Birthday Dress
Dec 22, 2013 15:05:12 GMT -5
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!)
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!)