Pretty Bodyline bag!

I was going to do a post on the new Baby series today but instead I am going to show Bodyline some love!

An item I have been watching on the Japanese site has made it on to the international site. I am talking about this bag-

As soon as I saw this I thought the print looked very pretty, especially considering this is Bodyline. I adore the roses and the mirror. The bows and pearls set off the bag nicely. I am not as keen on the way the lace has been used but I still want to buy this bag.

But what I am really hoping for, is that Bodyline will use this print on a dress or skirt too. It could go horribly wrong but I think Bodyline has improved recently so I am wishing and hoping. It would not be the first time Bodyline has released a bag and then a matching dress or skirt. I believe the carousel bag made it on to the site before the skirt and JSK did (which eventually proved a huge hit and Bodyline even restocked it once).

The trouble is, I don't know which colour I like best. I would usually veer towards sax blue but I prefer the pink one this time. But I have been wanting to add more red to my wardrobe and the black version looks so pretty. I think I will probably go for red or black (or both!).

I don't know if Bodyline will use this print on further items but I think this is one to watch.

Oxfordshire Lolita Meet March 2011

So last Saturday was the March 2011 meet for the Oxfordshire Lolitas (we even have our own special facebook group!). We decided in January to hold monthly meets but sadly I was unable to attend the Feb meet. This time we went to Swindon instead of our usual meeting place of Oxford. Michelle very kindly drove James and myself there because buses make me ill. I was so happy to see my lovely friends again. We spent the day at an arcade and went bowling. Dinner was held at Pizza Hut because the Chinese place was shut. But I am glad we went to Pizza Hut because we had the loveliest waitress ever! She gave me yellow and red balloons. They even matched my outfit!

This meet saw the public debut of my dream print which I recently obtained!

I should probably point out that because I only just got my March of the Duck skirt, I did not have much time to prepare an outfit! Plus my on-going petticoat crisis meant I was not getting the level of pouf I desire. I would have used a better picture of myself but we took some pretty horrendous photographs of me (which are already all over facebook. Good times!). Luckily we did get some nice photos too.

Outfit run down-

Skirt, headbow, swan necklace (wrong way on in photo)- Metamorphose

Shirt- GLP

Tights- offbrand

Shoes- Bodyline

Charm bracelet (just seen)- Claire's

Duck earrings (not shown)- offbrand, purchased from Angel Pretty (Camden)

And I felt this was the nicest group shot that I have. Left to Right we have- Beau and Sammi twinning in Bodyline (at least 4 of us own this waffle print!), Raine in Angelic Pretty, Nicola in Bodyline, Jenni in Moi Meme Moitie, Me in Meta and Michelle in altered Bodyline.

You know how loads of lolitas do the same old shoe shot over and over again? Well, here is our alternative version-

Check out our sweaty bowling shoes! Seriously hideous but we just HAD to take this picture!

I had such a great time and I cannot wait for next month's meet. I think what I loved about this meet was that it was a little different. Sometimes it is good to do things which are not stereotypically seen as lolita activities. Everybody said that they had a good time so it was worth it.

Finally, I would like to thank the lovely people who sent me messages on Poupee Girl. I had people telling me they read my blog and that they enjoy it. This really made me happy! Thank you so much!

Meta shoe and boot sale

Just a quick update today because I have a lot of work to do and I am preparing for the Oxfordshire Lolita March meet tomorrow.

http://www.metamorphose.gr.jp/english/_gogo_lolita/news/index.htm

If you have not heard already, Meta are having a sale on all their boots and shoes. Sadly, all my money is currently tied up so I can't join in myself. I am still paying my husband off for the duck skirt!

The savings on offer are not particularly huge but I am just passing the info on.

Giving con-crit without being a bitch

When I initially decided to become more active amongst the online lolita community I have to admit, I felt a little intimidated. I had heard all these rumours about the EGL community (thankfully my overall experience has been positive), I knew all about Lolita Secrets and GetOffEGL and I was unsure about how I would fit in. But if I could pick one thing that I was really worried about it was giving constructive criticism to my fellow lolis.

