Pop up Labyrinth by Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Today I am taking a look at Pop up Labyrinth by Baby the Stars Shine Bright. This series includes 3 dresses, a skirt, 2 blouses, 3 hair accessories, a hair pin, socks, wrist cuffs and a necklace.

First up is JSK I. The bodice material looks a little bit loose and baggy in some of the photos. I am really unsure I like the bodice shape either. Whilst I appreciate that the neckline shape is because it is part of the bodice meant to mimic a bow shape, I don't feel this has been executed that well. The gathered material of the bodice that makes up the bow shape looks very flat and lifeless. I like the use of lace along the neckline and also at the bottom of the bow. The lace sits nicely here, and the lace looks to be of a good quality as well. However, the strap of fabric making up the centre of the bow looks too plain and basic. I also feel that whilst the wide lace underneath the bow is very pretty in design, it detracts attention away from the "bow" design and I feel it leaves the bodice looking overcrowded. Maybe thinner lines of lace here could have improved things. The straps are a decent width though, and look fairly supportive. They have been lined with lace on the outsides which stops them looking too plain and the way the lace has been gathered gives it a very cute shape. The back of the dress has a panel of shirring which has been topped neatly with a ribbon corset. At least the back of the dress looks quite neat. The stock photos show that the skirt has loads of volume and it flares outwards plenty. There is the potential to create a really full bell shape, suitable for the sweet feel of the dress. The skirt design has been kept quite basic too, so the print is displayed very well. The bottom hem then features a ruffle of shiny tulle, which gives off a really pretty, yet subtle sheen. I am a bit disappointed though, that this ruffle has been over-stitched rather than under-stitched, as it looks a bit messier attaching the ruffle this way. However, there is a line of beautiful rose themed lace topping the ruffle, which I think works really well.

Here we have JSK II. The bodice looks well fitted and the overall bodice shape is quite cute too. The straps look to be a very generous width and seem quite supportive. I like how the insides of the straps and the neckline are lined with lace, as it makes them look more interesting and the lace softens the lines of the dress. It is really cute how there is a heart neckline merging from inside the scoop neckline too, which is also lined neatly with lace. This bit of extra material helps the scoop neckline look a bit more modest and it also creates an interesting and different neckline shape. There is a large waist bow, which could have maybe been a bit smaller, but I don't think it looks too bad. The bow shape is kept simple but it is quite well formed and it sits quite well on the dress. This waist bow is detachable and if I am being honest, I do prefer the dress with the waist bow detached. The bodice features a 'V' of rose themed lace, which starts at either side of the neckline details and then meets at the waist. The rose lace is really pretty and I think the V shape is very striking. Inside the V, there are 3 ribbon bows. The ribbon has a lovely design to it, although it is just a little bit shiny. It is nothing too drastic though. These bows are a cute shape, although I feel they could do with being a little bit smaller because they obscure the rose lace underneath a little bit. The back of the dress again features a panel of shirring which has been very neatly topped with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show the skirt has more than enough volume to hold plenty of petticoat underneath. It flares out beautifully and I love the full bell shape of the skirt. The skirt is again kept simple in design and so, the print is displayed excellently. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a line of lace, which is of a good quality, but I feel is a little bit dull in design when compared to the lace used on the rest of the dress.

This is the OP. The bodice seems reasonably well fitted and the shape is generally quite nice. The short sleeves have a fair amount of puff to them but I feel they could do with being just a little bit shorter in length. The longer detachable part of the sleeves is beautiful. I love the choice of material, as it looks very soft. The shape of the sleeves and the ruffle along the edge creates a really romantic shape. It reminds me a lot of the chiffon princess sleeve blouses that you see Baby release a lot of. The join between the short sleeves and the detachable longer sleeves has been done quite neatly, and I would definitely keep the longer sleeves attached if I was wearing this. My only complaint about the longer sleeves is the choice of colour for the ribbon bow on certain colour ways. As you can see in the photo above, on the off-white version of this dress Baby have chosen to add navy coloured bows to the sleeves. I feel this dark navy colour really sticks out, especially teamed with the obviously lighter blue in the print. It only really seems to be an issue with this one colour way though. The bodice features multiple lines of lace running vertically up it, which helps to break up the empty space. This has been done quite neatly and there is some lovely lace choices here too. In the centre of the bodice there is a ribbon corset. The thin ribbon looks very well spaced out and never looks too bunched together. However, to keep the ribbon in place, it is threaded through some flimsy looking loops in the lace lining either side of the ribbon. These little loops can get damaged if the ribbon is tied too tightly. I also think the ribbon is too long, as I don't like the ribbon tails hanging down the dress this much. At the top of the ribbon corset, there is a large bow. I am not overly fond of the shape of the bow and I think it looks too big as well. Thankfully, this bow is detachable, and I think the dress looks a lot better without it. The neckline is finished off with lines of wide lace, which has an okay design and sits perfectly on the dress. I am not sure I like how the lace has been shaped inside the neckline though. The back of the dress offers no shirring, so size flexibility is a bit limited. The zip line is quite well concealed and because the non-border part of the print is not that cluttered with only some small details, you can't really see that the print gets a bit cut off along the zip line. The stock photos shows that the skirt has lots of volume and it flares outwards really well. There is the potential to put a lot of petticoat underneath this dress and create a really lovely shape. The skirt is once again kept free of clutter, so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off in the same way as JSK I, only this time there is 2 ruffles instead of one. These ruffles sit well on top of each other but again, I feel the ruffles could have been under-stitched instead. 

