Friday 13 July 2012

Sweet Jewelry Princess by BABY

Today I will be taking a look at the latest print from Baby the Stars Shine Bright. It is called Sweet Jewelry Princess. This set includes 3 dresses, a skirt, 2 head bows, a necklace, socks and wrist cuffs. 


 This is the OP. I think the material on the bodice has a bit of a puffy appearance and I dislike the overall shape. The thing that really puts me off is the waist area, which goes down in a V shape. This V shape is then lined with lace, and it just gives the waist area a very strange appearance. It also gives the illusion of a larger waist. There is also a small shiny ribbon on the bodice which I think sticks out a bit. Maybe it is because the pink used on the main material is a bit duller. The bow on the neckline is ridiculously huge. It is almost the same width as the dress! And then the edges are decorated with lace. Whilst the good quality lace is pretty, it only emphasises the large size of the bow even more. Baby have also attached a string of pearls which normally, I am a fan of, but on this dress they just dangle lifelessly. So overall, the bow is far too big for this dress.


And the lace doesn't stop there! There is even more of it along the rest of the neckline. On some areas of the dress, there are large areas where all you can see is lace. I find it very distracting. I can see that Baby were trying to do a luxurious princess style of dress here, but they have just gone too far.


 I think the top part of the sleeves is too droopy and flat. I feel it would better if this part had been kept shorter and then maybe a bit puffier. However, I do like the detachable part of the sleeves shown here. This is the type of princess style sleeve I like. It flares out just enough, but it doesn't look too huge. The lace looks soft and delicate. The only change I would make is to remove the ribbon bows from them. Again, I feel this crosses the line and looks too OTT.

The back part is quite plain because it doesn't have any shirring or much detail. It looks strangely plain compared to the rest of the dress! I am not too fussed by the shape of the skirt. The waist area really doesn't help and I think it looks a bit too straight. The gathering also obscures the print a little bit. Thankfully, the skirt is not cluttered with detail. The bottom hem has a solid ruffle, topped with lace. I think overall, there are so many details I would love to just rip off this dress. Baby have gone too far with the OTT princess style.


This is the Opal JSK. The bodice appears well-fitted and a nice shape. One again, there is a fair amount of lace on this dress, but it is used a lot better and it doesn't look over-crowded. The rose lace running up the bodice is very pretty. I love how soft it looks. The bodice is made up of panels, and each panel is lined with some thin lace, which softens the edges of the panels. The way these lines curve also give the illusion of a smaller waist. The neckline is a lovely scoop neck shape. Despite the neckline having a lot of lace, it still gives off quite a smart and tidy look. I think Baby have hit the right balance here. The first layer of lace on the neckline is not too gathered, so you can see all the detail of the lace quite clearly. The layer on the edge of the neckline is more gathered and is softer. It gives the neckline a nice frothy appearance, but at the same time, I don't imagine it feeling that itchy. The lace is topped by 2 shiny ribbon bows. The bows are a nice shape, although I think the lower of the 2 bows is needed. The only thing I would add to this dress would be a thin belt or something, because the waist looks like it could do with some detail there. The back has a panel of shirring, which concealed tidily by a ribbon corset. It is nice how the edges of the shirring panel are lined with thin rose shaped lace, just to make the area look even tidier and more finished. The skirt has a lovely bell shape to it. It is perfect for that typical sweet look that Baby is known for. It also looks like it will hold a good amount of petticoat underneath if you wanted a more flared look. The skirt is clutter-free and the print is displayed well. The bottom hem is finished off with pretty lace. I think that maybe the lace here could have been done in a similar way to the neckline, but maybe that would have been too bulky.


This is the Garnet JSK. I think the bodice shape could be nicer, as it looks a bit too straight and box-like here. The waist looks very interesting. The line of lace, threaded with ribbon is very neat and tidy and looks like good quality materials have been used. The 2 bows here are small enough. They are a good shape and look pretty, despite being slightly shiny. I would have possibly spaced them out a tiny bit wider though. I am really unsure about the raised panel part of the bodice. It is nice how it tricks the eye in to thinking there is a separate bolero on top, but I think the spacing is a bit out. Maybe the gap between where the "bolero" ends and the waist is a bit too wide? Perhaps the panel could have ended a bit further down. The edges of the "bolero" are lined very nicely with pretty lace. The shape of the neckline is lovely and I like the use of neck straps. The sleeves are cute with their slightly puffy appearance. I refuse to call them straps here, because they are on the verge of being sleeves. However, I really dislike the bow used on the neckline because again, I feel it looks too bulky for the dress design. The bow shape is also a bit strange and the lace used on the edge really makes it stand out. It just looks a bit awkward. The back has shirring running all the way across which is great for plus-sized wearers, but unfortunately looks very exposed and messy. Despite having waist ties, I imagine this dress would be difficult to wear if the wearer was on the small side. The skirt is a pretty shape, but I think the skirt on the Opal JSK is nicer. This dress will probably hold a decent amount of petticoat and I imagine it will be easy to get the wearer's desired shape. The skirt is free from clutter and the print is displayed really well. The bottom hem is finished off with good quality lace, although I didn't think the lace used here looked as pretty.


And here we have the print close-up. This print comes in topaz (ivory with brown ribbon), rose (off-white with pink ribbon), ruby (red with red ribbon), sapphire (blue with navy ribbon) and black diamond (black with black ribbon). I think all of the colours work well with the print but despite being a navy fan, my favourite colour for the print is actually the rose colour-way. However, the black diamond is a close second because the details really show up on the dark background. The print is quite pretty. I am undecided on whether I think the sweets work well with the rest of the print. The lines of ribbons and pearls are very cute. I do like the jewel shapes used, and the edges of the jewel parts look so decorative and stop it looking too harsh. The inside of the jewels uses clever shading which gives a more 3-D appearance, like the facets of a jewel. The pictures inside the jewels are lovely and it has that signature Baby look to it. However, I can't help but feel that this print just doesn't compare to similar prints. I would rather go for a print like Cinderella jewellery (also by Baby) over this print.


I am not normally one for fussy headwear, but I actually quite like the Princess Pearl head bow from this series. It is very soft and princess-like. It is also very feminine. I just think the lace gives it a really interesting texture.

Overall, this is a very pretty series but I think the dress designs let it down in places. The Opal JSK is by far my favourite of the 3 dresses, although I wouldn't dismiss the Garnet JSK. I would not choose the OP as I think it is too OTT in places. To be honest, I can't really see this becoming a must-have series. It is nice enough, but in some ways it looks too similar to previous Baby prints. Would I buy from this series? Probably not. I would be too busy trying to locate Cinderella Jewellery instead.

5 comments:

  1. amazing dress!!!I love this print and design of dress,it is all lacy and cute!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think there is a bit too much lace for me, but the print is cute :)

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  2. I think this is one of those rare times that I say I really don't like these dresses. The print is ok but how they arranged everything just seems like a big OTT frilly mess =/ I do like the headband though ♥

    ~ Kieli ~

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's a shame, but I don't like this print at all!
    The cut of the JSK is nice & I love the sleeves on the OP, though!

    BTW I've nominated you to win an award, please look at my blog ^-^!
    http://chri-chan.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/19-der-liebster-award.html

    ReplyDelete

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