Dolly Dress Discussion: Spring duds for Barbie, part 2

Part Two of my Spring-themed dolly dress haul!  This post sort of picks up where the other left off, with retro dolls wearing some new old stuff.
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OUTFIT #7:  Best Buy #1354 in sizes for Barbie and Skipper, 1978
MODELS:  Twist 'n' Turn Stacey, Val (early Malibu Barbie), another TNT Stacey, and Living Fluff
DESCRIPTION:  Like Fashion Avenue I'm quite fond of these old Best Buy dresses, as they appear to have been a good way for some little seventies girl to flesh out her doll's wardrobe without spending a ton of money.  Regarding these particular dresses, I usually put one of these on P.J. so that she and Fluff match, but P.J. is wearing that Fashion Avenue getup so Flip Stacey volunteered to wear one.  And whatever one Stacey does, the others like to do too.  These are simple slip-on dresses with strappy sleeves and ties at the waist.

Fluff's dress is constructed a bit differently, with a bodice that's not terribly unlike the bib part of a pair of overalls.  This dress also has a tie, but it doesn't wrap around the waist like the bigger dolls' dresses do.

One of the interesting things I've noticed is that this dress appears to come in at least two variations.  Val's dress is brightly colored (not unlike a package of Fruit Stripe gum), while Ponytail Stacey's dress is more muted in shades of lavender, salmon pink, magenta, and lemon yellow.

Adding to the confusion is Flip Stacey's dress, which is the same color scheme as Ponytail Stacey's but in a lighter shade and with wider white stripes in between the colors.

Normally I'd just chalk this up to fading and go on with my life, but A, the colors on Flip's dress are very even for a fade job, and B, Fluff's dress matches perfectly.

So I'm not sure if there are three color variations here or if two of these dresses just faded very evenly.  I don't guess it matters much, but I'm still curious.  It was not uncommon for vintage Barbie outfits to have a number of variations (check out Best Bow for a good example), and indeed another version of this dress appears to exist, one that's even paler than Flip's dress!
PROS:  These are simple, retro, and brightly colored, perfect for my Mod Squad here.  The material is also soft and stretchy, perfect for these old, curvy TNT bodies.  Lastly, I like that the fit can be adjusted by virtue of those sashes.
CONS:  The back seam of Val's dress is coming undone.  I suspect that this may be age-related.

I can mend Val's seam, but I can't fit the bizarre fit of Fluff's dress.  This is hard to describe in words and hard to photograph, but I'll try.

Doesn't something look off to y'all?  I can certainly testify that it's hard to adjust the fit of this dress.  No matter what I do to it, it's baggy.  Maybe it was meant to be worn over a peasant top?
RATING:  9 out of 10.  Minus one half-point for that seam coming undone (just a half because I can fix it), minus one half for Fluff's ill-fitting bodice.  None of these outfits came with shoes, but I don't think any Best Buy dresses did so I won't dock points in that category.
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OUTFIT #8:  Swirly Cue, 1968-69
MODEL:  Farrah (another Malibu Barbie)
DESCRIPTION:  This is one of my all-time favorite vintage Barbie outfits.  I'm a big fan of the Mod era, and this outfit is as Mod as they come.  Unfortunately all my other Mod dolls have been shown already, so the not-so-Mod Farrah ended up with it.  Maybe I'm weird, but I see Barbie's Mod era as having ended with the debut of the Superstar head, thus why I consider Val a Mod doll and Farrah a not-so-Mod doll.  But then again, just about any doll is capable of looking decent in these older outfits.  Anywho, Swirly Cue is a very typical fashion for the late sixties, being a Pucci-style minidress with little pleats at the hem.  The bodice has darts, something that few doll dresses have nowadays, and the back...THE BACK ZIPS!!!

I own exactly one other doll dress that zips, and that dress belongs to Infinity A. Byss.  All my other doll dresses (including my handful of vintage Barbie items) snap, Velcro, or hook closed, and some just slip or tie on.  This dress also came with its own shoes; I think the proper shoes for Swirly Cue were pink closed-toe pumps, but mine has era-appropriate "pilgrim" shoes like what my P.J. usually wears.

