Just like a band’s latest albums, new lolita releases are a
commonly and widely discussed topic. We anticipate what our favourite brands
might bring out next and enjoy comparing these to other brands or to past
releases. This week’s Lolita Blog Carnival prompt asks us to look at and share
our thoughts on five new releases of our choice.
This prompt could easily turn into a rant about Angelic
Pretty. As arguably the biggest and longest-running Japanese brand, it is the
one we talk about most – probably especially given the creative direction
they’ve taken in recent years. However, I don’t want this post to end up being
a moan fest about things I dislike or create the impression that AP is the only
brand whose releases matter. Instead, I will look at one of the latest releases
from all five major Japanese brands: Angelic Pretty, Baby the Stars Shine
Bright, Alice and the Pirates, Metamorphose temps de fille and Innocent World,
and talk about those. In most cases this will be the actual latest releases,
but where I’ve felt that something else deserved more attention or if there weren’t
enough pictures to make an informed judgement, I picked something else instead.
Angelic Pretty – Magical
Horoscope
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| Picture from the Angelic Pretty website. I do not own. |
Given that I haven’t liked much of AP’s recent stuff, I am
surprisingly positive about Magical
Horoscope. Recently it’s been very rare for me to look at an AP release and
like all 3 of my major important areas: cut, colourway and print. And while the
print itself is not something that I would buy, I can objectively say that it
is nice – the border print is lovely to look at and the background is neither
too full nor too bright. The choice of colourways (ivory, sax and navy) makes
sense with the cosmic theme of the print and each colourway compliments the
print nicely. The sax one has the least contrast, which may not necessarily be
a bad thing – some people may prefer a slightly more subdued overall look.
While the OP cut is a bit repetitive (as in many other recent Angelic Pretty
OPs have had that cut with maybe slight collar difference), it is cute. More
importantly, the JSK cut is finally really nice and not that high-going-on-empire-waist
thing that flatters only the select few. What I particularly like about the
cuts is how they give you different vibes: the OP is more school uniform-like
thanks to the collar, while the double-breasted buttons on the JSK’s bodice
give a slightly more military-ish vibe. The headbow is basically the same shape
as the Harlequinade one, but with
more of an Astro Academy colouring
and detail, and the socks have a nice selection of items from the print to add
more detail, without looking too busy. Actually, both the headbow and the socks
are neutral enough that they’d be great for mixing and matching with other
coordinates. Additionally, although it’s a slightly different series, Angelic
Pretty released a blouse, wrist cuffs and combs under the Magical Star series name, which compliment Magical Horoscope. So even though they are technically not the same
release, I am giving these an honourable mention, as the colours, themes and
details are matching. I’m not surprised that Magical Horoscope has sold out on release day, it is an all-round pleaser
and while it may not be to my taste, I am relieved to see that AP has not
abandoned more regular-waisted JSK cuts altogether.
Baby the Stars Shine Bright – La Floraison Feerique
A suspiciously short name for a BtSSB release… What’s most
interesting about it is that we have two OPs, one pretty casual (and really
short) and one very OTT, and four different hair accessories. There is also a
sort of sub-part of this release called Le
Floréal Féliciter, which has just one OP and one hair accessory, but for
the sake of brevity, I will ignore that one. The casual OP comes in white,
pink, sax or black and looks more like something Liz Lisa would put out: it’s
cute, but insanely short, more like a mini dress and even the model needed an
underskirt. I’m very hesitant about calling it lolita. And unfortunately, the
more I look, the worse it gets. The floral fabric looks like something out of a
cheaper fabric store, I’m not entirely sure about the bling embellishment on
the collar and I can’t tell if the thin ribbons at the shoulders are some sort
of faux straps (weird given the cut of the bodice) or just a trim (weird
placement for that). The pictures also don’t make it clear whether the lace
sleeves and collar are part of the OP or some extras. Probably included, but
they look massively out of place with that whole design. If we didn’t call it
lolita or if it was released by a brand unrelated to lolita fashion, this
would’ve been alright. But if it’s a mini dress even on a Japanese model, who
are not known for being tall, then it really is too short to be lolita and
together with everything else I just really don’t like it at all.
