Flannel School Dress (RETIRED)

[cami713]

This outfit was released in 1986 and retired in 2008. It was worn by Samantha in the 1986 and 1998 editions of the book Samantha Learns a Lesson and in the 1986 edition of Changes for Samantha. It is sometimes referred to as her "Buster Brown dress".

Samantha wore her gray flannel dress with its snappy bow tie to school. It has a pleated skirt and placket front, both topstitched in white. Six buttons march down the front, and white collar and cuffs add finishing touches. It comes with a wide black satin hair ribbon.


PM, I think from 95 or 96.

The Good: I love this outfit. The color is a very nice grey, nice contrast from most of Sam's pink/white/pastel collection. This one looks nice with her (icky) meet shoes, or the upgrade ones. Ribbon is pretty. The Buster Brown style makes it seem *extra* historically accurate, always a plus.

The Bad: None, really.

The Rating: *****, A+

[QNPoohBear]

admin said:

OK mine has the same thing. I was thinking it is just something to keep the pleates in place intil I took it out. Am I wrong?

You're suppossed to take that out. As you said, the pleats in place.

[Tiffany]

My mom made this dress for me as a kid and I later purchased it from AG (Mattel version) and was disappointed that it was not made from flannel material as the description implies. Was the PM version made from the soft flannel?

[samo22]

uktmw said:

My mom made this dress for me as a kid and I later purchased it from AG (Mattel version) and was disappointed that it was not made from flannel material as the description implies. Was the PM version made from the soft flannel?

I think it might have been. I had a PM version when I was little, but I lost it and bought a Mattel version. For some reason I remember the PM version being different somehow, but I don't remember exactly.
---

I absolutely love this dress. It looks great on Samantha, but I may be biased because I like black a lot. I'm a little iffy on the fabric, but it's still nice. I'd definitely recommend it. A

[pidgetgirl]

I just got this outfit yesterday. It has a wonderful, simple but elegant look to it, and I think it's terrific as a school outfit. I also like the heavy material even if it doesn't seem to be flannel.

I would also recommend using Samantha's black and white button-up boots with this outfit. The black, white, and gray colors of the outfit and boots go together so well.

Grade: A+!

[scandia]

From afar, it seems like a very plain outfit. But once you put it on Samantha, it looks extremely cute. Possibly due to the way the skirt flares out. The ribbon and buttons on the front are very cute. I do put the white socks and mary janes with this shoes- as well as her hair in a ponytail. I bought mine in early 1997, just in case. The grade is A.

[Buckingham Alice]

I just got this outfit today and rushed to put her in it. I love it! So charming. It's simple and appropriate but still so cute. The grey of the outfit seems a little lighter in person than in pictures though, but the whole effect is quite stunning really.
A++

[QNPoohBear]

I love this dress and especially how it is modeled after the Buster Brown comic strip character's outfit AND it's copied from a sketch in a fashion magazine of the way. The wool flannel is thick and warm and the white collar and black bow make the outfit look very snappy. The white buttons down the front give it a nice flair. The white cuffs are a bit too big though. The oldest version of this dress velcros halfway down the back, then has one snap at the waist and then the skirt velcros. It makes for easy dressing. The hair ribbon is soft satin and makes a nice big bow. This dress looks great on Ruthie but the early PM version I have is WAY too big for her.
Grade: A

[LissieAB]

My dress is an '05 model and I love it! I agree that it is a nice addition to her wardrobe, since everything seems to be pink. I am fine with the material, though it is not flannel. I love the style of the dress - very different from her other dresses. The only problem I have with this dress is that some of the thread used to sew the top two buttons on seems to be coming through the button hole. I also love the black hair ribbon, and how it brings out the little black bow on the collar.

By the way, I didn't know about the pleats until today! I'll have to work on that...

[agfan84]

I have a PM sam and a Mattel dress. -- I just put it on Sam today for the first time to get her ready for school (dress was bought new last year from AGPNY when Samantha was being retired).

The main thing that bothers me is how the bow kind of rides up, facing samantha's chin instead of out wards.



sorry that sam is a mess in the picture, I just took it fast to show the bow

[samlizziesmom]

I have a PM Dress and yeah it is wool, although it felt a little cheap to me. It is one of my fave dresses for Sam. I love to put her in it in winter with her Muff & hat!

[rosieangel]

This is one of my favorite dresses for Samantha. It's such a smart look, and the fabric is wonderful - though not what I think of when I think of flannel. It feels more like a felted wool, perfect for crisp fall days. The contrast stitching and white buttons are very cute, and I don't have any problems with the riding up that other reviewers complained about when she wears this with her lacey whites, though the pleats tend to want to pop out under the full petticoat, which is its own problem. I give this an A based on its fabric and appearance.

