tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74462370138175592332024-03-17T04:10:27.446-07:00American Girl LizAn American Girl focused blog written by a 20 something collector. Expect reviews, predictions, leaks, rants, and complaints about the fandom. Expect demands for an Asian historical character and a DOC for GOTY. American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-24849586702773826852016-11-26T10:43:00.000-08:002016-11-26T10:43:06.178-08:00Kirsten's Swedish Dirndl and Kerchief<br />
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It's been over two months since I've posted on this blog!<br />
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Sorry about that-and for my long disappearances on American Girl Collectors. I'm still active in the AG World-I went to the Orlando store for Melody's release and I still continue to buy from both the store and the secondhand market. I still dress my dolls in new outfits every month and display them, But with my advancing pregnancy (only about a month and a half to go!) and my job which takes up a lot of my time, I haven't had a chance to post.<br />
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I would make a promise about posting more often but it would probably be a promise I couldn't keep. Instead, I'm just going to say that I'll post as often as I can.<br />
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The reason why I'm posting now is because of the election. As we all know by now, Donald Trump won.<br />
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Part of the platform he ran on was about immigrants. He incited a lot of anti-immigrant feelings.<br />
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But immigration is one of the reasons I love the United States. The diversity of the country is wonderful. Being able to walk down a city street and hear a multitude of languages, being able to taste the foods of many different countries all without going further than five miles from your house, witnessing people practice their religions and wearing traditional clothing, being exposed to people from all parts of the world...that is what I love about America. That is the America I want my daughter to live in.<br />
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All of us, unless we are fully Native American, are the children of immigrants. Immigrants, coming to the United States for a better life that they hoped would promise more opportunities for their children, are the backbone of America. They are true Americans. They are what makes America great.<br />
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And to emphasize that, to emphasize that we are the country that asked for the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, I am going to try my best in my next few posts to highlight some American Girls that perfectly illustrate that.<br />
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Kirsten, Rebecca, Nellie (child of Irish immigrants), Ivy (grandchildren of Chinese immigrants)...they are American Girls too.<br />
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And I'm going to try to focus on the people of color that some people wish were not part of America but that very much ARE a part of America-Kaya, Addy, Josefina, Ivy, CeCe, Melody...<br />
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This is the real America. This is the real America that needs to be recognized. These dolls-even though they are fictional-represent the diverse America that is alarmed that the new administration will not protect them, as the Hamilton star Mr. Dixon said to Vice President Elect Pence. I want to highlight the contributions of those groups to America and American history, to remind all of us what makes America.<br />
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To start off, I'm going to lead with the first immigrant character that American Girl released-Kirsten, dressed in the clothes she came to America in.<br />
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<b>Why Kirsten?</b><br />
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Because she illustrates so many of the challenges that immigrants did (and do) face when they come to the United States.<br />
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She and her family faced a tough voyage to come to America. It was full of dangers, just as the journey to the United States is often dangerous for immigrants today. She even lost her best friend on the way-Marta died of cholera once she reached America,<br />
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When Kirsten and her family left, they knew that there was no going back. They would never see Kirsten's grandmother again-she would die without her two sons. They would never see their friends or their home country again. While travel is certainly easier today, it is still terrifying to leave behind everything you know to go to an entirely new place where you know no one.<br />
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But Kirsten's parents believed that they-and their children-could find a better life in America. And so, like thousands before them and thousands after them, they made their journey. That takes a special kind of bravery, a kind of bravery I think perfectly fits in to America, the home of the brave.<br />
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Once they were here, things were not easy. The struggle to learn English is painful and something that I, as an educator, see every day. Children will come into my classroom and some of them will not know a single world of English. They're lucky if their teacher speaks their language. I myself only speak English and have to rely on a para to help me-when she's available. But resources are scarce. Beyond that, I'm thankful for my bilingual students and the suspicious translations available through Google Translate.<br />
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Imagine for a moment how afraid my students may be when they enter my classroom. They come in and sit down. An adult (me) confronts them and starts asking them questions in a strange language which they don't understand. They try to respond but the adult clearly doesn't understand. They want to learn and they want to do well (and the adult wants them to learn and do well) but that barrier prevents it. Then they take state tests all in a language they can't read.<br />
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And not all of the adults are as understanding as I am. I try to get my notes translated over-though God knows how well I do with Google as my only ally. Other teachers may just let them sink or swim.<br />
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I'm proud to say that most of them will swim, through their own hard work and determination. But it isn't easy.<br />
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Kirsten goes through that as well, but with even fewer resources than my students have. Her teachers didn't have Google Translate. There was no para to help her learn English, no special ESOL classes to assist her.<br />
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Kirsten is a perfect illustration of the immigration experience in America. Though many of her challenges are at least partly because of the time period she lived in, her experience is still similar to that of many immigrants in all times.<br />
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<b>Swedish Dirndl and Kerchief</b><br />
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I decided to feature Kirsten in the outfit she is wearing when she arrives in America. The outfit that is called her meet outfit isn't actually the outfit that we meet her in at the start of her first book-just like the Addy doll doesn't come dressed in her slave clothes but is instead attired in the first outfit she received as a free person.<br />
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The outfit came out in 1989 and retired in 2002 so it had a long run. Based on that, I wouldn't pay stupidly elevated prices for it on eBay. It isn't exactly rare. I think I paid around $40 for mine-which is $18 more than the original price but most AG outfits cost around $30 today anyway and the price included the shipping.<br />
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The outfit includes a skirt, a long sleeve blouse, a vest, and a kerchief. It is meant to be paired with her carpetbag. It is modeled after the traditional clothing that Swedish, Scandinavian, and Austrian women would wear.<br />
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<i>Skirt:</i><br />
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Kirsten wears a vertically striped skirt. The fabric contains muted reds and blues. The red almost reminds me of a rusty color. The fabric is understated but the colors are very pretty.<br />
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Like most American Girl skirts, it velcros in the back. The waistband is fitted and then it eases into a circular skirt that reaches below the knee, which to my understanding is correct for this type of outfit.<br />
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<i>Blouse</i><br />
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Kirsten pairs the skirt with a cream colored blouse. It's a very plain top but that's because it's not meant to be worn alone. Without the vest, the outfit is very plain.<br />
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The sleeves are slightly puffed and end in narrow cuffs at the wrist. The neckline is high.<br />
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My blouse looks a bit yellowish but I'm not sure if it was always like this or if it's due to age.<br />
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I've noticed recently that American Girl isn't producing as many long sleeved outfits. I'm not sure why. But, like many of the older long sleeved outfits, this one has Velcro at the wrists. I really appreciate that because it makes getting the sleeves over stiff doll hands so much easier!<br />
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This shirt could potentially be used for other outfits. It almost reminds me of the white shirt that comes with her winter outfit but in a much sturdier, rougher fabric.<br />
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<i>Vest:</i><br />
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The vest comes in the same red and blue tones as the skirt. However, the colors are a bit more vibrant and the pattern is a plaid instead of stripes. It has black lacing up the front, which isn't real-the vest velcros in the back. However, it looks real and it doesn't bother me that you don't actually lace it. I think it makes it easier and wish that Felicity's jacket from her school outfit was the same.<br />
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However, I am a bit curious if older versions (not sure how old mine is) had real functional laces. If anyone has a version of this, let me know in the comments if yours has functional laces.<br />
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<i>Kerchief:</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Her eyes look very blue in this picture.</span></div>
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Kirsten doesn't walk around bareheaded. She covers her pretty blonde hair with a dark blue kerchief that ties under her chin.<br />
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The kerchief features a floral pattern in the fabric.<br />
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<i>Overall: </i><br />
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While I'm glad that Kirsten comes attired in her American meet outfit that she puts on when she arrives in Minnesota, emphasizing that she is truly an American, I'm also glad that Kirsten's collection includes the outfit she made the journey in. People like Kirsten and her family had a proud heritage.<br />
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That heritage doesn't detract from being American either. The cultures of immigrants enrich the broader American culture, adding new sounds, words, foods, musical styles, clothing, values, religions, etc. Diversity isn't anything to be afraid of, though so many people are. Diversity is something to be celebrated and encouraged.<br />
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Many Americans realize that too-as long as the immigrants in question look like Kirsten. When those immigrants are people of color or people who practice other religions, the tolerance isn't so high. America seems to be perfectly fine with the Melania Trumps of the world. Accepting immigrants from places like Mexico and the Middle East is what we seem to be struggling with today. That is why I started with Kirsten, to make a point. Most of us are the descendants of immigrants-and that is something to be proud of. It takes a lot of bravery and will power to leave behind everything you know and love, like the Larsons did, in search of a better life. But why can't we recognize that when it comes to immigrants of color and immigrants who aren't Christian? Why are we so afraid?<br />
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This series on immigration and people of color in the American Girl line isn't over. I plan to be focusing on this for a while, in light of current events.<br />
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<br />American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-7916358938160263722016-09-04T15:15:00.000-07:002016-09-05T06:56:20.122-07:00Meet Ruthie<br />
So I realize I've had Ruthie for quite a while. But I never did get around to introducing her to the blog. I bought her right before I moved, never even took her out of the package because I knew I was leaving, and then took her out when I got to my destination.<br />
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I got a really amazing deal on her too-I got the doll and all of her collection except her meet accessories in one purchase. I also have a few Kit outfits that are designated for Ruthie-Kit gets her original school outfit but Ruthie gets the pink skirt set since Kit would turn her nose up at it anyways. Once I purchase the original overalls outfit for Kit, the new chicken keeping set will belong entirely to Ruthie along with the pink Valentine's Day set, the flouncy summer dress, the yellow and pink photographer outfit, and the striped nightie. That's what I love about BeForever-I take a lot of the reimagined outfits and reassign them to the Best Friend characters that have limited wardrobes.<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7446237013817559233#1" name="top1"><sup>1</sup></a>
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Anyways, welcome Ruthie!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1uAzw7l0i01Vz5FjYasbq3DmA7UYOLw-IB4QyAJMuth70OuN2pnGyR5vIS0PLNOIqMPzQrxab79yqiTCS_NOn1AFJiWkWBXVa3Nim-JXj0zd-nnlGofrEildGk9vBwfkWGgwdGe3Y80/s1600/ruthie+face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj1uAzw7l0i01Vz5FjYasbq3DmA7UYOLw-IB4QyAJMuth70OuN2pnGyR5vIS0PLNOIqMPzQrxab79yqiTCS_NOn1AFJiWkWBXVa3Nim-JXj0zd-nnlGofrEildGk9vBwfkWGgwdGe3Y80/s320/ruthie+face.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Despite the original illustrations, Ruthie the doll has grey eyes like Molly, though they are hard to see in a photograph. I'm a fan of the gray eyes though I know American Girl is not because of the risk for silver eye, a common defect in older dolls. Paired with the dark hair, her eyes are really stunning to me. She has lined eyebrows and a classic mold face.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisaaVCMki3TkRwjvw2iScJ_bPaJNlmWB7G22m2zAwM3C45cXsZB-DCrtEi3UiYm2BQuIArcKZC5uVjue_BVPggllN_cgEqc1IkyX56Pq6G_lfanYRfiGwPJSrug9ARkKFpFM5gtOgpnw/s1600/ruthie2+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhisaaVCMki3TkRwjvw2iScJ_bPaJNlmWB7G22m2zAwM3C45cXsZB-DCrtEi3UiYm2BQuIArcKZC5uVjue_BVPggllN_cgEqc1IkyX56Pq6G_lfanYRfiGwPJSrug9ARkKFpFM5gtOgpnw/s320/ruthie2+%25281%2529.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
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Ruthie has thick brown hair that has very subtle auburn highlights. It has a loose curl pattern to it. It is very similar in look to Samantha's hair but (at least compared to my Samantha) her hair is a bit silkier. That could be due to the age of my Samantha though. She comes in a purple dress with slightly puffed sleeves, a Peter Pan collar, darker purple trim, and white buttons.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXnbKO2xwTfvWBLoxXB4HFElNv4Isrs2gemw34xSDwcVEFdK9qr9U60s4tdY50ZlVMQU7lWVP2HoBUhDlIVJk7DvjSZtHMP0xGsuxIl7Tue_H-LP5TPQGqI-c7bZFngU0haBxd5cuSJI/s1600/ruthie3+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXnbKO2xwTfvWBLoxXB4HFElNv4Isrs2gemw34xSDwcVEFdK9qr9U60s4tdY50ZlVMQU7lWVP2HoBUhDlIVJk7DvjSZtHMP0xGsuxIl7Tue_H-LP5TPQGqI-c7bZFngU0haBxd5cuSJI/s320/ruthie3+%25281%2529.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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From the back, you can see the auburn highlights a bit better. I really love her hair. At first glance, it seems really ordinary-after all, we already have a doll with brown hair with a slight curl. But upon further examination, you see the unique color.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0WYwd2EkqaBZNLMNG7ZmS0fZy6h9oxZc-JgDb9VjXqhfNs03b4cWtgZ-Fw-U0j6oGE41dTTWAaat6gT6nIQsvQ12EYCfxUgHxZQUQ65Ny3hpL0TmAPk3oKWdELQ0SkFCo8ANzAryQRM/s1600/ruthie+meet+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK0WYwd2EkqaBZNLMNG7ZmS0fZy6h9oxZc-JgDb9VjXqhfNs03b4cWtgZ-Fw-U0j6oGE41dTTWAaat6gT6nIQsvQ12EYCfxUgHxZQUQ65Ny3hpL0TmAPk3oKWdELQ0SkFCo8ANzAryQRM/s320/ruthie+meet+dress.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here's a closer look at her dress. I'm not a huge fan of it, mostly because I feel like very little creative thought was placed into it. I feel the same way about her meet accessories. Most of the dolls have meet accessories that mean <i>something </i>to the character or that interact in some way with their story. Nellie has her Celtic Cross necklace. Addy has her cowrie shell necklace on a shoe string from her brother and she comes in the first dress she had as a free person. While Kit wore her dress before her family hit hard times, it's obvious that her skirt was designed to mimic flour sack cloth. Ruthie's meet outfit and accessories seem like they could belong to anyone. This was just lazy.</div>
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The floral print is tiny and forgettable. The only unique quality of the dress is the fact that the button line is off center and that isn't enough to save the garment from being a little boring. The color is a good one for Ruthie-I just wish the design was a little different.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJ4nxAfQ_udsXjhzxvRq4fSxGqX7gjgy_i-eF-9MWfBTu6LLnd3Us0CpMPlcY_tDqUVjBr-uY3vGX4FrRw5XB0ubYSwgin3gOsMMGlhB4257RBtTA3G7lWaSc9rWlOmFAxTf6DRmVmI8/s1600/ruthie4+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdJ4nxAfQ_udsXjhzxvRq4fSxGqX7gjgy_i-eF-9MWfBTu6LLnd3Us0CpMPlcY_tDqUVjBr-uY3vGX4FrRw5XB0ubYSwgin3gOsMMGlhB4257RBtTA3G7lWaSc9rWlOmFAxTf6DRmVmI8/s320/ruthie4+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's a close up of the Peter Pan collar. I am always a fan of Peter Pan collars. Peter Pan collars were worn before 1905 but they received their name after Maude Adams, who wore the famous collar when she starred at Peter Pan in the New York adaption of <i>Peter and Wendy </i>(Peter Pan is usually played by a woman in stage plays). For a time in the early 1900s, Peter Pan collars were worn by grown women but they later became associated with children's fashion.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1d-B1YEn-II53i_RwVRNfTTRGVe5q9s5Jk1iZloTSe7JVV_CedewI9f34RiuMRolbmny-g45JriNs_zAHrn8WTupUVuEIBiqqra3V_k5HFNwU_K_q_od78syiikRIv8Zq6Rl9o-t7OCk/s1600/200px-Maude_Adams_as_Peter_Pan.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1d-B1YEn-II53i_RwVRNfTTRGVe5q9s5Jk1iZloTSe7JVV_CedewI9f34RiuMRolbmny-g45JriNs_zAHrn8WTupUVuEIBiqqra3V_k5HFNwU_K_q_od78syiikRIv8Zq6Rl9o-t7OCk/s1600/200px-Maude_Adams_as_Peter_Pan.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Maude Adams as Peter Pan</span></div>
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Ruthie's collar is trimmed with tiny lace and dark purple trim. <span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></div>
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The sleeves have a slight puff and are also trimmed in dark purple. The buttons are small, plain, and white.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9limYoxOniKcHKL9XL7UMqvFYKGEPn34Fo9BBXn9iHMzftgu6oz-Wov6LI5yzlNPG4i3OBPu4ig1KUbS2a5gDI2GATs-SdzobFoV1pU1oNlXs2z_U7ctQKDm1EFFSTFOa830tDF06CM/s1600/ruthie5+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9limYoxOniKcHKL9XL7UMqvFYKGEPn34Fo9BBXn9iHMzftgu6oz-Wov6LI5yzlNPG4i3OBPu4ig1KUbS2a5gDI2GATs-SdzobFoV1pU1oNlXs2z_U7ctQKDm1EFFSTFOa830tDF06CM/s320/ruthie5+%25281%2529.jpg" width="171" /></a></div>
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The dress reaches to her knees. The line of buttons on dark purple trim reaches all the way to the hem.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpK_iBshol4toz_omJK0ZnlaLaVP52NdJXFq4r8pHqQFOcURjK5oAlVzqnOOjQEf9k4_RdPA8T6rom9L2YA_KtViMY23KuzL5iB2hXUcla8b1iKJ6PIHFMnbudEwgDoMnTkiHtNr1czFc/s1600/ruthie6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpK_iBshol4toz_omJK0ZnlaLaVP52NdJXFq4r8pHqQFOcURjK5oAlVzqnOOjQEf9k4_RdPA8T6rom9L2YA_KtViMY23KuzL5iB2hXUcla8b1iKJ6PIHFMnbudEwgDoMnTkiHtNr1czFc/s320/ruthie6.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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She wears the same kind of underwear that Kit wears.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJHxdIqj5f-WaaOi3_s45pMMpMzivRO4iRazCirLAy7-NeKLY9sSJDdZoFboNePCX7DHAIOd42e8hGWIv4QHeO0vmwxpvH34GQrioSA7aLF8z8cBE9ZyIjS2ARrFhtYc_16G3oasfr2g/s1600/ruthie7+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJHxdIqj5f-WaaOi3_s45pMMpMzivRO4iRazCirLAy7-NeKLY9sSJDdZoFboNePCX7DHAIOd42e8hGWIv4QHeO0vmwxpvH34GQrioSA7aLF8z8cBE9ZyIjS2ARrFhtYc_16G3oasfr2g/s320/ruthie7+%25281%2529.jpg" width="303" /></a></div>
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Ruthie comes with a purple ribbon that I am using as a headband. It could also be made into a bow if one wanted to pull her hair back into a ponytail or something. The purple-the same dark purple as the trim on her dress-looks lovely with Ruthie's dark hair.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaU2aOQR0m-Fay9-z88o_ccYrlr26sa57jIYB_SnwcKPMp7wD1qqCjMZOoesKdJHykik3VIwn9hn9Uj2-d9Z0VMG8fWGixYolR9uN5TB7-ESVU6MwXlxOYF0hsBtNaDmA42ub30t009g/s1600/ruthie8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJaU2aOQR0m-Fay9-z88o_ccYrlr26sa57jIYB_SnwcKPMp7wD1qqCjMZOoesKdJHykik3VIwn9hn9Uj2-d9Z0VMG8fWGixYolR9uN5TB7-ESVU6MwXlxOYF0hsBtNaDmA42ub30t009g/s320/ruthie8.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Ruthie wears a pair of light blue socks-I have no idea why they choose light blue over white when white would have paired better with other outfits-and a pair of black Mary Jane type shoes. I do prefer these shoes over the white canvas shoes Kit wears with her original meet outfit or the red shoes Kit wears with her second meet.<br />
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Final thoughts:<br />