Then we move to the OTT OP, which in turn comes in pink,
lavender, sax and mint. This one is almost floor length – so also debatable
whether it’s still lolita, but at least it can give you that silhouette more
than a mini-dress. But while I’m not sure about that length, I appreciate that
the design is kept very simple. Baby has been known to just throw more lace if
in doubt, so I like that they didn’t do that. The lace that is there is well
placed and lovely looking, while everywhere else they’ve opted for ruffles,
satin ribbons and other trims in the same colour as the main fabric. This makes
for a very sophisticated and elegant design that won’t be for everyone, but at
least it doesn’t offend anyone’s eyes and photographs well on the stock photos.
Neither OP has any shirring, so forget about fitting into it
if you’re not a size small or extra small. For everyone else all you could get
are some hair accessories: combs, a headbow, a rectangle headdress or a boater
hat. They are all cutesy and floral, but fairly neutral in terms of
matchy-matchiness to the main pieces from the series. It’s nice if you’re
looking to expand your collection of headdresses, but four hair accessories and
two dresses is quite underwhelming as far as releases go. I am happy to admire
the long OP from afar, I will ignore that Baby committed the short OP at all
and other than that, this release leaves me with no reaction whatsoever. It’s a
bit meh, but I’m sure it will be up to someone else’s taste.
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| Picture from the BtSSB website. I do not own. |
Alice and the Pirates – Le
petit fleuriste～Eternal
bouquet and a Time waiting for you～
That’s more of the name length we’re used to! The print
itself is the type that I personally dislike: a large room sort of scene that
basically takes up the entire skirt. Too big to be called a border print, too
small to be an all-over print. I didn’t like that style when AatP did a
Sherlock Holmes study sort of print with it and I don’t like this style now.
However, that is just a personal preference – the illustration itself, of a
flower shop, is rather lovely and had it been a framed painting I think it
would’ve been quite nice. We have two JSKs, a skirt, a headdress and some
smaller accessories, which is a decent enough range. I like the waist placement
of JSK I and the shape of the neckline, but not the ruffled lace at the
neckline. JSK II was doomed for me from the beginning for being essentially
empire waist. And then I noticed the satin trimmed chiffon ruffle at the bottom,
which I’m not so keen on – AND THEN that weird sweetheart neckline overlay with
the lace across one boob which I DEFINITELY do not like. Both dresses have a
simple skirt part, which is a good choice with that style of print. But the
actual skirt is the nicest cut in my opinion and I’m very surprised to see that
it appears to be fully shirred too. This means that all three pieces have some
size flexibility, which is not that common for AatP, so I applaud that. The
choice of colourways – ivory, mauve, dusty light green and black – works well
with the print design and steers it more towards classic territory. I can see
some classic lolitas wearing it really well and making this print look lovely,
but it’s certainly not for everyone. The accessories, of which you have a
necklace, brooch and corsage, are neutral and in one colour scheme only, so
they would complement many floral or dusty toned classic coordinates. On the other hand, something about the
rectangle headdress does not work for me. Maybe it’s the fact that all this
ruffled fabric is too OTT for the mostly simple cuts of the main pieces? Most
likely. The black one is probably the most versatile one here, given the less
common shades of green and pink – and is it just me or does the ivory on the
headdress looks much more greyish than on the dresses? Overall, I’m not
entirely sure how to feel about this particular series. For me it falls into
that ‘meh’ category when it’s subjectively very much not for me and objectively
not that exciting to write home about. I’m sure some people will like it and
wear it well, but for the most part I foresee it going on some massive
reductions. So if you want it, but not at full price, just wait.
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| Picture from the BtSSB website. I do not own. |
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| Picture from the BtSSB websie. I do not own. |
Metamorphose temps de fille – Memories Garden
With their printed series (and other ones too, to be fair)
Meta continues to do what Angelic Pretty seems to have stopped some time ago:
make a full blown release with different dress cuts, different accessories,
socks and often some other bits. Memories
Garden comes as an OP, two JSKs, a bonnet, headbow, socks and a blouse.
Unlike AP, which has had the main Magical
Horoscope print series and a complimenting but different Magical Star series, this is all on one
page under the Memories Garden tab,
even if some of the names are different. From what I can see, the print itself
is absolutely beautiful. It reminds me a little of some of the Labyrinth prints
BtSSB did in the past: it’s dreamy, it’s fairytale-like and has good balance
between the large border print and the subtle yet still there background. The
print can lean more sweet or more gothic without losing any of its classic
charm thanks to the choices of colourways (ivory, navy and black). As always,
Meta is very size inclusive and all three cuts have full back shirring. Each
cut is suited to slightly different needs: the OP is quite casual, the Frill
JSK is very OTT and the Ribbon JSK is the basic one that can do anything.
