Things I Would Like to See in 2015

Is it just me, or does this post keep coming around quicker every year? So, here we are with a brand new year and what is hopefully going to be an exciting year for lolita fashion. 2014 was a bit of a mixed year for me with many highs and lows, but after looking at my 2014 list, it appears quite a few of my lolita-related wishes came true! But what exactly would I like to see in 2015? Here is my list-

A more structured and united sales community- It feels like every time I want to go buy something lolita related now, I have to trawl through endless sales pages, often with the same people posting in every available sales community! Facebook alone has lolita sales pages for different countries, languages, brand specific, style specific, off-brand... The list goes on. As great as Lacemarket can be, there are times when the website glitches or can't handle the volume of traffic. It also seems as though the EGL Comm Sales on Livejournal is slowly dying. Sometimes I just wish we could go back to the days when there was quite a centralised sales community and I hate to think I have missed an item because it has been pushed underneath the people constantly bumping their Facebook posts. I feel it makes selling stuff a lot more stressful.

A BTSSB duck print- I wanted an Angelic Pretty duck print for so long and when they finally delivered one, I hated it! I really wanted to love Melody Toys, but as time went on I went from thinking it was cute to slowly finding more and more things I disliked. So, let's see if Baby the Stars Shine Bright can do any better! Or maybe I will have more luck wishing that AP can do another and better duck print, maybe with the duck as the main feature.

A better Bodyline warehouse and better quality control- Lately, it feels like every time I order from Bodyline, my items will arrive with make up stains, mould or just generally in a not-so-brand-new condition. I don't feel this is in any way acceptable. When you order from Bodyline, you are paying for items that are brand new and should be in new condition. However, it seems I have gotten off lightly, as I have friends who have had to open Paypal cases against Bodyline after receiving items in shocking conditions. Bodyline are not the most helpful when it comes to refunds either but ideally, it shouldn't get to the refunds stage in the first place.

More basic and wardrobe building items from brands- I have noticed that certain colours have seen a surge in popularity as of late (I am very pleased to see people are discovering the joy of navy blue!) but it still feels that sometimes I am lacking the necessary matching accessories to make a wide variety of outfits. It is all very well and good to make a hair accessory which perfectly compliments its series, but when it only matches that one series it is very frustrating. I would like to see more basic items that can be dressed up or down and can be worn with multiple pieces. Sometimes I don't want to buy the matching hair accessory for a dress and just want a solid coloured piece that I know I will get a lot of wear out of.

Less Chocolate and Alice in Wonderland prints- I am not against these sort of prints but they have been so overdone that I think we need to see something a bit more original. There has been some progress with series like Wonder Queen (which focused on the Red Queen instead of Alice) and Quartet Chocolat (which had the addition of musical instruments). However, it feels like a lot of the time we are seeing the same stuff repeated over and over again. I am not saying they should stop making them all together and I quite like that there is a new Royal Chocolate series each year, but I like it when brands bring out more unusual or lesser seen themes.

More accessory lucky packs- Am I the only lolita out there who has completely run out of hanging space for new dresses? I know I need to sell some stuff soon but in all honesty, I don't feel my wardrobe needs more dresses anyway. Dress and skirt lucky packs are great for new lolitas who are starting out and could do with all the outfit basics, but I would really like to see more accessory packs out there. There are lots of indie brands out there who offer accessory lucky packs, but a lot of the time these sell out super quick. Lucky packs can be very exciting to open, as you don't know what you are going to get. An accessory pack offers a smaller option for those who don't want dresses or don't have the money for a larger lucky pack. I know AP and Baby have offered accessory lucky packs in the past and I would love to see them offer these again. And on a similar note, I would really like to see Baby do a blouse lucky pack. Their blouse designs are so beautiful and a lolita can never have enough blouses.

More silver- I love the colour gold and have plenty of it in my wardrobe but silver still seems a relatively rare colour in lolita. Some skin tones look a lot better with silver than gold. Is this a new area to explore? Aside from the silver Bodyline shoes and a few bag designs, I rarely see the colour outside of jewellery. Maybe it would work or maybe it wouldn't. I would quite like to find out!

Slower AP releases- There are certain times of the year where it feels like Angelic Pretty is releasing a lot of series in a very short space of time. It is really difficult to keep up! I usually try my hardest to avoid the worst of the AP release bloodbaths, but it is very frustrating when you go for a while without liking anything and then suddenly you fall in love with 3 different Angelic Pretty releases all at once. And then, you find out those 3 AP releases are being released just a few days apart! I just think AP need to spread their series out so there isn't this frenzied rushed release period, especially at Christmas when people have other stuff like presents to spend out on.

