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Post by nararabbit on Sept 1, 2012 17:44:40 GMT -5
This outfit is worn by Caroline in the books Caroline's Secret Message, Caroline's Battle, and Changes for Caroline. It was released in 2012 and retired with archival in 2015.Caroline loves to sew—she made this fancy dress herself! Pale blue to complement her eyes, it features sweet puffed sleeves, an empire waist, and a lacy floral print. Includes two-tone shoes with white bows to match.Caroline's Birthday Dress was my least favorite of her pieces. The fabric is very thin, with a strange texture to it, sort of like those nubby t-shirts from Old Navy. The "decal" design on it looks pretty cheap IMHO, though as it's been pointed out on the forums, one could merely use it as a GUIDE and embroider on top. It is very detailed, so I imagine that it would be expensive to embroider, but I'd rather pay $6 more for that! The neckline on the dress is extremely cute, it does show the doll's body fabric for those who don't like that. The shoes it comes with are darling and the main reason I won't be returning it. They're shades of blue with a very low heel.
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Mad Celtic Midwife
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Post by Mad Celtic Midwife on Sept 2, 2012 16:42:35 GMT -5
I agree that the texture of this dress is very strange. It is thin, and textured, almost like a gauze. The color is beautiful, and that is why I won't send it back. I love the shoes as well. The dress could have been done so much better, for a little more money. Instead of the cheap looking decal, real embroidery would have made it so much nicer. Overall, my least favorite outfit, but it does look lovely with Caroline's coloring. B-
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Post by ipodgrannie on Sept 4, 2012 21:17:03 GMT -5
I loved those shoes. I liked the fabric but would have liked machine embroidery instead. Not sure about the long part of the sleeves and that white around the neck.
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Cyn
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Post by Cyn on Sept 5, 2012 21:46:35 GMT -5
I really like this dress. I actually think the fabric is supposed to look and feel like silk, and I think it's nice. I'm not thrilled with the decals instead of actual embroidery, but I still like it, and the shoes are wonderful. Here's Audrey, modeling it - IMG_0027_rev by cbddallas, on Flickr IMG_0033_rev by cbddallas, on Flickr
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Post by miniartchik on Sept 8, 2012 17:06:13 GMT -5
I am one of those who really like this dress, despite it's issues. The decals are disappointing but I love the fabric and the style is wonderful to me. It really represents what I was hoping for in a "winter" frock with the cap top sleeves and the longer sleeve portions. I can't get what Mrs Bennet said in the 1995 P&P too Mrs Gardiner at the Philips Christmas party out of my head when I think about the fashion and sleeve-length. Yes I am a dork.
Anyway, the shoes are very cute and they fit over Felicity's meet stockings- which I put on my Charlotte (55) so she'd look more like Caroline, without the pantalettes of course since I only have the one pair and Caroline was wearing them. The stockings were cream not white but I couldn't tell in the pictures. The shoes were easy to put on also.
I give the outfit an A-.
Pictures:
*mod edit to remove broken image links*
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sharayahlynn
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Post by sharayahlynn on Sept 30, 2012 21:33:37 GMT -5
The color of this dress is absolutely beautiful! The material is quite...different, but I do like it. The shoes are adorable and slide on and off easily. I haven't tried the outfit on Caroline yet, but it looks very nice on my Maddie (#24), who decided that she wanted to go back in time to be Caroline's friend until I get around to finding someone to be my Lydia. Grade: A
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2012 21:38:04 GMT -5
I must agree that the fabric of this dress is different, but it is lightweight and textured, and kind of a nice change from plain cotton. The decals are what they are, but I don't find them too distracting. The bottom border of the design does extend around the back as well, which was something I was concerned about. That helps it to be a bit more believable, at least. Overall, I appreciate the look of this dress for it's realism. It's perfect for a special occasion, but it isn't over the top, and could be used as a practical every day dress, too. I love the fichu detail on the neckline. The two-toned shoes are very well made and have a laced look to them, as if the bow were really functional. Another grade A from me!
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Post by sixthruler on Mar 4, 2013 0:49:47 GMT -5
I love this dress, and have to say it's my favorite of Caroline's outfits.
A lot of the reason I love it is because of it's attention to historical detail. Some people complained about the texture/weight of the fabric, but it is supposed to represent the lightweight, gauze muslin that was popular during the regency era. In fact, the lighter and gauzier the fabric, the more prized it was at the time. Of course women would wear shifts and petticoats under the gowns, but the gowns themselves were often very sheer. I think it is absolutely elegant.
