Butterfly Brocade Outfit (2005-2006)
May 9, 2007 16:48:32 GMT -5
Post by EB Agent J/Goo on May 9, 2007 16:48:32 GMT -5
Okay, here's my long review, with pictures. I am a bit disenchanted by this outfit, to say the list.
The first thing that annoyed me was that I got it for Liz, my PM doll, and it wouldn't fit her. At all. The dress was a pain to get closed, and the shoes wouldn't go on at all. I finally gave up, put Liz back in her Heroes-themed outfit, and let Mary model for me. Before I get into that, let me break it down:
The dress itself is made of nice material, but the design wasn't what I expected. I guess I wanted it to have frog-closures, and instead there are pearls where the frogs would go. It has the "no stick" velcro, which didn't stick to Mary or Liz's hair too much, but it stuck to both of their underwear and snagged it terribly. I'd give just the dress a B+.
The purse. (Sorry the pic is so dark, but my camera has two flash settings: too bright so you can't see anything, and off and makes everything blurry.) The strap is a little small, as you'll see in the final pic, and although there is a snap closure on it, I can see it easily ripping off. I stuck the bobby pins in there so I don't lose them, since I doubt I'll use them any time soon. I'm also not much for accessories in general, but that's just me. The butterfly on it is plastic and has some glitter on it. C-
The stick-on earrings. These were probably my favorite part of the outfit. I tested them, and yes, they can be re-used. They will stick to the board and restick to the doll's ear even after repeated use. They stick pretty well from what I can tell, too. (I know because Claire is wearing a pair and took a header off of my computer stand, and they didn't move.) I like how it came with the clear ones as well as the blue, so they can work with other outfits. A
The bracelet. No matter what I did, I couldn't get a good pic of it. It's pretty meh. I could make something nicer myself. It has a triple-row pattern of diamond-shaped multi-faceted beads, the two outer rows being the turquoise color of the dress, and the middle row being an alternating pattern of green and white. I guess I wouldn't have gone with that shade of green myself. The clasp is magnetic, so you don't break the bracelet putting it on and taking it off, and there's a tiny metal take with "American Girl" engraved on it attached to the clasp, which depending on your preference, will either strike you as really cute or really annoying. I personally thought it was the cutest part of the bracelet. B+
The hair chopsticks, bobby pins, and instructions. Which don't work. Okay, this could just be me and the fact that I need detailed, step-by-step instructions to accomplish anything (or to be shown in person, in which case I can do it in two seconds). Basically the instructions are "grab hair and twist" followed by "stick in bobby pins and hair chopsticks". No advice on where to stick them or how. I experimented a few times with Liz's hair so I could show you all how it works, but all it did was result in Liz's hair being very messy and Liz being very mad at me. Mary's hair is too short to do it. I've yet to see anyone who has succeeded in getting the hair chopsticks in, so if anyone has doll hair chopsticks and succeeded in putting them in, please show me. It's a shame that I can't do it, because the chopsticks are very pretty (shown below). The bobby pins are black, but have a sort of iridescent quality to them. I guess they're okay.
The hair chopsticks, trying to get a detail of them. They are a pearly blue color (similar to the blue glasses) and have tiny butterflies on them with swirls to either side of them. The prettiest part is that the back of the chopsticks act as a sort of a mirror (they're clear all the way around, though, as far as I can tell), which makes a pretty effect when it's reflected in the back. Chopsticks themselves get an A- for appearance, but D- for usability and lousy instructions. Bobby pins get a C for being okay for what they are.
The whole outfit. Could have sworn I got a picture of just the sandals, but I guess I didn't. The sandals are terrible. Don't even think of trying them on PM feet, and they don't fit right on Mattel feet, either. The toes don't come out of the end, and the only thing holding them on is a strap in the back. They have the same plastic butterflies as the purse on them. F for the sandals.