Less Nun Lolita- I don't mind the odd religious element in lolita and quite enjoyed the recent Nun Lolita trend. But I feel enough is enough. It is getting a bit boring and repetitive now, seeing people wearing that Sister Maria nun OP in the exact same way all the time. I think there are only so many ways you can wear that sort of dress. Maybe it is time to give the trend a rest before it starts to feel overdone.

So that is my list of wishes for this year. I was very pleased to see some of my 2014 wishes come true, although some were more successful than others. I feel there will be many who agree and disagree with my wish list this year. I would be interested to hear what my readers would like to see in 2015. As for my personal goals for 2015, I want to focus less on cutesy sweet lolita and attempt to wear sweet in a mature way, I want to expand my hair accessory collection so I can rely less on wearing matching head bows from the same series and try to focus on building my lolita friendships.

It's Finally Happening!

A few weeks ago I wrote the post about what I wanted to see in 2014, and this post was published on Thursday the 9th of January. Little did I know, that less than a week after publishing, one of my dreams was already coming true!

On Monday I was alerted on Tumblr that Angelic Pretty is releasing a print with a duckling on it! The series will be called Melody Toys and as predicted, the Maki-drawn duckling is adorable! It looks like I can finally cross "Angelic Pretty releasing a duck print" off of my lolita wish list. 

I have to admit, I am a little apprehensive, because I haven't seen too many pictures of this series so far. I am not too keen on the gingham and I was a little unsure about the dress cuts when I saw them. I will take a more detailed look in to the series when it comes out.

Will I be buying it? Who knows... We will have to see nearer the time. But more than anything else, I am just glad that Angelic Pretty is finally realising just how cute ducks are!

Things I Would Like To See In 2014

Well, 2013 was certainly an interesting year. I had a look at my post about what I wanted to see in 2013 and some of my wishes did come true, but quite a few haven't yet. But it is time to look ahead to 2014 and these are the things I would like to see.

Angelic Pretty to re-release Sugar Hearts and Honey Cake- 2013 saw Angelic Pretty re-release a fair few of their prints. Admittedly, my ultimate dream would be to see them re-release Puppet Circus, but that is highly unlikely. AP mainly seem to be sticking to more recent releases. So my picks for re-releases in 2014 would be Honey Cake and Sugar Hearts. I was never personally fussed by Honey Cake, but I know a fair few friends of mine who are desperate to get their hands on this series. I think Sugar Hearts is a series that started off with few fans, but then slowly grew a larger fan base. I would be interested to see a new dress cut for Sugar Hearts and possibly a new colour of yellow. I think Honey Cake could look interesting with a brown version. Also, it would be a perfect excuse for AP to re-release all the cute jewellery that were part of these 2 series!

For Metamorphose to have a "big hit" series- Poor Meta... I was having a browse through my wishlist about a week ago and I realised that I haven't really been that keen on anything Meta put out in 2013. Most of the time I find myself disliking their dress shapes or thinking their colour choices are a bit weird. Metamorphose is one of the most well-known lolita brands and I have always had a soft spot for them, but when was the last time you saw somebody get excited by a recent Meta release? For me, it has been a long time. I really hope that in 2014 Meta have a good series that gets the same hype as their most popular releases. However, I was impressed by their recent Winter lucky packs and I was sad they sold out before I had a chance to get one!

Bodyline making navy, mint, lavender and wine boleros- This is making a return from last year's wishlist. I love my Bodyline boleros and it annoys me when I can't get them in my favourite colours. I would have thought that mint and lavender at least, would be obvious choices to add to their cardigan colours.

More quirky shoe designs- 2013 saw some very interesting shoes being coordinated with lolita outfits. My personal favourite 'quirky' shoes were the violin shoes from Innocent World.

I thought these were a really interesting idea and they are a bit different. I know they wouldn't match a single thing in my current wardrobe, and yet I still want them! I feel like there is room for more exploration when it comes to shoes whether it is a different style of shoe design, or even something smaller like a pretty shoe clip.

