Santa's Helper Outfit + Book (2007-2008)
Jan 4, 2008 20:56:23 GMT -5
Post by EB Agent J/Goo on Jan 4, 2008 20:56:23 GMT -5
A little late for Christmas, but I wanted to make sure I had this for the next holiday season (since I seem to recall they retire holiday outfits yearly).
The box. And if you've seen'em one, you've seen'em all, so I will stop beginning my reviews with the boxes now. I just did it one last time, for tradition's sake.
The dress. I didn't notice any cracks or seams in the velveteen here, but then, I didn't really look. As has been noted, the belt is sewn on, but does go all the way around and has a plastic buckle. I didn't notice the fur at the cuffs being too thin. About my only problem with the main dress portion was it shed little red fuzzies everywhere (so I probably will end up with cracks in the velveteen) and it was actually a bit too tight on Tabby, who is my second-thinnest doll after Claire (who I got the dress for, but Tabby was nearby for something else so I had her model). I am hoping that it'll fit Claire a bit better (I'm putting it on her later, because this outfit is my grandmother's favorite and she wants to see it on the doll. She only got a glimpse of it when I was putting it on Tabby. Anywho, I'll let you know if it fits better on her).
Detail of the embroidery along the skirt, which also goes all the way around. The embroidery is actually what sold me on the outfit in the end, since in general I wasn't impressed with it. It was something subtle that really livened up the entire outfit, and it looks very classy. I nice, gold-embroidered, holiday flower pattern. So I give the main dress part a B+. I may revise this if it fits Claire better.
The hat. When I first ordered the outfit, I didn't expect the hat to be any nicer than ones I can grab at the dollar store or something, but it's actually very durable and soft and made out of the same materials as the dress, so it matches perfectly and feels very nice. It fits the doll easily, too (some caps don't). A
The scarf, which is candy apple red, black, and white plaid. The red isn't the same shade as the dress on mine, I noticed. The above pics seem to show it as close to the same shade as the rest of the outfit, but mine's almost got a pinkish hue. I think it works all right. The hole to thread it through is buttonholed, not just cut out, to prevent it from tearing any. I'd prefer a traditional wrap scarf for this outfit myself, but it's cute enough. B
The boots, which were about 90% of the reason why I wanted the outfit, because they are perfect for another outfit I am putting together. I really, really love these boots, although I am afraid of scratching them with my long fingernails. I noticed in the pic where I held open the back that you can see some light through the seam in front, so the front may not be stitched tightly for mine, but other than that, they are really awesome xhitkickers. There's a velvet strap with a buckle that matches the one on the dress at the top of each boot, and the strap goes all the way around. I had some difficulty getting them onto Tabby, but not much. The velcro goes all the down to the soles. The soles are hard, either very durable plastic or rubber, and have a slight heel and tread, but are still easy to stand the doll up in. A+
So in the end, I give the entire outfit an A. It's adorable, the accessories are very nicely made, and the entire effect is very cute and festive. And I really, really love those boots.
*dead image links removed*
The box. And if you've seen'em one, you've seen'em all, so I will stop beginning my reviews with the boxes now. I just did it one last time, for tradition's sake.
The dress. I didn't notice any cracks or seams in the velveteen here, but then, I didn't really look. As has been noted, the belt is sewn on, but does go all the way around and has a plastic buckle. I didn't notice the fur at the cuffs being too thin. About my only problem with the main dress portion was it shed little red fuzzies everywhere (so I probably will end up with cracks in the velveteen) and it was actually a bit too tight on Tabby, who is my second-thinnest doll after Claire (who I got the dress for, but Tabby was nearby for something else so I had her model). I am hoping that it'll fit Claire a bit better (I'm putting it on her later, because this outfit is my grandmother's favorite and she wants to see it on the doll. She only got a glimpse of it when I was putting it on Tabby. Anywho, I'll let you know if it fits better on her).
Detail of the embroidery along the skirt, which also goes all the way around. The embroidery is actually what sold me on the outfit in the end, since in general I wasn't impressed with it. It was something subtle that really livened up the entire outfit, and it looks very classy. I nice, gold-embroidered, holiday flower pattern. So I give the main dress part a B+. I may revise this if it fits Claire better.
The hat. When I first ordered the outfit, I didn't expect the hat to be any nicer than ones I can grab at the dollar store or something, but it's actually very durable and soft and made out of the same materials as the dress, so it matches perfectly and feels very nice. It fits the doll easily, too (some caps don't). A
The scarf, which is candy apple red, black, and white plaid. The red isn't the same shade as the dress on mine, I noticed. The above pics seem to show it as close to the same shade as the rest of the outfit, but mine's almost got a pinkish hue. I think it works all right. The hole to thread it through is buttonholed, not just cut out, to prevent it from tearing any. I'd prefer a traditional wrap scarf for this outfit myself, but it's cute enough. B
The boots, which were about 90% of the reason why I wanted the outfit, because they are perfect for another outfit I am putting together. I really, really love these boots, although I am afraid of scratching them with my long fingernails. I noticed in the pic where I held open the back that you can see some light through the seam in front, so the front may not be stitched tightly for mine, but other than that, they are really awesome xhitkickers. There's a velvet strap with a buckle that matches the one on the dress at the top of each boot, and the strap goes all the way around. I had some difficulty getting them onto Tabby, but not much. The velcro goes all the down to the soles. The soles are hard, either very durable plastic or rubber, and have a slight heel and tread, but are still easy to stand the doll up in. A+
So in the end, I give the entire outfit an A. It's adorable, the accessories are very nicely made, and the entire effect is very cute and festive. And I really, really love those boots.
*dead image links removed*