Long Ears and Sharp Ears Studio – Spring Lucky Pack “The Dessert Kingdom” Review

*Note: I’m in the process of getting ready for a convention and also moving, so that’s why things have been kind of sparse around here. I’m trying to get a few things posted that I’ve had sitting in the queue for a while. Thanks for understanding!*

It shouldn’t be a surprise that I’m a huge fan of lolita fashion lucky packs. Not only do I like to get nice things at bargain prices, I also generally really like being surprised on gift-giving occasions by things I didn’t specifically ask for. Opening up a lucky pack is the best of two great situations – I get to be surprised, but I’m also fairly certain that I’ll end up liking what I receive (as long as it fits).

A while back I happened to see on Facebook that a brand I’d been eyeing, “Long Ears and Sharp Ears Studio,” was putting out a lucky pack/special set. The set was very sweet-centric and since I’ve been trying to add toned-down sweet items to my wardrobe, I decided to give it a try.

It’s worth mentioning that I was ever so slightly wary due to the price (meaning, it seemed really low) – $100 USD for a JSK, blouse, tights, bag, hair accessory and some small additional small bonus items. I was really worried that the quality might not be quite what I was looking for, that there might be major flaws, etc. Luckily for me, I think the price was more reflective of the relatively simple design and more standard materials than any sort of production flaws or major short cuts.

Packaging

The items came packaged in a gray packing bag, as well as a shopping-style inner plastic bag with the brand’s logo on it. I’d like to make a note that I had previously thought that the brand’s name sounded a little bit sinister, especially the “Sharp Ears.” It was only after I finally got a good look at the logo that I realized “Long Ears” referred to a rabbit and “Sharp Ears” to a cat. Maybe not the best translation into English but it makes sense and fits with the brand’s cute aesthetic.

Inside the plastic bag was a cute tote made out of cotton and quilted to make it thicker. The tote has a snap closure and an inner lining. It might not be quite as sturdy as some of the thicker canvas totes out there (including but not limited to those which I’ve purchased straight from Japanese brands), but it’s much better quality than I expected and it’s nice to have something that actually goes with the dress within. I’m getting ready to move to an apartment (finally!) and so I’ve been using the bag to store some of my accessories in preparation for the move.

Small Items

The package came with a couple of nice bonus items that I actually didn’t quite expect – A set of stickers featuring cute characters who I assume are the brand mascots, as well as a small desk calendar featuring illustrations of several of the brand’s print series. I’ve been using the calendar on my bedside table since I got it and really love the cute drawings. I haven’t come up with a good use for the stickers yet (I’m not a big sticker person), but might give them away as a prize at a panel or something.

Accessories

I’d originally thought that the lucky pack came with only two accessories, but that was before I noticed that, attached to the tote’s handle, was a bow that was just pinned-on. So technically there are three, which I think is a nice amount. In addition to the bow, there was also a separate head bow (attached to a headband) and a pair of tights. The head bow is nice because it’s something that matches with the set, and it’s not too big (I don’t think that my face can handle those big bows and I’m not into wearing the huge wigs needed to make them look decent. This one is a nice toned-down size that’s comfortable to wear.

The tights are thick and aren’t really see-through at all (I am an average size/weight for my height so it may be different if your legs are a bit thicker or you’re taller than me). I originally thought that they may not fit since, un-stretched, they looked really small, but they have a lot of give to them. I did wear them a couple of times, though, and got a small run in the toe area. I think this was more the shoes I was wearing, and since that time I’ve taken to wearing little slipper socks (the thin type that you’d wear with flats and wouldn’t show above the shoe) in between my foot and the tights, and this seems to have prevented my other tights from getting damaged. I like the design on the tights as they give a classic, slightly quirky feeling to what would otherwise be very plain leg wear.