For the BABY designers to come to the UK- I consider myself very lucky to be a UK lolita. We have had some incredible events, with some of the big lolita brands coming to visit us. So who do we invite next? I am personally hoping to see the designers behind Baby the Stars Shine Bright in the UK! Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't believe they have visited Europe yet.

For Angelic Pretty to release a duck print- Another returning entry to my annual list, and it will be staying on here until this happens! Can you imagine how cute little ducklings drawn by Maki would look? 

Some more practical, larger sized bags- I may not have liked Meta's dresses this past year, but I have really liked a lot of their bags. I find most lolita bags are too small to carry all of my stuff, but Meta have released some bags which are a bit more roomy. 

Take this bag for example-

Not only is is pretty, but it is large enough to carry all my essentials and it can be worn 3 different ways. Practical does not have to mean ugly. I would definitely use a bag like this outside of lolita, for everyday use as well.

More Chiffon Underskirts- My obsession with chiffon continues! I really love how brands such as Juliette et Justine have released chiffon underskirts. It gives the bottom a real floaty, soft appearance. It is also a good way of adding vital length if a dress is a bit on the short side. Chiffon underskirts have been shown to work great with classic lolita. Maybe we could see if chiffon underskirts could work with sweet lolita as well? I would love to see some pastel chiffon underskirts.

And so, this is my current list of wishes for this year. As for my own personal goals for this year, I am hoping to give lace front wigs a try, I want to try to buy less dresses and more basics (such as pretty blouses and more hair accessories) and I want to take more time to put my outfits together and make sure to test run them to see if they look okay. I am also hoping to create a decent outfit for Enchanted in April- I already have a few ideas!

Never Give Up!

Today I want to share a positive story with you all. I have been bursting with happiness recently because I have finally achieved a dream that has been hanging over me since I wore lolita for the very first time. I finally obtained the dream dress that has eluded me so many times!

It all started back in early to mid-2009. I had made the decision to stop day-dreaming about lolita and actually start wearing it. So I started to browse the EGL community sales page and it wasn't long before I stumbled across Feathercross. After a bit of research, I discovered it was from a Metamorphose Summer Special set the previous year. Gothic Lolita was what initially drew me in to the fashion and I knew right away that I wanted this dress. Feathercross became my very first dream dress.

So this dress was sold at a reasonable prices and was part of a special set... it should have been easy to obtain, right? Wrong! For so long, I kept missing this dress. It's not even as if it wasn't popping up for sale that often, I was seeing it every few months. Some times I would even see about 3 Feathercross dresses in the space of a week. But every time, something would prevent me from obtaining it. Somebody would always get in there before me, one time I lost out by only 10 minutes. Sometimes sellers would change their minds about selling it or would sell it to somebody else when I had asked them to hold it for a few days. There are quite a few dresses on my wishlist that I have missed out on multiple times but none have even come close to Feathercross. It is no exaggeration when I say that I think I have missed out on this dress 20+ times. I think this added to my frustration because it's not as if the dress was that rare, I was just being extremely unlucky.

During this time, I came very close to giving up on it. I thought this would be a simple dress to obtain and yet it was proving such a hard challenge. I even managed to get dresses that I never thought I would own, like AatP's Midsummer Night's Dream. Surely if I could obtain a popular dress like Midsummer, then a simple special set dress with a basic design shouldn't be this difficult! 

And then it happened... somebody listed Feathercross and as usual, there were people interested in it before me. I didn't want to give up hope and I contacted the seller anyway, thinking I wouldn't get it... but I did! My heart was pounding as I paid the Paypal invoice because I thought it was too good to be true. I refused to believe this was really happening until that dress arrived at my home.

A few days later, the dress arrived. I tried it on and it fitted perfectly. I breathed a sigh of relief because after 4 and a half years, I finally owned the dress that had gotten away so many times. It felt so good to tick Feathercross off of my wishlist. It is also nice to have a physical representation of the beginnings of my lolita journey. I am very happy to say that now I own it, I love the dress just as much as I did back in 2009.

I know there are people out there who have waited a lot longer than me to obtain their dream dress. I just want to say to you all, please don't give up! Maybe some day you will get to experience the same feelings as me when I looked in the mirror and saw myself wearing Feathercross for the first time.

Prioritising What You Buy

I remember when I first got in to lolita- I wanted to buy everything, and I really DO mean everything. All I wanted was to rush out and spend all the money I had. Obviously that is not what I actually ended up doing. In fact, there have been times where my lolita purchasing has actually been quite slow. When I was starting out, I was confronted by this huge list of wishes and dream dresses. I learnt very early on how important it is to actually think out what to buy next. I had to ask myself if there any point me buying certain items when they don't match anything in my current wardrobe or whether that cheap item was really worth it if I couldn't see myself loving it that much. In the end, I resorted to my usual tactic of making lists.

I briefly mentioned a while ago about my "Want Vs. Need List" and this list was a huge help for me as I built my wardrobe up. Basically any essential wardrobe builders (for example, a black blouse) went on the 'Need' part of the list and items such as dream dresses and other items I liked, but were not important, went on the 'Want' side. If I ever wanted to buy something from the Want side, I had to buy at least one item from the Need side. This meant that although I was getting items I really wanted, I was at the same time building up the staples. So this worked very well.

As I write this post, I feel I may be at the stage where I no longer need the Want Vs. Need List. I am confident that if I were to buy a new dress I would be able to make at least one outfit with the wardrobe items I currently have (even if that outfit is very basic). So now I have a bit more freedom whenever I want to buy something. Now a new problem has arisen- I am very quickly running out of wardrobe space!

So my next task was to take a hard look at all of the dresses on my wishlist. Although it took me a very long time, I have managed to put all of the dresses on my list in order of how much I want them. I currently have about 30-something dresses on my wishlist, with about 10 of them being what I would consider "dream dresses". I have to admit it was a difficult task but I kept imagining circumstances where 2 of the dresses came up and which one would I be more devastated to lose out on.

This all sounds like a very difficult process but actually, it makes it very easy to work out what to buy next. If something from my list pops up I will have a look at its position on the list and if it is high up then I will be more likely to buy it.

Of course, there are other factors to consider.

The Price- If something comes up at a low price then it can be tempting to go ahead and buy it. But how much do you really like that item? Is there any point buying something that you will maybe wear once before selling it on?

Will it suit you- As much as I may love an item, there have been occasions where I have let stuff go simply because it wouldn't suit me. It could be that it didn't suit my body shape or I was too close to the maximum measurements for me to feel comfortable wearing it. I think it can be very disheartening when you buy a dream item and then you don't feel it looks right on you. I believe a dream dress should make you feel amazing when you wear it.

Availability- Obviously some dresses are more popular than others. Whilst some items are likely to pop up very frequently there may be some which only go on sale about once a year. Sometimes it is worth going for the rarer dress because you could regret it if you lose it.

But despite all these points, there are times where you need to follow your heart. This actually happened to me recently. I had been saving up really hard for a few months to buy a dream dress and I was close to reaching my final target. However, just as I was nearing my goal, another of my dream dresses popped up. The dress that suddenly popped up was ranked higher on my dress priority list and I ended up being torn between 2 dresses. When I asked friends they suggested that I got the dress that had just popped up. But I realised when I saw their answers that it made me feel sad. My reaction to their answers showed me which dress I truly wanted more. In the end, I purchased the dress I had been saving for and I don't regret it one bit. So it just goes to show that sometimes even lists don't work. At the end of the day, you need to choose the path that you feel is best for you.

Things I Would Like To See In 2013

With 2013 starting, it is time for another of these posts where I set out my hopes and dreams for the year ahead. Some of my dreams are ones you may recognise from last year's post which still haven't come true!

1. Angelic Pretty Releasing A Duck Print- This one is returning from 2012's post! I would love to see Angelic Pretty doing an Easter themed print with ducks. We have had bunnies (LOTS of bunnies) and chicks... I thought maybe ducks would be a bit different. I reckon if AP did a duck print, I would love it a whole lot more than Meta's March of the Duck (a print that I adore!). I would be very interested to see what AP did with ducks and I know some people found the Meta ducks a bit too derpy looking for their liking.

2. Baby releasing less questionable looking bags- Some Baby bags look very pretty. Others? Not so much... Looking back at my posts in 2012, it would appear that I have on a couple of occasions not been very kind about Baby's bag designs. The most recent Baby bag I have slated was this rabbit bag from the Secret Garden series, which is essentially a flat rabbit with a tiny purse stuck on the back.

3. Japonica keeping their commission charges at the new lower rate- For those of you who maybe haven't been on the Japonica website recently, they have lowered their commission rates! Their charges are now a bit more in line with their competitors; making them a more attractive shopping service option. So let's hope their charges stay at this new rate!

