Monday 7 March 2016

The Dream Dress

Lately, I've found myself really revisiting the first themes and dresses and prints I loved in lolita, inspired by the wardrobe posts being shared on egl in January. I always had an old school, more toned down sensibility about things, but I was also a die hard fan of sweet lolita, and the style of it that emerged around the late noughties. After dabbling for a year or so with high street loliables, Bodyline and finds from Sai Sai in Camden, I really wanted some brand. The first item to go onto my wishlist was Angelic Pretty's Miracle Candy. I wasn't sure if I wanted it in red or black, and if I wanted the jumperskirt or the OP. After a while, I decided it was too over the top, particularly in red, and I'd surely feel too self conscious to wear it outside even if I did own it. This was 2011. 

Fast forward to 2016 and I am a lot more confident in myself, and way less bothered about what people think about how I dress. I decided that if I only bought one dress this year, it had to be a game changer, and Miracle Candy was the only one of those I could think of, and there was only one colourway I could accept. It recently came up on Lacemarket. I pounced, and on Friday 4th March 2016, the dress was finally in my possession.

This is the only dress I've ever tried on that made me feel emotional when I looked in the mirror. I had gotten it into my head that there was no way this dress would fit me. I figured it would hit me mid-thigh and look terrible. But it didn't. The bodice, with its adorable candy brooches and pearl chain, sat where it was supposed to, and the skirt length was just right. I spun around a few times and watched as the glitter in the print sparkled as it picked up the light. What a moment.

The waist bow on this dress is obscenely perfect. 

 I love the detailed hem. Candy patterened broderie anglaise, candy striped ruffle, and adorable dot tulle.

It's funny really, because I don't even like sweets very much. I'm more into fruit and desserts, and I have a few prints with those themes in my collection. I wear a lot of black and tend to shy away from anything with too much oomph to it. But somehow, this dress is so inexplicably "me". 

The bottom line is, I have my dream dress and we're going to run off together to get married.

Do you have a dream dress? Do you own it yet or are you still on the hunt? I'd love to know which pieces get you going. Thanks for reading and see you soon! 

10 comments:

  1. Congratulations! What an adorable dress, I can't wait to see how you decide to coord it! I'm so happy you were able to find it!

    I don't have any dream dresses at the moment, really I am mostly trying to rebuild my wardrobe as I sold off 90% of it last year. My budget is much smaller this go around as are my tastes so I definitely looking at much less extravagant pieces than I used to. Actually, I would really love to read an article from you about Bodyline. They're more of where my sights are right now, particularly their second hand dresses and skirts as I quite like some of their floral pieces I can wear more casually around the office.

    Anyway, congrats again!

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    1. Thank you! It truly is beautiful! I wore it the day after I got it though it wasn't a particularly good outfit-- I just really wanted to wear it asap, haha!

      (Before I continue, I must say how lovely it is to hear from you! <3 I wasn't sure if I would see you around on blogger anymore so I was excited when I saw an email notification with your username ^_^ )

      Oh gosh, I don't know if I could write a particularly up to date/accurate article about Bodyline now as I haven't bought clothes from there in years. What I do know is that their prices have increased drastically over the past couple of years so you don't really get as much bang for your buck as you used to. You can find much nicer items on Taobao at a very similar price-point, although I still recommend Bodyline for shoes. If you do find Bodyline cheaply secondhand then go for it. I would look up reviews of anything you intend to buy to give you a better idea of what to expect. I've also been seeing a lot of secondhand brand bargains lately, though they're usually more old school styled pieces. Depends what you're into! Building a wardrobe is always something of a quest you have to keep at.

      Anyway, it sounds like this time round you have a better idea of what you want your style to be, and the sorts of pieces which would suit your lifestyle.

      Thanks for commenting!

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  2. I can't remember exactly which was my first dream dress but I remember liking the special set of Milky Planet in lavender. I got the OP in yellow second hand and I really loved the glitter and the planetary theme. I wasn't wearing it often and have been heading towards toned down pieces in the last two years so I ended up selling it to some one who had the dress on their dream dress list.

    Something that I've loved since I first saw it but have never owned is the END of immortal eden skirt by Alice and the Pirates in navy, which reminds me of Sailor Moon. Perhaps I can make that a goal for the future.

    P.S I love dot tulle. There's something so fun and floaty about it that really resonates with me.

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    1. I didn't get the appeal of Milky Planet at all when it was first released, especially given the high prices it would fetch secondhand. People went so wild for that print! Now that some time has passed I can appreciate that print a lot more, though I don't think it's one I would ever own personally. It's a bit too neon for me XD Like you, I'd probably never wear it as I prefer things I can tone down for the most part.

      I see that print come up every now and again so hopefully you won't have too much trouble finding it should you go after it in the future!

      Gotta love a bit of dot tulle. So whimsical.

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  3. This is such an adorably cute dress, and one that I never really paid any attention to until now. Congratulations on getting it, and I'm glad it made you so happy!

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    1. It's definitely one of those easily forgotten sweet prints as it never really had a huge fanbase like a lot of AP prints around that time!
      Thank you so much!

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  4. It's so cute dress (I've Miracle Candy as well, in sax colorway and it's tiered version), and I'm sure you will look really pretty in it! Waiting ootd pictures. ^^

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    1. Ah awesome! The tiered version is so fluffy and cute ^_^
      Thanks a lot for the sweet comment!

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  5. Hello. I have been thinking about dream dresses as of late. Mine is the Candy Treat jsk in white only. I love the look of the bow at the back. And the print is so striking. I've seen it come up in cuts and colorways other than the one I want. None of the other colors give me that feeling. I think I would be happy enough with the colorful ribbons jsk. But my favorite is the one with that back bow and lace on the front bodice! I have been eyeing the miracle candy print as sort of a place holder dress for the one I want the most. And I'm sure I would love it. But Candy Treat still is the one that makes my heart leap!

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    1. Hi there ^_^

      I love the detail of the bow on the back of that jumperskirt! It's such an interesting and unexpected design feature, so I'm not surprised you feel drawn to that cut in particular!

      I think of Miracle Candy and Candy Treat as being cousins XD You should definitely go for Candy Treat, though. It can seem tempting to go for a similar print to temporarily satisfy your craving, but it's always more rewarding when you hold out for the true goal. The wait is definitely worth it in the end!

      Thank you so much for commenting!

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