The white fabric around the neck is supposed to look like the white scarves women would tuck into their bodices as a means to protect their chests from the cold climate, while still allowing them to wear the lightweight gowns. It looks classy, in my opinion.
I was a bit disappointed when I first found out that the white floral detailing is not actual embroidery, but after seeing it in person, it looks lovely anyway. In pictures you can't even tell. Yes, it would be nice if it was actually embroidered, but I don't find it distracting or tacky looking at all. It still looks very pretty to me.
The only thing I don't like about the outfit are the shoes. I think the color is unattractive, as it does not match the dress. Also, the shoes are difficult to get on over stockings, and any classy regency girl would have worn stockings with such a gown. The shoes are not bad as a stand-alone item to be worn with other outfits, even as ballet flats for a modern girl, but I don't like them with this dress.
Overall, I give this dress an A. If the shoes were a different color, black even, I would give the ensemble an A+.
The light blue is lovely on blonde dolls, but it also looks really nice on darker complected dolls like Josefina. It pairs well with Josefina's mantilla and the undergarments from her Christmas dress.
I highly recommend this dress. For those of you on the fence, it looks truly beautiful in person. For those with an eye for historical detail, this dress is the one for you!
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Post by Wickfield on Dec 22, 2013 15:05:12 GMT -5
I am very slowly adding to my Caroline collection, and I just received her lovely birthday dress from another board member for the winter swap. I was glad to see that the dress is much prettier and more flattering in person than it is online! As usual, I pulled the dress on over the undergarments (shift, petticoat, and pantalettes) I made for Caroline so it is a little "thicker" looking than it might otherwise be but, hey, it fits over a lot of undergarments so that means it's not too skimpy on the fabric. The lace in Caroline's hair is also from my own stash so please ignore that during the review, haha. Anyway, I really like the material the dress is made out of. It feels like it was supposed to imitate a kind of silk without being taffeta as AG usually opts for. The color is beautiful - it doesn't match Caroline's eyes but it really flatters her coloring without washing her out. I like the detailing of the "fan-pleating" on the bodice which is accurate for the Regency era. I was concerned about the decals because others have mentioned it, although I actually like them in person - they provide some interest on what would otherwise have been a plain dress. My sister actually didn't notice they were decals, they look quite nice in person (and to be honest, in the books, it was never mentioned that Caroline embroidered the dress, so it could just as easily be a print). The only negatives are the waistline, I feel like it should be higher on Caroline, but as it is it's about at the level of Josefina's waistline (and Josefina's is lower than Regency waists). Also, I could have preferred that the "fichu" portion around the neck was a little more transparent - those scarves were usually made out of a filmier material, so it doesn't look completely accurate, although I have to admit I do like the contrast of the bright white. I thought the shoes matched pretty well, the lighter color is just a more saturated version of the dress fabric. I had to wiggle them on over Caroline's stockings but it wasn't like a massive effort. Even though it makes it more difficult for her to stand I like the heels, they set these shoes apart from some of her others. The icy blue and white combo is just beautiful, I almost feel like this would have made a better Christmas dress than her purple one. I give it an A-. (Her sleeves look short in this pic, but that's just because I didn't adjust them properly, sorry!)
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Post by dragonflybg on May 5, 2014 14:16:23 GMT -5
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Post by cheepyloveswormie on May 19, 2015 20:28:59 GMT -5
Overall, I really like Caroline's Birthday Dress. Though the fabric is different from what I'm used to from AG, I actually like it. The color is gorgeous, and I love the white collar. The only thing I'm not crazy about is the decal taking place of actual embroidery. The shoes are also different, - they have a small heel - but I think that adds to their charm and makes them unique. I give this set an A!
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Post by lindsayr on Nov 12, 2015 12:29:42 GMT -5
This is my favorite of Caroline's outfits, but I ended up selling it because it didn't work for my collection. The color is beautiful. I think the shoes are adorable, and I didn't have much trouble getting my dolls to stand despite the heels. I like that it has long sleeves, she needed them in NY. I like the fichu, but would have prefered it separate to use with other outfits. The decals appear to take away from the dress, but after thinking about it, the embroidery would feel too heavy for the fabric. In people size it would work, but the fabric is too lightweight for a lot of embroidery where the decals are. I initially would have given it a B/B+, but now an A. flic.kr/p/v3BuK7
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