4. For Bodyline to extend their bolero colours to include lavender- I love Bodyline boleros but it does sometimes annoy me that there are not that many colour options. I would love to see Bodyline doing a lavender bolero. Also, wine and navy boleros from Bodyline would be good addition as well. As somebody who unfortunately feels the cold a lot, sometimes my only option is to pile on the layers and it would be so handy to have more colour choices.

5. More prints like Metamorphose's Fancy Egg- I absolutely loved Meta's Fancy Egg print. One of my favourite parts of the print is the fact that Faberge style eggs is something we have not really seen before in lolita. It felt very fresh and new. It makes me wonder what other sort of new territory lolita print designers could explore. Also, I kind of wonder how the more classic brands would have done a Feberge egg print. Imagine if Mary Magdalene had done one... I bet it would look amazing!

6. Loads more chiffon!- For me, 2012 was the year that I fell head over heels in love with chiffon. Chiffon blouses dominated my lolita purchases last year. They are so light and easy to wear. Also, I love the way the fabric looks so delicate and dreamy. A special mention goes to Baby's chiffon blouses, which are amazing. My current favourite is the Raphael blouse which came out in late 2011 (seen below).

7. More Juliette et Justine printed tights- I remember when I first saw the JetJ tights at the Tea Party Club 5th Anniversary Event and thinking their designs were amazing and full of detail. I later went on to use my discount coupon on a pair of the cross tights which I had just missed out on at the event. Also, I would like to see more Angelic Pretty tights as well.

So that is what I would like to see in 2013. Let's find out if any of my wishes come true this year!

My blog is 1 today!

Technically, my blog turned 1 a few days ago but I am going on the date of the very first post I did. I still can't believe a year has passed already!

I have had so many eye opening experiences and adventures. Above is one of the photos that Fleur Challis took of me for the documentary I am participating in (Fleur is absolutely amazing!). I decided this photo best described how I currently feel about lolita and where I am today. Maybe next year I will have taken a completely new direction!

Here are a couple of things I have learnt during the past year as a result of writing this blog-

1. You don't have to be alone!- I felt that to write a better blog, it would be a good idea to take part in the online community a bit more. As a result, I have made loads of friends including my wonderful local group the Oxfordshire Lolitas. I couldn't ask for a better group to be a part of and I have made some great friends. I also feel like attending more meets and events has really helped my anxiety problem. I still have a way to go, but I am slowly making some progress!

2. You shouldn't take drama to heart- I think I have been incredibly lucky regarding drama. I have been mentioned a few times but there has not been anything worth getting upset about. I try not to respond to drama unless I feel there is a real need to. Also, the amount of Lolita Valentines I have received far outweigh the negatives. The thing about drama is, the way you respond is highly important. If you react too much then you will keep getting posted. What we all need to remember is that everybody has different opinions and you can't please everybody.

3. The most popular posts on here are the print discussions- When I started discussing the latest brand prints on this blog, I just wanted to express my opinion. Then I started getting comments and emails from people saying they liked my print discussions. So now they have become a big part of my blog! I always try to be honest and if I don't like something I will say so! All opinions on here are 100% Luna!

4. I have developed a Bodyline habit- Sometimes I do proper reviews on the items I have purchased. Looking back, it appears I have ordered a lot from Bodyline! In all fairness, I believe Bodyline has improved a lot in recent years. They still release some absolutely dreadful pieces but it feels like they make more of an effort now. However, my favourite purchase since starting this blog has been my beloved Meta March of the Duck skirt.

5. Metamorphose is my favourite brand!- I will never forget the day I finally got my dream print. I love my cute little Meta duckies! Another nice surprise addition to my wardrobe was Meta's Old Emblem. Old Emblem is my most worn print. However, I still love my AP Wonder Cookie dress too! One of the most surprising things about my wardrobe is that I don't own any Baby or AatP dresses (I just have a Baby parasol which I got in a competition). I hope that by next year I will own a Baby dress.

6. I have made some mistakes- I have posted some things on here which I have re-read a few months later and thought "Oh no! I can't believe I said/wore that!". Instead of removing the posts, I have kept them up. I am by no means perfect and therefore, I don't want to hide my mistakes. I think it is good to show progress (well, hopefully I have made progress!) and there is nothing wrong with changing your mind. If you think I have made a huge fashion error, feel free to say so. I promise I wont bite!

