Torn; JJ OP versus JJ JSK

I've got an issue in mind that I'm coming to you with. I'm looking for whatever opinions and feedback I can get.

I own this set

My best friend owns this set

She's been in love with my black OP for ages now, and ever since she's gotten her lavender JSK, she's been asking if I'd think about trading. And I have, quite a bit, but I'm still at a loss! So I've come to you for help. Here's my pros and cons.

Pros

- The lavender JSK fits me better because I have a small bust measurement and tiny shoulders, which means my OP doesn't fit me as well as it could, it tends to gape in the front if I move the wrong way.
- I like my black OP but ever since wearing it to Akicon, I can't help but feel like I've fallen out of love with it.
- I feel I look better in lighter colors.
- I have a pair of mint JJ socks that I'd be happy to coordinate with the lavender JSK.
- My OP fits my best friend better, who's much bustier than I am, which means her JSK doesn't fit her as well as it could.
- I'd also be getting about a hundred dollars out of the deal, as the sets aren't complete equivalents and my OP comes with tags, fabric swatch, etc.
- Both me and my friend has the perfect wig for... each other's dresses.
- We'll be living together shortly, so the clothing will be technically kept "within the family".

Cons

-  My Jewelry Jelly black set was hard to come by, I stalked comms for about five months before finding all the proper pieces to it.
- It was my first BIG brand purchase [I'd bought JSKs and such before, but this was my baby]
- I feel that this set is kind of rare, thus making it difficult to want to give up.
- I'm proud to say that I collected the set myself, I'm a big pack rat and memory fiend, and the sentimental value just makes parting with it difficult!

Beyond this issue, I've been torn up trying to decide what to do with my Mint Milky Berry OP.

I had every intention of keeping it and making it one of my default pieces, but the more I look at it the less I'm entertained. I bought it on a whim to twin with my friend's black jsk and haven't felt right about it since. Angelic Pretty brand OPs tend to not fit me properly in the bust, this is made even worse and more noticeable due to the fact that this OP has nothing but an entire back panel of shirring, no corseting, no way to tighten it.


Now, I love this piece as much as I love all my brand pieces, but I can't help but feel it's lacking constantly. I tried offering it for trade to no avail and I'm thinking about selling it, however sentimental value begs I keep it, where as monetary value insists I sell it.

I have loads of dream dresses, and I've worked hard to stay on that list with every purchase I made, this has been the first and last purchase I made that wasn't on my list. I'm beginning to regret it. .__.

Crafts and Comparisons.

When my Milky Berry OP arrived in the mail I was very interested in how the OP differed from my friend's JSK, and then I figured well... perhaps there are other people who're interested in the differences too! I also decided to do a detail post of my Jewelry Jelly OP as I was comparing the Milky Berry OP to my other newest purchase.

Comparison start! Here are the three dresses. Milky Berry in mint is incredibly vibrant!

The biggest difference I noticed between the two Milky Berry dresses is this: The JSK has a cute bit of lace threaded with ribbon that the hem lace is stitched to. The OP's hem lace is directly stitched to a folded over bit of fabric.

The bodice of the JSK is detailed with the same lace-ribbon-lace sandwich that the hem has.

Let me tell you first that photographing the mint is very difficult because the brightness of the print really washes out pictures. I have adjusted lighting and color the best I can so the color isn't always right for the mint pictures. Anyways, here is the bodice of the OP, the top of it has the same lace-ribbon-lace sandwich that the JSK has above, and a very cute set of three different rows of lace running down the center of the bodice with four little bows [I am very pleased these cannot come untied, I am awful at tying bows]

Here's the picture a little bit darker to show details.

The back of the JSK has only a bit of shirring but it fits to my friend's full C bust perfectly. The shirring is also bordered by three laces that tie into separate bows, which is a bit of a pain being the imperfect bow tie-r that I am.

The back of the OP is just a ton of shirring, which I was surprised by until I realized it was missing a small detail. The OP has no zipper opening, meaning you have to drag the dress up and over your head to get it off, which is actually really difficult especially being such a light print. I wear make-up while in lolita and it's quite the danger trying to get in and out of this without rubbing your face along it. I think that was the biggest disappointment.

Here is the zipper to the JSK, a simple little invisible zipper and a hook and eye closure at the top. The zipper tends to stick slightly at the waist/skirt seam but otherwise is just fine!

The waist ties of the JSK are adorably detailed. The lace is cute little strawberries wearing headbows and bows.

The OP has the same lace on it's waist ties, however it lacks the cute ribbon-lace that it lacks on it's hem.

The prints are gorgeous and equally vibrant, the red just pops against the black JSK.

The mint against the red is crazily vibrant as well. I am pleased with my purchase despite it's slight differences. Both these dresses fit my friend's waist and bust well however I wouldn't recommend them on much larger busts, the JSK would be the most likely to stretch further despite the fact that it has less shirring.

On to the Jewelry Jelly OP

Whenever I noticed all the differences on my mint OP, I decided to give my black one a once-over to see if perhaps Jewelry Jelly wasn't as detailed as I thought.

In all honesty, I cannot say I've ever been disappointed in the details that Jewelry Jelly has, this is the bodice, it's got a double layer of lace.

The sleeves are decked out in bows, detailed lace, this OP has neck ties and shoulder straps which are both removable in addition to the sleeve.

The lace on the sleeves and waist ties have stars.

The lace on the bodice and hem has dots and the Jelly dessert that the print contains.

