Baketopia Unicorn Cake!

Yes, it is another cake post!

I am really gutted I didn't find out about the Baketopia event in London until after it had been held! It was part of National Baking Week and I am hoping a similar event is held next year (I really want to go if there is!). By far my favourite cake of the event is this unicorn cake.

How amazing is this cake? I would love to have the skills and time to create such a wonderful cake.

In case you didn't believe it was a cake, here is a photo of the insides. It seems quite appropriate that the unicorn's insides are made up of rainbow coloured sponge.

Here is a couple more of my favourite images from the event-

The camp fire one is another favourite of mine. It is a really clever idea.

Fingers crossed there will be another event for 2014!

Melty Cream Donuts by Angelic Pretty

Today I am taking a loot at Melty Cream Donuts by Angelic Pretty. This series includes 3 dresses, a skirt, 2 hair accessories, socks, a parka, wrist cuffs and several bits of jewellery.

This is the OP. The bodice looks very baggy and sack-like, although it suits the style of the rest of the dress. I think I would personally like a bit more waist definition so it was a bit more figure flattering. It's not an easy shape for everybody to pull off! The sleeves are very cute with a suitable amount of puff to them. The puffiness adds a bit of additional cute to them and matches up well with the style of the rest of the dress. The lace used for the cuffs is of a good quality and donut themed too. The waist bow is maybe slightly big but I don't think it looks too bad and the shape is good too. However, I am a little unsure about the way it sits on the dress. On the other stock photos it doesn't look as bad, but on this brown picture it seems to sit a bit too high. Hopefully this is just a stock photo thing and in reality it will look better. The yoke is heavily decorated with pleats and lace, which is layered very neatly. The lace that makes up the collar is very pretty too. It makes the yoke a lot more interesting and less flat looking. The yoke is also topped with buttons, which are not too fancy but are a good match for the dress and I really like them. In the centre of the collar there is also a small bow, which tops things off nicely. Although I do like the yoke, I think I may have preferred the dress without it and to just have the lace collar. It would have been a lot simpler looking, but still very cute. The back has no shirring, so not the best choice for larger wearers. The stock photos show that the skirt is very full and will hold a decent amount of petticoat. There is the potential to create a nice, slightly rounded shape. The skirt is kept simple and the print is displayed very well. The bottom hem is finished off with more of that awesome custom donut lace.

This is the standard JSK. The bodice looks fairly well fitted, but the bodice shape is a bit dull. The straps are a bit thin, but considering the detail on them, bulky straps probably wouldn't have worked so well. I am not a fan of the bows on the straps. When you look at the dress front-on, the bows look a bit odd. In fact, from this angle you can't even tell they are bows. The straps are also lined with lace on the outside and I think the lace would have been enough detail by itself without the bows on the straps too. 

The waist bow is a pretty good size for the dress. The shape is simple but works well and it appears to sit quite well on the dress. What I really like though, is the little gold fork and spoon charms that are dangling from it! If you were just looking quickly at the dress you would probably not notice them, but I think it is a lovely finishing touch. The charms are very cute!

The bodice is quite plain, with just 2 thin lines of lace running vertically up it. The neckline is simple too, with some good quality, pretty lace which is then topped with a tiny bow. Sometimes there is nothing wrong with a bit of simplicity, but I think the bodice is a bit boring. Although I may not like the strap bows, I suppose the straps do help to liven things up a bit. The back is fully shirred, so it is not concealed by anything and looks a bit messy. As the stock photos show, the wearer can get a very exaggerated, rounded shape for the skirt. It will hold plenty of petticoats and has a lot of flare to it. The skirt is again kept simple and the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is finished off with the same donut lace.

This is the Round JSK (Really? I have a feeling the AP website may have gotten the names around the wrong way). There isn't really a proper bodice to this dress. I worry that the dress is going to look very sack-like on most wearers. It is certainly not your standard lolita shape. The dress is quite simple, but the neckline does draw in a lot of attention, so I wouldn't describe it as boring. The neckline has two ruffles, which are layered well. They give the dress a bit of extra depth and I think it looks very cute. The ruffles are lined with lace, but AP have sensibly gone for thin lace which doesn't add too much bulk. The neckline is finished off with a very tiny bow which isn't that noticeable and is more of a finishing touch. The one thing I would change is I would remove the lace that runs along the sleeves because I don't think it really adds anything to the dress design and just adds bulk to an already busy area. 

