Crowns by Suppurate System- Want!

It took me 3 attempts to spell Suppurate correctly for the post title...

Have you ever seen a brand name thrown about but not really bothered to have a good thorough look? For me, Suppurate System is one of those brands. I rarely wear gothic (and even then it is probably not standard gothic lolita) so I have always overlooked this shop, thinking that I probably wouldn't find anything...

How wrong I was! I saw this crown being sold on the EGL comm and I decided to have a nose on the Suppurate System website for the very first time. I was greeted by loads of not just gothic items, but decadent gothic items! And as the word decadent suggests, the prices are a bit steep too. However, I can't help but love the crowns. The one pictured above is one of their decadent crowns. I guess the reason it appeals is because it has a very rustic look. The crowns I normally see are more polished but these crowns have a distressed and dark look to them. I like the idea of a "battered princess" or a more disturbed take on the princess style. Ever since I went on the Suppurate System website, I have been daydreaming about being a gothic princess. I am never going to overlook a shop ever again! I wonder what other delights I have been missing?

It is unlikely I will buy a Suppurate System crown because I cannot justify the price. However, looking at the designs, it makes me wonder if I would be able to make one myself. Because most of the crowns look a bit rustic, it wouldn't matter if it wasn't 100% perfect, as that would probably add to the design. I have spent a bit of time staring at these crown pictures wondering how it is done. I think I have figured out how to do the barbed wire and making the leather look distressed would be easy. So maybe I will give it a go.

Here are some other items I liked-

I know this is meant to be an eye patch but I would definitely use it as a hair accessory too!

Crosses tend to be a bit overdone with gothic style, but this wooden cross necklace appealed to me.

I love the idea of the rose being caged in this necklace. It conjures up a lot of images for me.

More crowns! This time the crown is on a ring. It has lots of detailing to it.

So I had a lot of interesting gothic ideas after visiting the Suppurate System website. If you would like to see more Suppurate System products, their shop is here- http://ssnet.ocnk.net/home

Fragrant Rose by BABY

Today I will be looking at the latest series by BABY. It is called Fragrant Rose. the set has 2 dresses, a skirt, a head bow, a bonnet and lots of different pieces of jewellery.

This is the Camelot JSK. The bodice is really well fitted and will hug the wearer's figure well. The straps are a little thin, but the soft looking lace help to stop the straps looking to plain. Using the lace here also helps to balance out the bottom of this dress. The top bit of the bodice is ruched and I think it looks very pretty. The ruffle along the neckline also stops it looking to straight and boring. The bottom of the ruched area has a line of ribbon, which is shiny but still works well with the design. Then there is just a small ribbon bow in the middle. I don't think this dress would have looked so good if it had a waist ribbon as well. It would be too OTT with the other details on top of the dress as well.

Normally, I really dislike it when dresses have loads of ribbon corsets (this dress has 1 on each side and a third on the back) but it has been done so beautifully! I love the colour of the ribbon and how the edges are tidied up by some thin flowery lace. It also helps towards the wearer's silhouette because you will be able to tighten them if need be to help fit your shape better.

The back has a shirring panel concealed by a ribbon corset. The skirt has a pretty rounded shape, but not so round that it is too sweet for classic lolita. In fact, the rounded shape would probably be good for anybody who wanted to do a rococo or OTT classic outfit with this series. However... the way the printed part meets the tulle is dreadful. It gives the printed part and awkward shape. It looks odd, as if the printed part ends too soon or has been hitched up, exposing the tulle part. I love the idea of using tulle for this series but not how it has been used here.

 This is the Vivienne JSK. The bodice appears to be well-fitted and has a good shape to it. The neckline has a nice scoop shape to it. The straps are about the right width and look like they will give a good amount of support. Along the neckline there is a line of soft tulle lace which softens the neckline and also helps to balance out the detail at the bottom of the dress. There is no waist bow, but considering the amount of detail on the rest of the dress, it is not really needed.

I thought that the criss-crossed ribbon running down the front was a bit too clumped together. Maybe it could have been spaced out a bit more to give it a less bulky appearance. I am unsure about the chest bow. Whilst I adore the gold trim and beautiful lace (despite it looking a bit floppy on the top bit), I think the shape of the bow is a little strange. The top part of the bow looks a little squished and the overall shape is a little odd. I also would have liked the gold charm to be dangling underneath the middle instead of just placed on top.