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Ruthie has been growing on me for some time. I do think she is one of the more poorly imagined characters in the line up, even compared to other Best Friends. The other Best Friends brought more to the table than Ruthie did as a character. Elizabeth showed what the Revolutionary War looked like from the Loyalist side and highlighted how the colonists did some not so great things (seriously, imprisoning someone for their political beliefs like they did to Mr. Cole? Not cool.) Nellie showed that the Edwardian Era and industrialization wasn't so great for all children, giving a much needed counterpoint to the life of luxury and privilege that Samantha grew up with. Emily gave us WWII from a British perspective. Ivy, especially with the mysteries that highlighted some of her family history, gave us a glimpse of what life was like for an immigrant family.<br />
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I don't feel like Ruthie was needed and would have actually preferred a Stirling doll. I'm not sure how important, from a historical standpoint, the viewpoint of someone <i>not </i>really suffering during the Great Depression is. I think the doll was unnecessary.<br />
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I also feel like the doll's meet wasn't given the thought that it should have been given.<br />
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With all that said, I think Ruthie is a very pretty doll-she actually reminds me a lot of my mother in physical appearance. It was also important to me to complete my historical dolls collection and Ruthie was the last one I bought (and then they released Melody but for a time, she was the last doll on my list). I'm really glad I have her and she is growing on me every day!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdV-Kj4OxDbM2u9bN3ZE6omcD_NuVMTsw5B_V-ep523gqSJpR7ZMFmpvi4tNXzChxgSq377jGoExglHn4fW74jwNiT6PN5nyBiVgQ_od7qS8CPxH9yJpkliCLtqZUa06L7e4hjSGNHD4A/s1600/ruthie+and+kit+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdV-Kj4OxDbM2u9bN3ZE6omcD_NuVMTsw5B_V-ep523gqSJpR7ZMFmpvi4tNXzChxgSq377jGoExglHn4fW74jwNiT6PN5nyBiVgQ_od7qS8CPxH9yJpkliCLtqZUa06L7e4hjSGNHD4A/s320/ruthie+and+kit+%25281%2529.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1"><b>1 </b></a>Nellie and Ivy have also both benefited from this and I expect Elizabeth will get a heftier wardrobe from Felicity's relaunch. Nellie now owns the special day dress which looks lovely with her light red hair. She will also own the reimagined bicycling outfit entirely once I get my hands on the original-the two girls share for now. Ivy has been assigned the zig-zag pajamas (I imagine her as having a more daring style than Julie). All three dolls will also be getting the new bed sets. I love BeForever. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7446237013817559233#top1"><sup>↩</sup></a>
</span> American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-1896153735495188062016-08-28T17:15:00.001-07:002016-08-28T17:15:08.133-07:00Melody Release and Other Shiny Historical Things<br />
This past weekend, I took a break from my job. I'm enjoying it but it is literally swallowing me whole. I'm on salary for the first time ever so there is less of a clear cut start and stop time for me. I can show up as early as two hours before the official start of the day, stay as long as I want, and then take things home if I wish. The problem is that I haven't exactly worked out a good system for forcing myself to leave in a timely manner. The to-do list never seems to get shorter because as soon as I cross one thing off, five more get added.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRYS5XQmdcKdtGQLJEyM52mGTEvEWXKVq14XF2Dw85eVkeh5jL-2v4FEb9EH5L7KdiN_45-q-NbnCh1F2u6R9GjrO01MQ9ad68w_IRBG9u60Fy4R2x5tmDsNsAkmOJdx5Rr-axL6bFzg/s1600/melody2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRYS5XQmdcKdtGQLJEyM52mGTEvEWXKVq14XF2Dw85eVkeh5jL-2v4FEb9EH5L7KdiN_45-q-NbnCh1F2u6R9GjrO01MQ9ad68w_IRBG9u60Fy4R2x5tmDsNsAkmOJdx5Rr-axL6bFzg/s320/melody2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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But I took my break and headed down to the Orlando store to pick up Melody. We made a weekend trip out of it, wandering around the Florida Mall, getting sushi (well I watched my husband eat sushi while I ate a marshmallow "egg roll"-you can't eat raw fish while pregnant), going to Downtown Disney. We watched a movie where they also served us dinner-I had the best donuts ever. I really needed this trip.<br />
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Anyways, here are all the cool things I saw while down there!<br />
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<u>Melody's Collection</u><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptyvg8xBTrqvp3aBParNkmjWXUqhyZ8ozLBNfuolXaMI5iKDDoyqane0xTQRmbcoaYxsnMxIUM9QHHmjL5MTZBkkdRmfSIiBXYm_VYh4HFocwc5FL5DbwWIMVhl1Y4pVg1ncxcFlQlUM/s1600/melody.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiptyvg8xBTrqvp3aBParNkmjWXUqhyZ8ozLBNfuolXaMI5iKDDoyqane0xTQRmbcoaYxsnMxIUM9QHHmjL5MTZBkkdRmfSIiBXYm_VYh4HFocwc5FL5DbwWIMVhl1Y4pVg1ncxcFlQlUM/s320/melody.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Obviously I picked up Melody. How could I not? She was the first thing I grabbed. I love everything about her-her flipped ends, her adorable face, her mod outfit. Everything.<br />
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<i>Accessories Set</i><br />
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I didn't have the funds to buy everything I wanted and this was one of the things I passed on. I'll definitely be getting it at some point-I'll probably ask for it for my birthday. I could also check the NEX in a few weeks since I still have some base privileges. Her purse looked a bit like plastic to me (sort of like Molly's red purse, which I hate) but the glasses are adorable and I love the Equal Rights in '63 pin.<br />
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<i>Blue Bow Top and Pleated Plaid Skort for Girls</i><br />
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I think they could have done something cuter with the top and made it look more 60s but that's just my opinion. These human outfits are hit or miss for me and this one was a miss. It's cute but not $74 plus tax cute.<br />
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<i>Fancy Floral Set</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Yet another thing I really wanted to buy but just didn't have the funds for. But this is definitely going on my wish list.<br />
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<i>Hairstyling Set</i><br />
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<i><br /></i>
This is a cute enough set but I snapped a picture of Melody looking <i>rough </i>with this wig on. I wonder how easy it'll be for children to put it on correctly and keep it on. I like the set but it isn't exactly a need right now.<br />
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<i>Melody's Pajamas</i><br />
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I picked up her pajamas-mostly because I think her hair looks darling in the display with the pink bows at the end. It was basically down to this or the floral dress. When I arrived, I thought for sure that I'd be buying the floral dress but something about the pajamas set and how cute she looked in it.<br />
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<i>Starry Pajamas for Girls</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I like this outfit a lot better than the meet outfit inspired set.<br />
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<i>Play Outfit</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I just don't like this outfit. I think the top is too short and that is a pet peeve of mine in clothing-both doll clothing and human clothing. The hem of the outfit also really bothers me. Oh well-there's always at least one in every collection. I tend to be a completist so I'm sure this will find a way into my shopping cart one day but I'll definitely be waiting for a sale or something.<br />
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<i>Christmas Outfit</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
This sort of reminds me of Julie's two Christmas outfits in form. I like the colors a lot and think that the cream and gold look beautiful on Melody. I didn't buy it but it's on my wish list.<br />
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<br />
<i>Fancy Coat</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I wouldn't buy the coat set without buying the Christmas outfit so that's also a later.<br />
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<i>Recording Studio</i><br />
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There is no way I would buy this, especially now with a baby on the way and very little space. But man oh man is it cool. It can play three different songs and apparently you can even use it to record your own voice. The price tag is a bit hefty but it isn't exactly at the bakery's level of ridiculousness. If I had a kid, I would imagine this had plenty of play value.<br />
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<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i>Microphone Set</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
So maybe you want to get the music feel from Melody's stories but you don't have the space/funds for the studio. No worries! This, plus the electric piano, can give you a Motown feel without taking up more room than actual people furniture. I also love that it really does amplify sound! I definitely want this when I have more space.<br />
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<i>Electric Piano</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Also cute but not something I need or even really want. Probably a nope.<br />
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<br />
<i>Melody's Dog, Bo</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
The more I look at them, the more I realize how ugly the various American Girl pets are. They're weirdly proportioned and not at all worth the price tag. Bo is no exception. I will definitely not be spending my money on an overpriced stuffed animal.<br />
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<i>Melody's Bed and Bedding</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I'm not a fan of the fact that the bed sits so low that the bedspread touches the ground or the orange color. No thanks.<br />
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<i>Melody's Bedroom Accessories</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I do however like her bedroom accessories, especially the book, the Walk to Freedom gear, and the radio. However these could just as easily live perched on her table set. One day.<br />
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<i>Melody's Table and Chairs</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
I love it-I think the block party was such a central part of her story. If I get a piece of furniture for Melody it will almost certainly be the table and chairs set.<br />
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<i>Melody's Block Party Set</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
This set is adorable-I can't wait for Melody to play a game of bingo with the working bingo cage, the cards, and the markers. I also love how they included the Boston cooler (ginger ale and ice cream float) and the Vernor's Ginger Ale (made in Detroit). Speaking of ginger ale, when I was at the store, they were giving out ginger ale to any children who asked for them. I definitely want this set when I get the table and chairs.<br />
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<i>Melody's Travel Essentials</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Ostensibly tied to Melody's trip to Alabama, the set includes a red travel case, a blue toiletry case with a mirror, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a towel, and a set of postcards. I like it okay but I probably won't get it.<br />
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<u>Other Historical Fun Things</u><br />
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<i>Josefina's Festival Outfit</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
What, did you think I was going to walk out of there with nothing for my main girl? Just because some new girl came along? Pssh. This was the first thing in my bag. I really like the colors of the skirt and camisa-they're bright and pretty. I'm a little iffy about the silky green fabric of the rebozo and I absolutely hate the pink shoes but she can always wear her regular moccasins with it.<br />
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<i>Josefina's Navidad Outfit</i><br />
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I do like this outfit but I didn't buy it. I'll get it later. It's basically a reimagined Christmas outfit in royal blue paired with a white mantilla. I prefer the original but I know I'll end up bringing this home. It's kind of awkward, since Nina is still wearing a copy of the original holiday outfit and in the story her dress is supposed to match. Maybe they'll update it to reflect that.<br />
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<i>Desert Primrose Top for Girls</i><br />
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If this came in adult sizes, I'd buy it. It looks perfect for the hot Florida weather too. <br /><br />
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<i>Julie's New Year's Eve Outfit</i><br />
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Like most of Julie's things, I hate this. I hate the colors, I hate the cut. I hate it. I especially hate the shoes. I understand the platforms are accurate to the time but every time I put Julie or Ivy in platforms, they fall down. I hate it. Blegh. I didn't buy it.<br />
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<i>Retro Camera Tank Top for Girls</i><br />
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While Kit received nothing new for herself, she did get something added to her line of girls inspired clothes. I think this is cute, just not $32 cute. I love how they brought the camera detail in,<br />
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<i>Maryellen's Strawberry Outfit</i><br />
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I'm not a huge fan of this but I think it might grow on me. I think the print is really childish for a 9 year old and it sort of bugs me. But the more I looked at it, the cuter it became. I also really like dresses with pockets. I might buy it later.<br />
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<i>Maryellen's Christmas Party Outfit </i><br />
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I'm glad they finally came out with a proper Christmas outfit for Maryellen-that skating outfit did NOT count. However, I wish it wasn't red. I get so tired of red Christmas dresses. Green would look so pretty on Maryellen. Still, I like it and I'll probably end of asking for it for my birthday.<br />
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<i>Maryellen's Party Punch Set</i><br />
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I really like this set-especially the reindeer. I don't like that she's apparently supposed to put them on her living room set however-I wish they would give her a proper table and chairs set, as well as a proper bed!<br />
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<i>Maryellens' Holiday Cookie Set</i><br />
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Again, a cute set but I wish we had an actual table for it. I do love the apron though and pregnancy makes me want to eat the cookies.<br />
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<i>Maryellen's Refrigerator and Food Set</i><br />
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Man does this come with a lot. The fridge is a soft pretty pink and opens up to reveal all the cool things inside-TV dinners, an ice cube tray, bottles of milk, a cooked ham, condiment jars, etc. Maryellen eats better than I do.The set also contains hideous TV trays and a stand to hold them. I like this set but if I was going to get anything large for Maryellen, it'd be her diner. Nope.<br />
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<i>Plum Jacket for Girls</i><br />
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This color looks great on Rebecca and I would totally buy this if it came in adult sizes! I love the peplum and I adore the color.<br />
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<i>Rebecca's Menorah and Dreidel Set</i><br />
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I am so, so happy that they've brought back a Hanukkah set for Rebecca. I will definitely be buying this as soon as I have the room to put together my full displays again. It'll go right on her sideboard. I love the rearing lions and the gelt coins it includes.<br />
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Addy, Samantha, and Kaya received nothing and Kit only received something for girls to wear. I'm curious if Samn will retire to make room for Felicity, who is now rumored to be making her way back in. Is that going to be the way of it? One archived doll out at a time? I'd be okay with that.<br />
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I'm still hoping that some of the other things tat have been rumored to be coming out do eventually make an appearance.<br />
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Anyways, did anyone else have a fun experience at the store?American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-46006135138388660282016-08-08T02:54:00.000-07:002016-08-08T02:54:12.046-07:00I'm Here! I'm Alive!<br />
Wow, its been over a month since I've posted anything! Almost two months! For everyone still checking and reading this blog, thanks for sticking with me!<br />
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I wanted to get on here and assure you all that I'm still alive. I start a new job today that I am super excited about, I am currently 18 weeks along in my pregnancy (second trimester) and starting to show/outgrow all of my regular clothes, and doing super well.<br />
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I also received my stuff from the military movers so I should be starting to post again soon! Once I straighten everything and get my dolls on display, my life will return to normal. This will be the most demanding job I've ever had (first full time job!) and of course I have the pregnancy but I do intend to start posting again, likely starting this week.<br />
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And then it's my goal to update every two weeks. I'm also hoping that I'll be able to head down to the American Girl store the weekend that Melody debuts-fingers crossed. If I do, I'll post the pictures on here.<br />
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Anyways, thanks for being here!<br />
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<br />American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-33801727672176609242016-06-19T16:51:00.000-07:002016-06-19T16:51:40.788-07:00Felicity and Elizabeth: Ready for Summer!<br />
It is getting way too hot-and pregnancy just makes it worse. I've been doing various things to keep cool-worshipping my AC units, getting used to the sound of a fan at night, and trying to wear cooler clothing.<br />
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Of course, whenever I think of the heat I always wonder how people kept cool in the past. I'm not really talking about the lack of AC. I've lived without AC before-in Florida of all places. I know all about that. I'm really referring to the clothing people wore in the past. Women especially wore several layers of clothing-the chemise, stays, and petticoats (or panniers/hoops for more formal occasions-see Felicity's colonial undergarments). Women truly labored under heavy materials.<br />
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Eventually though there came a call for lighter, more relaxed clothing styles-Felicity's simple white gown tied with a ribbon and paired with a straw hat evokes this movement. That is what I wanted to discuss today, along with one of the women who made these styles very popular. Arguably, she had the greatest impact on Western fashion during this time.<br />
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<b>Fashion and Marie Antoinette</b><br />
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In 1774, a month after becoming the King of France, Louis XVI gave his young wife the Petit Trianon, a small chateau near the larger palace of Versailles that had been created for the mistress of the king (Louis XVI had no mistress). Finally freed from the stultifying routine of Versailles where her every movement and moment was monitored and dictated by the complicated etiquette of the court, Antoinette began to create her own private paradise at the Petit Trianon. This included using a more subtle, airy decor in her new home, creating a wild, picturesque landscape on the grounds, limiting the invitation list to the people she liked, creating an idealized village, and (most importantly for the purposes of this blog) bringing in a more relaxed dress code.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Kirsten Dunst as Marie Antoinette in the 2006 Sophia Coppolla film</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pictured in her gaulle at Petit Trianon</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pinterest</span></div>
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Instead of the heavy brocades, cascades of jewelry, and wide panniers of Versailles, Antoinette and her friends wore a lightweight dress called the <i>gaulle </i>made out of muslin and tied at the waist and elbows with ribbons. The dresses were usually paired with elaborately decorated straw bonnets.<br />
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This fashion likely would have spread without Antoinette-like many fashionable people, she simply capitalized on a social movement. There was a growing obsession with pastoral life, largely because of the writings of Rousseau. Of course, Antoinette took the style from his writings without truly taking in the social meaning behind his words. I don't think Antoinette was purposefully cold hearted (she could in fact be quite generous and she never said "Let them eat cake!" in response to learning of her people's starvation) but these gaulles were deceptively expensive.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>La reine in gaulle </i>by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">This portrait caused a great scandal when it was displayed publically.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> It seemed to many that Antoinette had chosen to display herself in her chemise-her underwear.</span></div>
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This was not the first fashion that Antoinette made so popular. Antoinette also attempted to do away with wearing the stiff corset worn by the highest nobility in France. She wore breeches when she rode, often wore her hair in a pouf (once decorated with a ship to celebrate a French naval victory), popularized the redingote, etc. This one earned her additional scorn, however, because it looked like the queen was appearing in her underwear (and also because it meant she wasn't spending as much with French silk manufacturers). This gave the rumor mill the idea that she was committing adultery. It is worth noting however that, even after her fall from grace, this fashion remained popular. On others, it was seen as evidence of purity; for Antoinette, it was seen as evidence that she did not take her queenly role seriously and that she was promiscuous.<br />
