First up we have the OP. The bodice seems well fitted, although it is hard to tell with all that floaty material going on. The large ruffles that make up the sleeves and shoulder area are quite dominating and I dread to think how this will look on somebody with wide shoulders. It does create a very interesting shape, but I am not convinced by it. I feel it makes the dress look a bit top-heavy. The ruffles are at least very neatly lined with some good quality lace. I think the lace used along the neckline is especially pretty. There is also a small bow in the centre which uses some very nice ribbon. The waist line is topped with a belt, which nips in the waist nicely. The lace overlay on the belt and bow is lovely. I am not sure about the bow that is a part of the waist belt though. It is very big in size with very long tails and I don't like the way it sits on the dress. I am also not sure the large bow works teamed with the bodice ruffles. Thankfully, this bow is detachable, and I would definitely consider detaching it. The back offers no shirring, so size flexibility is very limited. I also think the way the ruffles are done on the back is weird looking. The stock photos show that the skirt is very full and flares outwards plenty. There should be enough petticoat room to hopefully create a nice skirt shape to help balance out that bodice. The skirt is generally kept quite simple, so the print is displayed well. The bottom hem is then finished off with an over-stitched chiffon ruffle and lace. Usually I would prefer the ruffle to be under-stitched, but I don't think it looks too bad here. It gives the bottom a nice, soft and floaty look.
Here we have the Palyi JSK. The bodice material looks a bit loose and puckered in some of the stock photos. I am also not sold on the bodice shape. This style of straps is not exactly wide shoulder friendly either. The waist is topped with a thin line of gold ribbon, which I don't think really adds anything to the design. The main part of the bodice is then kept plain. I suppose with all the neckline and shoulder details, you ideally want the bodice to be simple. However, I don't think that some very subtle thin lines of lace would have been too distracting and would at least have broken up that large, plain area. The neckline and shoulder ruffles have been gathered well and the use of gold braid and lace is lovely. The ribbon bow in the middle is cute too, and an okay shape and size. However, the roll of lace material with gathered areas topped with pearls, looks terrible in my opinion. It makes the inside of the neckline look too fussy. I also don't think the gathering of this lace material has been done well and the pearls sit awkwardly on the top. I wouldn't have bothered with this particular detail at all. The back has a panel of shirring which has been topped neatly with a ribbon corset. The stock photos show that the skirt is very full and and flares outwards beautifully. I love the plump, rounded bell shape of the skirt in the stock photos. The skirt is kept simple in design, so the print is displayed excellently. The bottom hem is then finished off with a line of sparkly gold ribbon and a lace-lined ruffle of organdie. Whilst I love the organdie ruffle, I think the sparkly ribbon is a bit cheap looking and looks a bit out of place.
This is the Babydoll JSK. The bodice seems well fitted and the shape is quite interesting. The straps look a suitable width and very supportive. I really like the organdie ruffles which lines the outsides of the straps. What I am not so keen on is the way the lace goes part way along the neckline and then goes down the bodice in a harsh V shape. I feel this line of lace could have been done a lot softer and maybe a bit more rounded. It is a shame, because I think the lace used is very pretty, and it could have looked really good. The line of lace then goes back outwards, which creates an odd little shaped area above the waist line. I feel this makes the waist area look very odd, especially when you have the smaller ribbon bow and the large waist bow. The waist bow is again very large and I don't think the shape of this bow is that good either. It sits on the dress strangely. The good thing is that the waist bow, as well as the smaller ribbon bow, is detachable. I would definitely detach the waist bow, although I would keep the ribbon bow and place it on the neckline, as it is positioned in the photo above. The V shape at the top of the bodice is filled with lace, which gives an interesting texture. Overall though, I feel the bodice design is very confusing and it does not appeal. The back is fully shirred, which means plenty of size flexibility but exposed shirring, which is not that appealing looks-wise. The stock photos show that the skirt is very full and flares out generously. It should hold more than enough petticoat and there is the potential to create a lovely shape. The skirt is kept simple in design, so the print is displayed really well. The bottom hem is then finished off with several over-stitched organdie ruffles. The ruffles are layered fairly well and it creates a very soft and interesting looking bottom hem.
And here we can see the print. This series comes in ivory, pink, apricot and blue. All 4 colours seem to work well with the print and I am especially impressed to see an apricot colour, as this is something rarely seen in lolita. However, if you take a look at the photos of the dresses, it would seem that the print is a lot more washed out than this print close up would suggest, which is very disappointing. As for the print itself, I think some parts definitely work better than other parts. I absolutely love the arched windows with the muses in each window at the bottom. The muses are all drawn with flowing hair and different musical instruments. The roses surrounding the windows with the muses look very pretty and very conveniently fill in the gaps in a very pretty way. I also love the stained glass windows and think the glass has some very interesting uses of colour. However, I am not really feeling the bit in the middle with the massive sheet music pages and half-violins on either side. I just don't feel it fits in as well with the rest of the print. It is also a bit dull just having some flat sheets of paper just placed in the print with nothing much going on with them. To be honest, I would have been quite content if this print had just had the bit with the muses at the bottom.
So overall, I can't say I am really sold on either the print or the dress cuts. As I was going through this series I found myself wondering what Baby were thinking with a lot of their choices. I also don't like how the stock photos suggest that the print is going to look really washed out and faded. Here is hoping it looks a lot better in person. I think it is safe to say I wouldn't buy this series. I guess my top dress choice would be the Palyi JSK in apricot, but I would much rather go for the skirt. It is a shame, because I feel the print could of had a lot of potential.
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