Trading Outfit (RETIRED)

[QNPoohBear]

This dress was released in 2017 and retired in November 2023. It is inspired by one worn by Kaya in Changes for Kaya and the short story Kaya and the Grandmothers

Kaya wears a decorated dress to show her skills when she trades with nearby tribes. The deerskin is fringed and features geometric designs Kaya created herself. The colorful belt is made with dyed porcupine quills that showcase Kaya's embroidery. Includes a pair of lace-up moccasins.


While this dress could be historically accurate, I think AG was just being cheap to replace the beading with a printed design. This whole outfit shows how much they've cut back on quality since 2002. This dress is a different type of faux deerskin than Kaya's original meet dress. It feels heavier like something for a car or heavier duty purpose than a ceremonial dress. The beads hanging off the fringe look cheaper quality than her meet dress beads. The belt is merely a printed ribbon that velcros in back.

It does fit a 2002 Kaya over her hips with a little bit of wiggling.

I do appreciate the fact they did make Kaya a dress from her time period and books but it can't compare to the Adorned Deerskin Dress.

Grade: C+

[curlytoes79]

Full disclosure that I do not own this outfit - because I can't bring myself to buy it. After buying her most recent pow-wow dress of today, which has lots of lovely real embroidery, the printed patterns on the trading dress are a disappointment. The beads do look cheaper than the beads on her meet dress - perhaps it's the brighter color? They look very plastic. The material seems thinner and stiffer than her previous historical outfits.

One nice thing is that if you have her trading accessories (which I liked more than the outfit), the hair ties, bracelet, and choker that come with that set coordinate well with this outfit, judging from the display Kaya at the AG store.

I may eventually get this dress if it goes on sale, but I wouldn't pay $36 for it.

Grade: C

[chernayakoshka]

Dress – C

I like the idea of this dress, but the execution is lacking. The material feels heavy and stiff, less like the soft faux doeskin of Kaya’s earlier meet and adourned deerskin dresses and more like the fabric used in a car or for a couch or something – more industrial. The beads are a nice touch, but look cheap with their bright colours. And I so wish that the printed design was beaded. It’s so lazy for AG to print the design and gives the whole outfit a decidedly modern look. It also only appears on the front and doesn’t continue through to the back, which I would have happily overlooked if it was beaded, but I can’t forgive on something printed.

The only reason it rates as high as it does is because it holds its shape well and looks flattering on Kaya. And if anyone needs an even remotely historical outfit, it’s Kaya.

It also has one of those awful plastic tags sewn into the front, which I don’t hold against the dress, though I wish AG hadn’t made the decision to put these on everything.

Belt – B-

It gets a point for being woven instead of printed, but the pattern feels too bright to be historically accurate. I don’t doubt that Kaya and her people came up with some incredibly colourful designs, but I doubt they looked quite this synthetic. It closes with Velcro and fits around Kaya and the dress without struggle.


Dress and belt on Kaya.

Moccasins – B+

I actually kind of like these. The stiffer dress material makes sense here from a design standpoint since they’re shoes and, in my opinion, should be a bit stiffer. I love that they still tie up instead of being Velcro or something, though I’m sure this poses a challenge to some. I didn’t think they were too difficult to hold in place and tie.


Difficult to tie, but look pretty good.

Good Value?

I bought this at the full retain price of $36, and I really regret not waiting for a coupon or rewards discount or something. Given the quality of the outfit, it’s horrendously overpriced for what it is. I, perhaps cynically, think that AG realised that they had Kaya fans bent over a barrel since this was one of the only dresses available to her when it was released.

Overall – B-

I bought this because I was desperate for another historical Kaya dress, but I really expect better from AG. From a quality standpoint, this dress is a let-down with shortcuts having been taken everywhere. It lacks the simplistic, yet rich detail of her earlier dresses and feels like a rushed attempt to get another Kaya dress onto the salesfloor after a period of having almost nothing for her.

[cheshie04]

I looked at the reviews here, but still bought this outfit because I'm a total completist with Kaya and she definitely needed another outfit. I like that it's historical. But that is about it on the positives. I don't like the material, it seems so stiff. The dress is ok once it's on her, but it's not the best. The belt helps to define it. The moccasins are horrible. I'm used to tying Kaya's moccasins, but I don't know why these are so awkward. The cut seems off, you can't pull them close to her legs without the bottom of the flaps getting in the way of the ties. So there's a weird gap at the back of her calves. The ties are also an awkward length, you can go around her leg once criss-crossed, but again would make the bow difficult to tie. But at the length they are now you get a weird big bow. Not the best at all. The outfit seems incomplete. I wish it came with a hair piece or something. The beading is incredibly simple so that can't make up for the lack of pizzazz either.