Summer Outfit (aka Summer Gown & Lace Cap) (RETIRED)

[Lizzie]

This outfit is worn by Felicity in the book Felicity Saves the Day. It was released in 1992 as Felicity's Summer Gown & Lace Cap, and in 2005 it was combined with Felicity's Straw hat and Brocade Slippers; the new outfit was called Felicity's Summer Outfit. The Summer Outfit was retired in 2009.

PC description of Felicity's Summer Gown & Lace Cap: Felicity floats through hot, steamy days in this airy summer gown. The sleeves and neck are edged with eyelet, and the luxurious sash features butterflies and garden nosegays. Make sure Felicity always wears her lace cap, required of proper young girls even on the hottest days of summer.

AG description of Felicity's Summer Outfit: Just like today, girls in colonial times wore lighter clothes to help endure hot, steamy weather. Felicity’s pretty eyelet-edged summer gown has a fancy sash featuring butterflies and flowers. Her wide-brimmed straw hat shades her face from the sun and sits atop her lace cap. Her brocade slippers are tied with ribbons.


Elizabeth looks absolutely beautiful in Felicity's Summer Outfit.

<broken image link removed>

[QNPoohBear]

This dress is so pretty! The sleeves are kind of short for Felicity. They are edged with lace and trimmed with pretty sky blue ribbon. The sash is a printed ribbon but very beautiful. It comes with a little lace cap which is so delciate and pretty. I love this dress, though it looks more like a later 18th century/early 19th century chemise a la reine dress.

My biggest problems are that the lace cap had completely lost shape and gotten baggy over the years and it stains easily.
Grade: A

[megadeth]

This dress is gorgeous and very summery and cool looking. My problem is that it fits so tight on my Felicity. She is wearing it now and I had a hard time getting the velcro all the way together. It fits so tight around my Felicity with her stays on that you can see the stays right through the white material.

[green chile supergirl]

I think it might be more accurate- almost all the dresses I've seen in paintings are of girls in very pale dresses with different sashes. I'm guessing the accuracy comes from whether or not Felicity was wealthy enough to be wearing a white dress.

I love this dress- it's so lovely. I have to take the shift off the doll to get her to wear it- it shows through oddly at times. When I was little, I thought this was the most gorgeous dress ever.

[supernonamegirl]

I know a little about historical fashion, but am definitely not an expert, not to mention that Conlonial is actually a little out of my time periods, but I do believe the concept of the dress is historically accurate, but Lissie may have been a tad too old for it. The simple white dress, to my understanding was something children wore to keep cool and what not, but they stopped a little before 9.
I could be totally wrong though.
All that said, I love this set.
I have the current one, purchased only a month or so a go, so it came with the hat and Brocade slippers too.
I got the box and was dancing around my dorm room in excitement and when I opened it my roomates were all kinda confused about why I spent so much on a simple white dress when there are so many better ones, for cheaper.
So, I told them, it was the whole effect and to hold their horses. I took my time putting it all together but once I did they all agreed that it's one of their favorite outfits, the "whole effect" is amazing. I then danced around the room doing the "I'm always right" dance.
It is one of may favorite outfits ever though, if not *the* favorite. The quality is amazing and when you consider you get the shoes (which look nice with her spring outfit too) and the hat and cap (I'm a huge believer in mixing and matching. You should see what I do with Josefina), it's actually pretty reasonable comparatively. I also tried it with some different ribbons and that gives it a little more variety, but admitedly not much,

[Kalani]

colettedenali said:

I I'm guessing the accuracy comes from whether or not Felicity was wealthy enough to be wearing a white dress.

Although the 18th century is not my area of expertise...I am quite knowledgable about Elizabethan fashions...and I am assuming they are similar.
In the previous centuries all underclothing was white. You may think "why would someone wear wear white when its just going to get stained" That was the beauty of it...they actually bleached the white in the sun. Therefore since it was such a simple process I would assume less then 2 centuries later, a wealthy merchant's family can afford the common white clothing. The only thing I really have to contest is that it should have been linen (though not sure when the cotton gin was invented)

Now I want to make this outfit for my doll...out of linen of course

[QNPoohBear]

asellus said:

(though not sure when the cotton gin was invented)

Eli Whitney was invented in 1792 and he received the first patent for a cotton gin in 1794. His employer, Caty Greene, wife of RI General Nathanel Greene, suppossedly came up with the idea.
Cotton seed are believed to have been planted in Florida in 1556 and in Virginia in 1607. By 1616, colonists were growing cotton along the James River in Virginia.

Cotton was first spun by machinery in England in 1730. The industrial revolution in England and the invention of the cotton gin in the U.S. paved the way for the important place cotton holds in the world today.

www.cotton.org/pubs/cottoncounts/story/index.cfm

[merry]

The only reason I can see that this is inaccurate is the eyelet (at least I think it's eyelet) on the sleeves and neckline. Eyelet lace was not around back then. Shift dresses were getting more and more popular at that time and by the 1780s they were being worn by women of all ages. Lissie would have been wearing them all the time in her teens. A linen dress would have been more feasible for Felicity since linen was cheaper than cotten, a luxury fabric, but I guess it would work well for Elizabeth.

