A Small Life/Blog Update and Little Red Riding Hood ~ Tales of the Marchen Forest by Baby the Stars Shine Bright

So I randomly disappeared on Thursday and I just wanted to give a quick update on what is going on. I am very unwell at the moment, and I have been burying my head in the sand about how unwell I am and ignoring the warning signs. As a result, I have been pushing people away and neglecting the emotional needs of myself and my loved ones. I also got told a lot of home truths about myself, which I did need to hear (and I do owe somebody an apology. If they happen to be reading this right now, I am not emotionally ready to deliver it yet). If this is all sounding a bit scary, I think I am over the worst. I had an emergency doctor's appointment and we had a long talk about how best to proceed. Overall, I am feeling optimistic. But with regards to this blog, I am unsure how well I am going to be able to stick to my current Monday/Thursday publishing schedule, especially in the short term as I attend appointments. It could be that I miss a post here and there, or I may dig up old posts that I have been stockpiling (quality may vary). I imposed internet restrictions on myself and have not been online as much, so there has not been much opportunity for me to write new content. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy reading my posts as and when they get published and rest assured that behind the scenes I am taking steps to not only look after myself in the short-term, but also tackle the long-term problems with the hope that I can improve my quality of life and just be a better person in general. And now, on to a print discussion post-

Today I am looking at Little Red Riding Hood by Baby the Stars Shine Bright. This series includes 3 dresses, a skirt, 2 hair accessories, socks, a blouse and an apron.

First up is the Dirndl JSK. The bodice seems okay fitting, but could be better. I also feel the bodice shape could have been improved upon, maybe with a less straight neckline. The straps are a decent width though, and look quite supportive. There is this wide lace used along the outsides of the straps, along the neckline and along the join separating the chest panel and bottom half of the bodice. This lace looks okay going along the straps, and stops them looking too plain, but overall the lace looks a bit messy. I think the lace needed to be reigned in a bit along the neckline and the line going across the middle of the bodice, perhaps shaped a bit better or with a different choice of lace altogether. The waistline is in a V shape, which works nicely with the ribbon corset on the bottom half of the bodice. The ribbon is well spaced out and I like how the sides of the ribbon corset have been very neatly lined with lace. I am not a fan of the chest panel though. I don't think the shape of this panel is particularly appealing, or how Baby have used the book part of the print for this panel. Also, as I already mentioned, the wide lace looks a bit messy around the panel. There is a big bow sat on top of the panel, along with 2 smaller bows at the bases of the straps. I really love the folksy print used for these bows, which looks really cute. However, I think all 3 bows are a bit on the big side and with all the bodice details, the bows are a bit too much. Thankfully, the larger bow is detachable and I think the dress looks much better with it detached. The back has a panel of shirring, which is topped very neatly with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show that the skirt has a good amount of volume and it flares outwards plenty. I really like the rounded shape created in the stock photos. The skirt is kept simple in design, so the print is displayed brilliantly. The bottom hem is then finished off with a line of gold braid and some more wide lace.

Here we have the Corset JSK. The bodice looks quite well fitted and the bodice shape is lovely. The straps look a very supportive width, without being too wide. I really like how the straps and neckline are topped with gold braid and this really pretty lace. The lace sits really well on the neckline and I think the choice of lace fits the overall feel of the series. There is a ribbon corset on the bodice, which in actual fact appears to be laced up with gold braid in place of ribbon. I personally think ribbon would have looked better, but the braid doesn't look too bad. The braid is well spaced out, and the sides of this corset are lined really neatly with this pretty floral shaped lace. The neckline is then topped off with a folksy ribbon, which I think finishes off the bodice perfectly. It is a cute shape and size. This bow is detachable, but I would leave it attached. I think the dress looks too plain with it detached. The back offers a panel of shirring, which is topped neatly with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show that the skirt is very full and will hold lots of petticoat. I think there is a lot of potential to create a lovely shape with this skirt. The skirt is again kept simple in design, so the print is displayed wonderfully. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with some wide lace, although I wish they had used the same ace from the bodice for the bottom hem as well. I just think that bodice lace looks better.

