First up is Story of Thumbelina. This series includes 3 dresses (one non-print), a skirt, 4 hair accessories, wrist cuffs, socks and a blouse.
This is JSK II. The bodice is quite well fitted and the shape is simple, but pretty looking. I like the slight heart shaped neckline. The straps are a little bit thin and I would have liked them a little bit thicker, but they are lined with pretty lace, which sits quite neatly. The waist area features a belted design which helps to define the waist area. The belt is made from the printed fabric with a line of thin lace on either side. I think a solid coloured belt could have been nice here, but the printed one looks okay. The belt is topped with a bow which I think is a bit too big. It is the lace that really adds to the bulk of the bow though. I would maybe just get rid of the lace. Aside from not liking the lace, I feel the bow is a cute shape and sits fairly nicely on the dress. The bodice between the waist area and neckline is kept quite plain, although there is enough detail here already to make the dress interesting. The neckline features a line of lace topped with gold braid, which looks very pretty and matches up well with the lacy straps. This line of lace is topped with 3 large ribbon bows. The bows on the neckline are very pretty, but they look a bit too OTT when teamed with the waist bow. I wish the waist bow was detachable, as I feel the dress would look a lot better without it. The ribbon used for the 3 bows is very pretty and the bows all have a lovely shape and placement. The back is fully shirred, which means the shirring is very exposed and not that attractive to look at. The stock photos show the skirt has a very pretty shape. It has a decent amount of flare to it and will hold plenty of petticoat. The skirt design is very simple and the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is scalloped with lace layered underneath to create an even hemline. The scallops are shaped well and evenly spaced. I like how the lace softens the scallops too, as I am not usually a scalloping fan!
And here we can see the print close up. This series is available in ivory, pink, mint and navy blue. All 4 colours are quite dreamy looking and suit the print. The navy offers a deeper, more mature option but I think this time the mint is my favourite. As for the print, I think the flowers are very beautiful. The colours are bright and the petals are well shaped. It is the perfect setting to put the Thumbelina characters and scenes with. The print has lots of little details to it, like the butterflies, fairies and birds. There are lots of different themes to make a potential co-ordinate with but everything still compliments each other. The print has a nice balance to it. My only criticism is I think the clouds could have been drawn a bit better.
So overall, this is quite a pretty series with a lovely print. The dress designs are quite lovely and there is only the odd thing here and there that I would change. Would I buy this series? I wouldn't personally, but only because this series isn't my sort of thing. I can still appreciate how pretty it looks though. If I was picking, I would go for JSK I in mint, as I like the mint combined with the pinks in the print. I feel this series deserves to do quite well.
Next up I shall be looking at Cherry Rendezvous, also by Baby the Stars Shine Bright. This series includes 3 dresses, a skirt, a salopette, 2 bags, a handkerchief, 6 hair accessories, a bracelet, a ring, a blouse and 2 pairs of socks.
This is JSK I. The bodice seems fairly well fitted and the shape is simple, but nice enough. I think the wide straps look very sturdy and supportive, but doesn't look too appealing and could do with being slightly narrower. The straps are lined neatly with lace on both the inside and the outside, which keeps them looking neat but isn't too distracting. The neckline is very heavily detailed, but it does feel as though the rest of the bodice is very plain and could do with just some small bits of added detail to liven it up a little. The neckline features a lace yoke. I think the yoke needs to be a bit smaller as it is quite domineering, especially with the wide line of lace running along the outside. I am not too fond of the choice of lace used, with the exception of the cherry shaped lace which the ribbon is threaded through. I thought the cherry design looked quite interesting and it is a shame it hasn't been used in the best possible way. The ribbon and ribbon bow are a brilliant bold colour, although it is a bit shiny. The bow is a cute shape and the size is okay. It looks quite perky and sits well on the dress as well. I do wonder how all this detail would look on a larger busted wearer though. The back features a panel of shirring which is topped neatly with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show the skirt has enough volume and flares out really well. There is the potential to create a really cute shape. The skirt design is kept simple and so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off with some very cute cherry themed lace.
