Monday 6 April 2015

A Baby Print Double

Today we have yet another print double, as the brands are releasing prints faster than I can talk about them *cough*AngelicPretty*cough*. Today's post will be about the latest 2 Baby the Stars Shine Bright prints. Scroll down further to see my thoughts on Bitter Was Confined to the Trump Sweet Memories.

But first up today I am looking at Kumya Chan's Sugar Sugar Sugar Sugar Icing Cookies (that is a lot of sugar...). This series includes 2 dresses, a skirt, socks, a ring, a barrette, 4 other hair accessories, a blouse, a bag, wrist cuffs, a necklace and a mini set for an Usakumya.


This is JSK I. The bodice looks quite well fitted and the shape is cute. The straps are a suitable width for the dress and also look supportive. I like how the straps have been very neatly lined with thin lace on both the insides and outsides. There is a large waist bow. I think it could have been just a tiny bit smaller. The shape of the bow is quite simple but well formed and lined neatly with lace. It sits well on the dress well too. The bodice features 2 lines of lace running up it which matches up well with the use of lace on the rest of the dress. There are 6 buttons on the bodice which are well spaced out and positioned. I love the cute icing shape of the buttons too. The neckline features a line of lace, topped with wide ribbon and 3 bows. I think the ribbon used has a pretty design to it. The bows are a cute shape too. I am a little unsure about the proportions though and I think the bows could be a bit smaller. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed very neatly by a ribbon corset. The stock photos show the skirt has loads of volume and flares outwards very well. The skirt shape is very cute. The skirt design is kept simple which means the print is displayed brilliantly. Given how busy the print is, it is probably a good thing the skirt design is so simple. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a line of lace. The lace is of a good quality but I think the lace chosen is a bit boring.


Here we have JSK II. The bodice seems fairly well fitted but I think the shape is lacking something. The bodice is a cute shape but very simple. The straps look a bit thin but the width suits the style of dress very well. I like the lace on the outside of the straps, as it has been well gathered and creates a cute shape. There is a very large waist bow and I am really not keen on the rounded edge shape of the bow. The lace really emphasises the size of the bow too. Thankfully this bow is detachable and although the dress looks a bit simple without it, I think it is a huge improvement. There is a yoke on the bodice which features neatly placed lace and a line of ribbon threaded lace around the edge. It has been done so neatly and the textured look of the yoke stops is looking too flat and boring. The yoke is topped with 3 small bows and one larger bow at the top. That is a lot of bows, but the 3 smaller bows are so small that it doesn't feel too overdone. The larger bow is a cute shape and sits nicely on the dress. The neckline is lined with lace which gives it a cuter, softer appearance and also matches up nicely with the strap lace. The back of the dress is fully shirred which means there is a good amount of size flexibility but doesn't look that attractive. However, the back is quite short so I don't think the shirring appearance is that big an issue. The stock photos show that the skirt has a good amount of length to it. It is a bit more subtle than the other JSK but has a fair bit of volume to it still. The skirt design is again kept simple and the print is displayed excellently. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a line of lace.




And here we can see the print. This series is available in lemon, lavender, pink and brown. I think all 4 colours work with the print but in my opinion the pink is the most pleasing on the eye and looks the most complimentary. As for the print itself, the characters are very cute and the cookies are well drawn. It just isn't my sort of thing. I don't really like brand prints where the brand name is so obviously everywhere in the print. I also think the layout of the print is quite simple and there are a lot of straight lines in the print with no real variation. Overall it looks nice, but it is playing it a bit too safe.

So I feel this series is cute but perhaps a bit too cute for me personally. At least it delivers on all that sugar in the print title! There are some very cute details to the dress, like the icing shaped buttons, but overall the dress designs are quite simple. I suppose with such a loud print you do need to have simpler dresses though. Would I buy this series? No, as I think I would find it far too cutesy. I think if I did have to pick something I would go for JSK I in pink. One thing I did really like about this series though, was the bow cookie shaped barrette. It looks just like a real cookie!

Next up today is Bitter Was Confined to the Trump Sweet Memories. This series includes 3 dresses, a skirt, a head bow, a blouse, 2 pairs of socks, wrist cuffs and a necklace.



First up is JSK I. The bodice seems quite well fitted. I feel the bodice shape is quite simple but has been well executed. The straps are a bit on the thin side and look a bit flimsy, but the thinner straps do suit the style of dress. The waist area is belted which helps to define the area better and nips the waist in. There is a large waist bow which is quite simple in design but the simpler design suits the busy print better. The bow is well shaped and seems to sit well on the dress. The ribbon used has got a slight sheen to it but I don't feel it looks overly shiny. The bodice design looks quite simple. You can see on the bodice that it is broken up in to panels because there is a break in the print along the lines where the panels meet. Thankfully, this isn't too obvious though. The neckline features a couple of lines of lace. The lace used is of a good quality. I like how the lines of lace are layered on top of each other as I think it creates a nice shape. There are 2 ribbon bows at the bases of the straps. I feel these bows could do with being a bit smaller and need shorter tails so that they look a bit neater. The back has a panel of shirring which is topped neatly by a ribbon corset. The stock photos show that the skirt has a pretty A-line shape to it. It has enough volume for a more classic shape and it flares out well. The skirt is kept simple and the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with a thin line of lace and then a ruffle of tulle. My only issue is the colour of the tulle, as I feel it stands out too much. Perhaps the line of tulle isn't needed at all. 