I am not exactly confident to begin with so I generally stayed clear of con-crit situations. But there were also times where I desperately wanted to comment if I felt something looked bad or if I had come up with an interesting idea. Whenever I have made a negative comment I worry about the response I am going to get. I have read some entries on GetOffEGL under the Baaaaaw and butt-hurt tags about some people who clearly were not looking for con-crit and just wanted praise. I was also concerned that people would think I was being a hypocrite. I admit that I still have a lot of work to do to improve my wardrobe and I still have lots of holes I need to fill. Even when I post things on here I read them back a few months later and I sometimes get a bit embarrassed. So would these people appreciate advice from somebody who also needs to work on their outfits more? But then I told myself that nobody is perfect and there is no such thing as the "Perfect Lolita". We should try to learn together and be supportive where we can. So with this in mind, I asked myself what is the best way to give con-crit?

Give compliments when somebody is doing something you like- Even if people feel uncomfortable giving con-crit, I feel it is important to give positive feedback when you like something. You don't necessarily need to give con-crit but by giving compliments when you like something and not saying anything when you dislike stuff, even this can give the wearer a clear message. People will be able to see which of their outfits have had the best response because in theory, their best outfits will be the ones with the most positive comments. If an entry has fewer responses it might be time to consider improving the outfit even if there are a few positive comments given. Of course, this would depend on how observant the outfit wearer is.

Don't lie- If you don't like something then don't say that you do. It will just encourage people to do it again.

The 'compliment sandwich'- I am borrowing this from Family Guy, but I am sure the compliment sandwich does exist in other situations. Basically you give a positive comment, then a comment on where improvement is needed and then finish with another positive comment. Even if your positive comments are only really small little details, the compliment sandwich can still work. I think the reason it works is because you are softening the blow by surrounding the con-crit with nice things and also assuring the person that they have not got an outfit completely wrong.

Wording is very important- try to word your con-crit maturely. Using phrases like "OMG, what the HELL are you wearing!?!?!?!?" can be highly upsetting. I think if I was in this situation and somebody said something like this, I would find the person incredibly childish and a bit overly dramatic. It may work for celebrities on high profile fashion shows but it does not work as well in the real world.

Try not to post anonymously if you can- Lolita Secrets and anon posting does have its uses and sometimes people really are too shy to say things openly but it can look as if the poster has something to hide. Sometimes when I am reading the secrets on Sunday I find myself wondering why this anon felt they couldn't say these things to the person's face. I think most people can handle moderate con-crit so using anonymous posting should be a last resort.

Be prepared to make suggestions on how to improve- I think if people give con-crit it can be very helpful to give suggestions on what you would do. If people are getting criticised then it can be frustrating if they don't know how they can evolve their look.

Try to remember you are talking about somebody else's outfit and not yours- It is important to remember that people have different tastes. Just because you wouldn't wear something, it doesn't automatically make an outfit bad. Try to give con-crit but respect other people's tastes.

Once something is said you can't take it back- If you do say something you regret then the best thing to do is say you are sorry. But you should always think before you speak.

Remember that there will always be people who can't handle bad comments- There will always be people out there who start getting angry with con-crit no matter how helpful it is. The best thing to do is apologise or explain that you were simply making a suggestion. Don't get involved in a war of words. If they keep angrily responding to you just walk away.

And if anybody has any more helpful advice I would love to hear it. I have found that over time I have gradually become more confident so when I see the words con-crit on Daily Lolita, it does not seem as scary as it used to. And if somebody criticises you, don't automatically assume the person is trying to attack you. If you can't handle con-crit then simply ignore it.

I finally joined Poupee Girl

I told myself I would not join but in the end I joined anyway. I am looking for Poupee Girl friends!

http://pupe.ameba.jp/profile/yDIWBXSoLLIR/yDIWBXSoLLIR

I must apologise because I don't have a clue what to do most of the time on here. Eventually I do plan to do a massive upload to my closet. I just need to take a lot of pictures. I never realised how much jewellery I had...

A dream come true!

Tuesday the 15th of March 2011 will now forever be imprinted in my memory. It was a very special day for me. I have been having a lot of personal problems recently and I have been having a hard time with my health too. So I have been feeling pretty miserable. However, there was a break in the gloom when my new skirt arrived-

I finally got March of the Duck! For ages it has been my dream print and now I own it! March of the Duck definitely has its lovers and haters (I am a lover of course!) but I have always been obsessed with ducks. I preferred March of the Duck to the duck print that Emily Temple Cute did. I was also happy to get my dream print in my preferred colour choice of white. I really dislike the blue version. The square part of the pattern reminded me of bathroom tiles. I felt it looked a lot better on the white version. I already know that some of my friends are keen to see what this print really looks like in person.

And here are the infamous ducks!

The lining is very soft. This Meta skirt did not come with the stiff layer on lining which is on my Old Emblem skirt. March of the Ducks is a Crown Label series so maybe the Crown Label ones don't have this extra layer.

