Christmas Dress (Tartan Plaid Dress) (retired)

[darklament]

This outfit is worn by Addy in the book Addy's Surprise. Released in 1993, retired in 2017.

Addy worked hard making deliveries for Mrs. Ford’s shop during the busy holiday season. To thank her for her help, Mrs. Ford gave her the gorgeous taffeta dress that Isabella Howell had outgrown! It’s trimmed with black satin bows and shiny buttons, and is tied with a lovely sash that ends in elegant fringe. Addy wore it with a bright green ribbon for her hair when she went to church on Christmas Day.


This is one of my favorite Addy dresses. Mine is a PM. It is very well made, looks beautiful on her, and hangs very nicely! A+

[QNPoohBear]

This dress is very fancy for someone like Addy but it makes a nice classic Christmas dress. The taffeta is shiny and smooth, the ribbon sash is sewn to the dress. The sash is satiny feeling and has fringe on the end. The green hair ribbon is very very soft satin and doesn't really go well with the dress. A plaid ribbon or black ribbon would look better. This dress really needs the crinoline underneath to get that typical Civil War look.

My Addy has difficulty fitting into her dress with her crinoline and petticoat on. I'm not a huge fan of plaid but Addy likes to dress up for Christmas so she wears it once a year.

Grade: A

[EB Agent J/Goo]

I have to go against the consensus here: I just received the dress today and I am quite disappointed in it. The green on it seems too bright, and more disappointing, I found the material to be thin, cheap, and definitely with a fake, plasticy, polyester feeling (I know it's taffeta, but I always thought taffeta, while not one of the heavier fabrics out there, should feel softer). There are tassels at the ends of the ribbon sash (which is sewn on but still needs to be untied to get the dress on) that make it very difficult for me to tie it in a decent bow.

I was most impressed with the ribbon, which is soft, and wide, and (despite what I was told by people who owned the dress) long enough to make a ribbon headband for Mary. But for the price tag, I would expect either a better quality for the material or more extras (I had to buy Addy's meet boots to go with it. I already had her meet socks from getting her socks and shoes set).

The style of the dress is very cute, but it's hard to get over the initial let-down of the cheapness. I give it a C-. If it had come with more things or were made of a more durable material, I'd give it a higher grade.

[FelicityFan85]

I bought this dress earlier this semester. I never noticed the little buttons before and I love the detail of the dress. This has always been my favorite Addy dress so I had to buy it, along with Ida Bean.

I give this an A+; it's a very pretty dress, perfect for the holidays!





(Mod. edit to remove dead photo links)

[Princess Kailey]

I just purchased this dress off ebay and it's much different than Goo described. It's tagged Made in China for Pleasant Company 1995. My initial impression was surprise because I didn't expect it to be so nice and well-made. The taffeta material is heavy and not thin at all. The differences between mine and Goo's dresses could be typical Mattel/Pre-Mattel. I'll get pictures of my Addy wearing it soon.

[QNPoohBear]

Aug 9, 2008 13:08:40 GMT -5 Princess Kailey said:

I just purchased this dress off ebay and it's much different than Goo described. It's tagged Made in China for Pleasant Company 1995. My initial impression was surprise because I didn't expect it to be so nice and well-made. The taffeta material is heavy and not thin at all. The differences between mine and Goo's dresses could be typical Mattel/Pre-Mattel. I'll get pictures of my Addy wearing it soon.

Mine is like yours. I don't remember what year I got it but probably between 1993-1995. It's not like Felicity's travel gown. It's held up to storage and occasional wear for all these years.

[Natasha]

I really like this dress. In fact, it might be my favorite historical Christmas dress. I wasn't sure what to expect quality wise after reading the reviews, but I'm very pleased with it. I probably wouldn't have chosen this one for my DD, but she picked it out herself and, as always, I think it is so much prettier in person than in the catalog.

Ours is Mattel, and the weight is definitely heavier than Felicity's travel/meet gown or Christmas gown. The colors looked how I expected they would, and I think the bright shades complement Addy's skin nicely.

I think this would be a pretty "modern" Christmas dress for any doll.

[Buckingham Alice]

Mine is PC as well. I got it with my Addy when I got her for Christmas a hundred years ago as a young'un. It was always my favorite and Addy did live in it for a long, long time, LOL. It is a bit brighter than catalog pics make out, but it isn't as bright as Goo's seems and yes, the colors do compliment Addy's skintone and overall coloring beautifully. I never thought the material to be too thin, and it holds up well to storage. The ribbon I also love... it's such a lovely green!

This outfit is definitely a favorite of mine still. I think it's one of the looks that every little girl wears for Christmas at some point in her childhood... ahh, how our mothers do love tartan plaid.

