Little Squirrel by Metamorphose

Today I shall be taking a look at Little Squirrel by Metamorphose. This series includes 3 dresses, an apron skirt, another skirt, a petticoat, a squirrel shaped bag, 3 hair accessories, socks and tights.

First up is the Shirt Dress. The bodice seems well fitted. I think the bodice shape and the sleeves are a little bit simple but actually, this simpler shape works very well. The sleeves seem to be a reasonable length and I like how the cuffs have been gathered. It gives the cuffs a cute shape. They are finished off so neatly with lace as well, and the bows topping the cuffs are a suitable size. I am a little put off by the bows being stripy though and I dislike the lines of lace running down the sleeves. I am also not a fan of the line of buttons running all the way down on this dress, as I feel the line of buttons spoils the print. The buttons are also very basic in design, there are too many of them, and I find my eyes are drawn too much to them. I would have much preferred to have had a zip on the back of the bodice instead of this way to get in to the dress. The bodice features 4 large bows, 2 printed fabric bows and 2 stripy. The listing would suggest that the stripy bows on the bodice are in fact brooches and the waist bow is detachable as well. The bows are all decently shaped, but I think when all 4 bows are on the dress it looks overloaded. I would definitely detach the stripy bows, as I think it would look a lot less crowded with those detached. I also feel the stripes are a theme too far, as there is a lot going on with the dress already. The shape of the collar is very cute and I think it is a good size. It is lined very neatly with lace as well. I really appreciate how the collar has a square sailor style shape on the back. There is also a brooch featuring a bow and some fake fruit. I think this brooch matches the print perfectly. I really like the brooch, although I would place it a bit differently to how Meta have in the stock photos. The back has a large panel of shirring, which has not been topped with anything and is not that attractive to look at. The sailor collar does help to conceal it slightly though. The stock photos show the skirt is very full and it flares outwards generously. There is the potential to hold a lot of petticoat and create a great shape. Aside from the line of buttons interrupting the print, the rest of the skirt is kept simple in design, with just a line of lace running above the print, so the print is displayed brilliantly. The bottom hem is then finished off very neatly with a thin line of lace, which matches the lace used throughout the dress. 

Here we have the Button Down Pinafore JSK. The bodice looks quite well fitted and the shape is cute. The straight neckline is a little bit dull, but the details around it distract from this. I think the straps look quite a supportive and suitable width. They don't look too bulky and they have been lined very neatly with thin lace. The waist bow is a cute shape, but I think it could have been a little bit smaller. The bow looks quite perky and it sits well on the dress. This dress also has a button down style, which means another line of buttons going down the front of the dress. I am still not keen on this button line, but at least this time Meta have used cuter heart shaped buttons. The button strip is lined with a large ruffle on the bodice. The ruffle is very generous and has a lot of volume to it. I personally like that it makes the bodice look a bit less flat and it gives the bodice lots of extra texture and movement. What I am not as keen on is the 4 stripy bows (again) and the lace in between the ruffles and on the skirt. I would definitely prefer solid coloured bows. I think the strap bases need the bows there but I would be tempted to remove the ones on the skirt. I feel the lace used is too wide and I am not so keen on the type of lace used either. What bugs me about the lace on the skirt is the way that it stops where the button line is, so it draws attention to it. The back of the dress is fully shirred, so it will stretch loads but it isn't too attractive looking. The skirt again has loads of volume and it flares outwards loads. I do feel the shape is a little bit too triangular though and needs to be more rounded. I find the lace at the top of the skirt a bit of a distraction but the rest of the skirt is lovely and the print is displayed excellently. The bottom hem is then finished off very neatly with a line of lace and a ruffle. The lace sits perfectly on top of the ruffle. 

This is the Fur Collared JSK. The bodice seems well fitted and the shape is lovely. I feel the shape works well with and without the collar. The straps underneath the collar looks a suitable width with enough support. The outsides of the straps and the neckline are lined neatly with lace as well, which is great because I think it is important that the dress looks good without the collar too. There is a waist bow, which seems to be a good size and shape. It keeps its shape well and sits well on the dress. There is a line of buttons and stripy bows as well. These bows seem to be detachable, and I would probably detach them to make the bodice look less crowded. The buttons have a cute design to them and are well spaced. I really love the fur collar, but I feel it could have been executed a bit better. Meta have gone for a long fur and whilst the longer fur adds a rustic feel, I personally feel it looks a bit messy. It also means that the pearls topping the collar are a bit lost in the longer fur. But despite this, I still quite like the fur and I would probably leave it attached. This dress has the same corsage brooch that the other JSK has, which is good. After detaching the stripy bows, I would probably move the brooch to the centre of the fur collar. The back has a panel of shirring, which has been topped neatly with a ribbon corset. I do wish the back was a bit fuller and ended higher up, nearer the neck, because the shape with the collar attached looks a bit odd. The stock photos show the skirt has loads of volume and there is more than enough room for petticoat underneath. The skirt flares out loads and there is the potential to create a great shape. I can take or leave the thin line of lace running along the top of the skirt. I don't think it really adds anything to the design. The skirt is otherwise kept simple, so the print is displayed quite well. The back of the skirt has a bustle made from crepe de chine fabric. The bustle has a good shape and the tiers are neatly spaced out. The tiers sit well on top of each other and hopefully the soft material choice means that it wont add too much volume at the back. The bottom hem is then finished off with a thin line of lace and a ruffle, which looks very neat.

And finally, here we have part of the print close up. This series comes in antique white, brown and green. All 3 colours are good choices for the print theme and they all work very well. As for the print itself, it is a bit different from what we are used to seeing from Meta but it works. The squirrels look very cute and are well drawn. I like the mushrooms and baskets with fruits. Everything in the print works together and nothing looks out of place. It is not the most original of prints, but the important thing is it looks good.

So the forest theme may be seen a lot in lolita, but I think this series is interesting enough and it doesn't surprise me that it sold so well when on reserve. I personally am a bit iffy about some of the choices used for the dress designs but I was able to find things I like and most of the stuff I dislike is detachable anyway. Would I buy this series? No, but only because forest prints are not my usual style. My top choice would be the Fur Collared JSK in antique white. I think this dress looks really cute! The squirrel bag from this series is adorable too, although perhaps not that practical. I am sure we will be seeing some very interesting outfits with this series in the near future.