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Regardless of the eventual impact on Antoinette's life, the fashion for a more rustic, natural look stayed around. It reached England with the help of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire and good friend of Antoinette (who sent her a gaulle) and eventually reached the colonies. That is, I believe, where the inspiration for Felicity's summer outfit came from.<br />
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<i>Note: Marie Antoinette's impact on Western fashion (and her life in general) is too interesting and detailed to be captured in a few short paragraphs. See Antonia Fraser's biography </i>Marie Antoinette: The Journey <i>and Caroline Weber's </i>Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution, <i>which gives a detailed analysis of the impact of fashion on Antoinette's life.</i><br />
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<b>Felicity's Summer Outfit</b><br />
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Felicity's summer outfit (originally two separate pieces-the hat and slippers were sold separately at first) came out in 1992. The outfit consisted of the dress, the sash, the lace mob cap, the straw hat, and the slippers.<br />
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<i>Dress:</i><br />
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The white dress (made of cotton-as relations with Britain became tense, many Americans turned to their own cottons instead of relying on British made textiles-and muslin was seen as a British textile-which Antoinette was also widely criticized for, since France and Britain were enemies at the time) is plain, with few adornments. You'll notice that it is full length (colonial girls dressed like smaller women) and that it does include growth tucks so it can be adjusted as Felicity gets older. </div>
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The neckline includes eyelet trim. Like most of Felicity's fashions, the neckline is low.<br />
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Her sleeves reach to her elbow and are adorned with two layers of the same eyelet trim on her neckline. I really like the way it bunches together like that.</div>
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Just like on Marie Antoinette's gaulles, the sleeves are held up with ribbon trim. The trim here is subtle and blue.<br />
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It velcros up the back.</div>
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The dress does sort of look like a chemise, especially without the ribbon sash. It is a very casual garment considering the times. But that is precisely what Antoinette loved about it. Felicity would have loved it too-the lighter material would have been cooler and easier to move about in.</div>
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Ignore the bracelet on her wrist-I haven't been able to get the hospital band off her arm and am currently waiting for my husband to do so. Yes, Felicity arrived back from the hospital!</div>
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<i>Sash:</i></div>
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Still, we can't have Felicity just wearing a chemise! In comes a sash!</div>
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Felicity ties a blue and white brocade ribbon around her waist. The outside of the ribbon is edged in blue; the inside is white. It is decorated with a flowers and butterflies motif. For these rustic ensembles, it was important that the decorating elements also harken back to nature.</div>
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The ribbon is <i>long. </i>I tied it vertically because I don't like it sticking out on the sides.</div>
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The sash is lovely. However, you could use almost any color sash to decorate this gown. Sure, it wouldn't match the ribbons at her elbows but those are mostly disguised by the eyelet ruffles. It also wouldn't match the hat but Felicity could always just wear it with the floral mob cap.<br />
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<i>Mob cap:</i><br />
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The outfit comes with a white lace mob cap. Lace ruffles frame her sweet face.<br />
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The lace has a delicate floral pattern. This mob cap could be paired with any number of Felicity's outfits. It is a very pretty, versatile piece.</div>
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<i>Straw Hat:</i></div>
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And now to my favorite part of the outfit (I say that all the time about hats-I wish people wore beautiful hats like this again!).</div>
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No rustic outfit would be complete without a straw hat decorated with appropriately natural trimmings. Felicity wears a wide brimmed straw hat with pink flowers. A blue ribbon, matching the trim at her elbows, goes across the hat and forms two ribbons to tie the hat under her chin.</div>
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There are two ways to wear this hat. I prefer to place it on her head without the lace mob cap. It looks strange to me to have her wearing two different head pieces.<br />
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See how the cap bunches up unattractively when I place it on her head under the hat? Of course, it is likely a user error. Still, I prefer without the cap.<br />
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<i>Slippers:</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuSnCTEP3aBs18dpg8QxpmrIgaxz2LR_q-3PgUiPuM7GjU1FEcPt9XXHVJSQEFWhzPoJh2FmgLukTrRSH3AjNxFgkf9-nuE4jSm4s0wwmdV95a0uUEyWcLokeW_zUlxQzWFSBDzp28yQ/s1600/slippers+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTuSnCTEP3aBs18dpg8QxpmrIgaxz2LR_q-3PgUiPuM7GjU1FEcPt9XXHVJSQEFWhzPoJh2FmgLukTrRSH3AjNxFgkf9-nuE4jSm4s0wwmdV95a0uUEyWcLokeW_zUlxQzWFSBDzp28yQ/s320/slippers+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Felicity wears a pair of light green brocade slippers that tie with cream ribbon laces. The slippers are embroidered with cream and pink designs. The green is a nice shade (it doesn't show up very well). I might have gone for a light blue but I like the green as well.</div>
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<i>Overall:</i></div>
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Felicity's summer outfit is my favorite out of all her outfits (though it is tied with her green riding habit). There's something about Felicity wearing outfits that allow her freedom of movement and the ability to be herself that I just adore. The dress also reminds me so strongly of the fashions at the Petit Trianon that it appeals to the history nerd inside me. </div>
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<b>Elizabeth's Summer Outfit</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1W2J6tiaEiKgsetxxNXa-ZQw-RaZ6R3QJ1wFOx6WJMIGwgjgFvVmxxGQFxqowR4tJBg2pZygxZqQkR0lOQGMN6TP8XXaDgRc5rvZjJIeMcQ2QbGDcrTUS8Jg5zv1IYZXFl7zCOWwtUc/s1600/elizabeth2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1W2J6tiaEiKgsetxxNXa-ZQw-RaZ6R3QJ1wFOx6WJMIGwgjgFvVmxxGQFxqowR4tJBg2pZygxZqQkR0lOQGMN6TP8XXaDgRc5rvZjJIeMcQ2QbGDcrTUS8Jg5zv1IYZXFl7zCOWwtUc/s320/elizabeth2.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
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And then they created Elizabeth's summer outfit, released in 2005. They looked at the wonderful concept of a light, free summer outfit for the colonial girls and said, "Naw..."<br />
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Look, I get it. Elizabeth is supposed to be of a higher social class than Felicity. This can be seen everywhere from her fancier meet outfit to the pearls she wears. She's wealthy.<br />
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But people of all social classes were moving towards a more natural aesthetic when in rustic environments. You can't be of a much higher status than the Queen of France.<br />
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The outfit had three components-the dress, the hat, and the slippers.<br />
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<i>Dress:</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCGr1ze1deFHb5vWHfD2eWWs3XLhwfMWtMZCiIElXaYcUFFrhS85Ae5D_Ds3VwvHV2Cz5oenx7rNgd0JH9cx5g02igOWql1eptvVei1twcymdSyKpUpLG2xugOSVv4lMehZWMJ4k55UU/s1600/elizabeth+dress1+edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijCGr1ze1deFHb5vWHfD2eWWs3XLhwfMWtMZCiIElXaYcUFFrhS85Ae5D_Ds3VwvHV2Cz5oenx7rNgd0JH9cx5g02igOWql1eptvVei1twcymdSyKpUpLG2xugOSVv4lMehZWMJ4k55UU/s320/elizabeth+dress1+edit.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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The main part of the dress is a very light green-I would call the shade almost a seafoam green. It is made of dotted satin. The skirt of the dress is split to reveal an attached quilted white petticoat. The neckline is accented with eyelet trim.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqhZXQNOFuWl3mTBbHTJu6QVv0-uhluJegI9xJw1KxIaAbbJwyV466GLQIIkn44zJIHr9w717E0sMK-L1anMsAm4HfNnNeZnrwmy3uiRs0pfzHhzmNkwWzi_ZLMv9mZ-kH8JF-kOE8yQ/s1600/elizabeth+dress+fabric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlqhZXQNOFuWl3mTBbHTJu6QVv0-uhluJegI9xJw1KxIaAbbJwyV466GLQIIkn44zJIHr9w717E0sMK-L1anMsAm4HfNnNeZnrwmy3uiRs0pfzHhzmNkwWzi_ZLMv9mZ-kH8JF-kOE8yQ/s1600/elizabeth+dress+fabric.jpg" /></a></div>
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There's a close up of the fabric. It is a very pretty fabric but it would not be very light and breezy during a hot Virginia summer. It simply isn't as practical as Felicity's dress.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-4gUfn6m7b_n4OdnvHNuLD5GzeLKBuD0AhLjXlz7mNBq9mZGx0cCpmdez3NOgo-eyIsF4Rku6ckaAFdZz4Nlo6VyApzFLtP2FJ6hPLVF73BpZcGm9zDxXbnKs7tkZCwl3JNueeWErZY/s1600/elizabeth+dress2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-4gUfn6m7b_n4OdnvHNuLD5GzeLKBuD0AhLjXlz7mNBq9mZGx0cCpmdez3NOgo-eyIsF4Rku6ckaAFdZz4Nlo6VyApzFLtP2FJ6hPLVF73BpZcGm9zDxXbnKs7tkZCwl3JNueeWErZY/s320/elizabeth+dress2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The dress is accented with a cream ribbon on the waist. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5u5jYdGAtQFMLBiBcMr69LqibQSLYtn4JvQFLQuDzVNdPszPRS4mIia8B5_tlhv_AsAf1w0O0g1TMgHbNCAFF3f8b9Gzvvps9fbBWteD0mL7fihL4TrWYoG2TEMCj5Ah-OxMELrcOQoU/s1600/elizabeth+sleeves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5u5jYdGAtQFMLBiBcMr69LqibQSLYtn4JvQFLQuDzVNdPszPRS4mIia8B5_tlhv_AsAf1w0O0g1TMgHbNCAFF3f8b9Gzvvps9fbBWteD0mL7fihL4TrWYoG2TEMCj5Ah-OxMELrcOQoU/s320/elizabeth+sleeves.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The dress has elbow length sleeved with eyelet trim on the cuff. This matches the eyelet trim on the neckline.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDySM_S7Uo3zMWgd_fd7hE7BMKbO7RgEb0TbV3gs9w-0AkfIPLj3HZLvGPdvBWofB8J-_hgI9q59Nv3nRJsRuX2tgcD1VDXLVNrN_cEl88Wa3zGWo80uqmPA7EbdHsJp40X8WrcxOOetc/s1600/elizabeth+dress4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDySM_S7Uo3zMWgd_fd7hE7BMKbO7RgEb0TbV3gs9w-0AkfIPLj3HZLvGPdvBWofB8J-_hgI9q59Nv3nRJsRuX2tgcD1VDXLVNrN_cEl88Wa3zGWo80uqmPA7EbdHsJp40X8WrcxOOetc/s320/elizabeth+dress4.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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It velcros in the back. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOltah0Rt774S5D3x3iHKIwMxqk1zTvSQ8UZ5leDbraxh1KuinEWILGwaKBjWbLjTbrZjwPBqa4ceh92oZmTZ6TWqDm78IJSpVk5IpK1B9wK5QEOC3jrc5lsr6b2aKQiCK0zrpi8wc9j8/s1600/elizabeth+dress5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOltah0Rt774S5D3x3iHKIwMxqk1zTvSQ8UZ5leDbraxh1KuinEWILGwaKBjWbLjTbrZjwPBqa4ceh92oZmTZ6TWqDm78IJSpVk5IpK1B9wK5QEOC3jrc5lsr6b2aKQiCK0zrpi8wc9j8/s320/elizabeth+dress5.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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My biggest pet peeve about this dress is how short it is-it isn't floor length like the dress worn by Felicity. It reveals her shoes and quite a bit of her ankle. This isn't necessarily inaccurate to the time-women were wearing the robe à la polonaise which revealed the shoes and a bit of ankle. However, I don't really like it aesthetically-especially since the stock photos depict her wearing it without stockings.</div>
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<i>Hat:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KDZSc8xmG1w5eUdxbr4VR83N0yZG403AhYh1fC066GAatOr00JO4upUGaLAOvwHLfju1lgUGn6Z1ZyASkQgt_ot4YhOQ-_cJaA0_TZiRfJRql3rq0xMYSByHsa44M4q8J1Xdi8sbLLQ/s1600/elizabeth+hat2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2KDZSc8xmG1w5eUdxbr4VR83N0yZG403AhYh1fC066GAatOr00JO4upUGaLAOvwHLfju1lgUGn6Z1ZyASkQgt_ot4YhOQ-_cJaA0_TZiRfJRql3rq0xMYSByHsa44M4q8J1Xdi8sbLLQ/s320/elizabeth+hat2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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As you can see from a bottom view of the hat, it is also made of straw. Unfortunately American Girl decided to cover the hat with satin instead of letting Elizabeth stick with a more rustic style.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO54nOvJZo5sEgQAPlLxpbmZ9i-mOdSbPr5QBQlfmD_XSSi6BiKjBJmwZY0XMHI-SzzozDtmfimr4r-lPN1didfd5QbdzF7VbZpKMsw7dhpSgRxUykieS2p0Kadl5QSBXcgW3-4Z9Z47E/s1600/2elizabeth+hat1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO54nOvJZo5sEgQAPlLxpbmZ9i-mOdSbPr5QBQlfmD_XSSi6BiKjBJmwZY0XMHI-SzzozDtmfimr4r-lPN1didfd5QbdzF7VbZpKMsw7dhpSgRxUykieS2p0Kadl5QSBXcgW3-4Z9Z47E/s1600/2elizabeth+hat1.jpg" /></a></div>
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The hat is covered in a creamy white, satiny fabric and trimmed with small green ribbons along the crown of the hat. Two pink bows adorn the side. Pink ribbons come down the sides to tie the hat under Elizabeth's chin.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Z_mAFXyOwpdDeuVsFn9uWy1TRoeH3Uq2eKf1LFfZVGLlsuGN9EejkedNUzEXxhk-HovougpcT91NE-7kAON_4KSw4q7Wh1jIexlVsC5I8zQt-la_EbbRGn-sHIEME7kig2gDaJKNoEY/s1600/2hat+on.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Z_mAFXyOwpdDeuVsFn9uWy1TRoeH3Uq2eKf1LFfZVGLlsuGN9EejkedNUzEXxhk-HovougpcT91NE-7kAON_4KSw4q7Wh1jIexlVsC5I8zQt-la_EbbRGn-sHIEME7kig2gDaJKNoEY/s320/2hat+on.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The pink goes very nicely with the light green of the dress-it really is a pretty color combination.</div>
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<i>Shoes:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFukUhCuPscN1ux0IxnNwu2296pDHJN8xU05Gb7OvfK2WMXDuOyxlyNTKvjfVv-ni3Sn_bbTi8FhfVnIT4S4xqJyGwP1E5UythZoXtgt0gH_S0G4224XoiaTD8UZ7SeMkliS1XIvtJ_M/s1600/elizabeth+shoes2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFukUhCuPscN1ux0IxnNwu2296pDHJN8xU05Gb7OvfK2WMXDuOyxlyNTKvjfVv-ni3Sn_bbTi8FhfVnIT4S4xqJyGwP1E5UythZoXtgt0gH_S0G4224XoiaTD8UZ7SeMkliS1XIvtJ_M/s1600/elizabeth+shoes2.jpg" /></a></div>
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According to the wiki, Elizabeth's summer outfit comes with light green satin heeled mule slippers. Well, the shoes that came with the set (admittedly, a secondhand purchase) are a creamy white that matches the hat. So...I don't know. They are satin shoes with low heels. They look very similar to the stock photo except for color. </div>
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I don't like them anyways because I'm not a fan of heels on dolls-they make the dolls stand oddly. I also paired them with stockings because I think they look better that way.</div>
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<i>Overall:</i></div>
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I like a lot of the components of Elizabeth's outfit-just not as a summer outfit for her to wear with Felicity. This doesn't have the rustic, natural elements that made Felicity's outfit so stylish and pretty. I can see her wearing this to a garden party in town perhaps. I realize that Elizabeth has more money than Felicity. But she could have still had a nice muslin (since she wouldn't care about giving money to England, being a loyalist) dress. So, in conclusion, I like Felicity's dress a lot more.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hpeZSua9LcTDuo3hqudfpX0gieJh7RbYxzdHk40DUw-jfHVunRxOCNM-QRoVg69uI0celBiZnLh_MoQEaAOqPXyciSVoGaXZoeCPIdNOC-LIZXs3RVJhLlH0rhlG7mWZmsePEX9SoIg/s1600/elizabeth+dress+full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3hpeZSua9LcTDuo3hqudfpX0gieJh7RbYxzdHk40DUw-jfHVunRxOCNM-QRoVg69uI0celBiZnLh_MoQEaAOqPXyciSVoGaXZoeCPIdNOC-LIZXs3RVJhLlH0rhlG7mWZmsePEX9SoIg/s320/elizabeth+dress+full.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Ready for summer!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqj9t4ZIrGn3gFdvf4HeFZ_3dM7wI4jpMfbsdIs5hqUeW0kGFfMmjALxjLQqQ4ZmdQ0XGJuVITMsyk3sbL47vvCQSFKUA0PubLkJg_68tJee0G4KRFeEusnieh_EETB8i2b-9naIsLLM/s1600/felicity+and+elizabeth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqj9t4ZIrGn3gFdvf4HeFZ_3dM7wI4jpMfbsdIs5hqUeW0kGFfMmjALxjLQqQ4ZmdQ0XGJuVITMsyk3sbL47vvCQSFKUA0PubLkJg_68tJee0G4KRFeEusnieh_EETB8i2b-9naIsLLM/s320/felicity+and+elizabeth.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-76382208318223701072016-05-31T13:38:00.000-07:002016-06-01T13:35:52.635-07:00Samantha's Middy Outfit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Wow! It has been over a month since I published anything to this blog! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgwUhPHY6zn6_TSuQ9WUA4DZQEzN6a8ocay0TQHwI-vSIAUEM5C1WyxCxqbiaFhJ71nLWzKif1Ef8vTbd8AfwbhMZzxG5MNdx_Bur484nyjySgEJVuyAcupi1ycQjGPhNVZHonXs0l18/s1600/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgwUhPHY6zn6_TSuQ9WUA4DZQEzN6a8ocay0TQHwI-vSIAUEM5C1WyxCxqbiaFhJ71nLWzKif1Ef8vTbd8AfwbhMZzxG5MNdx_Bur484nyjySgEJVuyAcupi1ycQjGPhNVZHonXs0l18/s320/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio1_400.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I do have some excuses though. My husband is getting out of the military in a little over a month. That means we also have to move away from the base he works at and back to my hometown. This involves packing up all my American Girl dolls, our clothes, our furniture...and, most complicated of all, two elderly cats that have absolutely no interest in moving. </div>
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My husband will be going to college while I work. That means I need to find a job that makes roughly the equivalent of what he made in the military (plus the cost of housing-the basic housing allowance is not included in the salary since it is an allowance) and that will also give us decent health insurance. I think I have found that job-I'll give more details once it is set in stone. As part of getting that job, I am traveling back and forth between the state we currently live in and our home state. It is exhausting.</div>
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So that's a lot right there-transitioning back to civilian life, becoming the breadwinner, moving several states away. </div>
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Oh, and, by the way, I'm also pregnant. </div>
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As of this writing, I am 8 weeks along. So still quite a ways to go. But I am tired a lot, especially with everything else on my plate. So writing on here will likely be sporadic. I'm still a fan of American Girl and I'll still be involved in the community at AGC. But things are obviously changing for me too. Please hang in there with me-this community gives me way too much enjoyment and I'd hate to lose that!</div>
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Anyways, I wanted to write about an outfit that I've always loved-Samantha's Middy Outfit. Her outfit, with its nautical theme, is both adorable and fairly accurate for the time period.</div>
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<b>Nautical Fashion</b></div>
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Nautical fashion (along with military inspired fashion) has been around for a long time. However, the sailor trend really set off when Queen Victoria dressed her oldest son Edward (nicknamed Bertie in his childhood) in a sailor suit whilst on the Royal Yacht in 1846. Bertie was always a trendsetter but this was perhaps one of the first (and one of the most enduring) fashion movements that he started.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9pIq8spz5RCyNtr_IItnMuRhWq85gIHXQPpUPj3OcaNZpOagpxPvY_s_2PbaaOXqBsaqN-v3kDbdatCX_Enmu1MHTXe2jhGQGodtdCdj0bm0q9pzzsFjE-8Xv9cY5rTfLzdDEUq9uWk/s1600/bertie+in+sailor+suit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF9pIq8spz5RCyNtr_IItnMuRhWq85gIHXQPpUPj3OcaNZpOagpxPvY_s_2PbaaOXqBsaqN-v3kDbdatCX_Enmu1MHTXe2jhGQGodtdCdj0bm0q9pzzsFjE-8Xv9cY5rTfLzdDEUq9uWk/s320/bertie+in+sailor+suit.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Prince Edward, painted by Franz Xaver Winterhalter </span></div>
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Naturally, people wanted to copy the royal family and sailor suits became popular for children. Below is a boy's "middies" (named for midshipman) sailor suit from around 1900. Obviously the style had great staying power since this was over 50 years since little Bertie had popularized the style on the Royal Yacht.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJiNbOxL9fMOCG75kHYek9YQwj12XMD6CRKX_k5CGodhhbxUaQLMKwfECTk5bAV0Wr0x79KQomxLcivlTovVsjS8vaT6WR8eggrh0UqxXHHbM_MEamji6nZZ8IGs7zy-wQs6wrIGHTBc/s1600/sailorsuit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><i><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJiNbOxL9fMOCG75kHYek9YQwj12XMD6CRKX_k5CGodhhbxUaQLMKwfECTk5bAV0Wr0x79KQomxLcivlTovVsjS8vaT6WR8eggrh0UqxXHHbM_MEamji6nZZ8IGs7zy-wQs6wrIGHTBc/s1600/sailorsuit.jpg" /></span></i></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.maggiemayfashions.com/turncentury.html</span></i></div>
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Nautical inspired outfits were popular for girls and ladies as well as time went on. For example, the four Romanov daughters of Nicholas II-Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and Anastasia-often wore them, along with the tsarevitch. Below is a photograph of the children wearing their suits.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSbnxeW32w0lCv5rblRMuknDzCQglm0XOPOp5S7mhbbznY0iD_zy3tlT2xg1wNTPd25v_3Wka9mR5Aegg_NfB9QW_RbrXN584ZWVmZNE0poW9g6qNnR8G2Cfsm3m0s8U5md9e16ihm3w/s1600/otma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSbnxeW32w0lCv5rblRMuknDzCQglm0XOPOp5S7mhbbznY0iD_zy3tlT2xg1wNTPd25v_3Wka9mR5Aegg_NfB9QW_RbrXN584ZWVmZNE0poW9g6qNnR8G2Cfsm3m0s8U5md9e16ihm3w/s320/otma.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Pinterest</i></span></div>
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Nautical fashion continues to inspire today. Sometimes it is paired with the Breton striped sailor shirt that Coco Chanel made popular.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJKi13JZiqn7X1efMaPtmAUI_4UPGleMOHKfqpqJz2_AJekYcNdiuI5fOUnnA5j_l2qaotWOH-XCw3C0gKevGxTaUH5JONJVO-irFwGyH5aakmo09X7RnUYCPVKgwhE4nip_tKhDC7tE/s1600/436ef4e77e6a4ccb50f3fb13a491a445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJJKi13JZiqn7X1efMaPtmAUI_4UPGleMOHKfqpqJz2_AJekYcNdiuI5fOUnnA5j_l2qaotWOH-XCw3C0gKevGxTaUH5JONJVO-irFwGyH5aakmo09X7RnUYCPVKgwhE4nip_tKhDC7tE/s1600/436ef4e77e6a4ccb50f3fb13a491a445.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Pinterest</i></span></div>
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Clearly, Samantha's middy outfit was an appropriate choice as her summer outfit!</div>