[FelicityFan85]

I got this dress on the Feb. 1st and it is so pretty! My Susie had to model it since Felicity is at home. I'm glad it comes with the slippers and hat now. I think it's a great price and oh so cute for those summer days!

[Colonial Rose]

elizabethsmom said:

I keep asking the same question, so I apologize ahead of time, but.....What is the different between the Pleasant Co version of this dress and the newer one?

That I can answer as I have both.
The dress itself is the same, except that the material is maybe the tiniest bit thinner.
The cap is different, the "brim" is a bit wider and the lace trim is wider and coarser and more plasticy feeling than on the old cap, so it sticks out farther around the dolls face.
The sash has sharper pictures, the shades of pink in the flowers is different and the butterflies are different colours.

_{*dead album link removed*}

[Amy]

So far, this is my favorite outfit of Felicity's. The hat is great, the dress is lovely, and Lissie looks very pretty in it. Overall, it's just awesome. (Note: I don't have the slippers.)

What I Liked:
-The hat. It's not flimsy or cheap in the least.
-I thought the ribbon that ties around Felicity's waist would be very thin. It's not. It's thick and feels as nice as her hair ribbon.

What I Didn't Like:
-The dress is a little thin and looks a bit wrinkly.
-Felicity can't wear her shift with this because it sticks out too much. Well, of course she can, but it looks weird.

Grade: A







_{*dead image link removed*}

[Colonial Rose]

Summer Gown & Lace Cap (EAO, Pleasant Company): A+
The dress is a fine white cotton, a bit sheer so Lissie needs her shift under it, with eyelet at the neck and sleeves and blue ribbon also around the sleeves. The sash is a long ribbon with pink and blue flowers and butterflies on it edged in the same blue as her sleeves. The cap appears to be a round eared cap like her meet cap, but made out of a very fine lace and trimmed in a slightly heavier lace. I haven't had any problems with mine getting dirty or losing it's shape, it still looks almost like new.

[Colonial Rose]

Felicity's Summer Outfit (EAOA, Mattel): A-
The dress is white cotton that is a bit thinner than the PC dress, with eyelet at the neck and sleeves and blue ribbon also around the sleeves. A
The sash is a long ribbon with pink and blue flowers and butterflies on it edged in the same blue as her sleeves, the pink flowers on this are paler than on the PC sash but the blue is brighter, the butterflies are different colours and the pictures seem a bit sharper. A+
The cap is a lace round eared cap but the brim is a bit wider than the PC version and the lace edging is also wider and a cheaper more plasticy material so the cap seems floppier and cheaper than the old version. C
The shoes are not single lasted and are too small for my PM Felicity (the right shoe is worse than the left I can't even get it on her foot), but they are the same material as the PM ones and the ribbons are now sewn on to make them harder to lose. I did have an earlier set of the Mattel shoes that fit Felicity, but the glue they used turned the shoes brown. D
The hat I cannot say enough good things about, it is perfectly round, sits just right on Felicity's head and has little pink flowers with green leaves and a lovely wide blue ribbon that matches her dress and sash to tie it on. The hat really makes the outfit beautiful and is a must to avoid those unfashionable freckles. A+

[libbysey]

Feb 8, 2007 17:16:04 GMT -5 merry said:

The only reason I can see that this is inaccurate is the eyelet (at least I think it's eyelet) on the sleeves and neckline. Eyelet lace was not around back then. Shift dresses were getting more and more popular at that time and by the 1780s they were being worn by women of all ages. Lissie would have been wearing them all the time in her teens. A linen dress would have been more feasible for Felicity since linen was cheaper than cotten, a luxury fabric, but I guess it would work well for Elizabeth.

I have heard this before, that eyelet lace was not yet invented, but I do not believe it to be true. It could have been invented around this time and if so, would have been considered the height of fashion. I have not been able to find much on the web as to the considered date of invention, but I did find this....




“In 1814, Lord Montgomerie died in Spain (one account says Sicily) of consumption and his widow, Lady Mary Montgomerie returned to their estate in Ayr, Scotland. She brought with her a beautiful baby’s christening gown, made by a French needle worker. This gown had delicate eyelet embroidery and overcast fillings, fine satin stitches and beautiful lace stitches that were inserted in the cut out spaces within the design. Lady Montgomerie lent the christening gown to a Mrs. Jamieson, the wife of an Ayr cotton agent and asked her to duplicate the designs on the gown, and then to teach the poor women in the Ayr district the technique, thus creating a much-needed income for the families. Mrs. Jamieson, together with her two daughters, all of whom were accomplished embroiderers, studied the beautiful overcast filling stitches and patterns, added more lace filling stitches and then in turn taught the technique to outworkers, who were mainly farmer’s wives and their daughters.”

You can read the full article at www.ega-gpr.org/article_Ayrshire.html

Granted this is 1814, but it was from an estate and therefore would be a bit older than this date. It may have been a Christening gown of Lady Montgomerie or her husband, which would date this gown to colonial times or even of their parents, as christening gowns were sometimes passed from generation to generation, which would date the lace to as early as the 1750's or earlier.

