AatP's Black Cat and Witch

Today I thought I would have a look at the latest Alice and the Pirates print called Black Cat and Witch. This series has a lot of items including 3 dresses, a skirt, a vest, pants, socks, a headbow, a blouse, jewellery and... a witch hat! Anybody would think Halloween was coming...

This is the first JSK. The bodice has a beautiful shape to it and is very well fitted. The front has a detachable bow. The bow is very big and looks a little OTT with the lace. I would detach it purely to show off the lace underneath. The bodice has some very beautiful large rose shaped lace. It is larger than the usual lace you find on dresses and it has got lots of pretty details to it. You can see all the petals and even the veins on the leaves. There are another 2 lines of lace running vertically and more lace along the neckline which are pretty, but the rose lace is the real star of this dress. The straps look a little thin and flimsy so I would have liked to see slightly wider straps. The back of the bodice is very low and almost looks like a high waisted skirt from the back. There is shirring hidden well by a ribbon corset. The ribbon is spaced well and the colour used blends in well. The skirt part is a pretty shape; lovely and round. The skirt has little detail to it. The main detail is the line of lace running along the bottom hem, which helps to soften the edge.

This is the other JSK. The bodice is not as fitted as the other JSK but it still looks pretty. The bodice has a corset on the front and the ribbon looks like it is good quality. It is spaced well and there is rose lace running alongside it so the edges are not obvious. This dress has a ruffled collar, which I think looks beautiful. The lace, ruffles and bow are well layered and it gives the dress added texture and stops the dress looking too flat. Sadly, the collar ends a little strangely on the back. It is broken up by the ribbon corset on the back. It might have looked better if the ends of the collar met in the middle but that might have affected the shirring panel. The skirt on this dress looks a little less rounded, but due to the gothic style of print, this may appeal to its wearers. It still looks as though the skirt can flare outwards quite a bit so you could fit a decent amount of petticoat underneath. The skirt on this dress has also been kept plain. The bottom hem has a thin line of gold which helps to bring out the gold in the print. The bottom is then finished with a ruffle.

This is the OP. The bodice looks a good shape. The neckline is also pretty. Whilst the lace on the front does look good quality, it maybe wasn't the prettiest choice. It is a shame that AatP didn't use more of their pretty large rose lace on this OP. It also looks a little itchy. There are also 2 velvet bows on both sides of the waist. They do look pretty but could add a little bit of unwanted width on the waist area. The long sleeves on this dress are HUGE. They are very theatrical and dramatic but some would say they might be a bit too dressy and looks a bit like a costume. They do look interesting and are neatly lined with gold trim and feature more velvet bows. However, the size is so big that it might look too big on little arms. I can also imagine them being very impractical and catching on things as you walk past. The back of the bodice has been kept completely clear but the zip looks well hidden. The skirt part looks like it has a good shape but with all those layers, you will need a good petticoat to properly show off the dress to its full potential. The skirt is split in to 2 parts, the solid colour part and the print part. The ruffles are lined with a line of gold trim and sparkly tulle. The glitter on the tulle is very colourful. I think it looks pretty but I am sure many people will also dislike it. The layers look nicely spaced out. Part of the printed part appears on the back of the dress but I would have kept the printed part just on the front with just solid colour on the back. The bottom of the printed part is finished with rose shaped lace and the bottom hem has a wider line of the sparkly tulle. It is a very detailed dress.

And this is the print close-up. This is the sort of print that I have come to expect from Alice and the Pirates. It is a beautiful gothic print. I adore the archways. My favourite part of the print is the moons that are poking out at the top part of the arches because if you look closely, you will see that the moons go in their cycle. In this picture you can see the moon on the left is full but the other moons are thinner and at different stages in the lunar cycle. I also like the playful cat. The print is available in 4 colours- black, red, navy and ivory (going on the print part, not the solid colours they are paired with). I think the navy colour works best with the print but the black and red work too. I think that the brown colour which is paired with the ivory for the OP, looks a little dull and washed out.

I know it looks a little too costume-like for a lolita outfit, but I really like the witch hat! The material looks so soft and I love the feather.

I adore the apple ring. It is a little different from other apple themed jewellery I have seen because the apple is see through with little bubbles inside. I think it looks really pretty!

This cat and broom necklace is also gorgeous. I love the colour of the broom and the cat looks so pretty. If I was a gothic lolita, I would try and wear jewellery like this every single day.

So overall, I would say this is a very strong series. The print is beautiful and will appeal to AatP fans. I would be happy to own either of the JSKs and the jewellery too. I definitely think the navy looks the prettiest but the other colours also work well. I hope that this series is a hit!