I have included a picture of the back because to be honest, I'm not really sure what is going on here. What exactly is going on with the criss-crossed lace? It looks very messy. I appreciate that the lace will probably help to keep the straps on the shoulders (they look like they may slip off without something there) but the way it has been done just doesn't look that appealing. It looks cheap and untidy, and I would have expected better from a brand like AP. I also think that the waist ties are a bit weird. I know pretty much every dress has waist ties anyway, but I don't think they are going to help the dress silhouette by tightening them.

As for the 'skirt' shape, it pretty much looks like a triangle. It reminds me a lot of the Dreamy Horoscope JSK (I remember hating that dress too). I think it is one of those dresses which is only going to look good on certain body shapes. On a more positive note, I guess it will hold a decent amount of a-line petticoat underneath. I am not a fan, but that may be because I know I could never pull it off! The bottom hem is then finished off with the donut lace.

And here we have the print. As we can see it comes in ivory, pink, mint and brown. These are pretty standard colours for a print like this, which features chocolate. It is not surprising that all 4 colours work well with the print. I am personally a fan of the mint and pink. The ivory is a good choice if you wanted a more mature look though. As for the print, the donuts are drawn so well! The decorations on the donuts look tempting and I have to admit, looking at this print is making me crave a donut! The cutlery is cute, although I question why they have been included (does anybody eat donuts with cutlery?). The stripy background with whipped cream hearts works really well with the print. Everything works together and it is a very cute print. It is a very solid offering from AP.

So overall, I think this is a very cute print. I am maybe a bit concerned about the dress designs, as I don't think they fit the usual lolita shape. But the designs are still very cute. Would I buy this series? Maybe. I would go for the standard JSK (the non-sack looking one) in either mint or pink. It is not my usual style, but I still appreciate how cute it is. I predict that this dress will gain a decent sized fan base.

Milk Tea Day- Die Milch's UK Debut in London

On the 8th of December, there will be an event held for Die Milch's UK debut. The event will be in The Nave, a venue near Islington in London.

The official notice is as follows- "Die Milch will be making their UK debut in London this December. Milk Tea Day will take place in The Nave; a beautiful and historic venue near Islington in London.

The event will consist of free entry with cakes, tea, and stalls during the day before closing to a TICKETS ONLY debut live by Die Milch"

There will be a free-to-attend fashion event from 12pm-4.30pm (including a tea party from 2pm-3pm) before a tickets only live concert by Die Milch from 5pm until 7pm. The event will consist of tea, cakes and stalls during the day. Stalls that will hopefully be in attendance include Teatime Treasures (selling Haenuli and Fairy Wish goods), Lizzie's Tasty Teas and Shinkurose.

Some of you may remember Coco, who was a guest at Austen and the Abbey this Summer. She says she really enjoyed England and the UK lolitas. So she is coming back with Jasmine for a proper concert! This event sounds like a lot of fun and I hope that Coco and Jasmine will get a lot of support from their UK fans.

If you wish to buy tickets for the live concert, you can find them here- http://event.teatimetreasures.co.uk/

The band's official website can be found here- http://diemilch.com/ 

Traumerei of Bright Stars by Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Today I am taking a look at Traumerei of Bright Stars by BABY. This series includes 3 dresses, a skirt, a blouse, 3 hair accessories and tights.