My grade: A+

[EofA]

This is a timeless piece in the Historical line, and I see lots of photos of modern dolls wearing it as a holiday dress.

In terms of historical accuracy, it has the advantage of being one of the few pieces of Addy's collection that is wide enough and formal enough to allow her to wear her cage crinoline beneath it appropriately. The sash has some extra weight to it because of the fringe, so I can imagine it being a challenge for little hands to tie into a sturdy bow, but other than that, this is perfection in plaid. Grade = A.

[Sugar&Spice]

I personally like this dress (mattel) even though it is somewhat cheap. Addy can still wear it, and she still looks beautiful in it rating: B+

[skukla]

[nursiegrrl]

I really like this dress, especially on Addy. It's got very nice detailing around the collar.

[kgabor19]

Addy's Christmas Dress looks darling on just about any doll, especially Josefina.

[Deleted]

I really love the dress! I had a plaid dress for Christmas one year as a girl, and always wanted this for Addy. I found it for a reasonable price on eBay.

Mine is PM. The material seems quite sturdy. It fluffs out easily, and stays that way. The green ribbon is surprisingly long. The one sleeve is a bit wide, like the elastic stretched out a bit, but it may just be due to the fact I bought is used.

Otherwise, totally as A from me. Need to try it out on my modern doll as well at some point.

Note: I had a colour filter on my camera, and was too lazy to take it off, so it isn't quite this bright. LOL

[fionabrigade]

I love the bold colors and the collar detailing. Minus points for the stitched on ribbon around the waist that requires some adjustment before it will look right. It has a tendency to cover the bottom front button.

Grade: A

pic removed 12/11

[Simone]

I don't have Addy, but I got the dress anyway because Kailey needed a dress. I love the dress, but the one downside is it doesn't come with holiday socks and shoes. Still, highly recommended.

[teacrumpets]

I probably won't get photos until Christmas time but I did just pick this dress up off ebay. While I'm sure the PC one is of better quality I was pleasantly surprised with the Mattel version for it to fit my PC Addy who is quite chubby along with her underwear on. I was expecting it to be a tight fit but perhaps they decided to make it a bit roomy with her underclothes in mind.

While it does feel a bit cheap material wise it still looks lovely and I look forward to finally having one of my dream outfits for my childhood doll to have on display for the holidays. A-

[cymbre]

Just another picture, this one not on a doll (it's a PC dress)

[chernayakoshka]

Dress – A+

This is perhaps a very fancy dress for someone in Addy’s social position, but it’s gorgeous and given great justification in the story. Despite doing a lot of sewing, I’m embarrassingly unfamiliar with fabric and couldn’t tell you if it’s real taffeta or not, but it’s stiff, feels durable, and holds it’s shape very well. It hangs beautifully on the doll and just has a classic look that I love. The ribbon is a more satiny material and has fringe at the ends – it really pulls the whole thing together.


The back of the dress and the bow. Apologies for the messy bow! I either tie them really well or really poorly :-P

The detail in this dress is impressive. I love the white collar with black ribbon. The sleeves have tiny black bows on them, while the front is adourned with three tiny buttons. I wasn’t initially sold on the green and red plaid, but it’s completely won me over and looks amazing (and very festive) on pretty much every doll.


Showcasing some of the front detail. I can't get over how sophisticated the white and black collar is!

Fit-wise, my dress was purchased in 2013, but it fits my PC Addy just fine. I have no idea if her undergarments and hoops would fit under it, but the dress alone closes and fits well.

Good Value?

When I got this in 2013, I paid full price for it. I don’t remember exactly how much it was, but some Googling is showing $28, which sounds about right. Normally, I might say that it was overpriced for what it was: a dress and a hair ribbon, but this is such a beautiful dress and is so well-made that I can’t be upset about the lack of shoes. I’m happy with what I paid.

Overall – A+

I think this might be one of my favourite dresses that AG has ever made. Even the later version that I have is incredibly well-made and looks absolutely beautiful on every doll I’ve put it on. I got it long before I had Addy, and while I think it looks best on her (and she’s not willing to share it anymore), I’ve yet to find a doll that it doesn’t flatter. It’s a timeless piece that could find a home in any collection. My sister (who does have an Addy, but no outfits for her) was watching me dress my Addy today and was really taken with this dress – she’s never shown any interest in Addy’s collection outside of the doll. I’m so happy to have it in my collection!


Addy enjoying the Christmas tree in her festive Christmas dress!

[keeperofthepast]

This is such a timeless dress and looks great on many dolls and a number of eras. My daughter received this when it first came out. The taffeta is a beautiful plaid and the waist sash has lovely fringe on the ends which make it quite elegant. I think it looks gorgeous on Felicity.