[Bodyline Review] Sax Blue "Pussy Bow" Blouse (L373)

Short Sleeve Ruffle Blouse [link]
L373
("Sax" = Saxon Blue)


Length: 52cm (20.5in)
Bust: 88cm (34.6in)
Waist: 78cm (30.7in)
Shoulder length: 34cm (13in)
Sleeve length: 18cm (7in)


I honestly wasn't sure what I thought of this blouse when I first saw the stock photo; the neck tie is so encompassing that it was a bit hard to see passed it to the actual blouse. While Bodyline has been "upping their game" with their stock photos every now and again I find them falling short. While this one does do a good job at showing how the blouse looks with the tie it also doesn't let you see all that much detail on, ya know, the actual blouse.

After scouring the internet a bit for some other photos from girls either wearing it or trying to sell it I decided to give it a shot and bought it in the saxon blue. I'm a bit weird when it comes to lolita as I'm honestly not a fan of huge Peter Pan style collars as I get the notion they end up eating your neck- so the fact that this is was a high collar blouse really interested me! It could be cute without too much going on like L364.

The blouse is Bodyline's typical crunchy, stiff cotton fabric. Though I do believe they can be softened over time I still chuckle at the noises it makes when you first wear them. The lace itself, however, is rather nice! The blue color of the shirt is really very subtle and seems more like a tint than an actual strong color.It could easily be used to mix and match with a lot of lolita items though I don't think the color is bright enough for brighter fashions such as fairy kei? It for sure is a nice pastel light blue vs a bright blue which helps bump this

There are at least 4 different laces on this blouse and while they are not top of the line "burando" soft they are far from the gross itchy lace often found on cheaper items. The collar and arm lace match and neither is irritating or itchy to my skin. I really like the smaller looped lacing along the edges of the placket (where the "button-down" part is.) The larger decorative late is nice with minimal shine. The typical lace Bodyline likes to use on everything lines the fitting seams on the front and back and is typically mediocre- not really bad or good. It does seem as though the pieces down the back of my shirt need some TLC as there are lots of extra fabric pieces around the edges that had not been trimmed off. I'm just glad all of the problem areas are down the back of the blouse.
The rose buttons are very cute though due to their bulk it can sometimes be difficult to get them through the button holes. They hold pretty well and have a nice opalescent finish to the face of them. I don't think they're sewn down too well so after a few wears they are likely to come loose. As with all Bodyline items that involve buttons or added details I HIGHLY suggest sewing the buttons down yourself to secure them further.

I'm not a huge fan of the elastic arm holes. I always worry this will give even a skinny arm a kind of muffin-top look to it. Bodyline at least didn't skimp on the elastic and the openings don't pinch at all. I may still alter it though to remove the elastic and attach an actual cuff as I believe this will just overall look nicer and cleaner- to do so I will probably end up using the fabric from the necktie since I pretty much never use that.
But watch.
The one time I'll want to use it will be after I cut it up! That would just be my luck lol.

The necktie is cleverly made with darting towards the center that helps reduce the amount of fabric one would have on their neck. The blouse has small, thin loops of thick thread on either side of the collar to help keep the tie where it needs to be and to prevent it from slipping up around your neck. When actually tying a bow it's not overly cumbersome and huge but actually turns out rather cute looking! I forgot to even try to take a picture of this but maybe perhaps I'll give it a try in an coordinate I put together in the future.

Overall I do really like this blouse verses the many others I have bought from Bodyline. While it most certainly isn't on par with more expensive blouses; it is very much one of the better ones Bodyline even carries. I suggest it for both sweet and classic wearers alike and maybe even gothic if you are on the fence about it. Then again I don't really dress in gothic so maybe my advice on buying it for that style isn't the best ^_^;;