This is the OP. The bodice doesn't look well fitted, although a more slouchy, relaxed style suits the style of dress. The crepe de chine sleeves are so soft looking. They don't have much puff to them, but that wouldn't suit this particular style of dress. The cuffs are finished with pretty pearl buttons and wide lace. I guess the wide lace does match the bottom of the dress but in my opinion, I'm not sure the cuffs really need the lace. The thin belt helps to define the waist, whilst also keeping things simple. The material used is also quite matte looking as well, so there is no glaring shine. I adore the collar on this dress. The lace, the line of subtle pearls and the bow are all layered so neatly. It has lots of lovely detail to it without ever looking too OTT. There is not a single thing I would change about it. The back does not have any shirring, so may be a bit limited size-wise. The skirt has a decent amount of length to it. It doesn't flare outwards much and looks like the weight may weigh down a petticoat anyway. However, this is the sort of style that BABY were aiming for with this dress. I personally think it looks like a frilly Victorian nightgown, but I know this style of dress does have its fans. What I like about this dress is that despite the detailed bottom, your eyes still get drawn to the print. The print is displayed very well but the skirt is also rich with detail. They have managed to balance this well. The bottom hem is finished off with 2 soft, delicate ruffles, which are layered beautifully. These are topped with a few bows which are a little big, but don't look too distracting.

This is the JSK. The bodice looks reasonably well fitted and the overall shape is simple, but fairly interesting. The straps are a good width and suit the style of dress. There is a waist bow which has an okay shape to it, but it does look a bit slouchy. I do like how it is finished subtly with gold braid though. I am not really a fan of this waist bow, but thankfully it is detachable.

I am very undecided about the bodice on this dress. The pleated panel may add a bit more detail to the bodice, but I find it quite dull looking. In fact, I think I would have preferred a simpler bodice without this pleated detail on at all. It just doesn't excite me. I do like the gold braid and lace, I just don't like how it has been used with the pleats. The neckline bow is cute and a good size. It matches up well with the bows on the skirt too. the shape is good and the material is not too shiny. The gold braid along the neckline give a very smart and elegant touch. The lace on the neckline is soft and frothy looking. I do wonder if it will tickle the wearer though!

The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed very neatly with a ribbon corset. The gold braid continues on the back and lines the edges of the shirring panel too, which gives a smarter appearance. The stock photos show the skirt has the potential to flare out quite widely. The shape is maybe a bit too triangular for my tastes and I would have preferred a very subtle, slightly more rounded shape. The print is displayed well, despite the amount of detail near the bottom. The bottom hem is finished with two soft ruffles which have been layered well. This is then topped off with some gold braid and 2 bows. The only thing I would change is placing the 2 bows a bit further apart from each other.

This is the Long Frill JSK. The bodice is well fitted and the overall shape is interesting. The straps are a bit thin and don't look very supportive. However, the ruffles used on the straps is very cute and helps balance out the detail-heavy bottom. I love the placement of the 2 bows on the waist area. They sit very well on the dress. However, I don't think I would have bothered with the other 2 bows that appear in the centre of the bodice. The bodice already has enough detail without them and they just add unnecessary bulk. The 2 lines of gold braid running across the bodice are pretty. Hopefully they wont sit too awkwardly on the chest area, as I know some bustier girls have problems with this. Whilst I think the wide lace on the neckline looks fine, I think a soft looking ruffle could have looked really lovely here and would have matched other parts of the dress better. But it doesn't look too bad as it is. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed neatly with a ribbon corset. The skirt shape is what I would expect from this style of dress. The printed part of the skirt has a decent amount of length to it, so the print is displayed quite well. However, I would have moved the 2 bows that are sitting on top of the print lower down as it disrupts things a little. The bottom is finished off with some gold braid and then there are 3 layered ruffles. It looks wonderfully OTT and I like how the middle ruffle is a slightly different colour too. The ruffles are layered well and sit nicely on top of each other. This is a dress that was made to be shown off!

And here we have part of the print close-up. This print is available in ivory, pink, red, navy and black. Navy is by far my favourite colour because it looks just like the night sky and I like the contrast of the deep colour with the softer colours in the print. However, I do think each colour works with the print in some way. As for the print itself, it has a very nostalgic Christmas feel to it. It reminds me of a painting I saw once (I have forgotten the artist). The print wouldn't look out of place on a festive tin of shortbread and for me that adds to the appeal. I love the detail on the Christmas trees and all the people walking around. It definitely gets me in the festive spirit!

