Dress: A-I really like the concept of this dress, but have some problems with the execution. The style is lovely with a white yoke, light blue main section, and dark blue bottom ruffle. The many silver, cone shaped jingles are sewn to lines of dark blue ribbons. They only adourn the front, and while that might normally bother me, I’m ok with that in this situation. The colour palette is very pleasing and is flattering on Kaya. My set isn’t missing any jingles, nor do I remember my sister’s version losing any when we played with it (mine could use a good polish, though). The jingles, well, jingle against each other when the outfit is moved. It’s unique for AG’s offerings and significant to Kaya’s culture and I love it!
What I don’t love is the fabric. It’s made of a silky, satin-like fabric that, regrettably, snags easily. Worse, it closes with snagging Velcro, so I feel like snags are inevitable. I just wish AG had used something a little nicer and more durable for this (and, maybe, the non-snag Velcro).
It fits Kaya very well and is easy to put on her (that awful, snagging Velcro does its job, I guess).
Belt: A-I’m so torn on this piece! It looks beautiful! A long, dark blue ribbon that can nicely tie around Kaya’s waist with plenty of tail left for a bow with three engraved metallic discs threaded through. The problem is that the discs slide freely on the ribbon, which can make getting it on the doll a little frustrating and requires some careful fiddling to get the discs to sit evenly apart once on Kaya. I also struggle getting it to cover the dress’s waist seam. I can’t recall if my sister and I really cared about this when playing with it when we were kids, but it certainly vexes me a bit as an adult!
Not gonna lie, those discs frustrated the heck out of me when I put this on Kaya for the holidays. Maybe it's just me?
A closeup of the discs. They are really nice, despite my frustration with them.
Rosette and kerchief: A+The kerchief is just a triangular piece of fabric in the same fabric as the bottom ruffle of the dress. Like with the dress, I’m not the biggest fan of the fabric, but it fits nicely around Kaya’s neck with enough to spare to be tied off by the rosette and pulls the ensemble together.
The rosette is my favourite piece of this set! Circular rows of real beads are layered to create a flower-like pattern in the blues of the dress and accent yellow. It has some sort of backing to hold its shape and an elastic band that helps it easily tie around the kerchief.
Moccasins: BMine are obviously falling apart, which makes me quite sad. They’re made of a soft, leather-like material that, apparently, doesn’t always hold up to the strain of time. The printed design is meant to look like square beads that match the colours of the dress and rosette. Fringe along the top gives this pair a dressier, more special look.
While this is a newer addition to my collection, my sister had this outfit when we were kids and somehow, despite years of putting these on and off dolls, I still haven’t discovered the trick to tying them properly. The flaking fabric doesn’t help with this pair. So, pardon my sloppy tying.
Look at all that fringe!
A closeup of the design...and the flaking of the fabric.
Ribbons: AJust some generic, rather long ribbons. They wrap nicely around Kaya’s braids and match the colours of the outfit well. I’m not especially talented with anything hair-related, so even while my attempt doesn’t look the best, it was easy to make it nice enough for me to be content.
Good Value?When this was available, it sold for $28. I found mine on the secondary market for around $40. I’m thinking I got lucky with that, as I’ve seen full sets go for over $100. I’m not sure if I personally think it’s worth over $100 (especially if the moccasins are prone to disintegration), but there are a lot of unique pieces to this outfit that make it worth tracking down if you can find it at a reasonable price.
Overall: A-I’m rather conflicted on this outfit because it’s one of my favourites for Kaya in terms of its overall look and colouring. It looks lovely on her! It’s a unique and significant to Kaya and really stands out when she’s displayed with other dolls. I also just really enjoy the jingles…it’s so fun! I do wish my moccasins were in better shape (I don't know if this is a common problem or if it's unique to mine), but I'm thrilled to have this jingle dress.
Kaya and Tatlo are ready to dance!