And finally, here is one part of the print close up...

... and another part. This series comes in off-white, pink, bordeaux and black. I am unsure I like the pops of blue on the off-white version, but otherwise I think all the colour options go quite well with the print. I would have loved to have seen this print in navy blue though. As for the print itself, you can tell straight away this is a Baby print. Baby are really playing to their strengths here. I really like the pop-up idea, as it gives the books in the print another dimension and makes it feel as though the books are coming alive. The castle is beautiful and the illustrations inside the books have been drawn well. I really love the roses in the print as well. Although there is nothing in this print that we haven't already seen before, it is still a really pretty print with plenty of detail to it.

So I feel this series is a case of Baby doing what they do best. Baby loves a fairy tale print and this print is definitely up to their usual standard. The print is rich with detail too. Although I am a little uncertain about JSK I, I do feel the dress designs are quite strong as well. I can see this series selling quite well. Would I buy this series? Probably not, but only because it is not my usual style. My top pick would be JSK II in bordeaux. 

How I Would Wear It Now- Bodyline Candy Print Edition

A month or 2 ago, you may remember I decided to take the Bodyline waffle print skirt that I used to own and made an outfit collage to show how I would wear it now, if I still owned it. I wanted to see how far my coordinating skills had come and I was surprised by how fun I found the experience. So today I have decided to take another piece that I used to own, which I felt I coordinated very poorly, to see what I would come up with. I decided on my old Bodyline candy print skirt, which I used to own in sax blue. I believe this skirt is no longer available on the Bodyline website, but I remember ordering this skirt as part of my very first Bodyline order. I only ever wore it once though, and that was to a party rather than a lolita meet, so I didn't really make a great deal of effort with my outfit that day anyway. I remember selling it not long afterwards because I was still trying to build my wardrobe and I didn't really have anything that went with this skirt.

This is the outfit I came up for the skirt. I should point out here that it has been such a long time since I have owned this skirt that I kind of forgot what the shades of pink were like on this skirt. So a lot of the choices in my collage are based on my fuzzy memory of briefly owning it and desperately trying to zoom in on the skirt image as close as I could! In the end, my choices were based on the dark pink which appears on the lollipops in the print. I think the darker colour of the pink offers a nice contrast to the softer sax blue colour. The pattern on the lollipops is sort of stripy, so I decided to make stripes the main focus of the outfit. I am hoping the stripy bits on the blouse are the right shade of pink. To continue on the stripe theme I added those see-through white stripy tights that I own (and I lost the link to them, so I had to make do with a cropped photo of my legs!). I added the ankle socks because the tights are quite sheer and I didn't want the legs looking too bare. The other problem I had making this outfit is that sax blue shoes are actually quite difficult to find, without resorting to Angelic Pretty tea parties! As a lot of lolitas will know, Bodyline's "sax blue" shoes are in fact more of a duck-egg blue or aqua colour. In the end, I gave in and added the tea parties to the collage. I sort of threw the AP blue and pink lollipop ring in at the last minute because I am sure there is more than one shade of pink on that skirt. In hindsight, I should have probably left it out. I would team the hair bows with a fluffy buns hair style.

I thought I would include a picture of these Angelic Pretty candy combs which I considered putting in the outfit. They would certainly fit on with the candy theme, but because my final outfit was quite stripy, I decided against putting them in the collage. They could work pretty nicely with the skirt though.

Another omission from my collage was this bag, as I felt that it would make the dark pink look a bit unbalanced. I am also not convinced it is the right shade of pink. I hate having to rely on stock photos! Perhaps some nail polish in the same deep pink as the rest of the outfit could look cute.

I have to admit that I struggled a bit with this skirt, so my final outfit isn't too dramatic. I would probably wear this to a smaller gathering than a big event. Making this collage did show me that perhaps it was a good thing I sold the skirt because sax blue can be a bit of a tricky colour. I still enjoyed taking another trip down memory lane and believe me, this collage looks better than the outfit I actually wore years ago!

Whip Collection by Angelic Pretty

Today I shall be taking a look at Whip Collection by Angelic Pretty. This series includes 2 dresses, a skirt, a hair accessory and socks.

