Brilliant Princess Story by Angelic Pretty

Today I am looking at Brilliant Princess Story by Angelic Pretty. This series includes 2 dresses, a head bow, socks, a ring and a necklace.

First up is the OP. The bodice material looked a bit baggy in some of the close-ups and I am not overly fussed by the overall bodice shape. I think the shape of the arms is cute, although that length may not suit everybody. The bell shape of the sleeves is really pretty though and flares outwards nicely. I especially love the way the material drapes where the bell part of the sleeves opens up, and how pretty the lace used for the bell part of the sleeves is. The ribbon bow topping the sleeves could have been smaller though, and I think the choice of ribbon is a bit too shiny. The bodice is broken up by several lines of gold braid, giving the bodice the appearance of a bustier. The gold braid has been nicely set out, although the lace running alongside the braid is a bit too 'frilly' for my liking. This lace does wonders to soften the straight lines of the neckline though. The 'bustier' part of the bodice is topped with several large bows. In my opinion this looks far too OTT and crowded. I find the bows a bit too overwhelming. The bows could do with being a bit smaller, especially the larger chest bow. There are also random pearls on the top bow and a line of pearls just above it, which don't really add anything to the design at all. There is a matching choker, which I feel is quite cheap looking. Its appearance reminds me of a hen party novelty garter, rather than an elegant lolita choker. The back offers no shirring, so size flexibility is very limited. The back does at least have a neat appearance, although the braid and lace on the front continues in 2 lines down the back. There is no escaping those frilly ruffles! The stock photos show that the skirt is very generous in volume and flares outwards plenty. It is a very full skirt, which should satisfy the needs of the most OTT lolita. There is an over-skirt, which I think is brilliantly shaped and goes really well with the rest of the dress design. It is very 'princessy' looking, if you are in to that sort of thing. It is well shaped and sits well above the border print, so you can still see the print really clearly. However, I think the bows finishing off the over-skirt are too much and are not needed at all. At the very least, they need to be a lot smaller. There is also this tulle panel emerging from underneath the over-skirt in the front middle, which I think looks a bit odd and random. The bottom hem is finished off with a line of gold braid, which is keeping in theme with the bodice. There is then a line of colourful lace on top of a tulle ruffle, which has been layered perfectly. I really love the end result of this bottom hem. There is also more of the gigantic ribbon bows on the bottom hem, which I feel don't need to go completely, but should have been a great deal smaller.

This is the JSK. I am not really sure what to make of the bodice fit and shape. There is an awkward split in the bodice, where a line of gold braid and lace cuts across. The lace used is pretty, but it creates a slightly awkward silhouette. Also, I am praying that line sits low enough that it wont cut across the bust area, otherwise it is not going to be very large chest friendly. The straps are a bit thin, but I don't think wider straps would have suited the bodice shape. These straps are topped with multiple ruffles of lace, creating a cute shape and a really frothy texture. At the very least, I suppose that frilly texture created with the layered lace is at least consistent throughout the bodice. There is a waist bow, which is maybe slightly too big. I think what is putting me off is that the bow tails look a bit too long. If I was being especially picky, I would say it makes the waist bow look just slightly bottom heavy. The bow sits nicely on the dress though, and looks very firm and perky. There is another bow on the neckline, which I think is a far more suitable size. The bodice also features a pearl chain. For some reason. I don't think the chain works with these particular bodice details. It is hard to explain exactly why though. The back offers a panel of shirring, which is topped neatly with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show that the skirt is once again super full. It has the potential to hold a lot of petticoat. The skirt is kept simple in design, so the print is displayed excellently. The bottom hem is then finished off with a line of gold braid and a double ruffle of polka dot tulle. I would maybe understand the use of tulle a bit more of it was more of a feature on the rest of the dress, but I feel that the tulle looks a bit out of place with the dress design as it is.

Finally, here we can see a bit of the print. This series comes in pink, sax blue and navy blue. All 3 colours work very well, but it is strange that we have only been given 3 colours. If I was a betting person, I would put money on there being a special set (probably in lavender) in the near future. As for the print itself, I think it looks quite 'Disney Princess'. It has the look of a children's fairytale book. I suppose at least it matches the look of the dresses! The horses and carriages are very pretty and well drawn. Overall though, I find the print very underwhelming. It seems to be missing that special AP touch. 

So I feel that this series will have a certain amount of appeal, but in my opinion it looks far too princessy. The OP in particular reminds me of those OTT princess outfits you can buy for children. Both dress designs are quite fussy and busy, which means it would be difficult to wear this series in any way other than going all-out with an OTT outfit. I don't doubt for one second though, that we are probably going to see some very memorable outfits with the OP at a big lolita event in the future. Would I buy this series? Absolutely not, because this is really not my style. My top choice would be the JSK in navy blue, but given how much I dislike both dress designs that is not really saying much.