Alice Day 2014!

 Alice Day seems to come around quicker every year! I decided to host another meet for the Oxfordshire Lolitas, even though Alice Day isn't as good as it used to be. I don't think we even really did anything remotely Alice-related, apart from the games I brought along with me.

I went as the White Rabbit again this year. I recycled the bunny ears from last year's outfit and stuck them on a completely different one. Luckily I purchased this dress at Frock On last year, so I had a nice bunny-themed dress to team the ears with. I have to admit, I did put this outfit together right at the last minute because I had been so distracted with the meet planning side of things and there are also lots of other exciting events coming up in the next few months. I was worried the pinks didn't match but because the dress has different shades of pinks in it, I don't think it looks too bad? The head bow may be slightly off, but otherwise I am pleased with the end result, considering how quickly I had to put this together. I went for strawberry themed jewellery to match the strawberries in the print. My Alice in Wonderland jewellery was sadly the wrong colour.

We were meant to be having a picnic but once again, the British weather was being annoying! We were meant to have rain and it did rain lots overnight, making the ground wet. Typically, it did get sunny during the day though! So we ended up in the Mitre for lunch. I made goody bags for everybody and we all voted to see who wore the favourite outfit. Blair won! I was very happy for her, as I did really love her outfit, especially her hair accessories. She won a handmade brooch, which was Alice themed. 

We considered going to the Botanical Gardens, as they were meant to be having Alice Day stuff going on, but when we peered over the hedges it looked pretty empty in there. So we decided against it in the end. It didn't stop me taking flower pictures outside the entrance though! Perhaps the rain meant they didn't have as much stuff out. There was also an exhibition going on at the Christ Church Library, but we got a bit lost. So in the end, we didn't really go to any of the events that were running, but there were still fun and games to come.

As the sun had decided to make an appearance, we went to G&D's to get ice cream. They had a special Alice in Wonderland flavour in honour of Alice Day so that is what I went for. This year's Alice theme was "Alice Underground" so the choice of chocolate ice cream was quite appropriate. It has white chocolate buttons in it too.

But of course we had to do something Alice related... So I brought my games along with me again! It is very hard to come up with new games every year, so I did an egg race in honour of Humpty Dumpty. In the end, Shalisa won!

There was also a hoop the rabbit game in honour of the White Rabbit. I thought I had set an easy distance and the idea was to keep moving backwards until only one person left could still hoop it. But in the end, only Blair was able to hoop the rabbit from the starting distance! So she won the chocolate rabbit and an additional prize.

And finally, a group photo! The sun was really strong at this point and it didn't help some random guy kept photo bombing us, so it was a struggle to find a decent group picture. I borrowed this one from Madeleine (sorry!). It felt very strange being the only one in pastel colours!

So whilst I do feel that the Alice Day events were a bit of a let-down, I think we were able to fit in a lot of fun things. I even managed to find brown sugar and cinnamon pop tarts at the sweet shop (that flavour is very difficult to find here). Despite not going exactly to plan, my guests did assure me that they had a good time. It was good to catch up with everybody, and we even bumped in to several familiar faces whilst we were walking around town too! Given how much everybody seemed to enjoy the event this year, I may host another one again next year. Hopefully next time we will be able to go to some of the actual Alice events!

Juicy Basket by Metamorphose

Today I am looking at the latest series from Metamorphose. It is called Juicy basket and the series includes 3 dresses, socks, 3 hair accessories and a handkerchief. I was a bit surprised there isn't a skirt, but maybe Meta will release one later on.

This is the Short Sleeve OP. The bodice is a bit hard to define but the shape looks pretty cute. Compared to some Angelic Pretty "sack dresses" this dress does have some obvious shape to it and you can actually see a waist line. The sleeves are a good length and have a nice amount of puff. I think a thin ruffle along the edges could have livened them up a little bit though, as they are quite plain. The square neckline could have also been a cuter shape. The bodice has a line of ribbon, which gives the illusion of the dress having a yoke. Quite honestly, I wouldn't have bothered with it as I feel it looks messy. It probably doesn't help that the ribbon line looks quite wonky in the stock photos! The ribbon line is topped with a ribbon bow and inside the "yoke" there is a further 3 bow ribbons. That is quite a few bows for such a small area, but I think Meta have gotten the sizing right. They are spaced out well and have a simple, but cute, shape. The lowest bow on the ribbon line is detachable but I would personally leave it attached to help conceal that awful line of ribbon. The neckline has a detachable chiffon ruffle running along it. Whilst I feel the ruffle is needed to soften the harsh neckline, I am unsure about the use of chiffon on this dress. If you look at the print it is very bold, and I don't feel that softer, floaty materials such as chiffon pair up well with it. I think the material needs to be a bit less sheer. The back has a panel of shirring which is topped with a bright ribbon corset. For a high-waisted dress, the skirt shape is quite pretty. It has lots of volume and flares outwards well. The A-line shape suits the dress well. The skirt is kept simple and the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is finished off with a wide ruffle of chiffon. As I mentioned above, I don't feel chiffon is the best material to use here.

