As promised, there will be a giveaway soon to mark this occasion. Please bear with me whilst I set this giveaway up. It will be coming soon, so do keep an eye out for it! I can't thank you all enough for sticking by me these past couple of years. And now, on to today's print discussion...
Today I shall be looking at Mermaid Princess by Metamorphose. This series includes 5 dresses (2 of the dresses are the same, just different lengths), a skirt, 5 hair accessories, gloves and socks.
First up is the Peplum JSK. The bodice material looks a bit loose in places, especially underneath the armpits. The length of the bodice looks a bit long. I also feel the bodice shape is a bit too basic and square looking and perhaps the neckline would have looked better if it wasn't so straight. The straps look a little bit thin and is even falling off the shoulder in the stock photo, so they could be a bit flimsy. They could probably do with being a little wider, although not too much. There is lace topping the straps that carries on down the bodice to make a yoke. The lace used looks like it is fairly good quality and it makes the straps look a lot less plain. The yoke on the bodice is filled neatly with lines of lace and a mini ribbon corset topped with a bow. The yoke details are interesting enough and the bow is a suitable shape and size. I am not that keen on the lines of lace coming down the bodice from the yoke to the waist as I feel they look a bit odd. I do like the shell shaped buttons on the bodice though. They are such a pretty design and very appropriate for the print. The waist area is topped with a organdie over-skirt and waist bow. The organdie over-skirt is beautiful. It is well gathered and shaped. It sits really well over the top of the skirt and really makes an impact. The lace keeps the edges of the organdie looking smart and also emphasises the shape that the gathering creates. It is also short enough to not obscure the print in any way. I don't think Meta could have executed this over-skirt any better. The waist bow is also very cute with a sweet shape to it and pearl chain. The waist bow is detachable but I am unsure if I would detach it or not. I like how the dress looks with and without it. The back of the dress is fully shirred, so the shirring is not concealed in any way. The stock photos show the skirt flares outwards really well and there is more than enough volume. I love the full rounded shape the skirt has. Apart from the over-skirt, the skirt design is quite simple and so the print is displayed fairly well. The bottom features 2 detachable bows, which I don't feel are really necessary. If I were to use these bows, I would perhaps use them on the bodice instead. The bottom hem is then finished off with scalloped shaped lace, which matches up with the theme well. Whilst I don't dislike anything about the bodice, I kind of feel like it lets the beautiful skirt design down a bit. It just looks a bit dull when teamed with that skirt.
Next up is the Asymmetry OP. The bodice looks well fitted and the shape is quite pretty. I love the sheer sleeves and think they are a good match for the organdie parts of the dress. The sleeves are suitably puffy and are a good length. However, I am not fond of the solid pair of straps, as I don't see the point of them. I suppose though, they may offer a bit of extra support. The waist area is topped with a waist bow. Additionally, there are pearl chains that dangle between the waist bow and the waist ties. The pearl chains are such a beautiful idea and works perfectly with the print theme. I am a bit unsure I like the look of the waist bow though. I like the size of the bow but I think the bow shape could have been a bit more elaborate or perhaps they could have made the waist bow organdie. The chains are detachable but I would definitely leave them on. The bodice is split in to 2 by a panel of organdie overlay on the top half of the bodice. I think the line splitting the 2 bodice parts is low down enough that it shouldn't sit weirdly on top of the bust of most wearers. The organdie part is nicely gathered and I love that it is topped with pearls. The neckline is topped with a bow and organdie brooch which has a cute design that matches the rest of the dress. I think I actually prefer the dress with the brooch detached though. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed neatly by a ribbon corset. The stock photos show the skirt is very full and has a beautiful rounded shape. There is more than enough volume and the skirt flares outwards plenty. The skirt features a dramatic asymmetrical hemline with an organdie skirt underneath. I absolutely love it! The organdie tiers are layered so well and are well spaced out too. Despite the hemline, you still get a good amount of the print on show too. The skirt is well executed and overall the dress design is quite balanced.
