First up today is the OP. The bodice seems fairly well fitted and the shape looks quite cute. I really dislike the sleeves though. They look very slouchy and a bit shapeless. I think the sleeves need to be a little shorter and puffier. I do like the ends of the sleeves though, with the double stripe and the cute star shaped buttons. It matches up with the use of stripes elsewhere on the dress. The bodice is dominated by the collar and the massive bow. The collar is a very cute shape, although I think it is a bit too wide. The bow is drooping a bit, but given how big it is I think a bit of drooping is inevitable. The bow shape is quite simple, but it looks quite cute. I love the stripe along the edges of the bow and collar. What I really like about the collar and bow though, is the material they are made from. It is sheer and floaty, and it matches the dreamy theme of the series. The bodice underneath the bow is kept plain, but given that it is hidden by the bow anyway it makes sense not to put details here. The large bow is detachable but I feel the dress looks far too plain without it. To finish, there is a little modesty panel running across the chest area. Whilst I think this panel is a good idea, I kind of wish it was detachable because I quite like the sailor neckline shape. The back offers no shirring, so size flexibility is limited to just the waist ties. The sailor collar looks adorable from the back and it is the perfect shape. It is nice that the waist ties are made from the same material as the collar and bow too. It is a good bit of continuity. The stock photos show the skirt flares out quite well and there is plenty of volume. There is the potential to create a very cute shape. The skirt is kept very basic, so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off with some good quality lace, but I feel the lace is too narrow and is a bit too hidden.
Here we have the Sailor JSK. I absolutely hate the bodice and overall shape of this dress. The bodice is far too short and the way the skirt attaches to the bodice is dreadful. This very high waist is likely to cut awkwardly across the wearer's chest area and the way the skirt has been done is likely to make a lot of wearers look pregnant. I also feel the neckline shape could have been rounder. I do like the sailor collar topping the straps and the neckline though. AP have used that same sheer material, which I think is a great choice. The stripe of ribbon on the collar has been done so neatly but the ribbon used is a bit too shiny. The neckline is topped with a large bow again but this time satin is used for the bow instead. The bow is a very cute shape and I actually really like the big size. But I feel the material used for the OP's bow works a lot better. This large bow is detachable, but I feel the dress looks a lot better with it attached. I don't like the pointed edges of the collar hiding underneath the bow. There is also some small star buttons on the bodice, but they seem very pointless. The dress also looks very basic with the large bow detached. The back of the dress offers no shirring so the sizing is once again very limited. Considering how short the bodice is, I doubt there is much point having shirring on this dress anyway. Although I dislike how the skirt attaches to the bodice, the skirt does at least seem to have plenty of volume. The stock photos show the skirt flares outwards a fair bit too. There should hopefully be the potential to create an okay shape. The skirt design is kept simple but because of the gathering an the way the fabric drapes, the print is not displayed as well as it is on the other 2 dresses. The bottom hem is then finished off with pretty AP logo themed lace. I was a bit surprised AP didn't choose star themed lace for this series.
Next up is the Standard JSK. The bodice looks well fitted and the shape is quite nice. However, I am not fond of either pair of straps. I don't feel the halter straps have been executed that well and they don't suit the bodice shape. The other pair of thin straps look flimsy and at a quick glance you could almost mistake them for bra straps. The 2 pairs of straps don't seem to work well together either. The waist area features a large ribbon bow (although in comparison to the other 2 dresses, this waist bow looks tiny!). The bow is a cute size and is well shaped. It sits quite nicely on the dress too. The bodice is split up in to panels which are divided neatly with some good quality thin lace. I do like the paneled appearance, although judging by the stock photos the print hasn't been lined up that neatly to fit the panels. In one stock photo showing a close up of the bodice, the cat's head is cut off and one of the panels looks sparse in comparison to the other panels. The middle panel is topped with a line of star shaped buttons, which look very cute. The buttons are very well spaced out and there is a good number of buttons. There is then a small bow and a thin line of lace along the neckline which I feel is definitely needed to stop the neckline looking too plain. The back of the dress is fully shirred, so at least this dress offers a lot of size flexibility. Although the shirring is quite exposed with nothing covering it, it doesn't stand out too much with the style of print, especially on the darker colours. The stock photos show the skirt has a lovely amount of volume to it and it flares out beautifully. There is the potential to create a fantastic full shape and it will hold plenty of petticoat. The skirt design is simple, so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off with the same good quality lace as the other 2 dresses.
And finally, here is the print close up. This series comes in sax blue, lavender, galaxy and navy blue. The colours are pretty standard options for a cosmic themed print, although I feel some of the details in the print are lost on the light sax blue colour way. As for the print itself, the galaxy background is really pretty. As for the animals and planets floating about the print, I feel some of them work better than others. The animals are drawn well but I don't recall some of these animals having constellations, so they feel a bit random. I do like how the animals have a semi-transparent appearance to them. It adds a mystical look to them. I like the random lines in the background, although it reminds me a bit of the crystal dome from the Crystal Maze!
So I feel the print is quite striking, but there are bits of each dress design that I would want to tweak. I personally really hate the Sailor JSK and I feel it will only look good on a very specific figure. I do like the combination of sailor and cosmic themes though, so my go-to piece from this series would be the OP with its cute sailor collar and bow. Would I buy this series? Possibly, but it is not going on my wishlist. I would opt for the OP in the galaxy colour.
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