This is the Lace-up Pinafore JSK. The bodice is very well fitted and has a simple, but lovely shape. The straps have a good width to them and look very supportive. Both the straps and neckline are lined with cute thin lace, which helps to soften them. The waist area has a bow, which is a good size and shape. It also sits quite well on the dress and the listing suggests it is detachable if you don't like it. My main issue with the waist bow is the fact that the print makes it blend in to the background quite a lot. If you glance quickly you may not even notice it is there at all. The bodice has a ribbon corset design. The ribbon is attached with a button hole design, which isn't the most attractive looking of designs, but does look very strong and will hold the ribbon well. The ribbon is spaced out well and doesn't look too bunched up. However, I do feel the ribbon used is a bit too shiny and gaudy. The ribbon is very bright and really stands out. I think it would have been better if the ribbon was used elsewhere on the dress to help balance it out or a less bold ribbon should have been used. Both sides of the ribbon corset are lined with the same lace as the neckline, which fits in quite well. The back is fully shirred, although doesn't look too bad with the style of print. Also, if the ribbon on the front is anything to go by, I wouldn't want a ribbon corset on the back anyway. The stock photos show the skirt has a pretty bell shape to it. It is a very full skirt with the potential to get lots of volume. It flares out well. The skirt is kept simple in design, so the print is displayed quite well, although the amount of gathering used obscures it slightly in places. It needs a good petticoat to fully show if off I think. The bottom hem is then finished off with the same lace as the rest of the dress.

This is the High Waist Pinafore JSK. The bodice looks well fitted and the simple shape is quite cute. The straps have a decent width to them and look very supportive. If anything, they are verging on the bulky side. The straps are lined with lace, giving them a softer appearance, which I think looks cuter. The solid coloured waist bow on this dress is far too big. The shape is nice, but the size and the way the bow sits on the dress makes it stick out too much. Unfortunately, the site listing seems to suggest that you can't detach this bow. I think this is a real shame, because I believe the dress would look much better without that waist bow there at all. The majority of the bodice is kept simple, with just 2 lines of thin lace running up it. The detailed neckline more than makes up for this though. The neckline has 2 chiffon ruffles. The chiffon is gathered well and sits nicely on the dress. It is a good width and layered well. It helps to liven up what is otherwise a very simple, straight neckline. I actually don't think the chiffon looks too bad here. Maybe it isn't the use of chiffon I dislike about the OP after all, but the use of red chiffon on the cream colour way? I do feel this JSK uses the chiffon better than the OP does though. To one side, there is a detachable printed bow brooch. The bow is a good size with a simple, but cute shape. I adore the fake cherries hanging from the bow as well! It is nice to have a detachable clip that you can use any way that you want. The back is fully shirred, with nothing to help conceal the shirring. The main thing I dislike about the back though, is the way the chiffon from the neckline ends abruptly on either side of the shirring panel. I would have ended the chiffon at the arm pits instead so you couldn't see where it ended when worn. As it is, I think the chiffon ends a bit messily. The stock photos show the skirt has lots of volume and flares outwards loads. It has more than enough room to accommodate lots of petticoat. I think I would have liked the skirt to be slightly more rounded, but overall I think the wearer will be able to create a very cute shape. The majority of the skirt is kept simple in design. The print is displayed fairly well, although is slightly obscured by the amount of gathering. A good petticoat should help fix that though. The bottom hem is then finished off with 2 chiffon ruffles, which are layered well and gives the bottom a nice, floaty finish. I also like how the chiffon is topped with a line of ribbon to keep things looking neat, although it is a shame the ribbon is a bit too shiny. The ribbon line is topped with 2 small bows, which finish things off very cutely without being too much of a distraction.

And finally, here we have the the print close up. This series is available in white, black, pink and blue. The colour choices are very interesting, but I think the blue is probably my favourite as I like the contrast of blue with the cherries in the print. I am slightly put off the cream colour way, knowing it is teamed with that red chiffon. As for the print itself. I applaud Meta for doing a fruit print that actually looks quite different! And there is not a single strawberry in sight. The way the print is set out in boxes and the colours used reminds me vaguely of Emily Temple Cute. The fruit in the print is drawn well and looks fairly realistic. My favourite part is the way the lemon slices are shaped like hearts. I thought that was a very cute touch! The colours are so vibrant and eye catching. Meta have also managed to include their swan logo in some of the boxes too, without it being too dominant. I love the daisy chains and ribbons. They are such a cute way to frame some of the fruits.

