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Post by Cheekadee on Sept 16, 2007 11:20:46 GMT -5
The Santa's Helper Outfit Grade: A Someone on this board called this outfit the Santa Baby outfit, and I have to agree. But while some may consider it a little too-provocative, I don't think the outfit itself is racy - it's just that it evokes waitresses at office Holiday parties or the Jingle Bell Rock skit in Mean Girls. Taken objectively, however, this outfit has little to, er, object too. It's also quite cute, and quite classic for a JLY offering, which has of late been more trendy than modern. Pros: * Adorable. * Complete - this has it all, from boots to scarf! * The scarf is easy to get on and off and quite versatile. Rather than going with velcro, it's one of those scarves that pulls through a loop. * The boots are easy on-off, unlike previous JLY boots in this style (read: I Like Your Style boots, or the Winter Fun outfit boots). They actually fit and, oh yeah, they are really cture. Cons: * The velveteen material has a tendency to come with mars and lines, typical of cheap velveteen. I had to go through a couple of boxes at the store to find one without blemishes. * The fur is a little thin and not as lush as one might wish. What I'd pay: $26 What it costs: $28 The Book: "Holiday Hints" - This book is the best of the bad books included with the outfits so far. The Holiday Hints are, gasp, actually helpful! Especially for the 10 year old audience they are intended for. This book includes advice on how to properly mingle at boring holiday parties, and how to politely answer repetitive, annoying grown-up questions like, "Look how you've grown!" It does have some weird ideas that I don't imagine will actually go over well in real life - like a section on "Wacky Wagers" that shows you party joke/tricks typically performed by annoying 12 year-old boys and obnoxious uncles. Details and pictures: Dress w/out scarf: Accessories: Detail of the embroidery:
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Post by FarmhouseGirl on Oct 22, 2007 17:03:16 GMT -5
Santa's Helper outfit is very cute. I love the color of red, it strikes me as the color of candied apples. I'm sure Violet is going to be thrilled to have this outfit in her wardrobe. I love that the gold embroidery on the bottom of the dress goes all the way around the dress instead of just being in the front. The belt also goes all the way around. Although it is not removable it does wrap the entire way around the waist. The black books are must haves, they look great on, and are very versitle. I love the fake fur on the hat and sleeves, but the fur on the sleeves is too thick and won't fit through the Velveteen coat sleeve well. This means that Violet will not likely be wearing both outfits at once. I also love the hat and scarf. I wish this outfit came with a little extra, like a Santa mug or a roll of wrapping paper and tape. One of the things I love with the Let is Snow PJs is the little Coconut Mug, I wish all the outfits came with a little accessory. Grade: A
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green chile supergirl
American Girl Prototype
Order of the Llama Best Writing 2012
A Pueblo Girl in the City
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Post by green chile supergirl on Dec 13, 2007 2:49:15 GMT -5
I enjoy the vaguely East European vibe of the embroidery at the bottom of the dress! That said, it is a bit mature for a 9-year old. I don't particularly care for the patent leather boots, but that's a personal issue. I can't stand patent leather! Ditto on Santa hats, ugh. Overall, it's a sweet dress. I wish the fur cuffs were removable, but one can't have it all.
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Post by Amy on Dec 20, 2007 18:50:05 GMT -5
The Dress - A It's very soft, and it's pretty adorable (I didn't get the "Santa Baby" vibe, for some reason). Thankfully, the fuzzy trim does not shed, like the Bitty Baby outfit.
The Scarf - B- The scarf fits through a little hole, so it's not going anywhere. It actually looks kind of weird with the dress.
The Hat - B+ It's kind of tight on your doll's head, and takes some work to get it to look just right. Still very cute, though.
The Boots - C I'm just getting sick of these tall boots. Although they're not as difficult to put on as the Velveteen Coat boots, they're still a pain.
Overall Grade - B
*inactive Photobucket account links removed*
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Post by EB Agent J/Goo on Jan 4, 2008 20:56:23 GMT -5
A little late for Christmas, but I wanted to make sure I had this for the next holiday season (since I seem to recall they retire holiday outfits yearly).
The box. And if you've seen'em one, you've seen'em all, so I will stop beginning my reviews with the boxes now. I just did it one last time, for tradition's sake.
The dress. I didn't notice any cracks or seams in the velveteen here, but then, I didn't really look. As has been noted, the belt is sewn on, but does go all the way around and has a plastic buckle. I didn't notice the fur at the cuffs being too thin. About my only problem with the main dress portion was it shed little red fuzzies everywhere (so I probably will end up with cracks in the velveteen) and it was actually a bit too tight on Tabby, who is my second-thinnest doll after Claire (who I got the dress for, but Tabby was nearby for something else so I had her model). I am hoping that it'll fit Claire a bit better (I'm putting it on her later, because this outfit is my grandmother's favorite and she wants to see it on the doll. She only got a glimpse of it when I was putting it on Tabby. Anywho, I'll let you know if it fits better on her).
Detail of the embroidery along the skirt, which also goes all the way around. The embroidery is actually what sold me on the outfit in the end, since in general I wasn't impressed with it. It was something subtle that really livened up the entire outfit, and it looks very classy. I nice, gold-embroidered, holiday flower pattern. So I give the main dress part a B+. I may revise this if it fits Claire better.
