Alice's Secret Key by BABY

Today I will be having a quick look at the Baby series called Alice's Secret Key. This series is fairly small with 2 dresses, a skirt, a blouse, socks and a headbow.

First up is this JSK. The huge waist bow is the main attention grabber with this dress. The bow is made from polka dot patterned material and it has got a lot of shape to it. Usually I would find bows this size too big but considering the small amount of detail on the rest of the dress, the waist bow helps to make the design more interesting. The bodice is a nice shape but the material looks a little loose and baggy in places. The neckline is decorated with pretty ribbon which has a check pattern on it. Some would say the check and polka dot patterns clash but I think it works. The ribbon line is decorated with 2 small bows and a bigger bow on one side. The bigger bow is well-placed. The 2 small bows I could take or leave. The lace around the neckline and along the straps is small and not overdone. The back part has shirring covered by a ribbon corset. The polka dot material running around the waist breaks suddenly when it reaches the shirring. It draws the eye to the shirring and also emphasises how much the shirring is being stretched on the wearer. So it might make people appear bigger than they are. The skirt part looks a decent length but the shape is a little flat. The only real detail is the polka dot ruffle along the bottom hem. I sort of feel there is a conflict between the not-so sweet print and the cute looking waist bow. if you dislike the waist bow this could cause problems because it is a huge part of the dress design.

This is the other JSK. Baby have decided to name this the Brilliant JSK (I will let you decide how accurate that name is). The overall shape of the bodice is pretty but there appears to be baggy material on this dress too. The neckline is a good shape and the straps are wide, so they will provide ample support. This dress has a lot of bows. The waist bow is a cute shape. The bow which features the print is also a good shape and looks sturdy. There are another 2 ribbon bows at the base of one strap. When all of the bows are worn together, it looks a little crowded but some of the bows are detachable so it is easier to find a balance to suit you. I think if I were to choose, I would detach the bow with the print on it and leave the other 3 bows in place. One of the interesting things about this dress is that most of it is lined with gold as well as thin lace. It is a pretty idea to include the gold but I am not a fan! I don't think it works well with the colours chosen. On the back, this dress also has a panel of shirring hidden by a ribbon corset. Sadly, the edges of the shirring are lined with gold which like the other dress, only seems to emphasise how big the wearer is. The skirt part on this dress also has a classic shape to it. The bottom hem is finished with more of the gold edging.

Here is one of the many print close-ups. There are lots of different things going on in this print and I have only shown a part of it. It is available in brown, pink, sax and black. The style of the art definitely reminds me of the old Alice in Wonderland illustrations. I like the chess pieces and the rabbit is cute. I also like how the horizontal lines are made up of playing cards. However, I can't help but feel that this print is very similar to a lot of other Alice inspired prints that Baby and Alice and the Pirates have done.

Overall, I am very unsure about this series. I would probably choose the skirt over either of the dresses. The designs feel a little unbalanced in places. Whilst the print is beautiful, I don't find it that exciting. Colour-wise, I think the brown and the pink colours work the best. I probably wouldn't buy anything from this series because it doesn't strike me as being that special. When you consider how much Alice inspired lolita there is out there, this series makes me think that Baby are trying too play it safe.