Holiday Set (RETIRED)

[lassie60]

Released in 2014 under the BeForever branding and retired in 2017.

Samantha can’t wait for the holidays to arrive! She’ll look smart for a special teatime with this set:
A scarlet-and-black plaid taffeta dress with a lace collar and yoke, black velvet sash, and crisp white cuffs
Black tights
Black velvet boots trimmed with bows
A lace hairbow
A silver-tone tea tray
A ceramic teacup and matching saucer
A beautiful teapot with floral accents
Samantha’s favorite treats, dainty faux petits fours with holiday icing


I bought the new plaid Christmas dress for my WB Sam. It is a little snug, but it does fit. It looks great on her. I was worried about the white body showing through the lace, but it looks like it is supposed to be white.



MY WB SAMANTHA 001 by LASSIE62, on Flickr


MY WB SAMANTHA 002 by LASSIE62, on Flickr


MY WB SAMANTHA 003 by LASSIE62, on Flickr


MY WB SAMANTHA 005 by LASSIE62, on Flickr


MY WB SAMANTHA 007 by LASSIE62, on Flickr

[Impy]

Just a couple of things to go with the random picture:
1) I can't get this to fit on my PM Samantha, so if your Sam/doll is chubbier than usual, this might not be the dress for them.

2) Stain Warning: This dress will stain if your doll's vinyl touches the black trim for any length of time. About a week ago, I put this dress on Nellie because a friend requested a picture and sometime after that, Samantha (who had been standing next to her) got jostled and was leaning on Nellie's shoulder for a day or two. Yeah, she's got black mark on her cheek now and I'm kicking myself for not realizing that she wasn't propped up on Nellie's hairbow of doom but rather the dress. So yeah, it'll stain if the vinyl comes in contact with the black trim.

[Laura Isabella]

Samantha's Holiday Set
Samantha can’t wait for the holidays to arrive! She’ll look smart for a special teatime with this set:
A scarlet-and-black plaid taffeta dress with a lace collar and yoke, black velvet sash, and crisp white cuffs
Black tights
Black velvet boots trimmed with bows
A lace hairbow
A silver-tone tea tray
A ceramic teacup and matching saucer
A beautiful teapot with floral accents
Samantha’s favorite treats, dainty faux petits fours with holiday icing



My BeForever Samantha adores this holiday dress. The colors and textures really pop on this dress. The velvet sash and boots seem extra lush and luxurious against the smooth surface of the red-and-black taffeta and the swirls of the black trim is truly eye catching.



The lace collar and yoke keep the dress from becoming too heavy. I had no difficulty at all getting her hands through the lace cuffs--I found that feeding the four fingers through first and then slipping the thumb last make the task quite easy.



It took some time to warm up to the velvet boots. They took on a nice shape once pulled onto the feet, though I recommend storing these boots upright and with something inside of them to support their shape--these boots could start looking really ragged and wrinkly if stored too long crushed in a box or corner.



Another thing to note is the velvet boots have a heel which affects the center of balance when posing a doll. I think the heel is low enough that my poppet has managed to stand without falling, but if your doll doesn't stand well in heels the boots could be problematic without support.

The bundled tea set comes well packed!



The tea set itself seems fine, but truth be told I have no use for it and feel that I ended up paying $64 dollars for the dress. Unfortunately the dress isn't worth $64 even though I give it high marks.



It's a tea set. I was underwhelmed.

For more pictures of the unboxing of the Holiday Set with the tea set visit my blog here.
For even more pictures of Samantha's red-and-black plaid taffeta holiday dress visit my blog here.

I give the dress (which I love) an A, the tea set a B, and the bundling of this particular set a D. But the bundling is a marketing issue that doesn't effect the quality of the items so overall I will give Samantha's Holiday Set an A-

[BarbraS]

This is the first time I have felt compelled to write a review here. I received this set in the mail today, I've wanted it since it was released. Out of the box, I found the dress lovely. I love the style and the delicate lace around the neck. I have a white body Sam and the dress is much too tight on her, although I wasn't surprised. I managed to get it on her anyway. The tights were also very difficult to get on and I ended up putting on a pair of her older tights. My biggest complaint is that the dress is way too short. It looks ridiculous on her. I actually had to pull down her bloomers because they were showing! I am so disappointed, especially because I really like the style of the dress. Sam is currently sitting on a shelf and the length of the dress looks much better in this position. I love the shoes and I can see using these with other outfits. I think these would look great with her blue velvet dress. The only problem I have with the shoes is that Sam has difficulty standing in them. The bow is ok. I don't really have much to say about it. I really like the tea set but, like everyone else, wish it came with two tea cups.

