Post by mamared on Oct 28, 2023 19:27:11 GMT -5
The Shimmering Silver Holiday Collector Doll appeared on the AG website on the night of September 24th. Although she arrived here shortly afterwards, there’s something about this doll that seemed like her photos should be taken in a forest, so I’m just now getting this review up.
The quick version of the review is that I adore both the doll and the outfit. The longer version, including the official AG description (in bold), is below.
As stunning as freshly fallen snow sparkling in the moonlight, this collector doll exudes ethereal beauty with its pure platinum hues, draped gown, and more than 100 Swarovski® crystals. The 2023 limited-edition* holiday doll is a shimmering addition to the American Girl® Collector Series.
Premium features:
An 18” Truly Me™ doll with gleaming gray eyes that open and close smoothly. Her long wavy white hair is styled into a partial braid that cascades into a side ponytail accented by wispy, face-framing tendrils. She comes with silver glitter eye makeup and a pair of silver metal and Swarovski® crystal drop earrings in her pierced ears.
This doll has regular light colored vinyl with the Marie-Grace face mold. The vinyl and cloth are a good color match, the body cloth is good quality with a big 2017 body tag, and there aren’t any wrinkles or puckering at the neck. I’m not usually a fan of the Marie-Grace face mold, but something about the gray eyes, side part, and waist-length tendrils somehow seems to give the face mold a different look, at least to me.
Here’s a close up of the silver glitter eye makeup. I ordered my doll online, and her eye makeup is pretty even and well applied. I wasn’t sure if I’d like the glitter makeup, but I actually think it suits her just fine. I do wish the pink glitter was confined just to the lips; in some photos it looks like there might be a bit of glitter on the pink part inside her mouth, but this isn’t noticeable in real life.
Her gorgeous platinum hair has some waist-length tendrils hanging down in front, and two small braids that are pulled back into a low ponytail over her right shoulder. From the rear/side, you can see that the waves of her ponytail go down to her ankles. I usually keep this in a very loose partial braid to avoid tangling. I would have been happy with waist length hair all around, but I can’t deny how striking her long platinum locks are!
A graceful, pleated silver-metallic gown featuring majestic draping at the shoulders and a silver waistband adorned with a medley of clear, amethyst, and fuchsia Swarovski® crystals.
Gorgeous, just gorgeous. I love how the accordion pleats pick up the light, and how the draping, neckline, and cape shoulders add drama!
The wide belt covers the gathers where the top portion of the gown meets the skirt. It”s not removable, but it’s only stitched in at the back where the gown has its Velcro closure, so the belt can be slightly adjusted upward or downward. The clear, amethyst, and fuchsia crystals on the front of the belt match the crystals on the earrings, necklace, and arm cuff (all seen in this photo) and the crystals on the headpiece and sandals.
A view from the side/rear shows how the cape arms are long enough to trail on the ground, while the rest of the gown just dusts the top of her feet. Each of the cape arms is sewn into less than two inches of arm hole along the top of the shoulder, but they”re about 10 inches wide at the bottom, and can be stretched even wider thanks to the accordion pleats.
A metal headpiece with clear Swarovski® crystals and a center drop pendant that falls across her forehead, a silver metal necklace with Swarovski® crystal pendant, a silvery arm cuff embellished with Swarovski® crystals, and a pair of glittery silver sandals with Swarovski® crystals.
The headpiece is probably my favorite accessory. It’s a nice, heavy piece of metal with delicate detailing all around. I really like the leaf shapes that are embellished with clear crystals, and the clear diamond shaped crystal that drops in the center. (The official AG video that I’ve linked at the end of the review shows this pendant pointing up, if anyone wants to see its versatility.)
The necklace is on a silver metal chain and has a pendant with two round fuchsia crystals and a clear diamond crystal. These echo but don’t exactly replicate the pattern of her removable earrings (which have two of each shape in an alternating pattern). The doll arrives wearing her necklace, but it’s tightened up with a clear band so it fits more like a choker. I took the photo near the top of this review with the black background before I realized this, and I prefer the longer look where the necklace fills up more of the gown’s low neckline.