Though still, it’s Meta, so the OTT cut actually has plenty of detachable parts
to customise it to your needs (I counted 4 sets: the neck ties, waist ties,
sleeve flounces and front bow). You can then up the game or tone it down,
depending on whether you accessorise the dress with the bonnet or the headbow.
The print on them is only of the roses, so as long as you wear any of these
colours you would have another versatile hair accessory to mix and match with.
Same goes for the socks – they are busy enough for sweet and neutral enough for
classic, with the black ones being potentially ok for some gothic looks too.
And while the blouse cut may be leaning more sweet with the Peter Pan collar
and short sleeves, it’s such a good wardrobe staple and I like that there’s a
choice of fabrics for the ivory colourway. Overall, I consider this series a
great success. There is not a thing that I would change, everything works
beautifully and there is something there for everyone, style or size-wise.
Whilst I wasn’t originally going to buy this, the more I look at it, the more I
kind of want it. But then I’ve no idea which cut or colourway I’d want, so my
inability to make a decision will end up saving me some money – but it
definitely is a series I would not mind owning, not in the slightest!
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| Picture from the Metamorphose website. I do not own. |
Innocent World – Maiden’s
Rose Garden
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| Picture from the Innocent World website. I do not own. |
Innocent World does a lot of single-item kind of releases.
It goes well with their aesthetic and brand idea that you can wear your clothes
how you want and don’t necessarily have to stress out about being all
matchy-matchy. Having said this, the Maiden’s Rose Garden series was the latest
one I could track that would have more than just the dress. It includes an OP,
two JSK cuts and OTK socks. There isn’t much that I can say about the print, as
it’s a floral design. It’s simple and charming, well spread out, so that it
avoids looking like an old curtain. Like with most Innocent World floral
designs, the charm is in the cuts. The OP and the Tiered JSK are both long,
which instantly caught my attention. Although as a brand they’re known for
releasing plenty of longer pieces, usually the longer length has been either
just one cut or an option for one JSK cut. Doing two in one series is a good
choice, lets taller lolitas know that they are appreciated, as well as gives
this series a more mature overall vibe. I absolutely adore the neckline on the
OP, with the sheer fabric going into sleeves and those darling buttons. It
gives the cut a sort of Edwardian feel, which somehow still feels fresh enough
for a modern girl. While the OP comes in sizes M or L, Innocent World’s OP
sizes are still somewhat restrictive, particularly in the shoulders, so without
shirring I’d be very careful before opting for this cut. The Tiered JSK also
comes in sizes, but has shirring on top of this. It’s a fairly standard cut for
Innocent World, they’ve done it in the past and I can’t fault it, although I
can’t say that it excites me either. It’s just good. As for the Cross Ribbon
JSK – well, it certainly is a choice. As far as I can tell the corset lacing at
the front covers a panel of shirring, which was a common feature in oldschool
lolita. I’m not sure how I feel about it myself, but as I imagine the ribbon
can be taken out, it’s probably not a big deal and extra shirring on top of
partial back one can only be good. It’s the crossed ribbon design at the bottom
of the skirt that has me more concerned and raising eyebrows. I can’t decide
whether I like it or hate it. Something about it gives me a sense of nostalgia,
but more for like antique interior décor, curtains and tablecloths rather than
clothing. Maybe if that panel was lower and the designers skipped the two
horizontal pintucks underneath it would’ve been a bit better? I’m not sure. It’s
certainly a choice and certainly won’t be to everyone’s tastes. While the
dresses come in three colourways: pink x offwhite, purple x offwhite and
blue-grey x offwhite, the socks additionally come in offwhite x offwhite, black
x grey and ivory x ivory. They have the same floral pattern as the fabric of
the dresses and I think are lovely. They would definitely be versatile and it’s
nice that Innocent World thought of doing additional colourways for the OTKs to
coordinate with other floral outfits. To sum up, it’s quite a nice series,
albeit nothing novel or particularly exciting for Innocent World or in general.
Although I love the look of the OP in pink, I daren’t buy it without knowing with
100% certainty that it will fit and it’s not something I’d feel the need to buy
at full price. Although so far this entire series is still in stock, except for
the offwhite OTKs, so maybe it will make it to sales later on.
What are your thoughts on these releases? Are there any
other ones that came out recently that have caught your eye (either in a
positive or negative way)? If you’re hungry for more opinions on select latest
releases, make sure to check out what the other participating bloggers have
written – someone somewhere is bound to spill some tea!
