Party Outfit (Party Dress & Spencer Jacket) (retired)

[Grandma Nonnie]

This outfit was introduced as the Party Dress & Spencer Jacket in 1999 for $22. In January 2009 the name changed to Party Outfit and sold for $28. Retired in December 2014.

Josefina’s party dress was inspired by the fashions of women who visited from Mexico City wearing the latest European styles. It’s made of pale pink calico with a raised Empire waist and tabbed trim. Her fitted black spencer jacket is as flattering as it is fashionable.


I love this outfit. The scoop neck empire waisted dress is a soft pale pink with delicate flowers on vines. The hem has beautiful detail with 3 tucks and a scalloped trim. The trim is repeated around the high waist seam. The skirt is actually pleated at that seam. The short jacket is a beautiful soft wool /wool blend and is fully lined. The sleeves of the jacket are velcro under decorative button trim. The front of the jacket has 4 tiny buttons that actually are buttons with buttonholes. The bottom band of the jacket has the asymmetrical detail with the tab to the right of center. The tab has a snap closure. This looks beautiful on. I do pair this with the soft beige fringed shoes from Josefina's shoes and socks and her ruffled pantalettes from her Christmas outfit. I will post pics later

See album link in message dated 10/7

[Tiffany]

Just a side note. Be careful with the spencer jacket. I had it on my Josefina for only a few weeks and it stained her arms with black marks!

[Grandma Nonnie]

I finally got an album of pictures together of this outfit. Sorry it took so long.

[QNPoohBear]

This is the best ever Josefina dress. The dress is a beautiful off white color with tiny flowers. It has little sort sleeves and is trimmed in delicate lace. The Spencer jacket feels like wool and it has real buttons. The only negative thing about this dress is that the buttons are incredibly hard to button. They are also really tiny and sewn on loosely and might get lost of they fall off.

Grade: A

Susanna looks just like Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice in this dress. (She'd rather be compared to Caroline's cousin or friend)









It looks very English with a poke bonnet


No spencer


Ruth pairs the dress with Josefina's weaving rebozo to play Jane Austen

[scandia]

I like this outfit quite a bit. The buttons in the jacket are hard to button- but otherwise it is very nice. The dress can be worn on its own. If the jacket is closed, it looks a bit too heavy. A-

[American Girl Rescue]

Just adding some pictures of the dress and jacket. Grade A from me!

Josefina's Regency style party dress

Josefina's Spencer Jacket

[FarmhouseGirl]

I quite like Josefina's spencer dress, it is very pretty and very summery. The jacket I've heard can stain doll's arms, but I've never had a problem. Here are some photos-





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_{*oversized image embed removed as per AGPT rules*}

[princessemily]

This dress is one of my favorites--certainly one of Josefina's best! I prefer the dress over the jacket, but as for the jacket, I haven't had any problems with the jacket bleeding.

Grade: A+

[Wickfield]

Let me count the ways I ADORE THIS DRESS. It's perfectly Regency, and in my opinion it might carry over into the Romantic period. We bought it in 2005, and the fabric is quality but still thin enough to count as a summer dress; also, although the description calls it "pale pink" it's really more beige. There's a picture of a very similar fabric in Josefina's World, so the fabric is even historically accurate! There are no problems with the cut - Empire waist, scoop neckline, and square shoulders, although I will mention that the tab trim around the waist will stick out if the seam for the waist does not lay flat underneath. Also, the dress is a little short on it's own, so it really needs to be paired with Josefina's Christmas pantalettes for decency. : )

The spencer jacket seems a little too heavy to go with the party dress, but only because it is MADE OF REAL WOOL! It is heavy and thick, and lined with black satin. It velcros at the arms but it actually buttons and snaps up the front. Also, the collar can lay down or be turned up, as in my picture. The buttons are sewn on kind of loosely and I'm afraid they could fall off.

FWIW, I also have had a PM version of this, and I could detect no differences whatsoever. The PM wool jacket may have been the tiniest bit thinner but I'm not even sure about that. So now we know that there wasn't much of a change in this set from its introduction in 98/99 to the 2005 Mattel edition.

I give this set an A!

More pics so you can actually see how it looks on my Josefina :

[LaurenInChicago]

The dress from this set is so beautiful. Its soft, its cut nicely so Josefina wears it well and I love the tiny floral pattern on it. The jacket I don't use. I'm not fond of the fabric and I am afraid that the sleeves will stain, as I have heard others say it does, so I just don't use it. But the dress gets an A+.

[green chile supergirl]

I think the dress is absolutely lovely. The colors are delicate and the trimming is so nice. The empire waist style looks beautiful on Josefina.

Unfortunately, I really don't care for the bolero. I feel like the black just doesn't go particularly well with the delicate colors of the dress. I certainly appreciate that the jacket closes with real buttons, but it just doesn't match this dress- or anything else Josefina wears, except perhaps the Christmas dress.

Grade: B


Without the jacket


With the jacket.

[reenee11]

I may be going against the majority view, but I don't love the party dress as much as I thought I would. I don't get the black wool jacket with a very light,airy summer dress. I prefer Josefina's riding dress. I have seen the party dress alone on other dolls, and love it on them, but don't care for it as much on Josefina.

[Rollsinsnow]

I dislike the wool jacket, I can never seem to get it to hang correctly.

[skukla]

[dragonflybg]

The dress looks great on every doll I've put it on so far. However, I'm not a fan of the jacket. It just doesn't seem to pair well with the dress.

[Buckingham Alice]

Oh, man. I had wanted this dress since approximately forever, and it came today. I don't have Josefina (yet... although soon...), but my Marisol is currently wearing this. (Looks gorgeous on her... will post pics later.) She's wearing it with Addy's work shoes since I don't have Josefina's white mocs and they were the only non velour (lol) slip on shoes I had handy in an appropriate color scheme. It's a pretty cute combo, tbh.