I read the product specifications before ordering, so I knew that the arm cuff was plastic (except for the crystals) and I wasn’t surprised or disappointed by this. I think the plastic might make it easier to put on and remove from the doll without causing damage. I was a little surprised by the somewhat loose fit of the arm cuff, and by its tendency to slide down to her elbow. It’s more of an annoyance than a complaint, but otherwise I love the design.
These gladiator-type sandals have silver colored straps, thick rubbery platforms, lots of crystal embellishments that coordinate with the rest of the outfit, and a strip of Velcro up the back to close them. It’s always nice when you can take shoes from one outfit and mix and match them with others. These, in my opinion, are not those kind of shoes. However, they do seem well suited for this outfit, and while they’re not my favorite style, I don’t mind them too much either.
Also includes:
A silver satin clutch purse with foil printing and a wrist strap
A pair of heather-gray cotton underwear
A numbered certificate of authenticity
I’m including all of these in one photo, taken inside of her box with some of the doll care instructions visible. The clutch is a nice complement to the outfit and the well-placed elastic strap and light weight make it easy for the doll to hold. The light weight comes in part due to the silvery plastic closure, which is a positive asset for her being able to hold it easily but might be a negative feature in terms of quality or durability. (My doll seems to be floating somewhere between elven/fairy princess and mythological Greek goddess, neither/none of whom need a clutch purse, so I’m not bothered much by it’s durability.) The cotton underwear seems to be a nice quality, and I think that the certificate of authenticity is a nice feature to go along with elevated price of this doll. The certificate is also numbered, telling you which of the “no more than 10,000 dolls created worldwide” you have. I decided to show the arm cuff in the photo, too, in case anyone was curious about what it looks like when not being worn.
Here she is all packaged up:
And the back of the box:
Overall, I’m really happy with this doll. It’s a very unusual pick for me, as I’m not typically a fan of the Marie-Grace face mold or of super long hair, or of dolls that can’t easily time travel to different historical periods. But there’s just something so unique and magical about both the doll and the outfit, and I’m really glad she made her way here.
SKU#: HPX03 $265
Official AG video linked here
The quick version of the review is that I adore both the doll and the outfit. The longer version, including the official AG description (in bold), is below.
As stunning as freshly fallen snow sparkling in the moonlight, this collector doll exudes ethereal beauty with its pure platinum hues, draped gown, and more than 100 Swarovski® crystals. The 2023 limited-edition* holiday doll is a shimmering addition to the American Girl® Collector Series.
Premium features:
An 18” Truly Me™ doll with gleaming gray eyes that open and close smoothly. Her long wavy white hair is styled into a partial braid that cascades into a side ponytail accented by wispy, face-framing tendrils. She comes with silver glitter eye makeup and a pair of silver metal and Swarovski® crystal drop earrings in her pierced ears.
This doll has regular light colored vinyl with the Marie-Grace face mold. The vinyl and cloth are a good color match, the body cloth is good quality with a big 2017 body tag, and there aren’t any wrinkles or puckering at the neck. I’m not usually a fan of the Marie-Grace face mold, but something about the gray eyes, side part, and waist-length tendrils somehow seems to give the face mold a different look, at least to me.
Here’s a close up of the silver glitter eye makeup. I ordered my doll online, and her eye makeup is pretty even and well applied. I wasn’t sure if I’d like the glitter makeup, but I actually think it suits her just fine. I do wish the pink glitter was confined just to the lips; in some photos it looks like there might be a bit of glitter on the pink part inside her mouth, but this isn’t noticeable in real life.
Her gorgeous platinum hair has some waist-length tendrils hanging down in front, and two small braids that are pulled back into a low ponytail over her right shoulder. From the rear/side, you can see that the waves of her ponytail go down to her ankles. I usually keep this in a very loose partial braid to avoid tangling. I would have been happy with waist length hair all around, but I can’t deny how striking her long platinum locks are!
