I don't know whether to be ashamed or amused by this:

Don't worry about the double purple St. Mephisto dresses.  I'm holding onto the OP for a friend who bought it from me after I purchased the JSK version.  I swear I'm not that obsessive.  I do love the print, though.

Meta LP Contents

I checked the tracking and realized my Meta LP was going to be delivered today!  It was sent out on the 27th and got here the 31st, so that didn't take long at all.

It came wrapped in a pink package!  Very cute.

And here's a quick shot of all the contents.  While I was hoping for a solid dress, the floral is actually quite pretty. 

Initial reaction: Whoa busy print!

 

It has ruffles down the bodice and the skirt.  Overall it's a better quality than I expected.  The fabric is a nice weight, the straps are adjustable, it's fully lined, waist ties are removable.  They didn't seem to cut any corners where they easily could have.

Built in petticoat!  This was a nice surprise, none of my AatP or IW dresses have this.

Extra buttons!  The straps and waist ties each have two buttons, so the extras are nice.

Sheer black blouse.  I was glad to get this instead of a plain white one, which I planned on selling.  This fits me perfectly, unlike the blouse from summer.  The only complaint is the buttons are a bit difficult.  It comes with two extra buttons as well.

The matching barrette!  I'm glad it's a barrette instead of a haircomb, these stay in much easier.

The necklace.  It's pretty, although doesn't really match most of what I own.  I think I'll probably keep it though.

Matching bloomers, I was excited to get bloomers in the same fabric as the jsk.  These are quite comfortable.

And the bling bag... in pink :(  The only thing I plan on trading/selling, even though it's what I initially purchased the pack for.  It's the exact shade of pink as the summer bling bag, so I have no need for both.  The leopard print lining is really cool, though.

Minor Disappointments:
-No socks.  I was really hoping for a pair.
-Pink bag.  I have the pink one from the summer, so I'm going to have to attempt to trade this for a black one.


Final verdict: Definitely worth the price

Lucky Packs!

While the rest of the country has been suffering terrible weather and large amounts of snow, Missouri's winter has remained... uneventful.  A few days of frost, light flurries briefly, and beyond that?  Nothing.  It's 7 am here and the temperature gauge reads 57F.  I'm baffled by this, honestly.  It's nothing like the ice storms and unending snow that I remember.  It's nice, but I'm afraid the weather is going to backlash come my birthday in less than two weeks.

The holidays have been distracting with family, but that's finally over.  This time of year is my favourite for a completely different reason, however.  Lucky packs and winter sales!  Most lolitas are familiar with the concept of lucky packs and it's always a great chance to get great deals to fill out your wardrobe.  With more brands accessible overseas now as well, all the lucky packs have been painfully tempting. 

What I have on the way:

Contents?  Complete mystery!  This was the most expensive of the packs that I bought and also the one I'm most excited and nervous about.  I've been "researching" the contents of similarly sized lucky packs and the contents look rather promising.  Usually it's a good variety of everything.  In the past people have gotten 2-4 dresses, 1-2 skirts, a purse, at least one pair of socks, a couple tops, and other accessories.  But you never really know, which is the exciting part.  I've seen somebody get a rolling suitcase in theirs one year, and during the summer people got yukatas too.  Apparently there have been shoes included in the past as well.

These don't ship out until early January so maybe it'll be here in time for my birthday!

Right now this is "inbound into customs" so hopefully I get it by tomorrow!

This one came with two colour options: light ("off white, white, pink, and so on") and dark ("black, brown, gray and so on") and I selected the dark in order to avoid pink.   I'd be happy with any of the dark possibilities, but part of me is hoping for grey. 

The contents of these LPs are a bit more straightforward.  Although the exact colours and styles are unknown, the types of items you end up with is revealed before purchase.  This will include a jsk, a long sleeved blouse, ribbon barrette, bloomers, and accessories (socks+jewelry).

They're also including a special original bag, as they did during the summer round of lucky packs. 

Hopefully I get the black version, since I got a pink one during the summer.  These bags are awesome, though.  They're the perfect size for an airplane carryon and fits under the seats perfectly.  I also imagine they'd make great beach bags but I don't live anywhere near a beach.

