An AP Double Berry Print Post!

I seem to be getting behind again. I have been putting off discussing these prints because there have been so many berry prints lately that I am actually starting to get really fed up of talking about them! Apologies for the length of this post. Skip past Freshly Picked Strawberries if you want to see Drained Cherry.

Freshly Picked Strawberries

First up is Freshly Picked Strawberries, which has already been out for a few weeks. This series includes 3 dresses, an apron style skirt, a blouse, a cutsew, a head bow, wrist cuffs, a bag, 2 different length pairs of socks and a few pieces of jewellery.

This is the OP. I thought the bodice material looked a bit baggy in the stock photos. I also felt that the overall bodice shape sometimes looked a bit frumpy. The waist bow is a good size and the shape is cute. The bow looks quite perky and the lace along the edges finishes it off nicely without adding too much bulk to it. However, I am not a fan of the polka dot material for the bow. I feel that the use of polka dot on this dress is a bit unbalanced, as if there isn't really enough of it. So to me, the waist bow looks a bit out of place. I know there are polka dots in the print background, but those are more subtle and blend in, whereas the waist bow stands out more.

I also dislike the gathering on the front of the bodice. I don't think it is gathered enough and it sort of looks like there was a half-hearted effort to gather it. I do think the sleeves are suitably puffy though and I like the cute small bows that finish them off. I do think the lace used along the neckline is pretty, although I think the dress could have worked just as well without it.

The back is fully shirred the whole way across, so it isn't concealed. I think it is a bit messy looking. However, the detachable neck ties tie in to a massive bow at the back which if nothing else, helps to detract attention away from the shirring. The skirt has a very pretty rounded shape to it. It flares out beautifully and will hold a decent amount of petticoat. The skirt is kept free of clutter, so the print is displayed very well. The bottom hem is then finished off with adorable berry themed lace.

This is the JSK. The bodice looks like it is more well-fitted than the OP at least. The shape is fairly nice too. The straps are slightly too thin for my liking but I like the way AP have used the stripy material for them and they have the printed bows on them. They are also lined neatly with lace. I really dislike the waist bow on this dress. AP have again gone with polka dots for this bow, which I again don't feel quite works. But what I really dislike about this bow is the shape. The shape is really sloppy looking and it doesn't look as though it has been tied neatly. I also don't understand why they have chosen a scalloped edge for the bow ends, as scallops are not used anywhere else on the dress. On a more positive note, I do like the use of stripy ribbon up the bodice and the way it is topped with cute stripy bows. The lace used underneath is lovely too. It is neat and spaced out well. I also like the stripe running across the neckline and the use of lace. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed neatly by a ribbon corset. The skirt has a lovely, exaggerated round shape to it. It looks very full and plump. The print is displayed brilliantly as well, as the skirt is not cluttered with details. The bottom hem is then finished off with a line of the stripy ribbon and the same cute berry lace.

This is the Shirring JSK and as the name suggests, the bodice is fully shirred the whole way around. I usually really dislike the way full shirring looks and this dress is no exception. I just feel it makes the bodice look lumpy and is not that attractive. The waist has thin ties, a bit like the ones found on AP's Dream Sky skirt. I suppose at least the ties help to nip in the waist area a bit and you can adjust them to your own personal tastes. The neckline is decorated with layered wide lace. The lace is pretty and it is layered neatly. The ribbon threaded through the lace is a nice touch.

The interesting thing about the straps is that both sets are detachable. So you can wear them in any combination you like. After looking at the stock photos I came to the conclusion that I prefer both sets of straps attached. I feel the inner neck tie straps look too plain on their own. The outer lacy straps don't look too bad on their own, but it still feels like there is something missing. I really like the way the outer straps have been done with the way the ribbon ties in to bows on the shoulders and the use of lace, which matches up with the neckline. 

As we already know, the back is fully shirred too and I still think it looks messy. The skirt flares out lots, but looks a bit triangular in shape. The skirt is split in to two tiers and the tiers have been joined well, without affecting the skirt shape too much. If I was being picky, I don't like how the print doesn't line up properly. Due to the amount of gathering on the bottom tier, the print is not displayed as well as the other 2 dresses. I don't think it looks too bad though. The bottom hem is again finished off with the same berry lace.

