AG Store Exclusive: Merry & Bright Gown Set (2013)

[mom2princesspeas]

We went to the SF (Palo Alto) Opening weekend, and my DD, 13 fell in love with this outfit. She asked me to make it one of her Christmas presents, so we purchased it! I think it is a pretty set, and comes with so many pieces. The past holiday outfits have come close to this price, as we had to purchase the accessory sets separately, and combined put the outfit up over $60, so I did not think the price was a deterrent. Funny, when I opened the box, I did not remember the belt, and honestly, don't think it adds or detracts from the dress. We could take it or leave it!

Since this is a gift, I did not take the shoes, gloves or tiara out of the wrap, but you can see some of the detailing by the pictures.

I would rate the outfit an A- (only since I think the gown itself could have been make out of a better fabric. I am curious what the cape will look like over the Gown set from a couple years ago... I am drawing a blank on the name, think it is the Snow Flake Princess Gown, but in any case, I think the cape might look pretty with this gown as well!

I agree with some of the other comments, that the gown looks good on the darker skinned dolls, and pictured is the doll from the store display in the gown! My DD can hardly wait to dress her new Saige in the gown!

Here are some of my pictures:

Gift Box:


Bodice Detail:


Cape Front: Velcro Tab closure



Cape Inside/lining:



Shoe Detail:


Tiara Detail:


Shoes, gloves and Tiara:


Here is a picture from the store of a darker skinned doll in the gown:

[Cyn]

Here are some pictures of Julia wearing the new exclusive outfit, and some comparison pictures with Lanie in the Merry Moonlight outfit from 2004.

I really like the new outfit a lot, but I do think comparatively that $30 for the MM outfit in 2004 was a better deal than $72 for this one. C'est la vie.

Overall Grade - B+ Deductions for price, poor fit on the gloves (fabric not stretchy enough), and thin skirt fabric.

Pics!!

[fionabrigade]

 

Channeling Cinderella: The Clock Strikes Midnight

The gown has an additional layer with tulle on the bottom to add volume:

Tiara detail. It feels like metal:



Detail of the back and removable belt:


So cozy:


Snowflake embroidered cape with velvet texture (satin on underside):
 


"The cold never bothered me anyway!"

So in a nutshell, I did not plan on purchasing this outfit after seeing the early AGSF pictures...it looked nice but my dolls avoid princess-y things (Poor Grayson!). Yet I'm a sucker for limited edition items (a store exclusive no less!) and I changed my mind when I saw it in person. Despite the initial $72 sticker shock, the price is comparable to purchasing a holiday dress ($36) and holiday accessories ($28) plus the $2 upcharge for gift boxed items.

Pros:
It sparkles and is shiny
Pleasantly surprised at the gown's additional layer
Drapes nicely
Sparkle design continues on the back / looks good from all angles
Tiara is metal, not plastic (which I believed it to be made of from the early photos)
Cape is super soft

Cons:
Poor finishing - gown came with some loose threads hanging on the back
Bodice fits loose (or it could be that my Marie Grace is super skinny)
Tight gloves are a pain to get on
Should have come with an additional accessory - A sceptre would have been perfect to complete that regal look
Cheap velcro closure on cape
Belt seems like an afterthought

Grade: B; Recommended if it is within your budget. 

[American Girl Rescue]

Merry & Bright Gown Set
$72

I love this set! This is so elegant and soft. I think the outfit is very well made (I didn't find any loose threads on my outfit.) The built in underskirt with tulle is a plus to this outfit. It helps the gown to stand out around the doll. The cape being fully lined makes it seem so realistic. Just beautiful!

The two things I find a bit irritating are: The belt is too tight to line up with the seem of the bodice and skirt. It fits best like the above photos show -- right at the doll's mid section. Also I'm not too fond of showing off the doll's torso in 'barely there' bodices, so we just keep the cape on.

Kanani had no trouble standing up by herself in the kitten heals.

[Deleted]

Here is Caroline modeling it (review to come later):


Caroline 010 by cassiatravels, on Flickr


Caroline 011 by cassiatravels, on Flickr


Caroline 012 by cassiatravels, on Flickr

[Britta]

First of all, sorry about my awful photos! At least Pru is pretty in them, right?

I got this outfit for Christmas and have mixed feelings about it. It's VERY pretty and I'm glad I received it, but there are a few disappointing things about it. This set has so many pieces, I'll just give my thoughts on each one!

Cape: Beautiful. Nice fabric. I love it! the snowflake embroidery is so pretty and the brooch is gorgeous, love that shade of blue. It would have been nice if they'd used a snap to secure the brooch instead of velcro because you can see the square of velcro behind it.

Gloves: Pretty nice, my first pair of doll gloves. I like the silver fabric. One of the gloves went on Pru's hand really easily, the other required a little tugging, but not too big of a deal. They're pretty cute and help make this outfit look super fancy.

Belt: Blah. I put it on Pru, then took it right off because I didn't like how it looked. It's very tight and squishes the bodice of the dress too much. Wish they'd done a necklace or something instead of the goofy belt. That said, the construction of the belt is fine. It's pretty stiff. I thought it was just going to be a piece of ribbon with velcro on it.

Tiara: Very pretty! Again, love the shade of blue of the stones. A tiara is such a nice touch for this outfit. It's kind of tough to make it look nice on a doll with a side part, but I think it looks nice when arranged properly.

Dress: Pretty, of course. I'm not usually into sequins, but like the sequins on this dress. The dots on the skirt are nice as well, and the fabric the skirt is made of seems fine. I wish the blue was a shade that matched the blue of the stones in the brooch and tiara better. Also, rather annoyingly, the skirt of my dress came out of the box with wrinkles and I'm not sure how to fix it, don't want to melt the fabric! The underskirt is a nice touch, but I think I'd actually prefer the dress without because it makes the overskirt pooch out kind of awkwardly at the waist. As for the bodice, I wish it wasn't just a straight across line between the sequined fabric and mesh fabric, and that there was a sleeve of some sort or ribbon around the edge of the sleeve holes/neckline or something. The seam between the sequin fabric and the mesh fabric also sticks out rather awkwardly. The dress definitely looks better with the cape on top!

Shoes: Oh, the shoes. Sad times for me. They're very pretty, but one of mine is defective. It was cut improperly so the doll's toes show. I'm fairly displeased about this since the outfit was so expensive. I own many pairs of doll shoes and this is the only pair with this problem, figures it's from the most expensive doll outfit I own!



My overall grade for this outfit is a B. The shoes are a big issue for me, and the weird things about the dress bug me, especially considering the price. I do like this outfit regardless and am glad I have it!