First up today is Little Ballerina. This series includes 3 dresses, a blouse, a cutsew, 4 hair accessories, tights and 2 necklaces.
This is the High Waist Pinafore JSK. The bodice looks quite well fitted and the shape is nice, although I think the neckline shape could have been a bit softer. The straps look a good width and look quite sturdy. They are lined neatly with tulle on the outside which makes them a bit more interesting and also balances out the tulle at the bottom of the dress. The tulle has been well shaped and gives a cute shape. The waist line has been nicely shaped and I like the slight gathering of the material on the chest. It gives the fabric a bit of extra movement and stops it looking so flat. The bodice features 2 thin lines of lace running up it, which has been done very neatly. The centre has 3 small bows. The bows are a cute shape and size. I think the positioning of the bows has been done nicely as well. There is also a small pearl on top of each bow which is a cute finishing touch. The base of one of the straps features a large bow. I think this bow is a bit big and the tulle on the ends looks awful, but I do like the little ballerina shoe charm dangling from the middle. I am not overly fond of the placement of this bow and unfortunately it doesn't seem to be detachable. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed neatly by a ribbon corset. For the waist ties on the back, Meta have added tulle at the ends and have also dangled a pearl chain from them. I feel the pearl chain looks very out of place and pointless. It is hidden away at the back anyway so nobody is really going to see it. The stock photos show that the skirt has a pretty shape which seems to have a decent amount of length to it. It flares outwards nicely and will hold plenty of petticoat too. The skirt design is kept simple and so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off with 2 ruffles of tulle which sit neatly on top of each other.
Here we have the Side Frill Pinafore JSK. The bodice seems moderately well fitted but I am unsure I like the overall shape. To me, the neckline looks a bit weird and I dislike the way the straps attach to the main dress and point outwards. I also feel that whilst the straps look very supportive, they could do with being slightly narrower. The straps have been very neatly lined with the tulle though and it matches up with the tulle along the neckline. There is a waist bow which is a good size and nice enough shape. I don't like the little bits of tulle on the bow tails though and the gem stone used in the middle looks a bit cheap. There is also a pearl chain dangling from this bow which is a good length and also additional longer chains which drape down the skirt. I really like the skirt pearl chains but I don't think the print is OTT enough to go with this detail. The print is just too casual to properly pull it off or perhaps it should be used on a more dressy solid coloured dress. I do like that the ends of the pearl chains have been well concealed by the bows on the front and back though. The bodice features a ribbon corset with some shirring underneath it. Considering the back is fully shirred, I don't think this shirring on the front is needed and I think the shirring on the front looks very unattractive. The ribbon is nicely spaced out though. There are additional bows at the bases of the straps which are a bit big and I think makes the neckline area look too crowded. They are detachable and I definitely would detach them. The back is fully shirred which is quite exposed but does offer size flexibility. The stock photos show the skirt shape is a bit triangular and could do with being a bit more rounded. There is loads of volume and it flares outwards lots though. The skirt is divided up in to panels with the side parts of the skirt topped with additional ruffles. The ruffles on the side are layered well and sit well on top of each other. I like the use of gold braid to line the panels and give it a smarter appearance. There are also additional bows on the skirt, but I don't feel they are needed. Whilst the skirt design is very interesting to look at, I don't feel it fully shows off the print to its full potential. The skirt is reasonably well displayed in the front centre but not so much elsewhere. The bottom hem is then finished off with a neat tulle ruffle.
And here is the Prima Ballerina Dress. The bodice looks quite well fitted and the shape is lovely. There are 2 sets of straps and I think the halter neck straps are not needed. Individually, both sets of straps are a good width but with both pairs together they look too wide. There is also the addition of wide tulle straps and also some arm bands (not pictured). The tulle parts look quite pretty when placed on the shoulder area but when worn off the shoulders it looks a bit strange on top of a blouse. Everything apart from the regular straps is detachable, which I think is a bonus because there is too much on offer here. I would detach everything apart from the tulle straps. The waist area features 2 ruffles of tulle, which are layered neatly on top of each other and sits nicely on the dress. However, I don't feel the bows on top of the tulle waist part are really needed. It is too OTT and I don't feel the waist bows are a nice shape either. Thankfully, these bows are detachable. The bodice features a triangle shaped ribbon corset. The ribbon is well spaced out and the corset looks quite pretty. I like that the edges are lined neatly with thin gold braid as well, which gives it a tidier appearance. The neckline has yet another tulle ruffle which softens the neckline nicely. There is also a pair of bows at the bases of the straps with a pearl chain between. The bows are a nice size and shape and I like the pearl chain, but I am not sure I like it teamed with the corset on the bodice. These details are detachable and I think I would detach them. If this wasn't enough detail, there is also an additional bow brooch with a little veil and a feather. I am not a fan of the brooch at all and I am glad this is also detachable. I just don't feel like the veil on the brooch is well shaped and the feather looks out of place. There is so much going on with the bodice that I feel a bit overwhelmed! The back features a panel of shirring which is concealed well by a ribbon corset. The stock photos show the skirt has plenty of flare and volume to it. The tiers of the skirt sit fairly well on top of each other, but I dislike how much the fabric has been gathered as it obscures the print a bit. The bottom of both tiers is finished off with a wide tulle ruffle, but to be honest I think it looks a bit messy.