7. Fimo clay is EVIL- I am not a deco nail expert but if my experiences have taught me anything, it is that you shouldn't use Fimo clay! It is fiddly, awkward and takes up far too much time. Learn how to use acrylics. It may take a little time to get used to acrylics but I think the results are a lot better. Acrylics are easy enough to pick up. You can even find them on Ebay. And when using acrylics, always keep the room airy and well ventilated!

And so, I would like to thank all my readers and followers. I would also like to thank all the people who have organised any events I have attended, the Oxfordshire Lolitas, Saija for sending me all that lovely jewellery, my long-suffering husband James, all my other lovely friends and anybody else who I have forgotten to mention. Let's make this next year even better!

Expanding my horizons and trying new things

I am very excited right now! I just pre-ordered Meta's Fairy Tale series and have already had the 2nd confirmation email to say my pre-order has been completed! So all I need to do is wait for it to come in stock and pay. I fell in love with the print as soon as I saw it.

But by placing this pre-order I am also expanding my horizons.

This will be my very first bonnet. I have got to admit, I have been a little scared to try bonnets in the past. I was worried they would look too age-play on me (especially OTT sweet styles). When I saw the Fairy Tale series for the first time I was hoping there would be a head bow but I was confronted by a bonnet and a rectangle headdress. Although rectangle headdresses have been out of fashion for a while, I think I am more confident wearing these than bonnets. However, for some reason I was really attracted to the Fairy Tale bonnet. The pattern on the Fairy Tale bonnet is not too OTT. The size is fairly big but it is by no means the biggest lolita bonnet I have seen.

So I found myself adding the bonnet to the cart. I am totally blaming Nicola from the Oxfordshire Lolitas! She makes her own bonnets and looks so wonderful in them. I am curious to see how I will look with a bonnet. I don't regret making my choice at all but it is very unlike me to move away from my comfort zone.

I also ordered the fully shirred skirt. I have been really busy recently so I did not have enough money for a dress this time. I find skirts easier to wear anyway. There is nothing particularly strange about this but... I have ordered both the bonnet and skirt in lavender. These will be my very first lavender items in my lolita wardrobe! I have wanted to add lavender items to my wardrobe for a very long time. I feel it will flatter my pale skin very well without making me look washed out. Plus, lavender goes very well with pink. I will probably wear this with my new pink blouse and possibly my pink shoes too if they match well enough.

I decided against ordering the matching socks. I figured that the socks were not as vital anyway. I noticed after I placed the order that Meta have released this necklace which fits the Fairy Tale print very well-

It comes in gold, silver, antique gold and antique silver. The antique ones have a rose and the other 2 have a bird.

I definitely like the antique ones the most. I love the whole antique look when it comes to necklaces. I also think the rose and bird cage look nicer on the 2 antique coloured necklaces.

I have high hopes for this series. The print reminds me of my wedding day and I am hoping this arrives before our 2nd anniversary on August the 6th.

I have had a few ideas on how to co-ordinate this already. I have an idea for a straight-forward co-ordinate. I am also planning something a little more creative and different. I wont go in to too many details right now but I am planning an OTT classic co-ordinate. It could go horribly wrong and I may get slated for it but I have been thinking about OTT classic for a while. Can OTT work outside of sweet lolita? Is OTT classic going too far? I might just make it a OTT sweet outfit instead. That is the beauty of this print- I firmly believe this print will work well with both sweet and classic.

I intend to wear this skirt a lot and will work hard to do different co-ordinates with it. Wearing a bonnet and choosing lavender is already new ground for me, but I want to experiment even more. Let's hope I don't take the experimenting too far!

A dream come true!

Tuesday the 15th of March 2011 will now forever be imprinted in my memory. It was a very special day for me. I have been having a lot of personal problems recently and I have been having a hard time with my health too. So I have been feeling pretty miserable. However, there was a break in the gloom when my new skirt arrived-

I finally got March of the Duck! For ages it has been my dream print and now I own it! March of the Duck definitely has its lovers and haters (I am a lover of course!) but I have always been obsessed with ducks. I preferred March of the Duck to the duck print that Emily Temple Cute did. I was also happy to get my dream print in my preferred colour choice of white. I really dislike the blue version. The square part of the pattern reminded me of bathroom tiles. I felt it looked a lot better on the white version. I already know that some of my friends are keen to see what this print really looks like in person.

And here are the infamous ducks!