I never noticed this before but the Meta bunny and bear appear on the print and the swan logo features on some of the balloons.

Polka dots! And a close-up of the lace.

Of course, I got the matching head bow too. This bow is actually titled ever so slightly to the side so it is a side head bow! I like the little pearls which helps to add interest to what could have potentially been a very dull bow.

I intend to show some worn pictures soon but I am still feeling a little ill and tired. I just quickly tried the skirt on and the fully shirred waist was very forgiving. However, I might be wearing this to the Oxfordshire lolita meet next Saturday so hopefully I will have some more photos soon. My poor Bodyline waffle skirt will have to wait for its first public outing!

Question is... now that I have my dream print, what will my next dream purchase be? I need to recover my finances first! My wishlist is VERY long but here are a few that I would really like-

Angelic Pretty- Milky Chan, Rose Toilette, Starry Night Theatre

Baby- Bunny Milk and Snow Strawberry, Twinkle Dreaming Princess

Meta- Nostalgic Chess, Feather cross Summer special 2008, apple print

AaTP- Midsummer Night's Dream, Masquerade Theatre

Innocent World- Felicia Crown

Tales of the Wood by Crown Label (meta)

Today I am looking at Tales of the Wood by Meta's offshoot Crown Label. This series comprises of 3 dresses, 2 skirts (1 long, 1 short), a headbow, bags and socks. This series will be up for pre-order soon but the socks are already available in their online store.

First up is this one-piece. With such a busy print it is good that Meta kept the dress details simple. Well, the details are not that simple but they blend in with the dress. The bodice is relatively simple with 2 simple lines of lace. All the lace used here is quite thin. It is obvious Meta want you to focus on the print more than anything else. I think the use of ribbon threaded lace on the neckline works well with the shape of this bodice. The neck straps are quite cute. I would lose the 2 bows on the straps. The back is finished with some corset detail. The ribbon hides the shirring quite well. It looks quite neat and they have matched the ribbon colour well. The waist bow is nice and simple too. I didn't even notice there was a waist bow at first. My main complaint with the bodice is the buttons. They are the same colour as the apples in the print so it tricks the eye in to thinking some of the buttons have been misplaced. Maybe they should have used buttons which matched the main dress colour instead. The skirt part has an interesting ribbon part running vertically and then a horizontal ruffle. Usually I dislike this sort of detail but I quite like it on this particular dress. The skirt part has a lot of volume which is always good with a higher waist. The bottom hem is finished off with ribbon which is a bit different. Although some people may dislike this bottom hem detail, I like how it finishes off the dress more simply. I imagine it must have been a challenge to balance out the print details with the dress details. Overall, I don't think this dress is too bad.

And then there is the high waisted pinafore JSK. This is probably my least favourite dress in this series. The front and back of the bodice on this dress are pretty much the same. So there are 2 panels of shirring and 2 corset parts. I thought this dress looked a bit messier. The waist bow has been kept simple again but this time it is larger. If it was me, I would move the waist bow a bit higher up to hide some of that corset. I also thought the straps look a little strange. However, my number one complaint with this dress has got to be the use of ribbon on the skirt part. It is highly noticeable and it causes a harsh brake in the skirt. It could just be the camera, but I also don't like how shiny this ribbon is. The ribbon is a bit too "Mad Meta Experiment" for me (I should definitely trade mark that phrase!). The finish off the skirt Meta has 2 simple bows and the bottom hem has some pretty lace with bows on it. If I wanted a dress from this series I certainly wont be picking this one.

And then there is the pinafore JSK. To show the details better I have included the draft picture-

All the little details around the bodice appear to be small ruffles. Although there are a lot of ruffles, the size means it doesn't look too frilly. In fact, I think this is quite pretty. The straps are a decent size but on the model they point outwards a bit. The straps look nicer in the draft picture but I think this is only a small problem. The ribbon theme is continued on this dress with a ribbon belt. It is not exactly risky, but I think this is the best use of ribbon in this series. The ribbon on this dress does not pull your attention away from the print. With the black dress it is hard to tell how neat the back part looks. In the black colour, the corset in the back blends in nicely. The skirt part has a lovely bell shape to it. It is not as wide as the other 2 dresses but it has a nice rounded shape. The bottom hem on this dress is similar to the 2nd dress but there is a ruffle in place of the lace. This is by far my favourite dress in this series.

