Fancy Box by Angelic Pretty

Today I will be taking a look at the latest series from Angelic Pretty. This series is called Fancy Box. It has 2 dresses, a salopette (or overals as AP are calling this one), a skirt, socks, a head bow and there is also a beret to come.

This is the switching JSK. The bodice looks well fitted but I thought the overall shape looked a bit like a box shape. It doesn't look very feminine in shape, but it does have a lot of shirring in it, so hopefully it will fit around curves well. The polka-dot waist bow is very big, but I think it suits AP. What I like about it is that it is very sturdy and shapely, so it doesn't droop or lose its shape. The bow is detachable but I felt the dress looked better with the bow on. Underneath the bow, is a matching polka-dot ribbon, which is made to look like a belt (it ends at the sides, where it meets the waist ties). It is a bit risky with this style of print because you risk placing the belt on top of the print and it looking uneven or causing a strange break in the print. With this dress, you end up with a very wide part of the printed part before you get more of the solid coloured part. Thankfully, it doesn't look too bad or noticeable, so I think AP gets away with it here.

This is a close-up of the yoke part of the bodice. The lace used looks neat and tidy. Despite there being a lot of lace here, it doesn't look too over-powering. The 3 pink bows on the front are very cute. For me personally, I would want these bows to be a little bit smaller, but I do think it finishes off the yoke cutely.

The straps on this dress are thin and I would have liked them a bit wider so it gives better support. They are edged nicely with a cute scalloped style. The back of this dress has a massive panel of shirring and is half-shirred, meaning it is great for plus-sized lolitas. This panel has not been concealed by anything but because of the style of print, it doesn't look too bad, despite being quite exposed. The waist ties that come with this dress are very wide and are finished with a small cute bow and a wide layer of AP letter lace. I think it would have been better if the lace was a bit narrower here because it is wide. The skirt part has a nice rounded sweet shape to it. You will be able to get a lot of petticoat underneath to suit your sweet needs. I am very happy that the skirt part has been kept very plain because it means the print is the main focus of the dress. The bottom hem is finished off with more AP letter lace.

This is the ruffled shoulder JSK. The bodice on this dress looks a bit less 'boxy' in shape. On the AP website, there are pictures of the dresses being modeled and this dress did appear to be giving the model "boob loaf", but it did give nice curves. The waist on this dress is almost identical to the other JSK. It has the same material, waist ties etc, but on this dress, the bow has been moved to the side. Both styles do look very cute, but I think I prefer the other JSK's waist ribbon because it looked more puffy and it looks nice in the middle of the front. Despite this, this JSK's waist still looks very cute. Most of the bodice on this dress is simple, apart from some small detailing around the neckline.

To save myself some time, here is a picture which best shows the layout of the lace along the neckline. As you can see, they have used the AP letter lace again here, but this time is has ribbon threaded through the top part. The ribbon looks nice and soft, but not overly shiny and it is finished with a cute small bow. The bow has a nice shape, and is a more simple alternative to those who do not like the more OTT style that AP is now known for.

The straps on this dress are a bit wider and I think they look much better. As the name of this JSK suggests, there is a ruffle on the shoulder. The ruffle is spaced out well and not gathered too much. It looks cute and I think the ruffle width is about right for this dress. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed by a ribbon corset, although this dress is only quarter shirred so the sizing is less generous. The skirt is not as rounded on this dress but it flares out nicely and will hold a lot of petticoat. I thought that this dress was very short, even by AP's standards. The skirt is more detailed on this dress, but it has been done beautifully and the print is still displayed well. Where the printed part ends, there is a line of heart punched lace, which looks really cute. There is then a line of AP letter lace underneath, despite the wide lace, it is not over-powering. The lace is topped by some small bows, which finishes the dress off nicely without attracting too much attention. The bottom then has a polka dot ruffle, which ties in well with the polka dot used on other parts of the dress.

And finally, the print close-up. This print is available in ivory, pink, blue and black (as demonstrated in this picture). I think my favourite is the blue colour because it contrasts well with the colours used in the printed part. This makes all the print details pop out. But I do think that every colour option works brilliantly with the print. All the cute boxes are so well detailed. They are topped with nicely drawn ribbons. I especially love the box with the cupcakes on it! The bunny and the bear look adorable but I can't help but think that the bear looks awfully familiar. I can't put my finger on where I have seen this bear before, but the design does seem familiar to me. I just don't know where from! But despite me thinking they don't look that original, the bunny and bear are still cute!

So overall, I do think this is a promising series. I can't see myself adding this to my wishlist, but the designs are very strong and well thought-out. I think AP knows what works for them and they do what they do very well. Hopefully this will be a crowd pleaser. If I had to pick a dress, I would go for the shirred JSK (the first one) and I would get it in blue. It will also be interesting to see the other items, such as the beret, when more pictures become available. However, my one major complaint about AP at the moment is that they are doing  a lot of mini skirts right now but no standard length skirts (this series just has a mini skirt and the overalls). Whilst the mini skirts are cute, I am hoping we also get more standard length options in the future.