This is the OP. The bodice seems fairly well fitted. I am really not sure what to make of the overall bodice shape though. The off-the-shoulder 'straps' look slouchy and will add extra bulk and width to the wearer. It doesn't help that there are additional bows added to this area. The bottom part of the sleeves is detachable, but I personally think the result looks absolutely terrible. I don't like a single thing about the sleeves. Not even the folk patterned ribbon for the bows and on the cuffs can save the sleeves. It is a shame, because I think the cuffs look cute. The rest of the sleeves are an absolute abomination in my opinion. There is something about the bodice details which seem to make the overall bodice look a bit 'off' as well. I think it might be the shape of the yoke and the use of lace to line the yoke. It just looks awkward. I even think the ribbon for the ribbon corset on the bottom half of the bodice looks too bunched together. Overall the spacing looks 'off', which is a shame, because I think a yoke and ribbon corset bodice design could of had a lot of potential combined with the folk patterned ribbon. There is also a large waist bow, which I don't like the shape of. The odd shape of this bow is only further emphasised by the lace lining it, and I also dislike that they have used the book part of the print for the bow. This bow is thankfully detachable, which is a small blessing. The back offers no shirring, so size flexibility is very limited. I am very pleased to see that the zip is very well concealed though. The stock photos show that the skirt has a good amount of volume to it and it flares out well. It should hold more than enough petticoat. The skirt is once again kept simple, so the print is displayed excellently, although if you leave the waist bow attached it does unfortunately reach the print. The bottom hem is then finished off beautifully with a line of braid and this lovely floral tulle ruffle. Such a shame this is the only part of the entire dress that I like.

Finally, here is the print. This series comes in ivory, red, green and black. I am personally not a fan of the ivory, but the colour choices generally seem to work well with the print. As for the print itself, I want to start of by saying I hate the way the print is spaced out on the dresses. It feels as though the book part of the print, which is denser than the alphabet blocks, should be the border part of the print. The print also takes up most of the skirt space, rather than being the typical border print we are used to seeing. On the Corset JSK there is even 2 rows of the book part of the print, which looks weird. I feel as though this picture of the print is misleading, and you need to look at how it looks on the dresses. I personally would have preferred the books to be a lot smaller and for there to be more of the simple striped background (a part of the print which I actually really like). If you ignore the sizing, the books look pretty, with some gorgeous illustrations. I especially like how Little Red Riding Hood has popped out of the book and is actually roaming in the print. I am not so fond of the blocks though, and I don't feel they are needed at all. They make the print look unnecessarily childish.

Sadly, the way the print is spaced out and distributed on the dresses is enough to make me not like this series. I think the folk theme paired with Red Riding Hood could have been a fantastic idea, but I don't like the dress designs. The only dress design I really like is the Corset JSK, but I don't like the way the print has been used on that dress. My top choice would have been the red colour. There are some good ideas here, but the end result has left me feeling a bit sad.

A Snowy Christmas Eve Mysterious Gift by Alice and the Pirates

Happy Halloween! Let's talk about a Christmas print! My least favourite holiday of the year is sadly fast approaching, so let's talk about A Snowy Christmas Eve Mysterious Gift by Alice and the Pirates. This series includes 2 dresses, a skirt, 2 hair accessories, 2 blouses, a rosette, a necklace and socks.

First up is the Ribbon JSK. The bodice seems reasonably well fitted but the overall shape is a bit simple. Despite there being lace on the outsides of the straps and along the neckline, it doesn't really draw you in or look that exciting. The straps are an okay width and look quite supportive. The bodice features a gift ribbon design, with ribbon going across and down the bodice to make it look gift wrapped. This works really nicely, even though the ribbon is a bit shiny. These lines of ribbon are lined neatly with lace. The bow that tops the ribbon has an interesting shape and I think it looks really pretty. So it is a shame that the rest of the dress looks so plain in comparison. I feel that more could have been done to this dress, without it looking overwhelming. Some simple changes, like a different lace choice, could have really helped. The back is fully shirred, which means lots of size flexibility, but also means the shirring has nothing covering it. The stock photos show that the skirt is very full and it flares outwards a lot. There is the potential to create a great shape. The simple skirt design means the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off with a line of ribbon and a thin line of lace. This bottom hem does at least match the ribbon on the bodice, but I still feel more could have been done with this dress design overall.

