Dolly Dress Discussion: Spring duds for Barbie, part 1

I was saving this post for April, but I'm in Facebook Jail again for calling some idiot out on their nonsense.  This time it's going to be for THREE STINKIN' DAYS!!!  I guess that's what I get for daring to be a conservative in this day and age, when everyone has to pussyfoot around delicate subjects and not call something what it is.  And no, this was not about the recent school shooting, which I'm still cringing over.  I've shared my opinions on that and I unfortunately got political, but I didn't get reported over that.  Oh yes, I also bounced a man from the library today for gawking at...women's nether regions, shall we say.  With minors walking around the library, no less!  Bottom line, it's been an annoying day.  Since I'd like to kill some time and blow off some steam I'll show y'all what I've been collecting for my dolls for spring.  Spring isn't that far off anyway, so why not?  This post will be split into two, since I've got a lot to show off.  So let's begin!
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OUTFIT #1:  One of the new boxed fashions, 2017-18
MODEL:  Paloma (original Fashionista #11 "Red Ruffles").
DESCRIPTION:  I tend to treat Paloma here like the stereotypical red-headed stepchild, often forgetting that I even have her.  Thus even though dolls do not have feelings I felt like I owed her something nice and new.  This particular outfit combines a rainbow sherbet-colored skirt with a gray and white T-shirt, which to me sums up spring perfectly.  The gray shirt has white pleather sleeves that remind me of a rainy sky with fluffy white scud clouds, and the skirt is the rainbow that often follows a rainy day during this time of year.  The top is generously cut, to the point of being a little baggy on Paloma's slender frame, and the skirt is modestly long but not frumpy, with an elastic waistband that stretches to fit.  This is clearly one of those outfits that's meant to go on all the body types.  The outfit came with a little pink plastic purse and a stupid silver necklace that has "LOVE" in huge blocky letters.  The necklace refused to lie flat so I threw it in storage, but Paloma can carry the purse if I rubberband it to her hand.

PROS:  I love the color combination, first and foremost.  Gray used to be one of my most hated colors, but over the years I've grown to like it.  It looks especially good when it's paired with bright colors, like this skirt.  The mix-and-match potential is also good here, as that gray shirt will look good with just about any bottom I can think of.  I especially like gray with yellow, and I happen to have a couple of yellow skirts.  I'll have to pair those with this top and get back to y'all.
CONS:  Firstly, this outfit did not come with shoes.  Few Barbie outfits do nowadays and that's a shame, because there are so many designs of shoe that would look cute with this getup.  Back when the Fashionistas were a new thing (and the Fashionistas had joints) each outfit came with shoes, and each pair of shoes was a feast for the eyes.  I really miss those.  Also, these sleeves are made of pleather, a material that I am not fond of on doll clothes.  I don't think these sleeves will age poorly, but I'll be careful with them just the same.
RATING:  8 out of 10.  Minus a point for no shoes, minus half a point for small bits of pleather, minus another half point for nondescript accessories.  Paloma can at least carry the purse, but that idiotic necklace is mostly unusable.
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OUTFIT #2:  Another of the new boxed fashions, 2018
MODEL:  Jova (original Fashionista #59 "Tropi-Cutie")
DESCRIPTION:  Back in late January when I went on one of my regular dolly runs, I noticed a plethora of the newer dolls in the discount section of Wal-Mart.  To my surprise, over half of them were this doll here!  That surprises me, because I adore her; when I saw that huge Afro I thought "yep, gotta have that one!"  So here's Jova with her gravity-defying 'do, and since Afros were big during the disco era I gave her a dress that has a bit of disco-ish flair.  Yes, maxi-dresses were worn during the disco era, and this one would've been perfect.  Jova's dress has a floor-length skirt that is ombre-dyed in shades of blue, purple, and pink.  The strapless bodice has little silver sparkles.  Accompanying the dress are a little bluish purse (which I threw in storage with Paloma's necklace) and a silver plastic necklace (which is better than Paloma's necklace but still not great).
PROS:  I love these colors on Jova.  She had a pretty face to begin with...except for those matte bubblegum-pink lips.  Why, oh WHY do I see so many gorgeous dolls of color with that God-awful lipstick?  Even a coat of gloss would've made these better.  But anyway, this lip color actually matches the stripes in this dress a little, so I can forgive it now.  Plus, I love how this looks on Jova.  This is one doll that was born to wear dresses.
CONS:  This outfit didn't come with shoes, so thank goodness for Jova's purple sneakers.  Sneakers are NOT the style of shoe I'd choose for this dress, but they match.

If only lack of shoes and nondescript accessories were the most of this dress's problems.  No, wouldn't y'all know, this dress has a bigger problem than that.

NOT AGAIN!!!  And on a full-skirted dress, no less!  Surely it couldn't have cost too much for Mattel to extend that striped fabric all the way around!  This is not good but tolerable on a short dress, but on a long dress like this not printing it all around is a friggin' crime.  Dammit, Mattel, surely y'all can do better than this.  I like the color of the back panel of fabric; that deep plum would've made a decent evening gown by itself.  But it doesn't match any other part of this dress, so what's the point?
RATING:  7.5 out of 10.  Minus a point for lack of shoes, another point for not being printed on the back, and minus half a point for nondescript accessories.
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OUTFIT #3:  Baggie dress, 2018
MODEL:  Mara (Barbie Style Teresa)
DESCRIPTION:  Paloma and Jova both got boxed outfits, while Mara is wearing one that came in a little baggie.  The colors on this dress were what attracted me to it; the skirt is hot pink with white, pink, and purple polka dots, while the bodice has sparkly gold dots printed on it in a manner similar to Jova's bodice.  However, there's a definite greenish cast to the bodice, achieved by printing the gold onto green material.

