Discussing the Upcoming AP Releases

It’s that time of the year - Angelic Pretty has had their annual dinner/tea party in Tokyo and the first previews of their collections have dropped. Even though it’s not the entire collection yet and the photos are not all the best representations of the product, I have thoughts that I want to share. So let’s talk about that today.

Image from AngelicPretty.com, I do not own.

All of the photos and information were taken from the Lolita Updates Facebook page. They are correct as of the time of publishing this post. I own none of the photographs taken here and credits are copied as they appeared on the Lolita Updates posts. The releases are discussed in alphabetical order.

Chateau d’ecume (Imai Kira collaboration)

Photo taken from Lolita Updates FB page.

To begin with, this JSK cut looks much better on the model than it does on the mannequin. At least the model makes it clear that there are double straps and not just extra bulk.

My overall first impression is that this looks cheaply made. The whole design looks as if it lacks that touch of finesse and polish that distinguish good quality lolita brands from the poor ones. Together with the print placement and overall design, this reminds me a lot of those ‘I designed my first lolita print and sewed the dress myself’ pieces.

Let’s start from the bottom up. The lace part looks really long. On the blue/navy (whatever that’s supposed to be in the poor lighting of the event venue) it’s not even looking so bad, but the pink looks like it has the lace attached directly to the skirt hem and from the top side rather than the underside. The border print looks quite small and lacks contrast on the pink colourway (though again, that could be the lighting). It’s hard to make out the print illustration itself, but something about it seems much busier than the usual Imai Kira artworks that I’m used to seeing. This in turn makes it seem like the print is lacking that ethereal, nostalgic quality that Imai Kira’s art has, as if someone had forced the artist to do something much cuter and sweeter than she normally does. The background print seems a little bit too empty, as there’s a lot of skirt area to fill up with the border being so comparatively small. I’m not sure whether I prefer this or if I’d rather the background be too busy.

Then we get to the bodice, which looks as if AP were competing on how much lace they could fit on it. And as this appears to be a higher waist cut, there’s less of that bodice to contain all this lace. The overall result to me is messy and a bit too reminiscent of overly enthusiastic beginner lolita seamstresses. Looking at the model photo, the double straps don’t bother me so much, they could be quite an elegant touch (and I can only presume that they’re detachable), but with so much lace on the bodice, they kind of disappear and blend into that frilly blob.

I’m also not impressed with the fabric choice. Once more, lighting is probably playing a big role here, but it looks like the kind of polyester that you see on AP x Disney collabs, which are made with the intention of being cheaper. Together with all the other things I’ve mentioned, it only adds to the overall effect being that of a cheaply made dress. Which is all the more a shame as Imai Kira collaboration releases are generally aesthetically pleasing. Without seeing the print properly, I feel like the overall design so far is doing the print a disservice. There may still be another colourway announced and there is almost certainly an OP cut to still be shown, but so far I do not like this release at all.

Goodnight Sisters

Photo taken from Lolita Updates FB page.

Am I the only one who gets Doll’s Tea Party meets Girl’s Heart vibes from this dress? The colourway reminds me of that tea party special grey that Daydream Bed was released in, while the print layout, colour scheme and cut remind me of Doll’s Tea Party and Girl’s Heart. But in good ways.

The overall print design works well here, it’s neither too busy nor too empty. On this picture it’s hard to make out exactly what’s actually pictured here, I can see some tea cups and flowers, so I assume this is a miscellaneous collection of pretty items? The print style is giving me those nostalgic and romantic Imai Kira vibes that I was missing in Chateau d’ecume.

The cut of the OP is nothing to write home about - it’s cute, but AP has been using variations of it for so many of their recent releases that it’s lost a bit of its appeal on me (particularly as I know that this won’t be shirred and it won’t fit). The elbow-length sleeves puff out nicely though and whilst the oversized neck ribbon is definitely a choice, at least it works with the oversized collar. This looks like it will be a long length dress, which goes with the direction AP has been taking recently. And as their longer dresses are doing pretty well, it’s nice to see that they are expanding their longer length cuts choices into bolder printed patterns.

The print works with the colourway pictured here beautifully. Having said this, it seems like another one of those awkward dusty shades that’d be impossible to match, which plague the AP x Imai Kira collaborations. At the moment there’s no info on any other colourways, my gut tells me ivory and black. If that’s the case, not only they’d work with the print, but they’d be easier to find something that matches.

