A really HUGE valentine thank you!

I almost fell off my seat when I saw the Lolita Valentines go up today. I got 6! 2 are group and 4 are individual. This is my biggest Valentine haul to date! Seriously, I cannot thank you guys enough. As this is my biggest amount, I would like to think that this means people really liked my Meta Fairy Tale outfit (which features in all 6 Valentines). That makes me so glad, because I think it is one of my personal favourite lolita outfits out of everything I have worn.

http://loli-valentines.livejournal.com/106181.html?view=3066565

I am in numbers 10, 13, 15, 22, 23 and 25.

So thank you Valentine makers!

P.S- Whoever said I was the "Princess of Meta's Fairy Tale", I just want to let you know that comment really made me smile! I see what you did there!

Shoe Love- Secret Shop Crown Shoes Replica

Technically this is Friday's post because tomorrow I am off to London. I am going to Camden, an exhibit, shopping and to Laduree for macarons! I have wanted to go to Laduree for so long. I can taste the macarons already! I will fill you all in about my experience soon.

I have a new item to add to my want list. After being invited to a group order, I discovered these shoes on Clobba. At the time I didn't have enough money to pre-order a pair because I had brought a birthday present (I hope my friend liked that present!).

These shoes are a Secret Shop replica of the AP crown shoes. I have been in love with the AP shoes since they appeared on the cover of one of the Gothic Lolita bibles. But while I would love to own the AP shoes, I have to admit that I have been tempted by the Secret Shop version in the gold colour. I think it would be fun to flirt with a princess or regal theme, but I don't necessarily want to do a full Hime Lolita outfit.

I was thinking that maybe you could pair the shoes with this Innocent World bag, but maybe the shades of gold are a bit different? The gold on the bag looks brighter. It is a shame, because I would love to pair the 2 items together. Maybe, once there are more photos of the shoes, I may be able to make a better comparison.

Then I thought that I could potentially try to make an outfit with Chess Party by Metamorphose. There is red in the print, which could help if you used the crown bag. There is a lot of imagery within chess like the king and queen, so that could fit a royalty theme. However, I am still unsure if I could pull off the shoes with this outfit. Despite this, I still want to buy the shoes!

I guess what my pondering is leading to, is an idea for a classic lolita outfit with a hime twist. I don't want the stereotypical princess look. I think for now I need to get some more inspiration!

That had better be a typo AP... the Country of Sweets re-release

So I was browsing the English Angelic Pretty site when I came across the Country Sweets re-release. Only, I got a little distracted when I saw that AP appear to be making skirts out of urine...

Up until now, I had no idea that there was a material called urine! If anybody has a better idea of what AP are on about, then do fill me in because I am feeling a little disturbed right now.

Wee jokes aside, I did want to discuss the Country Sweets re-release today, mainly because it took me by surprise. Of all the possible prints AP could have released again, I wouldn't have thought Country Sweets was that good a choice. I didn't think it was that popular to begin with.

I can understand why AP may hold back re-releasing certain prints because with less dresses, the demand is more intense. And then if they do re-release these prints, they sell out instantly. Just look at Melty Chocolate and Sugary Carnival. People wanted them so badly, that there was a huge rush to get them at retail price instead of the hiked-up re-sale prices. However, I am still holding out for a Starry Night Theater re-release. (Hint hint, AP!)

Despite not finding Country Sweets particularly special, I do actually think it is good that AP are re-releasing an older print. If this re-release goes well, AP may consider re-doing other older AP prints. I know that some people prefer older AP, back in the days where prints were not so overcrowded.

This re-release has led to AP releasing some jewellery too.

This cake ring is huge! It looks comically over-sized but I think it suits AP. However, I can't help but feel that it looks like something you could pick up from Claire's for a lot less money.

My favourite item is the Gingerbread man ring. It looks good enough to eat! It is a very cute ring and it would work with a lot of sweet prints or maybe a Christmas themed outfit. But I do think it would be even cuter if AP hadn't used the little gems and did a line of little chocolate drops for the buttons.

So whilst I think this re-release is okay, it doesn't look as if AP fans are rushing out to grab these items this time. As I have already mentioned, I would love a Starry Night Theatre re-release but I would love to know what re-release other lolitas would like to see!

October 2011 Oxfordshire Lolita Meet!

The Oxfordshire Lolitas had their October meet on Saturday! This is the first Ox meet I have been to since the one I hosted in July. It felt odd not writing about the meets over August and September. The dress theme was trick or treat and many of us did gothic. As you probably already know, I FINALLY wore my Fairy Tale skirt and bonnet by Meta. In the end, I had to give up my ideas for a more elaborate outfit. I had to make sure I was able to walk because we were going on a ghost walk in the evening. So the outfit may not be as crazy or exciting as people were hoping. I can assure you that my wilder ideas have all been written down for later use!

So here it is, my not-so daring-but-hopefully-still-pretty outfit-

The rundown-

Bonnet and Skirt- Metamorphose

Bolero and blouse (not shown)- Bodyline

Everything else- offbrand

I decided to wrap ivy around my leg and I was very impressed that I did not ladder my tights at all! There was also some ivy tucked in to my bonnet. I don't really know where I got the idea for the ivy. It just sort of came to me. Originally, I was meant to have flowers and butterflies running down the ivy but I thought it might make my legs look bulky. The ivy and the flowers with my bonnet were actually decorations from my wedding. Considering that this print reminds me of my wedding (I had a pink/purple theme with butterflies and cages) I thought I should include more of my wedding influences. So this outfit holds a lot of special meaning to me. I layered my Meta skirt on top of the black Bodyline skirt I recently got in the sale. I did this because I wanted to show off the crown lace. I thought the best way to do this would be to have a dark background.

This picture shows off the bonnet details the best. Pulling silly faces is compulsory for an Oxfordshire Lolita! Here I am with Jenni, one of the 2 co-hosts (Naomi being the other host). Jenni wore the Oo Jia Vampire Requiem replica. I can honestly say that it was a lot nicer than I was expecting. The fabric feels lovely and soft and only slightly shiny. The print looks just like the original.

We ended up walking around Christ Church and then we went down to the river.

And here is the group shot!

Back row left to right- Jenni (in VR replica), Niamh, Roxy (in Miracle Candy. I forgot to ask if it was real or replica. I have never seen MC in person!), Me in Meta, Raine, Amber, Louise (in Putomayo. Again, I forgot to ask if it was real or replica!) and Beau, who was not in lolita this time, but I was soooooo happy to see her!

Front row- Naomi and Michelle (in Circus Tutu by BABY)

We went on a ghost walk hosted by the amazing Bill Spectre. http://www.ghosttrail.org/ghost-walk-oxford.htm I highly recommend his tour, which starts at Oxford Castle. It was an amazing tour and Bill Spectre was so funny. He kept calling me Bo Peep! In fact, a lot of people called me Bo Peep that day, but I didn't mind. When we were walking to the train station later in the evening, I even got offered free sambuca! Sadly, we had to catch the train! Michelle loved Beau's outfit so much that she went out, bought it and then put it on in the Pizza Hut toilets!

Jenni made us all gift bags. I loved everything I got but my favourite item was this purple butterfly ring. I even put it on during the day!

I think it is fair to say, that this was a brilliant meet. I had a lot of fun, even though my bloomers kept falling down (embarrassing!). I probably wont be attending the November Ox meet but I will make sure I can be there in December. I can tell it will be great!

2 Valentines! :)

Well, that was a nice surprise! I read the Lolita Valentines every weekend (I am obsessed and if they have not been posted, I keep refreshing the page!) but I wasn't expecting to get any... but I did! I have 2 today; both of which were using photos from the June Oxfordshire Lolita meet. So I think I know who you are!

http://loli-valentines.livejournal.com/105697.html#cutid1

So thank you for 10 and 12.

By the way, I totally agree with Valentine no 7!

Busy!

I apologise for not doing a proper post today. The reason is, I need to do a lot of planning for an outfit I am wearing to a meet tomorrow. The picture is very related...