The entire outfit gets a B- for me. What you can use of it is cute, but most of it isn't usable/easily usable, especially the important parts like the shoes and hair decorations. The extras are pretty cute, but not cute enough to make up for the fundamental flaws.
The first thing that annoyed me was that I got it for Liz, my PM doll, and it wouldn't fit her. At all. The dress was a pain to get closed, and the shoes wouldn't go on at all. I finally gave up, put Liz back in her Heroes-themed outfit, and let Mary model for me. Before I get into that, let me break it down:
The dress itself is made of nice material, but the design wasn't what I expected. I guess I wanted it to have frog-closures, and instead there are pearls where the frogs would go. It has the "no stick" velcro, which didn't stick to Mary or Liz's hair too much, but it stuck to both of their underwear and snagged it terribly. I'd give just the dress a B+.
The purse. (Sorry the pic is so dark, but my camera has two flash settings: too bright so you can't see anything, and off and makes everything blurry.) The strap is a little small, as you'll see in the final pic, and although there is a snap closure on it, I can see it easily ripping off. I stuck the bobby pins in there so I don't lose them, since I doubt I'll use them any time soon. I'm also not much for accessories in general, but that's just me. The butterfly on it is plastic and has some glitter on it. C-
The stick-on earrings. These were probably my favorite part of the outfit. I tested them, and yes, they can be re-used. They will stick to the board and restick to the doll's ear even after repeated use. They stick pretty well from what I can tell, too. (I know because Claire is wearing a pair and took a header off of my computer stand, and they didn't move.) I like how it came with the clear ones as well as the blue, so they can work with other outfits. A
The bracelet. No matter what I did, I couldn't get a good pic of it. It's pretty meh. I could make something nicer myself. It has a triple-row pattern of diamond-shaped multi-faceted beads, the two outer rows being the turquoise color of the dress, and the middle row being an alternating pattern of green and white. I guess I wouldn't have gone with that shade of green myself. The clasp is magnetic, so you don't break the bracelet putting it on and taking it off, and there's a tiny metal take with "American Girl" engraved on it attached to the clasp, which depending on your preference, will either strike you as really cute or really annoying. I personally thought it was the cutest part of the bracelet. B+
The hair chopsticks, bobby pins, and instructions. Which don't work. Okay, this could just be me and the fact that I need detailed, step-by-step instructions to accomplish anything (or to be shown in person, in which case I can do it in two seconds). Basically the instructions are "grab hair and twist" followed by "stick in bobby pins and hair chopsticks". No advice on where to stick them or how. I experimented a few times with Liz's hair so I could show you all how it works, but all it did was result in Liz's hair being very messy and Liz being very mad at me. Mary's hair is too short to do it. I've yet to see anyone who has succeeded in getting the hair chopsticks in, so if anyone has doll hair chopsticks and succeeded in putting them in, please show me. It's a shame that I can't do it, because the chopsticks are very pretty (shown below). The bobby pins are black, but have a sort of iridescent quality to them. I guess they're okay.
The hair chopsticks, trying to get a detail of them. They are a pearly blue color (similar to the blue glasses) and have tiny butterflies on them with swirls to either side of them. The prettiest part is that the back of the chopsticks act as a sort of a mirror (they're clear all the way around, though, as far as I can tell), which makes a pretty effect when it's reflected in the back. Chopsticks themselves get an A- for appearance, but D- for usability and lousy instructions. Bobby pins get a C for being okay for what they are.
The whole outfit. Could have sworn I got a picture of just the sandals, but I guess I didn't. The sandals are terrible. Don't even think of trying them on PM feet, and they don't fit right on Mattel feet, either. The toes don't come out of the end, and the only thing holding them on is a strap in the back. They have the same plastic butterflies as the purse on them. F for the sandals.
The entire outfit gets a B- for me. What you can use of it is cute, but most of it isn't usable/easily usable, especially the important parts like the shoes and hair decorations. The extras are pretty cute, but not cute enough to make up for the fundamental flaws.
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