Here is Samantha looking very cute and ready for... reading about cats.

Mod edit to remove broken image link

[1994samanthafan]

I have the 1989 version of this I bought mint from a board member. This has got to be one of my favorite outfits as an adult collector. As I child I loved the pink/pastelyness of Samantha's clothes - but this outfit is such a nice change. My Sam also wears it with her button boots - she looks adorable. My ribbon tie lays nice and flat, and the pleats are looking great. This is really a great outfit!
Buster Brown - A++

(Ignore the glasses/toothbrush - this was one of those quick request pictures)

[starwenn]

My poor Samantha needed winter clothes, so I got this for her off eBay. It didn't come with the ribbons, but she has plenty of white and black ones that look just fine. My version is PM. It feels nice and soft, not cheap at all. It looks good on her, and it's one of the few outfits in her collection that feels elegant without being too frou-frou.

[WildPigeonChase]

Pretty, but a little snug around the waist on my '99 Sam. However it seems big in the chest and sleeves, but that may just be the style. The dress is labeled made in China for AG in '86. I like the buttons on the front, and the little bow, which luckily I haven't had an issues with riding up. Sam looks really cute wearing it when playing with her other school accessories.

[cheshie04]

Samantha wore her gray flannel dress with its snappy bow tie to school. It has a pleated skirt and placket front, both top-stitched in white. Six buttons march down the front, and white collar and cuffs add finishing touches. It comes with a wide black satin hair ribbon.
SSO $18

This description comes from an early 90's catalog. I purchased my outfit in Fall 2005, and it came with the same things at a slightly higher price. I believe my set cost $22 or $24.

The color is a nice charcoal gray. The cuffs have velcro so as to fit over Sam's hands. The velcro on the cuffs and back however, is the thick, snagging velcro. Take care when Sam is wearing tights or her hair is in the way. My 2005 version fits my Mattel 2005 Sam perfectly. I roll the blouse over the skirt so the top is poofy like in old catalogs where I've seen similar girls' dresses. It isn't flannel, but feels like a thick stiff cotton (or linen?). The hair ribbon is definitely wide. It can be difficult to get looking perfectly, but is at least easy to tie in a bow.

I have not taken the extra stitching out of the pleats as I do not want them to be "wild". I do think the dress is of good quality and will stand up to play. It is nice that it can be used for a variety of scenarios/seasons. I love that the color is neutral. I believe you can still find this for relatively cheap on Ebay. A LOT were sold over the years.

The outfit is quintessential Samantha, a classic. A

[chernayakoshka]

If I’m going to be honest, I never wanted this dress as a kid. I saw it year after year in the catalogue and always passed it up as drab and boring. Sometimes, I dream of going back in time and giving little me a very firm slap. This is a fantastic, classic outfit that is a must-have for any Samantha collector.

Dress – A+

The dress is a nice charcoal colour with white cuffs, neckline, and stitching. White buttons and a black bow finish the look. I don’t think the material is flannel, but mine is some sort of cotton that feels pretty comfortable. The sleeves have Velcro to aid in getting Samantha in and out of the dress. It looks very sophisticated on her and I love how “Victorian” it feels. With it being so easy to put on and take off, I could see it getting a lot of play and I think it would stand up to that play very well. I think my dress is a Mattel one (I got it from the secondary market), but it fits my chubby PM Samantha very well.

I don’t have the hair ribbon, so I can’t speak to that, but the dress is one of my favourite pieces in Samantha’s collection. It just looks so good on her and stands out from the rest of her collection with its dark colour and subdued elegance.

[bhaythie]

I wanted this outfit for my dolls so bad when I was a kid, and I'm thrilled to have it now. This dress is simple and stunning. The grey color is a lovely contrast to everything else in Samantha's collection. The fabric is thick and I like that you can see the different thread colors used in the weave of the fabric. The pleating is very pretty. My Samantha always wears her undergarments and the skirt for the Lacy Whites does change the look of the pleats for this dress (pictured with Lacy Whites). The hair ribbon is wide and silky which made it very easy to tie a pretty bow. I prefer to have Samantha wear boots instead of the AG Mary Janes with this dress like on her book cover.
Grade: A

[keeperofthepast]

I love this outfit. The gray is a lovely choice and adds a unique color to Samantha's wardrobe. The white collar and cuffs and the black bow make a very sweet dress. One of my favorites.