During the summer I bought two of Meta's luckypacks, a dress one and a skirt one.  The contents were surprisingly nice although I didn't keep much.  Meta's sizing runs a bit larger on me than I'd like, so I'm not too hopeful about the blouse fitting.

Lastly, a friend and I both ordered a shoe pack from the "Winter Special Sale"!  They were on sale through the website December 21-24, but I think they sold out before then.  They also had a pack of two purses and a small accessory pack with a hairbow, a pair of socks, and a ring.

This pack comes with two pairs of shoes and you only get to pick the size.  I went with M because the L size heart buckles I wore for the PMX fashion show were a bit large on me.  I think I'm between M and L so hopefully these aren't too small.

I'm really hoping that the two styles of shoes pictured are the ones I get.  I've had my eye on the Odette Toe Shoes for a long time.  I'd be happy with black, pink, or white, although red wouldn't match anything I own.

These don't ship out until early January so I'll have to remain patient.

Once things start arriving, I'll take pictures of what I get for those curious.

ETA:
Also, Angelic Pretty's USA online store is going to be releasing 4 LPs right at the new year (PST). 

I'm considering trying to order this salopette set.  It's very summery.  It comes in black, pink, and purple, and unfortunately you don't get to choose.  I love the purple heart purse.

The premium set looks like an awesome deal for everything included, but I'm not interested in pink and I've spent enough already.  Still, that coat is very cute.

Review: Secret Shop Shoes

After five months of patiently waiting, the two pairs of shoes I ordered from Secret Shop through taobaonow finally arrived.  The delay wasn't the shopping service's fault, but they kept me periodically updated. 

Both pairs were Innocent World replicas, as I had been needing more classical styled shoes which other cheap alternatives (bodyline) didn't really provide.  After fees and shipping, I paid about $50 per pair.  I don't think Secret Shop is allowing individual shoe orders anymore, however, and you have to go through some distributor for nearly $50 a pair before shipping. 

The bordeaux pair I was most anxious for, as I have a few pieces in my wardrobe I was hoping they would match.  Unfortunately the shoes are slightly redder than I had hoped, but they'll still look nice.  The little rose bouquets are adorable, though they're only one-faced so you can see the grey underside. 

I found it amusing that they used an Angelic Pretty logo for the inside of the shoe.

The scallops are nice, though the edges are not as clean as on the black pair or the pair from IW that I own.  It's also not one continuous piece, but at least they put the break to the inside.  You can also see the material is slightly wrinkled here, it's not as strongly enforced as the toe or the back.

These impressed me with the quality.  The straps on these are thicker and sturdier than the other pair.  Bows are luckily nondetachable (as I always manage to lose those).

The heels on both pairs are the same.  They seem secured well and nonwobbly, unlike a pair of bodyline heels that I've had.

They used their own logo for the inside of these, which I prefer.

Decent grip on the soles, so I don't have to worry about sliding around.

I've never had a pair of shoes that clasped quite like these before.  The closures are hooks that you slide the strap into, and the adjustable "buckle" part prevents the strap from sliding through.  It's faster than buckling, sure, but it doesn't seem as secure...

For comparison, my pair of Innocent World shoes have a normal buckle. 

The secret shop shoes next to my Innocent World shoes.  It's difficult to compare since I don't own the originals of the replicas, but overall I'd say the Innocent World ones are better quality in terms of little details and construction.  The material on the replica shoes is a bit rougher, but it doesn't detract from their appearance.

Here they are worn with the pair of Secret Shop socks that I threw in with the order as an impulse. 

I love that Secret Shop put out some classical shoes, but the waiting time was slightly irritating as it kept getting delayed.  I'm very satisfied with these and can't wait to incorporate them into my wardrobe.  It's just a shame ordering from Secret Shop is more difficult and expensive now.

Motifs: Horses

Despite my fascination with the furry legs of Clydesdale horses when I visited Busch Gardens over a decade ago and an army of My Little Ponies as a toddler, I was never a girl that wanted a pony.  The number of times I've actually been on a horse can be counted on one finger, and while it was fun for the day, my desire to have a horse still remains minimal. 