This is the Napoleon JSK. The bodice seems very well fitted and the shape is interesting, although I think the scoop neckline sits a little too low for my personal tastes. The straps look a good width. There is no lace at all lining the straps or the neckline. I do get that this is meant to be a military inspired design (perhaps AatP felt that lace was too frilly) but I feel some sort of trim is needed. If the right choice of lace had been used, it wouldn't have detracted from the military style. The bodice features 3 double lines of braid, which have fancy swirly bits going around the buttons at the ends. The braid has been used quite well and the details look well spaced out. I like that the buttons have a nice emblem design to them. 

And just when you think AatP have made this dress all about the sharp military details, there is a secret bow on the back! I am not a fan of this bow to be honest, as I feel the design looks too cutesy. It looks really out of place and I am glad that it is hidden away at the back. Trouble is, I worry that bow it going to look a bit bumpy hidden underneath a bolero. As we can see, this dress offers a panel of shirring, which is topped neatly with a ribbon corset.

The stock photos show that the skirt is very plump and rounded. I think the skirt shape looks a bit ridiculous (and photoshopped) in the photos, but it is good to know that you can potentially create a very full shape, and that it should hold lots of petticoat. The skirt is again kept simple in design, so the print is displayed brilliantly. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a pleated trim, so at least some effort was made with the trim here.

Finally, here is the print. This series comes in ivory, bordeaux, green and black. I think the gold looks a bit too bright and gaudy on the bordeaux version, but otherwise the colour choices are pretty good and work nicely. As for the print itself, I like how having a slight Christmas theme to it, it doesn't scream 'Christmas Print'. The theater seating and stages are set out beautifully. I especially like the detailing on the gold bits of the curtains. There is the odd snowflake, nutcracker and gingerbread man flying around, but the Christmas theme is mostly kept to the scenery in the back of the stages. The scenes on the stages are interesting and drawn well, with lots of little details to them. I really like the sweet, gingerbread props hiding away in the background. 

I feel this print could have a lot of potential, but I am not sold on the dress designs. They are not bad dresses, but they could have been better. Overall, they are just a bit underwhelming. I am at least impressed with the balance of the Christmas theme though. I would say this was more of a Winter time print, rather than specifically Christmas, which makes it a bit easier to wear. Sadly though, I would not buy this series. If I did, I think I would choose the Ribbon JSK in green. I would just have to liven it up a bit with my accessory choices.

Dark Inspiration- Salem

So here is a little random fact about me- I am a fan of the TV series Charmed. Well, mostly the first few series, as it got incredibly silly towards the end. James and I had only seen up to the end of series 5 previously and earlier this year, we decided to go through the entire 8 series. Sadly, the last few series has ruined it a bit for me, but I will always have a place in my hearts for the first few series. As we were looking for a Charmed replacement to fill our desire for 'witchy' TV shows, we got searching online and came across another series called Salem.

Far from being a cheesy but lovable monster-of-the-week format, Salem is based on the 17th century witch trials and how the witches remain hidden in their small puritan town. I am not going to lie- there are things about Salem which definitely could have been done better and there are times when the script makes me cringe a bit. But after watching the first few episodes, I found enough that I liked about Salem to keep me going. The plot is a lot darker and the scenery is very atmospheric. 

Although the characters are not always that likable, I loved how the series has a lot of strong female characters. In a time when a man's word holds far more power than a female's word ever could, the witches are ruthless and able to get their own way far more than you would expect. Initially the character of Mary Sibley seems weak, and she ends up marrying the head councilor of the selectmen board, after her true love John fails to return when promised. However, it quickly becomes apparent that Mary is well and truly calling the shots, and without giving away any spoilers she soon finds herself in a position of power within the town.