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<b>Middy Outfit</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWrbat_C6OBxOZj8TkPWdzmOg4v8AU0FEQoAiYyJTDHxD9PIdwBkUY0g4YYV_Ye1IMV1dy43dZt0T2vBCPRp8Wo59eYaao6MK3SlNk5TH8vcXH5S_P2pd9BfLU4HQbGxHsiHp-Hf_bnM/s1600/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio3_540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWrbat_C6OBxOZj8TkPWdzmOg4v8AU0FEQoAiYyJTDHxD9PIdwBkUY0g4YYV_Ye1IMV1dy43dZt0T2vBCPRp8Wo59eYaao6MK3SlNk5TH8vcXH5S_P2pd9BfLU4HQbGxHsiHp-Hf_bnM/s320/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio3_540.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Samantha wears this outfit in her summer story. Originally, this outfit came in two separate parts-the boots were sold separately.</div>
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<i>Dress:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGjhzJnrAfxVKvmvx_3QSdKOSnTqphCdnlf7Wp_arqyzBUcNWRbj_ha0WFqQo-yZVmz-Y5NG_FTXR50ymOMKVm1wlXb3qrzU9figw_Tg0XpSaquVOncCMj1kBytnh8LyxDuR_DdaWS60/s1600/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio6_250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGjhzJnrAfxVKvmvx_3QSdKOSnTqphCdnlf7Wp_arqyzBUcNWRbj_ha0WFqQo-yZVmz-Y5NG_FTXR50ymOMKVm1wlXb3qrzU9figw_Tg0XpSaquVOncCMj1kBytnh8LyxDuR_DdaWS60/s320/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio6_250.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The dress itself is white with black accents. I do sometimes wish that the details were navy blue instead, since that is a classic nautical color combination (another classic one is red and white-navy blue with white accents would have also been appropriate). The dress has a pleated skirt with four decorative white buttons on the skirt.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywdiDzdOKX4JAF2Iv60Ff5pWWP1GlWdr3hCJ-dvzrayDVubH0zLwbhpaoaYqydeAohUGNmxusXfD65C5IUHRqR0GCoN_SutThchy1sGL0rYb3zkwyIQGl4Yyby-_1DfwqfJhygyqvCyM/s1600/tumblr_o7v58ebsVL1skd3dio2_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgywdiDzdOKX4JAF2Iv60Ff5pWWP1GlWdr3hCJ-dvzrayDVubH0zLwbhpaoaYqydeAohUGNmxusXfD65C5IUHRqR0GCoN_SutThchy1sGL0rYb3zkwyIQGl4Yyby-_1DfwqfJhygyqvCyM/s320/tumblr_o7v58ebsVL1skd3dio2_400.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The dress has long sleeves and closes at the wrist using velcro. The cuff of the sleeve has two black bands along the wrist. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_l7QFPJhBNHkzPKR5UbCSgIFnuQ8epXxvj5rJ0LZRIQmf5vqOt0YjeKK8cw6tsOFJJSIKLrADbWACO2NS7ReUXjWmjEHdBNgdhonfxBCPZuDrhAVt2ri1O5pxKWTu743wdxFR2n_sLM/s1600/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio10_540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9_l7QFPJhBNHkzPKR5UbCSgIFnuQ8epXxvj5rJ0LZRIQmf5vqOt0YjeKK8cw6tsOFJJSIKLrADbWACO2NS7ReUXjWmjEHdBNgdhonfxBCPZuDrhAVt2ri1O5pxKWTu743wdxFR2n_sLM/s320/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio10_540.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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On one of the sleeves, she also sports a crest on a patch. It's difficult to see. but the patch features an anchor detail.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJItlSZD45lV6p9SIg5ejEfHlDQCN7WHzH8r34k-aKbWqysvXvUGlLOCHEw1QBwQnckfOpMZwTpjQpTM_1ZTTELk2SnjRMJMk3aXiRTtmkeCM5sMNAHZrgJLTTsu5TfwvX-Z7QbMzsuM/s1600/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio7_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJItlSZD45lV6p9SIg5ejEfHlDQCN7WHzH8r34k-aKbWqysvXvUGlLOCHEw1QBwQnckfOpMZwTpjQpTM_1ZTTELk2SnjRMJMk3aXiRTtmkeCM5sMNAHZrgJLTTsu5TfwvX-Z7QbMzsuM/s320/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio7_400.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The dress has a sailor collar with black stripe accents along the edges. A black anchor adorns the top of the dress as well. Anchors were common accents in nautical inspired outfits.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBp70frbbHUT4usNv_8anr4FBTAAERKRVo7OQpWM6OpCY0CCd_oad-CZqSv-gnSgp8veo_GktWUM8sNFAg60fEGHQJVO0GVB-AZC6MBT0N45kenqVefV52wfv6dLhBYgok3OSSWRTJPbE/s1600/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio9_540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBp70frbbHUT4usNv_8anr4FBTAAERKRVo7OQpWM6OpCY0CCd_oad-CZqSv-gnSgp8veo_GktWUM8sNFAg60fEGHQJVO0GVB-AZC6MBT0N45kenqVefV52wfv6dLhBYgok3OSSWRTJPbE/s320/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio9_540.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The back of the collar features a star accent at each corner. Stars are another common detail-I'm glad they didn't use additional anchors because I think that would have been overkill.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80H4zG_iTolte8LnHtMnDf54DrHDHPzxljNOULuIsYSsOU-pK-5yJ9N0NDg6LbAvrn7rt3TU-yUPLgXGtc9Vd4awXVbzmNwi73RWmjnbjLvS5BI4q06t6ffrHzWMy8pjoCJYe_TQqAbg/s1600/tumblr_o7v58ebsVL1skd3dio3_540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80H4zG_iTolte8LnHtMnDf54DrHDHPzxljNOULuIsYSsOU-pK-5yJ9N0NDg6LbAvrn7rt3TU-yUPLgXGtc9Vd4awXVbzmNwi73RWmjnbjLvS5BI4q06t6ffrHzWMy8pjoCJYe_TQqAbg/s320/tumblr_o7v58ebsVL1skd3dio3_540.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The dress has a lace up section with black ribbon on the skirt. The outfit closes with velcro and a clasp.</div>
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<i>Tam:</i></div>
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Tams were originally classic hats for Scottish men but later made their way into military uniforms and became fashionable for girls as well. The hats are usually flat.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DsL0hgwyl3mipEznORMEGCbstSDR83WW0OQ4w0_xxCrv651nM1qPUUfOSasv1ACSOkVGHYumrII6RYMfWAILNJR_uwiz2MV5iVTU-G2bZMHCSJVgMyI7OHN-N7W3e1xhG0KwMBBfPSk/s1600/tumblr_o7v58ebsVL1skd3dio6_250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DsL0hgwyl3mipEznORMEGCbstSDR83WW0OQ4w0_xxCrv651nM1qPUUfOSasv1ACSOkVGHYumrII6RYMfWAILNJR_uwiz2MV5iVTU-G2bZMHCSJVgMyI7OHN-N7W3e1xhG0KwMBBfPSk/s320/tumblr_o7v58ebsVL1skd3dio6_250.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The outside of the hat is just plain white-the inside brim has black ribbon detail.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3CpcvmNf5KYxb4HcbVXYU41qD16M4IzN_mvWpQmwuqtBVvB6SbB24PLFcrF9SfDSOdq5q3HGFZtLTSakq8X4Hm0FNaHfnaC1oRLL2IcL99hMilorPDo7mglvmdp8tNAlw9a1DWzA-Y8/s1600/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio4_250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3CpcvmNf5KYxb4HcbVXYU41qD16M4IzN_mvWpQmwuqtBVvB6SbB24PLFcrF9SfDSOdq5q3HGFZtLTSakq8X4Hm0FNaHfnaC1oRLL2IcL99hMilorPDo7mglvmdp8tNAlw9a1DWzA-Y8/s320/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio4_250.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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My only complaint about the hat is that it can be difficult to place attractively. It is meant to sit at a jaunty angle by the way.</div>
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<i>Shoes:</i></div>
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Samantha pairs this outfit with a pair of high button shoes. These are also black and white. These shoes actually have functional pearl buttons. It's a nice detail but I would have preferred Velcro. The shoes are very hard for me to clasp because I have very stiff fingers. As it is, you can see I could only barely get the bottom button clasped. I can imagine that it must be difficult for a child too. </div>
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Personally, if I wasn't trying to capture all of the components for a review, I would use the boots that Samantha wears with her Flower Picking Set. Those boots are sort of similar (black and white high button shoes) but they have Velcro. </div>
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Basically the boots are very nice aesthetically but, for my practical purposes, they're a negative.</div>
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<i>Whistle:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewozjjB3x47Tmcaoe6hyLt0Tm8ZZRcqdUCSkVSztB8ODnyw1fL-ZZexeUhbfGZkSVFrxs0ckOMLf9tfW9BMZMlhpMdZ6J9LToqdbYVGiBQqf4v3Vq6F571YAI5AxzBCrA0-j0XrKVDTs/s1600/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio8_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjewozjjB3x47Tmcaoe6hyLt0Tm8ZZRcqdUCSkVSztB8ODnyw1fL-ZZexeUhbfGZkSVFrxs0ckOMLf9tfW9BMZMlhpMdZ6J9LToqdbYVGiBQqf4v3Vq6F571YAI5AxzBCrA0-j0XrKVDTs/s320/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio8_400.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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And then we have my favorite part of the outfit. If your set comes from before 2005 or so, it came with a bronze whistle on a black cord. I like to tuck the cord under her collar and pull it back-otherwise it hangs down far too low. </div>
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My whistle (I'm not sure if the whistles later became nonfunctional) is an actual whistle. I can blow it and it makes noise, which I think is just the nicest detail. Who doesn't love a whistle? </div>
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Possibly my love of real whistles will change once my child is born and obtains a whistle from some foolish person (probably my husband). But for now I love it! I would try to make sure any set I bought included the whistle.</div>
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<b>Overall:</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivd0zcL4IveK_aIY_Rr9jQixKM3anGpj6bU3qbfpC-1fK0hPm8jM5981V70sgklvuaBuVFapyyupFgLx-E4jXAosAwcC1_MwZmGVeOOuBqJiNfeBfCvxKbBPUf9Y0pbODcdtMkuE6Q6og/s1600/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio2_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivd0zcL4IveK_aIY_Rr9jQixKM3anGpj6bU3qbfpC-1fK0hPm8jM5981V70sgklvuaBuVFapyyupFgLx-E4jXAosAwcC1_MwZmGVeOOuBqJiNfeBfCvxKbBPUf9Y0pbODcdtMkuE6Q6og/s320/tumblr_o7v3n4cVl11skd3dio2_400.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Overall, I think this was a good design for American Girl. The nautical style of Sam's summer outfit is historically accurate-it is also really cute! The only downside to the set is the hard-to-clasp shoe choice. But I also know that there are people who will feel differently and prefer the shoes with realistic closures instead of Velcro.</div>
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But overall, I do enjoy this set!</div>
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Anyways, sorry again for not posting. I'll try to do better! </div>
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http://www.bluevelvetvintage.com/vintage_style_files/2015/06/09/decked-out-nautical-fashion-through-the-ages/<br />
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sailor_suit<br />
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http://www.maggiemayfashions.com/turncentury.htmlAmerican Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-67172868444876227152016-04-26T11:23:00.000-07:002016-06-09T12:47:46.178-07:00Felicity's Spring Gown with Pinner Apron<br />
Happy belated birthday, Felicity!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYGExMvnfv8GVorWoVvnY0YxZwjkEA5ZexVvwcM3s9I68uZh2GDA672Ng1SUOnvoNU3DQsXKd_f3Rntk5Lvad20PMOJtBH7qX38vIdiBr2oxXP_R2yglcVdcIKZhqF3Tq8ukhZBRD3uw/s1600/face+%25284%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOYGExMvnfv8GVorWoVvnY0YxZwjkEA5ZexVvwcM3s9I68uZh2GDA672Ng1SUOnvoNU3DQsXKd_f3Rntk5Lvad20PMOJtBH7qX38vIdiBr2oxXP_R2yglcVdcIKZhqF3Tq8ukhZBRD3uw/s320/face+%25284%2529.jpg" width="235" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Looking good (and fashionable!) for being 251 years old</span></div>
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I realize that I haven't been posting on here lately and that I haven't been active on AGC either. I've been busy. My husband is getting out of the military this year and so the breadwinner baton has passed to me. He will be going to college (and I am so proud of him, because there were people who thought he'd never get there because of some of his teenage behavior-never give up on kids, because look at him now) and since it has been so long since he's been in school, I don't want him to work all that much if I can help it. I've seen otherwise good students be crushed under the weight of 40+ hours of work on top of their 15 credit hours (I've also seen students rise to the challenge like champions but it does make it harder). 10-20 hours is plenty. But that means I need to find a better paying job-and I think I have! In between that, preparing for the move, working, and traveling to Charlotte for an early anniversary, I just haven't had a lot of time. I intended for this post to go live on her birthday but that didn't happen.<br />
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Anyways, enough excuses! On with the post!<br />
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Spring has certainly arrived and with it a plethora of AG doll birthdays-originally, it seems that most of the dolls were born in the spring. The birthday stories were, after all, also spring stories. So, on April 21, Felicity celebrated her birthday-hopefully with the help of Elizabeth and a special gift from her grandfather (that guitar-I want it so much!).<br />
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Felicity the character is old. And I've realized that my doll is old too and in need of repairs. Felicity is the only AG item I've ever bought second hand where I became enraged at the seller. She was advertised as like new condition, mint. Part of the description included her limbs being very tight. But that was a lie. Felicity could barely stand when I got her a year ago and now needs to be propped up against a hard surface to remain upright-Elizabeth typically helps her friend. If some of the pictures I'm showing seem like she's standing at strange angles, that is why.<br />
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As I said before, I went to Charlotte. While there, I dropped her off at the doll hospital.<br />
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Anyways, on to the review. I embedded my history review (this time on the history of aprons) into the larger review this time. I didn't have the time to effectively and accurately research a new topic.<br />
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<b><i>Felicity's Spring Pinner Gown and Apron:</i></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUp2Eca2OcmeJaJZkFvoHbYNhCCM6OD41NgqXJBHAH8yQk_6tmrvc4-FUFv7qFDCUhnIgxFKbl_JENSamVFybH9rgpIfnqAep2gFZL9VAWyK5exFtT3pc82_EBLL9smyrdVep9wT6xVX4/s1600/profile2+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUp2Eca2OcmeJaJZkFvoHbYNhCCM6OD41NgqXJBHAH8yQk_6tmrvc4-FUFv7qFDCUhnIgxFKbl_JENSamVFybH9rgpIfnqAep2gFZL9VAWyK5exFtT3pc82_EBLL9smyrdVep9wT6xVX4/s320/profile2+%25282%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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This outfit came out in 1992 and was retired in 2009. It was a part of her birthday collection and sold for $24. The outfit included a bright pink dress, a floral pinner apron to go on top of it, stockings, a hair ribbon with a floral pompom, and a pack of pins to pin the apron onto the dress. I have neither the pins nor the ribbon.<br />
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<i>Dress:</i><br />
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Felicity wears a pink dress. The fabric is plain and unadorned because the apron is meant to go on top of it-otherwise the two materials would clash. Never overload the eye.<br />
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It is made of a lightweight material, which would be appropriate for spring. It can get very hot in Williamsburg.<br />
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Her sleeves reach a bit past her elbows and has gathering with white trim. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmgNJuOImNDLXnu7ir3fDYfBmzmh8UZe-g7Yw3al9_Jo_5Uz7IOSjaWf1k12L_BMFyVMbt9DyjUFOnpvC_7iK0R57AsjNNWxS60De0rES1GRr1Ksbn5nuJyhdOgevCkZ-vfziiASaQcI/s1600/sleeve2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTmgNJuOImNDLXnu7ir3fDYfBmzmh8UZe-g7Yw3al9_Jo_5Uz7IOSjaWf1k12L_BMFyVMbt9DyjUFOnpvC_7iK0R57AsjNNWxS60De0rES1GRr1Ksbn5nuJyhdOgevCkZ-vfziiASaQcI/s320/sleeve2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The sleeve also has a pink and green floral detail. It's simple and pretty, adding just the right festive touch for her dress.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFW3lGEiHIkxjAKwyCJVhMWcpQ5LYIB1NP4WIT_f1hv0WH5Yegf5xDzCsNw35Ch1ZitVAlz1NtrU5cYQXUkLQlmiA9dDYKCh5p9FZuCF8MFPqpGbyK4gGSlSgei2tO3ywu9XEPGYFOHAk/s1600/sleeve2+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFW3lGEiHIkxjAKwyCJVhMWcpQ5LYIB1NP4WIT_f1hv0WH5Yegf5xDzCsNw35Ch1ZitVAlz1NtrU5cYQXUkLQlmiA9dDYKCh5p9FZuCF8MFPqpGbyK4gGSlSgei2tO3ywu9XEPGYFOHAk/s1600/sleeve2+%25282%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
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The neckline has the white gathered trim of the sleeves as well. It is squarely cut, as are most of Felicity and Elizabeth's gowns. That is why the dolls underwent a change from white bodied to flesh colored bodies when Felicity came out. Colonial fashions showed too much of the upper chest for that. I didn't get a picture of the neckline alone but you can see it in the pictures of the entire outfit-the neckline peeks out above the apron.</div>
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I like the dress but I probably wouldn't put Felicity in it without the apron. It's very plain. But it should be-otherwise, it would clash with the floral print apron.</div>
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<i>Pinner Apron:</i></div>
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Felicity lays her pinner apron on top.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0qef3gDwtx-Ut-erW0AkjAJKomM0WdixyaMhdPpRjByP4-Xx8mejYMIOYjGL4gv63_qIL5qL5Kgq08VUavnHtCTwlTh85lzJAgQbUK25X9CpL9JMqJ17X4R8mUf8g6mkB5akDHe9K9M/s1600/full+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ0qef3gDwtx-Ut-erW0AkjAJKomM0WdixyaMhdPpRjByP4-Xx8mejYMIOYjGL4gv63_qIL5qL5Kgq08VUavnHtCTwlTh85lzJAgQbUK25X9CpL9JMqJ17X4R8mUf8g6mkB5akDHe9K9M/s320/full+%25282%2529.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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You might think of aprons as work clothing, and that was true for a long time. Aprons were-and still are-often used to protect clothing while doing work, such as cooking. Pilgrim women certainly wore plain aprons that covered their clothing and protected it-after all, it is much easier to clean one piece of fabric than an entire dress. </div>
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When Charles II regained his throne (and I am discussing the history of aprons in America, but for a long time-and still to a large extent today-European fashion had an effect on American trends) decorated aprons became popular. These were covered with embroidery and lace.</div>
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Towards Felicity's time, full aprons that were pinned on (hence "pinner" apron) became popular instead of half aprons that simply covered the waist. They aren't quite the same as a pinafore such as what Samanatha wears with her play outfit, which covers more of the dress. Below is a woman from 1776 wearing a pretty pink apron over her clothing. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xvc223p8IS3bg9lY5bgx-wd73G9f-Zg4ZMRliFUQTk76cReQISmyZDt9erWFMAaJTKxRLsV5TC7X9k11-ZowinlAXTUJ9VE00WPssG0a8htozFdYxwPPIC4CwbV3aRMP-VpJvpi3wI8/s1600/be3a15b7d2527666041ba86bc9815fa3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8xvc223p8IS3bg9lY5bgx-wd73G9f-Zg4ZMRliFUQTk76cReQISmyZDt9erWFMAaJTKxRLsV5TC7X9k11-ZowinlAXTUJ9VE00WPssG0a8htozFdYxwPPIC4CwbV3aRMP-VpJvpi3wI8/s320/be3a15b7d2527666041ba86bc9815fa3.jpg" width="174" /></a></div>
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Below is an Italian (so not exact, but there was some overlap between European and American fashions, though certainly less than there would have been with British and American fashions) woman from the 1770s wearing a floral print full apron.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztjQdnb30giqcWrGTcTBjuHraOW2cOUx6mxp5HuLJraIbqAyECmb6pRLGtlHHT0SMX4AzK6Q4I_OTTfBdnRa_grijp0SriXbbJQl4xb7ZpElOcDitwKi6E4w95QslT4atP3VLFsCCDcQ/s1600/1770s-18th-century-womans-outfit-with-mixed-print-fabrics-jacket-skirt-and-apron-are-each-a-different-floral-pattern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhztjQdnb30giqcWrGTcTBjuHraOW2cOUx6mxp5HuLJraIbqAyECmb6pRLGtlHHT0SMX4AzK6Q4I_OTTfBdnRa_grijp0SriXbbJQl4xb7ZpElOcDitwKi6E4w95QslT4atP3VLFsCCDcQ/s320/1770s-18th-century-womans-outfit-with-mixed-print-fabrics-jacket-skirt-and-apron-are-each-a-different-floral-pattern.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">https://threadingthroughtime.wordpress.com/tag/period-dress/</span></div>
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Anyways, back to the actual outfit. The apron is white with a pretty blue, pink, and orange floral print with green leaves. </div>
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It ties at the waist the back.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IJlzQt3Z6APQIKbkzzTgeKVucpHYiY3Mq0N-hwdLN0aZMjEu_UqvRRysFCK95WVYqg2eQtQK3gf22hTQKVpO5PvasoXGRsAhcWbQVkc2x9_RBwlG7K6ceg9EUeVV-fbL6e6t0_1BWOA/s1600/tumblr_o5qox8EIxI1skd3dio1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9IJlzQt3Z6APQIKbkzzTgeKVucpHYiY3Mq0N-hwdLN0aZMjEu_UqvRRysFCK95WVYqg2eQtQK3gf22hTQKVpO5PvasoXGRsAhcWbQVkc2x9_RBwlG7K6ceg9EUeVV-fbL6e6t0_1BWOA/s320/tumblr_o5qox8EIxI1skd3dio1_400.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The apron is very pretty!</div>
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<i>Stockings:</i></div>
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Under her dress, she wears mint green stockings.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcq4X70ehddnjBPMTJLTJxOHs0q49CRtAIYAsgTiUs91wjhb5jBKVuTkwCOewGdMpRFkqh1LPM-4ON6pnvhmhRaN_3jDtiQWuGgQ8WConZ_o4dIw4-lh95K-66O5KsAzAliBQijuN0PE/s1600/tumblr_o5qox8EIxI1skd3dio9_540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTcq4X70ehddnjBPMTJLTJxOHs0q49CRtAIYAsgTiUs91wjhb5jBKVuTkwCOewGdMpRFkqh1LPM-4ON6pnvhmhRaN_3jDtiQWuGgQ8WConZ_o4dIw4-lh95K-66O5KsAzAliBQijuN0PE/s320/tumblr_o5qox8EIxI1skd3dio9_540.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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These stockings have a white floral pattern embroidered on.. Yes, it is real embroidery unlike the print-screening used on Caroline's birthday dress. They're very nice.</div>
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<i>Pins:</i></div>
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The set comes with the pack of pins to keep the apron on, but of course you can use any kind of tiny safety pin. No sense in paying extra for something like that. Mine is pinned on with a safety pin and I never remove it because I don't like the pink dress by itself.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6S0g3SAALwGs5G7yRPB9FM42ZQ-Aj-FjWf4x0TImINdbGz00sEE5uI2IPgE_2Nbb-HFwtcIxCuIGMl3youtW44Y1xbXwn2bcFy-WSQq0cn_-8chO-zkYk9CjrbcFId4HWPsaLllcUPwo/s1600/tumblr_o5qox8EIxI1skd3dio7_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6S0g3SAALwGs5G7yRPB9FM42ZQ-Aj-FjWf4x0TImINdbGz00sEE5uI2IPgE_2Nbb-HFwtcIxCuIGMl3youtW44Y1xbXwn2bcFy-WSQq0cn_-8chO-zkYk9CjrbcFId4HWPsaLllcUPwo/s320/tumblr_o5qox8EIxI1skd3dio7_400.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Ribbon with Pompom:</i></div>
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Another item I don't have. It's basically a pink ribbon with a floral decoration on top of it for Felicity's head. Unlike the pins, I actually wish I had this. The outfit came in a lot and I'm not tracking down that hair ribbon (not now at least) but if you're buying this yourself, try to get a set with the ribbon. Hair decs add a nice touch to an outfit.</div>
