A Print Double

Today I am looking at 2 different series. Scroll down for Meta's Tailor's Bear.

First up today though, I am looking at True Rose Story by Angelic Pretty. This series includes 2 dresses, 2 hair accessories and socks.

First up is the OP. The bodice seems well fitted and the shape of the bodice is suitably princessy. It is not to my tastes, but I know the shape will appeal to some. I do feel that the sleeves are a pretty overall shape, but there is so much detail going on. It is far too much, especially for a printed dress.

I decided to include a picture of the side of the sleeves so you can all get a better idea of just how OTT they are. As you can see, the main dress fabric opens up to expose lacy material underneath. On the main length of the sleeve, I don't think this idea is too bad. But on the cuffs, I don't think the opening has been well shaped and I personally feel it looks a bit messy. In the first photo AP have fanned the sleeves out to their maximum, but this second picture probably gives a more realistic idea of how the sleeves will actually look when worn. In this photo the bell shape is a bit shapeless. But my main complaint is that the sleeves are further topped with velvet bows, with some even having fake flowers on top. It is detail, on top of detail, on top of even more detail and it is too much. As I was hinting above, these sleeves could have possibly looked okay if this was a solid coloured dress, where the OTT details would have been the only focal point. On this printed dress though, the sleeves are competing with the over-skirt and the print.

I think the neckline shape is very pretty. The gold braid really helps to define the neckline shape and the lace lining it sits very neatly. I really like the rose themed lace that was chosen. There is also a detachable modesty panel made up of lace, although with the pretty neckline I think I would be tempted to detach it. The bodice then features a small ribbon corset, but the interesting thing here is that AP have put the lace and braid continuing on down from the neckline underneath the ribbon, instead of to the sides. I am really unsure about this design. It means that you get bits where the ribbon is poking out of the lace and the ribbon has no defined lines. It is hard to put in to words, but it just doesn't look right. There is a matching choker too, which goes well with the neckline lace. I like that velveteen has been used for the bow on the choker as well, for a nice bit of continuity. I wouldn't have bothered with the pearl chain on the choker though. There is also a waist bow, which is a cute, well defined shape, but is also a bit too big. It seems to sit well on the dress though. The back offers no shirring, so size flexibility is very limited. The stock photos show that the skirt has plenty of volume and it flares outwards generously. It will hold more than enough petticoat to create an OTT sweet shape to match the overall feel of the dress. There is an over-skirt, which in my opinion is one of the worst over-skirts I have ever seen. It looks like lacy net curtains. The choice of material seems a bit cheap looking for the regal princess feel of the series. I also hate the way it has been gathered at the front, which only adds to the curtain-like appearance. Whilst I appreciate there are curtains in the print, it does not translate well on to the actual over-skirt. Thankfully, this over-skirt is detachable! I think the dress looks loads better when it is removed. When the over-skirt is detached, the skirt is quite simple, so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off with a line of the rose lace layered over a ruffle of the lacy floral fabric.

Here we have the JSK. The bodice looks well fitted and the bodice shape is simple, but lovely. I think the straps are a suitable width. They look quite plain from a distance, but the straps are actually lined neatly with some subtle lines of lace. I feel this enough, just to stop them from looking too plain. The bodice features some criss-crossed gold braid, which is lined neatly with lace on either side. I think the gold braid looks bold, and the use of gold really brings out the gold parts of the print. The gold braid is also neatly spaced out. I think the choice of lace looks okay, and it is of a good quality. There are also 2 velveteen bows at the waist area, which are a cute shape and a suitable size. I think the positioning of these 2 bows looks pretty decent as well. The neckline features a line of wide lace with rose shaped lace layered in top. I think this is quite pretty, although I wish it tapered off gently at the sides. There is also a bow on the neckline, which is a cute shape and very sturdy, but it is also massive. But despite its size, I think it works really well on the dress. I like the use of gold braid and the fake rose on the bow too. The back has a panel of shirring, which is topped neatly with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show that the skirt is very full and flares outwards plenty. I really like the full, rounded shape created in the stock photos. The skirt is kept quite simple in design, so the print is displayed brilliantly. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a line of rose themed lace.

Finally, this is the print. This series comes in pink, wine, blue and black. The colours on the black version don't particularly appeal to my personal taste, but I think all 4 colours work nicely with the print. As for the print itself, it is bold and interesting. I think the curtains are well set out. It is really sweet how the curtains have a line of rose embroidery and gold on them. It makes the curtains look a lot more interesting and stops there being large areas of the print with just plain, solid colour. The crowns topping the curtains are a nice touch too. The areas inside the curtains are well filled in. I like the bird cages and the spinning wheel is a lovely subtle nod to Sleeping Beauty. The Sleeping Beauty theme is not overwhelming, so it is not as if you have to like that fairy tale to be a fan of the print. The non-border part of the print is very striking with the swirls of gold and roses. It is a bit busy, but this is clearly a series with a lot to say.

