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Occasional crossdresser who loves pink, petticoats, satin and frills.

[sarahbliss-sk]

I don't think I can handle dress pre-orders any more! The wait was an agonizing 4 months. But as soon as I opened the package I fell in love with it. The pictures don't really do the skirt justice; the material is super-shimmery on the bottom tier.

This one's not custom made, and sizing-wise it's actually a bit too snug around the chest. I can get the zipper up, but I not while wearing my falsies - slightly disappointing, as I prefer having a bit of curve when I'm dressing :)

I made a terrible mistake almost immediately after opening it! I was excited to get the wrinkles out, and started steaming things... I should have removed the detachable bows first, though. The front-center bow came detached from its jewel because the steam melted the hot glue that was holding it together. Not too difficult to fix, luckily.

I'm actually wearing a fairly poofy petticoat underneath, but the skirt is so heavy that the poof gets squished. Oh well, now I have an excuse to buy more pettis.

[sarahbliss-sk]

I don't think I quite pull off this style, but the dress was so adorable that I had to try. I was super worried about the sizing when I ordered (from 42lolita); I'm not a huge guy, but - y'know - I have shoulders, whereas the target audience for these items mostly don't :) But thanks to generous shirring in the back, and a blouse that's probably too large for the rest of me, it fits.

The blouse almost deserves its own post. It's super comfortable, with lots of details that unfortunately the dress covers up. But it's also a bit translucent, which is not ideal for posting pictures of it by itself.

I tried very hard to get the wrinkles out (overseas shipping contains are tight!) but my technique clearly needs work. If you've got tips in that department, I'd love to hear them.

[sarahbliss-sk]

This is my newest dress, and I was specifically searching for something in lavender. I adore how detailed it is: the lace trim around the sleeves, the multi-layered skirt, the little bows on the bodice and the skirt, the collar... It's quite a treat to wear! And the fit is absolutely perfect.

If I could change one thing about it, I think I'd want to shorten the lace trim around the sleeves a bit. Can't decide if it looks a bit silly with the current length, reaching almost to my elbows. Ok, two things - the sleeves are poofy, but they don't ball up perfectly? I'm really just nitpicking at this point. Wearing this is heaven.

[sarahbliss-sk]

I wanted to try a a more babyish design next. With its high waist, this Elizabeth dress from Leanne's felt just right. It's very short, almost like wearing a babydoll nightgown. And I love it. This remains my most comfortable dress for just lounging around and relaxing. It has a smooth, satin lining, and a built-in slip/underskirt that feels amazing. The shoulder frills (not sure what the correct term is) are absolutely perfect to my eyes.

[sarahbliss-sk]

The urge to smash the buy button was very strong when I first saw this dress posted. Can't remember how long I lasted, but clearly I did succumb eventually. This is the Adult Sissy Princess French Dress from BBT Sissy Closet.

I had the skirt length made to 14" (very, very short) so that it would go with a shorter petticoat that I already owned. Was very happy with how that turned out, and with how the skirt stays flared out. The dress's lighter material helps a lot on that front.

The details on the bodice are nice, and the other thing I love about the dress is the super-wide sash. It makes a beautiful bow in the back if you can manage to tie it properly. Very difficult when you're dressing yourself, though. I struggled.

My only complaint, and one which unfortunately prevents me from wearing it often, is the collar/neckline. It was both too wide and too tall. I think a high neck needs to be snug, almost like a choker, but this neck feels like it's a good 2 to 3 inches too large in circumference. The lace collar is pretty, but it sticks up so high that my chin rubs against it whenever I turn my head.

[sarahbliss-sk]

Continuing the pink trend, this is Sassie from TheMaidStore.

I've noticed that my brain tends to go in circles. I've get obsessed with a certain style of dress, or outfit, for a few months or weeks at a time, and then move on to another style. Welp, I was back on maids again! And probably not for the last time.

Compared to my Cayla dress, I actually got the torso length measurement correct this time, and so the waist sits right. But this dress also suffers from the same issue of being too loose in the lower back, right above the waist. For these pictures, I think I used a clip to cinch it a little tighter over my corset.