This dress also once came with earrings, but mine are MIA.  No biggie, since most of my Mod-era dolls don't have pierced ears anyway, AND since Twist 'n' Turn dolls are apparently some of the worst about getting green ear (according to Barbie Bazaar, anyway).  Reproductions are available if I ever want any.
PROS:  When new this dress came with accessories, and though mine is missing its earrings it's good to know they existed.  The fabric is very sturdy, which is good because that factors into the main problem with this outfit.
CONS:  There are a few age-related pulls and thin spots, with the worst one being these tiny holes on Farrah's left breast.

I'll be attacking that with some Fray-Stop so it won't get worse.
RATING:  9.75 out of 10.  Minus one quarter of a point for age-related wear, which I knew existed when I bought this dress.  Y'all really can't beat these old Barbie clothes.
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OUTFIT #9:  boxed fashion, 2018
MODEL:  China (petite Fashionista #25 "Blue Brocade")
DESCRIPTION:  Green has always been my favorite color, but I nurse a special fondness for blue as well.  In fact, I've been actively seeking out blue doll clothes lately.  I prefer the darker shades but I'm not picky, and I'm particularly pleased to see other colors besides hot pink being used. The bodice has sparkly polka dots on the front AND the back.

PROS:  Uh...it's BLUE!!!  I also love the elegance of this, and the full skirt that makes China look a little bigger than she really is.  Oh, and did I mention that the bodice has polka dots???  It's very hard to go wrong with polka dots.
CONS:  China is petite, and "petite" means petite all over, including the bust.  China's chest doesn't quite fill out this bodice.

It's not that bad, but I thought I'd mention it.  No, the worst thing about this outfit is that it didn't come with shoes. 
RATING:  8.5 out of 10.  One point docked for a lack of shoes (this is slowly becoming a theme) and half for the loose bodice, which I have to keep pulling into place.  That's not THAT bad, but it does get frustrating after awhile.
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OUTFIT #10:  Still another boxed getup, 2017-18.  I call this one "the one with the saxophone."
MODEL:  So In Style Baby Phat Chandra, who coincidentally looks a lot like China
DESCRIPTION:  It's the saxophone outfit that I got so excited about!  I've seen Barbie play the piano, the guitar, and the violin on plenty of occasions, but I don't remember EVER seeing a saxophone included with an outfit.  The dress itself is a blush-colored empire-waist with gold glitter on the bodice.  The skirt is ever so lightly ribbed.

I find it ironic that in China's entry I spoke of being glad that less pink was being used for Barbie, and yet here's Chandra modeling something pink!  But as I said above it's one of my favorite shades of pink, and it's NOT hot pink like so much of Barbie's nineties wardrobe was.
PROS:  The color of this dress is stunning.  I gripe often about the overuse of pink in Barbie's wardrobe, but this is a shade I absolutely love.  And then there's that saxophone, which I'm delighted to have in my collection.
CONS:  Once again, this outfit didn't have to come with shoes.  I got these shoes from Yesteryear Finds USA, an Etsy shop.  They're the perfect mix of pink and gold, a color that I don't ever remember Barbie shoes coming in.

The proprietor of Yesteryear Finds requests that those looking for Barbie shoes kindly send her a message and she'll try to find the shoes in question.  Her shop can be found HERE.
RATING:  9 out of 10.  Minus one point for no shoes...again.  Good thing I was able to find a decent pair of shoes elsewhere, or Chandra would be like Natalie was yesterday.
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OUTFIT SET #11:  I call this one the "rockin' red" set.  Dates from 2017 or 2018
MODELS:  Minnie (left, petite Fashionista #81 "Cheerful Check") and Norelle (right, original Fashionista #82 "Chic in Chambray")
DESCRIPTION:  Last ones, I promise!  I originally wanted Norelle to wear the saxophone dress for a rather convoluted reason, but she couldn't hold the saxophone as well as Chandra can so I put her in one of these instead.  Anywho, Minnie is wearing a red and black plaid dress that comes to her knees, a black faux leather jacket, and her own stock shoes.  Norelle is wearing a gray graphic T-shirt with red trim and a matching pleather skirt (I hate pleather), plus a pair of black heels from one of the add-on packs.
PROS:  These are mildly edgy for Barbie clothes, taking on a slightly punk or rocker flavor rather than the glamorous or earthy styles that have been prevalent.  It's always nice to see Mattel going off in this direction.
CONS:  No shoes, dammit.
RATING:  9 out of 10.  Minus one point for a lack of shoes...again.  At least that purse looks like a convincing purse; so many of Barbie's purses don't look like purses, or they're omitted altogether.