And here we can see the print close up. This series is available in antique white, powder blue and lavender. As much as I want to love the lavender, it looks a bit too grey in my opinion so my favourite by far, is the powder blue. I would probably like the antique white more if it hadn't been paired with the blue ribbon. As for the print itself, it is pretty basic looking. The dresses are cute but they look a bit like clip-art. The positioning of everything in the print is also super basic. I do get why you would put swans in a ballet print but I think in this instance the swans look a bit out of place. The print is far too simple for the OTT dress designs.
So overall, it feels like there is a massive contrast between the busy dress designs and the basic looking print. It just doesn't work for me and it doesn't surprise me that my favourite dress design also happens to be the most simple. There are some very interesting ideas used with the dress designs but I don't feel Meta have successfully pulled them off. So this is not a series that I would personally buy. If I did I would go for the High Waist Pinafore JSK in powder blue.
Next up is Pink Lemonade, also by Metamorphose. This series includes 4 dresses (the Shirred Pinafore JSK comes in 2 lengths), 2 skirts, 4 hair accessories, a blouse, socks and wrist cuffs.
This is the Puff Sleeve OP. The bodice looks well fitted. The overall shape of the bodice looks simple, but cute. My only complaint is it seems to make the shoulder area look a bit wide. The short sleeves are a good length and considering how short they are, I think the amount of puff they have is reasonable. The sleeves are finished off very neatly with some simple lace. The waist area features a belt which helps bring in the waist area brilliantly. I love the heart buckle design too. Perhaps the belt could have been white instead though, to match the lace and break up the colour a bit. There is lace running up the bodice, which gives it a nice panelled appearance and has been done very neatly. There is a line of buttons running up the centre which have been well positioned and nicely spaced out. I think the shaped buttons are so cute! I especially like the honeycomb shaped button. The collar also features a bee shaped button. I think the collar of the dress is okay, but could have been a better shape and size. I think the neckline shape it creates is too straight and it needs a more rounded shape. Also, the collar reaches the shoulder area, which only seems to make the shoulder area look even wider. The back has a panel of shirring which hasn't been concealed by a ribbon corset or anything. I don't think the shirring looks too bad on this particular dress but it is a shame there isn't some attempt to conceal it, considering there is room to do so. The stock photos show that the skirt has loads of volume and it flares outwards well. After looking at the model photos though, I do wonder if the skirt length could do with being a bit longer. The skirt design is kept very simple so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off with some simple, but reasonably good quality lace.
This is the Low Waist Pinafore JSK. The bodice seems well fitted. I am a bit unsure about the overall bodice shape though. I think these low waist dresses can look a bit awkward sometimes and also I think the neckline shape needs to be a bit softer. The straps are a suitable width and look quite supportive. They are a bit basic in design though. Some thin lace could have added a nice finishing touch without being too distracting. The low waist is topped with a bow to one side. The bow is quite a cute shape and the edges have been lined neatly with lace. I don't think it sits well on the dress though and the fake flower used to top off the bow looks of average quality. The bodice is broken up in to neat panels. In the centre panel there are 3 rows of ribbon running across, each one topped off with a ribbon bow. The ribbon lines have been well spread out. I think the bows are all a good size and shape. The bows are very simple in design but look very cute. The neckline is lined with lace which helps soften it a little bit, but I still think the shape looks harsh. The back has a panel of shirring which has been concealed very neatly with a ribbon corset. Despite the low waist being quite awkward, I think the skirt shape looks okay. There is plenty of volume and the skirt flares out well. I probably wouldn't use quite as much petticoat as Meta have for the stock photos though. The skirt design is again kept simple and the print is displayed very well. The bottom hem is then finished off with a cute little ruffle.