That's an unusual combo, particularly since there's no green anywhere else on this outfit.
PROS:  I love the original color combinations on this dress, and I love the length of the skirt.  It's not too long and not too short.
CONS:  The shiny stuff on the bodice might wear off?  I'm pretty hard-pressed to find something wrong with this dress.  It didn't come with shoes, but these little baggie dresses never do so I'm not going to count that against this outfit.
RATING:  9.5 out of 10.  Minus half a point for the possibility of the shiny bodice rubbing...and I'm being super-nit-picky there.
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OUTFIT #4:  Boxed fashion, 2018
MODEL:  Francine (tall Fashionista #33 "Fab Fringe")
DESCRIPTION:  A black and white ensemble with red stitched accents here and there.  It isn't every day that I get to see Barbie fashions with horizontal stripes like this, possibly since horizontal stripes are rarely forgiving to any body type, Barbie's included.  Francine can hold her own in this though, since she's one of the tall dolls.  I don't know why I wanted Francine in particular to wear this, but as I predicted she carries those stripes pretty well.
PROS:  This has great mix-and-match potential, particularly the top.  Francine can wear that top with any red skirt or pair of pants that she chooses, and the skirt will go nicely with a solid or a contrasting print.  I also love the accessories; Francine can actually USE them rather than me just tossing them in storage.  See?

CONS:  Like the other two boxed outfits, this one didn't come with shoes.  Francine is having to wear her stock shoes, which fortunately match.  Truthfully, it's hard to go wrong with little black ankle boots anyway.
RATING: 9 out of 10.  Minus a point for no shoes.
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OUTFIT #5:  two random baggie pieces, 2016 (blouse) and 2018 (skirt)
MODEL:  Natalie (petite Fashionista #23 "Love That Lace")
DESCRIPTION:  I like to compare these little separates to the Pak items from way back when, though I'd have to ask someone more experienced than me how prices compared.  Anyway, I bought this blouse a couple of years ago, had nothing to pair it with, and put it in storage until I found a bottom to go with it...or at least a bottom that wasn't RED.  I've already got two other dolls with bicolored tops and red skirts, so I wanted something else to go with this one.  Mattel came through with this lovely metallic purple skirt.  The top has cutouts in the shoulders.

The skirt is asymetrical, which I love.

PROS:  This shade of purple isn't a color I get to see too often on doll clothes of any sort.  It's my favorite shade because it makes me think of my sister (purple is her favorite color, and she likes it dark).  Plus it's good to have something to pair with this cute top.
CONS:  The skirt was tacked to its backing with plastic tabs, and the tabs left holes in the skirt.  It's hard to see them in the picture below, but unfortunately IRL they're fairly conspicuous.

Also, it may be fairly obvious that Natalie is not wearing shoes.  It turns out that I was unable to find flat shoes that matched this fairly glamorous outfit.  I won't count that against these pieces, though.
RATING:  9.5 out of 10.  The top is perfect, but surely Mattel could find some other way to tack their garments to the packaging, something that doesn't leave holes???
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OUTFIT #6:  Fashion Avenue Blues line, #B7947, 2002
MODEL:  New 'n' Groovy Talking P.J.
DESCRIPTION:  Ah yes, a Fashion Avenue outfit!  How I wish I'd grabbed more of these when I had the chance!  I've had this outfit since my early teens and had mixed feelings about it at the time, but over the years I've warmed to it.  Paloma was wearing it, but since it's got a retro vibe I thought "Why not try it on P.J. or Stacey?"  P.J. volunteered.  It's got a pink peasant top that's very similar to something I wore in high school (mine was blue), and a denim skirt with a flower printed on.  The blouse has a faux tie at the neck and is made out of this soft, crinkly material.  The sleeves are belled.

The skirt has a faux fly and faux pockets, very cute.

This outfit also came with shoes and a purse, not a crummy little solid plastic purse, but one that actually holds things.

PROS:  THIS CAME WITH SHOES!!!  AND A PURSE!!!  Accessories that actually function, for crying out loud!  This is how Mattel used to do things; every outfit came with a pair of shoes (unless it was beachwear) and most of the outfits came with some sort of other accessory.  It might have been a purse, a wallet, a cell phone, a pair of sunglasses, or something like that.  This is what modern-day outfits COULD have and SHOULD have but unfortunately DON'T have.
CONS:  Unfortunately these shoes are not perfect.  They NEVER snap closed, at least not on these old TNT bodies.

Truthfully I had a hard time getting these to stay closed on Paloma too, so it's all good.  Oh yes, the skirt also bags a little, but I think this is my fault rather than that of the manufacturers.  In my youth I forced this skirt onto a doll with wider hips than Barbie's, and that stretched it out a bit.
RATING:  9.75 out of 10.  The shoes' refusal to snap shut is frustrating, but it's not a tremendous deal.

Part Two will be up tomorrow!

Love to all except Facebook's administrators,
RagingMoon1987