Next up is JSK II. The bodice seems fairly well fitted. I am not too fond of the bodice shape though, especially the neckline and the way the straps attach to the bodice. The straps are a little bit thin but they suit the dress and wider straps wouldn't look as good here. The straps are lined with lace on the outside, which stops them looking too plain. I think the lace used is a bit boring though. The waist area has a large waist bow, which I don't like the shape of. The lace around the edges of the bow just enhances the weird shape as well. Thankfully, this waist bow is detachable, although the dress looks a bit plain without it. If I had this dress I would definitely be adding a belt or something to help liven it up a bit. The neckline has a wide line of lace which has been laid very flat against the dress. The cherry shaped lace is quite pretty but overall, it looks very dull and I think Baby have played it far too safe. The bow topping the neckline helps to liven things up a bit. The ribbon used for the bow has a very pretty stripy design to it and I think the bow size and shape is a good choice. The back of the dress is fully shirred, although due to the style of print the shirring isn't too obvious and does blend in a bit. The stock photos show the skirt has plenty of volume and it flares out beautifully. The skirt has a very pretty and sweet shape to it. The skirt design is kept simple, with just a very subtle line of lace running around the skirt about halfway down. The lace blends in so well that I didn't even notice it at first glance. The print is therefore displayed very well. The bottom hem is then finished off with some good quality but slightly boring looking lace.
This is the OP. The main part of the bodice seems reasonably well fitted and an okay shape, but what on earth is going on with those sleeves? They have an extra line of gathering, which gives them a peculiar bumpy shape. They look really frumpy and unflattering. The sleeves are finished off with some good quality, but slightly boring lace. I think the lace needs to be a bit thinner. The waist area has a bow, which is a bit big. The shape is quite basic and I think the lace along the edge spoils it a bit. It does sit well on the dress though and looks quite perky. It doesn't appear to be detachable, which is a shame. The neckline features a tiny little lace bib and is also lined with some okay looking lace along it too. There is some of the cherry shaped lace, but the end result is quite basic looking. The lace is topped with a ribbon bow, which is probably the most interesting part of the dress. This little bow is detachable, although I personally wouldn't detach it. The neckline looks very bunched up, probably because of the large amount of elastic. It reminds me a little of those dodgy lolita 'costumes' that you see being sold sometimes. It looks very cheaply made. The back doesn't have any shirring and the waist ties are quite thin, so this dress doesn't offer much size flexibility. The zip is quite well concealed and the print lines up quite discreetly along the zip line. The stock photos show the skirt has quite a cute shape to it and suits the sweet print well. It has plenty of volume and flares outwards well. The skirt design is kept simple and the print is displayed brilliantly. The bottom hem is then finished off with some simple but good quality lace.
Unfortunately, I was unable to get a proper print close up so I am using this picture for the moment. But it does show the print quite well. This series is available in ivory, pink, mint and black. These are quite standard colours for a fruity print, although I am not fond of the mint version. The ivory offers an interesting option because it has the splashes of blue which works surprisingly well with the red. As for the print itself, it is pretty standard for a fruit themed print. The cherries have been drawn very well. They look very juicy and shiny and ready to eat. The bows in the print are well placed and the daisies are a nice addition. The lace doilies in the background are well drawn with some interesting detail. Overall though, there is nothing about this print that really stands out. There is nothing here that we haven't seen before.
If I am being honest, this series feels a bit like a 'filler series' that Baby put out because they hadn't done a fruit print in a while and felt they should probably put one out. The dress designs are very basic and nothing about them really stands out. I expect something more from a popular Japanese brand. The print is also nothing that exciting. I would not buy this series, as I feel there are more interesting fruit themed prints out there. If I absolutely had to I suppose I would choose JSK I in ivory. I am very underwhelmed by the entire series though and I can't see it being hugely popular.
No comments:
Post a Comment