Celebration Dress
Aug 28, 2017 9:45:12 GMT -5
Post by Tacy on Aug 28, 2017 9:45:12 GMT -5
We purchased this dress in AGP Chicago. It's so pretty and eye-catching that my daughter instantly zeroed in on it. When we saw it modeled on Gabriela, we looked at the doll with new eyes, and my daughter is now planning to ask for her for Christmas. I was smitten too— if there is a sale, I may have to get her myself. She is so much more gorgeous in person. I found her easy to dismiss in sweats, but in this dress, I saw for the first time what a stunning doll she is.
Anyhow, the dress! This is a very flattering design, in a wonderful rich turquoise color. The top is poly velvet and the skirt is burnout poly velvet. The construction is decent. The velcro is the finer, non-snagging kind (yay!). The skirt flares, thanks to an underskirt (shiny parachute fabric), which has a two-inch layer of tulle at the bottom for a modified crinoline effect. Nice. The silver belt is sewn down on the bottom but not the top. The glittery silver shoes are very cute and easy to put on. The headband is cute but cheap. I wish it was metal, like Isabelle's, but it's a junky plastic. The stars are foam with a layer of glittery stuff (a sticker?) on the top of each one, and they are sewn with a single wide stitch onto the headband. All in all, I would say the quality is not quite up to previous levels. However, the design is great. I wouldn't purchase this for my own collection, but as we were visiting this store for the first time on a special trip for Nanea's event, I had no problem granting my daughter's wish. She's tried it on both Melody and Grace so far, and it suits both dolls well.
A note on unnecessary plastics: This dress does not have the stupid plastic AG tag. Yay! But it did come in the awful new packaging. It wasn't sewn in, but there was a big chunk of molded plastic holding the set in place within layers of cardboard. I save most of the traditional AG boxes, but the plastic went straight into the garbage (we recycled the cardboard). The cumulative amount of garbage produced by this purchase was substantially more than the thin AG boxes, and it really bugged me. I'll probably say no to future items in this packaging. Yes, you can see the item, but that's what the displays and website are for. This is the first item we've purchased that came in this packaging, and it's garish and off-putting. I'm also really bummed by the unnecessary plastic. I am working really hard to minimized the amount of plastic my family sends to the landfill, and one of the things that attracted me to the brand was its simple, elegant packaging. I'd rather AG spend my money on a higher quality product than a more expensive piece of garbage to package it in. [End of rant.]
Anyhow, the dress! This is a very flattering design, in a wonderful rich turquoise color. The top is poly velvet and the skirt is burnout poly velvet. The construction is decent. The velcro is the finer, non-snagging kind (yay!). The skirt flares, thanks to an underskirt (shiny parachute fabric), which has a two-inch layer of tulle at the bottom for a modified crinoline effect. Nice. The silver belt is sewn down on the bottom but not the top. The glittery silver shoes are very cute and easy to put on. The headband is cute but cheap. I wish it was metal, like Isabelle's, but it's a junky plastic. The stars are foam with a layer of glittery stuff (a sticker?) on the top of each one, and they are sewn with a single wide stitch onto the headband. All in all, I would say the quality is not quite up to previous levels. However, the design is great. I wouldn't purchase this for my own collection, but as we were visiting this store for the first time on a special trip for Nanea's event, I had no problem granting my daughter's wish. She's tried it on both Melody and Grace so far, and it suits both dolls well.
A note on unnecessary plastics: This dress does not have the stupid plastic AG tag. Yay! But it did come in the awful new packaging. It wasn't sewn in, but there was a big chunk of molded plastic holding the set in place within layers of cardboard. I save most of the traditional AG boxes, but the plastic went straight into the garbage (we recycled the cardboard). The cumulative amount of garbage produced by this purchase was substantially more than the thin AG boxes, and it really bugged me. I'll probably say no to future items in this packaging. Yes, you can see the item, but that's what the displays and website are for. This is the first item we've purchased that came in this packaging, and it's garish and off-putting. I'm also really bummed by the unnecessary plastic. I am working really hard to minimized the amount of plastic my family sends to the landfill, and one of the things that attracted me to the brand was its simple, elegant packaging. I'd rather AG spend my money on a higher quality product than a more expensive piece of garbage to package it in. [End of rant.]