Monday 8 August 2016

Dear Sir ~ Mystery in the Baker Street ~ by Alice and the Pirates

Today I shall be taking a look at Dear Sir ~ Mystery in the Baker Street ~ by Alice and the Pirates. This series includes 3 dresses, a vest, pants, 2 hair accessories, socks, a cape and a blouse.




First up is JSK I. The bodice seems well fitted and I feel the bodice shape is quite mature, although I am not fond of the dropped waist. The straps look a decent with and quite supportive. There is a line of braid on the insides of the straps and neckline, which stops the area looking too plain. I feel that because of the style of print, it is a good idea not to go too frilly, and the braid looks very smart. There is a ribbon belt, with a large bow. Usually, I would be commenting about how it defines the waist, but because this is a dropped waist design and where the belt is located, I feel it doesn't quite work. I don't feel it looks as good to have it positioned where it is, as the skirt is already starting to flare outwards. The bow is slightly shiny, although I approve of the muted colour choices. As for the shape, I think simple was the right way to go, but I dislike the way the bow tails stick out. The bodice features 3 pairs of buttons, with chains between them. I really like the emblem design on the buttons, and the buttons have been spaced out quite well. There is then a modesty panel on the chest area. I like that it stops the scoop neckline from scooping so low, but I feel the details on this panel look a bit cheap. The low back has a panel of shirring, which has been topped neatly with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show that the skirt has a fair amount of volume to it and I really love the rounded shape created in the pictures. I still don't like the dropped waist though! The skirt is kept very simple in design, so the print is displayed perfectly. The bottom hem is then finished off with a line of ribbon and a thin line of good quality lace. I like that the lace has been kept subtle.




Here we have JSK II. The bodice looks well fitted, but I think the bodice shape is a bit too simple. I also think the straps are slightly too thin and AatP could have gotten away with making them a little bit wider. They are lined really neatly with thin lace though. This lace is very thin, so it adds a nice finishing touch without looking too frilly. I didn't even spot it at first, but this super thin lace is going along the neckline as well. If nothing else, I think the paired down details work with the style of the print. The bodice features a small waist bow and a line of buttons. I like the small size of the bow and I think it adds just a small touch of cuteness. However, it is unfortunate that the line of buttons look wonky in the stock photos. They are all facing different directions as well. I would expect better than this. The back is fully shirred, so there is plenty of size flexibility, but it also means the unattractive shirring is very exposed. The stock photos show that the skirt is full with volume and it flares outwards generously. It should hold more than enough petticoat. The skirt is once again kept simple, so the focus is all on the print, which is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off with the subtle thin lace again.




This is the OP. The bodice looks a bit loose fitting and I am really hating the curved waistline shape. I think the sleeve shape is a bit basic, but it does suit the overall theme of the dress. The shirt style cuffs at least match the style of the bodice, and I am happy they at least added a bit of lace. As for the bodice, I really don't like the way that the whole bodice is like a basic work shirt. The pleats and bow do not do enough to liven this bodice up for me. They could at least have added some thin lines of lace, just to dress it up a little, without it looking too much. There is a tiny bit of lace lining the join at the waistline, but it is not enough. The back offers no shirring, so size flexibility is limited. The back looks almost identical to the boring front, just without the bow and pleats. The skirt at least looks a good length and it flares outwards plenty. However, without a properly defined waistline, I feel it looks a bit shapeless. It is not as shapeless as some of those sack style dresses we have seen, but it isn't that much of an improvement. The skirt is at least kept simple in design again, so the print is displayed excellently. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with some good quality lace.




Finally, here is the print. This series comes in beige, green, tea and black. I feel that all 4 colours look quite dull, but I admit they suit the colours used in the print brilliantly. As for the print itself, I think the bits like the shelves, books and curtains are well drawn, but the positioning  doesn't look right. It is also a bit strange how the curtains fade out. I don't like the inclusion of the newspaper either. The way the fading of the newspaper has been done looks really messy. The background really suits the Sherlock theme though. I suppose the dog looks kind of cute in its little hat and pipe though.

So overall, I think the print looks messy and poorly executed. The dress designs are very mature, although some would say that they don't look very lolita. Would I buy this series? No, I would not. My top choice would be JSK II in beige. I feel that beige looks the least dull of the colours. I think this whole series is quite underwhelming.

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