However, somehow I've developed a fascination with prints featuring horses and carousels.  Go figure.

It all began with my first order from Taobao- this dress from Rose Melody.  This dress is also responsible for my obsession with OPs, but I digress.  At the time it was a (far less elegant) replacement for my first dream dress, Merry-Go-Around by Innocent World. 

While I still have not managed to obtain this dress (if you're selling it, contact me?) I did manage to purchase the skirt version. 

Printed on chiffon, the Innocent World's carousel is quite elegant and intricately detailed while only utilizing two colours.

At PMX I purchased my third horse print, the Gertrude JSK in blue.

While it breaks away from the carousel theme, it has a very similar feel to it.

The print is once again on a flattened plane with the horses at strict profile, though this print has more of a sketchy quality to it.

I've joked making it a personal mission to deliberately collect horse related prints now, but it would be too expensive of an endeavor to ever seriously consider.  There's been quite a few released from different brands, and it's interesting to see how each approaches the same concept.

Angelic Pretty alone has a wide collection of prints with horses.  The first that comes to mind is the extremely popular Sugary Carnival.

I chose the black version to show the details better, since a lot of Angelic Pretty's pastel prints lack a lot of contrast, but personally I find the lavender the prettiest. 

There's also Starry Night Theatre, although I couldn't find a larger image or print detail.  The horses are much less prominent in it so you may have to squint.

Pony Applique, for simplicity's sake:

Probably my favourite of the bunch, Carnival from 2006.  It's old and expensive, but there are plenty of replicas floating around.

 

And then just recently, a couple more!

That was more than I anticipated, and I didn't even include a few of the rocking horse prints...

Metamorphose also has their own Merry Go Round dress:

And of course the recent Twinkle Journey... though they're technically pegasus...es.  I think Meta, being the innovative deviants that they are, deserve some credit for breaking profile format with having the mother pegasus twisted.  It's also the only one where the design extends beyond a single plane with an established fore and background.  So while it's not my favourite of the bunch, bravo for doing something a bit different.

Not wanting to be left out on the fad, Bodyline also produced a carousel print that's been quite popular and sold out rather quickly in everything but yellow.

So if you made it this far, which horse print is your favourite?  Did I forget any important ones?

After PMX

Sunday night we got picked up by one of Sheila's friends who drove us around for some fun outside of the con hotel.  First we decided that we were all starving and needed something to eat.

We decided on a cute restaurant called Genki Living.  It was my first time having Japanese crepes, and they were very different than I thought.  Very good, too!  Their crepe shell is crispy and slightly sweet, and it's folded into a flat triangular cone.

Lauren had a strawberry and kiwi with vanilla icecream.

Mine was tuna salad with corn and lettuce.  I also had a jasmine green milk tea with tinytiny tapioca pearls.

Adorable taiyaki!  The one I tried had peanut butter in the middle.  I'm going to have to find a place around here in KC that sells these, because I'm already craving another.

Okonomiyaki!!!!  It smelled delicious but I was afraid to try it in case my dress got dirty, but I got a bite or two.

Afterward we went to seek dessert in the same shopping area and ended up at a cute Japanese patisserie.

 The desserts were all so cute, it was difficult to choose. 

What we ended up getting.  The chocolate one was raspberry flavored, very smooth and rich, with a raspberry filling.

 

 I was actually unaware of Lauren's creepering until after the photo was taken.  

Then we went upstairs to an arcade.  There were so many games I never even heard of, including a zombie typing game that Dani played.

Sheila played DDR while I watched in amazement.  I've never played before and was getting too tired to try that night. 

In fact, I spent the entire night watching as everyone else played games.

Lauren won her race like a pro!

We then went to get some purikura pictures!  It was my first time and it was a lot of fun.  I don't think there are any of these machines in KC :( 

After heading back, we were faced with the challenge of packing.  Though I managed to sell some stuff, we of course were leaving with a lot more than we brought with us.

The glorious bed of burando!  While I was taking a shower, the other girls laid out all our dresses to take a picture. 

By some miracle we got everything in suitcases.  Then it was time for bed!  It was a long day and sadly we had to leave in the morning.