If eyelet lace was not yet invented, it was shortly after. I do believe that it did exist during Felicity's time. This outfit is not as historically inaccurate as some claim.

[Ms. Notorious]

This one of my favorite dresses for Felicity. I used to adore it in the old PC catalogs, and I love it even more in person. It's so summery and ultra-feminine, and the pure white is flattering on her. I love the detail around the sleeves and the lovely blue sash. The slippers look awesome (I want a pair), but are hidden underneath the dress. I always display Felicity with her foot sticking out a little when she wears this outfit to show off the shoe.

But the show stopper in this outfit is the lace cap and hat. It takes some work to get it on at times, but once you have it secured, it's just darling. The whole outfit totally strikes my fancy. I can just imagine Felicity walking around on her grandfather's plantation looking cool and ladylike.

A- for the inevitable difficulties with the hat.

[zeemeems]

Addy looks lovely in this dress. The photos also compare all the hats. I think Addy's is the most accurate in design. The dress itself is very historically accurate and I see it's design in many paintings in museums.

[rosieangel]

This is probably my least favorite of all of Felicity's dresses. I didn't actually want it, but I received it as a gift from a relative who knew I collected Felicity so I accepted it graciously.

The lace mob cap is my favorite part of the set - I use it with many of Felicity's other dresses, and for storage so her hair doesn't get mussed.

The dress itself is white, and while the fabric itself is nice, I don't like the sleeves - they're too short, they bunch weirdly with the shift underneath, and the trim reminds me of more of baby doll dresses than accurate historic replicas. The eyelet trim also got a little burnt during pressing, and my iron was not that hot! How irritating.

The sash has a lovely floral pattern on it, but I have yet to figure out how to tie it in a way where it doesn't look embarrassingly stupid from behind. That said, it looks quite nice from the front. It's just not one I like to put on very often.

<dead tinypic image link removed>

[splendid]

Here are a couple of paintings from Felicity's time showing a variety of ages of girls in similar dresses:

<broken image links removed>

[Dragonslovedolls]

I adore this outfit. I can't speak to its historical accuracy but it is so graceful and looks cool, fresh and summery. The lace mob cap is delicately pretty too.

The fabric is pretty thin/fine and the sleeves of Felicity's shift, and her corset, show underneath in direct light. The Mattel dress is just a little tight on my PM girl also, but I can do the velcro up at the back if Lissie holds her breath!

<broken image links removed>

A+

[5hensandacockatiel]

I LOVE this dress! It's very simple, and just perfect and beautiful. My mom made me a dress to match and even painted a ribbon for the sash! She's a wonderful painter.

[tkimt]

It looks pretty simple in photos, but it looks really beautiful in person! I had always wanted it anyways, but I was pleasantly surprised when seeing trying it on a doll.

Here it is on Nicki, and how it looks with the doll's hair down. I hate the cap so I don't use it.

The view in the mirror shows you how pretty the back looks. It's so pretty, I had to leave Nicki in front of the mirror when wearing this. I also let the blue ribbons from the hat hang in the back to add to the prettiness:


Side view - sorry about the bright sunlight:

[artz_annie]

this has always been one of my favorite Felicity outfits.. I love it.. I finally own it.. And am so proud of how pretty it looks.. My PM Lissy is currently wearing it..

[cymbre]

Can't have too many pictures...

All the pieces. This is PM, I don't know from when, and I don't know if it was sold together or as two sets because I bought it from eBay. It came to me in like-new condition, whites still white.



And here it is on a PM Felicity:



I adored this outfit as a child. When I finally got my hands on this one, relatively recently, I was disappointed, but I don't think there's anything wrong with the dress. It just couldn't live up to my years of thinking about it.

[keeperofthepast]

I just love this dress on Felicity. I think it is my favorite followed by her Town fair outfit

[igsbeth]

I love this dress. I think it is beautiful. I have always been scared to tie the sash too tightly, as I don't want to wrinkle it.

[Terrapin94 (hittheatticwall)]

Can someone tell me how wide the ribbon is that comes with this set? Thank you!

[keeperofthepast]

I absolutely love this dress. The white fabric is so crisp and clean and the ribbon is lovely. The sleeves are sweetly designed. the lace cap is precious on Felicity.

[agfan182]

I bought my Summer Outfit after its retirement, and it was sold without the lace cap and slippers. But even with just the pieces I got, I cannot recommend this outfit enough!

It looks so beautiful on Felicity, it makes her look very elegant. The colors are simple but work very well together. The dress and sash especially seem to be made with sturdy material that really holds up.

It's interesting some of the above comments mention this outfit being very snug on their PM Felicity's, because I think it actually fits perfect on my Beforever Felicity. A lot of the PM clothes are very baggy on my BF doll, but I think the sash really helps the overall fit. So if you have a BF or even Mattel Felicity, I think this would fit them perfectly!

If you can find this outfit for a good price secondhand, I would say get it!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw_c6Hmv9XS