my usual style and providing I actually got it, it cost me approximately £40 without postage. Although the postage will probably be hefty, £40 for a brand skirt is a total bargain. I had saved up more than that so I may have some leftover money to play around with. A cheap non-brand cardigan and a parasol I think!

Speaking of parasols, you can expect a parasol related post soon. Provided my anxiety doesn't consume me first.

Cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!!!!

They are a bit too cosplay for my tastes but...

...these shoes are absolutely adorable!!! Bodyline, thank you for making me smile today :)

Visiting Winchester

I was in Winchester over the last weekend to do a bit of house sitting. Whilst I was there I thought I would see if this was a good place for a lolita meet-up.

First up, we have the cathedral. We decided not go to inside because the £6 entrance fee is no longer voluntary and we did not feel like going in. The outside of the building has lots of interesting details. The arched doorways would be a good place for a photo or two. I imagine the inside is beautiful but remember to be quiet! Outside of the cathedral there is a grassy area. I am assuming you are not allowed to hold picnics here because nobody seemed to be walking on the grass.

Wolvesey Castle (or what is left of it) is free and there are lots of interesting places to hide away and pose in front of. It would be a great photo location. Whilst I was there I made sure to take lots of photos. I think I prefer this place to what I saw of the cathedral. It has a more distressed and rustic feel.

The castle has lots of information you can read whilst you are there. Most of this information is an explanation of what used to be there and how it may have looked.

The river was fun to walk along. The water here is very clear. You can see fish swimming around and there are lots of ducks. I loved the weeping willow trees overhanging the river.

Also worth a mention is Montezuma's in the town centre. This is a special chocolate shop. They will usually give you a free sample which I think they change daily. The chocolate itself had a very intense rich flavour. On the day we went they were even holding a golden ticket event to celebrate their birthday. Sadly, my mother-in-law did not win. At least we had some very tasty chocolate! My husband James bought some chilli chocolate whilst my mother-in-law bought a bar with butterscotch and one with orange and nuts.

The shops in the town centre feature lots of mini independent shops as well as the usual shops you may find in most town centres. One of my favourites was a little craft shop which sadly I don't remember how to get to! I spent a while browsing in there and I could have easily bought lots of their stock.

Winchester would be suitable for a smaller lolita day out, maybe with just a few friends. There may not be enough here to keep lolitas entertained for a long amount of time. Winchester has lots of places to walk around. There are some gardens which I did not get to go in as well which looked pretty. Winchester is small, but it has its charm. I wouldn't mind visiting again.

Twinkle Journey by Metamorphose

Today I would like to talk about the latest from Metamorphose. This is a very sweet print featuring unicorns.

This set comes in black, a deep blue and a gorgeous raspberry colour (they call it bordeaux). I really want some pieces in this shade! In the picture, I think both the left and middle dresses have a good shape to them. At first I was a little undecided about the JSK on the right but it has grown on me since then. It is not visible in the picture but the dress on the left has off the shoulder sleeves, a pair of shoulder straps AND a halter-neck as well. I don't feel these all work together. However, there is a layer of diagonal ruffles on this dress which I wish was on the others. These ruffles slightly cover a bit of the print at the lower part of the diagonal line. However, there is only a little coverage and on one side you can still see the print clearly.

The style shown in raspberry has a normal set of straps and a halter-neck too. This is slightly better than the first dress. The halter straps are light pink and the other straps are raspberry- it would be nice if both sets of straps were the same colour here. I am also unsure about the pink ruffles at the top of the bodice. I would take away both lines of light pink ruffle here. The bow that sits on these two lines of ruffles looks floppy and lifeless too.

My opinion on the dress shown on the right improved when I realise this one has a bustle back. Instead of the print running all the way around the bottom like the 2 others, this one only has the print in between two lines of vertical lace. I quite like this because it is different and the little stars that are on the rest of the dress are pretty. I also feel this JSK is a bit more mature than the other 2 dresses. Also, the vertical lace lines look better close up when you can see the ribbon threaded through.

Here is a close-up of the print. I saw an off-brand had done a unicorn print so I was waiting to see if a brand did it too. There are lots of tiny little details. I quite like the treasure chest. Maybe Metamorphose should make a matching treasure chest bag. The unicorn although sweet, is not over-the-top sweet. I am glad Metamorphose chose to make this instead of Angelic Pretty. Angelic Pretty would have made the unicorn too cutesy and I think Meta have found a good balance here.

The girl on the right in the first picture is wearing the headpiece I like best. It is called a vaned ribbon headband. I am not 100% sure what this means but there is a circle of ruffled fabric, then 2 black feathers and then a bow on top. There were not any clear images of this but all the bits seem to be in the same colour.

Metamorphose have also done some socks which feature the stars which appear on the bodice. Near the ankle there is also a clock face. They are simple and come in 5 colour options. One of these colours is lavender, which I think stands out the most.

