Play Dress & Pinafore (RETIRED)

[QNPoohBear]

This outfit iss worn by Samantha in the 1986 and 1998 editions of the book Meet Samantha and in the 1998 edition of Samantha’s Surprise. It was released in 1989 and retired in 2006.

Samantha dressed like a proper young lady even when she was playing. Her dress of blue and white windowpane check was covered with a ruffly play pinafore. A matching hairbow and a pair of white socks are included.


Samantha's play outfit is a fun, versatile dress. It can be worn with or without the pinafore and looks very comfortable to wear. It's not a fancy dress, so there's not much in the way of details but just perfect for play time.
Grade: A

[lizzard]

I LOVE this outfit. I think it's a great example of what children wore during this time period. It was the first outfit I bought for Samantha after her Christmas dress. Even though I've collected other dresses for her, I find myself still drawn to this one.

I give it an A+.

[samo22]

I looooove this dress. It's one of the first ones I got for my Samantha and she wore it a lot when I was little (hence the small stain you'll see on the pinafore). I like it because it's one of Samantha's more casual dresses, and it looks good without the pinafore, too. A

[Grandma Nonnie]

I love this dress. I purchased this dress before I got Samantha. It looks really nice on Elizabeth and she was th first one to wear it at my house as she really doesn't have anything casual of her own. When Samantha arrived last weekend, I treid all of the outfits I have accumulated for her. After the "photo shoot", I put her back in this dres. She looks so young and innocent. Like Pollyanna. If you have not gotten this dress yet, GET IT!!!

[scandia]

This is my favorite one of Samantha's outfits. The color is a very beautiful shade. The quality of all the fabric is very durable as well as appealing. And it does resemble historical costumes of that time period. I have seen similar outfits in the most recent Peter Pan movie, as well as the A Little Princess movie and the BBC production of Five Children And It.

[missygirl]

I absolutely LOVE this dress! I personally like it better with the pinafore, and it seems to be made pretty well (although I am an adult collector and haven't let kids play with it). It goes well with other dolls, too.
Here's a picture of my #13 in it:

Samantha's Play Dress

Samantha's play dress

[LaurenInChicago]

This is my favorite of all my Samantha outfits. Its one of her originals, its very realistic for the time period and its very versatile- for play, but also could be worn for school if needed. I love that its so simple. I like it much better than her meet outfit, in fact I think this dress would have made a great meet outfit for Sam instead of the taffeta dress.

A+ from me!

[AztecQueen2000]

Love, love, LOVE this set. The dress looks good both with and without the pinafore. Also, the pinafore can be worn with her school dress. A+

[tara]

This is a good outfit for Nellie or #17 to wear as well. The blue can really bring out their eyes.

The pinafore can be worn with nearly any Samantha outfit except the bridesmaid dress, which is too poufy and weird to work with it. A versatile piece, it can make the outfit look a lot less formal.

The dress was one I first saw with Sam standing by a tree in a 1999/1998/1997 catalog. Since then, I have loved it and I'm glad I have it. The pattern is woven into the fabric, not printed, and like Felicity's work dress, it is elegant without being annoyingly frilly, and one of Sam's few casual things.

The socks are the same as her tea dress socks, and the hairbow is good quality and the same woven fabric as the dress.

*****
A+

[American Girl Rescue]

It's a pretty dress without the pinafore too.

[missygirl]

The only thing I don't like is that it doesn't come with shoes, so I had to buy Samantha's Shoes & Socks. However, I realize it's supposed to go on the Samantha doll, and not a different one. But it looks lovely on my #23:

This is one of my favorite AG outfits!

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[AlohaJedi]

This dress is beautiful in its simplicity. While I liked Sam's stories as a kid, I always thought her collection was a bit too frou-frou. This dress is an exception. It's very versatile and totally appropriate for a little girl of the time period. It's just as believable for Nellie to wear it as it is for Samantha.

I happen to think this dress looks better on redheaded dolls than Samantha. Mia is wearing it now and she looks absolutely adorable!

[LissieAB]

This dress is quite possibly my favorite of Samantha's many dresses! So simple yet so captivating! The gorgeous blue color brings out Sam's features, and the color and style also look wonderful on my Kirsten and Nellie dolls. It is nice for Sam to have another non-pink dress! I like to use this dress without the pinafore, though it looks adorable with it as well. The pinafore is very versatile, and looks wonderful on a variety of other dresses as well. The hair bow is too cute and completes the picture. I have no complaints about this dress.

[Danibananni]

This dress is beautiful and looks wonderful on Nellie. It brings out her eyes! I will put up pictures at a later date.

