Baking Outfit (RETIRED)

[nelliegirl]

Released in 2008, retired in 2009 with archival.

Kirsten loves to wear this outfit for special days. It includes: A paisley dress with puffed sleeves and a full skirt. 2 blue hairbows to tie back her braids. A beautiful muslin apron that’s embellished with Swedish patterns. A pair of faux wooden shoes her father “painted” with traditional designs.


The dress is really pretty in its simplicity if you were looking for a flamboyant dress you might want to look elsewhere. The apron is nice too a printed pattern but nice anyway. I was really looking forward to was Kirsten finally getting wooden shoes something to show her swedish heritage. I knew going into buying the outfit the shoes were not going to be real wood so when they came plastic I wasn't disappointed. They said it was faux wood. Is that want they call it? I call it plastic but call it what you wish. They skimped a little on their research though. From what I heard the wooden shoes went over the regular shoes which is understandably a mistake I could live with. What I can't seem to stomach is the fact that they don't go over her socks either. I had to remove Kirsten's sock before I could get the shoe on..wooden shoes over bare feet...ouch.

(mod edit to fix title)

[Rexphiles]

Shoes are plastic but the decal can peel off if you don't want that on the shoes.

[Lalala90]

This outfit is wonderful. Even though the apron is screen printed, I think it looks great in person. The dress also doubles as a semi-modern look when used by itself, and the paisley print and scoop neck set it apart from most other outfits. I am one of the few people who will say "the plastic clogs are awesome!!" Yes, they are a tight fit - but that's so they don't fall off. Don't force them on, just wiggle, and all will be OK. They are nice and flat on the bottoms, and the doll has zero trouble standing in them. In fact, I think they make her more sturdy. However - the stock photo on the AG website shows Kirsten wearing her "meet" socks with these clogs, which I can tell you right now, ain't happenin'. I used very thin white stockings instead.
It comes with hair ribbons, too - but no socks or stockings! BOOO. But aside from that, I highly recommend this outfit. A++

mod edit to remove dead images

[lei3]

I just got all my new outfits! This outfit is really cute, but my Kirsten is not comfortable in it at all. I anticipated the dress fitting snugly as my doll is about twenty years old, but I could barely get it on. One of my main gripes with the dress is the lack of growth stripes. What were they thinking? (I guess it's not that big a deal, the bday dress doesn't have one either.) I do otherwise love the style of the dress, especially the stitching around the collar. It is kind of like a blanket stitch with a chain linking the stitching. Very pretty. The apron is cute, although I wish it was embroidered instead of printed. Now to the plastic wood? shoes. Like everyone else, I had problems getting the shoes on. It definitely wasn't happening with the PM meet socks. I have the newer, thinner ones that made it a little easier to get the shoes on. It did take quite a bit of finagling--but I won!

Overall A- Mostly because I'm happy Kirsten finally got a new dress.

[JeanieD]

I'd give this outfit a B+ - missing out on an A for these reasons: the VERY plastic "wooden" shoes (mine do go on over socks, although not Kirsten's meet socks); the awkward width of the neckline (doesn't lie properly under the apron's bib); and the printed design. Here's how the apron could have looked:

*mod note: broken image links have been removed from throughout this thread*

ETA modified shoes (sanded down with fine sandpaper to reduce the shine)

[agcollector82]

The baking outfit is so cute. I love the paisley print dress and the apron is nice, although I love the one pictured above with the actual embroidery. The shoes are very plastic looking, not even close to "faux wood". But BEWARE if you have a PM Kirsten these shoes will not fit. I tried them on both my PM dolls and there was no way these would go on. They were pretty tight on my Mattel dolls but I could get them on at least. I was disappointed that my Kirsten won't get to wear them.

For PM dolls I give this outfit a D-.
For Mattel dolls I would say a B.