Not shown is a pinafore dress, which I am yet to see a proper picture of.

I love the pattern and I would consider adding the bustle back JSK on the right if I had the chance. There are a few questionable details and some daring choices (Meta seems to like trying new and rarely seen ideas). This is not Meta's prettiest recent piece but a relatively good effort.

Pictures from the official metamorphose website.

In response to my recent AP post...

I smiled when I saw this picture featuring the AP print I reviewed a few days ago. It seems that off-brands are not the only ones making replicas. Brands make dresses which are similar to others and there are only a few little differences. What some people may not know is that off-brands will sometimes buy the exact same fabric as the major brands. So you are essentially just paying for a clothing label hidden away on your waist band.

My opinion on replicas is that whilst it is unfair on the original designer, some people cannot justify saving for the bigger name. If I prefer the replica's take on something, I would not be ashamed to buy it. Big brands seem to be coping with the replica market because some lolitas will only ever buy the original. When I weigh up the guilt of brands losing some money with that of spending a month living off so little money that you can't see your friends/family or go out with your partner, I know which option I would choose. Please don't hate me!

My battle with the mirror

I have often wondered if I am beautiful enough to wear lolita. Yesterday I spent a large amount of time reading some very horrible comments by so-called lolitas (is being a total bitch really fitting for lolita?) and it made me think about my own personal struggle.

I have a husband who loves me and when he tells me I am beautiful I believe him. But it has taken me a while to accept that anybody could ever possibly love somebody like me. When other people say I am pretty there is always this little pang in my heart because I just can't believe them.

When I was younger I was constantly being told that I was ugly. I am not kidding when I say I got told this every single day at some points. The thing is, even the most self-confident of people would struggle in this situation. If you have it drummed in to you that you are ugly every single day then eventually some of it is going to sink in. So I came to the conclusion that I was ugly but I was not really bothered about it. I didn't feel anything for the people who were calling me ugly and so it did not matter. Deep down I knew this was just an opinion and that one day I would find somebody who felt differently. When I left primary school I vowed that I would never go back or keep in touch with anybody because I did not need that negativity in my life.

And so I was happy. Throughout secondary school I had interest from boys here and there. My confidence grew and when I was 16, I met my husband. Great.

But then along came lolita. As much as I love lolita fashion I have to admit that lolita can be very ugly sometimes. There are some vile communities dedicated to bitching about poor lolitas. Some of these lolitas probably don't even realise what people are saying behind their backs. What exactly makes these lolitas so superior? Is it that they can fit into the smallest brand size? Is it that their wardrobes are stuffed full of brand instead of Bodyline? Or is it that these bullies are secretly insecure or have gotten caught up in the lolita hate going on?

Why are us lolitas ripping into each other? We are an alternative fashion- shouldn't we be rebelling against the unrealistic standards of mainstream fashion? Maybe these horrible girls are naturally skinny but others starves themselves and develop eating disorders. And I don't care what any brand lover says, non-brand IS lolita if it still fits the main ideals of a lolita outfit. Owning Angelic Pretty does not make you any better than somebody who chooses to buy cheaper clothes because they can't afford them. In fact there are lolitas out there who can afford brand but choose not to. And it is no good saying "Get a job!" because in case you haven't noticed the economy is still recovering and some of us (me included) feel unable to work because of poor health.

In my opinion you have to be beautiful on the inside before you can be beautiful on the outside. What is the point in bitching about other lolitas when everybody is avoiding you because of your nasty comments? Step back, take a look at yourself and think about the consequences of your actions. Nobody likes an elitist lolita.

Little Bear's Cafe by Angelic Pretty

Here we have yet another print featuring teddy bears! Teddy bears must be very popular right now. This is the latest from Angelic Pretty (image from Japanese Angelic Pretty site). Sadly, this appears to be the only image currently available. The print features the bear and the squirrel featured in the corners of the picture. You will have to excuse my review because I am currently squinting at the picture on the site trying to make out the details for you. So what I am writing may be inaccurate.

I used to hate the colour brown in lolita but I think the colour has been used rather well. In fact, it was another Angelic Pretty print (Melty Chocolate) that convinced me to give brown a chance. However, if you are not a fan of brown then the Onepiece (top row of dresses on left) is a good choice and the print headbow (hidden at top of page) would probably match this dress the best. I personally love the brown ribbon corset detail on the Jumperskirt (top row of dresses in middle). I do not think the JSK on the right of the same row is as pretty. The straps appear to be made with shiny material. In fact, all 3 of the dresses in this row have shiny waist ribbons. The other issue I have here is the edging on the bottom of the dresses. It appears to have lots of mini balls. Whether this looks better in real life (I only have this image on the site to go on) I don't know. If I had to choose I would say the white edging looks better because it is less obvious. The final JSK (next row down, second from right) has an odd shape to it. It appears a little shapeless and lumpy. I also feel that with this style of pattern, a defined waist looks better. This pattern has a lot of horizontal features so I would want a defined waist because it could make you appear bigger than you actually are.