First up is the OP. The bodice seems well fitted and the shape is quite cute. I think the sleeves look an okay length, although I am a bit unsure about how baggy the sleeves look. The sleeves definitely need a bit of puffiness to them to give them a cute shape, but I think the sleeves are too puffy. It just needs to be a little bit more toned down. The cuffs are gathered neatly and I love that the lace and bows finish off the cuffs in a cute way, but have been kept to a reasonable size. I really dislike the waist bow. The shape looks a bit bizarre, it sticks out strangely and the ribbon used for the bow is very shiny. I really don't feel the waist bow is needed at all and the dress would look more balanced if it wasn't there. The bodice is broken up by 2 vertical lines of lace. The lace used has a pretty design and it helps to break up the plain areas of the bodice without being too distracting. I think the collar has a cute shape and the lace lining the edge of the collar gives it a cuter appearance. The collar is maybe a bit wide though and could do with finishing a little bit further away from the shoulders. The collar is topped with a cute ribbon bow, which is a good size and a lovely shape. However, once again the ribbon is a bit too shiny. The stitching on the ends of the ribbon sticks out a bit too. The back of the dress offers no shirring, so size flexibility is a bit limited. I think the zip has been relatively well concealed. The print lines up against the zip line fairly reasonably. The stock photos show that the high-waist skirt seems to have quite a good length to it. The skirt has plenty of volume and flares outwards well. The skirt shape looks quite cute in the stock photos. The skirt design is kept simple and so, the print is displayed brilliantly. The bottom hem is then finished off with a line of bow themed lace. I really like the choice of lace but don't feel it has been attached in the best possible way.

Here we have the JSK. The bodice looks well fitted but I feel the shape is very basic. I really hate the neckline shape. The straps are very thin and look quite flimsy, although wider straps would not have suited this style of bodice. They are lined really well on the outside with some pretty lace though. This lace has been well gathered and creates a lovely shape. There is a waist bow which isn't too big, but I do feel the size looks a bit odd. There is something about the waist bow which really stands out, and not in a good way. The ribbon used is once again very shiny. I don't feel a waist bow was the right choice for this dress. Perhaps a ribbon belt would have looked a bit better than a bow. This bodice also features lines of lace, which helps break up the empty space on the bodice. The neckline features a subtle line of thin lace, a shiny line of ribbon and then a ruffle of the printed fabric. I don't feel the ruffle really works here and it also seems to stick out at an odd angle. The sheen from the ribbon is also quite obvious. I do like the lace though. The ribbon line is topped with a small bow, which helps to finish off the neckline and is the prefect size. The back of the dress is fully shirred so there is plenty of size flexibility but unfortunately, the shirring is not concealed and is not that appealing to look at. The back is quite short though, and when the waist ties are worn it helps to conceal the shirring a little bit. The stock photos show the skirt has plenty of volume and it flares outwards well. There is plenty of petticoat room. I personally would have preferred the waist to be a bit lower down and then had a rounder skirt shape though. The skirt is kept simple again, so the print is displayed very effectively. The bottom hem is then finished off with the bow lace, but again I am not so keen on how the lace has been attached.

And finally, a close up of 2 bits of the print (sorry for the picture not being that great a quality). This series comes in pink, sax blue, grey and black. After Cat's Tea Party, I am starting to warm to the idea of a grey/pink combination and I do feel the grey version of this print works very nicely. The black also looks very interesting with the 'pops' of red in the print. However, I feel the pink version is a bit overloaded with pink, with the pink cakes and pink background. As for the print itself, the cakes are drawn to AP's usual standard and they are very neatly framed. I really like the details on the cakes, especially the cupcakes with their little decorations. It is really clever how the frames of the cakes are made up of whipped cream. I felt that was quite effective. The bows at the top of the frames offer a refreshing 'pop' of colour. The cookies in the background are cute too. But then they had to go and spoil it by adding that houndstooth background. I have never liked houndstooth in regular fashion, let alone in lolita fashion. With this print, the houndsooth looks far too busy and it makes the rest of the print look far more cluttered than it actually is. Unfortunately, this is a real deal-breaker for me.

So I feel this had the potential to be quite a standard Angelic Pretty cake themed series. The print would look very cute if it hadn't been for that background. I also feel the dress designs are okay, but could have been a lot better. So this is not a series I will be going for. If I absolutely had to, I would pick the OP in grey. I think the design of the OP is a lot stronger than the JSK. Overall, I am not that impressed and I am much more excited about some of the upcoming releases.

Good Habits For Lolitas To Get In To

No matter how long you have been in to lolita, there is always room for improvement. Even if you don't have any meets coming up or if you are taking a break from wearing the fashion, there are still ways you can make progress at home. I have been thinking a lot lately about how one can improve as a lolita and I have come up with a list of habits that I think most lolitas can benefit from. Like with New Year's resolutions, it is probably better to tackle one good habit at a time. My list is not a definitive list of must-dos but more suggestions of different ways you can enrich your lolita experience.