[Megan]

I got this outfit for my birthday and I rather like it. The color of the dress really brings out the blue in Kirsten's eyes. However, there seems to be no historical accuracy. And plastic "wooden" clogs? Come on! Besides those two things, I really do like this dress.
B+
-Megan

[agfan84]

This was the first item I bought of Mattel! When I saw it at the store I fell in love, and caved. Previously I had been a PM collector. So I think that statement alone speaks for how much I like this outfit . It is so pretty. And as you can see in other's images, it has great detail. - I prefer it with the apron, but that's just me.

My only wish were that the shoes were actually wood, and not plastic. Or (if warping is a fear maybe?), more realistic looking.

I don't know if historically accurate falls in the review section, but to me it is important, so I am curious about the blue color, according to the historical section the paisley print was becoming popular, but I do wonder about this particular pattern and color, which seems a little modern to me. -- I am not a historian though, so I'm not sure.


I rate this A (no + due to the shoes being plastic).

[Sexylittlefeet22]

First Mattel outfit I bought for Kirsten. The dress doesnt fit. I have to pull it tightly together to get it around her chest. My Kirsten has to lose weight I guess. :

I can get the shoes on.....if I beat them on! But I'm afraid they'll ruin her feet. You never know.

The shoes have some extra plastic layer at the bottom. If I could get those out I think they would be able to fit better.

[Rollsinsnow]

Love the dress, the color is beautiful.

On the other hand, the shoes are awful, they fall off barefoot and don't fit with her meet socks. The apron is printed. Just terrible.

Grade- D


I'll be re-selling this outfit.

[southeasttitan]

Frankly, I think this outfit is ugly. The fabric looks more like something from the 1970s than Kirsten's era, the cut of the dress is odd (the neckline) and the "wooden" shoes are so obviously plastic it's not even funny. I love pioneer-era clothes and own all of Kirsten's currently available outfits, but this just looks fake.

[fdrsipin]

I think this outfit is okay. Not really spectacular, but not ugly. The dress is a little tight and hard to put on. I like how the sleeves are gathered in several places. But yeah, what's up with the neckline? Thanks to Nibs for the info regarding the apron's design being screenprinted. But seeing JeanieD's apron made me want to buy this outfit too. There's too much potential (who knows, someday I might be able to do that too *wishes*).

The shoes are too cute and very Scandinavian-looking. I was able to put them on Elizabeth's feet wearing Elizabeth's meet socks. I love how she can stand on them -very sturdy.

[karrierock]

I just wanted to add, I do like this outfit. Really cute! I liked the shoes until I took them off. I had them on her bare feet, but after 3 days they left an indentation on the back of her heel. A short perfect line across the back of each heel. Kinda of looks like a scar. You probably won't want to leave them on for extended periods of time. I give the outfit a B because it marked my girl.

[Impy]

Please excuse the shadows. Kirsten's got some serious bangs and the sun doesn't always like to play nice.


My Kirsten's PM and I was most worried about the shoes fitting. The left slid on without a problem, the right required a bit of a push, but they slid on and stayed. karrierock is right, they'll leave little scars on the back of your doll's feet, which is not a fun discovery. They'll also scratch up easily if your Kirsten ventures near concrete or the great outdoors, but that's to be expected. They're much prettier than I thought they'd be.




I love the apron, and while it may be historically accurate for it to be painted, I think it would have been prettier embroidered. If nothing else, it's a challenge for another day.


In case you were dying to see the back for some reason.


Or the side. I've got to say I really like the odd sleeves, though I couldn't tell you why other than it's something different.



I love the blues used in the dress, though the paisley print is a bit hit or miss, depending on how I'm feeling.


Despite Kirsten being able to shimmy into the catsuit of doom no problem, I swear this outfit nearly drove us both over the edge. It took some fiddling to get her into the dress, so anyone with a chunky Kirsten should be warned.

I waffle on the dress itself without the apron due to the neckline and the fact that it's really tight in places. It's why her pantalettes are showing. They can't go any higher or the velcro laughs at me.

