Monday, 1 December 2014

Story of the End of Ragnarok by Alice and the Pirates

Today I shall be taking a look at Story of the End of Ragnarok by Alice and the Pirates. This series includes 2 dresses, a skirt, 3 hair accessories, a blouse, tights, a choker and a necklace.


First up is the JSK. The bodice looks well fitted, although I am not so keen on the overall bodice shape. I really dislike the neckline. The dramatic shape is a bit harsh looking and although there is lace, the lace doesn't do much to soften it. The straps are a bit thin and I feel they could do with being a bit thicker. They are also a bit plain and I don't like the way the straps look teamed with the neckline. The dropped waist is topped with lace. Whilst I don't like the dropped waist, I think the lace is a pretty choice and it has a good shape to it. It sits nicely on the dress too. The bodice features 2 thin lines of lace, which give the bodice a panelled appearance. I like the idea, but I think the 2 lines of lace could do with being a bit further apart. Near the neckline, there is a little bit of a ribbon corset in the centre. The ribbon used is pretty and matches well. I wish they had made more of a feature of this though. The ribbon literally crosses over once and then that is it before it is tied in to a bow at the bottom. It hardly seems worth it being there. I would have let the ribbon carry on at least a little bit further down the bodice to make more of a feature out of it. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed neatly by a ribbon corset. The stock photos show that the skirt has a lovely, subtle bell shape to it. It looks as though it will hold a reasonable amount of petticoat and flares outwards quite gently. This more subdued shape is a good choice for the dress theme and print. The skirt is kept simple and the print is displayed very well. The bottom hem is then finished off with a line of very pretty lace. I like the floral design they have picked.


This is the OP. The short bodice is a bit slouchy and baggy looking. This is probably partly due to how elasticated and stretchy the bodice is. It is good that the dress has a bit of size flexibility though. I find the neckline shape very unappealing. It is too basic looking and not an attractive shape. The lace that has been used along the neckline is pretty, but it looks out of place and doesn't combine well with the neckline shape. The sleeve shape is a bit odd too and in some stock photos, the elasticated ends stick out at an odd angle. I don't feel longer sleeves would look right with this dress so maybe smaller cap sleeves could have been an option? The high waist features a ribbon belt. The ribbon has the most beautiful design embroidered on it. I love the use of gold. Also, the belt pulls the slouchy design together, giving it more shape and a slightly smarter appearance. The skirt has plenty of length to it. It doesn't seem to flare out a great deal, but with this sort of dress shape you don't really want too much poof. There is still enough room to create the shape that we are seeing more frequently with classic lolita recently. The skirt design is kept simple and so the print is displayed brilliantly. At first I thought that the bodice on this dress was far too casual and simple looking, but now I think this is better, because the print really is the main focus on this dress. The bottom hem is finished off with pretty lace, which matches up with the neckline.


And here we have the print close up. This series is available in brown, bordeaux, green and black. Apart from the black, the colour choices are quite 'earthy' and they compliment the print so well. I think the brown is just about edging it as my favourite colour. As for the print itself, it has been drawn so beautifully. The print has captured the Norse mythology images well with the pictures inside the arches. Everything compliments each other. I especially like the tree picture in the middle. The colour inside the arches really pops against the main dress colours as well. The arches are very pretty and I like that there are people climbing on the arches and black birds perched amongst them. At first I found the non-border part of the print a bit dull, but now I think it offers a nice contrast. 


One of the hair accessories from this series is this pearl lariat. This is not something I have seen widely used in lolita before, but I do feel it is an interesting inclusion in this series. It is such a pretty idea and it does suit the theme of the print. I do worry that if I wore this though, it would instantly get tangled in my hair! Whilst this lariat may not work for a lot of lolita outfits, when it does work, it can look beautiful. I feel this is something I would quite like to see more of in lolita. However at Baby's retail price, I will be looking for cheaper alternatives!

So overall, I feel this series is an interesting idea. I like the use of Norse mythology and I think the style of the dresses and colour choices are good matches. There is the odd little niggle I have with both of the dress designs though. Would I buy this series? Probably not, but I shall be admiring it from afar. If I had to choose a dress I would go for the OP in brown. I predict that this series will have quite a few fans. I think this is going to be one of those series which wont be that hyped to begin with, but gains popularity a bit further down the line.

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