I had plans to include Licca-chan in this as well.  Yeah, I know the title says "Barbie," but Licca has a nice new dress that I'm dying to show off.  Unfortunately for Licca, I'm in the process of rebodying her...and the blankety-blank body STILL hasn't made an appearance!  It shipped three weeks ago...not one, not two, but three, and it's not here.  I'm getting her an Azone body, and I wanted to unveil it here, but how can I unveil a body if it's not here yet???  The late, great Tom Petty wasn't lying when he said the waiting was the hardest part, though I doubt he was waiting for a parcel to come in the mail.

So I've whiled away one day and seventeen hours of my three-day Facebook block with these two posts...now to come up with something else.  LOL, whatever it is y'all will be the first to know.  If the admins at Facebook don't chill out I may tell them to sod themselves and find some other social media site to terrorize.

Cheers,
RagingMoon1987

A random post about head molds

This could've been a post for Sunday since this is a random post and I like posting random stuff on Sunday.  But I like for Sunday posts to have just one picture and a brief blip of commentary (Gerda's post was an exception), and this post became more labor-intensive than I had planned.  I was farting around with my Barbie boxes this afternoon (I have five of them), trying to pick out favorite head molds, when it occurred to me that most of my favorites have something very crucial in common.  Barbie is known nowadays for having a smile with teeth showing, right?  Something like this:

I'm extremely fond of Mara, who has the new Teresa sculpt, but a lot of Barbie dolls look like that.  They have big, infectious smiles that convey excitement or unbridled joy, and that's fine.  But if y'all know me by now then you know that I love to be the oddball, and a lot of my favorite heads have closed smiles that show no teeth.  The pictures are all poorly lit; I promise to rectify that in the near future.

KAYLA/LEA

DOLL PICTURED:  Palm Beach Lea
DOLL'S NAME:  Lea
I own several dolls with this face, including one (Keiko) who has made several appearances here in the past.  The face was initially used for two friends of Barbie named Kayla and Lea, but other characters use it as well.  The doll above, a member of the Palm Beach Barbie line, is the first one I owned with this head.  This particular doll is obviously supposed to look Asian, but the Kayla/Lea head can be any race one chooses.  She makes a good black doll, and a good Latina, and good white chick.  The Fashionistas line appears to be fond of this head; I've seen several with it, and I even own one.  This is Fashionistas #19 Ruby Red Floral, but I just call her Junko.

The Fashion Fever line liked it too, as can be seen with the un-renamed Kayla (left) and Keiko.

And lastly, my beautiful Shakira doll uses this head.  I never was a big Shakira fan during my adolescence, but this lovely doll was too much to pass up.

This head was also used in the Dolls of the World series, usually for Latina or Oriental characters.

KIRA/MARINA

DOLL PICTURED:  Western Fun Nia
DOLL'S NAME:  Imelda
Imelda's hair has seen better days, but her facepaint is intact so here she is.  Unlike the Kayla/Lea head, this one is almost exclusively for Oriental dolls.  She had two names: Kira for North America, and Marina for Europe.  I like the name Marina better, but regardless of the name this has always been one of my favorite heads.  I only owned one Kira as a child (Sun Jewel Kira), and I still only have a few, two of which happen to be the same doll.  Yep, I own two Very Velvet Kira dolls, one with shorn hair and one that's almost all-original.