The hat. When I first ordered the outfit, I didn't expect the hat to be any nicer than ones I can grab at the dollar store or something, but it's actually very durable and soft and made out of the same materials as the dress, so it matches perfectly and feels very nice. It fits the doll easily, too (some caps don't). A
The scarf, which is candy apple red, black, and white plaid. The red isn't the same shade as the dress on mine, I noticed. The above pics seem to show it as close to the same shade as the rest of the outfit, but mine's almost got a pinkish hue. I think it works all right. The hole to thread it through is buttonholed, not just cut out, to prevent it from tearing any. I'd prefer a traditional wrap scarf for this outfit myself, but it's cute enough. B
The boots, which were about 90% of the reason why I wanted the outfit, because they are perfect for another outfit I am putting together. I really, really love these boots, although I am afraid of scratching them with my long fingernails. I noticed in the pic where I held open the back that you can see some light through the seam in front, so the front may not be stitched tightly for mine, but other than that, they are really awesome xhitkickers. There's a velvet strap with a buckle that matches the one on the dress at the top of each boot, and the strap goes all the way around. I had some difficulty getting them onto Tabby, but not much. The velcro goes all the down to the soles. The soles are hard, either very durable plastic or rubber, and have a slight heel and tread, but are still easy to stand the doll up in. A+
So in the end, I give the entire outfit an A. It's adorable, the accessories are very nicely made, and the entire effect is very cute and festive. And I really, really love those boots.
*dead image links removed*
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Post by Danibananni on Jan 14, 2008 22:29:14 GMT -5
When I received my outfit, I had a hard time putting on my boots. The right one went on fine, but the left one didn't seem to want to fit. There is now a wrinkle in the boot from trying to get it on. Cute, but difficult. Outfit: A- Boots: B-
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Post by EofA on Jan 14, 2008 23:20:22 GMT -5
There have been numerous member reports that the black threads lining the inside of the boots to this outfit leave marks on the doll legs. This does not happen consistently; for example, I left the outfit on one of my dolls for over a month with not a mark to show for it. But it's been reported enough by Playthings members that it's worth noting in this section. Grade B+ from me for this outfit. It's totally fun for the holidays. The hat doesn't fit well over a lot of doll heads and the boots can stain, both faults which lower the grade.
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Post by never2old2 on Jan 18, 2008 13:03:35 GMT -5
There have been numerous member reports that the black threads lining the inside of the boots to this outfit leave marks on the doll legs. This does not happen consistently; for example, I left the outfit on one of my dolls for over a month with not a mark to show for it. But it's been reported enough by Playthings members that it's worth noting in this section. Add me to the members who had a problem with the boots staining the dolls legs. My Jess wore this outfit without socks for about a month -- during the holiday season -- and she has several black marks on her legs from the thread in the back of the boots. I've tried baking soda to clean and so far that effort only faded the marks a little. On to zit cream, with benzol peroxide! Otherwise I love the outfit!
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Post by Dragonslovedolls on Sept 30, 2008 19:43:43 GMT -5
I am very grateful for the heads-up about the boots possibly staining dolly feet and/or legs. My little Santa's Helper will wear socks or tights to be on the safe side.
The velveteen on the dress and hat that arrived here is lovely, soft and smooth. No mars or lines. The fur on hat and cuffs is nice, too.
Love this outfit and I am tempted to buy another one or two. A+ for sure.
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Post by BeauCoeur on Jun 17, 2011 15:01:35 GMT -5
I don't have a photo of her in the Ruby and Ribbon dress, but here is a photo of Vicki in the Santa's Helper outfit as proof that red is a great color for Nicki:
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Britta
Historical Dreamer
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Post by Britta on Dec 3, 2013 23:22:58 GMT -5
Let me first say that I LOVE this outfit! It has zoomed straight to the top of my list of favorite AG doll outfits. This is probably in part because I simply love Christmas, but the outfit itself is very well made and so cute. I won't re-hash everything that's been said before, but would like to mention a couple of things: Fit: The dress, boots, hat, and scarf all fit perfectly. Everything is easy to get on. I was afraid the hat may be too tight, but it's actually just right. It fits fairly snugly on Pru's head, but in a good way, and I'm not afraid about it falling off. Quality: It all seems top notch to me. I purchased this outfit used on eBay, and presumably a child played with it before. It looks great, though. The fabric and construction all seem to be quite nice. Look: As mentioned, I think this is incredibly, excruciatingly adorable. I seriously love everything about it, from the plaid flannel scarf to the embroidery on the skirt. The boots are pretty awesome, too. Below you can see the lovely Pru modeling the outfit in its entirety: Some people think this outfit looks too mature for a little girl. I am pretty conservative when it comes to clothing, and I think the only thing that makes it a little iffy are the boots. they're so tall! I wanted to experiment with making the outfit look a little younger, and figured thick white tights were a good place to start. Here's the outfit with the tights and the black flats from the 2011 Spooky Fun Outfit. The shoes are not the best match for the outfit since they're rubbery, but they were the first black shoes I grabbed and it was just for this photo. Fancier black shoes would be better. Here's the outfit with the white tights and Addy's meet boots. I chose these boots because I liked the idea of black boots with the outfit, but wanted some that look less grown up. Although I like the outfit with the black flats, I think these boots are the winner! And just for fun, Prue and the resident Christmas Moose wish you a very happy holiday season!
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