An old-school indie capsule wardrobe

Friends - it appears I am back on the capsule wardrobe bandwagon for a bit. I had a lot of fun with the bittersweet one, and also in using it on YouTube as a vehicle to talk about a. bittersweet and b. capsule wardrobe building, so I decided to keep it going. I also got a couple of requests on the bittersweet one which I'll be tackling next, and I am currently open to taking even more suggestions.

For this capsule, I repeated a personal challenge I'd previously tried - making a wardrobe using only items from Western indie brands. If you're interested in seeing the process, check out the video at the bottom of the post, but if you're just here for pretty pictures, read on!

For this capsule I thought it would be a good idea to try for an old-school inspired collection, since that's fairly popular at the moment and therefore easier to come by. I was...right and wrong about that but regardless I'm pretty pleased with the final wardrobe. Not perfect, given my source limitations, and not really my preferred style, but pretty good nevertheless.

The items in this capsule are from the following indie brands:
The Black Ribbon
Sweet Mildred
Chrysanthemum's Concerto
Fuwaya Lolita
Me Likes Tea
R R Memorandum
Summer Tale Boutique
Enchanted Dream Couture
Cotton Candy Feet

And of course, what's a digital capsule without example outfits?

I really love this Sweet Mildred OP. The low poof skirt, the metal zipper - it's got that edge that so many old-school looks had. Not necessarily something I'd wear myself, but certainly something I like!

This gingham Chrysanthemum's Concerto JSK, on the other hand, I could totally see myself in. I deliberately chose this piece as it can be worn in old-school styling, but it isn't actually old-school itself. Gives the wardrobe a not-definitely-old-school option if desired.

The second JSK of the wardrobe is also from Sweet Mildred, and really gives off BTSSB vibes to me. And, as a tartan main piece, it really is the most workable of the main pieces here.

Lastly, this skirt from The Black Ribbon is absolutely gorgeous! If it were more my style I would 100% buy it but alas, I know myself well enough that I know it wouldn't be a sensible purchase. So it was extra fun to play with it digitally!

To finish off this post, here's a link to the video ^__^

A lolita capsule wardrobe from only Western indie brands

Yep, you're seeing things right - it's yet another capsule wardrobe. I actually put this suggestion up on CGL myself - a capsule only from Western indie brands - and then ended up making it when no-one else did!

It was quite challenging, but also not as hard as I thought it would be. Part of the challenge did come from needing to use clear stock images - there were some lovely printed tights that I would have loved to included, but they were all pictured on models who were sitting down, wearing shoes, and all that fun stuff. In the end, for legwear and headwear I did stretch a bit with some offbrand pieces...but it's my capsule so I make the rules and I say it's okay ^__^

But enough of what I didn't get to use, here's what I did use!

Since this is indie brands and not so quickly recognisable, here's a quick rundown of where the pieces come from.

Main pieces: Sweet Mildred, The Black Ribbon, Lady Sloth

Tops: Lady Sloth, The Black Ribbon x2, Lady Sloth

Headwear: eBay, Sweet Mildred, Me Likes Tea, Imperial Fiddlesticks x2

Legwear: Offbrand x2, Enchanted Dream Wear, eBay x2

Bag: Cotton Candy Feet

Shoes: Cotton Candy Feet, Fluffy Tori

And now, naturally, please enjoy four outfits with each main piece.

This JSK is really gorgeous, I utterly fell in love. And I just realised I didn't coord it with the bolero at all...ooops! My favourite outfit from this lot if the bottom right, it's just the right mix of simple and elegant for my tastes.

The Black Ribbon has released a whole lot of pretty and comfortable looking skirts over the years, so I just had to include one! I also included their Jillian cutsew in ivory because I own it in both colours and think it's an excellent piece.

And lastly, an opulent Lady Sloth OP to finish things off. As usual with OPs, it's not the most versatile, but I think you can do enough with it that it still works for the capsule.

Like I said at the start, I really enjoyed this as a challenge. Working with a much more limited pool of items to choose from really made me think hard about it all. However, those same limitations means that it's not the best capsule overall. But it's still definitely good, and I kind of like it's imperfections because to me they illustrate perfectly how important buying from a range of sources can be for lolita!

It also illustrated that we need more indie brands making socks. Just saying ^__^

Review #52: Lady Sloth Verrry Berry Picnic

Late last year, Lady Sloth teased a print that I was very excited about - Verrry Berry Picnic. Not only was it a berry print (that wasn't cherries or strawberries), it came in purple! I'll admit, in the months leading up to the actual reservation I did go back and forth between the purple and the lavender but when The reservation opened in May, after consulting with the husband, I got the "casual" OP in purple, along with the matching headbow, beret, and raspberry necklace.