And finally, the print close-up. I was thinking about the best way to describe this print. Imagine Innocent World and Meta having a love child, but Meta has the more dominant genes. This is Meta taking inspiration from IW and doing their own spin on it. It is a very interesting print. If I had to choose between Meta and Innocent World, I would choose Innocent World. However, this print is still very pretty, albeit slightly more cutesy. I am a bit undecided on the stripy part. Also, there are parts of the print which look brighter than other bits. Some bits look a tiny bit washed out.

This series is a bit hit and miss. I would possibly buy the last dress but I would not go out of my way to get hold of it. To be honest, I think if I could get a similar print from Innocent World (and fit it!) I would rather buy an IW dress. But if you have always wanted a sweeter IW inspired print, this series could be right for you. I think this series will sell well but to be honest, I don't think IW have anything to worry about.

Trying to make the most of Spring

After a harsh winter which seemed to drag on for ages, I am really happy to see signs that Spring is on the way. The temperature is slowly creeping back up, flowers are starting to bloom and little baby animals are starting to emerge. I even saw a really tiny baby squirrel in my garden a few days ago! Generally, I usually find spring an easier season when it comes to wearing Lolita fashion. Despite buying multiple layers to wear I still struggled a bit this winter. It made me think about how I could use the spring season to my advantage, just so I can get the best of it.

Apparently this photo was taken close to where I live. Snowdrops are my favourite flower!

Here in England, we are a little strange. We have this thing called Daylight Saving Time. Basically, the clocks go forward an hour in spring and backwards an hour in fall. I know that not every country does this. The reason we do it is so that we can make better use of the lighter hours during the sunnier months. It takes a bit of getting used to, especially in spring because we lose an hour, but it can be useful. As the evenings get lighter I find it easier to take more photos. Although I take photos of myself, a lot of my photographs are taken by my husband James who works long hours. Right now James is getting home in time to catch the sunset. I like taking advantage of the changing light. Also, I usually find that meets held in the spring and summer end later.

Another good point about spring is all the flowers that are starting to open and the trees are covered with blossom. Suddenly places which seemed dull during the winter are now bursting with colour. I love discovering fields full of flowers or old trees which I may have previously overlooked. Forest and woodland areas are especially pretty during the spring. Flowers make an interesting feature point in photos. You could even try to match the flower colours to those on your outfits. Also, flowers which are in season tend to be cheaper in the shops because they can be sourced more locally. So if you wanted a pretty bunch of flowers to liven up a room or for a gift, then there will hopefully be a bit more variety.

As far as shopping goes, the new season usually brings in lots more colour, especially pastels. I think a lot of people around this time of year have a desire to brighten things up a little bit. It doesn’t seem to matter what is in fashion, pastels are usually everywhere. This is great news if you are a fan of sweet Lolita or even classic Lolita. I have already found a lot of loli-able items appearing in stores all over the place. I am currently keeping my eyes on floral items and pastel coloured jackets.

And then there is Easter! This also influences what appears in the shops. I have seen a lot of bunny and chick items on sale. You don’t just have to look in the usual fashion shops. Budget and value stores usually stock Easter themed items too. A good example is an Easter bonnet. In some countries children take a straw hat and then decorate them with an Easter theme. I spotted a cheap Easter bonnet in a 99p store and with a bit of customising it could look very pretty. This is great for those on a limited budget. Plus you can get some very cute goodies in bakeries. I am not a religious person so apart from swapping Easter eggs with James, I don’t do a lot. This year I am thinking about suggesting an Easter egg hunt as one of the activities for a loli meet!

There are lots of other reasons why I love this time of year. I am sure this Spring will be a lot of fun. I shall make the most of it before the stifling sweaty Summer heat kicks in!

A plea to my Japanese friends

I have been watching the devastating tsunami on TV and have been religiously checking the BBC's live feed. I am shocked by what happened. The destruction is so scary. It is as if it came right out of a film. The loss of life is so sad. My brother-in-law had a message sent to him by a Japanese friend saying he wasn't safe and there was a fire. As far as I know, we don't have any news about this person.

I have quite a few online Japanese friends who I have not heard from since the disaster struck. I just want to say I am so worried about you. If you are safe then a quick message to confirm you are safe would be great. I appreciate you must have a lot more important stuff on your mind and your safety is number 1 top priority. Just look after yourselves and hopefully I will be able to talk to you soon. I am sure you will contact us in your own time.

Also, I have been a bit alarmed by a few individuals who seem more concerned about how this will affect lolita shops and celebrities. You are entitled to your opinions but please respect all the 100's and possibly 1000's of people who have lost their lives. Thank you.