Have a dress-up day- I am not talking about preparing an outfit for a meet. I mean just dedicating an amount of time to having some experimental fun. Try going through your wardrobe and try things on together, especially items you would not usually think to put together. See how things look together. I myself do this from time to time and I usually take photos, even if a combination works out badly, just so I have a visual record of how my experiments turned out. I find that if I don't have any meets coming up, it is good to have these dress up days to keep myself in the mind-set of coming up with outfits so that when an event does come up it feels easier to get the ideas flowing. And if the creative juices are not flowing, I can always browse through my folder and remind myself of any good ideas I may have come up with. I try to have these dress-up days once a month, although sometimes I can't do it this frequently. If I can't find the time, I will at least write down any ideas I have come up with in a notepad so I have the ideas ready for my next dress-up day.

Learn some basic sewing skills- I don't know what the education system is like in other countries, but when I was in school I left without any basic sewing or cooking skills or basic life skills (which is pretty appalling, because these are the sort of lessons I probably needed!). I had never been taught how to sew on a button or repair tears and I had to teach myself how to do it. Anyway, my point is these skills are very useful to have if you wear lolita fashion. Being confident at basic sewing skills is great for those incidents when a button flies off your dress or you need to do some basic repairs. I once got a dress which arrived in a condition much worse than I was expecting and I had to repair this fraying loop that was holding some ribbon in place. I managed to fix it but I had to look up how to do it first, because I had never done this sort of sewing before. I will at least know what to do if this ever happens to me again, but the experience did teach me that as well as learning how to look after your clothes, you ideally need to know how to repair them.


Do a Monthly Budget- Sadly, we can't all be super-rich lolitas who can just buy whatever we please! Thankfully, my own financial situation is a lot better than it was a few years ago and I can afford to buy more lolita now. But that doesn't mean that I can be careless and so, every month I make a list of what I have earned and everything I need to pay out for over the next few months. I find it is definitely better to plan a few months ahead. It gives me a better idea of how much I can justify spending on lolita. Writing everything down also gives me a better perspective of how many times I can afford to go out, attend meets and do interesting stuff whilst wearing lolita! There is definitely a balancing act between buying new pieces and attending more meets. If you buy too many pieces you may find you can't go to meets and have the opportunity to wear your new purchases. Another thing I do is put a little sum of money aside each month for Christmas and also have an emergency fund, so that I know nothing nasty can sneak up on me.


Learn a new hair style- Something I have learnt recently is that I rely too much on wigs! And when I use my real hair I always do the same style. There is nothing wrong with using the same hair style if it works for you, but sometimes it can feel a bit repetitive. I am one of those people whose hair is very difficult to style, but I do try to do a new style every now and then. In fact, I am attempting to do a new hair style for Regalia in September. I don't know when I will get around to publishing this post, but if you see me wearing a wig at Regalia, it means I chickened out! The great news is that there are now more gadgets and hair pieces available that make hair styles a lot easier. Checking out your local Claire's Accessories or beauty store could prove useful.


Plan a Meet- Are you one of those lolitas who keeps meaning to host a meet for your community but never get around to it? Well, now is the time to plan that meet! As somebody who has hosted a fair few meets, I feel they get a lot easier to plan once you have hosted a couple and know what you are doing. Once you have gotten used to hosting and know your local community better, you will wonder why you were so apprehensive to host a meet. It does obviously help if you have a lovely local community and thankfully, my friends are very supportive!

Learn a new craft- There is something quite satisfying about knowing you have made something yourself. Well, that is at least how I feel. There are so many different crafts that can be used to make lolita accessories- crochet, knitting, decoden, embroidery... These are just some I have come up with off the top of my head. Learning a new craft can also be a calming experience if you are feeling stressed or just need some quiet time.


Make a scrapbook- This is something I have been meaning to do for a while. I want to print off all my outfit photos and do a diary of my experiences. This idea was inspired by some old print-outs I printed when I first got in to lolita of dresses I wanted. It was really interesting to see what I liked back then and how my tastes have changed. This made me realise that it could actually be quite fun to record all of my lolita memories and maybe in a few years time I will discover that my tastes have completely changed again. It is also quite a warm feeling to look back at old meets which I remember enjoying. I even feel a lot better looking back at my early outfits and seeing how my style has evolved, even if it is a little embarrassing!


Improve your beauty regime- I have never been one to obsess about the latest products but as I have gotten older I have noticed changes in my appearance. I realise now just how important it is to look after my skin and have a regime in place. It does make an impact. There are other small things I feel I could improve as well. Like for example, I do a lot of gardening, and my hands could really do with a bit of extra love. So I am making a note to use more hand cream and look after my cuticles a bit better. If you take care of yourself you will find that it makes a difference to how you feel when you wear lolita. I always feel a bit more confident when I have upped my beauty regime before a big event.

