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I am so glad they decided to make Caroline's work dress! She wears it a lot in her books and it suits the doll's coloration very well. It is just darling!

Even though the outfit is one piece, it is executed to look like two pieces and it does a good job of that. If you just look around the sleeves, for instance, the white sleeves aren't just attached to the patterned bodice, there is additional fabric to make it look like she is really wearing an undershirt. I don't mind that it's one piece even though realistically it should be two, because I really probably wouldn't be mixing and matching these two pieces with anything else anyway.

The fabric and detailing is very beautiful. I love the fabric pattern's design and it looks historically accurate and I like the incorporation of the pink inset, the lace, and the kind of gold/earth tone ribbon. The pink and green dress portion does seem a little dressy for work, but I'm wondering if it might be made to look like Caroline had outgrown the dress and couldn't wear it on nice occasions? The extra pink fabric at the base seems to look like it was added to let the dress down to a proper length, which may explain the otherwise slightly fancy dress being used for work. That's my headcanon, anyway.

The cap is also very cute and looks really sweet on, I actually like the additional ribbon ties because they differentiate the caps from some in Lissie's collection (this is also historically accurate). It doesn't smush her hair. As far as the boots go, they are kind of awkwardly shaped in the front - like they don't indent enough toward her ankle, if that makes sense. They are the same cut as her winter boots but were easier to get on, and they were shown in the book vignettes, which is another plus from me.

She reminds me of one of those old-fashioned china shepherdesses when she is wearing this gown and I think it is the sweetest thing. A+ for matching her coloration and for being featured in the books!

ETA: I finally got around to trying this on over the undergarments I made for my Caroline. The dress fits fine over pantalettes, a shift, and a petticoat all at once, so I wouldn't say AG skimped on fabric. Just fwiw.

I got these skates as part of the winter swap at the end of last year (even before I got Caroline) and this is really a very superior set, albeit with a few minor issues. The skates are very heavy and quality - another reviewer mentioned that the skates in the book were new, but those were made for Rhonda, and Caroline had had hers for awhile so they would probably be a bit worn like these are. The shape is just like ice skates in period drawings with the little swirl at the tip, and a doll can stand in them easily while wearing them. I think the blades are kind of oddly thick though and don't actually look like they'd cut into the ice, and I wish that the faux buckles had been a little more realistic and less plasticky, but they are still nice.

The boots were really tiny and only fit on my Agnes Lydia over her thinnest stockings. I think they've stretched out a bit but they were tough to get on, even for me (and I usually don't have much problem with doll shoes). They are made of a nice material and I think Agnes Lydia is going to get them to go with her burgundy winter dress (Caroline isn't shown wearing these in her books).

The mittens seem a little bit fragile. They look really nice on the doll (and their earth tone coloring seems realistic) but there is not much stretch to the cuff and no elastic, so I'm a bit nervous stretching them over the doll's hand. Like the shoes, though, they look very nice when they are finally on.

I'd give this set an A and take off the plus simply because of the few tightness issues I noted. Still though, I would definitely buy it as it is a lovely piece for Caroline's collection!

I bought just Saige's ring from a fellow board member and beacuse I asked her to mail it in an envelope, it arrived bent and with the stone popped out. Fortunately I was able to coax the plastic back into shape without it snapping, and I just glued the "stone" back in, so it will work fine for me. But I wanted to mention that it CAN be a little delicate so to watch out for that.

Anyway, I like the ring's simplicity and I'm using it as a southwestern ring for Josefina's collection, a turquoise ring for my Regency girls (like Jane Austen's www.thehistoryblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Jane-Austen-ring.jpg ), and a mood ring for my 90s girl Amanda. It also fits on both Mattel and PM dolls!

I got the original hinged one on Ebay for less than the current one, actually. You might want to check Ebay now, because you'll get better secondary prices while AG is still selling a version.

Anyway, I like it because it holds all my Josefina stuff (except the bigger furniture and the doll) and it makes the collection seem really...historical somehow. Like seeing everything in one place, in a big carved trunk, makes it seem like a real person's trunk someone found. It's kind of satisfying.

I actually have to disagree with Candace on this one - there are quite a few differences between the two sets, so I wouldn't necessarily buy the Oven and Food set as a direct replacement for the earlier set.