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<i>Overall:</i></div>
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I love this outfit-it is perfect for spring! The pink is pretty and surprisingly doesn't clash with Felicity's beautiful red hair (I have red hair and hardly ever wear lots of red or pink). I highly recommend this outfit.</div>
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http://www.acmeaprons.com/history-of-aprons.html</div>
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https://bellatory.com/fashion-industry/HIstoryofClothingApronsPracticalandDecorativeFashionClassics</div>
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<span id="goog_2090518515"></span><br />American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-50470408835981880862016-04-09T13:25:00.000-07:002016-04-09T13:25:43.514-07:00Maryellen's Poodle Skirt Outfit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ah, the 1950s! Soda shops, drive in movies, sock hops...but also of course horrible racism, sexism, and McCarthyism...The 1950s...</div>
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The time period that, more than any other, tends to incite the most nostalgia from white Americans. American Girl was inundated with requests for a 1950s doll and they finally delivered in the form of Maryellen Larkin, a charmingly rambunctious kid who gets into all sorts of trouble in the course of her book series. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilRVcVo_FwXy192Yh80ILXQp5GH1mc4dCkyMJpGEheuwAd8gT3_a1R_l2Avj4l1tmIngtOk8wBuh7W-g0IQLTOQMZqydNceKgasGWktPBux5o6GrYYfGLYu_4bg0dkW49UZSwlHZqZHdY/s1600/maryellen+face+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilRVcVo_FwXy192Yh80ILXQp5GH1mc4dCkyMJpGEheuwAd8gT3_a1R_l2Avj4l1tmIngtOk8wBuh7W-g0IQLTOQMZqydNceKgasGWktPBux5o6GrYYfGLYu_4bg0dkW49UZSwlHZqZHdY/s320/maryellen+face+%25282%2529.jpg" width="303" /></a></div>
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I know a lot of people were prepared to hate Maryellen (until they read her books and fell in love). I was never one of them but I understood the sentiment. People were prepared for a too-rosy treatment of the 1950s. To a certain extent, I do think the Maryellen books (at least the first two-I have yet to read her Journey book or her mystery) is too easy on the 1950s. The complete lack of acknowledgement that people of color existed gets to me-I don't think they mention a single POC. It's like an alternate reality where problems are small and life is good.</div>
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That's how people tend to view the 1950s anyway. People see that as the golden age of America. It's easy to see why. For much of white America, at least, the 1950s were a time of economic prosperity. World War II had effectively ended the Great Depression and people were optimistic. Sure, there were worries about the Cold War and people were afraid of Communists. But overall Americans thought they had it good. And they did-unless they happened to be part of a group that didn't have it so good, like racial minorities, communists/socialists/people suspected of being either, and women who weren't so happy with the role they had been relegated to. But we forget those people.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqMLYh0YdSxsFeUiUtXFG-bSTKoT4q3fnHkrvC2PclXNFy1Ljxu343gLP0WWRJoE3KRUU5WL5Dqe6VbTb8zxf18IfFbzx_Sz6_lsqXNpltjzZQu_ch7r7vcLCwe-QOXrzKlM-4OC_17k/s1600/1950s-american-housewife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfqMLYh0YdSxsFeUiUtXFG-bSTKoT4q3fnHkrvC2PclXNFy1Ljxu343gLP0WWRJoE3KRUU5WL5Dqe6VbTb8zxf18IfFbzx_Sz6_lsqXNpltjzZQu_ch7r7vcLCwe-QOXrzKlM-4OC_17k/s320/1950s-american-housewife.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://wordtree.com/american-dream-the-ultimate-brand-essence/</span></div>
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And like every time period where we imagine things were better (remember that Trump allegedly wants to "make America great again," because many people believe that the past is always better than the present) certain images and symbols have become forever locked in our minds as emblematic of the time period and the supposed innocent happiness it involved. Certain types of cars, diners, etc.</div>
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Perhaps one of the symbols of the 1950s that people can't forget is the poodle skirt, a teen fashion trend that was all the rage during the 1950s.</div>
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<i><b>History of the Poodle Skirt and the Rise of Teen Culture:</b></i></div>
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I briefly touched on this during my review of Maryellen's collection back in August. Poodle skirts are historically accurate. I know a lot of people think they're too stereotypical. But they are accurate. Girls wore poodle skirts (and as I said before, I do mean girls-women tended to not wear these flouncy garments. For younger girls, the appeal was partly because they were so flouncy-they didn't show off a woman's figure.). Women tended to wear closer fitting skirts.</div>
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It is worth noting that this was a fashion geared towards teenagers. For the first time, teen culture was having a significant impact on the culture at large. In the past, children had dressed like miniature adults. Children largely took part in many of the same activities as adults. Teenagers especially were seen as young adults. But in the 1950s (as part of a growing movement, this didn't happen overnight) the teenage years were seen as a separate, special part of development. Music, movies, and fashions began to be directed specifically toward teenagers. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ohkUXlG8qtMTq-8aGLRuXZGxrnZmhL76G7iChA_pp-FYX8hgW0xKEhlPqyneJ94PpASvyEsck7Ll-TIsE1HlobBz51fcvYh0DPCA5E1CS4jFM8mJPbIsO28aKYzGIoVI-qlycLypA6k/s1600/sock+hop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ohkUXlG8qtMTq-8aGLRuXZGxrnZmhL76G7iChA_pp-FYX8hgW0xKEhlPqyneJ94PpASvyEsck7Ll-TIsE1HlobBz51fcvYh0DPCA5E1CS4jFM8mJPbIsO28aKYzGIoVI-qlycLypA6k/s320/sock+hop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">https://sites.google.com/site/50sflashback/home/events/sock-hops---haley-shearer</span></div>
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These skirts were often made at home. For the first time in American history, women were not learning to sew. More and more women were buying their clothes from the store. Clothes were cheaper and people had more money.</div>
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But making a poodle skirt was easy. All you needed was a circle of felt and an applique. This was a way for girls to learn what was seen as a dying but important art (in the same way that parents insist on teaching cursive, despite the fact that I barely even write by hand anymore let alone write in cursive) in an easy way.</div>
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The skirts didn't always have poodles on them. There were plenty of designs for girls to choose from. It is perhaps more accurate to call them circle skirts. </div>
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<b><i>Maryellen's Crinoline:</i></b></div>
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I'm going to go ahead and review the crinoline along with the outfit. To get the true effect, the crinoline is needed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DpkyDxB13GtTmDN11_rbkX4vCr9MOjua1ydQOsxtKesqOH5HDGhCFrMcHp2dhv5trlz-T80YKvLyGoKtDNOJ-bgR7iS1bRdRKahQsvii4U3E7dCL4ZPQnAiemyYAABrGD-12HEEbK0k/s1600/crinoline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0DpkyDxB13GtTmDN11_rbkX4vCr9MOjua1ydQOsxtKesqOH5HDGhCFrMcHp2dhv5trlz-T80YKvLyGoKtDNOJ-bgR7iS1bRdRKahQsvii4U3E7dCL4ZPQnAiemyYAABrGD-12HEEbK0k/s320/crinoline.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Maryellen's crinoline is light pink and is made of stiff fabric. Once it is under the skirt, it is weighed down a bit but gives it a nice puff.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAw5Oa5pg3k9vtAQ1R23BmFCHiYc39n6Xewm5b2vhIZkNHg5fnCc_xBIEwshh6nUZD9_cj13MH3q7e97QN-d1WCIo24nAnKxEO9wKaRir8bo_uLSPw4RCjI8orMRzN9ICgjjV2VnzjPM/s1600/crinoline2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjAw5Oa5pg3k9vtAQ1R23BmFCHiYc39n6Xewm5b2vhIZkNHg5fnCc_xBIEwshh6nUZD9_cj13MH3q7e97QN-d1WCIo24nAnKxEO9wKaRir8bo_uLSPw4RCjI8orMRzN9ICgjjV2VnzjPM/s320/crinoline2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The crinoline is lined with light pink, satin ribbon. You can't see it once it is under the skirt but I like that little detail.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZXDLTy4TYEKsau6fUHqymFnC1d6-olWBHYTXIXyhmpmrSoIxmOs9Mz_fFk5W9Nn2AxT2ThSCcJ_RZtY97TMT8GQXhKGxS2_397u2oy2GKmY9tfNtvVuArKUyHccKwGrsfpLQeRW5iRY/s1600/crinoline3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZXDLTy4TYEKsau6fUHqymFnC1d6-olWBHYTXIXyhmpmrSoIxmOs9Mz_fFk5W9Nn2AxT2ThSCcJ_RZtY97TMT8GQXhKGxS2_397u2oy2GKmY9tfNtvVuArKUyHccKwGrsfpLQeRW5iRY/s320/crinoline3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The crinoline has an elastic waistband, which makes it easy to pull on and off. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDHTz0w9jvcdH4S5__A76LdMJBeeuCtClZ-RuP23KwHcK5DRU20k9UqHOolyNg5OC7NI_PRRC5TVGBcmUFRE9KL2DMQiYEzltWMRpRiceFn-pMSgrlt2kXwVsKVizkaqY6wQJpxMwi0s/s1600/poodle+skirt+outfit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFDHTz0w9jvcdH4S5__A76LdMJBeeuCtClZ-RuP23KwHcK5DRU20k9UqHOolyNg5OC7NI_PRRC5TVGBcmUFRE9KL2DMQiYEzltWMRpRiceFn-pMSgrlt2kXwVsKVizkaqY6wQJpxMwi0s/s320/poodle+skirt+outfit2.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
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That's what the skirt looks like without the crinoline. It looks alright and it did okay for me before I bought the crinoline but it looks much better with it. I highly recommend getting the crinoline because she wears it under basically everything. </div>
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<b><i>Maryellen's Poodle Skirt Outfit:</i></b></div>
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<i>Shirt:</i></div>
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Maryellen wears a bright pink button down shirt (the buttons are false, the shirt Velcros up the back). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-Mxvv5DqWFpGJd6ePLgAvSQO00q7dYAnYWvxJMh-aJVNuLoKZRKQbp24iHQhM02MP9v3ORpCEtUNf9oadutj_CnD0YvHR1EiMEkLMkF8npZCzHpi28wHvA01V4_hbBC6Y0_GBWeoZuQ/s1600/shirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO-Mxvv5DqWFpGJd6ePLgAvSQO00q7dYAnYWvxJMh-aJVNuLoKZRKQbp24iHQhM02MP9v3ORpCEtUNf9oadutj_CnD0YvHR1EiMEkLMkF8npZCzHpi28wHvA01V4_hbBC6Y0_GBWeoZuQ/s320/shirt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The shirt features four buttons but once the skirt is on, you should only see three. The buttons are a brighter pink than the rest of the shirt.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKow2EtzNMT3RyPioPme_ddk8rvlAOjva5QygV9a-R2GNEBBZlRtug5bTg4yvKa3tdp1oDYQyuijVHExLp0LfC31_QXxTc30h-KFJKl5DmvZ4x6UW9JVt4b9dX7c6MwmztR4UiQ4_8Jkg/s1600/shirt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKow2EtzNMT3RyPioPme_ddk8rvlAOjva5QygV9a-R2GNEBBZlRtug5bTg4yvKa3tdp1oDYQyuijVHExLp0LfC31_QXxTc30h-KFJKl5DmvZ4x6UW9JVt4b9dX7c6MwmztR4UiQ4_8Jkg/s320/shirt2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The shirt features a Peter Pan collar that meets together in the center.</div>
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The sleeves are short, slightly puffed, and are of a sheer fabric. The sleeves have darker pink polka dots.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwE_kkQxyzXupO20bdAC-N-KV_B0F4h1hIuG9rMYR3hlEikQtXE9OMtDgCgOuOb6QwQBWnjSbIM0jY-WCG2EgqmIS-NarsuqvfbVLxIHS8VzDzJnsTtnNx99Avggo4okze_QDJVX8eFw/s1600/sleeves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTwE_kkQxyzXupO20bdAC-N-KV_B0F4h1hIuG9rMYR3hlEikQtXE9OMtDgCgOuOb6QwQBWnjSbIM0jY-WCG2EgqmIS-NarsuqvfbVLxIHS8VzDzJnsTtnNx99Avggo4okze_QDJVX8eFw/s320/sleeves.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Pretty cute, huh?</div>
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<i>Skirt:</i></div>
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The skirt is made of a black quilted fabric and features a pink poodle applique with a leash that wraps around the front of the skirt.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2bktT59dGjDC9MshUqlZuEo56bfhLlTf6EyI_bR5DvbYmTm_GjKrI9m0THy7tFzjbVd-b88v7KTLF2BgDsmlSbGdwus9vALFJLJonvmC4xkJK8ZsK6zvv_zdkmpCiSkwDw7gjmlZf0k/s1600/skirt+front+poodle+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2bktT59dGjDC9MshUqlZuEo56bfhLlTf6EyI_bR5DvbYmTm_GjKrI9m0THy7tFzjbVd-b88v7KTLF2BgDsmlSbGdwus9vALFJLJonvmC4xkJK8ZsK6zvv_zdkmpCiSkwDw7gjmlZf0k/s1600/skirt+front+poodle+%25282%2529.jpg" /></a></div>
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There's the poodle.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Jd2J9t4-FHthyLjVfjACUxInw4BHMk3Fmzmt4MUC3DBkuBhWWYXtoedRUpEmlZ2ik8RMbBLYReCNeoQON4xxS5O74jQDijcbt2il91eycKVPpcbx6G8vffMM1GHM94eDzaIQZxakqq0/s1600/poodle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Jd2J9t4-FHthyLjVfjACUxInw4BHMk3Fmzmt4MUC3DBkuBhWWYXtoedRUpEmlZ2ik8RMbBLYReCNeoQON4xxS5O74jQDijcbt2il91eycKVPpcbx6G8vffMM1GHM94eDzaIQZxakqq0/s320/poodle.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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You can see the quilting a little better on this picture. The fabric has a good weight to it,</div>
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The poodle should sit on her side. A good way to make sure the skirt is on correctly is to make sure that the single seam on the back of the skirt lies directly in line with the seam on the back of the doll. The poodle has black bows on her head and around her neck.</div>
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I love this skirt and this is obviously where the outfit got its name.</div>
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<i>Shoes:</i></div>
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Maryellen pairs her outfit with a pair of black and white saddle shoes. Saddle shoes feature a low heel and have a distinctive "saddle" pattern.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRswtCbQjueJ2k__qqXd-lYU5X3irtDVJ0zpMX6tnPhkmoOJ7ujOurycQABfsD6vra79r8R_t5DY2naORzBRxxqLu3hcRLmE2_YE8kQg8AeiA985lNAhyXA5jgb7Wh57ZF4_14f-DLDs/s1600/shoes2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRswtCbQjueJ2k__qqXd-lYU5X3irtDVJ0zpMX6tnPhkmoOJ7ujOurycQABfsD6vra79r8R_t5DY2naORzBRxxqLu3hcRLmE2_YE8kQg8AeiA985lNAhyXA5jgb7Wh57ZF4_14f-DLDs/s320/shoes2.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
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Below you can see Maryellen's saddle shoes compared with Molly's shoes from her camp set. I prefer Maryellen's because they are black and white instead of navy blue and white. Though the blue shoes certainly looked good with Molly's outfit, they have a hard time going with anything else. Maryellen's shoes could be paired with other outfits and I prefer versatile shoes.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKiT8YWHJyvcAjzHfa1vj2GyYWMGYasqY9a_8E1qUZeAlCgJcfW4vabB0sb4tA48ygCN216hZMR5-Vj-02jREH4HICTdfPsfqPedIOqmzeMeqHYb-RhnxOpmp69zy5if0rWWIaVFGd2I/s1600/shoes1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKiT8YWHJyvcAjzHfa1vj2GyYWMGYasqY9a_8E1qUZeAlCgJcfW4vabB0sb4tA48ygCN216hZMR5-Vj-02jREH4HICTdfPsfqPedIOqmzeMeqHYb-RhnxOpmp69zy5if0rWWIaVFGd2I/s320/shoes1.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
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There's the shoe on her foot.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71Yj28zvqbA-xrDTc-CEP5TSqJfxMD8Ftnfmv3G4LzljfPna4e4oH4zdpqmV8fgrgsPXKGhFD_9KvY_6WpAeg4s2Sma4LbaFE03sWCof53tyu69UW3GU0h-am7X9xXI53YuySHyo2oTA/s1600/shoes3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71Yj28zvqbA-xrDTc-CEP5TSqJfxMD8Ftnfmv3G4LzljfPna4e4oH4zdpqmV8fgrgsPXKGhFD_9KvY_6WpAeg4s2Sma4LbaFE03sWCof53tyu69UW3GU0h-am7X9xXI53YuySHyo2oTA/s320/shoes3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Socks:</i></div>
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Maryellen wears white socks with her saddle shoes. They're socks-nothing to write home about but they do the job.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulQHIR4dW1dZvlzuSsKW4i08_j_29zXvhXkGU8oSV6-fcxOT6bHPp7Y8wNgTieJB6tPQOVO_sFjZZw8zOLREQfM4ybYqmSULLsNocYKUU7ty6m1xMSmGarCAfJy1Llxj57WV70AtOB0w/s1600/socks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhulQHIR4dW1dZvlzuSsKW4i08_j_29zXvhXkGU8oSV6-fcxOT6bHPp7Y8wNgTieJB6tPQOVO_sFjZZw8zOLREQfM4ybYqmSULLsNocYKUU7ty6m1xMSmGarCAfJy1Llxj57WV70AtOB0w/s320/socks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Kerchief:</i></div>
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The outfit is complete with a square of fabric that matches the sleeves of the shirt-sheer, pink, polka dotted.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJx5PCiVF-EGnCo9oECeiiIuW8Nzw_wUa1-77gFWXxVp08xNJs6gHYv4xel0-l9DH9bsLm7ew24a7O0K-u61ATQagMWa2MEjh7Mp1AFuxZ6FWDovsr_FvcQfN4eRGard7fqxZ3CvFwgA/s1600/kerchief.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJx5PCiVF-EGnCo9oECeiiIuW8Nzw_wUa1-77gFWXxVp08xNJs6gHYv4xel0-l9DH9bsLm7ew24a7O0K-u61ATQagMWa2MEjh7Mp1AFuxZ6FWDovsr_FvcQfN4eRGard7fqxZ3CvFwgA/s320/kerchief.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
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Maryellen wears her hair in a high ponytail for this outfit. The kerchief is wrapped around the base of the pony. I love it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qiCEi8VqlVohbu16KJboYp36zg5VmBBFcAExy9_emdzpvUWDtzPyvcaInCkwzLdHcpwBmb5zUmcQgOsPKs4D70NDQLqyMkLcErMxrrAYRehgzD-sI8ddCAI1gu30sKWRWrtxoAlcpMo/s1600/bow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7qiCEi8VqlVohbu16KJboYp36zg5VmBBFcAExy9_emdzpvUWDtzPyvcaInCkwzLdHcpwBmb5zUmcQgOsPKs4D70NDQLqyMkLcErMxrrAYRehgzD-sI8ddCAI1gu30sKWRWrtxoAlcpMo/s1600/bow.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Overall:</i></b></div>
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The outfit comes together well, especially with the addition of the crinoline as you can see below. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZ4_UkVcX0Syb-a03gBSUth-ZVNHOnsQsb9HmWKTGqeycXbVE24qqtVODKFgL-3zhVE8r9G3ZGVE7CA_FN_ZrwBlKuzihyphenhyphenM0czC8e-Q8ZKB-SXPqwnK7NPbKlDFcA1ZaIYrXr7S-AOpo/s1600/side+picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZ4_UkVcX0Syb-a03gBSUth-ZVNHOnsQsb9HmWKTGqeycXbVE24qqtVODKFgL-3zhVE8r9G3ZGVE7CA_FN_ZrwBlKuzihyphenhyphenM0czC8e-Q8ZKB-SXPqwnK7NPbKlDFcA1ZaIYrXr7S-AOpo/s320/side+picture.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I really do love this outfit. I know that not everyone shares that opinion. Many people feel like the poodle skirts make Maryellen into a caricature of the 1950s. But based on my research, Maryellen wearing one is historically likely. And she was so excited to get it in her stories! One of the few new outfits she had ever owned (if not the only, I can't remember). With all those siblings, she was often dressed in hand-me-downs. I guess I caught her excitement because I love dressing her in this outfit.</div>
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Sources:</div>
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http://www.beautyandtips.com/style/fashion-in-the-50s/</div>
<br />American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-1574328650312631212016-03-11T19:23:00.000-08:002016-06-09T12:49:30.622-07:00Nellie's Irish Dance Outfit of Today<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So here I am to continue my series on the Irish American experience and just in time for St. Patrick's Day.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzpjkyZa1AXeStqmohASEsAi-RDYjgJMi986QqZ8y67yheWjbe2AmPVncVcZ2rFLCJzNlR_TPrXr4KMu4r0rphjn02wJll1xOQ96Pcjgoh7P-JzFSAqHASB_H2qg-b9_FQLcpEsle_HY/s1600/face2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZzpjkyZa1AXeStqmohASEsAi-RDYjgJMi986QqZ8y67yheWjbe2AmPVncVcZ2rFLCJzNlR_TPrXr4KMu4r0rphjn02wJll1xOQ96Pcjgoh7P-JzFSAqHASB_H2qg-b9_FQLcpEsle_HY/s320/face2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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To celebrate it, I've brought in my favorite Irish girl Nellie. She's wearing the Irish Dance Outfit of Today.<br />
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A few of the dolls received outfits "of today." In other words, they looked at the culture of the doll in question and then looked to see how that culture was celebrated today. They are basically all dance or celebration outfits. Addy received a hideous African Dance Outfit of Today. Nellie received this. Kaya has received several modern Pow Wow dance outfits because that is how she gets new outfit sets.<br />
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These sets make me a little uncomfortable because my dolls generally do not time travel. Nellie would never have worn something like this in 1904. But it came in a lot (I basically bought Nellie and all of her outfits in one go as part of a lot-there are some components missing from some of the outfits like her Celtic Cross necklace) so I'm going to go ahead and review it.<br />
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Obviously there will be history as well-there always is with me!<br />
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For those of you who missed my discussion of the conditions in Ireland that led to the Great Hunger, I've included a link to it so that you can catch up:<br />
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<a href="http://americangirlliz.blogspot.com/2016/01/nellies-holiday-coat.html#more">Nellie's Holiday Coat</a><br />
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At that link you'll find not only a review of the holiday coat set, you'll also find a historical explanation of what exactly was going on in Ireland that led to such a perfect storm. Because, yes, it was a perfect storm. I talked about how England made it virtually impossible to be a financially successful Catholic in Ireland and how this meant that the Irish did not own the land they were living on. I discussed how the Irish were given less than ideal land so the middlemen could use the land for grazing animals which produced more money. In response, they grew potatoes, a notoriously sturdy crop. There was no room to grow anything else.<br />
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And that of course means that, when the potato suffered disease, it was bad. Very, very bad.<br />
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<b>The Great Hunger</b><br />
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It is commonly believed that the disease which caused the crop failure came from the United States to Europe-remember that potatoes are not actually native to Ireland. This wasn't even just a thing in Ireland. But other countries were better able to handle it because they were growing other crops. Ireland had millions of people that ate pretty much only potatoes.<br />
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When the first reports of it came in, it was unknown how bad it was. But in the first year alone, 1/3-1/2 of the crop was ruined. In 1846 it was even worse-3/4s of the crop was ruined. By that fall, the first deaths caused by starvation were recorded.<br />
