Today’s post brings my first Pandora Disney Spring 2016 review, and just my first Pandora Disney review in quite some time! It’s really fun to be stepping back into the fun of this collection; this is my first Pandora Disney character charm since this time last year. I was so excited to hear that Pandora were going to be doing Alice in Wonderland, and I can only hope that they continue to make more charms for the film. The White Rabbit is undoubtedly my favourite of what they’ve done so far, offering a wonderful level of detailing and a very quirky aesthetic.
My package full of goodies from the US bracelet promo arrived a couple of days ago, and I did this review as quickly as I could! I have lots of reviews coming up over the next few weeks – more Pandora Disney, some Mother’s Day 2016 and more Spring 2016 pieces as well! <3
Read on for some detailed close-ups of the White Rabbit, styling inspiration and some general reminiscing about the Disney film itself, haha!
Pandora White Rabbit Review
I can remember reading Alice in Wonderland when I was young and being equally baffled and delighted by it. The Disney film was also a favourite, although I only remember slightly surreal glimpses of it – smiling Cheshire cats and flamingoes and the chequered floor of the ‘Drink Me’ bottle scene. I really must re-watch it! In any case, I thought Alice in Wonderland was a really nice choice for the Pandora Disney line, as it contrasts with the existing princess charms and helps to shake up all the hearts and flowers that Pandora have come to rely heavily upon.
The White Rabbit is a particularly good example of that – his old-fashioned detailing and unusual colour scheme go against most of what Pandora does nowadays! He is wonderfully detailed, right down to his whiskers, bow tie and over-sized pocket watch.
I would have loved to see more like him in the other Alice charms – for example, I would have preferred an all-silver, vintage-y take on the ‘Drink Me’ bottle and some more characters, such as the Cheshire Cat.
The stock image, as you can see, does not do justice at all to his facial expression. In person, it is not ghoulish at all – it is quite sleepy and anxious. Very sweet and not at all creepy!
I’m not sure that the charm captures the character’s expression quite perfectly, if you go by the original Disney cartoon, but the level of detailing is still truly impressive, considering how tiny the charm is (and it is small, even by Pandora’s standards!).
His little legs are stretched out mid-run, just like in this image, matching the anxious expression on his face! It’s rather quirky, and you do get the sense of movement, just looking at him. The only thing that detracts here, is that, as you can see, the charm has a lot of overt Disney branding on the bottom. I get that Pandora must be contractually obliged to do this, but it does clash a little with the level of sophistication seen elsewhere in the charm.
The detail that you probably missed from the stock image and live photos is that the Rabbit is also clutching something in his right hand – a teeny-tiny umbrella! So cute! The red enamel coat has some translucent hatching on the back of it – I don’t know whether this is just to add some depth to the colour, or whether to simulate the fibres of an actual waistcoat, but it’s pretty.
The only thing is how small it is. It’s comparable to last year’s Pandora Disney Eeyore charm (one of my favourite charms I own). The Majestic Swan, for example, seems huge compared to it.
Styling
Now, cute as he is, the White Rabbit is very hard to style. His red-and-yellow detailing just doesn’t blend with most colours. Primary reds and yellows aren’t a common design choice! Pandora in their campaign images for the Disney collection simply mix all the Alice charms together on a bangle, and this does seem like the most obvious way to wear him I suppose.
However, I wasn’t all that keen on the other two Alice charms – and so I won’t be doing that. You could also put together a bracelet using lots of Disney reds – the Mickey & Minnie pieces, the Snow White red apple, etc. I don’t have enough of those to do that either though, haha. Instead, I’ll go through a few different ‘takes’ on the White Rabbit, and the various kinds of stylings you might put together using him!
My first bracelet styling kind of just embraces the red and yellow colour scheme, and this would work for a Winnie-the-Pooh-themed bracelet, too. The golden Belle and red Snow White muranos are perfect for this and they go with his coat very well, emphasising the bold colours. I can’t say that this is necessarily something I would actually wear, however.
So, next, I decided to do something a little more in keeping with Pandora’s other charms. I think of the White Rabbit as something of a fantasy character, and I liked the idea of him hidden away amongst a meadow of flowers – it is very much in keeping with the magic of children’s stories, of a whole other world going on just out of sight.
In this kind of styling, he becomes one of another series of natural and magical characters, such as the Forest Fairy, Frog Prince or the Majestic Swan. It just adds a bit more interest to what would otherwise be a straightforward floral design.
This next styling may seem a little odd. It’s a British-themed bracelet, with the prerequisite tea things and a red, white and blue colour scheme. The reason I put this bracelet together is that, with his little umbrella, he reminded me of the Trollbeads London Gentleman charm. With his timepiece and elegant waistcoat, he seemed to me that he could easily play the part of the Victorian English gentleman. ^^
These are all just ideas, for now – I have not actually decided where my White Rabbit’s permanent home will be! I suspect it will ultimately be something along the lines of the floral design, though. ^^
My Comment
Although this charm is undoubtedly the hardest of my new pieces to style, he’s one of my favourites – the level of detail is lovely and really very quirky, and I love that it’s so different and characterful in comparison with many of Pandora’s other releases this season. I have still no real idea what I will do with him yet, but I love him nevertheless. It’s a shame that he’s so small but, with his bright colouring, perhaps that isn’t such a bad thing – you might be able to get away with tucking him away into a design without too much of a clash!
The White Rabbit is $55 USD or $60 CAD.
Is this charm on your wish list? If you’ve bought one, how have you styled it?
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