Sweet Poodle's Wonder Pocket by BABY

Today I will be taking a look at a fairly new Baby series (still lagging behind with the discussion posts!). This series is Sweet Poodle's Wonder Pocket. The series includes 2 dresses, 2 skirts, a bonnet, a head bow, 2 blouses, a stripy salopette, socks, a bag and various jewellery and accessories.

This is the Lala JSK. The bodice is a nice shape, but I noticed some of the material appeared a bit baggy and loose. It might not be that well fitted. The details on the bodice also look off-centre, but I am hoping that is just the stock photos. The straps are a good width for the style of dress. There is a huge waist bow. I think it is a bit too large, especially with the lace around the edge. Despite its size, the bow does hold its shape well and it doesn't look droopy. I would have preferred straighter lines, but it is a good shape. Thankfully, this bow is detachable and I think the dress looks better without it on. The other details on the bodice stop it looking too plain when the bow is removed.

The bodice has a yoke made up almost entirely of lace. This has the potential to look very fussy but I think the lace has been used well. It is not too bunched up or squished together, so you can see the lace details quite easily. The lace looks of a good quality too. As this picture shows, there is ribbon threaded through the lace around the edge and another line going horizontally across. The ribbon doesn't really stand out that much, but I think it works well because it helps to break up large patches of lace. It also helps to tie in the bows that top off the yoke. The yoke is topped with 2 ribbon bows. The bows are cute and a pretty shape. They are a nice size as well, but the dress looks overloaded with bows when paired with the waist bow. But as I said, I think the dress looks better with the waist bow detached anyway.

The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed well by a ribbon corset. It looks very neat and tidy. I really like the skirt shape because it is rounded and flares out well. It looks like it will hold a very decent amount of petticoat. The skirt is free of clutter, so the print is displayed well (well, what you can see of the print anyway. See the print close-up below). The bottom is finished off well with a pretty ruffle. The ruffle has a line of ribbon running along the top, which gives it a neater appearance.

This is the Coco JSK. The bodice on this dress looks a lot better fitted than the other JSK. The bodice is a nice shape too. The straps are a good width. They are also decorated well with pretty lace. The waist has a ribbon belt, which helps to define the waist a little bit and also makes the dress look neater. Again, I feel that the waist bow is too large for this sort of dress. It is too fluffed up and puffy. It conflicts with the more subtle skirt shape. I really wish it was detachable. The neckline has 3 bows. The bows are a good size and shape. The ribbon used is a bit shiny, but not too distracting. I do like the middle bow and the pearls draped carefully underneath the 2 outer bows. However, I dislike the colour used for the 2 outer bows. Because of the duller colours in the print, the 2 outer bows (here shown in sax blue) really stick out. They don't appear to properly match anything else on the dress. Although it may be seen as a bit "boring", I would have made all 3 bows the same colour as the middle bow. The back has a panel running the entire way across. The shirring is very exposed. I also dislike how smaller wearers will have to rely so heavily on the waist ties to make the dress smaller. As for the skirt shape, it is very... flat. It has got a very obvious A-line shape to it and I think it is at odds with the cute details on the bodice and also the very sweet print. It is okay if you want a more subtle sweet look, but I don't think it works on this dress. The skirt is kept clutter free, so the print is displayed well. The bottom hem is finished off with some good quality lace, which has a pretty rose design.

And this is what the print looks like. The print comes in ivory, pink. sax blue, brown and black. Although I have not seen dresses for each colour, I am instantly ruling out the ivory, pink and sax blue colour ways. Why? Because the colours are so faded that you can barely see the print. I know a lot of sweet prints suffer from this problem, but this is a particularly bad case. It has really put me off this series. As for the print itself, the poodles are very cute. I like how they look so soft and fluffy. They have been drawn very well. The vertical parts are very well decorated, which stops the rest of the dress looking boring. I love the lace, dotted with ribbons and bows. Although it looks a bit random, I also like the vertical line of biscuits attached to ribbon. I think it is a real shame that the pale colours spoil it for me.

Oh dear... There is something about the bag from this series that doesn't look right. I think the biscuit part looks too flat and it looks too cartoon-like. The bow doesn't really make it any better either. Sorry Baby, but in my opinion AP make the best biscuit bags!

So I can't say I am that impressed with this series. When it comes to printed releases, the print is obviously a huge part of the series, and the print colours really spoil it. If I absolutely had to pick a dress I would go for the Lala JSK in black. At least with the Lala JSK, I can detach the waist bow. The design of the Coco JSK is too conflicting for my liking. I wont be buying anything from this series, even if I see it being resold cheaply. It just doesn't amaze me in any way.