Chrysanthemum's Concerto Lost in the Garden of Eden Review

Ever since selling the Innocent World Strawberry Tart OP that I used to have my wardrobe has suffered from a distinct lack of gingham. Which was unacceptable. However, as much as I searched for something, nothing fit my criteria regarding the design and price. Until Chrysanthemum’s Concerto came to the rescue!

About the Brand

Chrysanthemum’s Concerto has actually been around for a while, but previously operated as After Midnight - Rachel, the owner, has rebranded early this year and even moved from Etsy to a custom website. The rebrand came with a new dress release, though in the past they were also doing lots of accessories, both ready made (I reviewed an accessories lucky pack previously) and custom ones (like the whipped cream headpiece that I’ve worn at DMC all the way back in 2017). Whilst it still remains to be seen what comes next for the brand, I have no doubts that it will keep the standard that we’ve seen from the After Midnight days.

You can follow Chrysanthemum’s Concerto on Facebook and Instagram, as well as their own website.

The Order Process

The pre-order for the Lost in the Garden of Eden series began on April 26th a minute before noon UK time and I placed my order within an hour of that time (my confirmation email is time stamped at 12:48). The whole order was processed via the website and I was able to pay using PayPal. Since Chrysanthemum’s Concerto is a one-woman operation, the pre-order was limited to six slots, which all filled out by the next day.

And no wonder, as the design is incredibly cute, it was available in six colourways (red, yellow, light green, lavender, pink and black), and was very reasonably priced. The JSK alone cost £75, the headbow was available separately for £15, though it was also possible to purchase them as a set at a combined price of £85. With the £5 for domestic postage, my order came to a total of £90, which is more than reasonable for a brand new handmade lolita dress! The Lost in the Garden of Eden (which I’m tempted to shorten to just Eden or at least Garden of Eden, I’m sure the irony of this series having a long name won’t be lost on the designer) was a one size only release, although the full back shirring was advertised to accommodate bust measurement up to 100cm and waist measurement of up to 90cm, with a note to message if one was close to those max measurements so that Chrysanthemum’s Concerto could check and confirm the fit. If that’s not customer-focused service, then I don’t know what is.

I can’t remember or track down now what the advertised pre-order time was. I’m sure that this was mentioned somewhere, I have vague recollections of three months being given as an ETA, but I can’t be sure and can’t find that anywhere now. Especially since I am the type to be really chill with pre-order ETAs, even more so with solo-owned indie brands because my desire to own something is never, ever more important than the health and wellbeing of the creators. As long as I am kept informed about what’s happening, I am happy to wait and by following the brand on both social media platforms I felt very informed. In fact, seeing all the WIP pictures, with glimpses of the other colourways, was really exciting and made me want more gingham. In the end whilst I believe there was a delay in production, it wasn’t a significant one and I received my notification of shipment on Saturday July 31st. Since postage was not only domestic, but one of the priority ones, it arrived to me on Tuesday August 2nd, so whatever delay there may have been, it really wasn’t a significant one.

What I Got

After some very brief hesitation I opted for the Lost in the Garden of Eden set in red. The price difference between the JSK alone and the set was so small that why would I deprive myself of the possibility of having a matching bow? You never know when you might need it. Since I recorded an unboxing of this set, I don’t have an photos of the packaging, but rest assured that it was cute - or check the unboxing out if you want to see exactly how cute.

Full set in its full glory.

What drew me to this design is its simplicity. When I originally decided that I needed some red gingham back in my life, I scoured Lolibrary, but emerged with only one design that I genuinely liked, everything else was too fussy or something. But Lost in the Garden of Eden hits that precise sweet spot of having detail without being too much, being simple enough for casual wear, but not so simple that it lacks interest. If I were into oldschool lolita, this would also be perfect for that sort of look given the overall design and the type of trims used, though none of these feel dated or too oldschool, making it perfectly wearable now in more contemporary styling. It was just exactly what I needed.

Gingham is cute in its own right, but add the right trim and it actually sings!

Look up the meaning of 'adorable' and this bow comes up.

Square necklines should be more of a thing in lolita because I feel like they’re perfect for the fashion. Have a blouse with a cute collar you want to show off? Square neckline. Prefer to expose your collarbone and keep that area open, but also want it framed nicely? Square neckline. You just can’t go wrong with that. The princess seams together with the full back shirring help the dress sit nicely across the chest, while the lace with the red satin ribbon woven through it is the absolute cutest. You know when people prone to grumbling about AP (such as myself) complain that the cuts are being too simple nowadays? This is what we mean. This bodice isn’t the height of extravagance when it comes to cut or trims - but what is there adds charm and interest to the area, adds that touch of cuteness that you can appreciate both from up close and afar.

This also appears to be the type of polycotton that is resistant to wrinkling unless one really tries hard. Which should make the washing and maintenance so much easier.

The same ribbon lace adorns the hem of the dress right above the ruffles. Again, it’s a simple design choice with a lot of charm, complimenting the gingham fabric without overloading it with extras. And the ruffles add plenty of volume to the bottom skirt, so whether you like to fill your dresses up to the max with poof or are keeping things more casual, this ruffle will optically add volume and keep your skirt looking full.

You look at this and immediately feel the comfort.

Come on, this is a very cute button!

As mentioned, the back is fully shirred and that shirring stretches with ease. Both shoulder straps are adjustable with a button - which I will admit, I didn’t pay much attention to when I was purchasing. So when the note included with my order expressed apology for changing the buttons as the supplier ran out of red ones (and offered a detachable bow clip as an apology extra), I was a bit surprised. Looking back at the stock pictures, I actually think that the buttons I got are cuter? Granted, mine no longer look so neat because I appear to have scratched them with either my seam ripper or needle. I did need to move the buttons for a more comfortable fit - up the straps rather than down, interestingly enough. So I have done that by the time these photos were taken, so the stitching on them is mine. But the stitching that I had to undo was very neat and sturdy, there was no way the buttons were going anywhere!

When you can see the gingham fabric through the lining, that's when you know how light it is.

The JSK is fully lined with what the website listing confirms to be an anti-static lining. The biggest issue for me is how the lining feels, since it is a polyester fabric, but not only is it visibly a light fabric, it also feels breathable to me. I could definitely wear that in the summer and not feel like it would trap all the air and moisture. It also feels smooth against the skin, so should I try a petticoat-less or a blouse-less look, I won’t be uncomfortable either. An all round win!

Very securely attached to the pin, as well as the perfect bow shape.

Belt is not going anywhere thanks to these loops.

And it also comes to a nice point.

Rather than waist ties the dress comes with a detachable dress, which I think is an excellent choice. Our community is pretty split on the matter of waist ties, I personally like to have them detachable because I go back and forth on whether I use them or not. A belt is a fantastic alternative, since it’s even easier to add or remove, and the loops keep it in place. Moreover, with it being a solid white design to contrast with the gingham, I could potentially use it with some of my other dresses should I feel the need to add a belt. And since I received that detachable bow pin, I found myself leaning to adding it to the belt. It helps it stay in place, as well as break up the coord that little bit more. One thing I haven’t photographed are pockets, which this dress has two - they are as spacious as on my First Semester JSK, which means that they easily fit my phone or a whole hand with a fair bit of room spare.

Standing proud, yet not obnoxiously so. This bow knows her worth and doesn't feel the need to put other bows down to feel good about herself.

Last but not least - the headbow. It has a gorgeous shape, so pleasingly symmetrical and perfectly lolita. The bow is sewn onto the headband, so it will remain a centre bow, but it’s not so big so as to be head-eating. And with a bit of playing around with it maybe I could get it to lie flat on the head. I haven’t yet worn it, only quickly tried on, so I know that I am happy with the shape and size, as well as construction. If in doubt, I’ll throw it in front of a beret or will wear my clip-on fringe, that’s a fail-proof solution to centre bows that stand tall on the head.

Overall

Lost in the Garden of Eden is precisely what I wanted to add to my wardrobe: a simple summery gingham classic with plenty of room for whatever other styling might come to my head. I had to wear it literally the day after it arrived, which I shared in my Instagram stories, but don’t worry - if you’ve missed that, it will be there in the August Coords Roundup post at the end of the month. That was when I realised that I needed to resew the strap buttons, which I did pretty much the day after that. And now I have a great fitting, utterly comfortable , versatile JSK and headbow set that I can’t wait to coord more. My only regret is that I resisted getting it in that light green too, but given the limited pre-order spots I would’ve felt awfully greedy taking that from someone else who wanted the dress.

If you want to see my first reaction, the cute packaging and some moving shots of this dress, make sure to check out the unboxing above. Photos are great, but sometimes you can’t beat a film clip to get a better feel of how a piece of clothing wears and sits on a body.