I actually really like this series and I think Meta have done a good job. There are things I would change about every dress design, but I still think this is a strong effort. The print is vibrant and a bit different. It is a shame that Meta didn't bring out a skirt for this print though (or at least not at the time of writing this post) because I think a skirt would have looked great. Would I buy this series? Possibly. It wont be going on my wishlist, but I do admire the print a lot. If I did buy this series I would go for the High Waist Pinafore JSK in blue and then detach the waist bow. Waist bow aside, I think that dress is the cutest. Alternatively, I would choose the Lace-up JSK and just switch out the ribbon. 

Take a Theme- Nature

It's time for another Take a Theme post. Today's theme is nature. I specifically tried to make sure the post wasn't too mori-centric, but obviously mori girl fashion is a really good place to start. Here are some of my current favourite nature themed items.

Series of note- Theatre de L'erreur (Alice and the Pirates), Love Nadia (Bodyline), Lotta (Innocent World), Dear Friends (R Series)

Potential Sub-themes- Forest animals, insects, trees and branches, toadstools, berries, leaves, certain plants and florals

1. Chocomint Squirrel Necklace 2. Etsy Butterfly Crown 3. Old Gold Boutique Big Buck Necklace 4. Squirrel's Harvest Old Gold Boutique Necklace 5. Succulent Plants Brooch 6. Forest Symphony Tattoo Tights 7. Toadstool Brooch 8. Woodland Princess Floral Crown

Sadly, Old Gold Boutique seems to have disappeared offline, which is a shame because I really love their stuff! I would suggest trying to look online to see if anybody is selling their items second hand, but otherwise I hope it at least gives some sort of inspiration for what sort of items are out there. I really love the woody, more neutral take of the two hair crowns I have seen. Flower crowns are very popular in mainstream fashion at the moment but these ones have a much more natural feel. However, a crown like the one in number two could potentially be found on the high street. I think my personal favourite item is the toadstool brooch. I think it is cute and perfect for mori!

So in the future, I will try to cut down how much Old Gold Boutique I post, seeing as it may no longer be available. I do apologise for that. It is a shame, because I adore the Squirrel's Harvest necklace. Here is hoping it is just a bit of website trouble. But that is not to say lovely nature themed items are not available elsewhere. When you know where to look, you can find lots of pretty items. Here is hoping the next Take a Theme post has more available items!

Print double- Baby and Aatp

Today I am having a look at 2 prints to keep up with all the new releases. Scroll down further to see what I think of Alice and the Pirate's new Halloween print (Yes, really. Halloween in the Summer!)

Firstly, I'm taking a look at Sister Maria's Humming Birds by Baby the Stars Shine Bright. This series includes 5 dresses (3 printed, 2 non-printed), a skirt, a blouse, tights and 5 different hair accessories.

This is the Standard JSK. The bodice looks reasonably well fitted, although the overall bodice shape could have been prettier. It is a bit too boxy and square shaped for my liking and I feel the bodice needs to end higher up. The straps are a good width for the dress but I think they look a bit casual in comparison to the rest of the dress. I feel they could at least do with a little thin lace along the edges to liven them up a bit. The waist area has a stripy belt which helps to emphasise the waist area nicely. The ribbon used for the belt appears to be of a good quality and isn't shiny at all. The bow in the middle helps to finish off the belt cutely. The bow is a good size and shape, and sits well on the dress. The bodice has a ruched panel. I feel the panel needs to be wider and finish lower down on the bodice. As the panel is, it is going to cut awkwardly across the bust area of some wearers. Also, if it finished lower down it may help to fill in more of the plain area of bodice. There is a line of gold lace which sits just beneath the ruched panel which keeps things looking neat, but I'm not really sure it is needed. The neckline has a ruffle of net tulle, topped with gold lace. The tulle looks okay, but I don't think it is the prettiest option. The tulle is gathered well though, and gives the neckline a very soft, frothy appearance. There is a chain of pearls dangling from the neckline, with a cute music note charm in the middle. There is a random line of pearls dangling from one side though, which I think looks a bit out of place. The neckline is then finished off with a stripy bow. The bow size is fine, but I think a smaller bow here would have looked better teamed with the waist bow. The shape is good though, and it sits well on the dress. The back has a panel of shirring, which is concealed neatly with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show the skirt has lots of volume and has the potential to flare outwards loads. The overall shape is very rounded and I did wonder if maybe it was a little too sweet looking for a classic series, but I actually quite like it. The majority of the skirt is kept simple and the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a line of stripy ribbon and 2 gold tulle ruffles. The stripy ribbon is topped with bows and I feel the bows could do with being a bit smaller. The 2 lines of tulle are layered neatly, and give the bottom a lovely soft finish.

