Here is JSK I. The bodice looks well fitted. The shape of the bodice is fairly simple but looks nice. I think the straps are a bit thin looking, but they suit the dress. There is lace lining the outside of the straps which gives them a more interesting appearance. It is not the nicest lace, but still of a good quality. I am not too keen on the matching line of lace along the waistline. I think with military style dresses, you can get away with a bit less lace and more sharper lines. So although the dress is already quite simple in design, I don't feel the lace at the waist is really that necessary. It doesn't look horrible though, so this is more of a minor nitpick. The bodice features a military design using braid and buttons. The braid is very pretty looking and the gold buttons feature a nice design on them. The lines of braid are spaced out well. There is a bit of space left at the top of the bodice to feature more of the print. It is a little unfortunate where the rosettes in this bit of print line up on the chest area though. The neckline is lined with good quality lace, which looks neat and gives a lovely finish. It goes well with the lace on the straps as well. The back has a panel of shirring, which has been concealed very neatly with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show the skirt has lots of volume and flares outwards nicely. It will hold plenty of petticoat. I also think the skirt shape suits the bodice brilliantly. The skirt design is kept free of clutter and the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off with braid and lace, which matches up with the bodice details and looks very smart.
This is JSK II. The bodice shape is a bit simple but looks a good fit. The straps are a bit thin and flimsy looking but it suits the style of dress. The straps are very basic and plain looking though, with no extra details added to them. There is a waist bow, which I feel is a good size and shape. It looks very perky and doesn't droop at all. The centre of the bow also has a A/P logo charm, which really brings out the same colour in the print (in the case of this ivory colour way, the lovely gold colour). The bodice features 2 really tiny ribbon bows. These are not really that visible and I don't really get the point of them, apart from filling up what is otherwise a very simple bodice. There is also a pearl button between the 2 ribbon bows but again, it blends in to the background. The neckline features a line of gold rik-rak. Whilst rik-rak is not generally liked by a lot of people, it has been used in a very understated way and I don't feel it looks too bad. The neckline is also finished off with a ruffle of pleats, which makes the neckline a lot more interesting looking. The pleats have a great shape to them. The back of the dress is fully shirred, which means the shirring isn't concealed. However, the back of the dress is quite short, so perhaps AatP didn't feel they could fit a ribbon corset on top. It is a shame though, because the waist ties are thin straps, and it doesn't look as though they will offer much help to make the dress smaller. The stock photos show the skirt flares out well and has a lovely shape to it. It has enough volume too. The skirt design is again kept simple and the print is displayed well. The bottom hem is then finished off with a line of rik-rak and a pleated ruffle, which helps continue the neckline details.
And here we have part of the print close up. This print is available in ivory, red, green, brown and black. Whilst the brown looks a bit dreary and difficult to colour co-ordinate, the other colours look very pretty and work well with the print. As for the print itself, I love the shape of the tents and the way the fabric of the curtains drape. The print also uses very bold colours, which are perfect for a circus print. It is clever how the background spaces have been filled up with strings of lights, flying elephants and carnival rides. It is something more to look at, as well as the main circus tent part. I personally am not a fan of the performing animals in this print though. On closer inspection, the animals are wearing muzzles. It may be more accurate, but I feel a little uncomfortable having the muzzles in the print. Whilst I don't wish to put my head in the sand over such a strong issue, it is not something I would really want in a lolita print (I hope that makes sense). That aside though, I do feel this is otherwise a very pretty print which plays to AatP's strengths.
The head bow from this series caught my attention because of the unusual shape. Whilst I probably wouldn't wear it, I do like the way the bow tails form a spiral shape. I am curious to know how this bow keeps its shape (I assume it is wired). Sometimes bows can get a bit boring, so I am always glad to see new ideas coming out.
This is quite a standard Alice and the Pirates series and I can see it doing well with the AatP fan base out there. I personally am not too fussed by this series though. If I had to go for this series I would choose JSK I in black. I think the print works best on the dark, black background. The print is nice looking enough and the military style of JSK I suits the print. I wont be buying this series myself though.
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