For a moment after ordering I looked at my bank balance and was sad, but then I tried a little experiment. Did you know that if I were to buy equivalent items from Angelic Pretty, the total (both prices converted to AUD) would have been $506 instead of $319? That made me feel a lot better about making such a  big purchase - I got everything for less than the price of a new brand OP. And besides, when have any of the big brands released a purple berry print?

When I ordered it was estimated that the series would ship in June. However, towards the end of June on Instagram they announced there was a 2-3 week delay on shipping, so I was prepared to wait a bit longer. On 3 July I received a PayPal request for the remaining fees and shipping, which I promptly paid. Then finally, just as I was contemplating messaging because it had been a while, I received my tracking number on 25 July. And then, with my impatient self checking the tracking several times a day, I finally got the package on 8 August. Everything was all wrapped together in a plastic bag inside the padded postage satchel and I had fun pull it all out and trying it all on!

I didn't put the detachable red bow and sash on for the photo, but they were included, don't worry!

First up, the dress itself. It's perfect, well-made, gorgeous cotton fabric, has two big pockets, and fits like a dream. I ordered the XL and while I can't tell you what the advertised measurements were (since the page is gone from their website) by my measurements the bust is 98-120cm and the waist is 92-114cm. So there's a great amount of give with the full back shirring.

One thing that really impressed me with the dress beyond the fact that it was honestly a really phenomenal dress, is the pattern matching at the side seams. This picture below? That was the less well-matched side!

My only small complaint about the dress is that though it comes with a sash, it doesn't have belt loops or buttons or anything to help hold it in place. Which means I'm not likely to use it because I don't like things that aren't secured properly! AKA I'm clumsy and if it ain't pinned down it ain't gonna stay on ^__^

I'm glad I got several of the coordinating pieces and in particular the headbow is really well made, I love it. The beret is also done well, but it way too tight on me! I'm pretty sure I have a perfectly average head, so be wary of Lady Sloth berets if you have any other than a small head. So I'm a bit disappointed in that, because as you know I really love berets.

I may try taking it apart a little to make it bigger, but knowing me I also probably won't get around to that for a few years ^__^

The necklace, like the headbow, is pretty darn perfect. It feels sturdy and is really pretty! I think it's lovely, and I am loving how Lady Sloth is continuing to come out with complete series like this. I was honestly tempted to get some more brooches or necklaces from this series, but in the end just went with this one.

Last of all, here are the extras that came in my package! The postcards are duplicates of what I got with my bolero earlier this year, but the sticker set is gorgeous and I think it's a super cute idea to include, and I loved seeing a sample of their new bat lace.

Overall I'm very happy with this new wardrobe addition! Yes, I am bummed about the beret but other than that everything is really great quality in all aspects - design, the fabric, the construction. I've loved seeing Lady Sloth grow as a brand and it looks like they're only going to continue producing really unique and original prints, so I fully intend to continue supporting them when they make things like this that I love ^__^

Review #51: Lady Sloth Summer Bolero

Literally the day that we left for Tokyo a package arrived in my mailbox - a new chiffon bolero from Lady Sloth. I tucked it away until I came back and now, finally, I've taken photos (though they are both few and terrible, my apologies for that) and can post my review!

As usual, a little backstory. In January Lady Sloth announced a sale on Instagram and I got excited. I had wanted a new short sleeved brown bolero as my handmade one is getting a bit worn, but hadn't managed to find anything. So I figured this was my chance!

However, as I placed my order I realised that only the regular size, not the 100cm+ bust size was discounted. I decided to go ahead with the order anyway, but was disappointed that the bolero was advertised as being on sale but that it wasn't across all the sizes. I mean, I could have contacted Lady Sloth and they may have sorted something out or clarified their advertising, but honestly I couldn't be bothered!

The item was listed as having a 2-6 week handling time, and overall it took about 10 weeks for my bolero to reach me. I ordered January 29 and it arrived April 8. Between that and the pricing thing I was not entirely happy with the ordering experience, but also not overly put out. I tend to be pretty chill in that regard!

Once I got back from Tokyo and got around to opening the package, I was pleased. Lady Sloth seem to have upped their packaging since I last bought from them, as there was a cute sticker on the package and postcards inside.