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Irish leaders begged and worked in Parliament for a law to prevent exporting food from Ireland-the little corn that was raised, for example, was being loaded onto ships bound for England (remember that the Irish would have little control of this since they did not own the land). Britain believed in capitalism and believed that the market would stabilize and provide the food needed. They did not believe in interfering with the economy (a common belief-see my note below).<br />
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In fact, large amounts of grains were sent out of Ireland throughout the Great Hunger. But those were crops that the landlords (largely British) were raising for money, not for feeding the Irish. Therefore, they were exported while people died in the roads. Exports of livestock actually <i>increased </i>during the famine.<br />
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Therefore, they refused to stop the exporting of food out of Ireland. Charles Trevelyan, the British official in charge of public relief, refused to send much in the way of food aid because "the judgement of God sent the famine to teach the Irish a lesson."<br />
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Of course the Irish had another way of putting it. John Mitchell said, "God might have sent the blight, but the English sent the famine."<br />
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Eventually they did start giving out relief but anyone owning 1/4 of an acre of land was not eligible meaning that one had to give land to the British government if one wanted any food. They also tried getting the British landlords to deal with the issue but the landlord response to that was to just eject their tenants so they didn't have any responsibility. It just made things worse.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaz7WZIvma1i6SIWNj_zVKfpozpsHBIDIYf0rnRoJ-rWsVrQqqjJhQhNL_03bp57hnYTSIxj21-pXBlOkDM2HWmQoGa6Obr0gHCPGLU9G5ZKTRDaZzp0rnJOkhZmXSedNOW57irbOmuM/s1600/eviction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsaz7WZIvma1i6SIWNj_zVKfpozpsHBIDIYf0rnRoJ-rWsVrQqqjJhQhNL_03bp57hnYTSIxj21-pXBlOkDM2HWmQoGa6Obr0gHCPGLU9G5ZKTRDaZzp0rnJOkhZmXSedNOW57irbOmuM/s320/eviction.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Eviction</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>http://www.lurganancestry.com/famine.htm</i></span></div>
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Obviously these conditions made life impossible. It is true that many Irish were already emigrating out of the country but these conditions certainly increased these numbers. The Irish did not leave in family groups. Younger members of the family would leave and send money back home once they started their new life. This is known as the Irish Diaspora. Between 1.5-2 million people left because of the issues in Ireland. These people never came back, never saw their families again. I've included a song (it's modern, it's called Thousands Are Sailing by The Pogues) that kind of captures the Irish journey.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/27iJsZpQn3A/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/27iJsZpQn3A?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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At least 800,000 people died in the Great Hunger (mostly from disease brought on by malnutrition) but there is no real way of knowing the exact amount. It is likely that the total is way higher.<br />
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But that leaves us with our theoretical Irish person in America, which is where I will pick up my story next time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftVYGhoSew57NVyvn-QG8df5vsXJWvxG6AZe9A02-az45s2u4W8ULUGAWCT4hA3y4Hj_QQScOhRsq7lsMV6YexmkSqm2JND6x-6norPYqUtojx-cpLB16-Qnl5DIifYbgSt0EM0wYf1U/s1600/leaving+ireland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftVYGhoSew57NVyvn-QG8df5vsXJWvxG6AZe9A02-az45s2u4W8ULUGAWCT4hA3y4Hj_QQScOhRsq7lsMV6YexmkSqm2JND6x-6norPYqUtojx-cpLB16-Qnl5DIifYbgSt0EM0wYf1U/s320/leaving+ireland.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Leaving the homeland</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.lurganancestry.com/famine.htm</span></div>
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<b>Nellie's Irish Dance Outfit of Today</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4jsoxHmLa6eeepYAsMbxoL5KWrLmt-OhhHLy_THnDAPoZUl_UcNuTK2XdslCGuxMXF0oIh4q7AArXBDPhR0W0uRcH94JzlBOBsWjwQURT9l5Nrjc_CR0ii-WgLzNTTdJemKEZkPRMts/s1600/profile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4jsoxHmLa6eeepYAsMbxoL5KWrLmt-OhhHLy_THnDAPoZUl_UcNuTK2XdslCGuxMXF0oIh4q7AArXBDPhR0W0uRcH94JzlBOBsWjwQURT9l5Nrjc_CR0ii-WgLzNTTdJemKEZkPRMts/s320/profile.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Nellie wears a competition costume for Irish Stepdance. I highly recommend that you read the Kathleen book from the Girls of Many Lands series that was once produced by American Girl. I did want to make something clear that was sort of discussed in the book. Step dancing is not an ancient art. Yes, it derives from traditional Irish dance. But the version we know today, popularized by things like Riverdance (go see it if you ever have the chance), is a fairly modern thing. It was really a product of the Gaelic Revival in the 19th century which attempted to revive traditional Irish language and increase Irish pride. Despite the questionable authenticity, I am very supportive of Irish pride.</div>
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It became popular in the United States because obviously there is a huge population of people descended from Irish immigrants. I am one and have in fact seen a few of these productions. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4w2fnTxZXTh0droxZy34DwtDQ-ljeHedak57eKvM5rOnBMH9GF8IQ_rbdGPb-cJVEB3J6MP9H1QHMd61lczOLRyEo5cG_DnE8VrvpPAHc218riwSqwu3h_gnvXsQFGAiWcDIijrmYQ4c/s1600/irish+dance+outfit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4w2fnTxZXTh0droxZy34DwtDQ-ljeHedak57eKvM5rOnBMH9GF8IQ_rbdGPb-cJVEB3J6MP9H1QHMd61lczOLRyEo5cG_DnE8VrvpPAHc218riwSqwu3h_gnvXsQFGAiWcDIijrmYQ4c/s1600/irish+dance+outfit.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Here's an actual modern Irish Dance competition outfit.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Found on Pinterest.</i></span></div>
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Anyways, this set was released in 2005 and sold for $28. It included a dress, shoes, socks (which I do not own because they did not come in the lot), a headband for Nellie, and a matching headband for a child (another thing I do not own).</div>
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<i>Dress:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5PZza2sjMm29hOgs4m0-SNuZvPoJf_x-lfze9khkNWrCCV2TzXZ41PSg1NdbZClM2lNe45BIgpAwsLVNQ-xUrsmDmwSep7rxiStcu4pMFmPyhg6Y0pEVMCxmX58p2tLACAF7r3cjSyY/s1600/dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5PZza2sjMm29hOgs4m0-SNuZvPoJf_x-lfze9khkNWrCCV2TzXZ41PSg1NdbZClM2lNe45BIgpAwsLVNQ-xUrsmDmwSep7rxiStcu4pMFmPyhg6Y0pEVMCxmX58p2tLACAF7r3cjSyY/s320/dress.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Nellie's dress is a dark and light green (of course it is green) velvet dress. The dark green is a forest green color. On the light green front, green and pink swirls and pink hearts add a festive touch to the design. Since green almost always looks stunning on people with red hair, this dress looks amazing on Nellie. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LePatoRWRia3bGWrxbk7tPJT5ta0p5ItwtE87RDYk8TmEOmao8JLIlqVEB0e8ZFHeAwAkfzWAy4s6PhT_a8rtvK2oQvdSZHT3TMF8ARVWa1doqpL4FZwCV9UxJBdNhs7mOkzIRDE8JE/s1600/face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5LePatoRWRia3bGWrxbk7tPJT5ta0p5ItwtE87RDYk8TmEOmao8JLIlqVEB0e8ZFHeAwAkfzWAy4s6PhT_a8rtvK2oQvdSZHT3TMF8ARVWa1doqpL4FZwCV9UxJBdNhs7mOkzIRDE8JE/s320/face.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here's a better picture of the hearts and swirls on the dress. The light green is lined at the edges with silver to set it off from the dark green background.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ga0EAZBnTtQqR1tfUIDA8vWgtLIRZBxzimXbjy25fkAQMD5LGodrMTdOgBVGahws-JR-LXZhyyvo5O86RifgMrg8Ivw-wD5I2AC5u1PHH31FL9KLBrSGajZDZWQIhzobv_vMeYFckMc/s1600/sleeve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ga0EAZBnTtQqR1tfUIDA8vWgtLIRZBxzimXbjy25fkAQMD5LGodrMTdOgBVGahws-JR-LXZhyyvo5O86RifgMrg8Ivw-wD5I2AC5u1PHH31FL9KLBrSGajZDZWQIhzobv_vMeYFckMc/s320/sleeve.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The sleeves are long and dark green with a light green cuff framed by the silver trim. Again, the pattern of hearts and swirls is present.</div>
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I like the dress-I think the color is really nice on Nellie. However, I think the designs-the hearts and swirls-could have been done better. The design was simplistic to me when a more obviously Celtic design would have worked better. I don't see this as a really elegant costume.</div>
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<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdDSd96RiNxNUNUGTU56UIK129dOGeEcrZgJEOP8MQ7xIiHTLcW8MsFB6cNP-adnn5Z2aM4y2oCqrtf2rNydQO8jlex-gwv_vjLgD62VDHz_a9pu0QHjrA8Evh-6WJ2bswTFIeSo2u0gA/s320/full2.jpg" /></div>
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<i>Shoes and the Nonexistent Socks:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9b6RFkFm0a5TdHtAWdRXx1IaylyXTSEaMpcbha-uaB_mBtQBnDb05cf4s5SPotLonEbJBNh2EfvXdxQeLwW4LNdpn5CLdCoWdwZUlhVeCKiJJ68qJqraJ33oMCzMYctozVWc8Jz9zuT8/s1600/shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9b6RFkFm0a5TdHtAWdRXx1IaylyXTSEaMpcbha-uaB_mBtQBnDb05cf4s5SPotLonEbJBNh2EfvXdxQeLwW4LNdpn5CLdCoWdwZUlhVeCKiJJ68qJqraJ33oMCzMYctozVWc8Jz9zuT8/s320/shoes.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The shoes are black dancing shoes that have ribbons that can be wrapped around her ankles to fasten them. I adore shoes like that-they remind me of my ballet days. Unfortunately since I do not have the socks, the shoes are just on her feet. I didn't have a set of socks that I thought were comparable to the ones she wears with this set. At the same time, I don't want to pay a premium for a pair of socks. I saw one pair not too long ago for $20. $20 for doll socks?!? Get outta here with that noise.</div>
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<i>Headband:</i></div>
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Nellie wears a sort of crown with her outfit. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEek1wrDpW4oSEL6iUI_oLOz6YzKg7ngGx8wunJuwli8SGWdrCK85Be0pRfM8P8RqIHaoW09HMlYdaa67tHrf8K7MllgRaqf7XbBfkUqKML9pk3dQMam-Cv9xAoAAfirh8rbYFxeVwVww/s1600/crown2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEek1wrDpW4oSEL6iUI_oLOz6YzKg7ngGx8wunJuwli8SGWdrCK85Be0pRfM8P8RqIHaoW09HMlYdaa67tHrf8K7MllgRaqf7XbBfkUqKML9pk3dQMam-Cv9xAoAAfirh8rbYFxeVwVww/s320/crown2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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It's the same light green as parts of the dress with a heart in the middle and pink and green swirls. I don't really like it for reasons I can't <i>really </i>explain and typically Nellie doesn't wear it when she dons this dress. For the purposes of this review though I put the headband on.</div>
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The set also came with a matching headband for people but I didn't get that. Unlike the socks, I don't care at all.</div>
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<i>Overall:</i></div>
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Overall, I do like this outfit...sort of. It's not that I think the outfit doesn't look good on Nellie. It does. But it kind of weirds me out to put what is clearly a modern dress on a doll from 1904. Instead of this, I wish they had given her an Edwardian style green dress. </div>
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Additionally, I do not think that this is the best Irish Dance Outfit American Girl has ever released. I don't have the actual outfit so I resorted to a stock photo.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnaDn64d0DZMX6Hd_mSdVM50Wnff8BQQBo50dOYlZaOaU-T22A0juwZz-2n7p5N8RNh7GLTEptBRsPzeqbn-b8A41M535KTcdTvNhakSew_v5W8MisisZfMeuHx2tFkkl3uxhj2lN5l0/s1600/IrishDanceCostume.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwnaDn64d0DZMX6Hd_mSdVM50Wnff8BQQBo50dOYlZaOaU-T22A0juwZz-2n7p5N8RNh7GLTEptBRsPzeqbn-b8A41M535KTcdTvNhakSew_v5W8MisisZfMeuHx2tFkkl3uxhj2lN5l0/s1600/IrishDanceCostume.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>http://americangirl.wikia.com/wiki/Irish_Dance_Costume</i></span></div>
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This is the Irish Dance Costume that was released in 2007. First of all, I think the dress is much more attractive. The black set off by the green, gold, and silver is simply stunning. The Celtic designs are more sophisticated than hearts and swirls. The headband is nicer. The brat (cape) is a nice touch, as are the cuffs.</div>
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Yes, that is a wig. In these dances, girls traditionally curl their hair. Nellie's hair would not have been worn in her natural style for a step dance. This outfit is just <i>better. </i>If Nellie and the doll in the pic went to the competition and there was a best costume award, the doll above would win. </div>
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I think I will try and seek out this costume for Nellie as well, though I am not sure since the modern outfit on historical doll already rubs me the wrong way a bit (I don't mind it when other people's dolls do it but my dolls are almost always stuck in their time period).</div>
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Overall, it is a cute outfit that I think could have been done a lot better. Frankly, if the outfit hadn't come in the lot, I doubt I would have gotten it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1jVJt9jwGpo4QHKgZkSyKSFM8d_VWV9Vmsr3d_SzaJhGC4xFf7hlVGJGPPtrSwqlLMTYWSIqcMOiVzhEfRmVNPl5KbERHdI5aFYu-XOOlcaEeN_aQtqIaf2Mp3wA9AM663g489WY8NU/s1600/side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_1jVJt9jwGpo4QHKgZkSyKSFM8d_VWV9Vmsr3d_SzaJhGC4xFf7hlVGJGPPtrSwqlLMTYWSIqcMOiVzhEfRmVNPl5KbERHdI5aFYu-XOOlcaEeN_aQtqIaf2Mp3wA9AM663g489WY8NU/s320/side.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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But hey-it was exciting to learn a bit more about Irish history!</div>
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<b>Note:</b></div>
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I want to be clear that I don't think the government of Great Britain actually set out to destroy the population of Ireland. Genocide implies an intent to kill and the fact that the British did set up some relief efforts (however paltry) shows that they did not intend to murder the Irish or get them out of Ireland. Otherwise, why would they slow the progress of the calamity? That would be counter productive. You don't give soup to people you are trying to starve out. And there were plenty of British people who did a lot of charitable work to help the Irish.</div>
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It was more that the policies of the government over the past few centuries set the Irish up to fall <i>hard </i>when the blight did hit and that the relief effort was not enough.</div>
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But I would like to point something out in defense of the English. Most governments back then believed in laissez-faire capitalism. They did for a long time. Look at the reactions of Kit's uncle in her series-he was disgusted that someone was going to help the poor who, after all in his opinion, should be able to help themselves. The British government refused to outlaw the merchants from moving their crops out to better markets because they didn't believe in economic interference. </div>
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I don't think any other country would have done much better because that was the dominant economic theory in the west at that time. This wasn't some plot to destroy the Irish in particular (though there was certainly anti-Irish sentiment). It wasn't racism so much (is racism the correct word for this, since the Irish were not considered white?) as classim, a belief widespread then AND today that the poor are poor because of their own actions or inactions and that the government shouldn't give them a free ride. That belief, that refusal to understand that where you start in life has a large impact on where you finish, has caused a lot of suffering in the world. This is one, extreme example.<br />
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I say this because I don't think the British should entirely get the blame for something I believe every other industrialized nation in the west would have done at that time. Historical relativity people. Keep it in mind.<br />
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_(Ireland)#Reaction_in_Ireland<br />
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http://whistlinginthewind.org/2013/03/05/was-the-irish-famine-genocide/<br />
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(trigger warning for the comments section of the above link because there was apparently a Holocaust denier on there-just read the post)American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-83106298896065792132016-03-04T09:41:00.001-08:002016-06-09T12:51:54.910-07:00Marie-Grace's Skirt Set and Cécile's Parlor Outfit<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Back to the NOLA girls (New Orleans, Louisiana for those who don't know what that means). But this time, we're finally meeting Marie-Grace!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fASs3u02oy9AlPtrTMr3fi_uvXgU0IzAUYSOjPYAKxpIyawm04ggi9tiqoW_j-gPDoau6DPFZSfUk-yGsEeUcCrIMaDSiW435fdPYypuBpkm_N3WXx_tUH4qni1X2cFardPw0KMzwuQ/s1600/spring+and+parlor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-fASs3u02oy9AlPtrTMr3fi_uvXgU0IzAUYSOjPYAKxpIyawm04ggi9tiqoW_j-gPDoau6DPFZSfUk-yGsEeUcCrIMaDSiW435fdPYypuBpkm_N3WXx_tUH4qni1X2cFardPw0KMzwuQ/s320/spring+and+parlor.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Just to be clear, I think Marie-Grace and C</span>écile were the biggest flops ever released by American Girl (in the historical collection at least-they have some competition in the GOTY line). This wasn't an inherent flaw of either doll or character. Rather it was because American Girl refused to really commit to releasing a second African American doll. Instead they paired her with a white cohort. Instead of having Marie-Grace be a secondary Best Friend like Nellie or Ivy, Marie-Grace and Cécile shared the collection equally. The six book series was basically cut in two, with each doll receiving half the series.<br />
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This was unfortunate because it really meant that you had no time to really get to know either character. Both girls as characters remain very forgettable in my mind. Focusing on Cécile and leaving Marie-Grace as a Best Friend (or just not having her at all) would have been a much better plan. The illustrations were not my cup of tea either-I think Cécile especially looks horrible in the pictures. Marie-Grace often looks oddly placed.<br />
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In addition, both girls received rather small wardrobes compared to other historical characters (they each had 5 outfits including their meets and shared a hideous blue puffy outfit monstrosity). This is an excellent example of doing something half way, seeing that it produced poor results, and then deciding to never do it again because <i>clearly </i>it won't work. This has been American Girl's attitude towards DOC in general, though I have hope for Melody. They seem to be trying to give her the same publicity that they gave Maryellen and Samantha.<br />
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However, I will say this. Despite the failures in the books and in the collections, the <em>dolls</em> are lovely. Cécile has the loveliest hair and eyes. Marie-Grace's face is just so delicate and lovely. Despite my distaste for some of their outfits, I do truly adore the outfits that I like. I really like the fashions from this time period (1853 and since they're in New Orleans, that counts IMO as the Antebellum South, though some do not consider New Orleans part of the South) but I never thought AG would ever release a <em>wealthy</em> doll to wear the lovely clothes from this period and place. Because, hello, offensive.<br />
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But Cécile made it possible. She is a free person of color living in New Orleans. She's rich. Of course she'll wear the fancy clothes! (Marie-Grace also wears fancy clothes despite allegedly not being as wealthy-her summer gown certainly looks pretty fancy to me.)<br />
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Also I love that there was a pretty, pretty princess African American doll. I prefer Addy over Cécile just like I prefer Kirsten over Samantha most days but you still need both pictures of life. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTKPBdFYEvSPeZfwpL8uQ_xcTAKoUqBJg7XbxDBKG-MJ0GokFY4_Hj3WhEyhuDZFFdrH2ReiF4mm6BXt22QfAOrOAXlPiSaaI_H_CYWwv5-P0oHQRHsJrRMruYGsPsyfGCYLmflkriAs/s1600/6e4558d81eca29bccc255edbc1f6739f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcTKPBdFYEvSPeZfwpL8uQ_xcTAKoUqBJg7XbxDBKG-MJ0GokFY4_Hj3WhEyhuDZFFdrH2ReiF4mm6BXt22QfAOrOAXlPiSaaI_H_CYWwv5-P0oHQRHsJrRMruYGsPsyfGCYLmflkriAs/s320/6e4558d81eca29bccc255edbc1f6739f.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Fancy clothes!</span></em> </div>
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<a href="http://historicaltidbits.blogspot.com/2013/04/1850-ladies-fashions.html"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><em>http://historicaltidbits.blogspot.com/2013/04/1850-ladies-fashions.html</em></span></a></div>
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But today is also about Marie-Grace who is of course making her debut on this blog.</div>
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I think a lot of people find Marie-Grace unattractive-at least with the curls near her face. That's funny to me because I think she's among the most physically attractive of the dolls. But hey, whatever-people have different ideas of aesthetics. A lot of it is also that people see her as the reason for Cécile's failure, which is something that I have to agree with. However, that is not the fault of the doll or the fictional 9 year old but rather the fault of a company that refused to commit to a second African-American doll. Marie-Grace should never have existed but she does, and I do think she is a pretty doll.</div>
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Anyways, for my historical section today, I wanted to discuss whether New Orleans is a part of the South,</div>
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<b>Is New Orleans Part of the South?</b></div>
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I believe that New Orleans was a part of the South...but my opinions are nuanced. My primary argument for saying yes is that New Orleans was actually the largest cotton and slave market in the entire south. For purposes of the Civil War, that meant that New Orleans was always going to take the part of the Confederacy. Too much of her economy was tied up with the success of the South.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuz3KoxVlZ82NDghApkUsZWZWkjwO0v-_ajpjKhp6f0pXizNNfG6RSTAndlpZwgS8q5gkhXyCyeA64LCotbUFdIczs8KmtHhrxfpvshIrgdDB4dCSkvr2JbUrdLYlTHvQKX69CmJ_4NtQ/s1600/canal+street.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuz3KoxVlZ82NDghApkUsZWZWkjwO0v-_ajpjKhp6f0pXizNNfG6RSTAndlpZwgS8q5gkhXyCyeA64LCotbUFdIczs8KmtHhrxfpvshIrgdDB4dCSkvr2JbUrdLYlTHvQKX69CmJ_4NtQ/s320/canal+street.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Canal Street in 1857</i></span></div>