Here we have the Long Frill JSK. The bodice seems fairly well fitted. The overall bodice shape is quite simple, although it is a little hard to tell under all that lace! The straps are thin, but seem to be a good width for the style of dress. Whilst I like that the straps are lined with lace, I think the lace is too wide and is a bit overpowering teamed with the rest of the lace on the bodice. I also dislike how this lace is bright ivory, teamed with the gold tulle elsewhere on the dress. The ivory lace looks too harsh and it really sticks out in my opinion. The waist area has a stripy ribbon belt design which helps to nip the waist area in. It uses the same non-shiny ribbon that the other JSK has. The belt is topped with a bow, which is a good shape and size. The bow is also lined with narrow lace, which helps to liven it up and make it look less plain. The front of the bodice has a line of buttons which are positioned nicely and spaced out well. However, I'm not overly keen on the style of button used. The button design is pretty, but I don't think it is the best style for this particular dress. The neckline is finished with gold tulle and a line of gold lace which again, I don't feel is the prettiest it could have looked, but I suppose looks okay. There is also a very wide line of ivory lace. Whilst the lace design is pretty, I feel the lace used is far too wide. I think more layers of narrower lace would have looked better. The wide lace just looks floppy and it droops loads. I would even go as far as saying it looks messy. All of this tulle and lace is then finished off with a stripy bow on top. Whilst the bow is cute, I feel it needs to be smaller in size. I also think that there isn't enough of the stripy ribbon to justify using it on this dress and I would have preferred solid coloured ribbon instead. The back has a generous panel of shirring, which is concealed well by a ribbon corset. The stock photos show the skirt has plenty of volume to create a nice, classic lolita silhouette. I think the skirt shape is a bit nicer than similar dresses we have recently seen from Baby. It has got a bit more shape to it. The print is displayed very well. The bottom hem is finished off with 3 layers of gold tulle. I wish they hadn't attached them over-stitched though, as I think it looks a bit messier than under-stitched. However, the tulle is layered beautifully and it is a lovely, soft way to finish off the dress. 

And here we have the OP. The bodice looks fairly well fitted and the shape is interesting. The sleeves are a really good length. I love the folded over cuffs with gold braid detail. However, I feel the lace on the end of the cuffs is a bit overkill and really isn't needed. The sleeves would look a lot less fussy if that lace wasn't there. The neckline has a sailor style collar, which is very cutely shaped and is a good size too. The gold braid is a nice finishing touch. The collar is lined with lace, which gives it a softer, cuter finish. The collar is finished off with a stripy bow in the middle, with a smaller one at the waist area. Both bows are a simple, but nice shape. I also like that the 2 bows are different sizes and are also both detachable, so you can play around with the positioning to see what you like best. I personally like just the smaller bow attached to the middle of the collar. The rest of the bodice is kept plain, but I think the bodice already has plenty of detail to it. The back does not have any shirring and the waist ties are also very thin, so it may not offer a huge amount of size flexibility. At the back, the sailor collar is divided in to 2 parts. I know understand that it need to be like this because of the zip placement, but I feel the shape of the collat at the back could have been done better. The long skirt is typical of what we have seen from Baby a lot recently. It has a good length to it and has enough volume. The skirt flares out well and the A-line shape is pretty. The main thing here is to make sure to wear the right sort of petticoat. The print is displayed fairly well, although the longer length means there is more of the background and less of the actual print. The bottom hem is finished off with gold braid and then 2 lines of gold tulle. The gold tulle is layered well and looks very floaty. I do feel the line of gold braid needs to be a bit wider though, as it gives the skirt a slightly funny shape towards the very bottom. The tulle is topped with more of the stripy bows. I think the bows could do with being just slightly smaller and placed a little bit further apart. 

Finally, here is one part of the print close up...