The back of the bodice has a panel of shirring which is concealed well by a ribbon corset. The waist ties are attached by these very pretty pearl buttons lined with a golden edge. The skirt part on this JSK is not as rounded as the Camelot JSK but despite this, it still has a good shape for classic lolita. It looks as though it will flare outwards well and hold a lot of petticoat. The tulle part at the bottom looks nicely shaped and well spaced out.

Although some will say that the bottom of this dress reminds them of curtains, I think the soft layers work beautifully with the print. It has been presented well and the materials look good. Little touches like the gold trim and the well shaped bows help to finish it off perfectly. The ribbon used on the bows may have a very slight shine to it, but it looks like the ribbon is good quality and the bow is not too floppy. Quite frankly, I think the skirt part of this dress looks a great deal prettier than the skirt part of the Camelot JSK.

And here is the print close-up (here shown in Victorian). This print is available in Antique (ivory), Rosemary (green), Victorian (sepia brown) and noir (black). At first glance I thought that the print had a bit of a "grandma" appearance to it, but on closer inspection, it has grown on me. I like the decadent rococo look of the print. The detailed roses have a soft appearance. The cameos and frames help break up the flowers and add something interesting. The pictures inside the cameos look really beautiful! I especially love the detail on the frames; my favourite being the heart shape one. I have a feeling this print is going to be a case of the stock photos not doing it full justice. I would be really excited to see this print in person!

This choker is just one of many pieces of jewellery that have been released for this series. You really are spoilt for choice! I think the reason BABY have released so many different bits is because they believe the pieces will be quite versatile and easy to wear. Most of the jewellery has a very ornate and luxury appearance to them. The designs are very decorative and rich and have a regal feel to them. These really work with the dress designs but I think they could also work well with hime style.

Overall, I really like this series. My only issue is that I love the bodice on the Camelot JSK but I love the skirt part on the Vivienne JSK! Personally, I would go for the Vivienne JSK but I think it is a shame it doesn't have the bodice from the other JSK. The skirt on the Camelot JSK just puts me off too much. Whilst I like all the colours, I think for me the best colour is either the ivory or sepia brown. I think this series has a lot of potential because it has a luxurious appearance and is full of lavish details. I certainly wouldn't mind owning it.

Innocent World Vs. Replicas

Just a quick note before today's post- from now on, all comments on this blog will be screened. This is after I discovered a few sneaky spam comments. Quite frankly, I should have done this sooner! Please be patient as I verify and publish your comments.

Please note I am not against replicas. The reason I am writing this post today is because I was very interested by a post made on EGL- http://egl.livejournal.com/18346910.html

It would appear that Innocent World are voicing their opinions on replicas. If you think about it, there are not really that many IW replicas about. However, as it has been pointed out on EGL, Innocent World have every right to voice their opinions. Although it might not change much (people will still buy replicas and some people will always be against them), all IW are doing is trying to is defend themselves.

I have to be honest... if there was a Lotta replica made then it would be very difficult to resist it, especially when you consider how hard Lotta is to get hold of. I can't help but wonder what IW means when they say they will punish customers who buy IW replicas with the knowledge it is fake. If you walk in to Innocent World's shop and you were wearing a replica, would you be banned from the store? (Although I think that even if you don't mind replicas, walking in to their shop like that would be very rude anyway!) Will replica makers be targeted?

This small statement by IW might not seem like it will change much, but it could easily start something off if other brands decide to join in as well. It is a bit naive to think that because some brands sell out of everything anyway, that means they are happy to let replicas exist. If other brands see that Innocent World have made this statement, they may feel more comfortable and confident about addressing the matter. And that could change the current replica situation. It feels like as soon as a new print comes out, immediately somebody will ask for a replica to be made. Will that be so easy when the replica makers are being targeted? So don't think that it is just Innocent World replicas that this affects.

What do I think? Regardless of my stance on replicas, I know Innocent World's statement is very true and well done to them for standing up against something that could threaten their company. At the end of the day, they are a business and their view is not at all surprising. If I was in their position I would probably be upset about my art being stolen too. However, at the same time I can sympathise with replica buyers who are unable to buy brand. I might have been interested by a Lotta replica, but IW's words have admittedly scared me!

What initially seems like a small statement could progress further. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for any news. Up until now, the big brands have kept fairly quiet so this is certainly an interesting development!

Clobba Review- Navy Tea Parties (positive)

So, I ordered some tea party shoes from Clobba-  http://clobbaonline.com/ and today I will be doing a review. These actually arrived a week ago, but this is the first chance i have had to sit down and actually review them! I know there are probably a lot of Clobba reviews out there but I figured one more wouldn't hurt.