I think this is a very beautiful series. It is one of those series where there is going to be a large fan base but at the same time some people may not be that keen on the dress designs. I personally love the dress designs and think the print is gorgeous. However, I wont be buying it, simply because I would feel silly wearing it at any other time of the year! If I did buy it though, I would go for the Long JSK in navy. I think it is absolutely stunning and I hope BABY will release more designs like this one, only without such a seasonal print.

Never Give Up!

Today I want to share a positive story with you all. I have been bursting with happiness recently because I have finally achieved a dream that has been hanging over me since I wore lolita for the very first time. I finally obtained the dream dress that has eluded me so many times!

It all started back in early to mid-2009. I had made the decision to stop day-dreaming about lolita and actually start wearing it. So I started to browse the EGL community sales page and it wasn't long before I stumbled across Feathercross. After a bit of research, I discovered it was from a Metamorphose Summer Special set the previous year. Gothic Lolita was what initially drew me in to the fashion and I knew right away that I wanted this dress. Feathercross became my very first dream dress.

So this dress was sold at a reasonable prices and was part of a special set... it should have been easy to obtain, right? Wrong! For so long, I kept missing this dress. It's not even as if it wasn't popping up for sale that often, I was seeing it every few months. Some times I would even see about 3 Feathercross dresses in the space of a week. But every time, something would prevent me from obtaining it. Somebody would always get in there before me, one time I lost out by only 10 minutes. Sometimes sellers would change their minds about selling it or would sell it to somebody else when I had asked them to hold it for a few days. There are quite a few dresses on my wishlist that I have missed out on multiple times but none have even come close to Feathercross. It is no exaggeration when I say that I think I have missed out on this dress 20+ times. I think this added to my frustration because it's not as if the dress was that rare, I was just being extremely unlucky.

During this time, I came very close to giving up on it. I thought this would be a simple dress to obtain and yet it was proving such a hard challenge. I even managed to get dresses that I never thought I would own, like AatP's Midsummer Night's Dream. Surely if I could obtain a popular dress like Midsummer, then a simple special set dress with a basic design shouldn't be this difficult! 

And then it happened... somebody listed Feathercross and as usual, there were people interested in it before me. I didn't want to give up hope and I contacted the seller anyway, thinking I wouldn't get it... but I did! My heart was pounding as I paid the Paypal invoice because I thought it was too good to be true. I refused to believe this was really happening until that dress arrived at my home.

A few days later, the dress arrived. I tried it on and it fitted perfectly. I breathed a sigh of relief because after 4 and a half years, I finally owned the dress that had gotten away so many times. It felt so good to tick Feathercross off of my wishlist. It is also nice to have a physical representation of the beginnings of my lolita journey. I am very happy to say that now I own it, I love the dress just as much as I did back in 2009.

I know there are people out there who have waited a lot longer than me to obtain their dream dress. I just want to say to you all, please don't give up! Maybe some day you will get to experience the same feelings as me when I looked in the mirror and saw myself wearing Feathercross for the first time.

Royal Unicorn Goblins by Angelic Pretty

Today I am taking a look at Royal Unicorn Goblins by AP. This series includes 3 dresses, a skirt, a head bow and tights.

This is the OP. The bodice looks reasonably well fitted, although I wish the waist was a bit more defined. The chiffon sleeves are very cute with a suitable amount of puff to them. The cuffs of the sleeves are gathered nicely, although I dislike the lace used. For some reason I feel the lace looks a bit untidy or out of place. The waist area has a small bow, which looks a suitable size for the dress. The material used is a bit shiny, but the bow has a nice, crisp shape to it and appears to sit quite firmly on the dress.

I dislike the zigzag line joining the chiffon to the main dress material. I think a simpler slight heart shape or just something a bit more subtle would look better because the zigzag looks like harsh. I think the neckline of this dress is very interesting. It has one bow in the middle, but then there are bits of bows continuing around in a circle, which makes for an interesting neckline. It is quite cleverly done and it is definitely different. The bows have been layered neatly and the pearls on top of each bow part is a lovely finish.

