This is the OP. The bodice looks well fitted and the bodice shape looks lovely. I'm not really liking the sleeves though. I feel the point where they start to flare needs to be a bit lower down, as the shape looks a bit awkward as it is. The sleeves are also a bit of an awkward length. The bell part of the sleeves features criss-crossed ribbon and gold braid and lace details. The gold braid is a nice touch, as it brings out the golden tones in the print and matches quite well. I am not liking the ribbon on the sleeves though. I think the ribbon is a bit too shiny and I'm not really liking the criss-cross design on the sleeves like that. Also, I feel the sleeves could really do with some lace along the ends, as the ends look a bit too plain as they are. I appreciate that Meta did release separate lace sleeves, but I feel it is a bit of a rip-off to have to fork out extra for these. The OP comes with a large sailor collar. I think the design of the actual collar is quite cute, although I don't really like it teamed with this particular dress. The collar is also very wide and makes the shoulder area look a lot wider. So it is maybe not the most flattering of collars. As cute as it is, if I had this dress I wouldn't wear the collar with it. Underneath the collar, the dress has a simple neckline shape, but it is lined with gold lace on the inside which helps to stop it looking so plain. The waist area has a bow which is a good size and has a simple, but cute shape. It sits well on the dress too. But because it uses the same printed fabric, it does blend in to the background a bit. The bodice features a ribbon corset style detail. The ribbon is spaced out well and never looks too clumped together. The ribbon is still quite shiny though. The gold lace from the neckline continues downwards to line the sides of the ribbon corset. It keeps the bodice looking neat. The back has a panel of shirring. Despite not being concealed by anything, the shirring sort of blends in with the print a bit anyway, so it doesn't look too bad. The stock photos show the skirt has a pretty full bell shape to it. It will hold plenty of petticoat, but I feel the skirt could have done with being longer in length. The skirt has a line of gold braid which runs horizontally a little bit below the waist. I'm not really sure I like this line of lace being here, as I don't like the execution and I feel it doesn't add much to the dress. Aside from this though, the skirt is kept very simple in design and the print is displayed well. The bottom hem is then finished neatly with a line of gold lace and a ruffle of the printed fabric. I think the bottom hem design is a good match for the rest of the dress.
Here we have the Bustle Pinafore JSK. The bodice shape is simple but looks well fitted. The straps are double layered and the solid coloured straps can be removed to reveal a printed pair of straps underneath. I personally feel the top pair of solid coloured straps look too bulky and I think the dress looks a lot better with them detached. If you do detach them, you are left with random buttons on the straps though. I feel the printed straps underneath are a more suitable width. The waistline is topped with a solid coloured ruffle. At first I was a little unsure about the ruffle, but I do think it sits quite well on the dress. I suppose it is better than having a plain looking waist area. The bodice features a military themed design with buttons and chains and lines of gold lace on the outside to keep things looking neat. I love the emblem design on the buttons, but Meta have used antique gold coloured buttons, which look a bit dull next to the more vibrant gold of the lace. The buttons are spaced out neatly though. The chains used between the buttons is simple in design, but I think this does work on this particular dress. The neckline has a detachable yoke. I personally feel the yoke is a bit messy looking compared to the rest of the dress, so I would detach it. But the scoop neckline underneath may not suit every wearer and might cut strangely across some wearer's busts. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed by a ribbon corset. I wish they had used less shiny ribbon here though, as I feel it sticks out and looks cheap. The stock photos show the skirt has lots of volume and flares outwards a lot. I think too much petticoat has been used in the stock photos, but it is good to know you can create a dramatic shape if desired. The skirt has the same line of gold braid near the top of the skirt, just like the OP does. However, I feel it looks a bit better executed on this dress. The back of the skirt has a bustle. The bustle is a good shape and width. The layers tiers are spaced out well and layered neatly. They sit very nicely on top of each other. I'm not a huge fan of the material used for the bustle though, as it is a bit basic looking. On the front of the skirt the print is displayed well. I really hate the gold fringe used on the bottom hem. I don't feel it fits in with the rest of the dress and in my opinion it really sticks out.
This is the Pinafore JSK. The bodice shape is simple, but very smart looking. The bodice also seems to be quite well fitted. I think the straps are a suitable width, although they point outwards slightly, which I am not too keen on. It is good that the straps are solid coloured. I think it adds a nice pop of deep colour. The bases of the straps are topped with bows. I think these bows could do with being slightly smaller, but the bow shape and the way they sit on the dress is great. There is a waist bow, which is a suitable size for the dress. The bow shape is simple but well executed. It is nice to have another bit of the deep solid colour. The bodice has 2 lines of gold lace, which I think looks pretty and helps to make the gold a bit of a feature. The middle of the bodice features the same buttons that are on the JSK. The buttons are well spaced out well. The colour bothers me a little less with this JSK, perhaps because there is less buttons. I suppose the bodice on this dress is a bit simple, but I feel it gives off a lovely maturer vibe and is quite smart looking. The back is fully shirred, so the shirring isn't concealed. Again, I do feel the shirring doesn't look so bad with this particular print. The skirt has a really pretty bell shape to it. It flares out well and has plenty of volume to it. The skirt has a good length to it too. The skirt design is kept simple and the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off with a solid coloured ruffle, which matches up nicely with the straps and waist bow. It may be the simplest design, but I also feel this dress is the most balanced design-wise.
And here we have the print close up. This series is available in black, green and violet. The colours are interesting choices and I do feel they work quite well with the print. I especially like the green colour way. However, the colours may be a little difficult to co-ordinate for beginner or less confident lolitas, as they are a bit unusual. As for the print itself, I really like the book case. Library themed dresses are not exactly new lolita territory, but I am a fan of Meta's take on the library print. I love the elaborate frames around the book case. The cat adds a cute touch too! The items scattered over the floor help to fill in the empty spaces. The diamond themed background is very bold and striking. I think it is a very brave combination, but it does work.
Overall, I think this is an interesting series. There are some bits I would change about the OP and the Bustle Pinafore JSK, but it is still a very good effort. For me personally, the Pinafore JSK may be simpler, but I can barely find a single fault with the design. Would I buy this series? Possibly. I know for sure I would choose the Pinafore JSK. As for the colour, I am a little undecided, but the green is appealing. The print is lovely and I like how it has a sweet, classic feel to it rather than being an outright classic print. I am really interested to see what this series looks like in person, so fingers crossed Meta will bring it with them to the Tea Party Club event in September.
Wow what a gorgeous print :)
ReplyDeleteI think it is my favourite library print! :)
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