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.