But another thing I love about Salem is the costumes. As Mary takes on the role of head councilor's wife, she is dressed in a way you would not expect somebody from a puritan town to dress. To reflect her new wealth and power, her clothing becomes more extravagant. We start to see her in more luxurious fabrics, such as furs. Although Mary favours dark colours, as do most of the residents, there is a lot of gold and jewels. As a lover of all 3 of the main lolita sub-styles, the gothic and dark classic lolita in me can't help but admire Mary's beautiful outfits. In fact, a lot of the wealthier characters in the show have very inspirational wardrobes. I do know that the costume department for Salem has been receiving a great deal of praise. There are so many ornate and delicate little details. 

With this is mind, and with Halloween fast approaching, I decided to come up with a Salem and Mary inspired lolita mood board. I think Mary would be very enamored with the indie brand VooDoooDolly and would also be a fan of a lot of the darker Alice and the Pirates pieces. Making this collage threw up a lot of interesting thoughts about 'witch lolita' and how they almost always feature a pointy witch hat. But what if you are unable to reveal your witch identity? So I wanted my mood board to focus on a more 'luxurious' dark lolita look rather than a specific witch lolita look. I made sure to include gold details, as well as some fur trim and a hat similar to the one in the screen shot Mary is wearing above. I also wanted to include a corset (as they feature heavily in the show) but unfortunately I could not find one which didn't look cheap or fitted the image I was going for. I settled on a corset style choker instead.

Series 3 of Salem starts early November and I am hoping I will be able to find a way to watch it. I am a bit lover of all these witchy dramas and movies. I love Hocus Pocus and The Craft. It always feels like this is a good time of the year to curl up on the sofa and enjoy these classics and I hope I am able to do so over the Halloween weekend. Do you know of any good witch themed or gothic style shows and movies? Feel free to comment with your favourites. And I hope you all have a Happy Halloween!

Heavenly Cross by Angelic Pretty

Today I am looking at Heavenly Cross by Angelic Pretty. This series includes 2 dresses, a skirt, a head bow, tights, an umbrella and a cardigan. Additionally, a lot of other cross themed items have also been released under the name Brilliant Cross.

First up is the OP. The bodice seems well fitted for chiffon, and the shape is pretty. I especially like the sleeve shape, with the lovely bell sleeves. The sleeves look a decent length and have plenty of stretch in the cuffs. The lace on the cuffs sits so neatly and it has a pretty cross pattern on it. I think the ribbon used for the bows on the cuffs is a bit too shiny though. There is a waist bow, which is equally shiny. It is an okay shape and size. I actually think they could have gotten away with making this waist bow a bit bigger. This waist bow is detachable, and I probably would detach it, so that all attention was on the bodice lace. The bodice has some small thin lines of lace running up it, which are kept subtle, to make way for the more detailed lace on the chest area. The lace on the bodice really matches the print. I don't even mind the little lace cross just beneath the choker, as with this series it feels quite appropriate. My only concern is that the lace cuts across the shoulders, and I would worry that would draw attention to wide shoulders. The lace neck details look nice and match the lace used on the bodice, but I don't like the ribbon details on the collar. The ribbon looks cheap and tacky. The back offers no shirring, so there is limited size flexibility. It at least looks as though the print lines up fairly well along the zip line, but in the stock photos there is an obvious crinkle in the chiffon material where the zip is. The stock photos show that the skirt has loads of volume and it flares outwards generously. There is plenty of room for petticoat. The skirt design is kept simple, so the print is displayed fairly well. However, I really hate how the printed chiffon overlay is a great deal longer than the base dress underneath. I personally think it looks really strange having a load of chiffon material at the bottom like that and I think it looks messy. Also, where the base dress ends happens to be right in the middle of the crosses making the border part of the print. So you have part of the big crosses set against the dress underneath, which stand out perfectly and then the bottom half of these crosses has no solid background to really make the print 'pop' and stand out. Both the overlay and the dress underneath are finished neatly with lace going along the bottom hem. This lace is kept quite simple, but it looks neater with this more subtle lace choice.