...and another part. This series comes in ivory, pink, sax blue and brown. Aside from the sax blue, all the colours are quite muted and soft. I am glad there is a slightly bolder offering with the sax blue and the brown offers a bit of a darker option. My personal favourite is probably the pink though. As for the print itself, I think the musical background spoils the print. Although we can see that the background is meant to be stripy with musical bars, it doesn't look good when it crosses over the top of the pictures. It gives the illusion that the pictures have been printed poorly on some dodgy printer. It would have been better to have the background stop whenever it reaches any of the framed pictures. As for the pictures, I suppose this print must be amazing for Sound of Music fans. It is definitely a new area for lolita and an interesting choice. It sure makes a change seeing this instead of a thousand similar looking Alice in Wonderland prints. It's just a shame that the stripes over the pictures spoil them in my opinion. Here is hoping the pictures actually look a bit clearer in person.

Baby certainly seem to have found a style of dress they love and something tells me they will be sticking to this style of dress for a while. Overall though, I feel this particular series is a lot weaker than other recent offerings. The dress designs look okay and I would only make the odd tweak here and there. But the print is a bit of a disappointment in my opinion. I really hope it looks better in person than it does on the website. So this is not a series I would buy. If I had to though, I would choose the Standard JSK in pink. I feel this series could have been a lot better than this.

Today I am also looking at Guilty Meltin' Sweets Town by Alice and the Pirates. The series includes 2 dresses, a skirt, a vest, 2 blouses, pants, 3 hair accessories, a necklace, a hoody and some socks.

This is JSK I. The bodice looks well fitted and the shape is lovely. I'm not sure about the dual set of straps though. The halterneck tie straps look a bit too thick and the normal straps are very thin and look a bit flimsy. If AatP insist on having 2 sets of straps then I would have made the halter straps much less bulky looking. But to be honest, I would have just had one set of regular straps and just made them slightly thicker. The neckline has a line of wide lace, topped with 4 ribbon bows. The bows are all different shapes and sizes, but they all match up well with the rest of the dress. All 4 bows are cutely shaped and are positioned on the dress. I especially like the bows with gold detail. The ribbon used is a little shiny though. Four bows may seem a little excessive, but judging by the rest of the dress, it is meant to be OTT. I can't say I am a fan though. There is also 2 lines of chain dangling from the bows with a cute star charm on the end. I feel the top line of chain with the pearls is a bit too taut and needs to be a bit longer. Otherwise, I think the chain is a nice idea. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed by a ribbon corset.

I really don't understand the random side bustle on this dress. It is only on one side, which gives an interesting asymmetrical look, but I don't think it has been executed well. Firstly, I don't like how narrow the bustle is. Secondly, I feel the tiers don't fall nicely and don't sit well on top of each other. It sort of looks a bit bunched together and the design doesn't flow well. Also, I feel it would have been better to stick to one colour instead of alternating. It just sticks out and looks awkward. I am not saying a side bustle is a bad idea, but I don't think this particular one has been thought out that well.

Apart from the side bustle, the skirt is otherwise a very pretty shape. It has lots of volume and flares out well. It will accommodate plenty of petticoat. The print is also displayed really well. The bottom hem is then finished off with wide lace. I personally would have liked the lace to be a bit more narrow, but I suppose it does match up with the wide lace on the neckline.

This is JSK II. The bodice looks very well fitted and the shape is very interesting. I love the bat shaped straps! The straps are a good width and the shape has been executed so well. The folded over bat collar sits nice and flat and it finishes well to make a good neckline. It may seem a bit too costume-like for some, but I am impressed. The bodice has a tuxedo like design which works surprisingly well with the bat-like details. The dropped waist line does look a bit bumpy, but apart from that I love the tuxedo design. The simple buttons are spaced out fairly well. The back is fully shirred, which means there is nothing to conceal the shirring. It does offer a good amount of size flexibility though, and the shirring looked less obvious on the darker colour ways anyway. The skirt shape is not as pretty as I had hoped though. The waist line probably has affected the skirt shape. I feel a skirt shape a bit more like JSK I would have been nice here. However, it still seems to have a reasonable amount of volume and with the right petticoat it will probably look a lot better than the stock photos. The skirt design is kept simple, so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished neatly with thin lace.

And here we have part of the print close up. This series is available in ivory, red, navy and black. All four colours are very good choices for a Halloween themed print. However, there are a few colours in the print which some lesser experienced lolitas may struggle to co-ordinate. The navy blue is probably the safer option. I personally really like the ivory colour. As for the print itself, I think all the houses are drawn brilliantly with plenty of detail. I adore the warped chequered floor too. The cat shaped lollipops are cute and are an interesting object in this very bizarre print. I like how everything is bent and warped. The one thing I don't understand though, is the random chandeliers. I don't think they are bad, just a bit out of place.

