Musee Du Chocolat by Angelic Pretty

Today I am looking at the latest Angelic Pretty chocolate print. It is called Musee Du Chocolat. This series includes 4 dresses, a skirt, a blouse, 3 pairs of socks, tights, 3 hair accessories, a sash, gloves, an umbrella and several pieces of jewellery.

This is the OP. The bodice is an interesting shape and looks like it is reasonably well fitted. I think that the interesting thing about this OP is that it has been made to look like a JSK with a blouse underneath. The very first time I glanced at this OP I seriously thought the blouse part was separate! But this just goes to show how well it has been executed. The crepe de chine sleeves are a lovely length and are finished off well with bows and good quality lace. The chest area of the 'blouse' is covered with carefully layered lace and the end result is frothy, with lots of texture and detail to it. There is also the detachable bow with a line of gold trim, which I think makes a fantastic neck decoration. Although it is a shame that the use of gold elsewhere on the dress is so subtle in comparison to this bow. The ruffles around the neck match up perfectly with the chest area, although I wonder if it may be a bit itchy and tickle the wearer! The waist bow is a pretty shape. It looks quite perky and sits well on the dress. I would have preferred it to be just a slight bit smaller though. However, I do like the use of gold to line the edges of this waist bow. The front then has ribbon corset styling and the ribbon used is not shiny looking at all. I would maybe prefer the ribbon corset to be slightly wider width-wise so the ribbon is spaced out more and a bit less bunched together. The only other thing I would maybe change is the buttons on the chest area, as the ones used look a bit dull. Overall though, I think the bodice is good. The back doesn't have any shirring but has been kept quite neat. The stock photos show the potential to get a very rounded skirt shape. If anything, I think it may be slightly too rounded. But at least it would suit a more OTT sweet co-ordinate if you are in to that sort of thing. The skirt is free of cluttering details and so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off with a subtle line of gold that adds a hint of luxury, and then a simple ruffle that matches the 'blouse'.

This is the first JSK. The bodice is a relatively interesting shape. It looks like it could fit well, although in some stock pictures the material also looked a bit on the baggy side. The straps are a decent width and look quite strong. The straps are lined with lace which does soften the edges nicely, although does make the straps look bulkier than they actually are. The neckline with the line of brown braid and the gold trim has been done very neatly and helps to liven up the bodice a bit. Hanging from the neckline is a gold chain, which is detachable. The chain ends are concealed neatly beneath the gold trim. However, I feel the detachable chest ribbon and the waist brooch are a bit of a disappointment. Both of these bows look a bit droopy and basic. They look too plain and simple teamed with such a dressy print. I do like the little embroidered sash part on the waist brooch but the saggy bow lets it down. The trouble is, I feel the dress looks too plain with both of these bows detached. For me personally, this dress design is not to my personal tastes and the detachable bows are a bit part of that. The back is fully shirred the whole way across and so, it is left uncovered. But because of the busy print, the shirring blends in a bit and doesn't look as bad. The stock photos again show that the skirt has the potential to be very full and rounded. The skirt is just slightly more subtle than the OP. The print is displayed reasonably well. The bottom hem is finished off with a line of beautiful custom lace.

This is the second JSK. The bodice looks fairly well fitted but the overall shape is a bit too 'boxy' for my liking. I think the straight lines are a bit harsh. The straps are a good width though, and suit the dress. They are lined with gold on the outside too, which stops them looking too basic. The triangular shaped yoke on the bodice is... interesting? It is a very bold and different choice but I am not a fan. It has been executed neatly and the lace lining it fits well but something about it just doesn't quite work for me. I think maybe it would have looked better if there had been a proper waist bow in the centre to soften and slightly conceal the bottom point so the triangle shape looked less harsh. The rope style belt with the mini waist bow and tassels is a nice idea, but looks a bit too slouchy. Basically, I hate the triangle yoke and I wish the waist was a bit more 'nipped in' and defined. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed neatly by a ribbon corset. The skirt shape is again very rounded and full. I think the skirt could do with being a bit longer length-wise though. The skirt is kept clutter free and so the print is displayed brilliantly. The bottom hem is then finished off with more of that pretty custom lace.

