This is the pinafore JSK. The bodice appears to fit well, but I am unsure I like the overall shape of the bodice. It looks very plain and I think the bodice is a bit too long. The waist bow is actually a belt, so you can tie the bow anywhere you like. It is good for defining the waist and also means you can play around and find a style to suit you. I think the bodice of this dress is very boring because there is a lot of plain fabric there. I understand that with a gothic print you would probably get less details, but I still found this dress very dull. The front does have 3 gold rose shaped buttons but they look really out of place when there is no gold anywhere else on the dress. The ruffle along the neckline stops the edge looking too harsh and the sturdy bow at the base of one set of the straps thankfully gives the bodice a bit of interest. This dress has 2 very thin sets of straps and I think I would have preferred one set of straps. The back has a panel of shirring which blends in very well and is concealed further by a ribbon corset. The skirt shape starts off quite straight but then gets more puffy towards the bottom (see the next photo).
Although the main material of the skirt is flaring outwards, towards the bottom hem of this dress where it meets the frill, it appears to go inwards. I dislike how this gives the dress a puffy balloon-like appearance. It gives the skirt part an awkward shape. I think for the best shape, you would have to puff out the top part with a fluffy petticoat to help even out the bottom. However, this kind of goes against the typical gothic lolita shape.
This is the switched pinafore JSK. The bodice part is very well fitted and has a pretty shape to it. The straps are a good width and work well with the circular collar. As the word 'switched' suggests, this dress switches between a solid colour part on the bodice and the printed part on the skirt. I think it gives the dress a very smart appearance. The solid coloured bodice is made from this material called "Koshibo Chirimen" which is not something I am familiar with, but appears to have a very rich, almost velveteen look to it. The bodice has lots of ruffles running vertically and along the circular collar. It is very simple, but I think this dress has a very mature grown-up feel to it. I really like it! The bodice is finished off with a waist ribbon, which blends in well with the bodice. It looks the right sort of size for the dress and finishes it off well. The back has a shirring panel, concealed well by a ribbon corset. The skirt part is very rounded but looking at the pictures, I think it works very well, even if the print is gothic. The print is displayed well and is not cluttered with detail. However, the bottom hem does look a bit plain. Overall, I think this dress design works the best.
This is the bustle pinafore JSK. The bodice is a nice shape. I really like the heart shaped neckline. Between the heart shape curves, there are some subtle ruffles and I really like this idea. It gives the area a bit more depth and texture. The straps are thin but about the right width for this style of dress.
I dislike the 2 harsh lines of braid running across the bodice. Design-wise, I think it looks out of place and sticks out. The bodice would look better without it. There is also some braiding running along the straps, but this is not as obvious. Whilst the bow looks the right size for the dress and blends in well, the cameo looks a bit droopy. I also don't think the colours on the cameo work that well because you don't see them anywhere else on the dress. So it sticks out a bit. I would get some nice jewellery to match the cameo if I were to get this dress. The shirring on the back is concealed well by a ribbon corset.
As for the skirt part... oh god, that bustle and gathering! If you look back up to the first picture of this dress, the skirt is really uneven, with the right-hand side looking comically shorter. I thought that maybe it was just that one photo but after looking at the other pictures, it is indeed like this in all of them. The skirt has a double layer of material on top, which is gathered at the waist (on the uneven side). It just looks really weird! Sadly, the bustle part on the back does not look much better.
I think my issue here is not the actual bustle, but the way the waist ties sit on top. It tricks the eye and makes it look like the bustle starts a little too high. Also, I think that even if you have the smallest backside in the world, this dress will make it look huge! I would definitely detach the waist ties here. The bustle itself looks like it is relatively flat and so it shouldn't cause much issue once the waist ties are gone. But the wonky appearance from the front is still a deal-breaker for me.
Finally, here is the print close-up. This series is available in black, green and wine. All the colours work really well with the style of print, although the black colour-way looks very shiny (but now there are more pictures, the shine doesn't look as bad as it initially did in the first pictures). I really do love it when Metamorphose decide to do a more gothic style print. I think this print is gorgeous and this picture doesn't really do it justice. The roses are really detailed and the horses are beautiful. As time has gone on, I have grown to like all the colours this print comes in, but I guess I would go for black.
So overall, I think this is a very beautiful print, but it is let down by the dress designs. The switched pinafore JSK is fairly pretty, but I personally will be avoiding the other 2 styles of JSK completely. But there is always the skirt! I can't see this series being a best-seller and I am really hoping my doubts about the dresses are just down to bad stock photos.
I love the switched pinafore jsk, it's so stunning!!! :)
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Me too! It is my favourite dress by far!
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