The lining is very soft. This Meta skirt did not come with the stiff layer on lining which is on my Old Emblem skirt. March of the Ducks is a Crown Label series so maybe the Crown Label ones don't have this extra layer.

I never noticed this before but the Meta bunny and bear appear on the print and the swan logo features on some of the balloons.

Polka dots! And a close-up of the lace.

Of course, I got the matching head bow too. This bow is actually titled ever so slightly to the side so it is a side head bow! I like the little pearls which helps to add interest to what could have potentially been a very dull bow.

I intend to show some worn pictures soon but I am still feeling a little ill and tired. I just quickly tried the skirt on and the fully shirred waist was very forgiving. However, I might be wearing this to the Oxfordshire lolita meet next Saturday so hopefully I will have some more photos soon. My poor Bodyline waffle skirt will have to wait for its first public outing!

Question is... now that I have my dream print, what will my next dream purchase be? I need to recover my finances first! My wishlist is VERY long but here are a few that I would really like-

Angelic Pretty- Milky Chan, Rose Toilette, Starry Night Theatre

Baby- Bunny Milk and Snow Strawberry, Twinkle Dreaming Princess

Meta- Nostalgic Chess, Feather cross Summer special 2008, apple print

AaTP- Midsummer Night's Dream, Masquerade Theatre

Innocent World- Felicia Crown

Things I would like to see in 2011

A majority of these things are unlikely to happen but in an ideal world I would like to see the following in 2011-

Innocent World becoming more accessible for international fans- There are a lot of brands that I would love to have better access to but at the top of my list is Innocent World. Their classical pieces are beautiful and I was recently coveting one of their bags. I was really excited to hear Innocent World was selling stuff at an event I attended but I was left disappointed after discovering just one skirt and a very small selection of accessories.

Metamorphose attending Hyper Japan next October- I was really excited to be able to actually physically buy brand items instead of ordering online so that I could see what I was getting first. All of my favourite brands attended this last year except for Metamorphose. I appreciate they don’t have the same appeal as Baby or AP, but I think Meta could do with attending next year. I have found that some brand items which do not look good online can look a whole lot better when you see them in person and I firmly believe this is the case with a lot of Meta items.

Angelic Pretty prints that do not look identical- Since starting this blog one of my least favourite tasks, is reviewing the latest AP print. After a while the prints start to blend and they all look the same. AP is just one of those brands who can churn out anything and still see it sell out but it lacks originality. I would love for AP to come out with something surprising but I accept this probably will not happen.

Less teddy bear prints- I have nothing against teddy bear prints but there has not been a single print this year featuring teddy bears which I have looked at and have instantly wanted to buy.

To finally get one of the dresses from my wish list- I want to be more careful with my money but I can’t help it- I really want to get one of my dream pieces!

Bodyline’s website becoming more reliable- I do not want a repeat of the sale madness I suffered. Bodyline’s website is appalling at the best of times but the sale in September showed just how unreliable the browser was. The Japanese website is faster. I am so jealous! Also, I want Bodyline to renew their security certificate which was expired the last time I tried to order. I went ahead and ordered anyway but for other people this could be a concern.

A Baby and Pullip collaboration- I loved the AP collaboration dolls but imagine if they were wearing iconic Baby or Alice and the Pirates items? I think they would look amazing!

More vertical stripes- I have seen some great pieces which use vertical lines very well and I am now convinced that there should be more.

More affordable bags- I am a huge fan of bags but what I do not like is the brand prices. If I desire a brand bag, I tend to look at tote bags because I know they are in my price range. I got a really huge shock when I saw a Taobao bag selling for under £20 which was almost identical to a brand bag. The quality was apparently just as good according to reviews. If a good quality replica can be sold for this price, it really hammers home the point that brand could be selling their bags cheaper. Yes, I know it is brand and you expect to pay more but I am left wondering if it is worth it. It looks like I will be sticking to tote bags for now.

To attend lots of brilliant meets and generally improve myself- I had a lot of fun in 2010 and in 2011 I want to meet even more people and experience a lot more. I also want to get to know the friends I have made better. I hope to put myself out there more and to put extra effort in to my outfits. Also I would love to get a Lolita valentine but at the moment I don’t think I have done enough to merit getting one. And I would love to make valentines for others too. There are lots of people I want to make these for but I never got around to doing it. I want that to change!

If I am really lucky maybe at least one of my wishes will come true.

EDIT- And because I totally forgot to mention it before- HAPPY NEW YEAR!