I wish I knew why I had such a thing for maid costumes, other than the fact that they're adorable. Growing up, I don't recall any strong memories of maids in popular media, except for the Clue movie. Though I suppose the submissive implications must have something to do with it.

It's a bit a misnomer to call it a "maid" dress since clearly the satin material and the poofy skirt are not appropriate for serious housework. But it's got an apron, so it must be a maid dress, right?

[sarahbliss-sk]

My first dress from BBT Sissy Closet was a bit of a happy accident. They were sold out of the pink eyelet fabric that was been pictured in the shop, and asked me about a substitution. Honestly it made me pretty nervous since I wouldn't get to preview the final product, and I don't always like polka-dots. But I think it turned out great!

I love how huge the puff-ball sleeves are on this one, and I also love the ruffles going over the shoulders. You can see that I threw myself a little balloon party to celebrate.

[sarahbliss-sk]

The next dress I bought was this Rapunzel look-alike. Because who doesn't want to be a Disney princess sometimes?

Yeah, I know Rapunzel's dress in the movie did not have a ball gown silhouette, and it was not floor length. But I wanted a floor-length princess gown, and this one caught my eye. There were a few costumes I liked better at the time - based on Ariel's dresses if I remember correctly - but I didn't think I could pull off the lower neckline. So I went with Rapunzel's dress.

I was actually very happy with the fabric on this one. Thick, premium stuff. The fit is a little awkward, and I think that's because I only had to give a 3 or 4 measurements when ordering it. It's probably built with the assumption of a narrower should width. Oh well, lesson learned.

Twirling around is lots of fun! And the dress is held up beautifully by a hoop skirt and a crinoline.

I've seen this exact dress in lots of cosplay shops; I honestly have no idea who stole the design from whom at this point.

[sarahbliss-sk]

Next up, in chronological order!

This dress is from Leanne's, and it's still one of my favorites. The pictures here are more recent than when I first purchased the dress - I've gotten better at managing the lighting since then.

My favorite thing about Leanne's dresses, and I've purchased a few over the years. is the quality of the satin. It feels amazingly, silky smooth. My only complaint about this piece is that it has weird little horizontal seams on the sides of the chest. I don't know if that's my fault for giving weird measurements, or if it's covering up for a sewing mistake. It's not too obvious when my arms are at my sides, though.

Once again I had trouble in the petticoat department. The first petti I bought to go with the dress ended up being a little too long (17.5" instead of 16"), and just didn't have enough yards of material for my taste. It looked a little silly with how far it peeked out. For these pictures, I think I was wearing two shorter pettis underneath instead of the longer one.

I'm still totally obsessed with shiny fabrics, poofy skirts, and puff-ball sleeves. Not letting up any time soon.

[sarahbliss-sk]

This blog is going to be a visual diary of sorts, chronicling my history of impulsive girly purchases.

I have to start with this dress, not because it was my first (I might comment more on that later), but because it's the first which actually fit to some degree, and of which I still have a picture. It's the Cayla dress from TheMaidStore.

The dress itself felt great, and appreciated the quality of the materials. But I think I must have goofed at least one of the measurements, because the waist of the dress was too low. If you look closely, you can see that the apron is tied a couple inches above the elasticated waist. So I was never 100% happy with the fit, but that's mostly my own fault.

I have two other observations for prospective buyers. First, the material is quite heavy (possibly because of the optional lining, which feels amazing), and so the included petticoat had trouble puffing it up as much as I wanted. This will be a recurring theme in future posts :) Secondly, this dress and others I've tried from the same store tend seem a big baggy in the lower torso. I think they're relying on the elastic to make it 'snug' around the waist - which it is - but that leaves a lot of extra material right above the waist which is not ideal. The apron hides it, in this case.

Overall, it was not a bad piece, and of course I love the collar and the lacy apron straps. Note to self: remember trim your arm hair before taking pictures in dresses!