There’s also no sign of a JSK cut yet, so can’t comment on that. My prediction is something like the Girl’s Heart JSK: long, high waisted and with back shirring. So at least it’d be comfy. It wouldn’t be my cup of tea, but I can get behind the idea of something cute yet comfy. And as much as I like this print in the OP cut, I’m not upset that it likely won’t fit me because it really isn’t my cup of tea. So overall, it’s nice for someone else and at least there are no major cock-ups in sight here.

Neon Star Diner

Photo from Yui Minakata's Twitter via Lolita Updates FB page.

This is the print that prompted this post. I hadn’t even realised that the first previews had dropped when a friend tagged me in the post.

It seems that AP is continuing the trend of releasing vintage/retro pop inspired clothes that are more not-lolita than they are. That itself I don’t have a problem with and given the popularity of their Milkshake series from this year, I really can’t blame them.

My issue lies in the fact that for what they are, these items are overpriced and inaccessible, as well as non-lolita.This OP cut is incredibly basic/common by retro fashion standards, yet it will likely cost the usual AP price (around 28k JPY). For that price you will get a high quality piece from a reputable vintage reproduction brand like Collectif, Vivien of Holloway or The House of Foxy - all of which offer a variety of sizes, including plus sizes.

So with Neon Star Diner you are paying for the print and pretty much only for the print. The lighting in these photos looks pink and this appears to be the pink colourway, so it’s hard to make out the detail. The print itself seems cute here, but it’s not wowing me. It could be really popping in another colourway (I’d love to see it in white x red), but that’s pure speculation for now. I’m not keen on the dress belt, collar and sleeve cuffs being striped and then using a wide polka dot lace at the bottom. The two are jarring for me and I’d rather see either custom lace with one of the print items featured or no lace at all. 

Another problem I envision is the cuts. The OP cut, although common by vintage reproduction fashion standards, is really cute - but it’s unlikely to be shirred. There have been no previews of the JSK cuts, but knowing AP’s recent trends, my gut predicts another high waist JSK with little to no structural detail/embellishments. Just like we did with Fancy Candy.

With no further info on other colourways, no info on the JSK cut and only presumptions based on AP’s past record, I am setting myself up for disappointment with this series. Because if I wish too hard for it to be good and then AP (inevitably?) doesn’t deliver/live up to that, then the disappointment will be painful. But if I predict this to not meet my expectations from the get-go, then it won’t affect me so badly.

Having said this, if 2019 taught AP anything, then there may be some cute plastic jewellery to match this. And if that prediction comes true, then Mana have mercy on me because I do not have the emotional energy (or funds) to start lusting after another dumb piece of plastic jewellery.

Romantic Perfume

Photo from Lolita Updates FB page.

So it seems that what we have here are potentially two different cuts? It’s hard to make out whether they’re both OPs of varying degree of fanciness or whether one might be a JSK with a (very well) matching blouse.

At first glance this release reminds me a lot of the Heavenly Banquet series from early on in 2018 - but with perfume bottles instead of birdcages. It’s more this than an updated and fancier Dreamy Perfume, though if anything, this is what I feel Dreamy Perfume should’ve been.

For now I think that the more I look at it, the more I like it? I liked Heavenly Banquet, so as this is quite similar, there’s little here that I wouldn’t like. This print is definitely on the more elegant and fancy side and I like how the soft pastels look with it. It’s hard to say whether this here is sax or lavender, as AP is medically colourblind and doesn’t understand the differences between those two shades, though either colour would look lovely with this print. If there are more colourways, I imagine that pink and maybe ivory would be an option too? But that’s pure guesswork.

My main worry is the cuts. Assuming that both of those here are OPs, I see no chance of this fitting anyone bigger than a Japanese model. The dress on the right looks very high waisted, which I don’t like, I much prefer the cut of the one on the left. So if there is a JSK version, my hopes would be that it’s closer to the dress on the left than that on the right. What are the chances of that? Probably slim. But does that really affect me? Hm, not really. It’s a pretty dress, but I don’t envision myself seriously wanting it, though I can’t put my finger on why is that. Probably for the same reason why I didn’t get Heavenly Banquet - it’s pretty, but I’m  content with admiring it from afar. One of those dresses that I wouldn’t mind someone buying it for me, but wouldn’t spend my own money on (unless it was dirt cheap, like £50).

