Haenuli Farewell Reservations Unboxing and Review

It still feels a little unreal that Haenuli have actually closed their first chapter. It seems not so long ago when they appeared to bring one release after another. I’m very lucky that I was able to get pretty much everything I ever wanted from now – in no small part to their farewell reservations.

As soon as those were announced, I made notes in my calendar on when would the items I wanted be released, so that I could ensure I had money for them when needed. Luckily, they were spread apart a little, so that I could do just that without taking away from my Japan fund or anything else, really.

Because the shop has closed now, I won’t go into details of how my purchasing experience was. I always held Haenuli’s communication, processing speed and customer service very highly, so there’s nothing I could add to this either. Let’s focus on what I got instead.

My first order was the I Do Declare collaboration mesh blouse. This time I went with red and to be perfectly honest, had I had the money, I would’ve happily bought more, it’s that good. However, as I had to make a decision, after some mulling over, I went with a wine one. It seems like I’d get more wear out of this than green or grey and with how many white/ivory blouses I have, I just couldn’t justify getting the white one. I sized up this time, compared to when I ordered the black one, and to be honest, I shouldn’t have. I did so because I am very aware of the high neck on the black one, but the neckline is a bit too loose now. It won’t be a problem if I use the neck tie or wear a choker, but at any other time I will have to pin it as discreetly as possible. The sleeve cuffs are also a touch big on me, though that’s not so much of an issue as it’s less visible and easier to hide. Still, I’m sure I’ll wear it as often as I wear my black one and the quality is still the same – meaning fantastic – so I’m not upset by my sizing choices.

As I didn't take any standalone pictures of the blouse, enjoy the two together.

And in another round of reservations I got the OG gothic dress of my dreams: Just One Bite JSK in jacquard. Oh, I remember when it came out just before Wicked and Whimsy and how impressed I was with this unique take on Snow White. Back then I was adamant about not getting into gothic – things change is all I can say. So to have this in my hands right now is a fantastic full circle moment.

This texture is so lush and the fabric feels like straight from a dream.

As is common in this fashion, the stock photos do not do this piece justice. The jacquard has a wonderful weight and texture. Compared to my AatP Side Frill JSK, which is also jacquard, it feels sturdier, a little heavier and the rose texture is a slightly larger pattern. What on stock photos look like grey stripes turns out to have some purple undertones and can come across as purple in certain light. It’s not so noticeable so as to be off-putting, given that I own literally only the handful of lavender pieces you saw in my last Around Your Wardrobe in 30 Coordinates post, just an interesting observation.

The boning sits a little awkward in a flatlay, but beautifully when worn.

Also, here's a quick lace appreciation photo. Black on black together with that ruffle layer above the lace make it hard to capture well, I did my best.

 

The dress arrived with the straps completely detached, which led me to think that it could be worn strapless as a bustier style. I might try it one day, though for now I’ll stick to the strap look. The straps have three buttons for the back, as well as good 5cm of space still left on the strap, great for those who need to move theirs really low. For me it was fine on the last button and that way the bodice finished precisely at my waist. And as the bodice is boned, this little construction detail makes a massive difference to the silhouette. Honestly, Haenuli dresses are one of the most flattering ones out there for my body shape! The only other ones I can think of which I feel flatter me just as well are AatP’s low waist cuts.

Death lurking behind the Evil Queen is an amazing touch.

Just look at that first dwarf on the right - his emotions couldn't be portrayed more clearly.

This side feels incredibly dynamic and I can't imagine that capturing movement like this could ever be easy.

But, of course, we’re here for the print. And the level of detail truly stunned me once I saw it up close. My first impression that this looks like a medieval woodblock print still stands and it’s what I love about this print. The eerie, dark interpretation of Snow White is probably way closer to how the Grimm Brothers have told the story – I find this incredibly captivating. For someone who doesn’t like majority of common goth imagery, I like the Death figure being present in the print. Although, for all of Snow White’s beauty in this depiction, my favourites might actually be the dwarves. Not only are they very individual in features, they are also very animated in trying to stop Snow White from accepting and eating the apple she’s been offered. This makes such a difference from their usual absence in that moment in the story, shows that they truly cared about Snow White and wanted to protect her.

This little apple is precious. I can't wait to add more apples to the coord!

However, the title of my favourite detail in this whole dress goes to the apple charm on the detachable bow. Apples are my favourite fruit, in that way I am very Polish and you will not persuade me that any other apples in this world could be better. Somehow my brain keeps thinking that the apple in the print is also red, when it actually isn’t – the only red in this whole dress comes from that little bow. Which you can count on me to change as I coordinate it with all the red pieces I can work into it.

At this point in time I still have no idea what I’ll be doing in October, meaning all the spooky Halloween meetups. As not much of a Halloween person myself, it’s not really my priority, so I tend to wait to see what the different comms are doing and who will go before deciding. By the time I make that decision, I should have at least one coord in mind to wear with this JSK, so it couldn’t arrive at a more perfect time.

If you would like to see this dress in movement, you can watch my unboxing video for it below.