Merry Magenta Outfit (2016)
Mar 22, 2017 22:45:41 GMT -5
Post by Alisa ♥ on Mar 22, 2017 22:45:41 GMT -5
The Merry Magenta dress was one of the outfits released for Holiday 2016. I purchased mine on sale early in 2017. (For reference, the other holiday outfit for 2016 sold out before the holidays.)
Although the set included four pieces and is quite lovely, there is a definite issue with the quality of the appliqued mesh used for the dress. The outfit can work and look really nice...if you're willing to sit down and do a few fixes. Which is totally a pain with a brand new outfit. I'll get into the steps I took with my outfit later! But because I had to work with the dress to make it look its best, (and because I could take or leave the purse), I'd give this outfit a solid C as a grade. Definitely one to buy on sale; as of today it's $14 which is even $4 less than what I ended up paying.
The ribbon belt is sewn into the back velcro closure, and it's a little bit loose. This isn't a huge problem, though, as it really lays quite nicely once it's on. There is a silver (I think it's metal) ego tag on the dress, which could easily be removed if you didn't like it.
The problem with this outfit is that the appliques on the mesh overlay have white interfacing, which can look really horrible if you don't do anything to it. This was a problem posted about this outfit when it released, and it prevented me from buying it at full price (even though I like the style of the dress)! I did three things to my dress before taking these photos:
1. Trim loose strings with small, sharp sewing scissors (there were lots of little ends sticking up from the appliques).
2. Carefully trim extra applique flaps over seams with the same scissors (this gets rid of some of the white flashes of interfacing when the dress is worn).
3. Color the back of any appliques that couldn't be trimmed, but which show when the dress is worn, with a fine-point magenta Sharpie. (I've never done something this extreme to an AG garment before, but it really helped!)
I do like the sheer top and cap sleeves of the dress, and that the shoes and purse are black instead of matchy-matchy magenta (they just also have gems, although a different shape than the dress and headband gems). The dress lining is really soft, too, and there is a layer of tulle between the lining and overlay which is sweet! Photos were casualties of the Photobucket paywall, so I'll need to figure out which ones they were and repost them, but the Instagram post survived ^_^
Although the set included four pieces and is quite lovely, there is a definite issue with the quality of the appliqued mesh used for the dress. The outfit can work and look really nice...if you're willing to sit down and do a few fixes. Which is totally a pain with a brand new outfit. I'll get into the steps I took with my outfit later! But because I had to work with the dress to make it look its best, (and because I could take or leave the purse), I'd give this outfit a solid C as a grade. Definitely one to buy on sale; as of today it's $14 which is even $4 less than what I ended up paying.
Official website description of outfit: From parties to performances, this fancy dress will have her doll looking her holiday best! The cap-sleeved dress features a lacy overlay and a satin ribbon belt with glittery pretend gems. Includes a magenta satin headband for her hair, shiny black faux-gemstone studded shoes with scalloped front edges, and a purse. $36
The ribbon belt is sewn into the back velcro closure, and it's a little bit loose. This isn't a huge problem, though, as it really lays quite nicely once it's on. There is a silver (I think it's metal) ego tag on the dress, which could easily be removed if you didn't like it.
The problem with this outfit is that the appliques on the mesh overlay have white interfacing, which can look really horrible if you don't do anything to it. This was a problem posted about this outfit when it released, and it prevented me from buying it at full price (even though I like the style of the dress)! I did three things to my dress before taking these photos:
1. Trim loose strings with small, sharp sewing scissors (there were lots of little ends sticking up from the appliques).
2. Carefully trim extra applique flaps over seams with the same scissors (this gets rid of some of the white flashes of interfacing when the dress is worn).
3. Color the back of any appliques that couldn't be trimmed, but which show when the dress is worn, with a fine-point magenta Sharpie. (I've never done something this extreme to an AG garment before, but it really helped!)
I do like the sheer top and cap sleeves of the dress, and that the shoes and purse are black instead of matchy-matchy magenta (they just also have gems, although a different shape than the dress and headband gems). The dress lining is really soft, too, and there is a layer of tulle between the lining and overlay which is sweet! Photos were casualties of the Photobucket paywall, so I'll need to figure out which ones they were and repost them, but the Instagram post survived ^_^
https://www.instagram.com/p/BR9uZFOgkan