Royal Crown Berry

Photo from Lolita Updates FB page.

Let me tell you, when I first saw this, I didn’t read the name properly and was first confused what strawberries had to do with crowns, followed by disappointment at discovering that this is just another berry print.

This one doesn’t seem particularly special to me. Strawberries wearing crowns just seems daft and isn’t enough of an idea to warrant an entire print. It’s cute, but on this picture the background looks a little too sparse, even though I can see some bits in between the strawberries. Maybe they should’ve upped the contrast on them a little (or maybe it’s just the lighting)? Or maybe they should’ve made the strawberries a little smaller and have more of them? I don’t know and frankly, I don’t care about this print enough to try to come up with something.

Once again we see this OP cut which has by now become an AP staple. Nice, but again, nothing special and not size inclusive. The preview shows us three colourways: pink, white and something that looks like either navy or green (damn that lighting). We know that the pink one is an OP and based on the extra lace can presume the navy/green one to be an OTT version of the print, so one would hope that the white one was a JSK. Though I don’t hold much hope for its cut. And again, because I don’t care about this release, I don’t care about the cuts either. This one really doesn’t excite me and if I absolutely had to pick between this and Sweet Cherry Margaret, then I’d go for the other one because at least the cherry print seems better executed and laid out.

The last comment I have is that one of the Twitter screenshots showed this print transcribed as Royal Crown Belly and I thought that was cute.

Sweet Cherry Margaret

Photo from Misako Aoki's Twitter via Lolita Updates FB page.

Is this a re-release? I’m sure I’ve seen daisies and cherries on gingham print from AP before. It’s not? Oh. Well then… That sums up my reaction, doesn’t it?

I mean, literally looks like so many berry/cherry releases from AP, doesn’t it? This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it allows people who missed out on some past one to hop on that bandwagon - but maybe some new take on the theme would be nice?

In any case, I can’t really fault this release. The JSK looks cute (and from another photo it appears to have a full back shirring). It’s nice to see something more of a normal waist - well, normal by AP standards. It’s not quite high enough to be proper high waist, but it seems similar in waist seam placement to Diner Doll, which isn’t that bad? The cut overall is a bit simple, I can only make out a little bit of detail on the bodice and some lace at the hem. Whilst the print is busy enough to sort of make up for that, as the skirt doesn’t look very full either I feel like they could’ve spiced it up with maybe a fuller skirt or some pleats. You don’t need much to make it more interesting without going too OTT.

There isn’t much else that I could say about this, is there? My predictions are that there will be some red and white x red colourways, as well as an OP in a similar cut to Royal Crown Berry or Goodnight Sisters one but shorter. So your typical AP cherry gingham release. Nothing to write home about, but also nothing to complain about.

Overall

Based on what we’ve seen so far, my feelings are mostly meh. What I don’t like is balanced out by what I do, although all of that fluctuates within the same median range. There’s nothing I absolutely hate and nothing that I absolutely love or would want to have. Which sums up Angelic Pretty’s recent releases and my response to them very well, to be honest. Nothing from what’s been previewed so far strays far from what they’ve done and AP are staying very close to previous designs which sold well. It’s a good business strategy, particularly knowing how so many buy their clothes for the label status, but it doesn’t exactly drive any innovation or push the fashion forward. There have always been pieces which the community disputed whether they are lolita or not - before they were salopettes and mini skirts, now it’s dresses in more vintage cuts (which, tbh, have been around for much longer than the Milkshake series). So nihil novi, same old stuff reheated in a microwave rather than baked from scratch. It is reassuring to know that AP probably will not be coming after my wallet in 2020 - that is, unless they release any stupid plastic jewellery. God save us all from another bloodbath like that!

Also, I know that more previews have resurfaced since, however, this post is already pretty long, so why torture you more with many words to only say 'meh'? 

Have you found anything in AP’s recent previews that you like the look of? Or is there anything you don’t particularly like, but suspect it might have cute supplementary releases like jewellery, cardigans or socks? I’m curious to hear, particularly from people who like AP’s recent stuff, as that helps me understand why these designs continue to be popular.