Please note the item I ordered was already in stock and not a pre-order.

Ordering Process

On Clobba's home page, you scroll to the bottom to find out how to order from them. It was easy enough to find, but maybe it would be useful to have such important information at the top of the page. You have to fill in a contact form and later on, an order form. Both the forms were laid out very simply and I had no issues filling in all the information.

Communication

As promised, Clobba responded within 24 hours to my emails. I was kept up to date with how my order was going. The information was clear and easy to understand. I felt very reassured.

Tracking and Shipping

My order was placed on February the 21st and shipped with tracking on the 23rd. Excluding the 23rd, it took 6 working days to get here. The EMS delivery time was predicted to take 5-10 days, so as you can see 6 days was very quick. However, I did have issues with the site I had to use for tracking. They were really slow to update the tracking. For the majority of those 6 days, I had no idea where exactly my parcel was and had to assume it was just between countries. I didn't know where my parcel was until all of a sudden, it said my parcel was loaded to the vehicle for delivery. It was a good job I checked at the right time, otherwise I might not have been in to sign for the parcel! 

My shoes arrived in a shoe box, which was covered in that strong plastic stuff. The red and white polka dots were so bright, that even Parcel force would struggle to lose this parcel!

The cardboard box was a little battered in places, but it kept the shoes safe. Hmm... that logo on the box looks awfully familiar! My only suggestion would be some more tissue paper inside to stop the shoes moving about so much.

And now I present my new shoes!

The colour was a bit lighter than I was expecting. I swear it looks a bit darker on the website. I think the best way to compare the colour would be to that used on Angelic Pretty's Blueberry Tea Parties. That being said, there are still lots of dresses I like which are a similar colour to these shoes. Although I now wont be wearing these with the items I planned, I think these shoes could be a good addition to my wardrobe later on. Therefore, I will be hanging on to these for a while.

The stitching is very neat. Maybe the stitches could have been the same colour as the main part of the shoe or the darker part of the sole, but that is just a minor issue. Overall, the shoes do look like a very good replica of the AP shoes. The bows could have been a tinier bit more neater, but I think they are pretty convincing!

It took me a while to figure out the ankle straps because I missed the popper at first!

The bow on the back.

The shoes were very comfortable and true to size. I had a bit of toe wiggle room but I always go a size up because of my wide feet, so this is understandable. They are really easy to walk in too.

So this has been a very positive experience with just a few tiny niggles. I am going to have to re-think what to wear these with, but I already have a few ideas. If you have any suggestions then feel free to share them with me! I would definitely recommend Clobba and I would use them again. I have no idea what their pre-orders are like but Clobba were very efficient when it came to sending out these already in-stock shoes.

Sugar Fairy Cake by Angelic Pretty

I am a bit behind with the print discussions at the moment, so it is time to start catching up! Today I will be discussing Sugar Fairy Cake by Angelic Pretty. Because I waited so long, the series is already up and available on their website. This series has 3 dresses, a skirt (apron style), a valletta, a head bow and some ankle socks.

This is the OP. This is more of a set, than a dress (see below). The bodice looks like it has a good overall shape, but in the close-up pictures on the website I didn't think it looked as well fitted. It does have a tidy square neckline, line neatly with pretty thin lace, which is not too itchy or OTT. There is an awkward line of lace running horizontally along the bodice which has the potential to sit funnily on the chest area. At least the vertical lines give the wearer a bit of a slimmer appearance. The material above the lace line has folds in it, which gets a bit lost in the gingham and is not that noticeable. The short sleeves have a cute puffy shape. These are finished with good quality lace and ribbon bows, which are slightly shiny in appearance. There are 2 neck bows which are a bit on the big side, but softens the neckline. The back has a panel of shirring, which is concealed by a ribbon corset. There is also a waist bow, which is huge. It looks really over-sized and sticks out loads. I would definitely detach it! This dress also has a typical maid style apron (not a massive surprise). The apron itself is quite cute. Its edges are lined with the same lace as that used on the main dress and I love the heart pockets. I am not too convinced I like the maid style apron, but at least it distracts from the gingham in the print.

This is what the OP looks like without the apron. Although I dislike the waist ribbon, I think the waist looks a bit plain when the waist bow and apron are gone. It also makes the bows on the neckline look top-heavy and unbalanced. Maybe a nice detailed belt would help balance it out a bit! The skirt shape is nicely flared and rounded. It will hold a decent amount of petticoat underneath. Thankfully, the skirt part does not have that much detail to it so it doesn't overload the busy print. The bottom hem is finished off with cute lace which features little cupcakes and forks.

