First up is the OP. The bodice seems well fitted for chiffon, and the shape is pretty. I especially like the sleeve shape, with the lovely bell sleeves. The sleeves look a decent length and have plenty of stretch in the cuffs. The lace on the cuffs sits so neatly and it has a pretty cross pattern on it. I think the ribbon used for the bows on the cuffs is a bit too shiny though. There is a waist bow, which is equally shiny. It is an okay shape and size. I actually think they could have gotten away with making this waist bow a bit bigger. This waist bow is detachable, and I probably would detach it, so that all attention was on the bodice lace. The bodice has some small thin lines of lace running up it, which are kept subtle, to make way for the more detailed lace on the chest area. The lace on the bodice really matches the print. I don't even mind the little lace cross just beneath the choker, as with this series it feels quite appropriate. My only concern is that the lace cuts across the shoulders, and I would worry that would draw attention to wide shoulders. The lace neck details look nice and match the lace used on the bodice, but I don't like the ribbon details on the collar. The ribbon looks cheap and tacky. The back offers no shirring, so there is limited size flexibility. It at least looks as though the print lines up fairly well along the zip line, but in the stock photos there is an obvious crinkle in the chiffon material where the zip is. The stock photos show that the skirt has loads of volume and it flares outwards generously. There is plenty of room for petticoat. The skirt design is kept simple, so the print is displayed fairly well. However, I really hate how the printed chiffon overlay is a great deal longer than the base dress underneath. I personally think it looks really strange having a load of chiffon material at the bottom like that and I think it looks messy. Also, where the base dress ends happens to be right in the middle of the crosses making the border part of the print. So you have part of the big crosses set against the dress underneath, which stand out perfectly and then the bottom half of these crosses has no solid background to really make the print 'pop' and stand out. Both the overlay and the dress underneath are finished neatly with lace going along the bottom hem. This lace is kept quite simple, but it looks neater with this more subtle lace choice.
Next is the JSK. The bodice seems reasonably well fitted and is overall a pretty shape. I think the straps are a bit on the thin side and risk slipping down, but I adore the lace on the outsides of the straps. This wide lace has been layered, and the result is very frilly looking. It almost mimics the appearance of short sleeves and I would almost be tempted to wear this JSK without a blouse. However, again it may not be the best design f you feel self-conscious about having wide shoulders. The waist bow is a bit big but it has a firm, well defined shape to it. It sits well on the dress with no signs of any drooping. It doesn't appear to be detachable though, and the style of the waist bow may be a bit too sweet for some. The bodice features a ribbon corset, with many lines of lace on either side. The ribbon is well spaced out and the choice of ribbon doesn't look as shiny as the ribbon used on the OP. Although the lace along the neckline has a lovely design to it, I think it looks a bit messy. I feel a thinner, less ruffly lace choice would have looked smarter. The back has a panel of shirring, which is topped neatly with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show that the skirt is very full and it flares outwards loads. There is the potential to create a very rounded and voluminous shape. The skirt design is pretty much the same a the OP skirt design, and it suffers the same problem with the overlay length. It does at least look as though the base dress reaches more of the border print crosses on the JSK though.
Finally, here is the print. This series comes in white, pink, lavender and black. I find myself being really drawn to the white version of this print, which is weird because the print doesn't really show up on the white version! But maybe this more subtle take is pretty in a different way compared to the other colours which show the print more. I would have actually liked it if the crosses on the black version had been black. Otherwise, the colour options seem okay, although I find the pink version a little underwhelming. As for the print itself, for once I find myself not hating all these AP crosses, but maybe that is because the print is almost all crosses and they don't look completely out of place. I quite like the lacy take on the crosses, which is a good match for the heavy use of lace on the dresses. I especially like the detailed lacy border at the bottom. I also noticed that one of the crosses seems to have a crescent moon hidden in the design, which is a nice touch.
Maybe this cross-heavy series will help Angelic Pretty to get over their current obsession with crosses, and for once I am actually in favour of the crosses. I think the cross print fits well with the dress designs and the lacy crosses were a good idea. Although there is the odd thing I would tweak with both dresses, especially with the length of the skirt overlays. Would I buy this series? No, I would not because this AP take on 'gothic' has never really been my thing anyway. If I did, my top choice would be the JSK in white. I really love how toned down the white version of this series looks and think it looks positively angelic (sorry...). I did briefly consider getting the tights and umbrella though, before deciding against it.
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