So overall, I think this is an interesting Halloween themed series (although it seems AatP release their Halloween stuff earlier each year). However, I do wonder if for some people the dress designs will seem a bit too costume-like. Also, there seems to be a conflict between more darker, gothic elements and cutesy elements. I think this is a series that people are either going to love or hate. This series is not to my taste, but I am impressed with the design for JSK II. So if I had to buy this series, I would go for that dress in either navy blue or ivory. In my opinion, JSK I just looks messy in comparison. I expect this series will be popular with certain lolitas though and will probably sell out fast.

Craft Project Mission in Oxford!

Last weekend a few friends and I decided to have another casual meet in Oxford. We decided to walk up to Hobbycraft because all 3 of us were looking for crafting bits. I am trying to get my outfit for the September Tea Party Club event sorted as soon as possible and the outfit I want to wear involves a lot of crafting. Despite the hot weather, it also seemed a good excuse to wear lolita!

I decided on Sugary Carnival by Angelic Pretty. I obtained Sugary Carnival a few months ago and I was shocked by the lack of things I had to go with it. I thought my wardrobe was finally at that stage where I had plenty of basics and accessories, but this dress has proved me wrong! So this is something I am planning on working on once the TPC event is out of the way and I have a bit more money to raid the Japanese auctions.  As you can probably tell, this outfit was me just chucking on whatever matched the dress the best. I feel the outfit is a bit too casual looking for Sugary Carnival and I am intending to do a more fancy outfit with it as soon as possible. Sammi very kindly made me the head bow for this outfit, which I chose the material for. I spent ages finding the perfect pink and settled on a shade which matched the little mini bows at the bases of the straps. 

Before we embarked on our walk to the retail parks out of town, we decided to refuel with food first. We ended up in Zizzi's, which is unusual for us as we don't often go to Italian places with the Oxford group. The food was really nice, although the tables were ridiculously tiny and we could barely move! Shalisa and I shared a Sofia pizza as we both thought it looked nice. The chilli peppers were a bit hot, but otherwise I enjoyed it.

After going to Hobbycraft (which was partly successful, but I still need to ebay some bits) we looked around the other shops in the park. We ended up in Toys R Us where we found this hilarious looking Spyro costume! I don't think this picture really shows just how awful this costume looked in person! The mask was creepy.

After Toys R Us we went in to Pets at Home to look at the cute animals. I'm so glad I am not the only person who visits pet stores just to look at the cute animals and not actually to buy anything! I fully approve of the store's choice of fish tank accessories. If I had pet fish I would definitely decorate the tank with Spongebob toys.

After shopping, we went to G&D's for ice cream and once again, they didn't have my favourite Oxford Blue flavour! However, the Black Beauty flavour I got was very nice. And the portion sizes were once again very generous.

Shalisa wore her Meta poodle dress with a hair accessory from her shop Sugar Trampoline. She looked very lovely and retro!

Sammi did a lavender and yellow combination with Angelic pretty pieces. Can you believe she found the skirt for only £14? I am very impressed with Sammi's cheap auction finding skills.

To finish the day we went to the pub, where Sammi and I shared a pitcher of Pimms and lemonade. Pimms is seriously one of the best alcoholic drinks ever and it tastes even better when the sun is shining.

So it was a very busy and hot day, but definitely worth it! I love spending time with Shalisa and Sammi (and James too, of course!) and love it when we have our little catch-ups like this. And here is hoping our craft projects are successful too.

Crystal Dream Carnival by Angelic Pretty

Today I am taking a look at Crystal Dream Carnival by Angelic Pretty. This series includes 3 dresses (one is a dress, choker and bonnet dress set), a skirt, a head bow, socks, a blouse, wrist cuffs and gloves. Some of the accessories have yet to be released by AP at the time of writing.

This is the Tiered JSK. The bodice looks well fitted and the overall bodice shape is very interesting. The diamond pointed neckline is certainly a bit different. The straps are a bit on the thin side, but bulky straps would not work with this style of dress. The straps have these beautiful detachable tulle shoulder parts. The tulle is shaped well and it drapes really nicely. Even the little straps with the star buttons used to attach the tulle are cute looking and full of detail. Although the tulle parts are detachable, I feel the dress looks so pretty with the tulle shoulder parts attached. There is a waist bow, which is a bit big but seems to suit the dress. The bow is a really pretty shape. I wouldn't have bothered with the star lace running through the bow, as it blends in a lot anyway, but the gold lace used around the edge of the bow is a nice finishing touch. The hints of gold give it a real luxury feel to it and it has been used so neatly too. The waist bow is also very perky looking and sits boldly on the dress. The bodice features a bold, gold braid diamond pattern. The diamonds are spaced out well and the design just fits in so well with the rest of the dress. I like how the corners of the diamonds are topped with pearls too for that added extra bit of detail. There is also 2 lines of wide lace on either side of the bodice which blend in quite a lot, but help to give added detail to an otherwise plain part of the bodice. At the top of the bodice, the gold braid forms an outline around a neckline bow, topped with further pearls and dangling crystals. It all fits in so beautifully and has been done neatly. The only thing I would change is I would make the neckline bow a bit smaller. The back has a panel of shirring, which is concealed very neatly be a ribbon corset. The stock photos show the skirt has more than enough volume and flares out beautifully. There is more than enough room to create an OTT shape. The overall shape is so lovely. The skirt is split in to tiers, but the tier join has been done so neatly, that you barely notice its there. The tier join is topped with a line of lace, which blends in well and sits perfectly on the dress. The main feature of the skirt is that beautiful tulle overlay. The overlay is so soft looking and well shaped. The tiered design and gathering give the tulle overlay plenty of volume and I really love the way it sits on top of the dress. The lace along the edges is kept simple, which I think is the best option. The end result is so pretty. I especially like how you can't really see where the tulle overlay attaches, as it has been executed so neatly. I definitely prefer this dress with the tulle overlay attached, but it is detachable if you wanted to wear something a bit simpler. I really like how you can detach all the tulle parts on this dress and play around with how OTT you want to go. The bottom hem is then finished off with pretty carnival horse themed lace.

This is the Regular JSK. The bodice looks very well fitted again. The bodice shape is simple, but looks interesting enough. I like the heart shaped neckline. The straps are a good width for the style of dress. They are also lined very neatly with thin gold lace, which stops them looking too plain and just generally looks more luxurious. The waist is topped with a bow. I think the bow size is good, although I am a little unsure about the shape. The shape sort of makes the bow look like it has been stretched outwards. It does sit well on the dress though, and the gold lace lining keeps the dress details consistent. I really love the panel of fabric sitting on top of the skirt, which continues up on to the bodice. The part around the waist area is such an interesting shape and the gold braid lining it has been done so neatly. The gold braid hides beneath the waist bow and then continues up on to the bodice. The shapes created on the bodice are so pretty and really different. The design has been so well thought out. The solid coloured part in the middle of the bodice looks a bit plain in comparison to the rest of the dress but it does serve as a nice contrast to the rest of the bodice and really highlights the interesting lines and shapes. The centre of the bodice has 3 cute looking star buttons running up it, which are well spaced and help to fill in the empty solid part without overdoing things. There are also 2 thin lines of gold lace running up the bodice, which reach 2 star shaped buttons at the base of the straps. This detail doesn't really stand out too much, but again helps to make the area a bit more interesting and not so flat. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed neatly by a ribbon corset. The skirt has a beautiful full bell shape to it and it is great how the waist details sit so well on top of it. The skirt flares out beautifully and has plenty of room to hold lots of petticoat. Aside from the waist area, the skirt design is quite simple and the print is displayed brilliantly. The bottom hem is then finished off with the pony lace again.

This is the OP which is part of the dress, choker and bonnet set. I wont go in to much detail about the choker and bonnet, but let's just say I feel the bonnet is a very good match for the dress with plenty of detail. I'm not that fussed by the choker though. As for the dress, I feel the bodice is generally well fitted but it looked like some of the material was a little baggy around the sides in some of the stock photos. The overall bodice shape is okay, but I personally think it is a bit frumpy looking. The sleeves are an interesting length and I think they have a suitable amount of puff for the style. I really love the use of lace running down the sleeves and then how it is layered at the bottom of the sleeves. The lace is layered so well and it adds so much detail. I'm a little unsure about the tulle parts on the shoulder though, as I feel they make the shoulders look wider and draw attention to them. The bodice is divided up by the use of gold braid, giving the bodice a panelled look. It keeps the waist area looking crisp and neat. The shape of the waist line is interesting looking as well. The gold braiding is again used to create interesting shapes on the bodice. I am very impressed by how neat the braid lines look. The neckline has a solid coloured panel and the line of braid lining this panel is topped with pearls. The pearls are a really good finishing touch. The solid coloured part is topped with more of the cute star shaped buttons, which are spaced out tidily. I love the deep heart shaped neckline and the lace used along it gives it a softer appearance. Lower down on the bodice, there are 3 bows running down the centre. The bows are a good shape and the spacing is good, but I feel they could do with being a bit smaller. These 3 bows are not lined with gold lace, but I think that would have been too OTT in this case anyway. The bodice is finished off with a detachable chain that attaches by the shoulders. I think the chain is cute but could do with being just a tiny bit shorter in length because in some photos, the chain was a bit obscured by the neckline. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed well by a ribbon corset. Like the tiered JSK, this OP also has a tulle overlay. The overlay design is essentially the same, although I don't feel it works as well as it does on the JSK. I don't think it sits as nicely on top of the dress and looks a little bunched up. I also don't think with the OP you have the option of detaching the tulle overlay, which is a bit limiting. But the one thing the OP does have over the JSK is that you can see a bit more of the print underneath. From what we can see of the skirt underneath, the shape looks pretty and full. The skirt flares out well and has loads of volume. The skirt is tiered and like the JSK, the join is hidden neatly with a line of lace. The bottom hem is then finished off with a line of tulle, but I personally prefer the pony lace on the JSKs.

