Plaid Cape & Gaiters (RETIRED)

[SailAwayAK~]

This outfit was worn by Samantha in the 1986 and 1998 editions of the book Changes for Samantha and in the 1998 edition of Samantha’s Surprise. It was released in 1988 and retired in 2008.

Samantha looks like a sophisticated city girl in her cape of Black Watch plaid. It's trimmed in navy soutache braid and ties with a silk cord. When she goes skating in Central Park, slip her plaid gaiters over her shoes to keep her legs warm.


Plaid Cape and Gaiters
$22 SWO
Grade: A

Very Pretty and soooooooo what I would think of the time and era.



I love the little gaiters. They have some nice little details with the buttons and ribbon passing under the shoes. They actually close in the back with velcro.



I guess I should put in that mine is a PC version of the set dated from 1990. It has a cord to close but the velcro is an added touch to keep it neatly in place.

[QNPoohBear]

Samantha's PM plaid cape is made from thicker, scratchier wool and has a sily cord type closer and different stitching than the current issue one. The cape and gaiters are both made from very heavy wool in black watch plaid. It is fully lined on the inside with a satiny fabric in matching navy blue and trimmed in light blue with a "silk" cord to tie it closed around her neck. The gaiters have tiny little buttons on the side for decoration only! They close with velcro and have straps that go on over the shoes. Grade: A

[shiniker]

I have a PM version of this from when I was a girl and it's beautiful. I love that it's fully lined and the trim around the hand holes and on the collar are lovely. I really like the fabric and it's held up perfectly over the years! Overall A+!

[LaurenInChicago]

I actually don't really like this set. I have a hard time getting the cape to sit right on Samantha, it always looks kind of funny on her, and the ties used to close it are kind of weird. I also have a hard time getting her hands to sit in the hand-holes right. The gaiters are cute, but not really essential. I give it a C+.

(I might add though, I got mine second hand so maybe there's some issue with the cape I'm not aware of)

[katherine2123]

I received this item brand-new today. I have to agree with AmericanDreams- the cape is very awkward to use and I give it a B-.

The gaiters are fine and I give them an A. They are useful if you don't have any boots for Samantha.

Essentially it is difficult to play with the doll in the cape. I had problems fitting the cape over the dress. The shoulders bunch up like a linebacker. In addition it is really difficult to get the hands out of the side-slits- not because the slits are too small but because of their placement on the cape in relation to the arm and hand. It looks better with one arm under the cape, but basically the design is meant for her to keep both her hands inside the cape. Either way I think it looks rather bulky.

The fabric is a blue and green wool plaid and the lining is a blue satin. The details on the collar and side-slits are very nice. It is historically accurate and probably a very durable piece, but as I said before difficult to pose during play.

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[princessemily]

I purchased Samantha's plaid cape/gaiters from AG in Fall 2008, therefore it is Mattel. It is lovely, though! It's not as fancy as Samantha's holiday coat, but Samantha needs something less fancy to wear to school!

I love the green plaid color and how the cape itself fits over one of Samantha's dresses. I haven't yet tried it over her school dress, but it looks okay over Nellie's Spring Party dress.

The included gaiters are a cute touch, even though I wish the hat/muff had been included in this set as well.

Grade: A

[samlizziesmom]

All my samantha stuff is Pre-Mattel except for her white Party slippers. I Love how cute this coat is! I was surprised at how much thicker the wool was in this outfit compared to the School Dress. So overall, I give this outfit an A!

[1994samanthafan]

Well, this is the only Mattel outfit I have. Honestly - not too fond of it. I think they would have been better off leaving the velcro off - as my ribbon ties have snagged and its a little snug on my PC girl. It also bunches up around her shoulders and the hand placements are awkward. That said, I do adore the gaiters. Soo cute - and they fit over her boots too. I'm glad too have a cape for her, but I wish it was a little bigger and "flowed" a little better. I'll get a picture up soon.
Plaid cape - B-
Gaiters - A++ because they are too stinkin' cute!

[starwenn]

I just picked up what I believe to be a PM version of this outfit from eBay. It's fully-lined and has nice, thick, soft woolen fabric. Problems getting it to lay right aside, I really love it. It seems so warm and snuggly, and the gaters are a nice addition. Sam looks so elegant in this cloak!

(My ribbon ties have also snagged, the only other problem I have with this outfit.)

[rosina86]

I recently purchased mine from e-bay. It is labeled American Girl, but I'm not sure what year it's from. It is a very thick material and lined. The coat just looks beautiful on Samantha and is easily one of my favorite winter coats for the historical girls. It does take a bit of adjusting to get it to sit well, but overall I give it an A+!

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[thevintagelover]

A+



Samantha's cape and gaiter set is beautiful! I can really feel the quality in this set. The cape is actually lined with a black silky-like material as well. It's very well put together, and I love the braid that is sewn onto the collar and sleeve opening, it's lovely! The shade of plaid is a lovely shade as well, just perfect for winter time! I purchased my set second hand and it is tagged PC 1994, and it appears to be a pretty old set.



The gaiters are precious! They make her shoes look like button up boots, and it adds to the overall effect, especially when paired with the muff and hat. The only issues I can honestly see with this set are that the cord at the neck could possibly get caught in the neck Velcro, and snag. My set looks to be fairly old and is still in mint condition, so, I'm assuming if you are careful, this won't even be and issue. It displays very nicely, and is definitely worth the shot if you come across it, it seems like it would work over every outfit because of it's darker colors.

[keeperofthepast]

I love this cape. The plaid is pretty and the wool is very nice. The soutache trim is lovely. The gaiters are so cute with the little black buttons. With the hat and muff, my Samantha looks so stylish.