Blouse

The blouse is from the brand’s sister otome brand, Pink Up. It’s pink and made of sheer chiffon-like material with a flocked heart pattern. The rounded collar has cute frills along the border, and there’s a detachable ribbon pin that goes at the neck line. There are two parallel lines of elastic a few inches apart near the cuff, which is a really cute detail. At the time I got this I actually underestimated the amount of use that I would get out of this blouse, since it’s not a “safe” color like white or black. But in addition to it going really beautifully with the JSK in this set, I’ve also worn it with a couple other of my neutral-colored pieces and it adds a nice pop of color and works well even if I’m feeling more casual.

JSK

There were four possible colorways for this set, and I was hoping for either the pink or yellow one since blue really isn’t my jam and I thought that the brown was too dark and saturated for my tastes. I received the yellow set which I was obviously very happy about. This JSK is extremely cute. It features the rabbit and cat characters in the border print among a magical field of cookies, doughnuts, candies, and other sweets. There are also some royal symbols like crowns and scepters. It is all very whimsical and cute. The bodice features three ribbons in the front and lace around the shoulder straps. There are detachable waist ties held in place with gold bow-shaped buttons. There is corset lacing up the back of the bodice that provides a nice amount of “give.” The corset ribbon is kind of thin and not particularly sturdy, but I don’t think the purpose is for the top to behave like an actual corset as the fabric overall is light and airy and there’s no boning to give it a particular shape. The fabric itself is slightly textured (I’m not sure if it’s really apparent from the photos but it has a raised dot pattern that’s very subtle). The dress itself is fully-lined and has a side zipper. As with all hidden zippers, I tend to have a bit of trouble getting it to go past the waist seam without snagging, even though the dress itself isn’t tight. I think they are just inherently flawed as a closure mechanism, though. The shoulder straps attach to the back of the bodice with buttons, and there are three button holes to help adjust the length (I have kind of a long torso so I’m really thankful for the ability to adjust that measurement!).

One bonus that I should mention is that the dress is a little bit longer than a lot of normal JSKs (it’s listed as 100cm, when I think the general “standard” is closer to 92cm total length), so it’s great for those of us who are slightly above average in height (I’m 5’6”/168cm tall).

The only construction issue that I noticed with this dress is that the top bow on the neckline of the bodice was sewn on a bit wonky and wouldn’t sit straight. This is something that’s definitely within my realm of ability to fix so it’s not a major issue. But it’s probably noticeable in some of the pictures and it bothered me.

Overall

Aside from shoes and other smaller accessories, it’s completely possible to build a coordinate from just the items in this lucky pack, and I really like that. Unlike some of the lucky packs I’ve received which are truly just a random assortment of leftover items, this is more of a “special set” feel with a fairly simple but really cute coord that’s wearable and not OTT. I’m pleased that I received a color that I don’t have much of yet; I’m both looking to expand the “sweet” part of my wardrobe and add some variance to the colors since I’ve been playing it safe with neutrals for a long time. The set can be easily matched with soft pinks, browns, and golds, so there are a lot of great ways that this dress could be coordinated.

I wore the items as-is in one of the photographs, and also tried it out with a few other accessories that I had on hand, including my biscuit hat and bag and the spoon and chocolate necklace I bought (on sale!) recently from Alice and the Pirates.

Oh, and my fears about the low cost of the set? Almost totally unfounded. The quantity of items was obviously way more than I would have expected for $100 (plus shipping), but so was the quality. The design and materials weren’t at the same quality level as some of my favorite brand pieces, but I have some taobao pieces that were the same price just by themselves and I think this set beats at least some of them.

As of right now (Early April) I believe that there might still be some of these sets available for purchase, so if you’re reading this and are interested, I’d go snatch one up before they’re completely sold out.

Oh, and one thing I wanted to note – this brand has a design that I’m beating myself up about not getting in on sooner – it’s a print loosely based around Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders!

Have you ordered from Long Ears and Sharp Ears Studio? What are your thoughts on the brand? Let me know in the comments!