Versailles Rose Bouquet by Baby

I am feeling a little better now so I just had to do another print review today! Today I am focusing on Versailles Rose Bouquet by Baby the Stars Shine Bright. The set comprises of 2 dresses, a skirt, a barrette, a head bow, a bonnet, a tiara, a necklace and socks.

This is the Rosary JSK. It has a lot of interesting details. The bodice features 2 large bows. These bows have a lot of lace on them but on this particular dress I don't think this looks too bad. The bows are possibly a little too large and I don't really see the point of having 2 of them. One would probably have been enough. Also, in a few of the close-ups I felt the bows looked a little wonky. It probably wouldn't be too hard to fix this or remove the bows altogether.

Another concern of mine is that the frilly straps look a little uneven. If you look at the frill on the left side of the picture it appears to be one continuous piece of fabric. But the frill on the right side of the picture looks like it stops to the right of the top bow. To my eyes, it appears uneven.

It is hard to tell how well the bodice fits with the frill in the way but after looking at the back, it appears to fit well. The back has corset detailing to cover the shirring. The corset ribbon matches the bows on the bottom hem on the skirt.

Personally, I would have preferred the skirt part of the dress if the frills running down the front were not present. It would make the skirt look a lot simpler but because there are lots of details I don't think it would look too boring. The frills have floral lace layered on top of some more lace. I was a bit unsure about the lace underneath. I don't think it looks that pretty and the floral shaped lace would be enough. The bows on the skirt are pretty. They stand out because they are a solid colour. I also like how the bottom hem is finished with just a ruffle and no more lace. This dress already has a lot of lace on it and I don't think it needs any more. The skirt has a nice shape to it. The shape is not too exaggerated which is useful if you wanted to wear the dress for a classical co-ordinate but at the same time it could be used for a sweeter style.

The other dress is this Carlotte JSK (was that meant to say Charlotte?). This dress has some very daring and experimental details. The bodice has some small corset detail which uses delicate ribbon. It is very similar to one of the Scent of Rapunzel dresses by AaTP. Whilst there is less of the ribbon on this dress compared to the Scent of Rapnuzel dress, I still dislike the way it has been used. The corset is very small and the holes are close together so at first glance it doesn't really look like a corset. Maybe it would look better if thinner ribbon had been used. The bodice looks very fitted. The website says the waist can go up to 30.31 inches which is surprising. I would not recommend this dress if you are close to the maximum measurement. The straps look a decent size and are finished with pretty double layered lace.

One of the biggest details on this dress is the use of gold tassels. It reminds me of those ties you get to tie back curtains. It is a very bold choice, and I do usually like a bit of experimenting, but I really dislike the tassels. I also strongly dislike the way the fabric on the skirt sits. It looks like they were trying to drape the extra material (again, this reminds me of curtains) but the fabric sits awkwardly and it bunches up in places. I think the skirt part really lets this dress down.

This is the Lorraine Autrish bonnet. I really love the roses here. I wish they were available as a separate headpiece. I have never been a massive fan of bonnets and this bonnet has not done a lot to change my mind (despite that fact it is called Lorraine. That's my real name!). I thought it was slightly too big and whilst I like the roses, I think that both the bonnet and roses together are too much. It is a bit OTT and both would look better if they were separate. Also, I can't help but feel this bonnet may be heavy and the fabric may not stay in the position you want it.

I thought this series had an underlying hime theme so luckily Baby have provided a tiara. It is a very beautiful design but I don't think the price is truly justified. It doesn't look like it was that expensive to make.

Here is one part of the print-

This is the main floral part of the print. I think this is very pretty. I would have liked to have seen a deeper bolder red on this colourway. The jewels are beautiful but could do with a bit more definition.

There is also this part-

This part features more of the jewels surrounding the flowers and a mirror which makes clever use of the Baby logo. However, I got a little confused. Why is there a random cherry floating around in the print? (I assume it is a cherry) I am talking about the one in the top right of the 2nd close-up photo. It could just be part of the floral design but I immediately saw a cherry. It doesn't fit in with the rest of the theme. On a more positive note, I felt the selection of colours was very broad.

I am not impressed with this set. It is good to try new ideas but Baby appear to be trying too hard. I think they have made a few poor design decisions. I doubt I would strongly want anything from this series.

Help me out? :)

I should hopefully be resuming my usual blogging activities soon! But for now I have a huge favour to ask everybody. I would really appreciate your support!