So hopefully this list has given you a few ideas to start with. I know I could benefit from taking some of my own advice! Even if my list did not inspire you, perhaps you can think of some of your own ideas. If you sit down and think about it, you can probably come up with your own list.

Brand Print Double

Today is going to be a double print post. Scroll down further to see Vampire Nocturne by Alice and the Pirates.

But first up today is Stardust Fantasia by Baby the Stars Shine Bright. This series includes 2 dresses, a skirt, a blouse, 4 hair accessories, socks, a few pieces of jewellery and a cape made for Usakumya.

First up is JSK I. The bodice seems well fitted and the shape is fairly cute. I am not overly keen on the scalloped neckline, but the bow covers some of the neckline anyway. The straps look quite a supportive width. I am not overly keen on the tulle overlaying the straps which also makes up the ruffle on the outsides of the straps. The colour of the tulle looks very dull compared to the stark and bright colour of the star shaped lace also going along the straps. I think the tulle is meant to be gold coloured, but it looks very pale compared to the gold lace and charms used on the dress. The ruffles have been cutely shaped though. The waist area features a star shaped brooch. The brooch has a cute design, but the star shape of the brooch is not that clearly defined. I think the lace used around the edge of the brooch stops the star shape looking immediately obvious. The middle of the brooch is filled in nicely and I like the pearl and star charm chain. I have to admit though, that I prefer the dress with the brooch detached. The bodice is broken up in the panels. I really like how the different kinds of lace have been used to line the edges of these panels. It has been done so neatly and the choices of lace are so cute. I like that different types of lace are used too, and I especially like the inclusion of the gold lace. The neckline features a bow, which is a very sweet shape. The bow is nicely formed and the size is a good. The use of gold lace on the bow and a gold star charm compliments the use of gold lace on the bodice too. This bow is detachable but I think the dress looked better with it attached. The back features a panel of shirring which is topped very neatly with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show the skirt has a decent amount of volume and it flares outwards plenty. There is the potential to create a really cute shape. The skirt is kept simple, so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem features a scalloped edge which is lined with star lace and finished off with a ruffle of tulle. The scallops are well shaped and the star lace helps to soften them. The tulle further helps to even out the bottom hemline. The tulle matches the tulle used on the straps, but I still feel the colour of the tulle is a bit dull.

Here we have JSK II. The bodice seems well fitted. Although the bodice shape is quite simple, the design looks quite cute. The straps look a very supportive width. The straps are lined neatly with lace on the insides and outsides. I think the lace makes the straps look a tiny bit bulky. However, it does match up with the very lacy neckline. The waist line is topped with a ribbon "belt" which helps to clearly define the waist area and keeps things looking tidy. The ribbon used has a pretty design to it, although it is a bit shiny. The belt design is finished with a bow in the centre, which is a good size and looks quite well in proportion with the neckline details. The bow is cutely shaped too and sits nicely on the dress. The bodice is broken up in to panels. Perhaps these lines between the panels could have been topped with a very thin line of lace, but maybe that would have been just a bit too much lace for the already very lacy bodice. The lace at the neckline is very bold. I like the different layers of lace and they sit well on top of each other. I like the subtle line of ribbon threaded through the top layer of lace too. There is a pearl chain dangling from the neckline and I admire how well concealed the ends of the chain are. The ends are hidden away underneath the lace. The chain is a reasonably good length but I think it could have been shorter. I think the chains dangling from the chain are quite cute. To one side, there is an additional star shaped brooch. Despite being lined with lace again, I feel this time the star shape of the brooch is quite easy to make out. The brooch design is simpler compared to the one on the other JSK, but it works better. Both the brooch and chain are detachable but I quite like the dress with both attached. The back of the dress is fully shirred, so great for a wider size range but not so attractive to look at. The stock photos show the skirt has lots of volume and it flares outwards pretty well. I love the subtle yet sweet bell shape and think it really suits the overall feel of the series. The skirt design is kept simple, so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off simply, but neatly, with a line of good quality lace.

And here is one part of the print close up...

... and another part. This series comes in pink, sax blue, wine and navy blue. I am not overly fond of the wine version because it feels like there is a lot of pink and some of the shades of pink don't work as well with the wine background. The other 3 colours though are very dreamy looking and I feel they suit the style of print very well. I do worry the print looks a bit washed out on the pink version though. As for the print itself, it is very cute! It perhaps looks a little bit too cluttered, but I personally like all the stars floating about the print. If I were to get rid of anything, it would probably be the fireworks, just to free up a bit of space. The cats in the print are adorable. I especially love the cats dressed as witches and wearing capes. They look so cute! All the different bits of the print are rich with detail and the details have also been well thought out. 

