Another Brand-rant (IW)

Innocent World is one of my favourite brands, right after Alice and the Pirates.
But the size issue that I addressed in my last brand-rant is even worse when it comes to IW.
Most of their dresses only go up to 98 (bust) and 81 cm (waist) and sadly that's just not enough for me ;___;
The only dresses that I can fit into are misshapen ones like these:

(The Square Yoke Doll Onepiece and the Bianca Jumperskirt)
I apologise to all of you who think that these are beautiful but I just think they are plain fugly -.-
So I had actually already accepted that I just don't fit into IW (yet) and I was okay with that.

Until recently when they started introducing the most charming JSK designs ever.
It all started with the Luna Stripe Halter JSK:

Isn't this one of the prettiest dresses ever? I mean, if we just leave the stripes and the buttons on the bodice front aside because always I love those elements, this neckline (or not existing neckline? O.o) is incredibly elegant and instantly caught my attention. It's so unusual for a lolita dress, maybe because it's not exactly what you would call "cute". With its simplicity and its originality it's just perfect for a more mature and classic look.

I was quite curious if they would stick to this design because it didn't seem to be that popular (Why not? Please tell me, why not? O.o) and indeed, a little while later they released this dress:

The Dot Print Halter Neck Jumperskirt. I have to admit, this one doesn't appeal to me that much but still it has this intriguing neckline. The A-line skirt and the belt give it a nice 50's-touch and that chiffon-ribbon is also quite cute.

And now there is a new dress up for reserve that I may even like better than the first one. The Random Dot Jumperskirt:

I love the pleated skirt and the bodice is so beautifully designed *___* And those irregular dots are so cute ^^
What do you think of these dresses? Maybe this neckline does/does not appeal to you?
I think that in general almost all of IW's dresses are gorgeous but designs like these are what make them so unique. So now it's time to lose weight to fit into them :D

Plus-sized Brand-rant (AatP)

As a lolita one has to admit: Brands do matter. They start trends, are prestigious and after all, in many cases their designs are beautiful.
As a plus-sized lolita one has to admit: Size does matter.
And somehow these two facts are mutually incompatible. At least they used to be. Little by little some brands are starting to introduce larger sizes, among them my favourite brand: Alice and the Pirates.

If we just ignore the fact that I cannot afford brand, I should be jumping for joy but somehow... I don't.
The AatP dresses that are made to fit larger sizes rarely seem as beaufitul to me as those who are not.
Let's see some examples.

The Beauty & the Rose Promise JSK. Maybe it looks better in real life but this cut, this somehow shiny fabric and this print just don't appeal to me :/

Next up: Vampire Forest. The cut of this dress is actually quite nice but this print is just... so not my thing. When I first heard the name I had a nice dress with  a dark border print, depicting the silhouette of a forest, in mind, maybe with some evil glowing eyes. (I still think that this would be an awesome print *___*) I was really disappointed when I saw it and even if this is not the typical case of a lace monster, the lace on the top seems quite monstrous to me.

Another example: Melty Mermaid Princess. The idea behind this print is really nice, the execution, however, could have been a little better but I could live with that. It's just that this cut seems extremely unflattering to me and why on earth would they use a different shade of purple for the lacing in the front than for the print itself?

Their newest prints also offer items for us larger girls but again I am a little disappointed.
For example the Lock the Pandora's memories skirt. This name also made me hope for something incredibly awesome but it turned out that it is an all-over-print that is... not really my thing. They made a skirt with this print that you can turn into a salopette. A great idea but still... just not my thing.

And now there is Misty Night Royal game and one of the dresses can stretch so much that I could gain double the weight that I've lost since last year and still fit into it XD I like the whole chess motif but I think all of the items just lack some plain-coloured parts to break the whole busy-ness of the print. I'd love to like it but... I just don't -.-

*sigh* Being plus-sized can be a curse but luckily it's not hopeless, at least not when it come to AatP.
There are rare exceptions like the Vanilla corset jumper skirt. It's elegant, rather simple and stunning. And I fit into it ^^

(All pics taken from either hellolace or the AatP online shop)

So now it's time to whine about not having any money XD But that's a different story and will be told another day ;)
After all we should not forget that brand is not everything. As long as an outfit is creative and well put together it doesn't matter if you spent a penny or a fortune on it. Sadly a lot of girls forget that lolita is not about status symbols but about beauty and creativity.

So, what do you think of these dresses or of the topic "brand" in general? ^^