I have very conflicting feelings towards this series. Personally, I feel the OP pushes the OTT too far and it comes across as a costume rather than a fashion dress. The JSK is a lot more restrained in comparison. The print is really pretty, and nothing in the print looks out of place. I think the colours are a good mix of cutesy sweet and more mature colours. Would I buy this series? No, because I don't think the print is my style. I think it is pretty obvious I would go for the JSK, and my top choice would be the blue colour. The blue, red and gold colour combination looks very regal in my opinion.

Today I am also looking at Tailor's Bear by Metamorphose. This series includes 2 dresses, 2 skirts, a blouse, a vest, shorts, a cape and 2 hair accessories.

Firstly we have the Stand Collar OP. The bodice looks well fitted and the shape is very smart. I think it looks very mature. The arms appear to have a good amount of length to them. Although the cuffs look quite plain and a bit like work shirt sleeves, in this instance I quite like them. Meta could have added a ruffle to the cuffs, but I don't think it is needed. The bodice features a button up design, which ends mid-skirt. Seeing as this line of buttons is how you appear to get in to the dress, it was probably necessary for the buttons to go a bit further down, so that the wearer could comfortably get the dress on. But purely based on appearance, it would have been better if the buttons stopped at the waistline. It would have been easy to have a zip at the back instead. The buttons and lace used are very cute though. I really like the pleats and ruffles to the sides of the button line too. It is all set out very neatly. The buttons are then topped with a ribbon bow at the collar and another bow at the waistline. The waist bow is a cute shape and I think the size is spot on. It holds its shape decently as well, with no obvious signs of drooping. The ribbon bow is okay too, although I could take or leave it. The back offers a bit of shirring, which does not have anything covering it. Although the shirring is exposed, it kind of blends in to the print. I don't feel the shirring looks that obvious. The stock photos show that the skirt is very full and it flares outwards enough. I absolutely adore the shape created for the stock photos. Aside from the button line, the skirt is otherwise very simple, so the print is displayed perfectly. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a double ruffle, which looks very cute.

This is the Collared JSK. The bodice seems quite well fitted, but the shape of the bodice is very square. I don't like that very straight neckline either. The straps look a suitable width and quite supportive. I don't think the shoulder details really add anything to the straps and some subtle lines of lace could have livened them up a bit. Or perhaps the straps could have been lined with braid like the folded down collar has. This collar is very neat, but I feel the overall collar shape could have been cuter. Maybe a more rounded shape could have worked? In the middle, there is a bow on the neckline. This bow is a lovely shape and size, although I am note sure I like how it looks with the collar. But I still feel it is the collar that needs changing and not the bow.  This bow is detachable, but I would leave it on. I think the dress looks too plain with it removed. There are also 6 buttons on the bodice. These buttons have a pretty emblem design and are well positioned. However, some of the buttons seem to be drooping and pointing downwards in some of the stock photos. I hope they are sewn on well on the actual dresses, although resewing the buttons would only need a quick fix. The back is fully shirred which means lots of size flexibility, but it also means the shirring is very exposed. The stock photos show that the skirt has a good amount of volume and it flares outwards generously. There should be plenty of room for petticoat. The skirt is once again kept simple in design, so the print is displayed wonderfully. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a line of gold lace.

Finally, this is the print. This series comes in burgandy, deep blue and brown. All 3 colours look amazing with the print. I don't think Meta could have picked better colours. As for the print itself, the bears look adorable. I really love their facial expressions and how some of the bears have mustaches! The cotton reels and buttons are nicely drawn. The ribbon swirls in a fancy way around the bears. If I was being picky, there is maybe a bit too much empty space in the border print. Although maybe this is better than having an overcrowded print. The check background is perfect and I think it is a great choice to go with the border print. The little items floating around the background are nice and subtle too, so they are not distracting. 

So overall I think this is a really cute series. The print is lovely and I quite like both dress designs, even if there are a few small things I would tweak here and there. Would I buy this series? Probably not, because teddy bears are not really my thing. But if I were to go for a teddy print, this would definitely be one of my top choices. My top choice would be the OP in burgandy, despite the buttons continuing down the skirt on the OP. Although I may not be going for this print, I was a bit tempted by the check pattern only shorts and vest. I think those pieces look really smart, but look a bit cuter than some of the boy-style pieces from other brands. I would really love to see these pieces worn, so do let me know if you brought them!