This is the Angel Pinafore JSK. The bodice looks well fitted and the shape is cute. I think the neckline looks like it sits a little too low down though. The straps look a good width and very supportive. They are lined neatly with thin lace as well, which stops them looking too boring. There is an additional set of off the shoulder straps made with organdie. I appreciate the floaty soft material goes well with the mermaid theme, but I feel the organdie straps don't really work on this particular dress. On the other hand, I think the dress could look quite plain with them detached (which you can, as they are detachable). The bodice features 2 subtle lines of lace which helps break up the bodice. The centre then features 3 organdie bows. I think the bows are a little big but at the same time I think they do work. The bows are cutely shaped and I love that they are topped with shell buttons. The spacing of the bows is very good too. The back is fully shirred, which is great for larger wearers but it does mean the shirring is quite exposed and it doesn't look as attractive. The stock photos show there is the potential to create a really pretty shape with the skirt. I really like the full bell shape in the stock photos. There is plenty of room for petticoat and the dress flares outwards quite well. The skirt design is quite simple and so the print is displayed beautifully. You can really see the print very clearly on this dress. The bottom hem is then finished off with a line of lace and a ruffle of organdie. The lace on top of the organdie is quite effective and really stands out. It is a good choice of lace too. There are also some small bows topping the line of lace which are subtle enough to not be distracting and add a nice bit of extra detail.
Here is the Ribbon Shirred JSK (shown here in the mini length). The bodice again looks well fitted and despite being simple the bodice shape is quite nice. I only wish that they had made this a halterneck style dress instead of having the 2 sets of straps. The regular set of straps is a good width and very supportive. The organdie halterneck straps however, are very concealed and both sets are really not needed. I would have preferred to have just the halterneck straps as I think that would have been quite an interesting look. There is a waist bow, which is a bit large, but I think the size does actually work. The bow shape is simple, but well formed and sits well on the dress. It looks very perky and keeps its shape well. The main part of the bodice is very plain and it is a bit disappointing. The neckline details help to make up for this though. There are 3 organdie bows and 3 pearl chains dangling from the 2 outer bows. The bows are a bit big but I think they need to be big to make more of an impact on an otherwise plain bodice. I think the bow shape is very cute and they are very well formed. The pearl chains are pretty and help to break up the plain area of the bodice. The starfish charms are cute too. All of the neckline details are detachable but I would not detach a thing. The back is fully shirred, which means the shirring is quite exposed with nothing to cover it. The stock photos show the skirt is very full with loads of volume. There is enough material for the skirt to flare outwards loads. The skirt shape is very pretty, although I think I would go for a bit less volume than Meta have for the stock photos. The skirt design is kept simple and so the print is displayed excellently. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a line of good quality lace.
And finally here we have one piece of the print close up...
... and here is another part of the print. This series comes in navy, pink and lavender. The 3 colours are good choices for the print. I like that the lavender has a colder bluer tone to it. As for the print itself, it is very pretty. I love all the items of jewellery as they have nice little bits of detail to them. I like that a darker gold colour has been used as well, as it looks a bit more mature and not as flashy and OTT as some other mermaid prints. I like that the mermaids are present but are kept quite subtle, just appearing in the mirror. The subtle bubbles in the background are cute too. The only thing I am a little unsure of is the shells, as I feel they look a bit flat and could have been drawn a lot better.
So overall, I think this is a beautiful series that deserves to do well. Some dress designs are stronger than others but there is a lot of pretty things on offer. I am hoping that Meta release some pretty jewellery items to match this series. The print is beautiful too. Would I buy this series? Yes, I would. It isn't going on my wishlist but I do really like it. I think this is possibly one of my favourite mermaid prints so far, as the print is not a pastel overload. If I were to go for this series my top choice would be the Asymmetrical JSK in lavender. I had a hard time deciding between navy and lavender but the lavender just about wins it for me!
