I really like this outfit, and purchased it along with Tiana the week they were released.
Here's the official description:
Tiana works hard as a waitress and dreams of opening her own restaurant in New Orleans one day.
Includes: A yellow cotton A-line dress with three-quarter sleeves, a floral printed collar and sleeve cuffs, and a white cotton yoke; A green boucle coat featuring a lapel collar, buttoned sleeve cuffs, and two pockets at the front with floral embroidery details; A matching green boucle hat with a grosgrain ribbon hat band; A pair of black Mary Jane shoes with bows at the toes; Three faux beignets and a plate.
SKU#: HWP86 $55Like the above poster, one of the reasons that I'm so drawn to the outfit is that it's a realistic (not just fantasy) piece that can be used in the 1920's for Claudie. (More on that topic later in the review ….)
The
dress is a nice yellow cotton A-line style, with a contrasting floral pattern on a white background used for the cuffs and collar. The dress is fitted at the waist and falls below the knee, and it closes up the back with a single strip of Velcro. I like the style and the fabric, especially the butter/ sunshine yellow color, and I think it looks nice on Tiana. The dress fit Tiana but was fairly snug on the top, especially around the upper arms/shoulder area, which makes me wonder how well it would fit other dolls. (Hopefully someone will chime in here after trying it.) Grade: B+
Close up of collar:
Back of the dress:
I really like the
coat and hat. They're a loosely woven boucle that looks like a pale spring green, which I think looks great with the dress and also with Tiana's general color scheme. The coat has a rounded lapel collar, pale green cuffs with buttons, and sweet embroidered rounded patch pockets on the front. There is no closure on the coat. It goes down to the thigh in the front but rounds down to the back of the knee in the back. The matching hat has a pale green grosgrain ribbon band. Both pieces seem perfectly appropriate for the 1920s, and they have a cute, comfy, somewhat slouchy but still stylish overall feel. Grade: A+
The lapel and the button cuff:
The pocket:
You can see the light through the loose weave:
The labels in this outfit are marked with Disney Princess and American Girl:
The ribbon hat band:
The coat curves down longer in the back:
The black Mary Jane
shoes are fine. I agree with the previous poster that they're a bit long, but otherwise I like the little bow detail. I'm not sure that these are the best look to go with the rest of the outfit, but they're okay. Not great, not terrible, just okay. Grade: B
Plate of beignets: I really like the white plate with its gold colored scalloped edge (even though it’s plastic!), and I love the beignets. These are one of Tiana’s signature desserts, and of course they connect her to her New Orleans roots. I think they look somewhat edible, too, which isn't necessarily common for AG food! Grade: A+
Top and bottom of beignets (it comes with 3):
Overall, this is my favorite and the most versatile of the Tiana outfits. I like the dress and I really love the hat, coat, and plate of beignets. I don't love the shoes, and I also have some concerns about the fit of the dress. I think $55 is a high price, and I'd probably give the entire outfit a B at that price, but it would be an A if purchased on sale or with rewards for closer to $40-45.
Fun side note, for those who like to imagine Tiana and Claudie coexisting in the same time and place, there’s a book in the Disney Graphic Novel series called
Tiana and the Magic of Harlem, in which Tiana, after opening her successful New Orleans restaurant, is selected for a special opportunity to train for a few months with a famous chef in Harlem. Tiana wears a yellow dress and green coat like this for much of her time there, and on one of her days off, she passes by the window of a bakery with delicious looking treats inside. The lettering on the bakery window looks an awful lot like the lettering of Angelo's Bakery, where Claudie's father works ....
On page 18:
While she doesn’t enter the bakery in this book, it’s not too hard to imagine it!
Claudie and Tiana together in their green coats and hats:
