I got another Lolita Valentine this past weekend! This time it was from Shalisa. Thank you so much! I am number 2 this week- http://loli-valentines.livejournal.com/193006.html#cutid1 I am really happy to see that there are new mods trying to revive the Valentines and that more people have been posting (that Valentines 2-parter was epic!).
Today I shall be taking a look at Wrapping Heart by Angelic Pretty. This series includes 2 dresses, a salopette, a skirt, a hair accessory, tights, a blouse, a cutsew and a pair of wrist cuffs.
First up is the OP. The bodice seems fairly well fitted. Overall, the bodice shape is very cute, although perhaps a little too cute for some people. The sleeves have a suitable amount of puff to them, but I think they could have done with being a little shorter. The ends of the sleeves have been finished off very neatly but there is a lot of detail here with multiple layers of lace and bows on top. It is a bit too OTT. The bows on the sleeves could do with being a lot smaller or not being there at all. The white cuffs and lace could do with being narrower as well. The bodice features a wide yoke that takes up almost all of the bodice. I have to admit, it looks like a frilly baby's bib to me. But putting my personal tastes aside, I admit the yoke has been nicely done at least. The lace around the edge of the yoke is pretty and of a good quality. The material of the yoke has been neatly pleated for a bit of added texture and detail. The multi-coloured bows running up the middle are a cute shape but could have been a lot smaller and I don't think I would have bothered with the buttons placed between the bows at all. My main criticism is with the shininess of the yoke material, the collar and also the ribbon used for the bows on the yoke. The collar is a cute shape but I think it could do with being a lot smaller. The back of the OP is generally quite plain and there is no shirring, so size flexibility is limited. The zip is well concealed but I don't think the print lines up along the zip line that well, judging by the stock photos. One slightly random inclusion on the back is a bow made of the printed fabric, which attaches right at the top of the back, where the collar is. I feel this little detail is too fussy and I personally would detach it if it was me wearing this. On most people this bow detail is going to be lost anyway, unless the wearer has short hair or wears their hair up. The stock photos show that the high waisted skirt has a good amount of volume and reasonable amount of puff to it. However, I really dislike the way the skirt flares out from the waist. I can't quite put my finger on what it is about this I dislike though. Maybe it is just too cutesy for me. I also feel the shape of the bottom of the skirt looked a bit strange in some of the stock photos, almost like a balloon. The skirt is kept simple in design and the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is finished off with a simple chiffon ruffle, which I don't think has been attached that well. I do wonder if perhaps lace would have been a better choice here.
Here we have the JSK. In some of the stock photos I felt the bodice material looked a bit baggy and seemed to hang off loosely. It also lacks any real shape and looks a slouchy mess. The straps on the dress are very thin and look quite flimsy, although wide straps would have probably not suited the rest of the dress. The straps are very simple in design but do feature little bows on the shoulder area. However, I don't feel the bows on the straps really add anything to the design and are mostly hidden anyway. The waist area features a big bow. The bow size doesn't seem to bad and the shape is quite cute. The bow is lined neatly with lace that isn't too distracting and in most of the stock photos the bow sits on the dress really well. But teamed with the small bows along the neckline, the waist bow feels a bit too much and I probably would have gone with a simple belt design instead of a bow. The bodice features some subtle lines of lace running up it, which at least helps to break up the plain areas a bit. The neckline features a ruffle of the printed fabric, which is topped with lace and 3 bows. I don't really like the ruffle and would have preferred lace instead. The bows are a cute shape but again, the ribbon used is far too shiny. The shininess makes the bows stand out, and not in a good way. I also don't feel the bows have been well positioned and need to be spaced out much better. The back of the dress is fully shirred, which is a bit messy looking. However, the back is quite short anyway and the solid coloured waist ties help to conceal the shirring a little bit. The stock photos show the skirt has plenty of volume and flare to it. However, in some stock photos the skirt material drapes strangely, creating random gathered areas and lumpy bits. The skirt design is again kept simple and the print is displayed quite well. The bottom hem is then finished off with some subtle thin lace and then a wide ruffle of chiffon. I personally feel the chiffon looks a bit out of place and it is also too wide.
And finally, here is the print close up. This series is available in yellow, mint, lavender and blue. With the cutesy dress designs, I suppose I can understand the choice of pastels. However, I am a little disappointed that there wasn't a slightly more mature looking colour offered. I am not usually a fan of sweet prints on black, but I think in this case black would tone down the very sugary print colours a bit. An ivory colour way could have also been a nice choice. As for the print itself, it is very colourful with lots of pastels. There have been some quite mature looking prints featuring present boxes before but this one is very cute. This isn't a bad thing for those who love OTT sugary Angelic Pretty series but it isn't so great for everybody else. The presents themselves are well drawn though. I love the use of detail and the ribbons have a lovely shape to them.
So overall I feel the dress designs, colours and the print are all super cute. Unfortunately it is too OTT and there is not a single dress design or colour option which I feel offers a more mature option. I think it is a shame, because I would have maybe liked this sort of print if there was a more toned down option available. But with all these sugary details and colours, I would not buy this series. I don't think I would feel comfortable wearing either of the dress designs. I would have considered the skirt if there was a black colour way. If I absolutely had to pick an option from those available I guess I would pick the lavender JSK. But this is one series I will definitely be avoiding.
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