And as for the bolero itself? It's pretty, well made, a lovely shade of chocolate brown, and exactly what I ordered. As it's a fairly basic piece I'm not excited about it, but it's something my wardrobe needed and I'm glad that I got it. The only negative is that it sits a little oddly across my bust, but I think that may be because I'm a little taller than average and didn't specify my height when providing measurements. Overall I'm quite happy with the bolero and can recommend Lady Sloth for blouses and boleros in the colours you need, but may be having trouble finding.

Review #51: Enchanted Dream Wear Socks

I need to start this review with a bit of embarrassing honesty...since I still haven't posted a review of our wedding outfits from Lyris Design I'm getting out of chronological order by posting this and it really, really bugs me! But this is a much simpler review so...well...no-one but me cares that things are out of order ^__^

Anyway, recently on a bit of a whim I bought myself a pair of cream Choco Ribbon OTK socks from indie brand Enchanted Dream Wear. Here's the stock photo of all three available (well, only pink's available now) colourways.

Ordering through Etsy is easy and streamlined, and my socks shipped on the 4th of January. I think they arrived on the 9th or maybe the 10th - either way they got here very quickly! As a side note, the Etsy store says they're in the USA and items are made in the USA, but my package was shipped from South Korea. I don't care at all but still wanted to mention that.

The socks arrived in a standard postage bag, and were wrapped in this cute plastic packaging. And when I pulled them out, they looked just like the stock photo, only redder in tone. My photo is pretty accurate to colour, even if it's horribly light blurred.

Sorry for the abysmal photo quality here...

Overall I love the design of these socks, and the quality seems very good - they feel sturdy and well made. However, they are not plus size friendly. I mean, I'm quite plus sized at the moment, but I think if you have even moderately chunky legs these are not going to fit well (or at all) which is unfortunate. I'd probably put them on par with older BTSSB socks in term of stretch, if I had to make a guess.

The very red-toned brown also makes them a bit hard to match in my opinion. I laid them out on my Jam Paradise JSK (which is the warmest brown in my wardrobe, I think) and they don't even match it too well.

This review may be sounding rather negative and I guess I am disappointed by both the colour and the fit, since they're not going to be useful like I'd hoped. But I'm very pleased to have tried a new indie brand and honestly would recommend these socks if you have slim legs and browns that would match. They're a lovely sock, just not for me!

Are there any other indie sock or tight brands you recommend? I want to support more indies in 2019 and I'm a massive sock hoarder, so I'd appreciate any recommendations!

Review #48: Me Likes Tea

At the end of January I saw a beautiful thing pop up on Instagram – Me Likes Tea’s limited edition golden anniversary petticoats. I wanted to get a new a-line petti anyway, and these were so pretty that I figured why not just do it now and tick that item off my goal list? So that’s exactly what I did! Then, because I wouldn’t be me if I bought just one item, I also ordered a pair of bloomers and a set of hairclips.

The petticoat was made and ready to ship, though the other items had to be custom made. Shipping was a bit of a bitch, price-wise, so I went with Airmail rather than my preferred EMS. All in all I placed the order on January 30th and received it on March 13th, which is faster than I was expecting! I had the wrong email linked to my PayPal account so I didn't get any updates, but I didn't mind. Tai (the owner) was quite responsive to emails so I'm sure I could have asked for an update if I'd cared to.

 Within the shipping satchel was this pretty package.

Within the pretty package each item was separately bagged and labelled.

As far as reviews go, let’s start with the star of the show, the petticoat. I’ve been saying I want a better a-line petticoat for a while now, since my current one is from Leg Avenue and is not particularly noteworthy. However, since my existing one has done the job for so long this never seemed like a pressing concern…until I realised that it’s also actually too short for Berry Stripe! And if it don’t work for one of my current favourite dresses then it don’t work for me! So I was actually planning to be proactive on getting a new petti this year and it just so happened to happen earlier than expected!

And oh my goodness, this petticoat is just wow. Like, I almost have no words for it. It is gorgeous. I was amazed. James was amazed! It has a waist ribbon and the lace on the hem is gorgeous and beaded. Can I say a petticoat is a work of art? Because if so, it is! Seriously, this thing is beautiful and I am probably going to get some good use out of it as a skirt for creative photoshoots on its own!

On a slightly more actual serious review kind of note, the petticoat also seems to be a great product - I see why a lot of people swear by their Me Likes Tea pettis! It's very well made and has a lot of poof. It's exactly what I needed. The only downside, and this is an inevitability rather than a flaw, is that the metallic lace is scratchy. But like I say, that's just what you get with metallic lace.