I have recently entered 2 competitions on Facebook. I entered the Gothic Lolita Wigs contest but I have given up hope with that one. I admire a lot of the girls who have entered and it seems that a lot of other voters agree with me! So I am now going to put more focus on this 2nd competition. It is open to MAF members so if you would like to enter too, then you will have to join MAF.

If you would like to support me then please do the following-

1. Like this page on Facebook-

http://www.facebook.com/myAsianFashion1

2. Scroll down until you find my entry (I have submitted the photo above)

3. Press the 'like' button under the image. This is really important- to vote for me, DO NOT click on the image or it will take you away from the MAF page and you will only be liking the image in my photo album. If you are redirected, then your vote wont count. The 'like' you need to press is right beside where it says how long ago I posted the entry, which is under the image. A few of my friends were a bit confused by this.

As you can see my entry is Alice in Wonderland themed. Yes, I know a lot of lolitas are sick to death of Alice! I had this really great idea for an outfit but sadly I don't have all the parts to put it together correctly, so this was actually my 2nd or 3rd choice. As you can probably see I have worn my Bodyline Alice print skirt (and a very flat un-puffy petti!) with some AP replica shoes and the Baby umbrella which I recently got off a friend who won a competition. To add a bit of interest I have pinned playing cards to my socks. I ended up pricking myself a few times with the pins which wasn't very nice.

So if you could vote for me I would really appreciate it! Mega thank you to anybody who votes for me!

Sorry

I have been feeling very ill over the past week and so my posts have been a bit erratic. I have been functioning on less sleep as a result of this and I have no energy. I have not fully recovered yet and I think I should just let myself rest for a few days. I should be back very soon and if I am not better I will have to visit the doctor. I will probably still be online a little bit but I can't do as much as I normally do. So please bear with me and hopefully I will be back to normal soon. Thank you for your patience.

Ok, I am going to go and crawl back in to bed with Pokemon Black and some of my favourite snacks. See you all soon.

Dear Bodyline...

Could you please stop messing with my head? I buy a skirt from you only to find out you are releasing a dress with the same print. Only the dress comes with a matching head bow too! And it would appear you are not going to sell the bow separately from the dress (at least not right away). Brilliant. Well, I shall be making do with the detachable bow that came with the skirt but for future reference, people buying the skirts may want the bow too! And I think you should make more matching head bows for your prints anyway. But please, not like the one for the carousel print because I have spoken to friends and we all agree it sits really weirdly on our heads. Thank you.

There is a lesson to be learnt from this my fellow lolis- if you don't think an item is going to sell out straight away, then don't buy it straight away!

The stripy £9 Primark Dress

If you read my recent post about Primark, you may recall me mentioning a dress I had spotted for £9 which could potentially be loli-able. I didn't purchase it at first. Then I saw somebody had posted the dress on EGL and I thought it looked better than I expected. So I went back to Primark and I got it.

So here is the dress I was referring to-

It is a very simple dress as far as the details go. It has thin straps, there are a few small gold buttons running down the front and not a single bow in sight. The pattern features stripes and a pink floral pattern. Close-up photos are below.

Considering how cheap the dress is, I admit I was not expecting a lot from it but it turned out better than I expected. So I very quickly tried it on and whilst I think I need to put a little more work in to my outfit, I was very happy with the results.

I would like to apologise because a) I desperately need some new petticoats b) my wardrobe still has holes in it so I was randomly throwing things together and c) it had been a very tiring day so I look a little zombie-ish.

I really should wear that belt more often because despite it clinging to me a little too tightly, it really emphasises my waist!

After putting on a very un-puffy petticoat, the dress sat a tiny bit above my knees (I am about 5'4'' just so you know). I am very tempted to wear a classic skirt underneath and then pin the Primark dress up to expose the other skirt. I think it is a shame that I don't have my Meta Rose JSK as a skirt as well because I think that would go well with this. I also think a deep burgandy coloured skirt would look pretty underneath.

This is the front of the bodice. You can just about see the gold buttons.

This is the back of the bodice which has some shirring in it. I should point out that the shirring does not stretch that far but Primark offers a wide range of sizes anyway. The shirring blends in with the pattern quite well and runs the whole way along the back.

I have just realised I forgot to photograph the bag I am holding! I got that in Primark too.

You can tell this is not a very expensive dress but for those on a limited budget, I would recommend it. It can look good worn casually and with a bit of effort it could be worn with lolita too. If anybody has some further suggestions for this dress I would love to hear them.