Overall, I think the outfit is worth the $28 price tag, but there's no sense paying more.

B+

[samlizziesmom]

I give the outfit an A-
That's mostly because the of the shoes. One went on easy, the other some work.
This is probably Kirsten's most "formal" dress. It's not made out of a fancy fabric like satin, or Taffeta, but for a country girl, this is about as fancy as it can get, lol.

The shoes are cute in person but beware: they will make Kirsten lean waaaay back. At least with my PM it did. I got her to stand free-style, but barely, lol.
The dress is DARLING with the red boots, but then I seem to think most of her dresses will!
PM Kirsten's will fit this tight in the chest, but it can work. I only have two dresses for Kirsten; Meet and Baking. As well, as the Winter Woolens. I took pics of every conceivable combo so check the LINK for pics.

In conclusion, I would definitely buy. It's her last dress, and so few will be around after the archival.

[whitneymm4]

I just bought the baking outfit as a gift for my sister. Although I would have loved for the shoes to be wooden, I didn't find them to be as terrible as most people were saying. The dress itself is a gorgeous blue color, and I'm a sucker for anything with an apron or pinafore! I highly recommend this outfit - it fits our Mattel Kirsten beautifully and is one of our favorites.

[MaryCarly]

The baking outfit fits differently than her other dresses. First of all, can you see the gathers on the sleeves? Those are actually elastic which seems odd at first, but once you get the sleeves on properly, it is unusual and cute. The other difference is the collar. Basically it is wider and meant to expose some of her shoulder on both sides of her neck. It took some getting used to, but now I really love this dress, especially the apron. I am one of those people who couldn't get the clogs to fit on my Kirsten, but I am still very glad I bought this dress, because it gives Kirsten something different from her other outfits. If you do order it, be sure to get her red boots too as they look fabulous with this dress.

[nonameleft]

Sept 30, 2009 22:01:11 GMT -5 southeasttitan said:

Frankly, I think this outfit is ugly. The fabric looks more like something from the 1970s than Kirsten's era, the cut of the dress is odd (the neckline) and the "wooden" shoes are so obviously plastic it's not even funny. I love pioneer-era clothes and own all of Kirsten's currently available outfits, but this just looks fake.

I think I have to agree with you. I bought it because I like the colors and the design on the apron, but you're right about the fabric pattern being 70's-ish. Or maybe we just don't know that paisley was around then? At any rate, you're right in that it's not ringing true to us, even if it's out of our own ignorance of historical fabric patterns.

The plastic shoes. If I were going to display the doll, I guess the shoes would look cheap. But I have to admit a love for the smooth kind of plastic the shoes are made of. It's a tactile and visual thing. It's smooth and bright. There must've been some plastic toy in my youth, not long forgotten.

Overall, I think the outfit has very good play value. It seems to be durable and child-friendly (plastic doesn't rot when the kid decides to wash to shoes or use them as boats in the tub). So I give it an A+ for kid use and an A- for adult collectors, with the understanding that I'm not sure we're right about the fabric pattern. If we're wrong, I give it an A.

[agl ♥]

I pretty much agree with what everyone has said on here. I took a chance ordering this dress, and I think it's either a hit or a miss, depending on your personal preference.

I really like the color of the dress, it is a lovely purple/blue. The paisley pattern is nice, in my opinion. The neckline is a little different than Kirsten's other dresses, and the sleeves are a little tight, but it fits my dolls fine. The apron is very pretty, I like the design. It is technically historically accurate for the apron to be screen printed, so that's fine with me. I'm not too picky about that anyways, even though the embroidered aprons look amazing!

I'm going to be real honest about the shoes. They stink. They're the most plastic, fake things ever. They're very tight on my doll's feet. They are cute though, but I don't like them very much. Could have been so much better!

I use Kirsten's spoon bag with this dress. I don't know if it's right or not, but makes sense because it's a baking outfit!

For me, this outfit is a hit! The dress and apron get an A-, the shoes get a C-.

