An AP print discussion double post!

To make up for the fact that I got a bit behind with the print discussions, I will today be discussing 2 Angelic pretty prints! Today I am looking at Moon Night Theatre and Sugar Hearts. I will be doing MNT first, so scroll down if you want to skip to Sugar Hearts. Brace yourselves, this will be a very long post!

Firstly, here is Moon Night Theatre. The series is comprised of 3 dresses, a skirt, head bow, socks and some accessories. This series has already been released.

This is the OP. The bodice looks very well fitted. I like how this dress is divided in to 2 parts so the print is not totally dominant. The front corset looks very neat and well spaced out and the ribbon looks good quality. Although the lace running vertically alongside the corset looks neat and well presented, I didn't like the shape and type of lace used. The neck ties help to give the dress a good shape and are a good length. The sleeves look cute and I like the slight puffy appearance. They also look nicely elasticated for various sizes and the lace used is good quality and cute. There are 2 small bows on each sleeve, which looks a little fussy, so I would have preferred just one pair of bows here. The back has a panel of shirring, which is concealed by a ribbon corset. The waist ties are also very well concealed and not that visible from the front. The skirt has a cute round shape to it. Although the skirt is a pretty shape, maybe it is a little too sweet compared to the print. Despite the large number of pleats, it doesn't appear to conceal the print that badly. The lace on the bottom hem is very pretty and features 'A' and 'P' on it.

This is the pleated JSK. The overall shape of the bodice looks well fitted, but in a few of the pictures the dress material looked a bit loose in places. Unlike the OP, this JSK features the print all over so I think the belt around the waist is a good idea to help break it up a bit. The waist bow looks very cute and if you like, you can detach the belt. There are another 2 lines of black material topped with bows, which stop the dress from looking too plain. These bits are surrounded by pretty lace, but the lace blends in a bit so it is not instantly noticeable. There is thin lace along the neckline and along the sleeves, which looks nice and soft. The straps are a bit thin, but the lace helps to thicken them a little. I would have liked wider straps for more support and to stop them falling down. The back does not have any shirring in it, so not good for larger wearers. The back has been kept plain apart from some ribbon crossing over between the straps. The skirt looks a very generous size and with the pleats as well, it will fit a lot of petticoat underneath. The overall shape is not as rounded as the OP, but I prefer the slightly more A-line shape. The pleats on this dress are a bit deeper so the print is a bit more obscured and not displayed as well. But at least the print is not covered with too many details such as extra ribbons. The bottom hem is finished with the same lace as the OP.

This is the tiered JSK. The bodice looks a good shape, but it doesn't look that well fitted. Thankfully, the detachable belt has been used on this JSK as well to help break up the print. Going on first impressions, the dress looks a bit plain, but the bodice does have a raised section, which has folds in it to give it added volume and texture. I think the ribbon on the front looks a little strange and maybe would have looked nicer if it was in a zigzag shape. The straps are a bit thin, but they do match the belt very well. The straps are topped with nicely shaped bows, which adds interest. There is a large panel of shirring on the back which has been left open, so it looks very exposed. I also thought that when the ribbon waist ties were removed, the shirring was more obvious because you could see the difference in the print spacing. The skirt shape is a bit lumpy, but you tend to expect that at least a little bit with tiered designs. The skirt flares outwards nicely, so it will fit a lot of petticoat. There is a ribbon line running along the bottom hem, which is then finished with more of the same lace. For some reason the lace appears wider and more noticable on this dress, compared to the other 2 dresses.

And this is the print close-up. In all honesty, when I saw the title Moon Night Theatre, I was expecting something very different to the actual print. I thought it would be similar to Starry Night Theatre (a series I would love to own) and that I would instantly fall in love with this new series. But as you can see, this print is not what I was expecting and because I set my hopes highly, I was disappointed! I do like the gold parts on the print such as the chandeliers, castle, curtains and top hat. What I can't get over is why AP have chosen to obscure what could have been a beautiful print with ANGELIC PRETTY written in massive letters over the top. Are AP, trying to hammer home the message about where you got your dress from? With the letters being so dominant, this print was a huge let-down for me. However, it is interesting to see AP using more muted colours. Despite this, I think my favourite is the black colour, simply because the gold stands out the best on the darker background.

So overall, I think the dress designs suit the print, but the print is just not that exciting. I was very disappointed with this series and I was hoping for a lot more. However, I did like the necklace that was released as part of this series, but sadly I forgot to get a picture! I would recommend looking up the necklace.

And now, we will move on to Sugar Hearts, which is a slightly newer series but is already available on AP's website. This series has 2 dresses, a skirt, a headbow, a cutsew, and there are still socks to come. A few pieces from the Candy Treat series have also been made available again because Sugar Hearts is a bit like a continuation of the Candy Treat series, as you will see below.

This is the OP. As you can see, this series is made with chiffon, giving it a soft floaty feel. The bodice looks well fitted, considering the material used (you don't really want tight chiffon!). The belt helps to make the dress smart, stopping it from looking like frilly nightwear. The sleeves look a bit droopy and could have had a bit more shape to them. The sleeves and neckline have lines of thin lace, which has heart shape details. The lace is a good width, because the dress is frilly enough.

The bodice has a raised panel, lined with more heart lace and topped with very cute buttons. I absolutely love the buttons! They are so sweet and look just like the actual sweets. There is a floaty bow just above the buttons, but I think it looks a bit cheap and I would take it off.

The back has a panel of shirring, which is concealed well by a ribbon corset. I quite like the waist ties (shown) because unlike a lot of waist ties, they are not completely boring! I like the rounded ruffle edge, topped with bows.

The skirt part flares out nicely, so it is prefect for a sweet look. The tiers are spaced nicely. I think tiers look really pretty when used with chiffon. It looks so frothy and girly, and surprisingly for me, I love it! Each tier is finished nicely with some thin lace, just to make the edges look prettier.

This is the JSK. I like the babydoll high waist design, although it does look a bit like a nightie. I think this is one of those dresses that you could wear casually, but with the right accessories, you could make a beautiful OTT outfit with it too. I think the heart shaped neckline is pretty and the bows at the bottom of the straps compliment the design. The bows are not too big, shaped nicely and placed well. I also think that the straps are the right width for the dress style.

However, I do think that the JSK does have too many buttons on the front. They look overcrowded. Sometimes, less is more! The chest area also has quite a bit of gathering. It will help add a bit of volume to a smaller bust.

The skirt part is not as flared as the OP and doesn't flow as nicely. But it is still very cute, and you will be able to use a lot of petticoat with it. The edges of the tiers have different lace, which is wider and more noticeable and topped with bows. It looks more fancy, but I prefer the OP.

Finally, here is the print close-up. It is not exactly original, but it does take my favourite part of the Candy Treat print and makes it the main feature. I loved the candy hearts on Candy Treat and I love them here as well. The colours are the typical range of pastels, white and black. I would happily wear any of the pastel shades or the white version. I didn't think the black version looked as pretty. I figured with such a cute print, I would go the whole way and pick the sweetest colours too!

So whilst this series does not seem that special, I am not dismissing it. Although it doesn't appear to be selling that quickly, I think it would be a great addition to a sweet wardrobe. I would definitely buy from this series. I think I would go for the OP because I think the design works better. As for the colour? I am not fussy. I like all the colours. Sugar Hearts does not live up to its 'mother print' (I just randomly came up with the term 'mother print' right now!) Candy Treat but it is still super cute.

And so, if you are reading this sentence, it means you got to the end of my mammoth post. Give yourself a pat on the back. You deserve it!