Isabel, England, 1592
Jun 1, 2011 19:58:49 GMT -5
Post by daughterofthedryad on Jun 1, 2011 19:58:49 GMT -5
Isabel is gorgeous, and (it seems) quite popular, sort of like Samantha. I remember reading her book when I was about 12 and liking it a lot. She's a spunky girl!
From the ground up: Isabel has on black leather Elizabethan shoes that slip off quite neatly (I used to like switching her and Cécile's shoes). I was impressed with the detail and accuracy of the shape. With the shoes she has tea-dyed stockings which go up to the knees. She has no underwear (accurate) but is wearing an enormous hoopskirt. It's white poly cotton with what seem like two flimsy wires in it, and a cardboard waist piece to make the dress really stand out. The cardboard has a slit in it, so you can easily take off the hoopskirt.
Over the hoop is the opulent velvet dress. I was impressed with the quality of the velvet, but not with the "brocade" underskirt! It IS woven, but only covers the front (it's a false underskirt, like Elizabeth's). However, the velvet skirt is lined in gold satiny cloth, so I guess that makes up for it. The skirt bustles out in back with a bit of a train, and fastens with a snap. The waistband (hidden) is the brocade fabric. The skirt is trimmed all the way around (yay!) with shiny gold braid.
The bodice is separate. The stomacher actually has boning (impressive!) to make it stand stiffly down the front and give Isabel that fashionable inverted-triangle shape. The stomacher is sewn into the dress (pity) and the bodice fastens up the back with black hooks & eyes. I haven't tried to undo them; they look like they'd be hard to fasten back!
Attached to the bodice is the lovely pleated ruff (quite soft, not stiff at all) which matches the lace on her sleeve cuffs.
Isabel wears a gold lace snood over her elaborate hairdo. The front of the snood is a tight headband that doesn't come off. The back has elastic in the bottom. Her earrings are stud pearls with gold ornaments. She has a tiny pearl necklace with gold-embedded ruby pendant. Her only other ornamentation is the chatelaine, which actually looks like tiny rhinestones strung together flexibly. It seems quite fragile and I try not to mess with it. I don't think it can come undone.
ON the chatelaine is strung a lovely, embossed real mirror (quite impressive!), a couple of tiny gold keys with a thread tassel, and a ruby-studded pomander ball, which looks like it has a fastener but won't open. I haven't been able to get the chatelaine chain to stay in Isabel's hand, which is a bit disappointing.
Overall, an A for the book and an A for Isabel. No A+ because of the cheap underskirt. Otherwise, an extremely detailed and impressive doll. Worth every penny.
From the ground up: Isabel has on black leather Elizabethan shoes that slip off quite neatly (I used to like switching her and Cécile's shoes). I was impressed with the detail and accuracy of the shape. With the shoes she has tea-dyed stockings which go up to the knees. She has no underwear (accurate) but is wearing an enormous hoopskirt. It's white poly cotton with what seem like two flimsy wires in it, and a cardboard waist piece to make the dress really stand out. The cardboard has a slit in it, so you can easily take off the hoopskirt.
Over the hoop is the opulent velvet dress. I was impressed with the quality of the velvet, but not with the "brocade" underskirt! It IS woven, but only covers the front (it's a false underskirt, like Elizabeth's). However, the velvet skirt is lined in gold satiny cloth, so I guess that makes up for it. The skirt bustles out in back with a bit of a train, and fastens with a snap. The waistband (hidden) is the brocade fabric. The skirt is trimmed all the way around (yay!) with shiny gold braid.
The bodice is separate. The stomacher actually has boning (impressive!) to make it stand stiffly down the front and give Isabel that fashionable inverted-triangle shape. The stomacher is sewn into the dress (pity) and the bodice fastens up the back with black hooks & eyes. I haven't tried to undo them; they look like they'd be hard to fasten back!
Attached to the bodice is the lovely pleated ruff (quite soft, not stiff at all) which matches the lace on her sleeve cuffs.
Isabel wears a gold lace snood over her elaborate hairdo. The front of the snood is a tight headband that doesn't come off. The back has elastic in the bottom. Her earrings are stud pearls with gold ornaments. She has a tiny pearl necklace with gold-embedded ruby pendant. Her only other ornamentation is the chatelaine, which actually looks like tiny rhinestones strung together flexibly. It seems quite fragile and I try not to mess with it. I don't think it can come undone.
ON the chatelaine is strung a lovely, embossed real mirror (quite impressive!), a couple of tiny gold keys with a thread tassel, and a ruby-studded pomander ball, which looks like it has a fastener but won't open. I haven't been able to get the chatelaine chain to stay in Isabel's hand, which is a bit disappointing.
Overall, an A for the book and an A for Isabel. No A+ because of the cheap underskirt. Otherwise, an extremely detailed and impressive doll. Worth every penny.