[LinneaAnne]

I agree with what a lot of other people have said about this outfit.
Apparently paisley was becoming popular around then - and it's actually not the paisley that I dislike, it's more the colors. I don't know why- but for some reason that shade of blue just looks more modern to me.
I'm so glad I got the outfit though. The apron is adorable. I decided to embroider over the top of mine after seeing JeanieD's beautifully done apron. It took some time, but it was an enjoyable activity and turned out so pretty.
I like the outfit more in person than I did online. The dress is VERY tight around the waist of my PM Kirsten. Much, much too tight actually. She will never be able to wear it without the apron, though I don't think I'd want her to anyhow.
The shoes are cute. I know there are gripes about them not being wood, but I'm sure the price for using real wood would be much too high. They look sweet on Kirsten.
I give this outfit an A- because of the fit of the dress.

[heritage4]

I bought this outfit in fall of 2008. I was attracted to it because of the color and style, but it proved to be a bit of a disappointment.

Full view...


The apron has a screen print design and mine is off to one side.


The fit is very snug. My PM Kirsten can slip into it, but it does take some tugging.


The sleeves have plenty of elastic gathering...


The fabric is really unique...


The shoes are extremely plastic and I have trouble sliding them on...


Overall, I think the quality is good but the details are lacking. I give it a B.

[QNPoohBear]

This dress is a pretty shade of blue in a paisley print. The sleeves have elastic to create puffs and elastic at the wrists. (Is it historically accurate? I don't know. Is it accurate for a pioneer? doubtful). The apron is printed in an embroidered and cross-stitch design typical of Scandinavian aprons. The ribbons are plain blue grosgrain and not woven like Kirsten's other hair ribbons. The clogs are plastic with decal painting. They look and feel like plastic but they go on my white-bodied Kirsten's feet just fine. I like the color of the dress and the apron is sweet but the lack of detail and hideous plastic clogs bring down my grade.

Grade: B

With apron hand embroidered B+













The apron looks much better embroidered

[orkira]

I like the outfit and give it an A. I think the outfit is absolutely gorgeous. The shoes however I give a D. They are horrible to get on Kirsten's feet and I have a Fall 2009 Kirsten doll.

[bab*]

I have a 1989 Pleasantly plump Kirsten, and the dress without the apron looks awful on her because it's tight and bunches wierdly. As a Swede, I had to have this dress as soon as I saw it because it looked more Swedish to me than most of her stuff because of the mix of colors and patterns.
I had very little trouble getting the shoes on, but I put them on over her Mattel meet socks, not her PM ones. Just a little wiggle, and they popped on.
I expected the ribbons to be the same woven ribbons as all her other outfits, but these are a stiff grosgrain. Not sure if they're historically accurate, but they make really nice bows.

I give it an A (no plus because I think, even if they wanted to use plastic for the shoes, they could have made it look more like wood).

[Trapicia]

I have the same problem as others getting the dress on my PM Kirsten. IT bunches weirdly at the waist, and barely closes in the back. I also had difficulty wiggling the sleeves up over her arms, and they are also extremely tight. Because of the tight fit on the arms and waist/back, the neckline gapes oddly. I wish it fit better, as I really love the pattern and style of the dress.

I managed to jam the clogs on over the socks that go with her Birthday dress. They stay on, but if she were a real child, she would never be able to walk in shoes this tight.

I like the apron, but I really wish it was embroidered.

I would have to get this outfit an "A" on concept and a "D" on execution.

The dress, however, does look lovely peeking out from underneath the recess outfit.

[Skayh754]

Another picture of Kirsten in her Baking Dress.. I hated it at first but it has actually grown on me. My 1989 WB Kirsten had no trouble getting the shoes on, even with her meet socks.

[QNPoohBear]

Kirsten's Baking Dress on other girls

[QNPoohBear]

The traditional Swedish painted clogs look cute paired with Kirsten's traditional embroidered checked dress apron.