Next is the JSK. The bodice seems reasonably well fitted and is overall a pretty shape. I think the straps are a bit on the thin side and risk slipping down, but I adore the lace on the outsides of the straps. This wide lace has been layered, and the result is very frilly looking. It almost mimics the appearance of short sleeves and I would almost be tempted to wear this JSK without a blouse. However, again it may not be the best design f you feel self-conscious about having wide shoulders. The waist bow is a bit big but it has a firm, well defined shape to it. It sits well on the dress with no signs of any drooping. It doesn't appear to be detachable though, and the style of the waist bow may be a bit too sweet for some. The bodice features a ribbon corset, with many lines of lace on either side. The ribbon is well spaced out and the choice of ribbon doesn't look as shiny as the ribbon used on the OP. Although the lace along the neckline has a lovely design to it, I think it looks a bit messy. I feel a thinner, less ruffly lace choice would have looked smarter. The back has a panel of shirring, which is topped neatly with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show that the skirt is very full and it flares outwards loads. There is the potential to create a very rounded and voluminous shape. The skirt design is pretty much the same a the OP skirt design, and it suffers the same problem with the overlay length. It does at least look as though the base dress reaches more of the border print crosses on the JSK though.

Finally, here is the print. This series comes in white, pink, lavender and black. I find myself being really drawn to the white version of this print, which is weird because the print doesn't really show up on the white version! But maybe this more subtle take is pretty in a different way compared to the other colours which show the print more. I would have actually liked it if the crosses on the black version had been black. Otherwise, the colour options seem okay, although I find the pink version a little underwhelming. As for the print itself, for once I find myself not hating all these AP crosses, but maybe that is because the print is almost all crosses and they don't look completely out of place. I quite like the lacy take on the crosses, which is a good match for the heavy use of lace on the dresses. I especially like the detailed lacy border at the bottom. I also noticed that one of the crosses seems to have a crescent moon hidden in the design, which is a nice touch.

Maybe this cross-heavy series will help Angelic Pretty to get over their current obsession with crosses, and for once I am actually in favour of the crosses. I think the cross print fits well with the dress designs and the lacy crosses were a good idea. Although there is the odd thing I would tweak with both dresses, especially with the length of the skirt overlays. Would I buy this series? No, I would not because this AP take on 'gothic' has never really been my thing anyway. If I did, my top choice would be the JSK in white. I really love how toned down the white version of this series looks and think it looks positively angelic (sorry...). I did briefly consider getting the tights and umbrella though, before deciding against it.

Supply Versus Demand

Like many people, I was really looking forward to the Automatic Honey Halloween release when it came out last Friday. I especially loved the tarot card necklace in black. However, as this release came out at 4 A.M UK time and I knew it was going to sell out fast, I didn't even bother attempting to go for it. What I wasn't expecting, was for it to sell out quite as fast as it did. People furiously refreshing their screens at 4 A.M on the dot, unable to get on the site, let alone get things in to their cart... it was a good old-fashioned lolita bloodbath. 

My Facebook wall soon flooded with people updating on whether they had managed to get hold of anything (most had not). Suddenly, there were calls for a Made-to-Order and rumours going around that AH had only made 20 of each piece. So if 20 was made for all 4 colours, there would have been 80 of each piece in total. Whilst 80 may seem like a lot, that number pales in comparison to the number of people who liked AH's post when they announced this collection. Which brings us on to the issue of supply versus demand.

I am going to use Angelic Pretty as the example here, as I am sure that is the example that most of you will be familiar with. It is funny to think that this time last year, we were still talking about Angelic Pretty's bloodbath releases. Every time a hyped series came out (which at the time felt like almost every single one of them, with only the odd flop here and there) stories would come out about how quickly the series sold out, how quickly people were scalping stuff on the auctions and about the ticket system AP used for the queues at their physical stores. Then something changed. Angelic Pretty decided to increase the amount of stock they put out. Now when an Angelic Pretty series comes out, it is a lot easier to get hold of it. In fact, when was the last time an Angelic Pretty series sold out as quickly as they did in the old days? This will be partly down to the recent series not being as popular, but also because AP simply has more stock to shift. It is interesting to see that on places such as cgl (yes, I do go on there and browse the Lolita General threads from time to time) you get people from time to time asking how popular a series is going to be, so that they can gauge how likely it is that a series will go on sale later. It is interesting to see it swing from people desperately trying to grab a shopping service slot, to a series selling so slow that people are questioning how long they can hold out and potentially get a bargain. In the Summer Sale this year, some dresses went down to roughly £60. At that price, even I was tempted to grab that lesser loved series. 