And here we have the print close up. As we can see the print comes in white, pink, red and black. All the colours work reasonably well with the print but I think my personal favourite is the white. I do like the red version, but I think all the red in the print makes it blend in a little too much. The strawberries are drawn beautifully and are very nicely detailed. I love the use of daisies dotted among the strawberries too. The use of stripes on the ribbon and also in the background is also a nice touch. I can take or leave the polka dot bows though and the polka dots in the background only really show up on the red and black colour ways. I think it is a good, solid effort but maybe is not the best berry print we have seen recently.

So I do like the print but I think the dress designs have put me off this series. It is hard to pick out one dress as my favourite because I have things I dislike about all three of them. In fact, I would probably go for the apron skirt over any of the dresses. Overall, this is quite an average effort.

Drained Cherry

Next up we have AP's other recent berry print- Drained Cherry. This series includes 3 dresses, a skirt, a blouse, a cutsew, a head band, a ribbon clip, socks, tights and a few pieces of jewellery.

This is the OP. The OP doesn't really have a defined bodice shape but you can just make out where the skirt begins. This dress does have waist ties and I wonder how that will affect the shape of this particular dress. I am not normally a fan of this sort of dress shape, but I actually quite like this particular one and wouldn't bother with the waist ties. The sleeves are cute with the right amount of puff to them. They are finished off with small bows as well, which adds interest but thankfully does not look too bulky. The lace on the neckline is soft looking and matches well with the chiffon. The detachable bow on the neckline is adorable. It is the prefect size and really finishes off this simple dress well. The skirt shape is very cute. It is not your typical lolita dress, but it would be good for a cute, casual outfit. The bottom hem is finished off with polka dot lace, which keeps things nice and simple.

This is the Halter JSK. The bodice has that lovely, typical retro look to it. The bodice also looks like it will fit nicely. The slightly heart shaped neckline is cute and fits the retro theme too. I love the belted design. The enamel belt used is a bit simple, but it is the right sort of width and it nips the waist area in brilliantly. I think a heart shaped buckle would have looked really cute though. The dress has a normal set of straps and then some detachable neck ties. The straps are thin, but really suit the style of dress. I actually prefer the neck ties to the actual straps though, and I wish AP had just gone for halter neck straps instead. The one thing I am unsure about is the line of ribbon which cuts across the chest area. I think on some people this line of ribbon may sit awkwardly on them and that the dress would have looked fine without it there. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed neatly by a ribbon corset. The skirt is lovely and full. Although this is not really a lolita series, you could still probably get a nice lolita-esque silhouette from it. The bottom hem is kept plain, but it does work in this case.

This is the High Waist JSK. The bodice looks reasonably well fitted. The bodice is a bit of a peculiar shape, especially the waist line. I am not really a fan of the semi-circle shaped waist and it is a bit too unusual for my tastes. I really love the shape of the neckline though. The neckline and thin straps are lined very nicely with soft looking lace. The lace compliments the soft chiffon well and it sits nicely on the dress. The back is fully shirred and so the shirring is left open and exposed. However, with the style of print the shirring does sort of blend in a tiny bit and doesn't look as bad. I'm still not a fan though. Considering the odd waist line, the skirt shape doesn't turn out that bad. It is very slightly rounded and flares out well. The bottom hem is then finished off with polka dot lace.

And here we have the print. It is available in white, pink, lavender and black. Although it has been done before, I think the unusual combination of lavender with a berry print is lovely. And so, the lavender is currently my favourite. All 4 colours look great though. There is not really much to say about the simple print. The cherries are drawn well and are very cute. I love the subtle inclusion of small bows on some of the cherry stalks, which helps to add a bit of interest.

I really hope to see more head bands like this in the future. I love the way the soft chiffon falls down the side. It goes really well with the retro feel this series has too. Also, it is a bit more casual than standard lolita head gear and quite easy to wear. The interesting thing about this particular head band is you can remove the chiffon bow and just wear it as a normal head band. This makes it quite a versatile piece, as you can wear it in more than one way.

So I think this series is simple, but works really well. I love the chiffon teamed with the cherry print. The dress designs are basic, but cute. I really like how this series looks like it can be casually thrown on. It is effortlessly cute. I would definitely be tempted to buy something from this series for those lazy Summer days. I would probably go for the Halter JSK in lavender, but I do like the OP and also the short length skirt. I don't think I will be buying this series soon, but I am a fan!