Saint Lucia Gown (RETIRED)

[QNPoohBear]

This outfit is worn by Kirsten in the book Kirsten’s Surprise. Released in 1986, retired with archival in 2009.

In Sweden, on the darkest day of the year, the oldest daughter dresses up as the Saint Lucia girl. She wears a beautiful white gown with a red sash and a wreath of glowing candles to symbolize the coming of brighter days. On Saint Lucia Day she wakes her family before daylight and takes them coffee and sweet buns. Your Kirsten doll can wear her long white gown trimmed with a bright red sash. Matching red hair ribbons and red-and-white-striped stockings are included with her outfit.


Kirsten's original St. Lucia gown is made from thick, plain cotton. The newer version is lightweight flannel. The dress is longer than any of Kirsten's other dresses - it comes to her ankles. It has delicate, pretty lace trim on the neck and sleeves. The sleeves are wide and come to a kind of point at the end. The dress has an elastic waist and a velcro patch on the back of the waist to velcro on the sash. The sash is woven and matches the hair ribbons. The sash is tightly woven and a very nice Christmas red color. The hair ribbons match her sash. The socks are red with horizontal white stripes. They are softer than her other socks and get fuzzy over time. The old ones I have look less like crew socks than the current ones. They are very unique and really Swedish looking. I really love this dress and Kirsten wears it as a night dress when the weather is cool but not cold enough for flannel.

Grade: A+

[cusco7980]

I have the original version. Everything is very nice. I even had my grandma make an outfit just like it for my sister when she was three. I would give it an A+

[chococat]

I just wanted to add that mine (circa 1994) has an attached sash. It is sewn into the back of the dress between the fabric and the velcro that closes the dress.

[Aaryana]

I have the Mattel version of this dress, and the quality is excellent! The gown itself is very soft fits my PM Kirsten fine. The socks also fit really well and are made with high quality. The ribbons are longer than her meet ribbons and also high quality. I'll post some extra pics after class.

ETA: Pics!

[rosieangel]

There are so many wonderful reviews of this dress that I don't need to add too much too them... The dress has an elasticized waist, so it fits Kirsten well, and the woven ribbon is sewn in at the back to hold it in place! Easy play at its finest!

The striped socks are very cute! I like to just leave Kirsten in them with no boots when she wears this dress. It's fun to imagine her padding around her house in her stocking feet! Matching red hair ribbons are also included for achieving a festive look.

[Buckingham Alice]

My Kirsten recently got this dress, and she loves it. The dress is very soft, and the socks are so cute. My only complaint is that the attached sash makes the dress the tiniest bit more difficult to pull up over the bum if you're not paying attention. A

[12kizuna]

Kirsten is ready to be St. Lucia in her re-purposed white nightgown!



The dress itself is fairly plain, but that's just fine because it's not supposed to be frilly or complicated. The red woven sash is sewed into the back of the dress, and you bring it around and tie it in the front.



The sleeves are wide and open at the bottom, with a plain trim that is the same as found around the neck.



Her hair ribbons are the same woven material and same shade as the sash.



The outfit does not have shoes, but does come with red and white striped socks that are about the same thickness and feel as her summer socks... maybe a little thicker.



Overall, it's a very pretty dress. this is not one that I owned as a child, because my mother thought it was very plain and looked like a nightgown (which it was supposed to, according to the books). It is all red and white, and without the wreath is nothing special, but Kirsten looks adorable in just about anything!

Overall, I give the dress a B. It is a beautiful holiday display outfit, but is best with the wreath.

[cymbre]

The wreath makes the outfit. The gown is simple enough that you could substitute something else or make your own. That said, the original is nice. Iconically Kirsten.

[chernayakoshka]

Gown – A+

This is a lovely gown. It’s made of a heavy, crisp cotton with lace at the neckline, sleeves, and hem. It’s longer than Kirsten’s other gowns and has wide sleeves and a high neck. It’s simplistic in design, but very clean and undeniably Swedish. It Velcros in the back for easy dressing. The red sash on mine (tagged 1994) is sewn into the back of the dress, so it’s impossible to lose.

Socks – A+

Standard AG socks with red and white stripes. They’re sufficiently thick and easy to put on. Comfy for winter and they match the outfit very well!

Ribbons – A

My ribbons are still in their package since I don’t really want to mess around with Kirsten’s hair, but they seem nice enough. They’re red and are made of a woven material to match the sash on the dress.

Good Value?

My version was tracked down on eBay for $50. It also came with the wreath, Sari, and tray and treats, so I thought this was a good deal. Some research has said that that it was $24 retail, which seems like a lot at the time given that it didn’t come with the wreath.

Overall – A+

This is such a classic part of Kirsten’s collection and holds such a significance in her story that it’s definitely think it’s worth tracking down on the secondary market. It stands out amongst my entire AG collection as something very different and it’s one of my favourite holiday dresses.

[keeperofthepast]

The gown is nice with a red woven sash and red and white striped socks. It would be easy enough to recreate though.