AP's Little Bird's Symphonia

I apologise for the increased volume of Angelic Pretty posts lately! Today I will be looking at the new AP print called Little Bird's Symphonia. This series has 2 dresses, a skirt, a bonnet, a head bow, a valletta, an eco tote, socks and a few bits of jewellery.

This is the OP. The bodice looks well fitted and it has a nice shape. I understand that some people dislike bell-shaped sleeves but I think it suits this dress. The OP is very dressy and full of detail, and so the sleeves help to balance the design. It does look OTT but considering the size of some bell sleeves I have seen, I am just relieved that AP didn't make them any bigger! I do like the lace used on the cuffs, but I wish they had left the shiny bow ribbon off. The waist bow is big, but it does have a very interesting shape to it.

There is a lot of lace used on the bodice. However, the lace is good quality and it doesn't stick out too much. The lace has been used neatly and I think it looks more OTT than costume-like. The lace curves around the arms and gives it a cute look, as if the wearer is wearing a bolero. However, I dislike the bows. The ribbon used is shiny and despite it being a sweet print, it almost looks a little too cute. I believe this dress could have worked without the ribbons there.

I think the choker on this dress is very stuffy and frumpy. It just doesn't appeal to me at all! I don't think it will flatter the wearer that much and I would also be concerned that it wouldn't feel very comfortable. Plus the lace may be good quality, but I would hate having that lace at the top tickling my chin!

The back has a panel of shirring concealed well by a ribbon corset. Also on the back, there is this ruffle detail. The ruffles are spaced out well. The use of the printed fabric does mean it blends in a bit, but it does give the back a bit of extra texture and detail.

Just like the rest of the dress, the skirt shape is also OTT. The skirt flares out so much and it will hold loads of petticoat. Halfway down the skirt, there is a horizontal line of lace which doesn't cause a harsh break, but I do worry about whether the print will be lined up properly. The bottom hem is finished off with beautiful bird lace, which looks very cute. For some reason, this dress comes with an additional drawstring pouch. I am sure you could find a use for it but it seems like a strange item to include! One of my main concerns about this dress is that OTT sweet is not as popular now as it once was. Is that going to limit the appeal of this dress?

This is the JSK. The bodice is a nice shape to it. There is rose shaped lace running up the bodice, but due to the lace in the print, it does blend in quite a lot. The horizontal lace does stand out a bit more. It is good quality lace and it looks soft. This lace is also used along the neckline. I think this dress does need a bit of lace here to stop the bodice looking too dull. However, the bodice does also have the large bow on the neckline. The bow is very nicely shaped and it looks very sturdy, not floppy at all. The bow is decorated with lace and pearls. The pearls are a nice finish to the bow and they work well with the print. The waist is plain but it would look a bit ridiculous if there was another big bow there as well! The straps are fairly thin, but are decorated with the cute bird lace. The back has a shirring panel concealed by a ribbon corset. The skirt is once again, very flared. The good thing is, it will hold a decent amount of petticoat underneath, but I was hoping the skirt shape would be a bit rounder. The waist does have to small ribbon bows and a line of lace continues down the skirt from these points. It does blend in a lot but it does have small bows running down it. The bows are very shiny and I don't think they add that much to the design.

Like the OP, this skirt is divided in to two parts by a line of lace. I couldn't help noticing that the lace changes with rose lace between the bows and different lace used for the rest of the way around the dress. I am unsure I like this detail. Again, I think the print doesn't line up exactly, which is a shame. The bottom hem is finished off with the pretty bird lace.

Here is the print close-up. I fell in love with this print from the very first time I saw it! This is definitely my style of print! The combination of bird cages and roses is a great success in my opinion. The birds in the cages and flying around are very cute. Despite being a very busy print, I think everything fits together so well that I am not worried about it looking too OTT. I really wish AP would use roses in their prints more often. I love the alternating roses and lace lines in the print. All four colours look beautiful but for me, the sax blue is my favourite. The sax blue just stood out to me. However, I would be quite happy to get any colour!

There are 3 different hair accessories released for this series but I think the valletta is my favourite. I like how it is a little bit different from the standard AP hair accessories. The bird perched on top of the roses is just so cute! The valletta focuses on the main features of the print and it looks beautiful.

I was talking about the free gift necklace event on Friday, but I have to admit that I prefer this necklace! I do love this style of jewellery. However, it is worth noting that you could probably find similar pieces on the high street. The AP necklace is still lovely though.

So overall, this series is one that I am very excited about. However, I do think the OP design lets the rest of the series down. I would definitely go for the JSK or skirt and I would try to go for the sax blue colour. Ever since I first saw the scans, I have been waiting desperately to see all the items go up on the AP website. This series gets my seal of approval and I have already added it to my wishlist!