This is the Shirred Pinafore JSK which comes in 2 lengths. Pictured is the mini length. The bodice looks quite messy and I am not fond of the shape. The straps are quite wide and look very supportive but I think they could have been a little bit narrower. They are lined neatly with lace though. There is also another set of halter neck straps but I don't think they are really needed and thankfully they are detachable. The bodice is split up in to panels with each panel lined with lace and a further 3 ruffles of lace going across the chest area. I feel it is the lace that gives the bodice such a messy appearance. The lace is too wide. Also the lace may be of a reasonably good quality, but looks-wise it is not the prettiest lace. The lace on the chest is layered neatly and I think if it wasn't for the rest of the lace the bodice could have looked a lot better. The bodice also features 3 bows. The bows are quite large but add a nice bit of interest. The bows are a cute shape and sit nicely on the dress. These bows are also detachable, although I feel the bodice looks worse with them detached. The back is fully shirred which offers plenty of size flexibility but doesn't look that attractive. The stock photos show that the skirt is very full and it flares outwards loads. It will hold plenty of petticoat. Despite being the shorter length, I think the mini length version of this dress still has a reasonable amount of length. The skirt features a line of ribbon near the top of the skirt and lace which blends in quite nicely with the skirt. It sits very nicely on the skirt and has been done very neatly. The ribbon line is also topped with ribbon bows. The bows are a cute shape and size. They are detachable but I think they look quite cute attached. The ribbon detail is placed high enough on the skirt that the print is still displayed perfectly. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a thin line of lace.
Here we have the Tiered Pinafore JSK. The bodice is well fitted and the overall bodice shape is quite pretty. The straps look a good width and quite supportive. I like how the insides of the straps and neckline are lined neatly with lace to give them a bit of extra detail and soften the neckline. There is a waist bow which is a good size and shape. It sits on the dress very well too. The only thing I am not sure is the use of lace on the bow as I don't think the wide lace looks that attractive here. This bow is detachable but I feel the dress looks too plain with it detached. The bodice features several lines of lace and a ribbon corset. The ribbon for the corset is well spaced out and the ribbon only has a slight shine to it. The edges of the ribbon corset have been well hidden with the lace as well. There are 3 bows at the bases of the straps, which I really dislike. The bows are topped with shiny metallic lace, which looks very out of place and I think the odd number of bows looks strange. The plastic bead chain dangling between the bows also looks quite cheap. I also feel the bows are a bit too big in size. Thankfully, the bows and the chain are detachable and I love how the dress looks with them detached. The back of the dress is fully shirred, which means there is good size flexibility but the shirring is also quite exposed and not so attractive to look at. The stock photos show the skirt has a cute, very rounded shape to it. There is lots of volume and it flares outwards lots. The skirt is divided up in to 3 tiers which are layered on top of each other. I feel the layers are layered very neatly on top of each other and it creates a very pretty shape. The tiers are all finished off neatly with lace. My only complaint is I feel the print is a little overshadowed by the skirt details and the gathering obscures the print a little bit.
And finally, here we have the print close up. This series is available in mint, lavender and antique white (which actually looks quite pink on my monitor). I think all 3 colours work well with the print but the mint stands out as the most complimentary. As for the print itself, it is a very cute idea and it has been well executed. Lemons are not something we have seen a great deal of in lolita prints before and it turns out a lemonade print can look quite cute. The jars and lemons are well drawn. My favourite part of the print though, is the honey pots and the bees. The bee holding the honey dipper is so cute! The only thing I am a little unsure of is the menu board, as the colour of the board sticks out because it is nowhere else in the print. The stripy non-border background is quite simple but nicely balanced. I love the heart shaped lemons and daisies. It is a shame the cute bees were not more of a feature on the non-border part.
So I think this series has been a nice surprise. I wasn't expecting much from it but the print is very cute and the dress designs go well with the print. I like that there is a bit of variety with the dress designs with some being more casual and others having more detailed designs. Would I buy this series? Possibly, but it wont be on my wishlist. If I had to go for this series I would choose the OP in mint because I like the retro feel of the dress design teamed with the print. It works so well. I think this is a very interesting series with plenty of choices for the sweet lolita.
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