This is JSK II. The bit bodice looks fairly well fitted, although the material looks a baggy in some areas. The bodice shape is simple but generally quite pretty looking. I think the wide straps look very supportive but I personally wish they were slightly narrower. They are lined neatly with lace both on the inside and outside though. There is a belt made up of an Alice print different to the border print (this same print appears on JSK I underneath the main print) which helps bring in the waist area and also breaks up the print really nicely. I feel the belt could do with being a bit narrower though and although done neatly, I dislike the lace used to line the edges of the belt. The belt is topped with a very large bow which I think is far too big. It has a nice shape though and considering its size, it really sits quite nicely with hardly any drooping. This bow is detachable but after seeing the picture of the dress with it detached, I think I would actually leave the bow on. The bodice features 2 lines of lace running up it. The lace is a good quality and sits very well on the dress but overall I feel the bodice looks a bit flat. I feel like it needs some more small details to it. The neckline features a ruffle of wide lace. It looks quite pretty but I feel it looks messy in comparison to the neckline in JSK I. The neckline is then topped with another printed bow which I feel is again a bit too big but has a nice enough looking shape. The back features a panel of shirring which is topped neatly by a ribbon corset. The stock photos show the skirt has plenty of volume and flares out well. I really like the slightly rounded shape. The skirt design is again kept simple and the print is displayed very well. The bottom hem is then finished off with some slightly boring, but good quality lace.


Here we have the OP. I feel the high waisted bodice could do with having a bit more shape to it as it looks a bit frumpy. It just feels a bit flat and I don't think the cut is going to be that flattering. The sleeves are a good length and have a suitable amount of puff to them (although I noticed in the stock photos that one sleeve looked a lot puffier than the other. I am hoping this is just an error and they will in fact both be puffy like the sleeve on the left of the picture). The sleeves are lined very neatly with lace although I feel the lace could have been a bit narrower. There are also some ribbon bows topping the sleeves but I think they are far too big and are not really needed. The bows kind of stick out and look a bit out of place. The high waist is lined neatly with a thin line of lace but I am not a fan. I feel the high waist needs a bit more definition. The short bodice is kept quite simple but there is enough detail at the neck to make up for it. The lace along the neckline is quite pretty. It has plenty of gathering to it which makes it sit on the dress in a really nice way. The neckline is then topped with a large printed bow which I think looks very big but it does at least liven up the bodice a bit. The shape is quite interesting and it is lined neatly with lace. This bow is detachable and I am undecided whether I like it better attached or detached. The back offers no shirring so the sizing is a bit limited, especially when there doesn't appear to be any waist ties. The stock photos show the skirt has a pretty shape which goes fairly well with the bodice. There is a reasonable amount of flare and volume to it. The skirt is again kept simple, so the print really has a chance to shine. The bottom hem is then finished off neatly with lace.


And finally, here we have a part of the print close up. This series is available pink, red, sax blue and black. The colours are pretty standard choices for this sort of print. I hear the pink was very popular but I think the pink looks quite peach in colour, and I personally really love the black. I love the use of colour throughout the print as all the colours are quite dusky and soft, which gives the print a very nostalgic feel. As for the print itself, I am pleasantly surprised. I was getting so bored of all the Alice prints but I actually really like this one. I think it is perhaps because of the nostalgic feel I mentioned and the slightly more mature feel that the print has. The roses are drawn beautifully. I love how the rose petals are positioned flying carelessly through the air and the detail on the petals is amazing. The sepia toned Alice postcards mean the Alice theme is present but not overpowering. The cards have been well placed amongst the roses too. The diamond background is bold and striking. I like that little gold detailing has been added to the diamonds as well.

So overall I am actually quite impressed by this series. I thought I was never going to like another Alice print again but this one has a good balance to it. The print is drawn beautifully and I love the roses. The dress designs are a bit simple but that helps to bring more focus to the print. Would I buy this series? Yes I would. I would go for JSK I in black. Although I don't like the tulle at the bottom I think I could put up with it and I like the rest of that dress design. This series has been a pleasant surprise.


2 comments:

  1. hello! i follow and read your blog since a few years :)
    but i felt a bit insecure about my english

    i love your reviews and read your experiencies in lolita meets!
    thank you for share your opinion <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! I hope my reviews are helpful and I love sharing my lolita adventures <3

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