My hand is recovering nicely and the bruising is slowly going down, so I feel able to post again! Today I will be taking a look at a recent BABY print called Alice Mirage in Paradox. This series includes 2 dresses, a skirt, a blouse, 3 different hair accessories (a bow, a hat and a bonnet), socks, a bag and a few bits of jewellery.
This is the White Queen JSK. The bodice is well fitted and a pretty shape. I really like the panel appearance of the bodice with the panel edges lined with thin ruffled. The ruffle colour is dark, so it stands out a bit, but it doesn't push the contrast too far. I also like the use of buttons on the front to give a slight military feel to the dress. Although maybe gold coloured buttons would have stood out a bit more here and would match the gold Baby logo charm on the bow. The straps are a good width and the ruffles on the edge are the right size. The ruffles on the whole of the bodice may be too much for some, but I think it is well balanced because the thinner ruffles stop it looking a total frilly mess.
This close-up shot shows us that the ruffles actually have a hint of gold around the edge. I think this is a nice touch and it helps to tie in the use of gold on the rest of the dress. The bow on the neckline is big. It is maybe a tiny bit too big for my personal tastes, but it has a good shape to it and is very perky. At least it doesn't droop. The gold Baby logo is cute and fits in well with the dress. The ruffle around the edge of the bow matches the rest of the dress very well and surprisingly, it doesn't make the bow look too OTT. However, I am unsure I like the line of ribbon running across the top half of the bow and then along horizontally along the bodice as well. I think the ribbon looks a bit odd and it isn't needed.
The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed by a ribbon corset. The ribbon used here appears to be velvet, which I think is a really strange choice. There is no velvet anywhere else on this dress and it is a bit random. The skirt has a lovely rounded bell shape to it. It looks very full and will hold a lot of petticoat. The skirt is kept free of clutter and so, the print is displayed really well. The bottom hem is finished off with another ruffle like the rest of the dress. It ties in really well.
This is the Red Queen JSK. The bodice is really well fitted with a good shape to it. The waist has a large waist bow. Normally I would find this bow too big but on this occasion I think it suits this dress. Although it does blend in a bit with the rest of the dress. However, the bow is a lovely sturdy shape and is lined with gold trim, which helps it to stand out a bit more. The bow is detachable and underneath it, there is a line of red ribbon running along the waist line. Whilst the ribbon looks neat, the colour looked a bit lighter compared to other parts of ribbon on the dress. I actually prefer this dress with the bow still attached. The gold trim gives the bodice a smart, panelled look. I really like the gold buttons on this dress and the slight military feel. However, the buttons do look a bit droopy and I would be tempted to resew them on. Whilst I like the shape of the collar, I really don't like how the colour is black. There is no areas of black on the rest of the dress and I think it doesn't match anything else. I think it would have looked better if the colour was the same colour and the ribbon used. Thankfully, the collar is detachable and the dress still looks good with it removed. The neckline is finished with a ribbon bow, which looks very cute and I like the way the Baby charm hangs from it. The back has a panel of shirring, which is concealed well by a ribbon corset. With the collar ties at the back and also the waist ties, the back of this dress possibly looks a bit crowded. It is not enough to put me off the dress and if you detach the collar, then you don't have to worry about this anyway. The skirt is a lovely full bell shape and is very rounded. It will hold a decent amount of petticoat too. The print is not obscured by details and is displayed well. The bottom hem has a line of ribbon and is finished with gold trim, which gives it a smart and tidy finish. The ribbon is topped with small bows which are cute, but not too distracting. I think they work quite well.
Here is part of the print close-up.
And another part. The print comes in pink, navy, brown and black. I personally found the brown and black versions to be a bit dull. The pink and navy versions look very bright and vibrant in comparison. I would probably pick the pink colour as my favourite this time. This print reminds me a lot of Alice's Portrait by Alice and the Pirates. Replace the stripes from Alice's Portrait with check, and you get something like this new print. Luckily, the check part of the print is pretty then. The print doesn't focus on the typical characters we usually see in Alice themed prints. Tweedledum and Tweedledee are a big feature of this print. Does this pair really make for a good Alice print? I am not so sure these characters are strong enough to merit their own print, especially when the only other main feature is the chess pieces. That being said, the print is nice enough for what it is. The golden frames are very elaborate and a lot of detail has gone in to this print. It is all drawn very well. However, I do think the knight chess pieces are a bit derpy looking, especially the white one. I like how there is a line of card suit mirrors above the main frame part of the print and the pearl chain detail at the bottom of the print. My favourite part of the print is the frame with the 2 queen chess pieces in it, but I am not overly amazed by the print.
I like the idea behind the jewellery for this series. However, I am a bit unsure I like the end product. I think for me, it is the colour of the gold used (the jewellery also comes in silver). The colour used on the gold versions is very bright and I think it verges on looking a bit cheap. I think a more antique gold colour would have been more fitting for this series, as it may have matched the gold parts of the print better. When I saw this series for the first time, I really liked the jewellery, but as time has gone on I have found it less appealing. But ignoring my dislike of the gold colour, I do like the heart design topped with the crown and I think the mirror is interesting.
Whilst I do like the series, I feel it could have been better than it is. The dress designs themselves are quite good, but I am not too bothered by the print. It all feels very familiar. I wouldn't go out of my way to own this series. If I had to pick, I would go for the Red Queen JSK in pink, but only because I can detach the collar! I can see some people liking this series, but for me it is a bit underwhelming.
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