So overall this is a very sweet take on Halloween, but sometimes cute can be a good thing. This is a print packed with plenty of details and there are quite a few different ways you could go about coordinating this series. The dress designs are pretty decent as well. Would I buy this series? Probably not, because it's not really my thing. But I do feel this is a series worth going for. I would definitely be picking JSK II in navy if I were  to buy this series.

Next up today is Vampire Nocturne by Alice and the Pirates. This series includes 3 dresses, a skirt, 3 hair accessories, gloves, socks and a necklace.

First up is JSK I. The bodice looks well fitted, but the overall shape of the bodice is very simple. I think the straps are far too thin and look really flimsy. They lack detail and the narrowness of the straps looks odd teamed with the bodice. They definitely need to be wider and lined with a bit of lace to liven them up. The bodice is broken up in to panels, which sees the panels lined neatly with lace. The lace sits very well on the dress and I think the design of lace used is quite pretty, but not too distracting. The centre panel of the bodice features 4 buttons in a square with chains dangling between them. I feel the buttons could have been positioned a bit better, perhaps with the top 2 buttons being a bit lower down so they don't get so obscured by the heavily detailed neckline. Perhaps this button design is not the best of choices to pair with the heavy looking neckline. The neckline features a couple of ruffles with alternate between lace and satin. These ruffles are very wide and heavily gathered, which creates a lot of volume. I feel this gives the dress a bit of a top-heavy appearance. I also don't feel the layers sit well on top of each other and the line of wide lace at the bottom just hangs limply. There is just too much detail going on here and something needs to go. All of these ruffles are then further topped with a shiny ribbon bow. Although the bow is a bit big, the size doesn't look too bad. The charm in the centre of the bow is pretty too. This bow is detachable, but I am not sure if I would detach it. The back of the bodice is fully shirred, so there is plenty of size flexibility but the shirring is not covered with anything. Due to the dark colours used for this series though, the shirring thankfully doesn't stick out as much. The stock photos show the skirt doesn't seem to have a massive amount of volume and flare, but there is more than enough there to create a standard gothic shape. The skirt shape looks pretty decent in the model pictures. The skirt design is kept simple and as a result, the print is displayed brilliantly. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a line of lace, which has a really pretty design to it. I hope AatP uses this lace again sometime!

Here we have JSK II. The bodice looks well fitted, but the overall bodice shape is a bit it. I like the neckline shape, but the straps spoil it for me. The straps are far too wide and they look so bulky. It is almost verging on being an OP. The lace along the neckline and outside of the straps is pretty though. It is perfectly gathered and sits nicely. The waist area is topped with a line of wide lace, which has been well shaped and sits nicely on top of the top of the skirt. The lace has a lovely rose themed design too, which is a good match for the print. However, I feel the lace here does blend in to the background quite a bit, which is a shame. The front of the bodice features a ribbon corset. This detail is kept quite narrow, so it's good that the ribbon used is very thin, otherwise it would look quite bunched together. The gold eyelets hold the ribbon securely and it doesn't look fragile at all. There are 2 lines of rose themed lace running up the bodice, which help break up the bodice. I am not convinced that all these details are spaced out in the best way, but I think that is because of the wide straps. The back has a panel of shirring, which is topped neatly with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show that the skirt again has enough flare and volume for a gothic shape. There seems to be a decent amount of room for petticoat and the length of the skirt looks good too. The skirt is kept simple and so, the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off with some rose themed lace. The rose theme of the lace matches the print, although I think I prefer the lace used on the bottom of the other JSK. 

This is the OP. The bodice seems well fitted and the shape looks quite interesting. The sleeves are an interesting length. I think the wide length on the ends of the sleeves works quite well to add a romantic gothic look. The bodice is divided up in to a solid corset style bodice and then sheer shoulders. The 'corset' part is broken up with lines of lace and I love the choices of lace used. The lace looks really pretty, although I wonder if the lines of lace should have been positioned a bit further apart. I like the sheer material used for the shoulders and I think it gives the dress a very slight ero feel without looking too tacky. Obviously, the wearer will have to choose their underwear carefully though! The collar features generous layers of wide lace. It gives a very dramatic appearance, but perhaps it is a little bit too bulky. It almost reminds me of those neck ruffs from olden times! The back offers no shirring, so the size flexibility is a bit limited. I feel the zip line also stands out and looks quite obvious, which is a shame. The stock photos show the skirt has a fair bit of volume and it flares out reasonably well. There is the potential to create a decent shape for gothic lolita. The skirt is again kept simple, so the print is displayed very well. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with good quality lace.

And finally, here we have a part of the print close up. This series comes in brown, green, red and black. I am really disappointed after seeing the colours on the Baby website. The brown colour looks very dreary and sludge coloured. I feel the red version needs a more vibrant, deeper red to it too. The green and black versions do look pretty decent though. As for the print itself, I think it shows a perfect gothic scene. The beds and the coffins are well drawn and I love all the details, like the roses topping them. I like the derelict looking building as well. My favourite bit though, is the spooky looking trees and the bats dancing in front of the moon. The bat themed non border part of the print is pretty too. It is just a shame the colours let the print down. I think there needs to be more hints of red in the border print as well.

