Monday, August 6, 2012

Fruity Friday! AP Berry-chan JSK

So, it looks like my Fruity Friday is off to a bit of a late start this week. I've been rather busy preparing for the Boston comm's Swap Meet, and haven't had much time to write. Sadly, I didn't get to sell many of my things. Only some costume jewelry went, and it looks like I'll be making a listing for the comm-sales this week. I've got a rather large collection of off-brand blouses, and some Lolita items that I just plain want out of my closet. I don't think I made more than $5.00USD yesterday, so the swap meet wasn't as beneficial for my bank account as I needed it to be.

Anyhow, moving on to Fruity Friday! This week I'll be featuring Angelic Pretty's Berry-chan JSK, my mystery dress from last week. I happened upon the skirt version of it last week while perusing Lolibrary for design inspiration for another project. As it turns out, it was on Hello Lace (huurrrrduurpadurrr), and my ability to search Hello Lace sucks because I tend to quickly gloss over anything with a pink colorway stock photo. (To be honest, though, I think the pink version of this is pretty ugly, and doesn't do the series any justice.)

Angelic Pretty Berry-chan JSK

The Berry-chan JSK was released in 2010 by AP, with an original price of ¥23, 940 ($305 USD). The Berry-chan series features a JSK, OP, and skirt (and I'm assuming a matching headbow), which come in 3 colorways: Red, Black, and Pink.
Berry-chan jsk
 Personally, I think the pink is horrid, and the black is a little off, so I'm showing stock images of the red version. At this time, I'm not aware of any matching shirts, socks, bonnets, wrist cuffs, or jewelry that might accompany the Berry-chan series. 
The Berry-chan JSK is constructed of gingham, cotton broadcloth, cotton lace, and chemical lace, with tiny crocheted cherries. It features a back shirring panel, corset lacing in the back, waist ties, a side zipper, and adjustable straps. For this design, AP included a number of design elements that I personally find  very desirable in a sweet dress. As you can see from the stock photos, the dress is primarily made out of gingham, which is a fabric that people tend to either love or hate. I'm fond of gingham when it's used well, as it is in this case. 

Additionally, the dress also features scalloping on the skirt, waist ties and and bodice. On the bodice, the scalloping is purely decorative, and acts as a collar of sorts, whereas on the skirt and waist ties, the scalloping acts as a focal point to draw your attention to the tiers of red ruffles that lie below. 

AP could have easily made the line between the main part of the skirt and the ruffles a straight line, but the scalloping is more interesting and eye-catching, and also shows a higher degree of craftsmanship. I have a hard time with scallops in my own sewing, so I really appreciate seeing them done in Brand pieces. The scallop 'motif', if you will, pops up on another part of the dress: right where the skirt meets the bodice. It's a small thing that blends in with the rest of the dress, but it gives the appearance of the bodice and the skirt being separate items.

The other design element on this dress that I'm really fond of is the strawberry-shaped lace. AP is well known for making their own lace to match their designs. While this is mostly true of the embroidered tulle lace that they put on their pastel sweet print dresses, their usual attention to detail also extends to the chemical and cotton laces found on this dress. If I could find strawberry lace like the kind found on this dress, I'd just about die of happy, and my sewing projects would be complete.  Thus far, I'v only found it once before on Etsy.

Of course, one of my favorite things on the Berry-chan JSK is the little crocheted cherries found on the bodice and skirt. I've used similar cherries on my own accessories and clothing, and I'm just in love with the little things. These cherries are the berry in the Berry-chan series, and without them, I probably wouldn't like it as much as I do (nor would I be featuring it here :P).

Should you be fortunate enough to acquire the Berry-chan JSK, coordinating it is fairly easy. A white peter pan collar blouse will pair nicely with this jumperskirt, as will white socks and red shoes. This  JSK can work in either a sweet or country coordinate, and  makes a nice piece for the summer months. 

Thanks for reading this (err...last) week's Fruity Friday! I'll be back later with more fun fruity pieces to review. :3 

All dress images and background information courtesy of HelloLace.