Post by mamared on Sept 27, 2020 2:20:06 GMT -5
This item was released in September 2020 (officially part of the October 2020 release).
Melody loves to play dress-up and pretend she's performing on stage with her brother. This head-to-toe look is pure '60s style and includes:
A pink dress with a sequin bodice and three layers of fringe on the skirt that move when Melody dances
A pink fabric headband for holding back her hair
A pair of pink slip-on shoes
A white faux-fur capelet for an extra touch of glamour
White elbow-length gloves just like real singers wore in the 1960s.
This cute number showed up in stores in mid-September and is part of the scheduled October 2020 release. It comes with a pamphlet, dress, headband, capelet, gloves, and a pair of shoes, each of which I’ll describe in more detail below.
The pamphlet isn’t officially listed as one of the contents, and I was happily surprised to find this tucked inside the box! It’s like a throwback to the old PC pamphlets with the connections between story and product, which I think is great from both a marketing and historical viewpoint. The pamphlet is printed on the front and back of a tri-folded paper. Here’s what the first panel says:
“Melody loves to sing. She’s in the children’s choir at church, and she and her sisters sing Motown songs at home. Melody’s brother, Dwayne, is a talented musician and songwriter. When he gets the chance to record a song in the real Motown studio, he asks Melody to come along and sing backup. Melody is thrilled! It’s exciting to sing in the same room where famous musicians have worked. After the recording session, Dwayne gives Melody a tour of the Motown studio - including the costume department.
“When Melody sees a stunning red fringe dress and luxurious white shrug, she imagines what it would be like to perform in that outfit.”
Pamphlet grade: A
The dress is a bright reddish-pink color; its inspiration can be easily found by Googling “red fringe Supremes dress” or something similar. The bodice is sleeveless and adorned with sequins, and the skirt portion has three tiers of fringe. It’s all one piece, with a bow in the front and Velcro closure in the back. Grade: A
The front of the dress:
The zigzag sequins and bow:
The three tiers of fringe:
The view from the back (the fringe, ribbon, and sequins design go all the way around the dress):
When she dances, the fringe spins too. (The downside is that the underlining is a little thin, so she’ll need to remember to wear her slip next time!)
The headband is shiny flexible plastic that matches the dress really well. There’s an inch or so of uncovered elastic, so the headband actually goes all the way around her head rather than just sitting on top. I much prefer this kind of headband, as it seems way more secure to me (and also adjusts better to different dolls and hairstyles). Grade:A
The capelet or shrug is white faux fur on the outside, and a satiny material on the inside. It holds its shape well and is long enough to easily tuck around her arms. I like this piece and can imagine using it with other outfits, too. Grade: A
The gloves are also white and go up to the elbow. They’re made of a white stretchy material, and like most AG gloves, are constructed more like mittens with only a thumb separate. I’m generally not a fan of AG gloves, and these have the added drawback of having a tag in one glove that makes an unsightly and annoying bulge when worn. That said, these are period-appropriate and fit pretty well other than the tag. Grade: C
The shoes look like they’re made of the same shiny plastic as the headband, and they match the rest of the outfit perfectly. They’ve got a little kitten heel on the back which can tend to make the doll lean forward just a bit (which actually might be appropriate if Melody’s playing dress-up). I don’t love these, but they look good with the outfit and seem to be made well. Grade: B
Overall, I’m a fan of this outfit. I love the historical inspiration, how well everything fits and goes together, and how it’s packaged with the informative pamphlet that has a bit of the story to capture your imagination. If I were to change one thing about it, I might make the lining of the lower dress a bit thicker and have more fringe on it (not more rows of fringe, just more pieces in each row, to more fully cover the underlining).
I don’t have Melody (yet), but I think she’ll look fabulous in this. If the colors match, I think it might also look great with the hairpiece from her retired hairstyling set.
Overall grade: A
Melody loves to play dress-up and pretend she's performing on stage with her brother. This head-to-toe look is pure '60s style and includes:
A pink dress with a sequin bodice and three layers of fringe on the skirt that move when Melody dances
A pink fabric headband for holding back her hair
A pair of pink slip-on shoes
A white faux-fur capelet for an extra touch of glamour
White elbow-length gloves just like real singers wore in the 1960s.
This cute number showed up in stores in mid-September and is part of the scheduled October 2020 release. It comes with a pamphlet, dress, headband, capelet, gloves, and a pair of shoes, each of which I’ll describe in more detail below.
The pamphlet isn’t officially listed as one of the contents, and I was happily surprised to find this tucked inside the box! It’s like a throwback to the old PC pamphlets with the connections between story and product, which I think is great from both a marketing and historical viewpoint. The pamphlet is printed on the front and back of a tri-folded paper. Here’s what the first panel says:
“Melody loves to sing. She’s in the children’s choir at church, and she and her sisters sing Motown songs at home. Melody’s brother, Dwayne, is a talented musician and songwriter. When he gets the chance to record a song in the real Motown studio, he asks Melody to come along and sing backup. Melody is thrilled! It’s exciting to sing in the same room where famous musicians have worked. After the recording session, Dwayne gives Melody a tour of the Motown studio - including the costume department.
“When Melody sees a stunning red fringe dress and luxurious white shrug, she imagines what it would be like to perform in that outfit.”
Pamphlet grade: A
The dress is a bright reddish-pink color; its inspiration can be easily found by Googling “red fringe Supremes dress” or something similar. The bodice is sleeveless and adorned with sequins, and the skirt portion has three tiers of fringe. It’s all one piece, with a bow in the front and Velcro closure in the back. Grade: A
The front of the dress:
The zigzag sequins and bow:
The three tiers of fringe:
The view from the back (the fringe, ribbon, and sequins design go all the way around the dress):
When she dances, the fringe spins too. (The downside is that the underlining is a little thin, so she’ll need to remember to wear her slip next time!)
The headband is shiny flexible plastic that matches the dress really well. There’s an inch or so of uncovered elastic, so the headband actually goes all the way around her head rather than just sitting on top. I much prefer this kind of headband, as it seems way more secure to me (and also adjusts better to different dolls and hairstyles). Grade:A
The capelet or shrug is white faux fur on the outside, and a satiny material on the inside. It holds its shape well and is long enough to easily tuck around her arms. I like this piece and can imagine using it with other outfits, too. Grade: A
The gloves are also white and go up to the elbow. They’re made of a white stretchy material, and like most AG gloves, are constructed more like mittens with only a thumb separate. I’m generally not a fan of AG gloves, and these have the added drawback of having a tag in one glove that makes an unsightly and annoying bulge when worn. That said, these are period-appropriate and fit pretty well other than the tag. Grade: C
The shoes look like they’re made of the same shiny plastic as the headband, and they match the rest of the outfit perfectly. They’ve got a little kitten heel on the back which can tend to make the doll lean forward just a bit (which actually might be appropriate if Melody’s playing dress-up). I don’t love these, but they look good with the outfit and seem to be made well. Grade: B
Overall, I’m a fan of this outfit. I love the historical inspiration, how well everything fits and goes together, and how it’s packaged with the informative pamphlet that has a bit of the story to capture your imagination. If I were to change one thing about it, I might make the lining of the lower dress a bit thicker and have more fringe on it (not more rows of fringe, just more pieces in each row, to more fully cover the underlining).
I don’t have Melody (yet), but I think she’ll look fabulous in this. If the colors match, I think it might also look great with the hairpiece from her retired hairstyling set.
Overall grade: A