Here we have JSK I. The bodice looks well fitted, although the dropped waist design doesn't look too appealing to me. It makes everything look out of proportion. I think they should have done it more like their Midsummer Night's Dream JSK I design. The straps are a good width for the dress and look very supportive, although they are plain in design. The waist area has a ribbon belt design, which helps to emphasise the waist area. But with the dropped waist design, it does look weirdly positioned. The ribbon used is very pretty, which a slightly sheer design. It is not shiny and looks of a decent quality. The ribbon bow at the front is a good size and shape for the dress. Above the ribbon belt there is a gathered lacy panel. Something about this panel just doesn't appeal to me. I think it looks a bit too narrow or is possibly the wrong sort of shape. The lace used is pretty though. The back has a very wide looking panel of shirring, which is topped by a ribbon corset. Because of the dropped waist, I feel the overall skirt shape looks odd too. It looks too lumpy and doesn't create a smooth silhouette. But whilst the top doesn't look too full, the bottom of the skirt has plenty of volume and the print is displayed reasonably well considering the skirt construction. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with pretty lace.
This is JSK II. The short bodice is well fitted and the bodice shape is interesting. At first I thought that maybe the neckline shape was a bit too cutesy for the print, but it has grown on me. The actual straps are quite thin, although they do suit the style of dress. Also, thicker straps wouldn't have worked with the material draped on top of the straps. The draped design on the straps falls down nicely. It gives the straps extra movement and depth too. The bodice material is nicely gathered. I like the use of wide lace that runs underneath the bust. It sits well on the dress and is an interesting shape. The lace used is pretty too. The middle part of the bodice has 2 lines of thin pearls, which just adds a tiny bit of extra detail and stops the dress looking too simple. The neckline lace is pretty and nicely shaped, although I feel it could do with being slightly narrower. The back is fully shirred, and therefore there is nothing there to conceal it. But because of how short the bodice is, a ribbon corset wouldn't have worked too well anyway. The lace from the underbust line carries on neatly along the back. For a skirt that starts at the bust line, I think the overall skirt shape is pretty good. I feel it could have flared outwards a bit more though, but hopefully it is just a bad stock photo and it has more volume than it appears to. The skirt design is quite simple and the print is displayed reasonably well. The bottom hem is then finished off with really pretty, good quality lace.
And this is the OP. The main part of the bodice seems a good shape. I'm really not fond of the sleeves though. I think the balance of printed material to white material is off. The white material looks like it needs to be a lot shorter, with more printed fabric instead. I also dislike the way the printed material and white material connects. It looks like the printed fabric needs to be slightly puffier and a bit more gathered. The buttons and lace covering the solid white parts is cute, but it does need to be a lot smaller. The main bodice is all about the collar, but I feel the waist line needs just a bit more definition. You can't really see where the waist line is and I wonder how this will look when worn. The bold collar is an interesting shape. It is not to my personal taste, but I can see others liking it and I appreciate the sharp, crisp lines. The lace overlay is pretty and gives a bit of extra texture to the collar. However, I do dislike the spiky looking trim used to decorate the collar and also the ribbon for the bow. Something about it just doesn't appeal to me. The ribbon used is also a bit shiny. The back doesn't have any back shirring. The collar is a bit of a weird looking shape at the back, with a very curved line. I am just not sure it is the most appealing shape AatP could have done. The stock photos show the skirt has a decent length to it. It appears to have a reasonable amount of volume to it but I think the shape could have been done a bit prettier. The skirt design is kept simple, so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off with good quality lace. I think the spiky, triangular shaped lace matches up well with the collar design.
Finally, here we have part of the print close up. This series is available in lavender, bordeaux, navy blue and black. Whilst I like the colour choices, I do feel that on the darker colour ways the print blends in to the background quite a lot. It makes it very difficult to spot all the detail in the print. So my favourite colour, by far, is the lightest colour option- the lavender. As for the print itself, I think it is a very interesting idea for a very gothic themed print. I think it is strange that funerals are not a bigger theme in gothic lolita. Perhaps it is seen as being too creepy for some? The funeral carriage and church are drawn beautifully. The church especially pops out and has lot of wonderful detail to it. Although the gate design is pretty and I like the little pops of colour from the roses, I feel this part of the print is a bit weaker. It looks a bit flat in comparison to the carriage and church. The trees in the background help to fill in the empty space and give the print a further creepy atmosphere. I like the background of swirls and roses. The roses add an interesting hint of colour. However, I do not like the way the background starts above the print, creating a stripy look. I feel there is a very obvious line where the background suddenly cuts out when it reaches the print.
So I feel this could potentially be a good offering from Alice and the Pirates. There are a few little tweaks I would make to the dress designs here and there. Using gates in a gothic print is maybe a theme that has been overdone, but I like that it has been teamed with a fresher idea. Would I buy this series? Possibly, I am still a bit undecided about it. If I did, I would choose JSK II in lavender.
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