[Erin]

This dress is gorgeous, and it looks perfect on my Kate (Saige). I do wish it had of been a little longer and had of had two teacups, but apart from that it is a divine set!


Mod edit to remove broken image links

[minniebelle]

I got this set during the Christmas sale, so overall I was pleased with it. I only wish the dress was longer. It fits okay on our Mattel Sam, but is tight at the shoulder area on our older Sam.

[chernayakoshka]

Dress – A

This is a very flattering dress. I love the festive red and black plaid, the black lace trim and velvet ribbon, and the sheer white lace at the neckline and white cuffs. It all just looks so sophisticated and fancy, while providing a unique addition to Samantha’s wardrobe. I honestly couldn’t tell you if it’s historically accurate, but it certainly feels “Victorian-inspired,” and unlike some of BeForever Samantha’s other offerings, I think that works very well here.

I’d been worried about the fit since my Samantha is a PC girl and this outfit came out at a time when AG was making their clothing notoriously tight, but it isn’t as bad as I feared. It is a bit tight and closing the Velcro can be a struggle, but once it’s on, it doesn’t look tight. In fact, I think it looks very flattering. That being said, be aware that you’re in for a bit of difficulty if you want to get this for a PC-era doll. It’s doable, but it’s definitely a bit tight.

As an aside, I love that it uses non-stick Velcro. There’s still a chance of snagging the lace, so I’d advise the kids (and adults) use care, but it’s a definite improvement over the normal Velcro.


Samantha in her dress! Pardon the blurry image - my phone camera isn't great.

Tights – A+

Standard AG tights. They’re thick enough with sufficient stretch to fit on a chunkier PC doll. No complaints here!

Boots – A+

I love these boots! They’re mid-calf length, made of a sturdy velvet, and feature a cute velvet bow on the front. They’re also the first boots I’ve owned that have a little heel! To my surprise, the shoes are well-balanced and the doll doesn’t tip forward or fall over. It’s easy to put them on – they just Velcro up the back with non-stick Velcro and there’s plenty of room to do this without snagging the tights.


Tights and boots

Hairbow – A+

I get a lot of use out of this hairbow. It’s a white lace, permanently-tied bow on a stretchy hair tie. It’s easy to tie, it’s simple, and it’s very easy to pair with other outfits. I’m very not a hair person, but I don’t have any problems with this bow.

Tea Tray – A+

The tea try is decently-weighted and feels like tin or another light metal. It has a lovely shine and looks lovely on a table. The one downside is that it’s easy to mark it up with fingerprints, which hasn’t yet been a problem for me, but I could see it bothering some collectors.



Napkin – A+

A simple, white cloth napkin with an embroidered border and a rose in each corner. It’s delightfully delicate and looks very suited to the sort of fancy party that Samantha would likely be hosting or attending.



Teacup, Saucer, and Teapot – A+

These are all made of glass or porcelain and feature a charming rose pattern. I love that they’re made of something other than plastic and look like smaller sized versions of the real thing. The cup and saucer also have a nice faux-gold border that looks very elegant.



Petit Fours – A+

These are pretty standard for AG’s current food offerings, but I’m admittedly a sucker for tiny food items. I’m not even bothered that these are connected because they look so nice. I’m perhaps a little disappointed that there wasn’t a plate provided for them (surely, Samantha won’t be eating these off the napkin!), but my sister just got me a little dessert display tray for the dolls, so they’ll go nicely in that.




The whole set on the tray.

Good Value?

I paid the full retail cost of $64 when this set came out. In 2014, I didn’t have as much disposable income as I do now, but I still felt that it was a fair price for everything this set comes with. There are a lot of pieces in this set and all of them are good quality, so I’m very happy with the value.

Overall – A+

When Samantha was re-released with her BeForever collection, I honestly wasn’t impressed with it…aside for this set. The holiday set nabbed my attention as soon as it was released and I was more than happy to add it to my collection. I don’t have Samantha’s original cranberry dress, but with this outfit, I don’t think I’ll really need it. I like this dress so much that I’m happy to have it as Samantha’s Christmas dress. It’s easily one of my favourite pieces that AG has released in the last few years.