This is the OP. The bodice seems fairly well fitted and the shape is quite cute. I like the neckline. The sleeves look a good length and have a suitable amount of puff to them. I only wish the cuffs had been done a bit differently. The elasticated part of the cuffs really sticks out in my opinion and I wish it was narrower and a bit more concealed. I also feel too much lace has been used for the cuffs, as the way it sticks out and the amount of volume creates a weird shape. The star themed lace used for the cuffs is very cute though. The waist area has a massive bow with large tails falling down most of the length of the skirt. I am not usually a fan of massive bows but in this instance I think it is one of the best parts of the dress. The bow has a good shape and I love the way the tails fall down. The bow tails have been neatly folded and it creates such a beautiful shape. The only thing I would change about the bow is I would remove the gold stars from it, as I think that is a bit too much. The bodice features lots of neat little pleats and some ruffles of pretty lace, which give added depth and texture. The middle features a row of gold star buttons which have a cute design and are evenly spaced out. The layers of lace along the neckline have been layered on top of each other very well and it sits really nicely on the dress. Although I am not that fond of the cuffs, I do appreciate that the neckline matches up really well with the cuffs. There is a cross charm dangling from the lacy neckline, although it is quite obscured. I also feel this is quite conflicting with the more cutesy looking star buttons.
Here we can see a shot of the back of the OP and I really dislike it. I don't see how the wings fit in with anything else on the dress and they look very out of place. The gold zip also really stands out and looks very exposed. This sort of zip detail may have worked with the Holy Lantern JSK, but it looks strange paired with the soft, chiffon material used for this series. It is like AP are trying to fit in as many different trends as possible and it just looks like a mess. The back of the dress offers no shirring, so size flexibility is limited to just the waist ties.
The stock photos show the skirt has plenty of volume and flares outwards well. I feel the rounded shape fits the rest of the dress style and looks quite cute, but maybe clashes a bit with the slightly gothic print. Aside from the waist bow tails, the skirt is kept quite simple and the print is displayed very well. The bottom hem is then finished off with some AP logo themed lace. I do dislike the way the way the bottom of the dress looks with the way the chiffon layer sits on top of the solid dress. I feel it could have been done neater or perhaps it would have been better to attach the lace to the chiffon layer instead of the solid dress underneath.
Next up is the JSK. The bodice seems to be an okay shape. It is a bit simple but I think simple suits this series better. The straps on this dress are incredibly thin and look so flimsy. I don't think bulky straps would look right on this dress style, but AP definitely could have made them a little bit wider. The straps are lined neatly with lace on the outside which gives them a nice bit of added detail. My feelings about the waist bow on this dress are identical to those of the waist bow on the OP. I love the way the material falls down but I would just get rid of those star buttons. The bodice features just 2 lines of lace running up it, but with the dramatic waist bow and neckline a lot of detail isn't really needed here anyway. The neckline features multiple lines of star themed lace layered on top of each other. The lace has been layered quite well and has a very frothy appearance. My only criticism is the way these lines of lace carry on to the arm pit area, as it looks a bit bulky. Perhaps the lines of lace could have ended before the arm pits or just thinned out a little. The neckline is finished off with a small bow with a dangling cross shaped charm. I think this charm and bow are a little bit lost amongst the busy looking lace and don't really add much to the dress. It is more of a subtle finishing touch.
Again, there are some interesting things going on with the back of this dress. Unlike the OP, I actually quite like this detail. The ribbon shaped like a pentagram is such an interesting idea. I don't feel Milky Cross is the best series to be using this detail and I would like to see it be used by a more gothic lolita brand. However, I applaud AP for coming up with something unique looking and quite original. It does mean though that there isn't room for any shirring so once again the size flexibility is quite limited. Perhaps AP could have offered at least one dress with some shirring for those who need it.
The stock photos show the skirt has plenty of volume. It flares outwards well and will hold plenty of petticoat. The all-over print is displayed brilliantly, despite the large waist bow. The bottom hem is then finished off with the same AP logo lace. I am still a little undecided if I like the appearance of the bottom hem, but I think it is slightly better than the OP's bottom hem.
And finally, here we can see what the print looks like. This series is available in lavender, sax blue, navy and black. These are pretty standard colours for this sort of AP print. However, I do feel a lot of the detail looks washed out on the sax blue and lavender colour ways. If you are a fan of the print then perhaps the darker 2 colours offered would be a better option. As for the print itself, I really don't know what to make of it. Like the dress designs, there seems to be a real conflict between being cute and gothic. I do appreciate that this cutesy goth look can be quite popular, but to me this print looks like a lot of random stuff that has been chucked together. I just don't feel it works. The crosses are beautifully drawn and I love how they are decorated with flowers and gold detailing. But would I pair these crosses with teddy bears, cats and ponies? Probably not. I feel they clash far too much.
So whilst I feel the dress designs are quite pretty (with the exception of the back of the OP) I can honestly say I really dislike this series. It feels like AP have tried to take all these different trendy themes and tried to throw them all together. The print, in my opinion, is quite a confusing clash of cute and gothic imagery. Whilst cute and gothic can go together really well, I don't feel this is the case with this print. If you had to force me to pick a dress, I would choose the JSK in navy. The back of the OP is dreadful. I know this series is bound to be super popular but I personally am really disliking the direction Angelic Pretty seem to be going at the moment.
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