The end of the neck ties have star charms that match the headbow which has a matching charm.

The waist ties have a little less detailing than the Milky Berry JSK, but the lace is beautiful!

The back of this OP has quite a panel of shirring, the corsetting on the sides is hidden by a bit of scalloped material.

All in all, details of this OP never cease to completely please me!

And here's the adorable print <3!

And since my Title promises that I show off my crafts, I'll treat you to that as well!

I made puffy stars! Forgive the quickly thrown together bit. The stars are actually on pins because I was out of alligator clips, but I wanted to show them off!

It's incredibly difficult to get a proper close up of these because they're so lightly colored, but this is the proper color of them, even though the details are fuzzy.

And here's a detail picture.

I think this one is my favorite, they both have bows, pearls, and rhinestones, as well as puff balls that I had left over from an old craft project.

I have three more that I still need to decorate as well as a few more smaller ones I intend to make, but these two are the fattest, cutest ones I've made thus far!

Thanks guys~!

Looky What I Got! [Just a quick update]

My baby arrived today! Or rather, it arrived at the post office yesterday but due to the fact that it was delivery confirmed and insured for 200+ dollars, I had to sign a few papers and write a few novels to get it! It was packed in a box I wasn't aware anything bigger than a hairbrush could fit in, but I don't mind at all!

\

Whenever the lady gave it to me I was almost sure that I was getting a package that wasn't my dress! I had to take it to work as I picked it up on the way but being a slow little place that it is I was able to open it and check on the status of my dress [I joked that perhaps the girl had cut it to ribbons in retribution of me getting such a good deal on it and sent it that way].

It is as beautiful as I dared hope! I really do like it. There's a few differences between the JSK and the OP that I was interested to see, but nothing that took away from this lovely piece that I'm ecstatic to have gracing my closet! And Miracle Candy is on it's way!

Outfit Completion Goals

So, as I fall in love with more and more prints, I have to backpedal and remind myself to wait until the dresses I have in the mail arrive before I start buying more stuff, then I need to remind myself to finish accessorizing said dresses before blowing all my money on a new one.

It's really a dangerous cycle.

I am waiting mostly for this OP, which should be in the mail and here tomorrow, which I am SUPER excited about! Coordination with it should be relatively easy, though I am thinking about getting a red cardigan and red tea party shoes to match.

Cardigan/bolero choices:

Angelic Pretty's Present Ribbon Cardigan

Angelic Pretty's Dolly Ribbon Knit Bolero

Bodyline knit bolero

These three appeal to me the most, however I'm more apt to probably get the Bodyline bolero because I'm also looking at shoes [the reviews seem good for Bodyline shoes] and a matching strawberry bag to Lindsey's.

I think this bag is absolutely adorable and for 12 dollars the construction is pretty decent, as I've gotten to give Lindsey's a nice look over before purchasing my own.

I would really like some colored shoes [granted I'm not sure how sound of mind I am, thinking about getting red shoes since I hardly have any other red in my wardrobe, but they are pretty cute!] and these ones are cheap at 19 dollars, and if I do a decent order from Bodyline the 20 shipping will be a steal in comparison to just ordering the purse and paying 32 for it alone!

I have a pair of Secret Shop socks I used to wear with my Pup in the Cup JSK that I think MIGHT possibly match Milky Berry enough that I won't have to buy a new pair of socks.

Hopefully that all comes together well enough that I don't have to spend a ton more money on assembling that outfit.

As for my other item that I'm still waiting on

I am thinking about pairing it with a blue Baby, the stars shine bright knit that I bought on a whim a couple of months back. Unfortunately I can't find a picture of it to share though.

I would like to get a pair of these Secret Shop socks

And if the waist bow is detachable I might make it into a headbow, if not I'll see just how sturdy the construction is, I only spent 100 dollars on the skirt so I'm not too terribly worried about it's resale value.

I'd also like to get my hands on a Dream of Lolita replica purse like this;

 Dream of Lolita terrifies me in general, there haven't been too many good reviews on the replica dresses they're producing, but after checking the review on the purses and what not, it seems like they're decent enough quality. And in all honesty there's three things that I don't find worth spending the money on and that's purses, socks, and shoes.

I always manage to trip or scuff up my shoes. My ruffled rocking horse shoes have a nice set of dents in one toe from improper packing and the white 'leather' is kind of dinged up. I can barely warrant spending more than fifty dollars on shoes that I'm horrible at keeping in decent condition.

Purses always seem to get dirty, whether it be because I'm sitting them on a bench or a floor when I do something, or from throwing stuff in and out of them like dirty money, keys, and other things. I just can't bear to buy brand for most of these items [UNLESS they're from lucky packs] and spend 100 to 200 dollars on them and ruin them in a go.

And as for my socks? Well, no one really warned me that my ruffled rocking horse shoes' An-Tai-Na label would color the bottoms of them green... thankfully I noticed it quickly enough that I was able to wash out my Cherry Berry Bunny socks, but it was just a nice warning to myself not to really go for brand for any of these things. I hate ruining things that I spend a ton of money on and unfortunately I am just too clumsy or senseless to keep them in pristine condition.

As for my next purchases after I finish off coordinating my new ones? Someone posted this skirt on the sales community and I thought it was absolutely adorable!

Angelic Pretty's Pastel Ala Mode skirt

 

 

I swear this is going to kill me <3 But I might as well build up my Lolita wardrobe before I move again.