A graceful, pleated silver-metallic gown featuring majestic draping at the shoulders and a silver waistband adorned with a medley of clear, amethyst, and fuchsia Swarovski® crystals.
Gorgeous, just gorgeous. I love how the accordion pleats pick up the light, and how the draping, neckline, and cape shoulders add drama!
The wide belt covers the gathers where the top portion of the gown meets the skirt. It”s not removable, but it’s only stitched in at the back where the gown has its Velcro closure, so the belt can be slightly adjusted upward or downward. The clear, amethyst, and fuchsia crystals on the front of the belt match the crystals on the earrings, necklace, and arm cuff (all seen in this photo) and the crystals on the headpiece and sandals.
A view from the side/rear shows how the cape arms are long enough to trail on the ground, while the rest of the gown just dusts the top of her feet. Each of the cape arms is sewn into less than two inches of arm hole along the top of the shoulder, but they”re about 10 inches wide at the bottom, and can be stretched even wider thanks to the accordion pleats.
A metal headpiece with clear Swarovski® crystals and a center drop pendant that falls across her forehead, a silver metal necklace with Swarovski® crystal pendant, a silvery arm cuff embellished with Swarovski® crystals, and a pair of glittery silver sandals with Swarovski® crystals.
The headpiece is probably my favorite accessory. It’s a nice, heavy piece of metal with delicate detailing all around. I really like the leaf shapes that are embellished with clear crystals, and the clear diamond shaped crystal that drops in the center. (The official AG video that I’ve linked at the end of the review shows this pendant pointing up, if anyone wants to see its versatility.)
The necklace is on a silver metal chain and has a pendant with two round fuchsia crystals and a clear diamond crystal. These echo but don’t exactly replicate the pattern of her removable earrings (which have two of each shape in an alternating pattern). The doll arrives wearing her necklace, but it’s tightened up with a clear band so it fits more like a choker. I took the photo near the top of this review with the black background before I realized this, and I prefer the longer look where the necklace fills up more of the gown’s low neckline.
I read the product specifications before ordering, so I knew that the arm cuff was plastic (except for the crystals) and I wasn’t surprised or disappointed by this. I think the plastic might make it easier to put on and remove from the doll without causing damage. I was a little surprised by the somewhat loose fit of the arm cuff, and by its tendency to slide down to her elbow. It’s more of an annoyance than a complaint, but otherwise I love the design.
These gladiator-type sandals have silver colored straps, thick rubbery platforms, lots of crystal embellishments that coordinate with the rest of the outfit, and a strip of Velcro up the back to close them. It’s always nice when you can take shoes from one outfit and mix and match them with others. These, in my opinion, are not those kind of shoes. However, they do seem well suited for this outfit, and while they’re not my favorite style, I don’t mind them too much either.
Also includes:
A silver satin clutch purse with foil printing and a wrist strap
A pair of heather-gray cotton underwear
A numbered certificate of authenticity
I’m including all of these in one photo, taken inside of her box with some of the doll care instructions visible. The clutch is a nice complement to the outfit and the well-placed elastic strap and light weight make it easy for the doll to hold. The light weight comes in part due to the silvery plastic closure, which is a positive asset for her being able to hold it easily but might be a negative feature in terms of quality or durability. (My doll seems to be floating somewhere between elven/fairy princess and mythological Greek goddess, neither/none of whom need a clutch purse, so I’m not bothered much by it’s durability.) The cotton underwear seems to be a nice quality, and I think that the certificate of authenticity is a nice feature to go along with elevated price of this doll. The certificate is also numbered, telling you which of the “no more than 10,000 dolls created worldwide” you have. I decided to show the arm cuff in the photo, too, in case anyone was curious about what it looks like when not being worn.
Here she is all packaged up:
And the back of the box:
Overall, I’m really happy with this doll. It’s a very unusual pick for me, as I’m not typically a fan of the Marie-Grace face mold or of super long hair, or of dolls that can’t easily time travel to different historical periods. But there’s just something so unique and magical about both the doll and the outfit, and I’m really glad she made her way here.
SKU#: HPX03 $265
Official AG video linked here