Baby Ponytail - Indie Brand Review

It's been a long time since I published a blog entry!

I have some ideas floating around in my head (and several drafts already written), but I just don't have a lot of energy to put into writing these days. I enjoy blogging though, so I'm making a fairly small goal of publishing once a month.

A couple of months ago, I was contacted by Claudia, the designer for an indie lolita brand called Baby Ponytail, asking if I would be interested in receiving a piece from their (then) new collection, Mermaid's Castle in exchange for some publicity. The photos looked super cute, so I agreed!

There were some hiccups in production, but I finally received my jumperskirt last week - on my birthday no less~! It was nice timing haha.

Last weekend, I went downtown to the Portland waterfront with my friend Katie to take some photos in my new jsk~

I love that aspect of Portland's geography - the river cuts the city in half, which makes navigation super easy for someone like me who always gets lost haha.

We got really lucky with the weather that day! It's been raining almost every day since October, but it was dry and pretty warm - we even got a bit of blue sky!

 I wore my Lockshop Sylph wig because it reminded me a little of the mermaid's hair in the print!

Most of the rest of my coordinate is from Angelic Pretty, except the cardigan (offbrand/Gymboree), wristcuffs (Chess Story), and shoes (Secret Shop).

The print is so vibrant!

You can see my birthday manicure here! It doesn't photograph very well, because it's mostly just glitter and sequins haha. So sparkly!! 

We came across this garden in front of an office building with some pretty trees! I love how much I stand out against this background~

Keep reading for a full review~!!

The package was shipped DHL from Hong Kong (I'm assuming straight from the factory, as Baby Ponytail is headquartered in the UK). I'm not sure if all the orders were shipped straight from the factory, or just the sponsored items (since ours were shipped later).

It was packaged very carefully with lots of bubble wrap!

Inside the bubble wrap was a box.

Inside the box!

I was also sent 3 postcards and a Baby Ponytail shopping bag. I've never seen an indie brand have their own shopping bag, I thought it was a really nice touch!!

Here's the jumperskirt!! I got the sax blue.

I'll get the negative out of the way first.....

Unfortunately, I noticed a couple of things right when I took it out of the box:

1) I realized right away it was going to be too big

and

2) there was a rather visible snag on the bodice :'c

The snag was difficult to photograph, due to the sheen of the fabric - I was able to very carefully snip the end of it so that it lays flat, but I was really sad!

Since mine came direct from the factory, I would assume the designer wasn't able to do a quality control check on it.

The issue with the fit comes from the bodice pattern - it seems like it may not have been sized down properly, so the front panel is too wide and the seams sit awkwardly on my torso. The bodice is also a bit too long. I'm honestly not sure if anyone else will have the same problem, my torso just happens to be the smallest part of me heh.

I might have a friend alter it for me to fit better!

I also know that with their newest series, they're planning on offering XXS and XS sizes, which is really awesome!! Their size range is really inclusive on both end of the spectrum.

The bow on the bodice is detachable with a pin.

I love the versatility, but I think maybe the pin should be bigger or the bow smaller, or otherwise just tacked down, because right now it's a little limp/unsupported. I find this is a problem that Bodyline has a lot, too.

There's a hidden zipper on the side - it's sewn really well and doesn't catch at all!

Something I found a little odd though is that it's on the right side - it confused me at first, because every dress I own with a side zipper (lolita and otherwise) has the zipper on the left side haha.

The back is fully shirred, and as you can see, the bodice is fully lined.

The waist ties are detachable! I hate undetachable waist ties because it limits cardigan options, so I loved this detail haha. They also included an extra button!

The skirt is also fully lined.

Really nice tags with washing instructions!!

Not sure what "temperature ironing" means though?? Lol. 

(FYI, from my experience, medium heat works well)

Here's a closeup of the mermaid on the print! The print is really vibrant and the fabric is thick with a slight sheen and has a nice drape.

 The pretty trim! I really loved all the details!!

Overall, I highly recommend Baby Ponytail!!

Their prices are really reasonable (only $75 for this jsk!), the quality is very good, and the owner is really sweet and has great communication! Honestly, for someone on a budget or with sizing concerns, I would probably point them to Baby Ponytail over other options first.

Their new Swan Heart series is so cute, I'm looking forward to seeing more photos!!