Holiday Outfit (Christmas Dress & Mantilla) (retired)

[zozey]

This outfit was worn by Josefina in the books Josefina's Surprise and Josefina Learns a Lesson. Released as Christmas Dress & Mantilla in 1997 for $22, name changed to Holiday Outfit in December 2008, sold on clearance for $19 in April 2016. Replaced with Navidad Outfit in 2016.

Josefina saved her very best dress for the most blessed night of the year, la Noche Buena—Christmas Eve. Tía Dolores provided the elegant striped fabric. But Josefina chose the stylish pattern and sewed every stitch herself by hand! With it she wore ruffled pantalettes, white stockings, black slippers, and a fine lace mantilla, a veil held on with a fancy comb.


I love this outfit! It is very stylish, and I love the puffed shoulders!
The Mantilla is just as nice as the dres.... the lace drapes so gracefully, and the little comb that goes into Josefina's hair is so beautiful! The little leather shoes are very sweet! I was very surprised with the pantelletes.... I thought it meant plain underwear! the little buttons and ribbons are very realistic!
A++++++++++++++++++++++++ x 3005789907654!

[scandia]

I did not realize just how beautiful Josefina looked in this outfit until I had her wear it to cosplay another character. But it is fantastic. At first I was not too thrilled by the colors, but they do work well for the doll. The design is beautiful. My favorite aspect is the veil and mantilla. And the shoes also go well with most of Josefina's other outfits. The pantalettes are cute, though I don't always use them. A+

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[Mars]

This outfit is much prettier in person than it looks on the website. There's a lot more color to it (red as well as the yellow and black, and hints of green). The pattern is lovely, too. I have a little trouble with the shoes, which tend to pucker in when I'm trying to put them on, but overall the fit is good. I bought it used and it is still in great condition, so I think the durability is probably high as well. A.

[American Girl Rescue]

Josefina’s Christmas Dress
Item# D5932
$22 (various price increases and now $32 new)

For the most blessed night of the year, la Noche Buena (Christmas Eve), Josefina wears this special outfit:

A dress made with elegant striped fabric from Tía Dolores—Josefina chose the styish pattern and sewed it by hand
Ruffled pantalettes, white stockings, and black slippers
A fine lace mantilla, a veil held in place by a fancy comb


I love the bright colors on the material of this dress. The pictures can never do it justice.

PC fabric on the left of Nina/ Mattel fabric on the right

The dress has a Regency style bodice with puffed, long sleeves. The empire waist is set off with a small black ribbon permanently tied in a bow.

The Mantilla is a beautiful black lacy veil that is connected to a tortoise-shell colored comb to help hold it in her hair.

tortoise shell comb and close up of mantilla material

Her undergarments are a one piece jump-suit style shift. They close in the back with velcro. They have two tiny bows and three buttons on the front. The bottom of the legs have a swipe of ribbon and ruffle.

Bows and buttons down the front of the undergarment

ribboned and ruffled hem

The outfit also comes with white cotton knee socks and slip on loafers to complete her Christmas outfit.

white knee socks and imitation leather slip on shoes

Grade A for everything! This is a great outfit.

[QNPoohBear]

FYI: This is now called Josefina's Holiday Outfit

I love this dress! It's so much more beautiful in person. I adore the empire waist and the little ruffles on the bodice and sleeves and the black ribbon at the waist. The socks are a little thick and white seems rather impractical. The shoes are nice and with some shoving, they fit over the socks on big PM /Goetz feet. The undergarment is so cute! The legs are a little long though. Does anyone have instructions to put the comb in easily? It didn't work on someone who wasn't Josefina. My only complaint is the product sticker on the comb that won't come off. I need to try more drastic measures than fingernails.

Grade: A+

[Wickfield]

The dress - This is one of my all time favorite outfits for Josefina to wear. I got mine in 2004, so the dress fabric is the second edition, with a slightly more simple print. It really does not make much of a difference to me (except you would have to get a Nina from around the same year). The dress is cut with an Empire waist, and the sleeves puff at the shoulders. The dress falls to about ankle length to show the pantalettes. In case you're wondering, the ribbon edging does continue all the way around. This outfit combines the Regency style and the Spanish influence of New Mexico perfectly, and it looks wonderful on Josefina! A+

