Pas de Deux in the Blue Moon by BABY

Please note, there will be NO FRIDAY POST this week because I am going to be very busy gearing up for Hyper Japan. It has come around so quickly! If you see me there on the Saturday then do feel free to come and say hello. I may ask you for a photograph too! I will be wearing my Starry Night Theater JSK.

Today I will be discussing the new print by BABY. It is called Pas de Deux in the Blue Moon. This series has 2 dresses, a skirt, a shirt, socks, a head bow and a feathery headdress.

This is the Odette JSK. The bodice has a very well fitted shape to it, but you would expect that with a dress that has boning in it. The neckline is a very pretty shape, although it is a bit open and exposed. Still, that is the perfect excuse to pick a blouse with some pretty chest detailing! There is a large waist bow and maybe it could have been a bit smaller. Considering the size, the bow shape is very sturdy. In other recent Baby releases, the bows have looked a bit saggy, but this one is a lot more perky. The front has a ribbon corset. The ribbon is very neatly spaced out and looks soft, without being too shiny. The corset is lined either side by pretty rose lace. The neckline is also lined with lace, but whilst it looks good quality, I thought the lace used here was a bit dull. The straps are a bit thin, but wider straps would have looked bulky with this sort of design. The back has a panel of shirring which is neatly concealed with a ribbon corset. The skirt shape looks a bit straight, rather than rounded, but doesn't look as harsh as some other skirt shapes we have seen. The shape is probably more suited to classic than sweet. It flares out well and will hold a lot of petticoat. The bottom of the skirt is heavily detailed but you still get a good view of the print on the rest of the skirt.

This picture perfectly shows the detailing at the bottom. I like the inclusion of soft chiffon which helps break up the more solid material. The rose lace on top of the ruffle also shows that Baby have paid attention to detail, but without looking too OTT. I personally would have ended the dress with the chiffon instead of having another layer of the printed material because it would have given a soft floaty edge. But the design still works well.

This is the Odile JSK (hmm.. 2 very similar names. Try not to get them mixed up!). The bodice has a bit of a square appearance to it, but it still dips in at the waist. I don't believe this one has boning in it so perhaps it is not as well-fitted as the other JSK. I dislike the line of lace which runs a bit below the waist. Because it runs below the thinnest part of the waist on the dress, it appears to trick the eye in to thinking the waist is bigger than it actually is. I also think the dark colour of the lace makes it stand out more. There are 2 ribbon corsets running up the bodice. The ribbon is well spaced and very pretty. But I am undecided on whether I like the 2 corset design or whether I think it looks too overcrowded.

There is some thin rose lace running along the corsets which helps makes the edges look a bit neater. The neckline has a shiny bow in the middle. I thought the bow looked a bit too crinkly because it is quite gathered. It really alters the overall shape of the bow, which looks a bit strange. The straps on this JSK are very thin. The straps are also detachable (in fact, you can just make out the button hole because it is viewable in the picture) and I think the dress looks better with them removed. The back has a panel of shirring. This is concealed by a tidy looking ribbon corset, although the dark ribbon does stand out. The skirt has a gentle rounded appearance. It is a very pretty bell shape (although I still think the line of lace at the waist spoils it a bit). This one looks like it will also hold a lot of petticoat. The skirt of this JSK is a lot plainer and the print is displayed clearly and beautifully. The bottom has a thin line of lace and then a gathered frill, which gives the bottom a softer edge. The ruffled bottom is then finished off with a line of pretty lace.

This is one of the print close-ups. The print comes in pink x ivory, red x off-white, navy x navy and black x black. I think the navy colour looks stunning. The pink colour also has a soft dream-like feel to it. It has a lot of pretty and magical imagery and it does remind me of the ballet. The ballerinas and swans look graceful. All the different items work well together. I also like how every 'window' edge is decorated with ribbons. This is the sort of print that Baby does best and I really like it. If I could change one thing, I would add a few very tiny hints of gold to give it a more regal rich feel. But overall, I am impressed.

These are the socks for this series. These are quite heavily patterned but I like them! I also love the rich sock colour. My favourite is the swan!

This is the feathery headdress. Although I have taken a recent interest with feather accessories, I can't help but feel this one is too similar to the one released with the recent Alice and the Pirates series End of Immortal Eden. I suppose this one looks a bit less OTT than the Eden one, but I don't find it to be that original. However, seeing as this series is about ballerina imagery, this headdress does fit in with the theme. It reminds me of swan lake.

I think this is a very beautiful series and I am hoping this will be a success. Out of the 2 JSKs I would probably pick the first one (Odette) because I love the softer floatier design and I think the bodice shape is nicer. If I purchased it then without a single doubt, I would definitely go for the navy colour! This series has a real romantic fairy tale feel to it without looking too "little princess" or young. I certainly wouldn't mind owning this.