The back doesn't have any shirring. The bow on the back is also dotted with pearls which is a good continuation of the pearls on the collar. The back of the skirt has a chiffon panel, which doesn't really add anything to the design and doesn't stand out. It's just sat there, not doing anything and feels a bit pointless. The stock photos show the skirt can potentially flare outwards a fair bit. The rounded shape is a bit more subtle than the usual we see from AP, but that is probably a good thing for a more classical styled dress. The print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off with a line of pretty braid and some semi-circle lace. I think the braiding and simpler lace is a very good choice to match this dress.

This is the JSK. In some of the photos the bodice material looked a bit loose and baggy and I feel the waist area could have been a bit more defined. The straps are a good width for the dress. They are lined with lace on the outer edge for a neater look. On the inside they are lined with braid, which continues along the neckline as well, which looks very smart. 

I am not a fan of the random chiffon ruffle on the bodice. I just find the overall shape a bit odd looking and in some photos it seems to stick out a fair bit. I dislike the random line of pearls too. I appreciate it livens up what would otherwise be a very plain dress, but I am not a fan. The neckline bow is quite cute though. It may be a bit big for some, but I personally think the size is just right. It has a good shape to it and sits nicely on the dress. I also really like the unicorn themed brooch. The unicorn is so pretty and the bow and tassels are a lovely finishing touch. The brooch is detachable but I would definitely use it.

The back has a wide shirring panel, which is not concealed in any way. It looks a bit untidy and I would prefer it to be concealed. The stock photos show the skirt is very full and has a generous amount of flare to it. The skirt is slightly rounded, although I would have preferred it to be a tiny bit more rounded, as it almost looks triangular. The skirt is clutter free so the print is displayed well, although I dislike the way the print is going in different directions on this dress. It means some of the ovals in the print get cut off. The bottom is finished off with a line of braiding. Then the bottom hem is finished with a line of lace and again, I am not a fan of the lace shape chosen.

This is the other JSK, which I am calling the Military JSK. The bodice looks reasonably well-fitted, although in some stock photos there is the odd bit of baggy material, which is a shame. The overall bodice shape is lovely though, and I like the contrast of solid-coloured velveteen and the main dress fabric. The straps are a suitable width for the dress. The neckline and inner straps are lined with pretty braid, which looks very neat and suits the military themed dress. The bodice has 3 bits of braiding, organised in a military style, which look really good. The braiding is spaced out neatly and looks very smart. I do think the buttons used are a bit dull, but maybe something a bit more elaborate would have stood out too much. I am not keen on the 2 thin lines of lace running up either side of the bodice because I don't think they contribute anything to the design. This dress also has the same unicorn brooch that the other JSK has. It suits this JSK very well. The back has a generous panel of shirring, which has again been left uncovered. The shirring doesn't quite go the whole way across the back, so it would have been possible for AP to cover it with a ribbon corset or something else to make it stand out less. The stock photos show the skirt has the potential to flare out loads and hold a lot of petticoat. The skirt shape is suitably rounded and full, and I think this dress has the best skirt out of this series. The bottom hem is finished off in the same way as the OP, so there isn't any of that lace I dislike either.

And here we have the print close-up. As we can see, the print comes in pink, ivory, brown and lavender. Whilst all 4 colours work well with the print, I would have liked one bolder, deeper colour option. All 4 colours chosen are quite pale and subtle. As for the print, I really like the oval layout and think it gives quite a classic feel. The ovals are outlined with pretty bows and tassels. The unicorns in the print are drawn well and look very pretty. I am a fan of the regal looking plumes too. Although this is a sweet print, it has a more mature feel to it and could potentially be worn with classic lolita with the right styling. I like how even the empty spaces in the background have been filled with subtle gold swirls and stars.

Overall, I think this is a lovely series. For me personally, it lacks the 'wow' factor and I doubt I would go out of my way to buy it. But it is still a pleasant enough series and I expect we will be seeing some amazing outfits using it. If I had to pick a dress I would go for the military JSK, possibly in pink. I don't think it is an amazing release, but it is good for what it is.

TPC Calender Photo-shoot in Oxford

Back in October the Oxfordshire Lolitas did a mini photo-shoot for the Tea Party Club calender. The idea was that 12 lolita communities around the UK would contribute to the calender to help raise funds for future TPC meets. Considering how amazing Frock On! and the Juliette et Justine events were, I think it was well worth taking part. Kyra is an incredible events organiser and if this extra bit of money helps to make a future event even better, then that would be great!