These bargains are great news for us, but I can't help but wonder what is going through the AP manager's minds at the moment. If these dresses are going to be so hard to shift, will they consider reducing the stock amount again in the future? Already we are seeing a lot more special sets coming out, which are cheaper to make and have fewer details, and those cheaply priced sets are selling far better than the big releases. And there are other areas where I think AP have been cutting corners as well. When I got hold of that Little Bird's Symphonia skirt recently (which originally came out in 2012) I looked at the cute bird lace at the bottom and thought about how AP don't really go all-out with their custom lace now in comparison to the 2012 era. We are seeing a lot of the same lace used over and over again, which often has a simpler design. There is also the odd comment here and there that the quality of the materials seems to have dipped just slightly. But if the series are not selling as well, it makes sense to look at ways of making the releases cheaper.

Another thing to consider is re-releases. When it comes to Angelic Pretty, the series which I frequently see mentioned as desired re-releases are Honey Cake, Cinema Doll and Cat's Tea Party. But with Honey Cake, it was initially an unpopular series. When it originally came out, it ended up in the sale. It was only afterwards that we saw this increase of interest in the series. Even then, just because it gained more popularity over here in the West, it doesn't mean it is as popular in Japan or the rest of Asia. If I was Angelic Pretty, I would be hesitant to re-release Honey Cake, as the market is giving out some very mixed messages. Take a look at the Melty Cream Donuts re-release, which at the time of writing this post has been available for a week and a half. I know a lot of people who were excited about this series coming out again, but only the OP is sold out. Both the JSKs and the skirt are available on their website in every colour still. Maybe Angelic Pretty would have been better off just releasing the OP instead of the whole series, seeing as that is obviously the cut that everybody was after.

My point is, stock levels are always hard to judge, no matter how big or small your brand is. As popular as they may be right now, Automatic Honey is a small indie brand, who probably don't have that many staff. I would absolutely love it if AH did a Made-to-Order of their Halloween stuff, but it may be beyond their means right now. Yes, they could have seen the number of likes they attracted and considered if their stock amount was adequate, but there would have been too little time to potentially make more. Sometimes brands really misjudge how much stock is needed, but lolita fashion is not always the most stable of markets. I know a few people who run indie brands with varying levels of success and I have learnt that setting up a small business like this can be absolutely terrifying. You may think you have come up with a great idea, only for it to not sell well. It is a lot of time and money to invest. If nothing else, hopefully Automatic Honey will see how well this Halloween stock did and will consider making changes in the future. In the mean time, I guess I will be seeing you all in the sales groups if somebody decides to sell that necklace!

Dreaming of Little Lover by Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Today I shall be taking a look at Dreaming of Little Lover by Baby the Stars Shine Bright. This series includes 2 dresses, a skirt, 2 hair accessories, a blouse and socks.

First up is JSK I. The bodice seems well fitted and the shape is lovely. I was initially unsure about the pointed waistline, but it has grown on me. The straps look a very supportive width and I like that they have been lined neatly with lace on the outsides. I am not overly wowed by the choice of lace, which appears on the straps, neckline and on the bodice, but it is at least of a fairly good quality. It is a lace that Baby likes to use quite a lot, so I guess it always feels a bit nostalgic if nothing else. The bodice features a ribbon corset which is lined neatly on either side with some similar lace, but this lace has golden lines threaded through it, which looks really pretty. It also keeps the sides of the ribbon corset looking tidy. I am not fond of the choice of ribbon for the ribbon corset though. It feels too light and wispy, which results in you not being able to make out the criss-crossed ribbon pattern that easily. Something a bit less transparent could have possibly worked better. Above the ribbon corset there is a semi-circle of lace which is topped with a generously sized bow. The lace is layered well and all the details appear to sit nicely on top of each other. I think the bow is a bit big, but it has a cute shape to it and it holds its shape brilliantly. It is nice having the Baby charm dangling from the centre of the bow as well. The back has a panel of shirring which is topped neatly with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show that the skirt looks very full and nicely rounded. It flares outwards generously and I think there is a lot of potential to create a lovely sweet shape. The skirt is kept simple in design, so the print is displayed perfectly. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a double ruffle of glittery tulle, which looks very soft and floaty. 