So overall, I feel the print is let down by some poor colour choices and some average looking dress designs. There doesn't seem to be as much hype about this AatP series and there usually is for their annual Halloween series, and I can completely understand why. I do wonder though, if this is going to be one of those series which will gain some more popularity once we have seen it being worn a bit more. The green and black colours definitely have some potential. This is definitely not a series I would go for myself, but I think I would pick the OP in green if I were to pick anything. Although I think I prefer the skirt over any of the dress designs.

Picnic In Oxford!

Last Saturday the Oxford community had another picnic meet! It went so well last year that I decided to try and recapture some of that magic. It came very close to being rained off, but thankfully the grass dried in time! I was getting so worried that I would have to fit a group of 11 inside an Oxford restaurant without a booking- a near impossible task on a Saturday.

I wore Sugary Carnival because... I don't know why! Do you ever feel an urge to wear a specific lolita piece? Well, that is what happened to me. I didn't really plan this outfit out that thoroughly but when you are wearing a lot of pieces that you already know go together, then it isn't that difficult to make an outfit anyway. Last time I wore SC I teamed it with lots of pink, so this time I went with white for a change. You can't really see it in the picture, but the ankle socks are the same shade of lavender as the dress, which for me is quite an achievement! I hate trying to match lavenders.

We went to the University Parks and actually ended up in the same spot we picked last year. Shalisa had to tell James to stop feeding the ducks because it turned in to a bit of an invasion. It felt a bit like we were in an Alfred Hitchcock film! 

Most of us put off buying food until the actual day in case it got rained off, but Madeleine made the most adorable biscuits and cakes. I really loved the Hello Kitty biscuits. They tasted amazing. Maybe I should get the recipe off of Madeleine.

I completely forgot to get some group shots, so I am including this partial group photo that I took when I was waiting for people to get their shoes back on! There were lots of cute outfits and berry and food prints seemed to be the theme of the day. We had plenty of time to laze about and just talk. I found out that a large chunk of the group is in to strange documentaries, so we bonded over that!

Then it was time for the pinata. After the issues we had last year with the pinata not drying out, this year I got a shop brought one. Unfortunately, the shop sold the last donkey pinata literally an hour before we got there, so we ended up with the most derpy looking dog pinata called Sparky (it was either that or Olaf from Frozen). We managed to confuse a real dog with the pinata, who didn't seem to understand that the pinata wasn't a real dog!

Sammi managed to decapitate poor Sparky quite early on but didn't break the body, so we had to hang the headless pinata back up! We didn't take the head down straight away, and this random woman came by and started staring at the dog head, as if it was an art installation or some sort of protest, which was incredibly bizarre!

Eventually, the pinata was fully destroyed. Lauren seemed very pleased with her sweet and keychain haul! I think most people got at least something out the pinata. Those keychains I got in my Taobao order from the other week proved a big hit. Although the macaron keychains smelt very strongly of plastic.

Here is a random shot of the lake we were sat by. It was quite a nice view and we had plenty of trees around us. We also got to overhear a play going on nearby, which had a strange theme going on.

Afterwards a few of us went to the Mitre for drinks. I saw they had a new lemonade on offer, but was very disappointed that it didn't look like how it did in the picture! Where is the additional slices of lemon, stripy straw and cute jam jar glass!? It was lovely, but I noticed the others changed their orders when they saw they weren't going to get the jam jar glasses!

I came home feeling very tired, but I feel it was worth it. The picnic meets are usually some of the most relaxed meets and it was lovely to do something simple before Regalia in September. I hope to see the Oxford group again soon.

Brick House by Metamorphose

Today I shall be taking a look at Brick House by Metamorphose. This series includes 3 dresses, a cape, 5 hair accessories, a bag and socks.

First up is the A-line Dress. Here we have yet another sack shaped dress and there is no real defined bodice to this dress. I feel the dress at least needs a defined waist line to give a bit of shape and stop the wearer looking like a massive walking triangle. The sleeves look very cute though. They look a nice length and have a suitable amount of puffiness to them. I like the way the cuffs have been gathered too, and finished simply with some lace and solid coloured bows. Another thing I am a little unsure of is the collar teamed with the neckline. The solid coloured collar is such a cute shape, although a little bit big. But the neckline looks a bit strange the way it has been done. It would perhaps look a bit better if the collar actually went along the edge of the neckline instead of going all the way down to the chest area and then having that random bit of material on the inside of the collar. What I do like is the material used for the collar and the use of lace around the edge and the gold trim. It has been set out so neatly. Perhaps velvet could have been an option instead of the koshibo chirimen fabric, but I feel the materials used still look quite pretty. The collar is then topped with a bow, which is a lovely shape and it is the perfect size. I think the charm on the bow is cute too! The back offers no shirring, so the size flexibility is a bit limited. The zip is well concealed though. The stock photos show the skirt has plenty of volume. I suppose with the right petticoat you could probably create a decent shape, but I am still not convinced by these sack style dresses. The skirt features plenty of detail, but the print is still displayed very well. The double tiered ruffle at the bottom has been well executed and the tiers sit well on top of each other. Above the tiers, there is a line of ribbon topped with some very cute bows. The bows are a suitable size and don't look too distracting. The bottom of the tiers are lined neatly with some good quality lace. I like the choice of lace width.