The mantilla - the veil itself is made of a relatively sturdy nylon tulle fabric. It doesn't pick easily, though I would still store it gingerly with all the velcro of American Girl. I tried to get a good picture of the embroidery detail - the edges of the veil are stitched with black flowers. The comb is attatched, fortunately, and is an imitation of tortoiseshell but I think it's just one color, without any spots; interestingly, a 2001 catalog described the comb as velvet, but mine was certainly not. The prongs of the comb are nearly horizontal making it very easy to slide into Josefina's hair. In my opinion, the outfit really needs the mantilla to look complete, and once you get it arranged correctly it adds a very Spanish touch. A+

The pantalettes - I LOVE THIS PIECE! IThe pantalettes are sewn in one-piece like a pair of overalls. The majority is made of cotton, and the straps are woven. The bottoms are gathered in ruffles with a ribbon stitched over the top. Though the piece velcros up the back, there are tiny buttons stitched to the front, as well as a white ribbon. This is kind of impressive detail, considering you'll probably never see the pantalettes without something over them. Again, these are a necessary piece because the dress would look too short otherwise - they are also very handy for the party dress and probably for Josefina's new fiesta dress. A+

The stockings - Not much to discuss here, really. They're made of stretchy, ribbed tights-like material - I have a pair of Samantha's Christmas tights and they are the same fabric. They go past Josefina's knees and are the same style as the socks of her shoes and socks. I actually pair these stockings with her party dress, too. For what they are, I give them an A.

The shoes - the shoes are kind of boring but they certainly don't detract from the dress. They are simple slip-ons, made of a thin but sturdy material that may be representative of leather. They fit well over the stockings. I have the velvet flats from the AGT First Day Outfit and these are very similar. A

[LaurenInChicago]

I really like this outfit for Josefina. I was surprised to learn the dress was cotton when I received because in pictures it always looked more shiny to me, but I love that its cotton. The pantalettes, socks and shoes that come with it are a great addition, I use the shoes with other Josefina outfits as well. The best part of this set is the mantilla that comes with it, it looks so beautiful on Josefina! <b>A</b>

[green chile supergirl]

Josefina sewed this gown all by herself, with fancy material from Abuelito and instructions from Tia Dolores's Mexico City sewing book.

I nominate this outfit for Best Value of all of Josefina's outfits. The dress is really striking. At first, I didn't particularly care for the print, but it has grown on me considerably over the years. The socks are very versatile; unlike the ones from her shoes and socks sets, these socks actually fit under her slippers- and her moccasins!

The undergarment is very elegant- my Josefina likes to wear it under all her empire-waisted dresses. The mantilla is a gorgeous addition to the outfit. I found it a bit difficult to put on Josefina when she's wearing two French braids, but it all worked out in the end.

Grade: A

[FelicityFan85]

This is a lovely dress for Josefina. I love the regency style and the fabric pattern. It comes with fancy undergarments, socks, shoes and a mantilla-lots of nice pieces. Josefina looks very pretty. A+!

[skukla]

[mzmelody1]

Christmas Dress ~ I have Kaya dressed in Josefina's holiday dress. Isn't she stunning! I think her coloring is really complimented by this dress. I didn't like the pattern until I saw it in person, it was kind of dizzying at first glance. I love the thin black ribbon and bow detail. I think this dress is well worth the purchasing price. I bought this dress used so I am missing her socks and slippers but I think my alternatives still work to complete the look. Oh and the comb and mantilla are so delicate looking. It's nice to have a holiday look that's not red and green. A

[starwenn]

I got this on eBay this past summer with everything included, though I can't seem to find the undergarments at the moment. I always found Josefina's Christmas dress to be a little odd until I saw it in person. Now I love it. The pattern is pretty, the design is elegant, and the colors are lovely on Josefina and unique for the Historical line (where most of the holiday dresses are red, green, or purple). The simple shoes and delicate mantilla and comb add the perfect finishing touch. A must for any Josefina collection, and very much worth the price tag.

[Erin]

It looks lovely on Marie-Grace too! My Kira is a time traveller, so she gets to visit many eras. She loves this dress. We don't use the mantilla however, as it is religious headwear. Kira is not of Josefina's religion, so it would be offensive for her to use the mantilla.

[Wickfield]

A new photo from this year, I've had this outfit for 13 years now and it's still going strong!

I love the yellow color, Josefina glows like a candle when she wears it.

[keeperofthepast]

Beautiful outfit. I love the sleeve design and the Empire waistline. The black bow at the waist is a sweet touch. The mantilla is lovely and the fancy tortoiseshell comb makes Josefina look elegant.

z4 by Laura *, on Flickr