The bloomers (pintuck long style) were not quite an impulse purchase, but certainly not something I truly badly needed. However, they are handy to have and I didn’t have a longer white (ivory, whatever) pair so these were a sensible buy. A sensible buy that turned out to be pretty amazing!

All that gushing over the petti? Let's just repeat that with the details changed. These bloomers are severely nice. Probably the best bloomers I own, and I do own one Innocent World pair! The only downside is that now I have a good pair that properly fit I have no excuse to go around bloomer-less...which I have been doing...ooops...

Last of all, the hair clips (Carola's Tea Ties) actually fill a wardrobe gap as I didn’t own anything small and black and white, so I’m really happy to have them. Not much to say about them really except that, like everything else, they are well made and accurate to the stock pictures!

All in all I am very impressed with the items I received; they are accurate to the stock images, well made, and overall very nice. A random note that I'll mention now is that everything smelled good! Normally new items smell a bit harsh and new...but these smelled like they'd been nicely laundered. So nice.

In conclusion I am really pleased to have bought from another indie brand, and strongly suspect that if/when I need another new petticoat (which may be soon, the lining has started to rip on my Classical Puppets bell petti...) I'll be a returning customer to Me Likes Tea.

Review #45: Jillian Cutsew from The Black Ribbon

Recently I received two cutsews from American indie brand The Black Ribbon. They first announced their Jillian cutsew before Christmas, and when the preorder opened I finally leaped in and ordered one in each colour; ivory and black.

The reason I really fell for this design is because they are very simple, but still on the lolita spectrum. The chiffon sleeves are cute, and the little bit of lace and the bow make them a bit more than just a t-shirt with contrast fabric sleeves. But at the same time they're still toned down enough that I can wear them in normie or toned down looks. So all in all, a good choice for me and how I tend to wear lolita.

Due to the exchange rate and shipping fee from America, they were really more pricey than I'm happy with for fairly simple items, but I figured that basics are important so I went with it anyway. And I imagine I will get lot of wear out of these, particularly the black one. But enough backstory, onto a few pictures and a proper review.

As far as the fit goes, I ordered the size Large, which has listed measurements of 37-42 inch bust and 30-38 inch waist, and the listing said they would "easily stretch much bigger" than the max. It does go a bit larger comfortably, as it fits me well at bust/waist of 43.5/38. I don't know if it would be comfortable if you were quite a bit larger, but if you're between sizes you can definitely size down on this cutsew.

The materials feel to be of fairly decent, but not outstanding, quality. The knit fabric of the body is a little see through like any thin t-shirt. The lace on the neck is nice and the same pattern on both colours. As you can see in the pictures in the ivory version there is some colour variation between the fabrics, but what I really like is that the lace matches the sleeves in colour so there is consistency across the top.

The rear hem is slightly longer than the front, which I think is a nice touch for a lolita cutsew. It is also shorter than a standard t-shirt which again is perfect for lolita, but does mean that this cannot be worn with anything low waisted. 

The parcel that came to me was nothing exciting - the cutsews were in a plastic bag with the invoice, and that was in a padded satchel. I must admit, I've gotten used to receiving purchases with little extras so selfish me was a little disappointed to not get a note or postcard or something, but that's just my selfish side! The packaging to my opinion was perfectly fine and secure.

Then in regards to their customer service, everything was great. I only got automated Storenvy notifications about my order, which is all I need, but the owner also spontaneously refunded me ten dollars on the shipping as the automated calculator apparently overcharged me. I thought this was a really great thing to do, because I had already paid in full and I understand that "shipping" is not just the postage but also the packaging and time it takes to post, so I'd never compare the stamp price to what I paid (okay, okay, unless I was overcharged by like twenty dollars or more) and think it was bad if the stamp price was lower. So that was definitely an unanticipated bonus.

So all in all these two cutsews are a very welcome addition to my lolita wardrobe. Unfortunately, given that it's winter down under right now I won't really be able to wear them until alter in the year but I'm very glad to have them now nonetheless. Overall the quality and service from The Black Ribbon was fine, and I will certainly buy from them again if they release other items that would perfectly fill wardrobe gaps like these two cutsews did.

