Drosselmeyer's Wonder Box by AatP

Today I will be doing a very festive print discussion with the latest from Alice and the Pirates. It is called Drosselmeyer's Wonder Box. This series includes 3 dresses, a bustier, a skirt, a shirt, a headbow, a hat, socks and a necklace.

This is the OP. The bodice looks like it is a good shape and nips in nicely at the waist. There is a large white yoke part, which I think would look better if it didn't go the whole way across because the sleeves look a bit 'cut off'. However, the yoke is decorated very prettily with nice quality rose shaped lace and the collar part looks very decorative, but hopefully not too tickly on the neck. The brown buttons are a bit plain but are nice and shiny. The edge of the yoke has a line of ribbon with a hint of gold, which gives the tartan part a nice tidy edge. There is a bow on the front, placed just below the yoke. The bow is a good size (not too big, but also not too small) and it is nicely shaped. The bow also has 2 plain gold chains hanging from it, but they don't really add much to the design and look a bit plain. The bow is detachable. The sleeves are very straight and could maybe do with being a tiny little bit puffier to stop it looking too flat. The back has no shirring and there is not much detail to discuss. There is another line of ribbon around the waist, but I don't think this works so well here because the shiny texture of the ribbon shows up quite a bit here. The skirt shape is quite A-line in appearance which is good for classic. I actually believe this series could work with sweet lolita too, so the shape of the skirt shape may not appeal as much to some. The main part of the skirt is quite plain, so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is finished off with more of the ribbon used on other parts of the dress and then also, there is some very soft looking material so the bottom doesn't end to harshly.

This is the Clara JSK (or the military JSK as I have been calling it). I absolutely love the shape of the bodice, which is very nicely fitted and has a low scoop neckline which would be perfect for wearing with a blouse with some nice ruffle detailing around the collar! The belt emphasises the waist well and I usually find that having a solid coloured belt is good when wearing a tartan dress. It helps to stop the tartan from looking too over-whelming and a bit easier to wear. I am also loving the stripes and button detailing down the front. It fits in well with the print theme and I like the crest picture on the buttons. The material around the neckline is folded over to look like a collar, which gives the bodice extra depth and I think it looks very smart. To stop the military theme looking too harsh, the collar part is finished with beautiful rose lace, which adds a feminine touch. The sleeve width suits the shape of the dress well and are not too thin. The back has a panel of shirring which is covered by a ribbon corset. The ribbon used is black, which I think stands out a little bit more than the wearer would want, but I think in this case this is a minor issue. The skirt part on this dress is the straightest in this series, but I think that it suits this particular dress. I would definitely recommend an A-line petticoat here. The simple skirt means that the print is displayed well. The bottom hem is finished off with some fairly wide, but good quality lace.

This is the Mary JSK. I think the bodice on this dress looks a little strange. I don't know whether the bodice appears too low down or whether it just has very long straps. Either way, I can imagine the neckline might cut across the chest area and look a bit peculiar on some wearers. I am not sure I would be comfortable with how this dress would sit on me. The top of the bodice has a band of velveteen material. The material looks very soft and luxurious, but I think the overall shape could have been nicer. The velveteen is topped with a line of ribbon and a bow in the middle. The bow is small and cute and I think it is definitely needed there. The velveteen part is finished with a line of pretty lace. I actually would have liked to have seen a waist bow on this dress. If you had a detachable bow at the waist, then at least you would have more options. The waist ties are quite well concealed from the front view and so the waist does look a bit bare. The back has a panel and shirring concealed by a ribbon corset and this time, the ribbon blends in better. However, there are 2 lines of bright white lace on either side of the shirring, so you can still see the panel there. The skirt part still has quite a classic shape, but it does look rounder and will probably flare outwards quite a bit, so if you wanted to sweeten this series up, this dress could be a good option. Again, the skirt part has been kept relatively plain so you can see the print better. The lace along the bottom hem is quite wide, but I do like the use of ladder lace, which you can thread ribbon through.

Here is the print close-up. It is available in Canaria yellow, emerald green, cardinal red and navy. As this is a very Christmas themed set, I think the green and red look the best, with green being my absolute favourite. The navy is also quite pretty but I think the yellow looks horrible! I adore the toys on this print because they are all very old-fashioned. it is quite nostalgic. But I do find the teddy bear with the moustache and beady eyes a bit creepy (what is it with Baby/AatP and creepy bears lately?). I like the arches because they are very detailed, especially with the crowns. A personal favourite of mine is the shields and medals which appear at the top.

My current obsession with military in lolita shows no sign of slowing down. I really like this military style hat! I especially like the gold chain detail. The problem I have with this particular hat is that I don't think it would match a lot of items, so its uses might be a bit limited.

I really like the socks from this series! I think the idea of using medals is a bit different and I like the way it is laid out on this sock. I would really like a pair of these for my Meta Old Emblem skirt.

Although this series wont be appearing on my wishlist, I do find this set very appealing. I really like the military JSK design. And I would definitely like to get the socks. However, I would be very reluctant to actually buy this and the reason is that because this print is quite festive, I would be worried that I would only end up wearing this dress around Christmas time. The Christmas influence is quite strong. I reckon there will be lots of outfit posts with this set over the Winter, but after that the popularity might fizzle out a bit. I just don't think this series is strong enough to compete with AP's Twinkle Carnival this festive season.