AatP's Twilight Circus

I am in a very good mood this evening- my invoice for my Meta Fairy Tale order came through! Sadly, it wont be here in time for my 2nd wedding anniversary on Saturday like I wanted but it is good to know I will have it soon.

So today I thought I would discuss the new Alice and the Pirates series called Twilight Circus. This is quite a large series with 3 dresses, a skirt, 2 blouses, socks, a beret and various small accessories.

First up is this JSK. It features a corset style top which is very nicely fitted. It is decorated with pretty rose lace and then some ruffled lace. The corset makes it look as though the dress is split in to 2 parts. The top of the corset is decorated with pink ribbon. The pink ribbon looks pretty but was slightly frayed at the edges in a few of the close-up photos. The ends probably could have been finished a bit neater. I also thought the pink ribbon looked a little loose and baggy. There are also brown loops holding the ribbon in place which did not look too attractive. The lace used at the top of the bodice is very pretty but looks-wise, it is very different to the other types of lace used so it looks a little out of place. The straps on this dress are very thin and look like they could be quite weak. However, on the website the photos show that this dress can also be worn strapless. I think the dress looks better without the straps. This dress is not a good option for those who like a bit of support. The back of the bodice has ribbon corset detailing. The ribbon used for the colour shown in the stock photos is pink like the ribbon on the front. I think it would have been nice to have the ribbon the same colour as the bodice so it blended better. The skirt part looks like it is a decent length. It appears that the skirt has a fair bit of gathering in it but despite this, you can still see the print part clearly. I would have liked to have seen the skirt flare out a bit more. There are some ribbon bows at the bottom of the skirt which go well with the print and are not too distracting. The bottom hem is finished off with this semi-circle shaped lace which is thin and is nice and simple.

This is the other JSK. I am really loving the whole military trend that we have been seeing on a lot of dresses recently. The military detailing on the front is very pretty. The bodice looks like it is very well fitted around the waist area. However, it looks slightly looser around the arm pit area. Where the bodice meets the skirt, there is a line of lace which helps to break up and make the waist area look less harsh. A similar lace is used along the neckline which is good for continuity. The neckline is a good shape. It is a little low-cut so it is a good excuse to wear a blouse with a very detailed collar! The skirt part of this dress appears to have a better shape compared to the other JSK. It is more rounded. It looks a bit shorter in length, but you could probably hide a decent amount of petticoat underneath. The bottom of the skirt has a bold stripe of colour which at first, I thought was the end of the skirt. in actual fact, there is some lace at the bottom. The lace looks a little flimsy and delicate. I think I would prefer it if the dress ended with the bold stripe of colour.

The really interesting part of this dress is the back part of the bodice-

In my opinion, it looks a little peculiar! The ribbon corset part looks well-spaced and neat and tidy. Although I am not keen on the waist ties, I would put up with these. But what exactly is going on with the bow hovering above the corset part? It looks very out of place compared to the rest of the back. It looks wonky and awkward. I would try and remove it!

However, my least favourite design from the series has got to be this OP. Detail overload! I don't even know where to begin with this dress... The waist ribbon looks ridiculously over-sized compared to the dimensions on the rest of the dress. The other saggy bows on the front do not help one bit. I dislike the see-through panel and the ruffled collar is too much for my personal tastes. The sleeves are covered in loads of little ribbons too. It does not look a lot better when you remove the detachable bell shaped sleeves. I know it sounds harsh, but there is not a single thing I like about the top half of this dress! This is something I would expect from a costume shop, not Alice and the Pirates. At least the skirt part looks pretty. The length appears to be nice and long. The shape is slightly rounded. The print part is displayed nicely and the lace on the bottom hem is pretty and looks tidy. It is such a shame that the top half ruins this dress. I know some people like this sort of style but in my opinion, this OP is a huge disappointment.

This is the print close-up shown here in "Candies Glow" (purple and black). It is also available in Nostalgic Memory (ivory and brown), Nightfall Party (navy) and Phantom Carnival (black). I have chosen Candies Glow as my favourite colour because I like the deep berry tones that they have used. They compliment each other very well. As for the print itself, I love all the clowns! I love the clown which is floating skywards whilst holding a massive bunch of balloons and all the tiny playing cards. There are lots of lovely details, for example the way the clowns each have a different pattern on their trousers. A lot of thought has gone in to this print. It is also good to see that the print is not too crowded.

These are the socks. I thought they looked really cute! I like how they have chosen the balloon part for the socks. Having the clowns on the socks might have looked a bit too childish.

There was another part of this series which amused me-

I think most people would struggle to make this mini beret look good (prove me wrong lolitas!). It doesn't even look like a beret, just a brown puffy mess. The pom pom just makes it look even sillier! It looks like it was cheaply made too.

Well, reading back what I have written, it doesn't look as though I like much of this series! It is a shame because the print is pretty. It is just let down by the dress designs. With a few small changes, both of the JSKs could look very pretty. They have potential and will probably look very beautiful on some very well co-ordinated lolitas. I am sorry, but I think the OP is a huge mess and I can't help smiling every time I see the silly mini beret! If I was buying from this series, I would ignore the dresses and get the skirt. Out of the dresses, I think the military style JSK is the prettiest. I reckon this series will do better than I am predicting but so far, I am not that impressed.