Review #25: The Floral Notebook

Recently I discovered the new indie brand The Floral Notebook, run by a girl who makes the loveliest blouses. I hadn't seen a single negative review of her products, so since I had sold of a few older pieces I thought I could get one of her gorgeous blouses guilt free ^__^

On the 6th of April I commented on her page asking about available colours, and she linked me to an image of the available fabrics within a day. I mulled it over for a while and eventually contacted her for the order from on May 9th. Then I was lazy and didn't complete the form until the 23rd, and on the 25th I got a PayPal invoice which I paid promptly. I was told it would take about seven days to make and she'd let me know when it was done. On June 3rd I got a message saying it was done and she's post it that week, and it would take about ten days to get to me in Australia. So I was estimating it would get to me between the 18th and the 20th and lo and behold! It was here on the 18th ^__^

All in all communication was excellent; I always got prompt and helpful replies. However, I never was sent my tracking number but I'm pretty sure if I had cared to ask I would have been given it quickly so I don't really consider that much of a deal. Everything happened in the time frame I was told it would and all in all, customer service wise I'm a very happy camper. Though that's kind of misleading, because quality and fit wise I am also a very happy camper! The fit is perfect, the fabric is quite nice and only a little sheer and the construction is very good. There are a couple of loose threads but it's no big deal. I am really over the moon about this blouse, it's totally perfect for me. For $49US including shipping [which was about $55AU at the time] it's fantastic value.

But. Yes, there are two buts. The first one was obvious the moment I opened the bag - the colour is different to the stock image. It's a lovely, warm wine red, like the sleeve that's in shadow in the stock photo rather than the rest of the blouse. However, it's an absolutely wonderful colour and it actually works better for me than the brighter red I was expecting would have. And I also suppose that given that it's obvious that the stock photo was taken in strong sunlight that the colours may not be accurate. It's a difficult colour to catch on camera, my phone entirely refused to get it right, so I got into photoshop to try and make a colour swatch, which is still not 100% accurate, but is close.

Secondly, there are two slight deviations from the stock image. The buttons are small, round and black unlike the red ones in the stock photo: like with the colour, I don't mind at all but it is different. The other difference was that the neckline ruffled came over the buttons, and in fact had a button hole sewn through it, presumably to keep it in place. I thought this was a bit odd [the buttonhole bit, not the ruffle placement] and have taken a close-up photo to show how it looks. It's not bad, and not even noticeable unless you're really looking at that area, but it's another deviation from the stock image.

All in all I love my blouse. It's gorgeous and it fits me perfectly. However, if I was really expecting exactly what was in the stock image, I would have been disappointed. So if colour and small details like buttons are very important to you [which I imagine they are for most people] please talk to the owner before ordering. From my experience she was lovely and helpful, and so you really shouldn't have any issues ordering exactly what you want from her.

I would heartily recommend The Floral Notebook's blouses and though I'm set for blouses at the moment I fully intend on buying from her again when I need a blouse in a less common colour.

Review #16: Ophanim

Art tights, how I love thee. I was really excited when I checked the Ophanim store in March because when I'd last looked there were less designs and they only came in one size and though I would fit, it would be a tight fit and I know myself well enough to never buy stockings that will be slightly too small, or I'll never wear them. But now there's a "large" size, and that makes me a happy panda. A happy panda who ordered the "Friendly Pigeon" tights in red. I'm trying to be good with new wardrobe additions and much as I adore the green I know I'd get more wear from a red pair, so red it is.

Are these not awesome?

There are lots of designs to choose from at Ophanim, most of them more suited for classic lolita or dolly kei and a handful of pastel sweet goodness. The store works on a pre-order basis with orders going to the printer on the first Monday of the month [so my order being placed on the last Tuesday of the month was good timing!] provided at least six orders have been placed. From then until the orders are shipped is expected to be about a month. Caro posted a picture of March's orders on facebook and tumblr on May 9th, so if that's average the turnaround time is slightly longer than a month bur still closer to one than two. 

However, we hit a snag with my order and towards the end of May when I was starting to check the mailbox religiously I got an email from Caro on the 29th saying that my tights had a printing flaw that meant the design was cut off at the side seam, and there were also gaps in the red print around the crotch that left white patches. She offered me three options: a full refund including shipping, getting my tights at half price or to have the tights reprinted in the next lot. After a bit of thought I asked for the half refund, because, having had time to think about it I'd become uncertain that printed tights would work on me. I'll always love them on other people, but maybe not on me so I figured it was better to have an imperfect but cheaper pair to test the waters with.