This is the Low Waist JSK. I think it is fair to say that this JSK wont suit every body shape. The dropped waist gives it a more slouchy and casual appearance. The bodice appears reasonably well fitted and is an interesting shape. The straps are a decent width and look fairly strong. The bodice has a long yoke on the front. I think a smaller yoke would have worked better, as having a yoke that ends so low on the bodice just emphasises the long bodice shape a lot more. A smaller yoke would possibly look a bit cuter too. However, the yoke does have neat pleats and lace, which give make it a bit more interesting and not too flat looking. There is a line of buttons running up the middle of the yoke. The buttons are simple but whereas they looked too basic on the OP, on this more casual dress they don't look too bad. The yoke is finished off with a cute bow at the top which has been done neatly and is a good shape. The neckline is finished off with some lace which stops it looking too plain. Along the edge of the yoke and up along the inner straps there is a line of brown braid and thin gold lace, which adds some interest. The waist brooch is the same as that on the first JSK and I am still not a fan of the sloppy, simple bow. However, I do think this brooch suits this casual looking dress better than it does the first JSK. I also think this dress looks okay with the waist brooch detached as well. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed neatly by a ribbon corset. The shirring panel has been extended downwards and widens towards the bottom to accommodate the lower waist line, which is useful. The shirring panel has a detachable bow at the bottom but I would prefer to detach it, as it would emphasise a larger backside. Perhaps this bow could be used to decorate the front of the dress somewhere? The skirt is short but has a decent amount of fullness to it. I think it has the potential to look quite cute even if it is not your standard lolita silhouette. The bottom hem is then finished off with the lovely custom lace. Interestingly, this dress does not use the bottom part of the print, but luckily the print is still detailed enough for it to work well here.

And here we can see what the print looks like. As you can see, the print comes in ivory, pink, mint and brown. These are quite standard AP chocolate print colours, so there are no real surprises here. But seeing as these colours work so well, why change things? For me the ivory is the stand-out colour because whilst it works well for sweet, I could see it working with a more classic outfit with the right styling too. As for the print itself, it is very busy but I think it works well. I love the background, decorated with cakes and crowns. I am especially a fan of the inclusion of crowns, giving the print a slight royal theme as well as the chocolate theme. As for the chocolate frames, the use of bolder brown makes the frames really stand out. The frames are decorated well and look very pretty. The pictures inside the frame are nice but one stands out a fair bit... I am not really a fan of the teddy bear in this print as it seems to stick out and doesn't quite match up with the other frames in the print. It just looks a bit out of place. The other pictures are wonderful though. I especially like the carousel horse one. The bottom of the print is also lovely, with the subtle chocolate bar tucked away at the bottom. Ignoring the teddy bear, I think this is an amazing print. I could probably learn to ignore the teddy bear but it seems a shame that this one small bit lets the print down.

It would appear that sashes or 'echarpes' are becoming a bit of a trend at the moment. The recent Day Dream Carnival re-release had one and now Musee Du Chocolat does too. I have also seen some lolitas online who have made their own versions too. I personally am a fan of these sashes. I think they are an interesting way to add an extra special something to an outfit. Whilst it wouldn't be that great with a more casual outfit, I think sashes are perfect for a more OTT outfit or for when you have a bigger event to attend. As for this particular Musee Du Chocolat sash, I think it matches the series perfectly. It reminds me of a ribbon used to finish off a box of chocolates, so it is very fitting! The only thing I would change is to use slightly more gold to give it an even more luxurious finish.

So I think this series has a wonderful print, although there are times when I am not fully sold on the dress details. This print wont be going on my wishlist but I still like it a lot. If I was picking a dress I would go for the OP in ivory or possibly brown. I never saw this coming, but the casual looking Low Waist JSK is growing on me too. There are lots of pieces in this series to keep AP chocolate print fans happy. I especially like the gloves, beret and sash. Such a shame I don't have any chocolate prints in my wardrobe to match these accessories!