First is the Band Dress. The bodice looks fairly well fitted. I think the bodice shape is a bit basic, but it fits the overall design of the dress. The straps are a suitable width. Usually I am not a fan of these shoulder details, but on this particular design, you can clearly see the epaulettes. I think the epaulettes are really pretty and well designed, although they are detachable if you are not keen on them. The bodice features a solid-coloured raised panel, which is topped with star shaped buttons. I like how the solid colour breaks up the print and I also love the pointed waistline shape it creates. This panel is lined very neatly with ribbon around the edge too. I personally am not keen on how the buttons have been spaced out though, and I think some emblem themed buttons would have worked better than the cutesy star ones. This bodice panel is removable, and the dress looks fine with it removed, but I would leave it attached if it was me. If you are after a more toned-down look though, at least you have the option. There are little folded down flaps on the neckline, which is a good shape and I like how it is a different solid colour for this part. These flaps are a colour which features heavily in the print. The flaps have some medals pinned to them. I really like the medal design, but I hope they have a simple backing to them so that you can pin them elsewhere. I don't like how the medals have been placed in the stock photos. There is also a detachable collar style choker. It looks a bit too much like a bog-standard shirt collar to me, even with the trimmings on it. So I probably would not wear it myself. The back is fully shirred, which means lots of stretch, but also that the unattractive shirring is exposed. The stock photos show that the skirt is quite full with enough volume. Despite being a bit obscured by the skirt flaps, I think I can see that there is a lot of potential to create a cute shape. These skirt flaps I mentioned sit on either side of the dress and end long before the border part of the print, so you can still see the print really well. The skirt flaps are well shaped and sit nicely on the dress. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a line of lace and a solid coloured ruffle.
Here we have the Button Down Dress. The bodice looks well fitted. I generally like the bodice shape, but I am a little unsure about the sleeves. I can't put my finger on it, but something about the sleeves look really unflattering. The folded sleeves are finished off neatly with gold though, which I think is a nice touch. As the name suggests, this dress has a buttoned front. I am pleased to see that despite this line of buttons, the print fits around the button line quite well. I think that on the darker colours especially, you can't immediately tell the front opens up. It is pleasantly discrete. The buttons however, are a bit boring in design. The bodice is generally kept simple, which I think works in its favour. There is a collar, which is a suitable size and a pretty shape. This collar is then finished off with a detachable bow, which is a decent size. I think this bow is really adorable with a fantastic design. I would certainly leave it on! The back offers a panel of shirring, which is topped with a ribbon corset. The back also shows that the collar has a square sailor-style. This really seems to suit the dress design and as an added bonus, it further helps to cover up the shirring. The stock photos show that the skirt has a great amount of volume and it flares outwards well. It should hold lots of petticoat. The skirt is kept simple in style, so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a line of gold lace. This compliments the use of gold lace elsewhere on the dress.
This is the A-line Ribbon Dress. The bodice looks reasonably well fitted, although I really dislike the dropped-waist design. I think it makes the overall silhouette look awkward and lumpy. The straps are a fair width. These are lined neatly on the insides with gold lace, which continues down in to a scoop on the bodice. This same gold lace is used for lines going down the longer bodice. I feel these lines and the bows on the dropped waist emphasizes everything I dislike about the shape! These bows, and the 2 bows on the bodice, are slightly shiny too. I think the ribbon looks a though it may be of a low quality. Every bow is cutely shaped though. The lines of lace on the chest area are set out much nicer. This chest area is finished off with some star shaped buttons, which seem to fade in to the background. Maybe it is because there are stars featured in the print, so the buttons don't stand out that much. The back is fully shirred, which means plenty of size flexibility but also that the shirring is exposed. With the short back design though, there wouldn't be much room for a ribbon corset anyway. Despite the dropped waist, it looks as though there may be a bit of room to hold some petticoat. Maybe I am being too critical and the dress shape could look better in person. It is just not to my personal tastes. Even with the dropped waistline, which features a gathered ruffle and the bows mentioned earlier, you can still see the print clearly. The bottom hem is then finished off with a line of gold lace.
Finally, here we have a part of the print. I will get a better print picture if one becomes available. This series comes in Antique White, Napoleon Blue and Billiard Green. These colour choices are very mature and even though the print is sweet, these mature colours suit it well. I really like all 3 colours. Perhaps a red colour could have been interesting as an additional colour? As for the print itself, it is well set out with bold vertical lines. The toys are well drawn and look adorable. I think the distribution of toys and the positioning is really good as well.
So overall, I feel there is a bit of a conflict between sweet and more mature elements of the designs, but weirdly it seems to work. The print is very sweet, but the dress designs stop it from looking overly cutesy. I also like that the dress designs are quite varied, so hopefully there will be something to suit everybody's interests. Would I buy this series? Probably not, but it is not really my style anyway. My top choice would be the Button Down Dress in blue. I normally hate Meta's Button Down designs, but this time I really love it. I am still not a fan of those sleeves though!
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