I think the pattern is shown off best on the black skirt although we have more of the edging with the small balls. On the black skirt the print pops out. As for the pink skirt, I think it is too short and adding a layer of ruffles at the bottom to the small balls is not helping.

The print used is very cute. I think the teddies are cuter than the ones featured on Honey Picnic by Metamorphose. The teddy sat down eating a cookie is adorable! I am a fan of the curious looking squirrel although in this picture I can't see where it is featured on the dress. This is why I think that black is the best option- the biscuits are all a similar colour and you can see all the different features the best on the black.

This is not a set that I would choose to buy a piece from. It is a shame because I think Angelic Pretty have the skills to show off this print to its full potential. I feel that some pieces here could be a lot better.

It is my 1st wedding anniversary tomorrow!

I am very excited because Friday the 6th of August 2010 is my first wedding anniversary! I still can't get over the fact it has been a whole year! I have a strong urge to dig my dress out and put it back on. Although lolita clothes make me feel like a princess, this feeling is NOTHING compared to how I felt whilst wearing my beautiful wedding dress. I struggled to fit down the aisle and it was raining outside but the small problems did not matter at all. I only cared about getting through the ceremony and then enjoying the rest of the day. I was stood up most of the time because funnily enough, I had trouble sitting down...

My husband James and I are staying in a local hotel tomorrow night and James has booked the most expensive room available so we get free wine and bath robes. Yay! We almost had to cancel the hotel because we broke our front door and it refused to lock. So somebody had to be in the house at all times. Fortunately it seems we have fixed it and the door is locked. So no hotel cancelling. I was getting ill from all the stress. Life is never simple!

I took the plunge!

Well, I did it. I put the very first lolita dress I ever owned up for sale. So now I am going to have to try and figure out if I can afford some Angelic Pretty and/or Metamorphose. I am the first to admit my budgeting leaves a lot to be desired but I feel really determined! I have been stalking the EGL Sales Community for people who have had to relist their items. EGL Sales have this policy where if something does not sell you have to repost it after 4 weeks with a discount. I also look out for people who are leaving lolita or say they want a quick sell because this is where the bargains usually are. Sometimes you will find one person selling something at a really good price. Why is it that these brilliant people always come along when I am scrimping and saving? Anyway, I shall update this blog as soon as I manage to get hold of some brand lolita wear whenever that may be! I am really excited. Somewhere out there is my next lolita dress. I wonder what print it is going to have?

Honey Picnic by Metamorphose

I was browsing the Japanese version of the Metamorphose website and came across a collection called Honey Picnic. As far as I know, this collection is not available on the English website but a picture is featured on the main page. So it is probably coming soon! here is the picture from the English website-

Metamorphose seem to be very keen on teddy bears right now. They have another series called Gardening Teddy which also features bears. Honey Picnic is more cutesy than Gardening Teddy. I saw some other blogs reviewing Gardening Teddy so I thought I would do Honey Picnic.

As you can see this series includes an apron design. I don't like aprons very much anyway (unless it is Fruits Parlor by Angelic Pretty!) but I don't like this print on an apron. There is too much going on in the print and so the details get hidden away by the bunched up apron. Also, I don't understand why every brand likes to make the apron part a heart shape. It is not very original, although it can trick the eye into thinking you have a smaller waist depending on what you wear underneath.

Then we have the dress which is a lot more flattering and shows off the print better. The straps are about the right thickness for me. Although there is shirring on the front it is a bit discrete and partially hidden by the bow. I think the teddies eating pancake stacks are very cute. Some people would say it was too cute, but I am not one of them. Colour-wise, I think the dress looks best in mint. Lavender is also available. There is also a skirt.

I like the simple matching headbow. The square pattern kind of gives off the illusion that this headbow is quilted. The bow looks easy to style and I also think the lace looks pretty. My favourite part of the headbow is the mini pearls. I thought they were a nice finishing touch and they do not steal the attention away from the other details.

The socks come in 4 colours- the 3 previously mentioned and also yellow. I think the yellow socks would really suit the mint dress at the top. Not all of the prints have yellow in them so you would have to match these very carefully or go for the safer option and buy a different colour.

Overall I would say the print may be too sweet for some and I would avoid the apron because the dress shows off the print better. It would also be nice if the English Metamorphose website could put some more information on their website instead of just having a picture. At the moment I am unsure when this set is available but I doubt the picture would be on the English website if it was not sometime soon.

All pictures are from the Metamorphose website (both English and Japanese)