I am having a few last minute hitches, but I reckon I should be fine tomorrow. I keep making extra additions. I think that wearing this particular outfit could be risky. If I go too far with the detailing, it may end up looking like a costume. But I like to do things which I think are fun, and I am definitely having fun with this print!

Do keep an eye out on Monday, where if things go to plan, you will be able to judge my outfit for yourself.

Lock the Pandora's Memories by AatP

Today I will be looking at the latest release by Alice and the Pirates. This one is called Lock the Pandora's Memories. I was mega excited about the idea of a print based on Pandora's Box. This series contains 2 dresses, a salopette, pants, a vest, a mini hat, a necktie, socks, a bag and jewellery. That is a lot of stuff! But today I will just be looking at the 2 dresses because not all the proper stock photos are up yet.

This is the JSK version 1. The bodice part has a good shape to it. This is probably due to the corset detailing around the waist. The corset part looks nicely presented. The ribbon looks to be of a good quality and the lace is neat and not too ruffled. Although I do like the corset, I think a black solid colour corset could have looked interesting instead of a printed one.

The bodice also has a fake vest detail. It is shaped well. Although there is a lot of lace on this dress, the lace has not been gathered a lot and the lace is not too wide, so it doesn't look too bad. My favourite part of this dress is the chain finished off with rose buttons and an AatP logo charm.

The back has a very tiny, squished up panel of shirring. I think it may have looked better if they had made the back to look like the dress has a vest over the top, like how on the front the dress looks like there is a vest. I know some wearers need shirring to fit into brand, but on this dress the shirring panel looks so small that I doubt it will stretch much further anyway. I also dislike the waist ties on this dress. Although the corset detailing may be a little loose on some, the idea of putting waist ties on top of a corset seems a bit strange to me.

The skirt part has a good shape. Although it is slightly rounded, it is not too OTT for the usual style we see used in gothic lolita. The skirt has been kept plain, apart from a line of lace running midway down the skirt, which doesn't really add much to the design. The bottom hem is finished off with small lace, like the rest of the dress. I think if the dress design had more detail, it would look too much so I think AatP got the balance right.

This is JSK version 2. I would first like to apologise, because the pictures don't really show off the details on this dress very well so I will just have to do my best. The bodice looks a good shape but it doesn't appear as well fitted as the first dress. The front of this dress has a corset. The corset is very narrow, so you can't really see the detailing in the corset that well. Maybe it could have done with being a bit wider. The lace used along the neckline is wide, but pretty. I think the lace used on the other dress would have looked nicer here. At the bottom of the straps there are 2 bows, which look like they are made out of very soft material and have a nice shape to them. I think the bows look pretty but I wonder if some gothic fans may find them a bit too cute for this dress. I would have preferred one set of straps instead of 2 very thin sets of straps. I just think that straps like these sit a bit awkwardly on the shoulders. As you might be able to see in the next picture, the inner straps are sitting okay, but the outer straps are a bit loose and are likely to move about.

The back looks like it has a good panel of shirring compared to the other dress. It is also well concealed by a ribbon corset. I thought I would use this picture to show that the dress has a bustle on the back of the skirt. It is a bit hard to tell from the pictures, but I think the bustle looks a good shape and hopefully, it is layered nicely. On the side of the dress, there are 2 bows where the print meets the bustle. They blend in a bit so they don't stand out much but they do look to be nicely shaped. The skirt as a whole, looks wide and rounded; perfect for fitting a good amount of petticoat underneath.

This is the print close-up. In all honesty, I am a bit disappointed! It is not as if I dislike this print, but I don't think it is very imaginative. I think with a theme like Pandora's Box, Alice and the Pirates could have come up with something more interesting. I think you could have a lot of fun designing a Pandora's Box print! However, the print is still pretty. I like all the decorative keys and the roses. It is available in grey, black and engine (purple/red kind of colour). The colours appear a bit dull but I do like the engine colour, so that is my favourite.

I can imagine that this series will sell well, but I am not a fan. I think I was expecting a lot more from the designs. I wouldn't mind owning the 2nd JSK, but it is not something I would strive to own. I do however, like the look of the key and lock earrings, which I have not included because there is no proper picture at time of posting. So overall, I think the series is okay, but it could be a lot better.