Here we have JSK II. The bodice seems reasonably well fitted, although I think the bodice shape is a bit dull. I am not that keen on the square neckline. The straps look a very supportive width though. The straps are topped with lace, which then continues down on to the bodice to line a yoke. Again, I think the lace choice is okay, but honestly I think a prettier choice of lace could have been used. I also feel the gathering of the yoke material could have been done neater, or maybe the fabric could have been pleated instead. The bow topping the yoke is a cute shape and sits firmly in place, but I feel this chest bow could be just slightly smaller, especially if the waist bow is left attached. As for the waist bow, it is a bit big and I think the shape of this bow is a bit basic. As mentioned, this waist bow is detachable, and I think I would detach it. I think the dress looks better balanced out when the waist bow is detached. Underneath the yoke, the bodice features 2 small ribbon corsets. These ribbon corsets feature some well spaced out ribbon and more importantly, the choice of ribbon feels more suitable than the ribbon used on the other JSK. These ribbon corsets are also lined very neatly with lace. I really like how these ribbon corsets are very simplistic and subtle in design, so it doesn't overwhelm the yoke. My only complaint is I think the ribbon corsets could do with being placed a bit further apart from each other. The back has a panel of shirring which is once again topped very neatly with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show that the skirt seems to have loads of volume and flares outwards generously. It should hold plenty of petticoat underneath it. This skirt features a bustle on the front, which has well proportioned tiers. The tiers are well layered and sit well on top of each other. I like that each tier is neatly lined with a thin line of lace as well, which is a lovely finishing touch. It stops the tiers bottom hems looking too plain. The overall size and shape of the whole bustle is pretty good as well. Despite the bustle, the print is still displayed beautifully at the sides. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a line of boring looking, but good quality lace.

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

... and another part. This series comes in pink, sax blue, green and red. The colour choices have that typical Baby look to them and I think they all suit the print very well. As for the print itself, I feel it captures a lot of the sweet sentimental moments of being a lolita. We see the lolita dressing up, displaying what is maybe one of her favourite dresses, a nice afternoon tea scene and holding on to her beloved Usakumya doll. It is all very sweet and done in that typical Baby style. The house almost looks like a dollhouse, and it looks very apt for the lolita we can see inside the house. It is all set out very neatly. I really like the floral background and the roses at the bottom of the print too. It all feels quite romantic and shows off the best things about being a lolita.

So overall I think the dress designs are quite pleasant and the print is lovely. There are perhaps some things I would tweak about both dresses, but nothing too major. The print is adorable too. This is maybe not a print that I would go out of my way to own, but I appreciate the sentiment behind it. My top choice would be JSK I in green. One thing I will say though, is that I think the series name is a bit weird (maybe that is just me). I really hope this series does well for Baby.

Recent Haul October 2016

Last time I did a haul post I said I probably wouldn't be doing another for a while, as my wardrobe is currently quite full. However, things have not exactly gone according to plan, so here is another haul post! In all fairness, I have sold a few bits and some of these items are technically replacements. Fortunately most of my wishlist is small accessories now, and I don't have to worry too much about those.