Go figure on how that happened.  Anyway, I always loved Kira's sweet face.  I liked her friends, but in my child's eyes Kira was always more approachable with her closed-lipped smile that didn't look like Miss America's toothy grin.  Kira is unfortunately a rare breed now; she saw heavy usage during the early Dolls of the World run appearing in Latina, Oriental, and Native American form, but since then this head has slowly dropped off the map.  The last Kira I saw was the relatively recent Mutya Barbie...and she has teeth showing!!!  What a beauty Mutya is, though!  This head needs a playline revival in the Fashionistas line.

MACKIE

DOLL PICTURED:  Butterfly Art Barbie

DOLL'S NAME:  Madeline, or "Maddie"

First of all...FIRST WAVE DOLL!!!  She has the tattoo on her tummy and everything.  That being said, I started seeing Mackie dolls when I was about eight.  The head got its start on those crazy-expensive dolls that Bob Mackie designed, but later started popping up on playline dolls as well.  Bead Blast Barbie is my personal favorite of these, but it's hard to pick just one when there are so many nice Mackie-headed dolls out there.  The Mackie head was used heavily during the Fashion Fever years, and during the Barbie Basics era, and it still appears on the more affordable collector dolls, like the Christmas dolls.  I only have four Mackie dolls in my collection, and of those four I could only find and photograph Maddie (above) and Cherry, a rebodied Christmas doll. 

For some reason Cherry has a Stardoll body.  Remember those, the ones that had no joints at the hips?  Yeah...I'm going to have to fix this somehow.  eBay might have a spare Made to Move body somewhere. 

MBILI

DOLL PICTURED:  So In Style Baby Phat Grace

DOLL'S NAME:  Grace

This face is used almost exclusively for black dolls, though I have seen one Latina with this face.  I didn't like the first doll with this face, but it's since grown on me and become one of my favorites.  The Mbili face can look approachable and fun-loving like Grace, or focused and ambitious like Chandra...

...or innocent like Trichelle...

...or edgy and fierce like China. 

I like the detail in this face as well; if you look closely it's possible to see laugh lines and other contours that a real face has.  I've heard collectors complain that the Mbili head is overused, and this may be a valid claim since I see it in every major Barbie line that Mattel creates.  Basics, LOOK, and Fashionistas all use this face heavily, and I have so many in my collection that I can't show them all here without making this post crazy-long.  I do love the face, though.  It's very versatile, which may explain why Mattel uses it so heavily.

RAQUELLE

DOLL PICTURED:  Life in the Dreamhouse Raquelle

DOLL'S NAME:  Raquelle

I'm pretty sure that this one is a one-off; after the Dreamhouse line ended I never saw it again.  I can understand why since it's pretty character-specific, but I still think it's a shame to only use it once or twice.  Dolls with lopsided smiles are not particularly common inside or outside the Barbie world; Raquelle and her Dreamhouse compadre Teresa both had cockeyed grins, but that's it!  I love the goofy snarkiness of this face, by the way.  It's perfect for Raquelle's role as the show's "antagonist," of sorts.

STEFFIE

DOLL PICTURED:  Cool Times Midge

DOLL'S NAME:  None yet; I tend to call all my Midge dolls "Midge" for some strange reason.

The Steffie head goes back quite a way; I think 1971 was the year that the first doll was released.  The character herself didn't live too long, only seeing three incarnations (Busy Steffie, Talking Busy Steffie, and Walk Lively Steffie).  The head though...it's been around a lot.  Midge has used it twice so far, first in the late eighties (seen above) and again in the Dreamhouse line.  Christie, Teresa and P.J. used this face, as did a long list of short-lived characters and Barbie herself.  Pilar, below, is an All-American Teresa.

It saw usage in the Barbie Basics line, and the entire Birthstone Beauties line was comprised of Steffie dolls.  Like the Kayla/Lea head this head is very versatile, lending itself to all the main races at will.  Given the wide array of head molds used in the Fashionistas line, I'm surprised that no Steffie has cropped up there yet.  Maybe I just need to be more patient.  Either way I'm extremely fond of this head and I never pass up an opportunity to add another one to my collection. 

???????

DOLL PICTURED:  Fashionistas #57 Zig and Zag, curvy

DOLL'S NAME:  Deborah, usually shortened to "Deb."