And here we have the print close up. This series is available in navy, pink, lavender and blue. Unsurprisingly, both the blues have proved far more popular than the pink and lavender. There is just something really magical about the navy colour. The lavender is okay, but I feel the pink is very obviously the weakest colour way for this series. As for the print itself, I think it is beautiful! Yes, it is another carnival horse themed print, but I feel it is different enough to keep people's interest. The ponies in the print are drawn so well. I especially like the way the pony manes have been coloured and how the tails have that curled shape. Even their saddles are full of detail. The use of gold is very bold and is not for the faint hearted. The diamond background is very eye-catching too.

So if you are a fan of OTT Angelic Pretty, this series is probably a winner. They may overuse the carnival theme, but AP know what their fans want and they have delivered a really strong series. I especially like seeing a carnival print with darker colour ways. Would I buy this series? Yes, I would and it has been on my wishlist since I first saw the Kera scans. Although I am not going to get my hopes up about actually obtaining it! My top pick is the Tiered JSK in navy. I actually gasped when I first saw that dress design and that doesn't happen very often. It is really not surprising to see this series is already causing a huge bloodbath and I expect to see this series sell above retail price for quite some time. The carnival hype shows no signs of dying yet.

Lady Sariel Over-skirt Review

I have been looking at new ways of adding extra layers to my outfits recently and I thought that a chiffon over-skirt may be a nice addition to my wardrobe. Lady Sariel offers quite a cheap chiffon over-skirt and they looked pretty in the pictures, so I thought I would give them a go.

Ordering

To order from Lady Sariel, you have to send her a message through her Facebook page. Search for Lady Sariel on Facebook and you should be able to find her page quite easily. I sent Lady Sariel a message and she responded very quickly, so her communication was good. I gave her the measurements she needed (waist and length) and soon after, she was making my 2 over-skirts. The whole process was very quick and my items were soon completed in less than a week.

Shipping

I sent my address around the 9th of June and my package arrived on the 14th of June. I think this is a reasonable amount of time for a package coming from mainland Europe.

My package was sent in a very sturdy plastic mailing bag, which was sealed very well. My items were very secure inside and I had no worries about the items inside being damaged during transit.

Inside the outer packaging my over-skirts were wrapped together in another plastic bag.

Two over-skirts worked out at roughly £42 and are cheap in comparison to similar products available. The materials used are average, but considering the price I think what is used is fairly reasonable. The sewing is fairly neat, just looking a little bit messy near the ends of the ribbon belt. I was a little surprised that the belt was made of ribbon, as it is not a very stretchy material. I deliberately added a few centimetres to my waist measurement when I ordered and it is important to do so, otherwise the over-skirts will not fit. The over-skirts have a simple clasp, which is easy to do up.

The chiffon used is not the nicest I have seen, but feels very soft. The skirt has a good shape to it although the edges are a bit rough. I really like the way the material is gathered and how it falls down though.

And here are a few worn photos of my black over-skirt. 

I am very impressed with the way the skirt looks from the side. In this photo I think a slight gust of wind had caught the skirt. I think it adds nice movement to the outfit.

Another side shot, this time when the wind wasn't blowing. The over-skirt sits very nicely on top of the skirt. It is so soft and delicate looking and I think it creates an interesting silhouette.

Overall, I think that the end product is worth the cheap price. With my 2 over-skirts working out at £21 each with shipping included, I think what I got was what I expected. The materials could have been better but you get what you pay for. I have to say, I am very impressed with the shape it creates though, and I love how soft the chiffon is. Lady Sariel was very pleasant to deal with too. So I would say that this is a positive experience and I would recommend Lady Sariel. 

And if you are curious to see what my full outfit from this post looks like, you can see it on my Lookbook here- http://lookbook.nu/look/6310805-Black-Tiered-Veil-Claires-Accessories-Rose-Clips