My first of my recent purchases is this Baby Double Ribbon Bag in off-white. This is my first ever purchase from Mercari, although I took a chance and used Japonica, hoping the item would still be available when they went to buy it. There are lots of good deals on Mercari, but unless you have the app you can't see if some of the items have sold or not. There are ways of getting around this, but I decided getting this bag wasn't too urgent, so I wasn't too worried if Japonica couldn't get hold of it. I wanted this bag as a replacement to my other white Baby bag, which is very battered and all the coating is flaking off the handles. I would use this bag and then come home to find I had to brush white flecks off everything and the handles also didn't look pleasant to look at. So I purposely went for a different Baby bag design, and as I already own this style of bag in black I decided to give the white a try. Thankfully, the handles on this bag are done a lot differently and I am very confident that they are going to last a long time. The bag is in good condition with only a few small signs of wear. Although the bag has a sweet design, I will probably use it with my more sweet-classic and mature sweet outfits as well, as I think I can just about get away with it.

The only real sign of wear I found was that the layers of the bow tails have separated. A bit of glue will soon fix that up. The bows on my old white Baby bag were showing signs of damage, so I am going to be more careful about storing this bag, as I feel the bows may be a vulnerable area.

The main reason I like this particular bag design is that it actually has enough room to store stuff! I carry so much stuff with me and most lolita bags are ridiculously small, so I love having a cute bag design that can hold all of my junk. There are a couple of pockets inside to look after the small, important things and an additional handle so I can adjust the way I wear the bag. The only trouble is, I haven't figured out what to do with my old bag. I don't know if I can really sell it, given the condition, but at the same time it could still be used if the handles were replaced. The lolita second hand market appears to be quite stagnant right now, especially here in the UK. Perhaps I would be better off just getting rid of it.

Next up are these Angelic Pretty Twinkle Carnival socks in ivory. I own carousel prints and a few pieces I could use these with, which is my justification for getting them. Also... glittery golden ponies. Need I say any more? I got these off Yahoo Auctions and I was surprised to see that they arrived with the original tags and the tiny metal clip that would have originally held the socks together. They definitely have been used, as the AP logo on the heel is a little worn off. I am always fascinated to see how well other lolitas store their items. Some people really do keep every single tag and treat their wardrobe as if it is a museum collection. I think it is an impressive display of care and attention. It is very easy to just chuck the tags in a pile and forget all about them until after you have sold stuff.

I tried to get a close up of the ponies but it didn't come out very clear! I can just about read the AP logo in person, but in photographs it looks so blurry. The glitter on the socks is perfect.

Finally, I have a new skirt! This is Angelic Pretty's Little Birds Symphonia in ivory. I was going to get the dress, but somebody got to it before me when it popped up on Wunderwelt recently. But this is a print that I have wanted ever since it first came out and I am still very happy to get the skirt. I was initially concerned that the skirt may be a bit short, and it does sit a few inches above my knees, but AP skirts from that particular time did tend to be a bit on the shorter side. The waist measurements on Lolibrary do seem accurate as well.

A close up of the print. I remember when I first saw this series and fell in love with the combination of the bird cages and the roses. I initially wanted the sax blue, but I have since completely fallen out of love with the colour sax blue as a whole, so I found myself looking for the ivory for this series. I really miss this era of Angelic Pretty and I wish they would go back to releasing more prints like this. And I know that if Sammi and Shalisa are reading this they are going to be saying "oh look, the crazy bird lady has yet another bird themed print"! Well I have decided to embrace my love of all things bird-related!

Look at the birdy lace! I really love it when AP go all out with the lace.

I had completely forgotten that this skirt had a bustle on the back. This is my very first bustle, as I am bottom-heavy and have always worried bustles would make me look too big at the back. Thankfully, this bustle doesn't sit too badly on me! I think the bustle is a good size and shape. I like the each tier is lined with the bird lace. I sold 2 skirts so that I could buy this skirt and I am really pleased that I did. I was a bit worried it would be a bit too custesy for my style now compared to 2012, but I am so glad I took a chance on it. I really like this skirt and could not be happier.

So that is my latest haul. Funnily enough, a lot of my wishlist items decided to make an appearance all at once, so it may not be too long before I next do a haul post. I am at least selling stuff and trying to think carefully about my purchases, so I think I am being reasonably sensible. The 2016 me is at least aware that maybe there is such a thing as a too big lolita wardrobe after all!