[samlizziesmom]

This dress was also one of my first buys after acquiring Sam (her Christmas dress was first). I do love how appropriate it is for the time and her! As someone said; Very Pollyanna-ish. I love the pinafore, but I kinda like it better without it. Unlike the Birthday dress, the pinafore does not need to be on in order to enhance the dress.
If anyone plans on buying Sam at any point in the future, make this dress the next item. You will not be disappointed!

[rosieangel]

This is the first dress you see Samantha wearing in Meet Samantha, so I always considered it to be much more iconic than her Meet Dress. The fabric is thick and crisp, the design is simple and clean with its starched yoke, collar, and cuffs, and the pinafore is a versatile piece that looks adorable with a variety of other dresses. I also love the thick hair ribbon that comes with it, though it is very hard to tie properly!

I'll give this dress an A for sheer cuteness.

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[AG2Elizabeths]

A+ Samantha dress. Like someone else said, it's more casual and I think it's really great that it's a two-piece outfit. The pinafore goes with any other nice dress, AG or not. And the blue dress is wonderful by itself.

This dress looks good on any girl, even the ones who otherwise look good only as moderns. Essential outfit.

[starwenn]

I've been wanting to get this dress for years, so when I finally saw a good price for it on eBay, I went ahead and said "what the heck?"

I definitely wasn't disappointed. I got the whole outfit in mint condition, and it was worth every penny. The pinafore is slightly stiff, but that's ok. That was probably just being in the box for a few days. Sam looks so cute in this dress, it makes up for anything. It's also one of the few genuinely versatile outfits in her wardrobe.

My one and only complaint is I agree with Rosieangel that the hair ribbon is a lovely touch but really hard to tie! I have to admire all of you who seem to have gotten it right. I'll leave it for now, but next time I may end up doing what Ag2elizabeths did with her Elizabeth and use the thinner white ribbon I have for the Middy Dress.

[AG*dancer*]

I decided to get this outfit for Rebecca after seeing a similar one on the cover of the All-of-a-Kind Family book, which takes place at the same time as Rebecca's books, on the Lower East Side.





The outfit looks great on Rebecca! It's such a classic, sweet play outfit. I like that it's not fancy, and seems to have just the right amount of frills. (Stockings, shoes, and necklace not included in set.)


Complete outfit


With collar out


Without pinafore


Hair ribbon

[Deleted]

I just got the dress in the mail today (a fair price on eBay). I absolutely love it. As someone mentioned, it is not too frilly like Sam's Birthday dress or her Christmas dress. Basic, yet appropriate for her time period. So happy!

And Sam is finally happy she has another outfit other than her meet dress to wear! (Only took me over 15 years, haha.)

[1994samanthafan]

This is definitely my favorite Samantha dress purchased as an adult. It's well made, thick, and adorable. I totally recommend putting the lacy whites on under it, it makes it stick out so prettily! A+++

[Buckingham Alice]

This is probably my favorite dress from Samantha's collection. It combines beauty and simplicity perfectly, and Samantha looks really sweet in it. It looks good with and without the pinafore. Sometimes I stick the gingerbread man cookie from her lunch in her pocket, like in the paper doll illustrations.

Definite A+. Good buy.

[Deleted]

This is my favorite outfit for Samantha and I agree this definitely should have been her meet outfit.

I recently bought it off eBay and it's gorgeous!

Dress: It's a blue dress with white... um, I'm sorry, I'm not well versed in patterns and material. White criss-crossing stripes, I believe. It has a white collar and sleeve ends, and another collar part with the same pattern as the dress. Velcro closure in the back. A+

Pinafore: It's perfectly white and just beautiful. Velcro closure in the back. A+

Bow: Same pattern as the dress and plenty of length to tie a bow. If only I could figure out how to tie a bow... A+

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[bhaythie]

In my Dolly-verse this dress belongs to Nellie and is one that she can go to school in. This dress has a very comfortable feel to it and seems perfect for Nellie as she tends to like a more practical schooling experience. This dress definitely brings out her pretty blue eyes. The yolk overlay of the dress adds the perfect something to what would otherwise be a Plain Jane dress. I like the fullness of the skirt (pictured with Lacy Whites) and the billow of the bodice. I cannot speak to the pinafore or stockings as I do not have those. The bow is a similar width to Samantha's Meet Outfit bow.
Grade: A

[keeperofthepast]

One of my favorite outfits of any historical collection. The blue windowpane dress is lovely with its sweet collar. I absolutely love the pinafore with all the ruffles. Its so nice that it comes with a matching fabric bow. A+++