After that snag my tights came on the 26th of June and I adore them. The design is cut off slightly, but it's hardly noticeable. The more obvious flaw is the white at the crotch, but it's the crotch and not visible so I don't care but I would if I had been paying full price. The design is nice and crisp and the colours are really vibrant. As they are printed on white tights the colours do fade when worn but they still look good. However, if you're looking to buy these be aware that you end up with more a dark pink than a rich red when worn. But it's a very, very awesome dark pink. As far as fit and quality of the tights themselves, they are great. They feel very sturdy and very soft and are really comfortable to wear. The waistband is not as forgiving as those on other plus-size tights I own, so they may be uncomfortable if you're at the upper end of the weight scale provided. All in all they are great tights, and even though prices were recently upped to $27 a pair they are definitely worth it.

Colours are slightly more vibrant in real life, phone camera flash blew this out a bit ^__^

Now, I tend to be a bit impatient with waiting for things ordered online, so the fact that even though my tights came from the printers at the beginning of May but I didn't hear about the flaws in mine until the end of the month was a little disappointing, but I think it's convention season over in the states so it's an understandable delay. After hearing my response they were shipped pretty quickly - according to the postage sticker they were sent off on the 6th of June. However, the delay in my tights because of the printing flaw aside, all in all it's an extremely good turnaround time when you consider that it operates on a pre-order basis, which really is the only feasible way to do this kind of thing until you reach a certain level of sales. 

So, long story short the tights are great and I would definitely recommend buying some. It'll take a couple of months to get them [probably quicker if you're in the USA] but they are worth the wait. The only "flaw" is something with all printed tights - the design will stretch when worn on even the thinnest of legs. But on certain pairs of tights [the Prayer tights instantly come to mind] that won't be an issue at all because of the design. Also, the Ophanim tights are the cheapest printed tights I've come across so really, I can't recommend them enough.

Review #13: Lady Sloth

After admiring from afar for quite some time, I recently ordered the Silk Cherubims JSK from Polish indie brand Lady Sloth. After chatting with James we decided to go with a different version to the standard model with a more detailed bodice and a line of lace at the hem.

Isn't it a lovely design?

As there are a few steps involved with ordering from Lady Sloth, here is a bit of a timeline of how my order went.

March 16th: I sent an enquiry about the JSK via facebook. I knew it would be a few days until I got a reply because she had mentioned having computer troubles on her facebook page.

March 19th: After a couple of quick messages Lady Sloth sent me the order form and requested it be sent back via email.

March 20th: I roped James into measuring me and sent off the order form. I also discovered that I've somehow grown a centimetre taller...I think it's probably something to do with having better posture from doing more exercise. Or something like that. Anyways.

March 23rd: Invoice was sent and paid via PayPal. At this point I was expecting the JSK to arrive around the end of April as somewhere [thought I can't for the life of me remember where] I had seen a mention of a 2-4 week making time, so I had plenty of time to plot, plan and save inspiration pictures of coords other girls had made with this lovely dress.
April 25th: Got an email saying my order had been posted, and the general time for it to reach Australia was 10-14 days. Okay then, early May arrival it is. Still awesome. Still plotting. Maybe something a little more causal with my hardly worn bowler hat would look nice.
May 3rd: It's here! And it came on an awesomely times day after a set of stressful days. James went out first thing for McDonalds breakfast and when he came home, so did this package. All the happies in one morning.

Inside a sturdy postage satchel was the dress all neatly folded in a plastic bag with a cute little thank you card! 

Okay, Blogger doesn't want to orient that photo correctly. Weird. Anyways, that is how epically lovely the bodice it. The lace is just luscious, and the cute bow is detachable and perfectly made. Even the cotton of the bodice feels really nice, it's very soft to the touch. There's a Lady Sloth label at the back where labels usually are.

A neat little shirring panels with corset lacing is in the back. The dress has a hidden zipper on the left seam and is fully lined in some of the nicest lining I've ever seen. The silk of the skirt falls so nicely and feels great to the touch. The construction on this JSK is simply phenomenal; not a loose thread or sloppy stitch anywhere.

Now,  I didn't bother to grab a full length shot because this print is one of the better know lolita indie brand pieces but print is lovely in person and the colours are delightful. There are so many hints of blue and green in the print that one day I'd like to try coordinating it with a sky blue blouse and peacock feather accessories. 

As far as fit goes, since Lady Sloth's designs are all custom-made, it's damn near perfect. However, I've lost a few centimetres since ordering so we do need to tighten the corset lacing to make it fit tightly. I haven't compared things like the skirt length to what I asked for but it hits at the top of my knee, which is where I like my lolita skirts to finish so I am a very, very, very happy camper.