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However, there are some cultural differences and I think these can be traced back to the difference between the countries that originally settled the 13 colonies and Louisiana. </div>
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The colonies were settled (yes, some like NY were settled by others but were eventually made to be extremely British in culture) largely by people from Britain. The British were Protestant (in fact these settlers were <i>too </i>Protestant for the Protestants which is why they had to come to America-an oversimplification that I still find amusing) and obviously spoke English, making that the dominant language. Moreover, they came from a land where there was already some experimentation with responsive government. Out of all the major European powers, England had the most powerful legislative body.</div>
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Compare this to New Orleans, which was mostly conquered by the French and Spanish-two countries that had little if any experience with constitutional monarchy (a big factor in my opinion in the difference in violence levels between the French and American Revolutions). I am less familiar with the history of Spain but France had basically an absolute monarchy. They were also Catholic and spoke different languages. There were plenty of different people living in the area from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds.</div>
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Because of this mix of people, there was a lot more room for social movement for free people of color in New Orleans than anywhere in the South (and possibly anywhere in the North). Despite this, slavery was still a factor because New Orleans had a much stronger sense of an "elite" than the North did-or at least a much more open one. </div>
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While the North held European customs and European festiveness in high suspicion (remember, their ancestors were Puritans who disapproved of dancing and card playing), New Orleans was a place where there were parades and parties and festivals. New Orleans was a more European city than, say, New York City. For a while, more Europeans came to live in the city than Americans from the rest of the country (and yes, I mean after Louisiana was purchased by the U.S.).</div>
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But I'm going to make an unpopular statement and say that that actually makes New Orleans more like the South than the North. The South was nothing if not an elite aristocracy made up largely of a few different groups-rich white people with power, poor white people without it, and slaves. While New Orleans definitely had free people of color with power, making it different than the South and the North, there was not the same strong middle class that was forming in the North. There was more of a culture of leisure for the rich in New Orleans (and the South and in continental Europe) than there was for the newly wealthy bourgeois class in the North, something that would come to haunt the South when the North had factories and they did not.</div>
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I guess, if I had to choose, I would have chosen to be a free person of color in New Orleans than in any other city in the United States. But if I had little money, I would have taken myself to NYC.</div>
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In the end, maybe New Orleans is just a unique place, a historical anomaly in the United States because of the distinct mix of cultures and influences that gathered there. But for my purposes, keep in mind that New Orleans was a part of the Confederacy and was a city in a slave holding state. So...a conditional yes. And that is why, in future blog posts, these girls will largely be my entry to discuss things happening in the Southern states at this time.</div>
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<b>Marie-Grace's Skirt Set</b></div>
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Marie-Grace is going first because she has never really had a review on this blog. She is wearing her skirt set, an item that came out in 2011 and retailed for $28. The outfit had two components-a jacket and a skirt.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXK6I_KQAbU5E_XSUBZAg0Y7pU7GGG5kWCS1JjiHHKen6bxjgziYAKGGxYW8VXFrNQTeF8_VA5IZs2gxz-jCRNYMjIJQ54pVuU7U06R2rzzX1NLXExcVyisE8kdWU5I_asghdizRXu2E/s1600/partial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSXK6I_KQAbU5E_XSUBZAg0Y7pU7GGG5kWCS1JjiHHKen6bxjgziYAKGGxYW8VXFrNQTeF8_VA5IZs2gxz-jCRNYMjIJQ54pVuU7U06R2rzzX1NLXExcVyisE8kdWU5I_asghdizRXu2E/s320/partial.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Jacket:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Vus9hCEehDx4aLQWvzh6qQVpgkJ9CbcY7aOpAQ-DW_NVDD-SJpQxun3fEBuaH_i_EzQYVSLKg3pNZiuO1Ma9gmYKGygq5IlvKLx3OZ58V_iHXig0g66LhXPEJiyBYe0nUq3gfQuxkYo/s1600/blouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Vus9hCEehDx4aLQWvzh6qQVpgkJ9CbcY7aOpAQ-DW_NVDD-SJpQxun3fEBuaH_i_EzQYVSLKg3pNZiuO1Ma9gmYKGygq5IlvKLx3OZ58V_iHXig0g66LhXPEJiyBYe0nUq3gfQuxkYo/s320/blouse.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The entire set is a very light sky blue that looks wonderful on Marie-Grace (it also looks very nice on Cécile-I operate under the principle that clothes and dolls do not time travel, but friends can and do share). The fabric has a subtle white and green floral and vine pattern that does not overwhelm the dominant blue. </div>
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The jacket that she wears is of the same fabric. It has a white collar, three grosgrain bows going down the front, blue ruffles to trim both the sleeves and the hemline, and a peplum cut. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtDT78n3lssXuwDUxAyVmPFA2ZhcVUEZXB1c2ABxPi-W9zwXhqZttRCON5Zg5jxfbTAA6TNEh2t7FgDnYUeEqdvbx-jXkQcDTzAsMknIZ92fM_vHNOaeqwWaNjAzsghMfGKKOLLZ_yko/s1600/partial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtDT78n3lssXuwDUxAyVmPFA2ZhcVUEZXB1c2ABxPi-W9zwXhqZttRCON5Zg5jxfbTAA6TNEh2t7FgDnYUeEqdvbx-jXkQcDTzAsMknIZ92fM_vHNOaeqwWaNjAzsghMfGKKOLLZ_yko/s320/partial.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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You can see the rounded collar here-it is sort of reminiscent of a Peter Pan collar but of course would most certainly not have been called that because Peter Pan was not written until 1904. The collar is a very crisp white that accentuates the blue.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rBL_17ZTIEhRgb9qMM6jLXBSibplpAtpIsvZL18mPshMpZYwH-VYaOzJypBgSU4Ze8f_5BIqexoPiOocUsEKibbtequIKTjq1n7J61P6EFV6P6eqQvyq8McuRd34xaVpd2hxs3fdaKA/s1600/bows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rBL_17ZTIEhRgb9qMM6jLXBSibplpAtpIsvZL18mPshMpZYwH-VYaOzJypBgSU4Ze8f_5BIqexoPiOocUsEKibbtequIKTjq1n7J61P6EFV6P6eqQvyq8McuRd34xaVpd2hxs3fdaKA/s320/bows.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here are the bows-they are very closely matched with the ruffles on the hem and the sleeves. Ruffles were a very big thing in 1853 fashion, though they often came in tiers of three. Still, Marie-Grace was not the wealthiest person and this strikes me as more of an informal, casual outfit so the single tier doesn't bother me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHeNkDhQ-4Qrm6A_ckeh66n7tZbiAGz4lh3sjaPbDpCL5LoAahGWG-2HLHGRzInJj8GhL3xQUh1HfDR3SZRWZynzSOQWXKhB6t76uMXp1oRBMDnZ8SiyS3h_2LFNI1S8GooefuNX1-aY/s1600/trim.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxHeNkDhQ-4Qrm6A_ckeh66n7tZbiAGz4lh3sjaPbDpCL5LoAahGWG-2HLHGRzInJj8GhL3xQUh1HfDR3SZRWZynzSOQWXKhB6t76uMXp1oRBMDnZ8SiyS3h_2LFNI1S8GooefuNX1-aY/s320/trim.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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As you can see, there is a white trim above the blue ruffle. Like I said, single ruffle.</div>
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I wanted to call particular attention to the cut of the jacket. This is a peplum jacket. Peplum is when the jacket or skirt has a flare to create a hanging flounce.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEOBNOslBwSvBa7HzF63Oy8ZVzYTiRtTyUC_e0-l0CFYYYXyUvjJ3XqXYnSKM6sKyy8DzmAc8g3gzfqMUcl6XQzco3rH3qlrcmz8z7VWyvZpywxwi0gnSP_4sW_6XaoPxMRPunV4YPWM/s1600/ss6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEOBNOslBwSvBa7HzF63Oy8ZVzYTiRtTyUC_e0-l0CFYYYXyUvjJ3XqXYnSKM6sKyy8DzmAc8g3gzfqMUcl6XQzco3rH3qlrcmz8z7VWyvZpywxwi0gnSP_4sW_6XaoPxMRPunV4YPWM/s320/ss6.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Image from the 1850s of a woman wearing a peplum jacket.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>http://www.corsetsandcrinolines.com/tidbits.php?index=13</i></span></div>
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I have included a photo above to show a woman wearing something similar to what Marie-Grace is wearing. That part of the outfit is historically accurate. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-L0NHA8z4c6olnnpj3EcrFN-cGPSwXHDdPgv45rB2255naRFmMmlIq6SA43dsAYFboiMZWoMdVIZn0yjU6yKW8gDwhN619wBltXpPnS-GKYc61zqN2v9dSMFPWJJBAkdwboTLjQF2CQ/s1600/blouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-L0NHA8z4c6olnnpj3EcrFN-cGPSwXHDdPgv45rB2255naRFmMmlIq6SA43dsAYFboiMZWoMdVIZn0yjU6yKW8gDwhN619wBltXpPnS-GKYc61zqN2v9dSMFPWJJBAkdwboTLjQF2CQ/s320/blouse.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_xsT-piqEieZ_lWX3bAYt0Epo4hp5wkQsz6T91_-shiq6apKAO9acu7ZZQcI0dg4QpbSE_JVUT8WXnm6-ELF6MoNYebkEA03qChuohlMZ0mSWnEJ4eRVIhlBFw-AhjCfCP5bEjE5-1Q/s1600/back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt_xsT-piqEieZ_lWX3bAYt0Epo4hp5wkQsz6T91_-shiq6apKAO9acu7ZZQcI0dg4QpbSE_JVUT8WXnm6-ELF6MoNYebkEA03qChuohlMZ0mSWnEJ4eRVIhlBFw-AhjCfCP5bEjE5-1Q/s320/back.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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As you can see (yes, I repeated the top photo to make my point), Marie-Grace's top is accurate. So not only does it get points for being a lovely garment, it also gets points for being pretty accurate to the time period.</div>
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<i>Skirt:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrV8oYK7IRg3e8Ztct8D2NN2z_UjXJjf7-v-akzbNwkzO7oXP7h9tVnnF1tCd2i5vC8Ou555Q_IowhMIt5xpR5LAB_PX4pcZ91Enx7Dt_6P1_SKJd5N1tdFQYz0YnvXsDulrIGi3uW-Y/s1600/full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrV8oYK7IRg3e8Ztct8D2NN2z_UjXJjf7-v-akzbNwkzO7oXP7h9tVnnF1tCd2i5vC8Ou555Q_IowhMIt5xpR5LAB_PX4pcZ91Enx7Dt_6P1_SKJd5N1tdFQYz0YnvXsDulrIGi3uW-Y/s320/full.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The skirt is just a simple calf length skirt that would have been appropriate to her age. It is of the same fabric as the jacket. It is meant to be a full skirt and would likely look a lot better with a crinoline and chemise under it, but I haven't purchased one yet. I need to get on that next time I go to the AG store or order something online. They should both be wearing one-women loved wearing hoops because previously they had worn much heavier undergarments that weighed them down considerably and had to be washed all the time. Dresses became extremely wide.</div>
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(And by the way for anyone wondering-yes, it is accurate for that to now be in Addy's collection. Many women of various social classes wore hoops. The few exceptions would have been people doing intense physical labor such as working in the fields. So while she would not have worn them as a slave, she could have worn them once she won her freedom. However, the NOLA girls would have worn round hoops and oval hoops became popular by 1864. So actually semi-accurate.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_UEg-sGW0V1WOpaYHk0OuTtMaNMxttRBgOBxkZVW6b_Q6137_z2AFxkkx90isn4GsQgAzZ3P5ALVK66NnZTNDL1G2kzMFzTZ4xurD8FwmO25IVD_VBlhBpFfBDOGtgLBXxGS9W-F968/s1600/fabric.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_UEg-sGW0V1WOpaYHk0OuTtMaNMxttRBgOBxkZVW6b_Q6137_z2AFxkkx90isn4GsQgAzZ3P5ALVK66NnZTNDL1G2kzMFzTZ4xurD8FwmO25IVD_VBlhBpFfBDOGtgLBXxGS9W-F968/s320/fabric.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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There's a close up of the fabric. I love the pattern!</div>
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<i>Overall:</i></div>
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My only complaint for this set is that it doesn't have a hat. If you look at the historical pictures that I included in this post, all of the women are wearing hats. The little girl is not wearing one but she has one in her hand.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKwjWS0Q14kWNuYIed5U4G0T3FR-dOKSznz__GUDJZdnAp4IlyTdUX9S-1-fL0pdLHgzrF6_H7EKoHewx4-TfTVOkh2IipDC7ORKr_zbECtcC0mjBmgl4LDqu3IWl01Fv9jjj-HuWMTr0/s1600/323a3aad231500287ade8c5b8638d751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKwjWS0Q14kWNuYIed5U4G0T3FR-dOKSznz__GUDJZdnAp4IlyTdUX9S-1-fL0pdLHgzrF6_H7EKoHewx4-TfTVOkh2IipDC7ORKr_zbECtcC0mjBmgl4LDqu3IWl01Fv9jjj-HuWMTr0/s320/323a3aad231500287ade8c5b8638d751.jpg" width="259" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Pinterest, hat from the period.</span></div>
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Hats are amazing anyway and I wish we still wore them. If this set had truly been historically accurate, Marie-Grace would have gotten a hat with this. It probably would have raised the price to $34 but I would have been willing to pay for it if the set had included a hat.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwY_wgXipcxYdFpIqJsTvvwdZV4ke-WqXMJubbmEcqiiOwbLcDUH9GAI5e0v3KyUDxsLeI0iU5au9ER0Eq5vO4S07ITPovqc3fKxKTTZz44ifLdDGL1N7QvunWdBJfQsWIX0UQ9K_llZc/s1600/full2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwY_wgXipcxYdFpIqJsTvvwdZV4ke-WqXMJubbmEcqiiOwbLcDUH9GAI5e0v3KyUDxsLeI0iU5au9ER0Eq5vO4S07ITPovqc3fKxKTTZz44ifLdDGL1N7QvunWdBJfQsWIX0UQ9K_llZc/s320/full2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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However, they certainly get points for using a peplum cut on the jacket.</div>
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<b>Cécile's Parlor Outfit</b></div>
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Cécile is modeling her parlor outfit for this review. This set also came out in 2011 and retailed for $28. However, the set had more components-a skirt, blouse, jacket, and two hair ribbons. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6xLXuBzMZnbLaNeTG6L-CiC0jVIXa9atyMATKQBPR2M-_4kHuE32kGTlP46-4qelrIXmlZW6N8LtZ7zrya06CEPM_I1Xi-1HhNk7kDEd6n61dTBrbZFb1BkMsuKWHkGSttxd8RpP-yQ/s1600/face3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij6xLXuBzMZnbLaNeTG6L-CiC0jVIXa9atyMATKQBPR2M-_4kHuE32kGTlP46-4qelrIXmlZW6N8LtZ7zrya06CEPM_I1Xi-1HhNk7kDEd6n61dTBrbZFb1BkMsuKWHkGSttxd8RpP-yQ/s320/face3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Blouse:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9d4GYT2eoEF_B2NTi-p_8Ys-GzCuKCondYKqXZHaw35lnXeg6K2h0gVmrVtBVzJaNVfD_41JgQ7mqKos57d1E2sb7DMXD0tQegYl28nTqcJX5tY8SEZLPvEmA5VbJe4COb7WNwBtASLA/s1600/blouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9d4GYT2eoEF_B2NTi-p_8Ys-GzCuKCondYKqXZHaw35lnXeg6K2h0gVmrVtBVzJaNVfD_41JgQ7mqKos57d1E2sb7DMXD0tQegYl28nTqcJX5tY8SEZLPvEmA5VbJe4COb7WNwBtASLA/s320/blouse.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The blouse is a plain white long sleeved shirt with the same kind of rounded collar seen on Marie-Grace's jacket. The sleeves are full with cuffs at the wrist. The blouse is pretty but certainly not fancy enough to be worn alone on Mademoiselle Cécile. However, because of the versatility, she can likely wear this with many outfits, all the outfits American Girl should have made her but didn't.</div>
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She is wearing the necklace that came with her meet outfit.</div>
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<i>Jacket:</i></div>
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Since it isn't fancy enough for the parlor, she tops it with a gold taffeta jacket. Taffeta of course is a high end fabric that is notable for maintaining its shape. Thin, sheer taffetas-like the one used in Cécile's jacket-are actually known as paper taffeta.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8j0robG4yirLAjn-EkUdJHIV0gBSzYeNZtDwT_7PIz9PBVywgyPHnN6mUqVNoO2HFpzlVqU-fNTPn58XIsc64-A0lL6i0M0xpFjP_vBK8i3w2tqoD_Pj_2wxW6UyDrfCtJ4IfL-O_Kg/s1600/face2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8j0robG4yirLAjn-EkUdJHIV0gBSzYeNZtDwT_7PIz9PBVywgyPHnN6mUqVNoO2HFpzlVqU-fNTPn58XIsc64-A0lL6i0M0xpFjP_vBK8i3w2tqoD_Pj_2wxW6UyDrfCtJ4IfL-O_Kg/s320/face2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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As I said, it is paper taffeta. It is so sheer that you can make out the crisp white blouse underneath the fabric. The gold is trimmed with purple ruched ribbon trim. The jacket closes with four "buttons." The buttons are not real however-those two strips are actually straps that close with the uber convenient Velcro. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlsnFOX-dPJgAbTejdVAaFRCHjn5NJrlrElVw3_PnJgdaTSWSu7AGXM0qpt_adkAiVzx02v8UCfhP7cGieePz77H3JirYIptCLRmYLklCkJvB0qjlpEk2G3AQ7zJjmayRXBef1XT_vxS8/s1600/sleeve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlsnFOX-dPJgAbTejdVAaFRCHjn5NJrlrElVw3_PnJgdaTSWSu7AGXM0qpt_adkAiVzx02v8UCfhP7cGieePz77H3JirYIptCLRmYLklCkJvB0qjlpEk2G3AQ7zJjmayRXBef1XT_vxS8/s320/sleeve.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The jacket is short sleeves so you can see the white blouse underneath. Make sure that the collar of the blouse peaks over the jacket.</div>
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I certainly like the style of this outfit but that gold color is a little off putting to me when combined with the purple.</div>
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<i>Skirt:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xFT3Jc4Ar44XKNSY1t64vVl0BIQD-1XQgexQl1o8z0eFEh4juvbnj6Za6H4S-gRmgR10fH_4CeuVFfcuj6SPwUk-7VqG9uK0YtnxwHRdtpy0vLLt3_fJfLl2y8Ils1KpdrRgCPnhN3U/s1600/skirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xFT3Jc4Ar44XKNSY1t64vVl0BIQD-1XQgexQl1o8z0eFEh4juvbnj6Za6H4S-gRmgR10fH_4CeuVFfcuj6SPwUk-7VqG9uK0YtnxwHRdtpy0vLLt3_fJfLl2y8Ils1KpdrRgCPnhN3U/s320/skirt.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The skirt, on the other hand, is a much nicer color IMO. Again, it is calf length-the correct length on someone of Cécile's age. The purple is set off with a golden four leaf clover pattern. Again, though, this skirt would have looked a lot nicer if I had purchased the crinoline and chemise. Once I buy them, I will likely add some updated photos to this post so you can see what it looks like.</div>
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<i>Hair ribbons:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEUsjoh21dOACWnZh-AyyUet2omslSAOWZsdrD9RPxG4rNd48cpJS-Z4RUEJQnXomqb9Mftfq-dTYtaSGAwWQ5ZjTsyigkZ7D1tDipVq34kds-fzvYK7pqHN8u3U0HNwHhLtrrdP4k48/s1600/profile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEUsjoh21dOACWnZh-AyyUet2omslSAOWZsdrD9RPxG4rNd48cpJS-Z4RUEJQnXomqb9Mftfq-dTYtaSGAwWQ5ZjTsyigkZ7D1tDipVq34kds-fzvYK7pqHN8u3U0HNwHhLtrrdP4k48/s320/profile.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Yeah, I didn't use them. These white ribbons have been in her hair for a while. I think she has very pretty hair but I doubt I would ever be able to recreate her hair style once it was messed up. I got Cécile on the second hand market because I bought Ivy over the others in the frenzy once the retirement announcement came and I had to pay a premium for one with untouched hair. Therefore I try to never mess with it, not even to change out the ribbons. White goes with most things anyway. But the set included two purple hair ribbons for braver souls.</div>
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<i>Overall:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0HMwXdyQCApMC8760kJeLrHHxZhVVpLmT7792b8Dt1hTCwNOdamJ1-WxIUH-nhLEhdKKkrj6Kpe8fK05jn3t_F3A4uBEJhiZvNj3cdHWNhA_zcmNd5JusVWU0ZYWCKHMqyxjiQ0f3Mk/s1600/vest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0HMwXdyQCApMC8760kJeLrHHxZhVVpLmT7792b8Dt1hTCwNOdamJ1-WxIUH-nhLEhdKKkrj6Kpe8fK05jn3t_F3A4uBEJhiZvNj3cdHWNhA_zcmNd5JusVWU0ZYWCKHMqyxjiQ0f3Mk/s320/vest.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Again, every time I look at a set for one of these dolls, I can't help but thinking of what could have been if American Girl had cared at all about their collections.</div>
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Once again, no hat.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq16dsMbLO9G3IX1bBAclZ8oVkaF5q7h7pHUVifGksw9s0FpOVZROiYq-qYuvKjobxlGgjisu9Um083idqUefZNP1aZVhGKtyEQl4bK4PfegunkGteNuYpzFLWyNb-gigHDDaJ2UzIbAM/s1600/1850+hats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq16dsMbLO9G3IX1bBAclZ8oVkaF5q7h7pHUVifGksw9s0FpOVZROiYq-qYuvKjobxlGgjisu9Um083idqUefZNP1aZVhGKtyEQl4bK4PfegunkGteNuYpzFLWyNb-gigHDDaJ2UzIbAM/s320/1850+hats.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">1850s hats in England because hats are fun to look at.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e0-e06d-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99</span></i></div>
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I'm a little more forgiving of that because, after all, this is clearly an indoor outfit for her, but a hat would have made it a transitional outfit. She has like two hats in her collection (meet and summer outfit) and she clearly should have had a lot more. Samantha had so many hats. The pretty princess African American doll should have had some hats.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXuzWxc933TggACj7wFS21kKrGZsKEm9ErwGwNEgtQbuR7fd0UJQi8DL_thOtz7ZCUex2-vZmhnJu2Id3zFr-7GC1DVf2OWNJRgeAZvb6U7RnaiF73lV-Xv-RTNxxjnaip97ZuZRQ5R0/s1600/face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqXuzWxc933TggACj7wFS21kKrGZsKEm9ErwGwNEgtQbuR7fd0UJQi8DL_thOtz7ZCUex2-vZmhnJu2Id3zFr-7GC1DVf2OWNJRgeAZvb6U7RnaiF73lV-Xv-RTNxxjnaip97ZuZRQ5R0/s320/face.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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A shawl might also have worked. Shawls were popular outer garments because they were one of the few garments that could cover the ever widening hoops that women favored and because they were functional and looked nice spread out like that.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqsdBiB9bWbmeJmREaGNHPx3NvDWaKkmCfR6xNYtqkTADUJAXYD8mGzqaUcQ6Vt31oOKV_4XIKnt2OFbvU56h7y0YsWEy6Q2PEwqMApSrEjB_W3lgpwZWQBbERCytb_g2kKK3SxRfLxA/s1600/868b1d2e8df875e8715d92376b83d00f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDqsdBiB9bWbmeJmREaGNHPx3NvDWaKkmCfR6xNYtqkTADUJAXYD8mGzqaUcQ6Vt31oOKV_4XIKnt2OFbvU56h7y0YsWEy6Q2PEwqMApSrEjB_W3lgpwZWQBbERCytb_g2kKK3SxRfLxA/s320/868b1d2e8df875e8715d92376b83d00f.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">1800s shawl, Pinterest</span></div>
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I'm also not a fan of the jacket because of the color scheme though I am not sure what I would replace it with. The colors do look nice on Cécile despite the way it hurts my eyes. However, this set does not look so nice on Marie-Grace-this isn't as interchangeable as the skirt set.</div>
