Ruby Ballet Outfit & Book (2007- 2009)

[HannahMontana06]

The outfit gets on really easy, and looks very nice on a PM doll. However I think would be kinda hard to get on only because it fits perfect on a Mattel doll. The ballet shoes have the little box things in them. ($28). What it comes with

A fancy leotard featuring a red bodice with tulle accents
A velvet ribbon necklace
Toe shoes with crisscross straps
Includes the I Love Ballet book, a collection of letters from real girls about why they love ballet

Everything it comes with


Close up of skirt


Close up of top part


Necklace


Shoes not pictured.

Summer in the outfit:

[numberonekitty]

Since this outfit shares my dd's name- and she takes ballet to boot- I just had to get it for her!!

I must say that it was a lot more substantial than I thought it would be. The tulle is a heavy stiff weight. The velvet material is wonderfully thick and the embroidery is first-rate.

The only knock against the outfit is that that choker was very hard for my dd to put on with out assistance. Otherwise- a great costume. A stand-out amongst all the other dance outfits they have offered lately IMO.

I'm an active dancer and just recently received this outfit. It is really quite lovely!
The leotard is my favorite part. It reminds me of the outfit worn by Coppelia in the ballet by the same name. The skirt (which is tutu-like, though attached to the leotard; real tutus aren't usually attached) is nice and durable--definitely good for play.
It would really be more accurate if it came with tights. I tried a pair of white tights (Samantha's) on under the leotard. Unfortunately they are very bulky and really were quite hard to adjust under the leotard, even on my Elizabeth's slim body. I do have a pair of thinner (though textured) tights that might work better--I'll have to try them on.
The toe shoes (or pointe shoes) remind me of my own, which are Russian Pointe brand for any dancers in the know. They are realistically hard, like human-sized pointe shoes, but I am at a total loss about the crisscross straps. I simply have no idea how to get them on correctly! I ended up making a few changes to them so they fit better and look more accurate.
The I Love Ballet book is very sweet. It includes photos of real girls doing ballet, as well as several reasons for why they enjoy it so much (I love ballet because it gives me the freedom to express myself, etc.).
The velvet ribbon necklace is nice--a little flimsy, in my opinion, but nevertheless, pretty cool.
Total grade: A-

[Leila]

I bought the outfit when it was one sale for $14 and I'm glad I didn't pay any more for it. It's beautiful, but the shoes are just horrifying to get on. I couldn't figure them out at all until I read this thread very carefully.

I got this outfit when it was on sale for $12. It is really cute, and I love it to death, but HOW DO YOU GET THE SHOES ON? I've bee messing with them for about a 1/2 hour and I can't get them to look right!

[American Girl Rescue]

Jan 27, 2009 19:35:15 GMT -5 @princess10210 said:

I got this outfit when it was on sale for $12. It is really cute, and I love it to death, but HOW DO YOU GET THE SHOES ON? I've bee messing with them for about a 1/2 hour and I can't get them to look right!

What I do is make sure all the ribbons are laying flat, the same side facing out all the way around. I keep my finger inside the ribbon hole that I created. Then I slide my dolls' foot into the hole using my finger as a type of 'shoe horn' to help keep the ribbons flat. It's not easy, but you can do it!

Then straighten the ribbons up your dolls' legs:

Sorry the image is so blurry, but I just zoomed in on a photo I already had.

Thanks so much! I'm still having a little trouble, the ribbons don't all have their good side out, but I got the basic pattern down.

Now for my actual review:

I would rate this outfit an A-
The material is great, it is nice and think, and the velvet is a gorgeous color that looks really good on a lot of dolls. The stiping on the bodice area is really pretty, and the gold embroidery(?) is a nice touch. The tutu is adorable on dolls! The shoes are cute, but were almost impossible until American Girl Rescue helped me out! I can't imagine a younger child getting those on! That is why this outfit has an A-. The necklace is really nice, but the clasp is kinda hard and a child might have minor trouble with it. I would have also liked for this outfit to have tights, because I've heard that you HAVE to have tights for a dance costume. I tried to put tights on underneath, but the leo/skort/shorts part underneath the tutu didn't really fit right and the shoes are hard to get on to begin with, let alon with another layer underneath. I think this outfit also needs some kind of hair accessories, like a red velvet scrunchie for when you put the doll's hair in a bun. Overall this is a really nice outfit, but the few things wrong with it bring it down to an A-. I think I would pay the $28 or so that it cost, but nothing over that just because of the few annoying little problems, especially the shoes. If you had a younger kid that wanted this outfit, I would suggest getting different shoes because they are really frusturating.

I Sonali in this putfit and she looks so good!
Sorry the picture is horrible!

[cimorenegal]

A

I would give this outfit an A+ if it came with tights and if the ballet shoes weren't such a pain; The shoes are not terribly hard once you figure them out, but before that they're just outright confusing and to be honest I'd have preferred if they just put ribbons in to wrap around and tie; I think those would be easier than trying to yank the elastics on, but then again maybe they decided that kids aren't perfectionists so it wouldn't matter if they had trouble getting everything to lie right.

Past that, though, I adore this little outfit. It looks lovely on pretty much any doll we've put it on here, and when I throw on a pair of cheap white tights I got from AC moore under it, the effect is just lovely. Aside from the ribbons I adore the shoes, and my aunt is a big fan of the little "puff" sleeves.

[agl ♥]

I have this outfit, and it is really pretty! I give it an A- .The material is great! The gold detail is really pretty. The shoes are really weird and hard to put on with all the ribbons. I can't imagine 8 year olds doing it, I can't! It should have came with tights and hair accessory. I use a red ribbon for my hair accessory and it looks good. I lost the necklace, which bums me out, since it was really pretty. The shoes can be used with other outfits too. I use them as flats and tuck in the ribbons.

[Lorem Ipsum]

I got this when it was on sale, and I would buy it whether it was on sale or not.

Costume: A-
very well made. The tulle makes the skirt puff out, and it has gold embroidery (not decals! yay!) and the bodice is lined. The only thing about it that bothers me is the way the tulle on the shoulders sticks up at wierd angles.

Necklace: A-
A nice touch, even though it's very simply made. None of the gems have fallen off, and it seems easy enough to fasten. The minus is because it tends to slip down into her neck.

Shoes:B
These are very nice. They're stiff, white shoes, and the sole is a leathery material. The elastic bands take it down, though. It's difficult to get the shoes on, even for me, so I don't see how a young child could do it. Maybe ribbons that wrap around and then velcro would be a better way to design them.

Book: A
Just a book. I'm sure little ballet-enthralled girls would love it, though.

OVERALL: A-

[ickyllamaface]

I purchased this outfit from ebay and it didn't come with the necklace. I was just wondering, what is the charm supposed to be? It's too small to be able to tell in any of the photos I've found.
Thanks!