I was in two minds about whether I should post any photos or not, but because some of the others have been posting photos I decided a few shots of my individual outfit wouldn't hurt. However, if you want to see the final group photo then you will have to buy the calender!

These are my own photos, not the photographer's ones.

My outfit was royalty themed so I wore Meta's Nostalgic Chess and teamed it with my Innocent World crown bag, my AP replica crown shoes and a crown on my head as well. I used rich colours like wine and gold. This photo is not that good because we took them at the end of the day, but as I mentioned I am a bit apprehensive about posting the actual photographer's photos! 

For my hair accessories I went for a crown (a random ebay find). It came with this white elastic strap on it which didn't look so attractive, so in the end I managed to pin it down and then disguised the elastic with fake wine roses from Hobbycraft and a Foxcherry black veil. I was amazed at how well the crown stayed in place all day! This photo was from when I was planning my outfit, so the positioning was a little different on the actual day.

So I am really looking forward to seeing the final calender. I am curious to see what the other 11 communities did for their photo! Doing the shoot was a lot of fun. I am very grateful the photographer took the time to photograph us. 

Bubble Bath by Crown Label (Metamorphose)

Today I am looking at Bubble Bath by Crown Label. This series includes 4 dresses, 2 skirts, a blouse, 3 hair accessories, bloomers, socks, a bag and wrist cuffs.

This is the OP. The bodice looks well fitted and the shape is interesting. The organdie sleeves give a soft, floaty feel. I think the sleeves look cute but I personally would have liked the sleeves to have been a bit puffier. The waist bow is quite big and I feel they could have gotten away with a much smaller bow or maybe no bow at all. Or perhaps even an organdie bow? The waist bow also has quite a basic shape to it, although it looks quite perky and sits well on the dress. The bodice has a row of buttons going up the front centre with the buttons alternating with some cute, small bows. The bows and buttons are spaced out well, although the buttons used are a bit boring. Either side of the buttons, there is a organdie ruffle, which compliments the sleeves and works quite well. At first I thought the collar on this dress was a bit too big, but after seeing it worn by a model on Meta's website I don't think it looks too bulky. I like how the collar is finished with an organdie ruffle around the edge to soften it. I wouldn't have bothered with the small bows on the collar though, as they don't really add much to the design and just add unnecessary bulk. The back hasn't got shirring, so is quite plain. The collar looks nice from the back as well. The waist ties are quite wide though, and look very bulky. The photos show the skirt has a subtle, slightly rounded shape to it. It is quite roomy with lots of room for a decent amount of petticoat. The skirt is relatively clutter free, so the print is displayed reasonably well. Just underneath the print there is an organdie ruffle which gives the bottom a lovely, frothy feel. It is very suitable, given the print theme. The bottom hem is then finished off with a simple ruffle.

This is the A-line pinafore JSK. The bodice looks fairly well fitted, although I am not sure what is going on with the neckline. If it is meant to be a heart shaped neckline then it could have been shaped a lot nicer. The straps are a good width for the style of dress but are a bit basic looking. I am really hating the heart cut-out on the bodice. Something about it just doesn't feel quite right and you would also have to pick the top you wear underneath quite carefully. There is also a random flower shape button underneath the cut-out which looks very out of place. The thin organdie ruffles running down the dress are quite figure flattering though. The back is fully shirred, which gives good size flexibility but doesn't look that attractive. The skirt has got the typical shape you would expect from an A-line dress, although in some photos the silhouette looked a bit bumpy. I was very interested to see that Meta have ventured in to doing pockets (something which I love about Angelic Pretty dresses!). However, I am a little disappointed by the scalloped flaps covering the 2 pockets on this dress. I don't think they match the rest of the dress and hidden pockets would have been nicer instead of having random flaps sticking out. The top of the border part of the print has a small organdie ruffle which blends in quite nicely. I like the bows on top of the organdie ruffle but think they could do with being a bit smaller. The print is displayed reasonably well. The bottom hem is then finished off with some very cute bow themed lace.