First of all, this oven is a different color than the other set's oven. I actually prefer the color of this one, which has a more realistic pinky-clay tone compared to the more yellowish color of the original. However, it is lacking in the details of the original; the "smoke" trails are very clearly airbrushed (and they come across as purple because of the pink of the oven), and the fire inside is not painted to resemble embers like the original oven.




However, the paddle does fit in both of them without tilting it sideways.


The unbaked loaves of bread are basically the same in both sets, although my earlier set has more rubbery loaves, whereas this one is harder plastic. The baked loaves are colored differently -
Original bun on left, Oven and Food bun on right


As you can see, the coloring on the original is more yellow (mine actually has some damage to the top so please disregard green streaks ) and the newer one is actually better and looks tastier.

Finally the corn. Also different - the original corn has larger, more irregular kernels (I only have this sole survivor which came in a lot) and a shinier finish, and it also appears to have had a real husk stem at some point. The newer corn has plastic stems and a different kernel pattern.


I actually think this set has several strengths and it is definitely fun to play with. Even though the mano/metate are plastic now they still look realistic (and have more weight than I was expecting), the fresh chiles are a nice contrast from her dried paper chiles, and you have a chance to get the oven again. Basically, if you don't have the original this one is a fine substitute but just know that they aren't identical.

Here are some more pics of Agnes wearing the dress - she has the crown on upside down and is wearing Josefina's veil and necklace (obviously not included, lol):

Um, I may be crazy beause I was sure there was a thread for this already, but it's not there anymore....

So I'll review!

This outfit is LOVELY - so much better than I had anticipated. Yes, it's made all in one piece (with the camisa attached to the skirt and the sash sewn on top), but it's so aesthetically pleasing I really don't care. The skirt is a lovely cool red color with gold and purple flowers and a lot of gold trim - very detailed. The color suits Josefina so well! The vest is velveteen and lined in satin and while not all that impressive on it's own, it really compliments the outfit and gives it a formal vibe. The shoes ARE just another pair of black flats but techincally there's a difference between these and the two pairs of holiday shoes - these have a lower back and are actually dancing slippers. Surprisingly, they're a little large.

As far as mixing-and-matching goes, her heirloom choker looks perfect with this outfit, and I also tied her red school sash over the ribbon sash attached to this outfit. The color coordinates well and it makes the outfit look more substantial and period appropriate (plus it causes the top half of the dress to ruffle better and look more like a convincing camisa).

A, but only because of the inaccuracy of the outfit being one piece. It is actually my favorite of all Josefina's outfits!!



With the school sash:

More photos:

Is #30s hair the same color as #25, or more like #14/#16? Anyone know?

I bought the skirt and sweater for my AGT and it looks very adorable with boots and socks. I think it's quite 1940s but I also think it carries over well to the modern era. My only complaint is that the sweater is very short-waisted which tends to look a bit awkward and uncomfortable - the skirt is pretty short, too (but at least it still fits PM dolls, even without velcro or a zipper).

Josefina chilling in her sarape and hat with her nightgown (used as a camisa), school skirt, and PM riding boots.

Okay, update to say that I recently acquired a PM version of this on Ebay. Wow, big difference! The fabric in the PM version is very thick, thicker than most of Josefina's camisas (whereas my late Mattel version is quite thin, see above)! It's a better version but I think it's too big for my Mattel doll. Just thought I'd add this for information's sake.

Here's an early Josefina I just received in a lot - she's fully PM, soft lashes, fat body, lack of body tag, the whole thing! She must be from between 97 and 99.



She shares the exact same face mold as my 2004 version - they have the same tiny-lettered PC neckmold. Apart from the usual PC/Mattel differences, though, I also noticed that PM Josefina has a slightly yellowish/olive skintone in comparison to Mattel but a pinker body fabric, that her eyebrows are angled differently and are actually thicker, and that her wig is different. My Mattel girl has a defective wig anyway that snags like mad, but PM Josefina has fewer strands of coarser hair, which doesn't tangle at ALL and which makes for a nicer braid. The part is also slightly different.

Wow, I've had this for almost a year and still haven't typed up a proper review! 0.0 Well I can share some pics anyway while I formulate a better description.