Here we have the Tiered Pinafore JSK. The bodice material looks a tiny bit baggy in places and I think the bodice shape is a bit simple. The heart shaped neckline is quite cute though, and I love the lace lining the neckline. The lace softens the neckline shape and gives it a fancier finish. The straps look quite a supportive width. They look a bit basic though. Some thin lace would have helped to liven them up a bit. The bows at the bases of the straps with the charms dangling from them are cute though. These bows are a suitable size and are well shaped. Sadly, I am not so fond of the waist bow and the 3 bodice bows. I think in this instance the koshibo chirimen fabric was not the right choice, as it is very floppy. As a result, the bows look quite droopy. The large waist bow is especially saggy looking. The pearl chain dangling from the waist bow only adds to the drooping problem. If Meta had just used a stiffer fabric choice here, the dress would have looked a lot better. I also feel that all of these bows are a bit too big in size. Every single bow on the bodice, including the strap bows, are detachable but I feel this makes the dress too plain. I feel it is about striking up the perfect balance for your personal tastes I would keep the strap bows attached and possibly one of the floppy bows, provided it was positioned right. The bodice also feature 2 lines of lace, which I think is a good way of breaking up the bodice and gives it a nice paneled appearance. I do wish the lines of lace had been spaced a little bit further apart though. The back of the dress is fully shirred so there is plenty of size flexibility, but the shirring does not look that attractive. The stock photos show the skirt has plenty of volume and flares outwards well. The petticoat Meta have used makes the skirt look quite triangular but with the right petti there is the potential to create a lovely, full shape. The skirt is divided in to tiers, which are well spaced out and sit on top of each other neatly. Despite this being an all-over style print, I don't feel the print is displayed as well as it could have been. The bottom of the tiers are lined very neatly with lace, with the very bottom tier having an extra ruffle of the koshibo fabric. 

This is the Switched JSK. The bodice seems well fitted. The shape is fairly simple, but quite nice looking. I think the bodice gives off a more mature look. I especially like that the bodice is solid coloured. It helps to break up the print so it isn't as domineering. The straps are a decent width and look quite supportive. The straps and arm holes are lined with gold braid and a thin line of lace, which looks really smart and has been nicely done. I only wish the bordeaux and navy colours had coloured lace here, as I feel the white lace looks quite stark. There is a waist bow, which I feel is a bit big and I am not too keen on the appearance of this bow either. The shape could have been better and I don't like the lace and gold trim on this bow. Thankfully, this waist bow is detachable and I would definitely detach it. The bodice features 2 lines of buttons connected by detachable chains, although I would leave the chains attached. The buttons are well spaced out and the chains are a suitable length. There is another bow, in the photo shown attached to the base of one of the straps. I don't really feel this bow is needed, although it is quite a nice shape and size. It is detachable, so perhaps it just needs to be placed in a different location. The back of the dress is fully shirred, so there is plenty of stretch but the shirring is not too appealing to look at. I am also not keen on the way the straps cross over at the back and would have preferred a regular set of straps. The stock photos show the skirt has plenty of volume and it flares outwards beautifully. The skirt shape is pretty. The skirt design is kept simple, so the print is displayed perfectly. The bottom hem is then finished off with a line of gold braid and a simple solid coloured ruffle. I think this is just the perfect amount of detail and it suits the style of the rest of the dress.

And here we have a very zoomed in print close up, but it gives you a very good idea of what the print looks like. This series comes in brown, bordeaux and navy blue. I think all 3 colours work very well with the print. The colour choices are quite mature and I had a hard time picking a favourite colour. As for the print itself, it is quite a simple print but it is well laid out and has quite an interesting design. I like how some of the windows have animals peeking out or other interesting things going on. The brick background may be quite basic but it works so well. I think this is my favourite Meta print in a while.

So overall, I would say this is a really lovely print and I hope this series does well for Metamorphose. I wouldn't say the dress designs are perfect, but the issues I have with some of the dresses are quite small and some of the bits I don't like are detachable anyway. Would I buy this series? Possibly, but this isn't my usual style. I definitely think it is worth going for though. I would pick the Switching JSK in bordeaux as my top choice. It is great to see such a variety of hair accessories as well.