Pop up Labyrinth by Baby the Stars Shine Bright

Today I am taking a look at Pop up Labyrinth by Baby the Stars Shine Bright. This series includes 3 dresses, a skirt, 2 blouses, 3 hair accessories, a hair pin, socks, wrist cuffs and a necklace.

First up is JSK I. The bodice material looks a little bit loose and baggy in some of the photos. I am really unsure I like the bodice shape either. Whilst I appreciate that the neckline shape is because it is part of the bodice meant to mimic a bow shape, I don't feel this has been executed that well. The gathered material of the bodice that makes up the bow shape looks very flat and lifeless. I like the use of lace along the neckline and also at the bottom of the bow. The lace sits nicely here, and the lace looks to be of a good quality as well. However, the strap of fabric making up the centre of the bow looks too plain and basic. I also feel that whilst the wide lace underneath the bow is very pretty in design, it detracts attention away from the "bow" design and I feel it leaves the bodice looking overcrowded. Maybe thinner lines of lace here could have improved things. The straps are a decent width though, and look fairly supportive. They have been lined with lace on the outsides which stops them looking too plain and the way the lace has been gathered gives it a very cute shape. The back of the dress has a panel of shirring which has been topped neatly with a ribbon corset. At least the back of the dress looks quite neat. The stock photos show that the skirt has loads of volume and it flares outwards plenty. There is the potential to create a really full bell shape, suitable for the sweet feel of the dress. The skirt design has been kept quite basic too, so the print is displayed very well. The bottom hem then features a ruffle of shiny tulle, which gives off a really pretty, yet subtle sheen. I am a bit disappointed though, that this ruffle has been over-stitched rather than under-stitched, as it looks a bit messier attaching the ruffle this way. However, there is a line of beautiful rose themed lace topping the ruffle, which I think works really well.

Here we have JSK II. The bodice looks well fitted and the overall bodice shape is quite cute too. The straps look to be a very generous width and seem quite supportive. I like how the insides of the straps and the neckline are lined with lace, as it makes them look more interesting and the lace softens the lines of the dress. It is really cute how there is a heart neckline merging from inside the scoop neckline too, which is also lined neatly with lace. This bit of extra material helps the scoop neckline look a bit more modest and it also creates an interesting and different neckline shape. There is a large waist bow, which could have maybe been a bit smaller, but I don't think it looks too bad. The bow shape is kept simple but it is quite well formed and it sits quite well on the dress. This waist bow is detachable and if I am being honest, I do prefer the dress with the waist bow detached. The bodice features a 'V' of rose themed lace, which starts at either side of the neckline details and then meets at the waist. The rose lace is really pretty and I think the V shape is very striking. Inside the V, there are 3 ribbon bows. The ribbon has a lovely design to it, although it is just a little bit shiny. It is nothing too drastic though. These bows are a cute shape, although I feel they could do with being a little bit smaller because they obscure the rose lace underneath a little bit. The back of the dress again features a panel of shirring which has been very neatly topped with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show the skirt has more than enough volume to hold plenty of petticoat underneath. It flares out beautifully and I love the full bell shape of the skirt. The skirt is again kept simple in design and so, the print is displayed excellently. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a line of lace, which is of a good quality, but I feel is a little bit dull in design when compared to the lace used on the rest of the dress.

This is the OP. The bodice seems reasonably well fitted and the shape is generally quite nice. The short sleeves have a fair amount of puff to them but I feel they could do with being just a little bit shorter in length. The longer detachable part of the sleeves is beautiful. I love the choice of material, as it looks very soft. The shape of the sleeves and the ruffle along the edge creates a really romantic shape. It reminds me a lot of the chiffon princess sleeve blouses that you see Baby release a lot of. The join between the short sleeves and the detachable longer sleeves has been done quite neatly, and I would definitely keep the longer sleeves attached if I was wearing this. My only complaint about the longer sleeves is the choice of colour for the ribbon bow on certain colour ways. As you can see in the photo above, on the off-white version of this dress Baby have chosen to add navy coloured bows to the sleeves. I feel this dark navy colour really sticks out, especially teamed with the obviously lighter blue in the print. It only really seems to be an issue with this one colour way though. The bodice features multiple lines of lace running vertically up it, which helps to break up the empty space. This has been done quite neatly and there is some lovely lace choices here too. In the centre of the bodice there is a ribbon corset. The thin ribbon looks very well spaced out and never looks too bunched together. However, to keep the ribbon in place, it is threaded through some flimsy looking loops in the lace lining either side of the ribbon. These little loops can get damaged if the ribbon is tied too tightly. I also think the ribbon is too long, as I don't like the ribbon tails hanging down the dress this much. At the top of the ribbon corset, there is a large bow. I am not overly fond of the shape of the bow and I think it looks too big as well. Thankfully, this bow is detachable, and I think the dress looks a lot better without it. The neckline is finished off with lines of wide lace, which has an okay design and sits perfectly on the dress. I am not sure I like how the lace has been shaped inside the neckline though. The back of the dress offers no shirring, so size flexibility is a bit limited. The zip line is quite well concealed and because the non-border part of the print is not that cluttered with only some small details, you can't really see that the print gets a bit cut off along the zip line. The stock photos shows that the skirt has lots of volume and it flares outwards really well. There is the potential to put a lot of petticoat underneath this dress and create a really lovely shape. The skirt is once again kept free of clutter, so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off in the same way as JSK I, only this time there is 2 ruffles instead of one. These ruffles sit well on top of each other but again, I feel the ruffles could have been under-stitched instead. 

And finally, here is one part of the print close up...

... and another part. This series comes in off-white, pink, bordeaux and black. I am unsure I like the pops of blue on the off-white version, but otherwise I think all the colour options go quite well with the print. I would have loved to have seen this print in navy blue though. As for the print itself, you can tell straight away this is a Baby print. Baby are really playing to their strengths here. I really like the pop-up idea, as it gives the books in the print another dimension and makes it feel as though the books are coming alive. The castle is beautiful and the illustrations inside the books have been drawn well. I really love the roses in the print as well. Although there is nothing in this print that we haven't already seen before, it is still a really pretty print with plenty of detail to it.

So I feel this series is a case of Baby doing what they do best. Baby loves a fairy tale print and this print is definitely up to their usual standard. The print is rich with detail too. Although I am a little uncertain about JSK I, I do feel the dress designs are quite strong as well. I can see this series selling quite well. Would I buy this series? Probably not, but only because it is not my usual style. My top pick would be JSK II in bordeaux.