Candy Bar by Metamorphose

Today I shall be taking a look at Candy Bar by Metamorphose. This series includes 3 dresses, 2 hair accessories, 2 pairs of wrist cuffs, a collar, a necklace and socks.

First up is the Circular Pinafore JSK. The bodice looks well fitted and the shape is quite nice. I think the heart shaped neckline is lovely. The straps look quite a supportive width and are very neatly lined with lace. The lace looks fluffy and softens the straps and neckline. The waist area has a belt. The belt nips the waist area in very well but I feel the belt is a bit too wide. I also don't think the lace running along the belt is needed and Meta could have chosen a bolder colour. The bow topping the belt is cute though. The front of the bodice features a ribbon corset. The ribbon only has a slight sheen to it and the ribbon has been very well spaced out. The ribbon is also held very securely in place with some thick hoops, so it wont break or get damaged that easily. The sides are then lined with lace, which keeps everything neat and pretty. There is also a large brooch. I think the brooch is a cute idea but I don't feel the components that make up the brooch have been well thought out. The bows on the brooch look poorly formed and I feel the little glittery heart doesn't go with the rest of the brooch. The strawberry looks weirdly positioned, as does the pearl chain dangling from it. The back has a panel of shirring which is topped very neatly by a ribbon corset. The stock photos show the skirt has loads of volume and will hold more petticoat than needed. It flares outwards so well and it compliments the nipped in waist. The skirt is nicely rounded too. The skirt design is kept simple, so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off with a tulle ruffle which has been neatly done. This bottom ruffle is topped with some bows, which are cute, but I feel could do with being just the slightest bit smaller.

Here we have the Scallop Pinafore JSK. The bodice material looks a bit loose in places but the shape of the bodice is generally quite nice. The straps are a good width and look very supportive without looking too bulky. They are also lined very neatly with lace, which adds a bit of extra interesting detail to them. At first glance, I thought the waist bow was a bit big but now I feel it is actually the perfect size for the dress. The shape of the bow is simple, but well formed and the edges are again very neatly lined by the thin lace. There is also additional heart shaped lace on the bow, although this detail is a bit lost in the background and doesn't stand out much. There is again another detachable fruit themed brooch. Meta seem to suggest that you should put the brooch on top of the waist bow here but I wouldn't personally bother with it. I think the dress design is strong enough without the brooch. The waist bow is also detachable, although I am on the fence about whether the dress looks better with or without it. The bodice features 3 ribbon bows. The bottom ribbon bow is obscured by the waist bow but obviously it will be visible if you opt to detach the waist bow. The ribbon material has a slight sheen to it and I feel the bows could have been a little smaller, but otherwise they look quite cute and are fairly well spaced out. The bodice then features a yoke. The yoke is a suitable size and I think the shape is quite lovely. The design of the yoke has been kept simple, with some neat pleats and some well spaced out flower buttons, but sometimes simple is good. The yoke part is actually detachable as well and I would be tempted to detach it, depending on how the low scoop neckline looks when the dress is worn. The back of the dress is fully shirred, which is great for size flexibility but not so appealing looks-wise. The stock photos show the skirt has loads of volume. There is the potential to create a very OTT full bell shape with the skirt. The skirt is nicely rounded with more than enough flare. The skirt is divided up in to the printed fabric material and a chiffon skirt underneath, creating a very interesting design. The edge of the printed fabric has a scalloped edge. Usually I am not a fan of scalloping but I think it has been executed quite well here with nicely shaped scallops that are well spaced out. The gathering of the printed material near the front centre of the skirt could have possibly done a bit better, but otherwise the printed fabric sits really well on top of the chiffon skirt. I really like the line of heart lace running an inch away from the fabrics edge as well. It really emphasises the interesting scalloped shape. Despite the chiffon taking up most of the skirt, you can still see the all-over print fairly well. The chiffon skirt underneath is divided in to tiers, which are well spaced out and sit neatly on top of each other. My main concern is the possibility of a petticoat being visible through the thin material. Also, I feel like this is an overly elaborate skirt design for what is quite a simple print.

This the Puff Sleeve OP. The bodice looks fairly well fitted but there is something about the shape that I find a bit off-putting. I can't quite put my finger on what that is though. I think the sleeves are too long and lack any real shape. I would have liked them to have been a bit puffier too. The ruffle of lace along the edges of the sleeves is cute though. There are 2 smaller waist bows which I think look very out of place and are oddly positioned. With the generous bow at the neck area I don't feel either of these waist bows is needed at all. They just add bulk to the waistline. Thankfully they are detachable. I think the thing I dislike the most about the bodice is the way the main part of the bodice is solid white. I think it looks a bit strange paired with the printed sleeves. The white material is neatly pleated though, which stops the bodice looking too boring and gives it a bit of added texture. The other thing I really don't like about the bodice is the line of fabric and buttons running down the centre of the front. I just really dislike the way is looks, especially when the neck bow is detached. The buttons used along this line of fabric are also plain in design. The collar on the dress is far too large and makes the shoulder area look massive. If it had just been a bit smaller the collar would have looked quite cute, as it has a nice shape to it. The lace along the edge of the collar is cute and really helps to finish it off. The collar also features a detachable neck bow, which I personally would leave on, as I think it helps to balance out the collar. The bow is quite simple in shape and design but otherwise looks nice enough. The bow is a little bit floppy but I think that actually adds to its design. The back of the dress is generously shirred with nothing covering it, and with the solid white material, the shirring really stands out and looks very obvious. Even the collar, which is massive from the back as well, can't do much to hide that shirring. The stock photos show the skirt has a cute A-line shape. It has enough volume and flares out quite well. The shape of the skirt is a good match for the bodice. The skirt design is kept simple and so, the print is displayed brilliantly. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with lace.

And finally, here we can see part of the print close up. This series comes in yellow, pink and lavender. In the promo pictures on Meta's website, they showed a mint colour way and I feel it is a real shame that they didn't go ahead with that colour, as I think I prefer the mint to the 3 colours on offer! I suppose the pink and lavender versions look okay though. I am a little put off by the yellow version as I am not overly fond of the shade of yellow they have used. As for the print itself, I think ice lollies are a good choice for a lolita print. It is not something we have really seen before in lolita. I like all the different fruity designs. The fruit floating about in the print is well drawn too. I think this is quite a fun print idea and very playful. However, I am a little put off by the gingham background. The gingham in this instance really strongly reminds me of these dresses I was forced to wear in primary school during the Summer months. This may not make sense to some of my foreign readers by my UK readers will know exactly what I am on about! The only real difference from those gingham dresses is the colours are different (I was always made to wear blue gingham dresses and I hated them).

So overall, I appreciate that Meta have come up with a cute new print theme and I wouldn't mind seeing ice lollies in a print again. However, the gingham background clashes a bit with the print and I am not overly fond of the dress designs either. So this time around I wont be buying this series, which means I wont be reliving my primary school Summer uniform days any time soon. If I absolutely had to though, I would go for the Scallop Pinafore JSK in lavender. Despite being quite an elaborate design for the print, I think it is the prettiest of the dresses on offer.