Amazon.co.jp Order 3

More AP stuff was released, so I ordered through Amazon again! Service & delivery was great as before. However the Kera I ordered was out of stock, which sucked.

I also realised why there are no customs charges from DHL - you pay the VAT upfront on Amazon. I think this is great as it means you don't have to pay those handling fees which are what usually make something too expensive! The total was £44 which is pretty steep, but GLB alone cost £25 in England anyways.


My stuff! Apologies for crappy iPhone photos.


Day Dream Carnival tote with the new AP mook. This mook even has recipes based on foods in Angelic Pretty prints! This was ￥1,500.


I also got the Wonder Cookie stationary set which came with a little booklet. I don't know why I bought this really as I probably won't use it and Wonder Cookie is probably the only AP print I don't like. But I love collecting novelties, I guess? It was ￥1,430.


I also got a recent Gothic & Lolita Bible for ￥1,300.

That was a kinda bare and pointless entry, but I hope you liked seeing my new stuff anyways ♥

Day Dream Carnival

Way back on April 7th I placed my order for Day Dream Carnival after much deliberation. I'm still not convinced I made the right decision as I'm more of a JSK person than a skirt one, but finally it is with me so I can try it and see!

This was my first time using Angelic Pretty's International shopping site, and I found ordering to be quite a smooth process. There was a little delay on payment confirmation, but nothing too extreme.

The items themselves cost 22,155¥, shipping was 3,730¥, and insurance a further 50¥. I didn't get a customs bill from Parcelforce before delivery, so fingers crossed I have avoided customs for a total cost of £165 at current exchange rates, which isn't bad at all.

The items were shipped on the 12th and arrived today, on the 16th. Pretty speedy!


The goods were wrapped in an Angelic Pretty bag with a bubblewrap pack over the top. I was a bit surprised that it wasn't boxed or in sturdy-feeling wrap, but it all arrived safely so it isn't an issue.


Inside my items were bagged and there was an undamaged AP bag in addition to the one they were wrapped in, and an AP sticker.


The skirt! I'm really not a fan of this brooch, but I guess it will be nice to pin it on my jacket in winter to tie outfits together. The gold in the print looks stunning when the light catches it. Obviously the overall quality is fantastic with nice feeling fabric and lace.


The matching headbow. I'm not a fan of this gold triangle trim (especially since there is none on the skirt) but it will be handy to wear with lots of things I own since I tend to wear black a lot and always with gold jewellery. The dangly star is just adorable, and the pearls are a nice touch and they match the brooch.


And a comparison with Sugary Carnival! The ponies looks very similar but more detailed on Day Dream Carnival, although the marshmallow motif is still evident in the pillars. I actually think Day Dream Carnival has overtaken Sugary Carnival as my favourite print! I didn't think that could happen, but it's just a lot classier and therefore should be easier to wear (and I wear Sugary Carnival the most out of all my pieces anyway).

I've yet to try on this set, but I'm very happy with it so far. No customs made it a bargain, and means I'm even more tempted to buy either Musée du Chocolat or Holy Lantern. I'm favouring the former, but I can't decide whether to go for pink or mint colourway (I originally wanted mint but I would be able to coord pink much easier). But I'm not sure it's still available and it's much more expensive than this set, so who knows what I'll end up getting!

Day Dream Carnival

Pretty behind on blogging, but thought I'd crank out a quick post while drinking my cuppa before dashing off to the library!

So the new(ish) Angelic Pretty print Day Dream Carnival has been causing a bit of a stir in the lolita community, and it's easy to see why. I love this print so much! I've had people say they thought of me when they saw it too, which is sweet. I guess it's due to the similarities with Sugary Carnival - it's very similar but much more mature in style, which I love as it's one direction I'd like to take with my style.


Choosing between styles was difficult though! Although for me colour was always going to be black as I don't wear colour so much any more. I do love sax and lilac though (ivory is too yellowy for my tastes). The headwear options weren't so difficult...


I think the bonnet looks silly, and I don't see how it costs so much when it's just a teeny bit of organza! I'm not a huge fan of the headbow either (not enough colour), but I figured I'd pick one up anyway.

The OP:


I think this is gorgeous, and I so nearly ordered it. But I don't think I could vary coords with it all that much, and I'd worry about my arms fitting those gorgeous sleeves. I also dislike the gold triangle lace, it looks less tacky in real life but still pretty nasty haha.

JSKs:


Originally I had wanted the tier one due to that lovely organza layer, but then I realised it was tier. I've never been a fan of tiered pieces, the shape just seems a little awkward to me and that lace look tacky to me as well, but I'm not keen on fully-shirred backs. The second version I only rejected as there isn't enough detail in the mid-section - I feel it should have some gold in there like the OP does. The back section is gorgeous though, with organza ribbons! I'd worry about how they'd hold up though, and the low back may not be flattering on everyone.

Salopette:


I'm pretty gutted about this, if I'm honest. The skirt section is gorgeous. If it had been a miniskirt I'd have snapped it up instantly, no need to stop and think. But sadly salopettes just seem inherently awkward somehow. I may search for one in future though once I've seen more worn photos, if it looks cute!

Skirt:


This is what I went for in the end. I'd rather it had a bow rather than that odd brooch, but I should be able to make varied coords at least. Plus I'll have two black carnival skirts when it arrives! I think black is the least popular colourway and skirt was the least popular piece, but that may work out in my favour far in future as less interest means less orders, so it'll be more limited in quantiity ;P haha but not really.

It's a shame I couldn't combine all the aspects I liked into one super dress really! There are so many things about this series that I adore but all the pieces had something off about them. Once my skirt arrives I'll endeavour to make an over-layer from organza like the tiered JSK has though, as once it's made I can use it for any piece I own.

The only let down is that they aren't remaking the cute little ankle socks or the tights for this series. I don't think they're making the totes again either (but they were over 5000 yen anyway).



I placed my order with AP international this morning, but it's also available direct in Japan (if you want to use an SS) and on the USA site. Since it's made to order they won't be sent out until September, but there's only about a week left to order one, so get on it if you wanted it!