This is the Pinafore JSK. The bodice material looked just a teeny bit loose in some of the photos and the square shape is quite plain and boxy looking. The shoulder straps are a decent width for the dress but again, they are kept plain and look a bit dull. However, my main frustration with this dress is that folded over neckline which doubles up as a second pair of off-the shoulder straps. It just looks very awkward! The Meta website listing also has photos of the dress worn by a model, and it doesn't look any better. It looks too complicated and wouldn't suit everybody. I also worry it would make the wearer's arms feel restricted. The great news is that this part of the dress is detachable! The waist has a wide organdie belt which doesn't look too appealing in the photo I have used (it looks a lot better in the other photos). When tied neatly it nips in the waist fairly well, but when it isn't tied well it can add too much bulk to the waist area. After seeing the pictures, I think it looks best tied to one side rather than in the centre. The bodice has a line of pretty lace in a semi circle shape, sort of mimicking a yoke. In the middle there are 3 well-spaced buttons, and again I find the buttons to be a bit boring. However, they do help liven up what would otherwise be a very plain bodice. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed tidily by a ribbon corset. The photos show the potential to create a very rounded shape with the skirt. It doesn't look too OTT though. The skirt also has a decent amount of fullness to it and will hold a lot of petticoat. The skirt is kept clutter free and the print is displayed well. The bottom hem is finished off with a simple ruffle.

This is the Shirring Pinafore JSK. As you would expect from the name, the bodice is fully shirred and doesn't look as attractive. However, Meta have decided to put an organdie top over the dress (which is obviously detachable) which actually helps to conceal the shirring reasonably well! The organdie top part is quite OTT with 2 large bows on the front and lots of small ribbon bows dotted all over the top. Whilst for some people this may be OTT, I personally have grown to quite like it and think it is a massive improvement to the fully shirred bodice. The straps are a good width for the style of dress and have an organdie ruffle going along them, which softens them and makes them look a lot more interesting. It also fits in better with the style of the rest of the dress. If you remove the organdie top, underneath the front centre has a random flat part which is topped with 3 small bows and has an organdie ruffle on either side. The bows are quite cute and spaced neatly. The organdie ruffles match up with the straps really well. As the dress is fully shirred that means the back is shirred too. The skirt has a subtle, slightly rounded shape to it. The stock photos show that there is the potential for the skirt to flare outwards quite far and the skirt has a decent length for a high-waisted dress too. Despite the organdie top reaching the border print, the print is still displayed quite well. The bottom hem is then finished off with a simple ruffle.

And here we can see the print. This print is available in cream, sax blue and lavender. All 3 colours work well with the print (the cream seems yellow to me) but my favourite is the lavender. As for the print, parts of it look kind of familiar... It is like they have taken bits and pieces of their March of the Duck series but have updated it to suit more current trends. There is the tiled background and the ducks (although this time around they are not the main focus of the print) but this time around there are pastel colours and the addition of cats. The cats are drawn very well and look pretty cute. As a duck fan, I wish there were more ducks in the print though! The cats appear to be having a lot of fun, frolicking in the bathroom scenery. All the bottles and soaps add extra detail. The bubbles help to fill in any empty spaces quite well. Overall, it is a very cute print. In my eyes it isn't as good as March of the Duck though!

Meta have finally caught on to the sheer detail trend we have been seeing from other Japanese brands. They give an outfit a soft, delicate feel. I think this blouse Meta have released is a good match for the Bubble Bath series. It maybe looks a bit basic compared to similar blouse designs from other brands, but I think it is a step in the right direction. I would be very interested to see how it looks worn before considering buying it though.

So overall, I think this is a very cute series. I don't think it is going to be a best seller, but it is still a decent effort. Although some dress designs are stronger than others, there is hopefully something here to suit a wide range of tastes. Would I buy this series? Possibly, but it wont be going on my wishlist. Surprisingly, my favourite dress is the Shirred Pinafore one and I can't stand the look of full shirring! Sadly this series doesn't seem to be selling that well so far, but at least there is a chance that in the future Meta may sell it at a reduced price. I would certainly be tempted.