Monday 12 October 2015

Banquet in the Dark Night With Dancing Roses by Alice and the Pirates

Today I shall be taking a look at Banquet in the Dark Night with Dancing Roses (also known as Dinner) by Alice and the Pirates. This series includes 3 dresses, a skirt, 3 hair accessories, tights and gloves.



First up is JSK I. The bodice seems well fitted and the shape is lovely. It does feel as though the bodice should sit higher up though. Perhaps the neckline sits a little too low or maybe it is just the way it looks in the stock photo and it actually looks better in person. The straps are a bit thin and could perhaps do with being a little bit wider. The straps have been lined neatly with lace on the outsides and the lace has been well gathered. I like how the lower part of the bodice mimics a corset. It helps to emphasise the waist area. The pleats and lines of lace have been done so neatly. It gives the bodice an interesting texture as well. There is a line of buttons in the centre, but I personally feel they are a bit too bunched together and it would be better if there were a few less buttons. The chest area has an overlay of lace with lines of lace running along the edges, which I have been feeling very unsure about. I think the gathering could have been done a bit better but I do like how there is a bit of added volume at the chest, which looks great teamed with the more fitted waist. I also feel that this lace overlay works better on certain colour ways than it does on others. This lacy chest area is topped with 2 ribbon bows, which I think look a bit out of place. Maybe there could have been just one bow and it should have been on the neckline instead. The ribbon used for the bows is also very shiny, which really sticks out. The back has a panel of shirring, which has been topped neatly with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show the skirt has an okay amount of volume for a more subtle look. I don't think you are going to be able to go too full with this skirt. It doesn't seem to flare out that much. The skirt has been kept simple in design and the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a line of good quality lace.




Next up today is JSK II. The bodice looks well fitted, but I am not overly keen on the bodice shape. I feel the neckline shape is a bit too harsh as well. The straps are a decent width and look fairly supportive. I like that both the insides and outsides of the straps have been lined with lace. The lace sits nice and flatly. The lace chosen has a pretty design as well. The bodice features a lace jabot. The jabot is set out quite nicely. I would have maybe have liked to have seen more layers of lace instead of going for wider lace with just 2 layers like AatP have done here. The ribbon used for the bow part is also very shiny again. The emblem in the centre of the jabot has a lovely design though. The back of the dress is fully shirred, which means better size flexibility but it isn't that appealing to look at. The stock photos show the skirt has a reasonable amount of volume and it flares out nicely. I like the length of the skirt, which has allowed for the higher waist. The overall shape is lovely. The skirt is again kept simple and the print is displayed really well. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a line of the same lace as the other JSK.




This is the OP. The bodice seems well fitted but I really dislike the shape. With the OTT neck ruffle which has a lot of volume, it makes the dress look a bit top-heavy. It needs to be toned down a bit. I know if I was wearing this dress I would get very irritated by the neck ruffles. The sleeves also look quite frumpy and I think that is because they are too long in length and need to be slightly more puffy. I am not overly keen on the lace on the end of the sleeves either and would have preferred a thinner line of lace. There is a line of lace topping the waist line. I feel it adds volume to the waist area and makes the overall dress shape look a bit lumpy. It doesn't seem to 'flow', if that makes sense. I like the lacy shoulders, but I think it is a bit unbalanced. It looks out of proportion with the ruffly collar and the rest of the bodice. The rest of the bodice has been kept completely plain as well, which looks very dull and quite flat. The bottom of the lace part is topped with a very shiny ribbon bow, which looks a bit out of place. I don't know if perhaps it needs to be placed elsewhere or to not bother with a bow at all. The back offers no shirring at all, so the sizing is a bit limited. The back has been set out quite neatly and the zip line is well concealed. The stock photos show the skirt has a good amount of volume and it flares outwards quite well. There is enough room for a decent amount of petticoat. The printed part of the skirt is kept simple with no clutter, so there print is displayed quite well. The bottom hem is then finished off with a line of lace and 2 wide ruffles. The lace is lovely but I feel the ruffles look a bit flat and stick limply to each other.




And finally, here is the print close up. This series comes in beige, bright green, brown and black. At first I thought the colours looked a bit dreary, but they have grown on me. I actually quite like the beige and green versions. The black is okay, but I am not so fond of the brown in the print combined with black. As for the print itself, it is laid out nicely. I liked how there is a staircase breaking up the arches in the background. The flowers entwined around the stairs are pretty. The table is set out nicely and I like all the little details. It is quite a mature looking print. The one thing I don't like is the non-border background. It just doesn't appeal to me and I am glad that the border part takes up most of the skirts.

So overall, this is a lovely print and some of the dress designs are quite good. I definitely feel some dress designs are stronger than others. I am sorry, but I hate the OP! The print is beautiful and I like the more mature look. Would I buy this series? Maybe, but it wont be going on my wishlist. My top choice would be JSK I in beige. I can imagine there being some very elegant outfits using this series in the near future.

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