The OP comes with this valletta and wrist cuffs. Personally, I prefer the head bow over this valletta. The valletta reminds me of the detachable lace on the Wonder Cookie head bow. I am unsure that it works on its own and it does look a bit like a waitress costume headpiece. The cuffs are cute enough, what with the matching lace and flower buttons. Overall, I am not too bothered by these extra items.

This is the halter JSK. The bodice is well-fitted, albeit quite straight and a bit boxy. Again, this dress has the same ridiculously huge waist bow. In fact, it so large it looks like it is about to fall off the dress! Luckily you can detach it, which I would strongly recommend. The main detail on the bodice is the lace running horizontally along the neckline. Although the lace looks like it is good quality, it does look a bit like a doily in appearance. The lace is topped with a small gingham ribbon, which makes the neckline more interesting. The straps are a good width for the dress and I like how they give the dress a retro shape. It is a very sweet print, so this detail makes it look a bit more mature or like a 50's sun dress. The back has a panel of shirring, which is concealed by a ribbon corset, helping to make things look a bit neater. The skirt shape also has a very flared retro shape to it, which is a bit different, but I actually prefer this to the other 2 dresses. The bottom hem has the same cake and fork lace.

This is the tier JSK. The bodice has a nice shape to it. The rounded neckline is also very interesting and a bit different. As you can see, this dress has a lot of bows on the bodice and the giant waist bow is present once again! All of the bows are a bit on the big side, but if you remove the large waist bow, the 3 remaining bows actually look quite good. The 3 bodice bows have a nice sturdy shape to them. The rounded collar is topped with good quality lace both on the edges and in the middle. It sounds like a lot of lace, but it gives it a more frilly feminine appearance without looking OTT. The rounded collar part continues on to make the dress straps, which are a good width and give plenty of support. The back of the dress has no shirring but does have waist ties to make the dress smaller if needed. I don't think the tiered style of skirt works as well with the print when compared to the other 2 dresses. The overall shape is quite flared and slightly rounded and the tiers don't alter the skirt shape that much. Thankfully, the tiers don't look too bumpy or clump the material together strangely, but they don't add much either. However, on the plus side, the tier edges are lined with pretty lace. Another negative about using tiers is that the cake part of the print is not displayed as clearly because of the gathering. The bottom hem is finished off with thinner lace which has small hearts on it. It is a bit more subtle than the cake lace.

And finally, the print close-up. As you can see, it comes in pink, yellow, mint and black. The cakes are cute and I think that this part has a lot of potential. The icing is detailed, as are the cake decorations. However, in my opinion Sugar Fairy Cake suffers from the same problem as Triple Tart did- the gingham. The gingham on this print is a real deal-breaker for me. I am not against gingham, but I really dislike it used with this print. Even a solid background would have worked better. It is a shame, because I really like the cakes! Out of the colours I will pick the mint colour as my favourite because I think the gingham part works a bit better on this colour than the others.

So for me, this is another case of gingham blues. If it wasn't for the gingham, I would probably really like this series. Out of the dresses, I think the halter-neck JSK in mint would be my favourite. If you break up all the different parts of the print, the design is not exactly new or fresh. However, I do think the cakes in the print have been done very well. It is such a shame...

Valentine thank you

Thank you for the Lolita Valentines I received today. I had just found out I lost out on an auction for a dream dress (the one at the very top of my dream list), so I am so happy you have cheered me up!

http://loli-valentines.livejournal.com/116485.html?view=3289093

Thank you for 8, 9, 20 and 32. It was also brilliant to see so many HJ lolitas get valentines too.

Hyper Japan Spring 2012- part 3 (final)

Today's post is just a quick one to link my photo album and videos. If you are my Facebook friend, chances are, you will have already seen these. But if you are not, then there are lots of photos I haven't posted on here. These include some more outfits, pictures of the fashion show, some of the other stage performances and more!

Photobucket album here- http://s979.photobucket.com/albums/ae277/Luna_Rain_photos/Hyper%20Japan%20Spring%202012%20Saturday%2025th%20Feb/

This album is public, so everybody can view it.

I also attempted to get some videos. We were really cramped because there was a sudden surge of people right before the fashion show. It amused me how all of the lolitas suddenly swarmed! So please understand that we tried our best from the angle were we at!

My Youtube channel is here- http://www.youtube.com/user/LunaRainLolita

This ends my coverage of Hyper Japan! I hope you enjoyed it.