I love this dress. The fabric is thick enough to not feel cheap, but still an appropriate thickness for spring/early summer. The print is just gorgeous, and the scalloped trim is the perfect touch. I feel like it's a tad shorter than I'd prefer, but when I get the Christmas outfit, she'll wear the combination undergarment from that set with this one.

The jacket is cute. The material isn't quite what I expected, but it's still nice. The buttons are real, but they are a little difficult to undo, not unlike Rebecca's school sweater. There's a little plastic snap on the jacket's bottom tab... plastic snaps always *feel* fragile and like they're just about to break, so I would exercise caution with that one. I would have preferred a metal snap, or even velcro. (I know... boooo hisss)

A+ for the dress, B for the jacket, A- for the set.

ETA: Pics:

[The Dread Pirate Lady M]

I give this set a solid A. The fabric of the dress is soft and durable and it looks lovely on Josefina. The jacket is well made and is versatile. I have a black and red print regency gown from ebay that it looks lovely with. I am delighted that AG is still producing items like this.

My Josefina wears the choker from the Heirloom Accessories set with this dress and it looks wonderful. I have seen this dress paired with the fringed, ecru colored shoes from the Shoes and Socks set, but I prefer to use the more delicate black slippers from the new Dress and Vest set.

[madeleine]

I never liked this dress till I joined this board. The catalogue can't seem to do it justice. But after seeing all the wonderful pictures on here, I fell in love. Then once Caroline was announced, I decided I should get it so she'll have it once she gets here.
The dress is really pretty by itself. Lovely and delicate, but I can still see it as an everyday type dress.

I'm like many others, and don't feel that the jacket matches this dress. But the jacket itself I think is wonderful. Its a black wool fabric, and is fully lined. The little buttons actually button. I didn't have trouble using them, but I can see how a child might. Even though it doesn't really "go" with this dress, I think it'll be a good piece to have in Caroline's collection.

[starwenn]

The Josefina I found at a yard sale yesterday came wearing this dress, without the black jacket. She has splendid taste. I've long thought this was Josefina's prettiest Regency-style outfit. I love the sweet, dainty print and lace trim. This is also one of Josefina's more versatile dresses. The neutral colors looks good on almost every doll AG makes and can pass as a modern dress as well. Worth picking up for Josefina, Caroline, or even modern girls.

[Aisling]

I decided to grab this set online before they ran out after noticing it was being retired. I'm not sure what took me so long! It is everything perfect and wonderful and IMO one of the best outfits AG has made. The spencer is a nice think wool like material with wonderful detailing and REAL BUTTONS!! I absolutely adore real dolly buttons! AND it is fully lined. This is a win. The dress is quite stunning as well and very versatile. The pattern is scaled appropriately however I do wish it was a bit longer.

A++++ in my opinion (:

[Wickfield]

Also wanted to add that in Josefina's paper dolls, this dress was identified as the one she wore to Papa and Tia Dolores' wedding at the end of her "Changes" book.

[chernayakoshka]

Dress: A+

This is an absolutely lovely dress! It stands out from the rest of Joesfina’s collection as more traditional regency…with a Santa Fe twist. The fabric is thick, but still appropriate for summer (it feels like it’d breathe). Both the hem and the waist have scalloped lace tabs that give the dress an elegant feel. I’m personally a sucker for growth lines, and we see them both at the hem and maybe on the sleeves. The waistline is pleated at the top for a flattering fit. Oh, and the best part? These details go all the way around the dress! No stopping after the front here! The pattern is summery and cheery, feeling both period and location authentic.

It opens in the back with Velcro, so it’s easy to put on…just be careful because it’s the snagging Velcro. The fit is very flattering while having enough room to accommodate both PC and AG girls.



Spencer Jacket: A

This is a very well-made jacket! It feels like real wool and is fully lined. The four small buttons actually work (a bit difficult, perhaps, for tiny hands, but I love the detail) and there’s a durable plastic snap at the bottom to help hold it closed. The sleeves have Velcro closures (disguised as buttons) to make getting it over the doll’s hands a bit easier. It goes to the umpire waist of the dress and looks, for lack of a better term, very smart.

My only complaint is that it doesn’t seem to really go with the dress. I love the jacket on its own and how it looks, feels, and works like a real jacket, but it feels a bit heavy for a summer outfit. I’m in Ohio and I couldn’t imagine wearing something this thick in the summer, even during cooler evenings.



Good Value?

When the outfit debuted, it was $22, later raised to $28. Given the overall quality of the pieces, I think this is a fair price. I normally prefer outfits to come with shoes if they’re going to cost that much, but the dress and spencer are incredibly well-made. I got mine in a lot of clothing for about $10, which I’m exceptionally happy with. I feel like I don’t see this on the secondary market super often, but it’s not outrageously expensive when I do.

Overall: A+

Honestly, when I initially got this outfit, I intended it to be for Caroline. It has a classic regency look that would work very well for her. When Eldora joined the doll family earlier this year, she put the kibosh on that idea and claimed the dress as hers. Caroline might get to try it someday – we’ll see! This is yet another outfit that I used to ignore in the catalogue when I was a kid, but I’m thrilled to have it now, especially since the pieces are so well-made. It’s very different from a lot of Josefina’s other outfits and gives the collection some variety. I LOVE this outfit!


With the jacket (in some lovely fall weather - hopefully Eldora is cooler than she was wearing this in the summer!)


And without the jacket. It's a chilly day today, so I think she looks a little cold!

[keeperofthepast]

This is a stunning dress. maybe my favorite in Josefina's collection. I don't have the Spencer, but didn't want it either. I think this is a perfect spring dress.

23 by Laura *, on Flickr