This is apparently a newly introduced head, so new that I don't know the name of it, or even if it IS named.  As with the Mbili headI didn't like it at first, but as you can see it grew on me.  It's the lip color that I don't love, and I apparently am not alone in thinking that.  I lack the ability to repaint doll faces, so my doll is stuck with that pink crap for now.  I'm looking forward to seeing what else Mattel may do with this head, though. 

And there is your random load of dolly blather!  LOL, sometimes I get the mood to post something for the sheer pleasure of it, and this is one of those posts.  I make no guarantee that you'll learn anything, but I do hope you'll enjoy my pictures...even if they are poorly lit.

Cordially yours,

RagingMoon1987

Dolly Dress Discussion: new duds for Barbie and Monster High

Mattel has produced some very cute two-outfit packs for Barbie this year.  My intention is to get all the sets, and so far I have three so I'm keeping up with the pace pretty well.  Here's what I've got so far:

OUTFIT SET #1:  Barbie Fashion Complete Look 2-Pack, Birthday Set
MODELS:  Life in the Dreamhouse Midge ("Midge") on the left, and Barbie Style Teresa ("Mara") on the right. 
DESCRIPTION:  Midge is wearing a white t-shirt with the word "pink" printed on in script.  Over that she wears a silver plastic necklace and a tiered skirt made out of salmon tulle.  The skirt has a gray knit waistband and pink glitter on the tulle hems.  Mara is wearing a pink flowered blouse and a hot pink jumper.  She got the purse that went with the set, and the sole pair of shoes (Midge's shoes are borrowed from one of Raquelle's dresses).
PROS:  Both of these outfits are well-tailored, as one could expect from a Mattel dress.  The tulle layers on the skirt have...well, I'm not sure what's keeping them from raveling, but they're finished somehow.  The pieces are separate, the exact opposite of President Michelle's clothing and Midge's original outfit.  The tops, skirt, and jumper can all be mixed and matched around.  I can overlook the fact that Mara's outfit borders on pink overkill, since the theme is supposed to be pink.
CONS:  Accessories are nondescript.  Midge's necklace is made of that chrome-looking plastic, which I've seen on a fair amount of the recent dolls, and in several outfits as well.  The outfits are fastened with Velcro, which isn't a bad thing by itself...but DON'T let it catch on that tulle skirt, or it'll snag like crazy.  Lastly, there was only one pair of shoes, and the pair didn't match Midge's outfit.  That oversight is what bugs me the most about this set.  Mattel, if you read this, PLEASE start including two pairs of shoes.  Adult collectors like extra shoes, and kids usually need extra shoes.  C'mon, you and I both know that Barbie shoes love to get lost if they're not on the doll's foot or carefully stored away.
RATING:  8.5 out of 10.  Minus one point for the shoes, and another half for nondescript accessories.
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OUTFIT SET #2:  Barbie Fashion Complete Look 2-Pack, Sightseeing Set
MODELS:  Really Rosy Kayla ("Connie") on the left, and S.I.S. Trichelle on the right.
DESCRIPTION:  Connie is wearing a white sleeveless top with navy stripes.  Her skirt is copper and covered in glitter.  She has a camera around her neck and a small clutch purse in her left hand.  I made the mistake of hiding it between Connie and Trichelle, but it's nothing really special so no biggie.  Connie's shoes are her original shoes, and by a stroke of luck, they happen to match the stripes in her top.  Trichelle is wearing a cinnamon pink floral print dress.  The jacket is olive green with pink blossoms and green leaves.  Her shoes came with the set, and the hair ribbon is my own addition (it is usually worn by Connie, but she doesn't mind sharing).
PROS:  Well sewn, just like the birthday set.  Connie's top and blouse are separate pieces, just like the last set of clothes I shared.  There isn't as much potential for mixing and matching if you only have this set, but it's still nice to see separates.  Like Mara above, Trichelle's getup is bordering on pink overkill, but the cute jacket helps break it up a bit.  Furthermore, the jacket is printed all the way around.  Remember in the past that I've complained about that?  Not a problem here.  Connie's skirt also has glitter all the way around.  The accessories are better than those with the birthday set; Connie's purse isn't super-duper awesome, but it does have painted details.  And I absolutely LOVE that camera!
CONS:  Again, this set only came with one pair of shoes.  That wasn't a huge problem with the birthday set since I have a lot of pairs of shoes that would match those two outfits.  This sightseeing set posed a problem in the shoe department, however.  It was obvious that those pink shoes would have to go with the pink outfit, and I don't have a lot of navy or copper shoes lying around.  Connie just happened to have those navy boots with her stock outfit, so it worked out.  That was the biggest problem with this set; if I wanted to nitpick I could say that Connie's skirt has too much glitter, but that would be pushing it.
RATING:  9 out of 10.  Minus one point for the shoes.  The sightseeing set gets one half-point more than the birthday set because the accessories are better.
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OUTFIT SET #3:  Dreamhouse Day Looks.  The package's backing had a picture of Teresa, so I assume these were meant for her.
MODELS:  Birthstone Beauties Caucasian Miss Sapphire ("Miss September") on the left, and My Melody Barbie ("Melody") on the right.
DESCRIPTION:  It is my passionate desire to find the original outfits for both of these dolls, but I'll admit I'm having a lot of fun changing their clothes!  Miss September is wearing a pink tank top with...A KITTY CAT!!!  With glasses, no less!  Squeeeee, I love cats!  LOL, anyway, the top also has a small white banner with the words "Think Pink" inside, and Barbie's name beside the cat.  Hmmm...maybe this set isn't meant for Teresa after all.  I can't think of why she'd want her friend's name on her shirt instead of her own.  Go figure.  Anywho, September's bottoms are stretchy Beetlejuice-type pants, plus some pink shoes which came with the set.  The unsightly band around her hips is her ill-fitting Kaiser stand; please ignore that.  Her purse is a pink heart with a white strap and a white tassel.  Melody is wearing a white t-shirt with flocked pink hearts and a black hem at the neck.  She got the necklace in the set, which is white plastic with glued-on glitter.  Her skirt is made of some sort of fabric similar to tulle, but not quite the same.  It has two tiers and is sparkly.  The shoes are also original to this set.
PROS:  The cat on Miss September's shirt is one huge pro, as are the two pairs of shoes in this set.  I wonder why Mattel includes two pairs of shoes with their Dreamhouse sets, but only one with the Complete Look sets?  Why not include two pairs with both types?  Or one pair?  NO, NO, FORGET I SAID THAT SECOND OPTION!!!  *ahem*  Where was I?  Oh yes, pros.  The outfits are separate pieces again, so once again you can switch these around.  I wouldn't recommend pairing that huge necklace with the cat shirt, though.  Too busy.
CONS:  This set's biggest flaw is this:

Bummer, the back is not printed.  I think I know why; remember when I said those little hearts were flocked?  Sometimes flocking is bad to catch hair and make it look messy.  Since most of the available Barbie dolls have long hair I think I can understand the reasoning.  That annoys me, though.  I think it makes the outfit look incomplete.  I also don't like the bow necklace, but that's just because it doesn't accentuate either outfit's neckline.  With another outfit it'll be fine.  Additionally, the whole set is pink overkill.
RATING:  9 out of 10.  Half a point deducted for the top's heartless back, and half a point for pink overkill.
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OUTFIT #4:  Barbie Dress-Up Pink Ruffle Dress with Fashion Accessories
MODEL:  S.I.S. Baby Phat Chandra
DESCRIPTION:  This pairing came from a crazy idea I had.  I wanted to see what this somewhat-odd dress would look like on my darkest doll.  Said darkest doll happens to be Chandra, whose clothes I'd never changed.  I put this on her and...well, I had Melody and Miss September all ready for their close-ups, but when I got Chandra all dressed up she stole the show!  I couldn't get over how pretty she looked (and still looks).  So, description.  The dress is a fitted strapless dress with a tulle band across the top of the bodice.  The front bodice has sparkly pink material that is gathered down the front.  The skirt is made of several layers of glittery pink tulle, looped and gathered around.  Her shoes and purse are silver and belong to this outfit.  Whoops...I forgot to show the purse!  It's a little silver heart.  It's cute, but if it were a real purse it would not be very functional.
PROS:  This has a great fit.  Some strapless dresses want to slide down, but this one stays up just fine.  I also love how the accessories match Chandra's earrings.  That's coincidental, but it still worked out well.
CONS:  This:

The back of this dress has no embellishment AT ALL.  No ruffles or sparkles or anything.  And unlike Melody's lack of flocked hearts, I can see absolutely NO REASON for this!!!  This is just cheapo.  Oh yeah, and that purse is nondescript.
RATING:  7 out of 10.  It's a cute dress and it looks amazing on Chandra, but that plain back demotes it to your average, everyday Barbie doll dress.  That's too bad, because Chandra really rocks it!
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OUTFIT SET #5:  Monster High Day of the Dead dress set, handmade by dolls4emma.
MODELS:  From left, City of Frights Skelita Calaveras, Fusion-Inspired Ghouls Scarah Screams, 13 Wishes Lagoona Blue, and Art Class Skelita Calaveras.
DESCRIPTION:  This set of dresses was handmade by Elizabeth Brookman, proprietor of dolls4emma, an online clothing store that I've spoken of in the past (this post).  The doll world doesn't have much in the way of Day of the Dead clothing, but Elizabeth had these on the Etsy branch of her store and I fell in love with them.  Again, my mother was a huge help here (she paid, LOL).  There are four dresses in the set, each colored differently but otherwise identical.  They are made of soft, thick, knit fabric that feels like sock material.  The bottom hems are trimmed with coordinating lace, and the bodices have little bows and skull charms.  These slip on and off the doll.
PROS:  These are sturdy, colorful, and they fit my dolls nicely.  They are surprisingly versatile; all fourteen of my MH girls can wear these, and they likely will at some point.  The trim matches wonderfully.  Seriously, I can't remember the last time I saw pink lace in a store, so hats off to Elizabeth for that one.  There is little risk of snagging, and one does not have to detach arms and hands to get these on a doll.  These dresses are cost-efficient; one can get three of Elizabeth's dresses for the price of two Mattel MH outfits...or less!  Lastly, my dolls can wear their stands with these dresses.  I was afraid that the knit material might be too thick for the stands, but it's not.
CONS:  The bodices sometimes slip down, leaving my dolls' breasts exposed.  This is less of a problem with the Skelita Sisters, since their chests have some texture.
RATING:  9.75 out of 10.  One quarter deduction for slippery bodices.  It's not a huge problem, but I felt it was worth mentioning.  Oh yeah, I also had to wait for them to arrive!  LOL, waiting comes with the territory when one is a doll collector, so it's not a problem worthy of deductions.

I wonder if it could be considered a bias to rate Elizabeth's dresses the highest because she is was my friend?  LOL, maybe so, but I don't care.  Her dresses were as close to flawless as any in this review.  That's not to say that my store-bought dresses are bad.  Far from it, in fact.  I could show you some dresses from Dollar General that ARE pretty bad, but I think I'll spare those for another post.  Regarding these dresses (all of 'em here in this post) I'd recommend all of them with a few cautions.  Elizabeth's business is based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, which can either be a long haul or a hop, skip and a jump, depending on where in the world you are.  If money is a concern, if you want something unique, and you don't mind a short wait, Elizabeth's wares are for you.  However, if you want or need a doll dress RIGHT THIS MINUTE for your daughter's birthday party, best stick with the store-bought stuff...and then get some of Elizabeth's dresses for her Christmas!  LOL

Alrighty, next post.  I desperately need to complete some of the posts that I've had lingering in draft limbo.  Cami's post has been there for a solid year now.  Since I'm not expecting my Hujoo to be here until around Valentine's Day, that'll buy me some time to FINALLY finish those up.  Seriously, Valentine's Day???  I ordered that darned Hujoo back before Christmas!  Oh well, it'll be worth the wait to have something that I've never even seen before.  I bet I'll be the only one in Malden who even has a Hujoo! 

As a final little note, if you really liked Elizabeth's Day of the Dead dresses, you can take a gander at her eBay store and her Etsy store.  As I mentioned in that other post, she has a wide range of stuff available.

Stay warm!
RagingMoon1987