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I guess I prefer the skirt set over the parlor set but they both have good points.</div>
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<b>More Pictures!</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjES_R4tlh6PSJHgmZRp9u4ui9IMVOmnaRAdP-ElNbXOIwk7Usm5z_qRvNZ3RzKowMFdCJfDpAOY3x8mWVvq4TdmSIpT9X4OkC9MuYuJj5ue3YO9f5qTwidYWWTuBT11au195eKaHS8FtA/s1600/spring+and+parlor2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjES_R4tlh6PSJHgmZRp9u4ui9IMVOmnaRAdP-ElNbXOIwk7Usm5z_qRvNZ3RzKowMFdCJfDpAOY3x8mWVvq4TdmSIpT9X4OkC9MuYuJj5ue3YO9f5qTwidYWWTuBT11au195eKaHS8FtA/s320/spring+and+parlor2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh77UpFmyhB52Z1D0gddzyxFnfVMWVzvql35OBr4FCDH0atpsUKe71xEjx9vyG1RIr8HCFSev7Pz9KSrbyDHipy14j-DL08Wi4eRJfzo5z7cdzgH1FUn7CZ5gKYScFouMix7z0fp_YQbs/s1600/spring+and+parlor3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh77UpFmyhB52Z1D0gddzyxFnfVMWVzvql35OBr4FCDH0atpsUKe71xEjx9vyG1RIr8HCFSev7Pz9KSrbyDHipy14j-DL08Wi4eRJfzo5z7cdzgH1FUn7CZ5gKYScFouMix7z0fp_YQbs/s320/spring+and+parlor3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Sources:</i></div>
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http://www.neworleansonline.com/neworleans/history/people.html</div>
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http://vintagefashionguild.org/1800s/ </div>
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taffeta </div>
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<br />American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-49145958999792891162016-02-26T18:02:00.002-08:002016-02-26T18:02:36.469-08:00Kit's BeForever Reporter Dress and Reporter Accessories<br />
I am so close to upholding my goal of featuring every doll in my collection on this blog. I am so close-the only dolls I haven't done reviews on yet are Maryellen, Julie, Marie-Grace, and Kit (I do not have Ruthie yet). Today I'm going to talk about Kit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gWaBqNt91eszrbyV9jvRTjmjvMzbV3D4dQte6aU3vpkhU4GkcsoSVxePG4JuxIFxaGmTR8wW0dRqci3WuM2NsKMBUcRgfQGnpguWxkxTuEe5kQsg_C_eO-C-O_yfXZwBLsNgl9POSXk/s1600/newspaper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gWaBqNt91eszrbyV9jvRTjmjvMzbV3D4dQte6aU3vpkhU4GkcsoSVxePG4JuxIFxaGmTR8wW0dRqci3WuM2NsKMBUcRgfQGnpguWxkxTuEe5kQsg_C_eO-C-O_yfXZwBLsNgl9POSXk/s320/newspaper.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Kit is kind of an interesting doll to me in terms of her release. As a child, I was very much a fan of the American Girl line. I never owned any of the dolls when I was a kid, but I loved the books and wanted a Josefina doll more than anything. Back then, that line consisted of Samantha, Kirsten, Molly, Felicity, Addy, and Josefina. Kaya and Kit came out just as I was aging out of the books.<br />
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When my interest in American Girl returned (once I had my own money), it was interesting to go back through the books and get to know these characters again (and meet some new ones-Rebecca quickly became one of my favorite new characters). I remembered Kit's stories, but just barely.<br />
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I will say this though-Kit is probably the character with the strongest personality. I say this because she has real flaws that don't prevent her from being a likable character. With the other girls, they tend to lean to either direction. I can't think of Josefina having any major character flaws except being a little timid and shy. Molly had flaws-and they made me really annoyed throughout her series. Kit, on the other hand, is a very irritable and prideful character who still comes across as strong and smart. She's not as sweet as pie as the other girls. Even though Kit is not my favorite doll (I have nostalgia glasses for Josefina and Kirsten and the Great Depression isn't really my favorite time period to read about), I will say that I believe her series and character to be among the best written of the entire line because she always feels like a real person to me.<br />
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Anyways, moving on. Today I'm going to review her second reporter outfit (gasp-I actually like this one better than the original! What blasphemy!) along with her reporter accessories. For my "history" section, I'm going to talk about journalism in the 1930s.<br />
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<b>Journalism in the Great Depression:</b><br />
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Like all other aspects of American life, journalism was changed by the Great Depression. I truly believe that this economic crisis (and possibly the recession of 2008, though perhaps it is too soon to tell) had a long lasting impact on the American psyche as a whole. American attitudes toward money and the size of government changed significantly. Whether you think it's good or bad, many Americans began to desire a larger role for government. Gone were the days when the government was only for enforcing laws and enacting defense. Now people wanted the government to have a hand in assisting the economy when things went badly. <br />
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<a data-ved="0ahUKEwihv8zf6pbLAhUJeCYKHbbMAroQjRwIBw" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwihv8zf6pbLAhUJeCYKHbbMAroQjRwIBw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tes.com%2Flessons%2FJNp-UQpmEQorew%2Fthe-great-depression&psig=AFQjCNGefWhDTOMYTi875D9gchs399TmlQ&ust=1456624335534212" id="irc_mil" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk;irc.il;" style="border-image: none; border: 0px currentColor; clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img height="320" id="irc_mi" src="http://www.clevelandfoundation100.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/IM-TOP-03-1932-Depression-B-cropXL.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="253" /></a><br />
But that is not the only impact the Great Depression made on America (and on the world-if Germany hadn't been so economically devastated, perhaps WWII and the Holocaust would not have happened). Even things as seemingly innocuous as journalism and fashion were affected. There are very few things I can think of that weren't changed forever by the Depression. Today we're focusing on journalism.<br />
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Many newspapers went under during the Depression because of the lack of advertising revenue. Those that didn't often fired reporters, forcing the remaining staff to work harder for lower wages. Reporters had resisted unionization in the years previous to the crisis and now that came back to haunt them. Reporters would work for 6 days a week for 10-12 hours a day-it was grueling work, and one of the lowest paid white collar professions. However, as time went on, unions were founded.<br />
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The news that was covered changed too. Now newspapers focused on what the president was doing. They also tried to explain it so that the average American could understand the often complicated political process-previously, newspapers had simply presented the facts, leaving the reader to interpret the information without help.<br />
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This increased need for interpretation led to the rise of syndicated columnists who freely expressed their (often conservative) political views. These views would be read all over the nation as multiple newspapers published these articles. They weren't all conservative opponents of New Deal relief programs however-Dorothy Thompson (yes, there were female reporters, so Kit did have role models to look up to), an international news reporter, wrote a column where she attacked FDR for not going far <i>enough </i>with his programs (she still supported him for president, however, mostly because she believed FDR was the man who could help the nation through WWII).<br />
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These conservative writers were often criticized for downplaying what was happening. Originally this was part of an effort to prevent panic (a noble goal because panic during an economic crisis makes the problem worse because people stop spending money therefore leading to people losing their jobs as money stops flowing therefore leading to people without money to spend and so on until it spirals out of control). Eventually however the press was completely out of touch with public sentiment-FDR kept winning elections despite the fact that the great majority of the press was against him. This led to a growing mistrust of the news media that I would argue is still prevalent today.<br />
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I like to imagine that Kit became a very successful journalist. Thankfully by the time she was an adult, the working conditions would have improved somewhat. She would have covered breaking stories and wrote about women's issues <i>and </i>sports. She might have gone on to write books-remember that she did write that fiction story for Ruthie. But I guess I should save that for my "where would they be?" post.<br />
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<b>Kit's Reporter Outfit:</b><br />
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<i>Dress:</i><br />
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The first component of the outfit is a red and white dress.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cbi-duafDhw/Vr7GHcdWCrI/AAAAAAAABpo/GpMRPRznLX0/s1600/dress%2Bonly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cbi-duafDhw/Vr7GHcdWCrI/AAAAAAAABpo/GpMRPRznLX0/s320/dress%2Bonly.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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As you can see, the dress features a white "blouse" with an off center collar, puffed short sleeves, and a knee length red and white polka dot skirt. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXV2QXI21IwsXTGAwmI5y6SJ7O387swTgTxEnqmLcTJ56MDpvVxEg0oE_L-PpthZAGHoFJQvW0qiCtkRbNgJPxeJkpe8EFNUnDLZOJGwVAhiNq2_c9rv6AjcjvD24cAnJli-JMatMsys0/s1600/collar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXV2QXI21IwsXTGAwmI5y6SJ7O387swTgTxEnqmLcTJ56MDpvVxEg0oE_L-PpthZAGHoFJQvW0qiCtkRbNgJPxeJkpe8EFNUnDLZOJGwVAhiNq2_c9rv6AjcjvD24cAnJli-JMatMsys0/s320/collar.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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On the collar, you can see red and teal embroidery. On the side, the collar features a teal bow as trim. The embroidery gives it a colorful touch without taking the outfit into girly territory.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcb6Cs-cb5LeZhCDoqoL1u94wQk8z7xXyjOP0V3p1-Q4x43kiy7Io9VsB-3YGThWMxCmeHNzCJuDGb1Y79YVkUaj3MfjZb5YAZ5VTa0sMTEA3RMcs1obgIFTU15Y6ww_73DMfqIrn_QE/s1600/dress+sleeve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZcb6Cs-cb5LeZhCDoqoL1u94wQk8z7xXyjOP0V3p1-Q4x43kiy7Io9VsB-3YGThWMxCmeHNzCJuDGb1Y79YVkUaj3MfjZb5YAZ5VTa0sMTEA3RMcs1obgIFTU15Y6ww_73DMfqIrn_QE/s320/dress+sleeve.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here are those short puff sleeves.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinx12XWTe9lOk1HedjlHBhrGn8lYiOfEVph4R7phbexy50nv85cDZjYXbOwoW1V9Q8e6lrigXqz3whcysx3_bOgXOL4O6mziyz8qGxEo1PkhuYdmiNStKFk3kxR24uja3ZXF__ahSlLZQ/s1600/skirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinx12XWTe9lOk1HedjlHBhrGn8lYiOfEVph4R7phbexy50nv85cDZjYXbOwoW1V9Q8e6lrigXqz3whcysx3_bOgXOL4O6mziyz8qGxEo1PkhuYdmiNStKFk3kxR24uja3ZXF__ahSlLZQ/s320/skirt.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The skirt is a very vibrant red which I think is a good color on Kit. The skirt features pleats below the waist and includes a teal belt "buckle" at her waist. The fit is close and sharp. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hm_eB8IL6D4RBbLmMKSFkdDcUVPc0Xcp0zwJOkXCvL8FmhsXJxIjW411m3J8wjVZfGBp30lURy6Vyd6r6TMaEICguHQJvKzoVyooECTVAh0RWbo_vDHSaTQ0aYRQpJoyP_dpohie_os/s1600/outfitback.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1hm_eB8IL6D4RBbLmMKSFkdDcUVPc0Xcp0zwJOkXCvL8FmhsXJxIjW411m3J8wjVZfGBp30lURy6Vyd6r6TMaEICguHQJvKzoVyooECTVAh0RWbo_vDHSaTQ0aYRQpJoyP_dpohie_os/s320/outfitback.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The dress velcros up the back like most American Girl outfits. Did you know that zippers became very popular in the Great Depression because they were cheaper than buttons? Just a piece of trivia about real world clothing closures.</div>
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I love this dress. I think it looks cute even without the vest.</div>
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<i>Vest:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonSz-CUmc_iVVk7lDko-M0DjalzZZYi3OcOceuRTL8C1zXXEhcLkvgVPw6RM1a8EWK-gcrB1AXSHZYGqp4qZS5d9PAtuNer3UFn2K3WFZxN7aiosij6x5IJpOZnftCEQ0BVFfAkb8qK8/s1600/outfit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonSz-CUmc_iVVk7lDko-M0DjalzZZYi3OcOceuRTL8C1zXXEhcLkvgVPw6RM1a8EWK-gcrB1AXSHZYGqp4qZS5d9PAtuNer3UFn2K3WFZxN7aiosij6x5IJpOZnftCEQ0BVFfAkb8qK8/s320/outfit2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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However, the vest is really cute too! It's made out of the same polka dot red fabric. I go back and forth about whether the vest was needed. Sometimes I think it makes the outfit a little too "much" and other times I think it's a nice accessory. </div>
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<i>Shoes:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuf238ssqy3dSv0fS21KHlZ86NZwrLUd8FdOf2HsZA66T2vXQKSGxWbTWIexUIBLgLR7sgIXuq0if45Sxj5Avm7NMYfC-rvbI0NdHmSpobAdzZXfFXm2efe1Lg7hrO9nQTn07uve3RUkc/s1600/shoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuf238ssqy3dSv0fS21KHlZ86NZwrLUd8FdOf2HsZA66T2vXQKSGxWbTWIexUIBLgLR7sgIXuq0if45Sxj5Avm7NMYfC-rvbI0NdHmSpobAdzZXfFXm2efe1Lg7hrO9nQTn07uve3RUkc/s320/shoes.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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She just wears white flats for her outfit. This is the one part of the outfit that I'm not a huge fan of. The shoes look and feel very much like plastic. In addition they are very plain-I think tiny teal bows would have looked nice. The one good thing I will say is that these shoes are very versatile.</div>
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<i>Hair clip:</i></div>
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So funny story about this. I thought that the clip that went with this was the three flower clip that actually goes with another outfit of hers. If you look in the pictures above, you'll see that that's what she's wearing. Then I was looking on the wiki page and her hair clip caught my eye. Eh. It happens.</div>
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Actually she wears this:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMGi0Z6_pQUrA3zD18xIp6gf6-4oW58ZPKNjhFOvRdNvq1kCKpRBcqZtA_CUkYTqxDopUMiKThMUt6r-HAuSKO4Fi_qodDYTtTPRazWryMVA4EcfwO-HSjIjv4DuI7aiBDYu0i5Dp99s/s1600/tumblr_o2nqo11wzJ1skd3dio1_540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMGi0Z6_pQUrA3zD18xIp6gf6-4oW58ZPKNjhFOvRdNvq1kCKpRBcqZtA_CUkYTqxDopUMiKThMUt6r-HAuSKO4Fi_qodDYTtTPRazWryMVA4EcfwO-HSjIjv4DuI7aiBDYu0i5Dp99s/s320/tumblr_o2nqo11wzJ1skd3dio1_540.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I hurriedly threw it in her hair for the picture. It is a dark green version of the clip that came with her original meet outfit. I like it, but I also think the three flower clip was cute with this.</div>
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<i>Overall:</i></div>
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I really like this outfit. I do not own the original reporter dress but I have seen it in stores and I do think this is cuter. It is cute without being overly feminine-I hate when they slap Kit into pink and frilly outfits (I still buy them though because when I get Ruthie one day she'll have a full wardrobe of frilly outfits). I like pink but Kit does not. That is directly stated. So whenever they make her a pink outfit, I always feel like their product designers haven't read the story.<br />
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But this is a smart outfit. It is stylish and something I could imagine Kit wearing. It is also my favorite of her new BeForever outfits.<br />
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<b>Kit's Reporter Accessories:</b><br />
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<i>Camera and Camera Bag:</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmcBua2SbWNpG0ZK0JhTMeK6SK2nbYh-iw2kb13xA457s_TPD3wAnxjEhjJ-69SmywtZgQpBshCgR3fVbHqKrpkwUzFJs4xrTyEdrc9f41x6STxc2qNDcvnXB2gsPttNS4EPEVMCX4kA/s1600/camera+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEmcBua2SbWNpG0ZK0JhTMeK6SK2nbYh-iw2kb13xA457s_TPD3wAnxjEhjJ-69SmywtZgQpBshCgR3fVbHqKrpkwUzFJs4xrTyEdrc9f41x6STxc2qNDcvnXB2gsPttNS4EPEVMCX4kA/s320/camera+1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The camera comes in a black leather looking bag. The bag's strap is really stiff, which means that it holds odd shapes right out of the bag. I'm not a fan of the bag for that reason.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJotz7djGUYSdu9lQlGOHJdv2oz7mJoZfX0aq0m6um6gsxtfPNktn5RrKOu59rXrsm618fKAgj9Kaq5wKXNTqcR-QqzmoxXTPk1SPZfMZNBYcTIE-xquaYVMTFzoWfiYZEpvwqBtf2OPw/s1600/camera3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJotz7djGUYSdu9lQlGOHJdv2oz7mJoZfX0aq0m6um6gsxtfPNktn5RrKOu59rXrsm618fKAgj9Kaq5wKXNTqcR-QqzmoxXTPk1SPZfMZNBYcTIE-xquaYVMTFzoWfiYZEpvwqBtf2OPw/s320/camera3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Once you remove the camera from the bag, this is what you see. You open it up by lifting that little silver latch. I bite my nails (as you can see) but, for someone who doesn't, it should be fairly easy to open. It has a handle on the side so it can be carried without that horrid bag.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYVVtdZMltcqHLCkcUUwqHuuTx95Lohz_lCzopOpMS67-BfLEUhibYF2jUMqdD8zFLZuuGVO6dwNCr2a0YyEd9z8DQ01Xzq1nG2W7B9Kafq_uqg10QuOe0PCW0MpBHq3EeTHdOHCZeWg/s1600/camera4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmYVVtdZMltcqHLCkcUUwqHuuTx95Lohz_lCzopOpMS67-BfLEUhibYF2jUMqdD8zFLZuuGVO6dwNCr2a0YyEd9z8DQ01Xzq1nG2W7B9Kafq_uqg10QuOe0PCW0MpBHq3EeTHdOHCZeWg/s320/camera4.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The camera opened! Squee! It's so cute and little and just perfect!</div>
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<i>Film and Pictures:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUoKRSd9ZCJT9Wkd1uj5HMYhMQE084tl_z2u6r3hWIzpNhyn9jTIDhyphenhyphenPe_KbvVCcMO_aouXiQ68-OWC2BwBwfTWtxlSvm1vD9tBBJjYOEPpOL869CoLMKdRiGXlDk7cpqMjdprcZeXfo/s1600/film.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcUoKRSd9ZCJT9Wkd1uj5HMYhMQE084tl_z2u6r3hWIzpNhyn9jTIDhyphenhyphenPe_KbvVCcMO_aouXiQ68-OWC2BwBwfTWtxlSvm1vD9tBBJjYOEPpOL869CoLMKdRiGXlDk7cpqMjdprcZeXfo/s320/film.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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No camera is complete without some film. This is honestly just an empty hollow box but I thought it was a nice touch. Kodak was actually founded in 1888. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCYfE4KbpISF5bP882jccGXEDQe8CCQawl-ueCjvg47l4OS_xA_yGOuf-8A2wLwYqMTXsPbzTWSN1epc6nmuMYlw7u1C0utABmOnBYnSeVaETc6HkHQlkYN5leJ1BTevibIeDs0OkE80/s1600/pictures2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span id="goog_1216641690"></span><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCYfE4KbpISF5bP882jccGXEDQe8CCQawl-ueCjvg47l4OS_xA_yGOuf-8A2wLwYqMTXsPbzTWSN1epc6nmuMYlw7u1C0utABmOnBYnSeVaETc6HkHQlkYN5leJ1BTevibIeDs0OkE80/s320/pictures2.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgK-tgWOkCnWYi274jGYhNeUQAxlvff8MESH6IF7cadNl1L3LFLryvcRVvqe3jxXAc-M7SFvdE_ExpyqDkrge2601sgzgICfksmuLTrr_EUAOY16cI3o1ef0x9H_QzpoDkZuEPFGAyxA/s1600/pictures1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvgK-tgWOkCnWYi274jGYhNeUQAxlvff8MESH6IF7cadNl1L3LFLryvcRVvqe3jxXAc-M7SFvdE_ExpyqDkrge2601sgzgICfksmuLTrr_EUAOY16cI3o1ef0x9H_QzpoDkZuEPFGAyxA/s320/pictures1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Above you can see some of the pictures that Kit took with her camera. There's a picture of Grace. After that you see some of the pictures of the Depression. I believe that includes a homeless man who probably lived in a hobo camp with a young child on his lap. You can see a child doing the ironing, two boys in ragged clothing, and a black woman holding a child (we often forget that the Depression hit African Americans even harder than white people). Kit tried to capture the human faces of the suffering that was all to real during that economic crisis.</div>
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I haven't taken these off the backing sheets because I'm not quite sure where I would stick them. The images are haunting, though tiny. Do an image search for the photos taken during the Depression-the faces stick with you. </div>
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<i>Notebook, Notebook Bag, and Pen:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4iLS67QiGmqW1GMDb5tpwD_5B8T3nbbg8I37InSidLeIgKxZ70sQKY_0J3t0bJLYqybCVe5TuOk-C-w7uE6TNZ0CXcSz8Ebi-QhjZU-u4Abua__QaoqE9PD_gNGGPnmC4N1WPwMLA4A/s1600/notebook+and+pen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4iLS67QiGmqW1GMDb5tpwD_5B8T3nbbg8I37InSidLeIgKxZ70sQKY_0J3t0bJLYqybCVe5TuOk-C-w7uE6TNZ0CXcSz8Ebi-QhjZU-u4Abua__QaoqE9PD_gNGGPnmC4N1WPwMLA4A/s320/notebook+and+pen.jpg" width="240" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14k1dqlsxR9JntVn1mAEgOECNyTv-TNoMuIxeVSWWiSFeT38KKBv2OkJ2GfKDPdFhhzYc8STn0Z5-csU2BQ6aFLiCRzolLTh5kCwL6rKsu9EXkiikKMVJJDK6iYz7M1giDCKB2P-OUh0/s1600/notebook+and+pen2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14k1dqlsxR9JntVn1mAEgOECNyTv-TNoMuIxeVSWWiSFeT38KKBv2OkJ2GfKDPdFhhzYc8STn0Z5-csU2BQ6aFLiCRzolLTh5kCwL6rKsu9EXkiikKMVJJDK6iYz7M1giDCKB2P-OUh0/s320/notebook+and+pen2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Every reporter sometimes needs to jot down information-you can't remember it all! To this end, Kit carries a black notepad and a red pen. I like these parts of the set. However, the paper moves around way too much in my set at least-it doesn't feel secure. Shoddy construction. The pen cap can be removed but I didn't get a shot of it. Oops.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLSSPwTpQbfjH_gur1ngWT9pCfqvgpssP8EF9r2DDrQRgOqy3lcrB9vJbslw3sSkgA4dxW93kgDm-kBi_c5NOAhsZDhSJO5SmefxfABC2Ltp_zZx7BU3LpZ1SGqL7QTQ08PbsN96-qPs/s1600/camera+bag+on+desk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLSSPwTpQbfjH_gur1ngWT9pCfqvgpssP8EF9r2DDrQRgOqy3lcrB9vJbslw3sSkgA4dxW93kgDm-kBi_c5NOAhsZDhSJO5SmefxfABC2Ltp_zZx7BU3LpZ1SGqL7QTQ08PbsN96-qPs/s320/camera+bag+on+desk.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here you can see the blue, yellow, and blue bag that Kit stores her notebook in hanging off her desk chair. I don't really like the color scheme but it's a handy bag. </div>
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<i>Newspapers:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1OkyJbr8d5LK-We__kRvJXZTfrUxTAwTL3F9xpXA194yCz4Ww4aF_OLR2DDn9evB4IzDajgxfatKIc4JKaMhiuHyz-VKH5GTlqtdVsNOEO4BQdOxgX8Nl_2_xEL-hnOWDfYPmLEM-vk/s1600/newspaper2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1OkyJbr8d5LK-We__kRvJXZTfrUxTAwTL3F9xpXA194yCz4Ww4aF_OLR2DDn9evB4IzDajgxfatKIc4JKaMhiuHyz-VKH5GTlqtdVsNOEO4BQdOxgX8Nl_2_xEL-hnOWDfYPmLEM-vk/s1600/newspaper2.jpg" /></a></div>
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The last component is the set of newspapers. The papers are issues of the Cincinnati Register-on the front you can see the article Kit wrote that they published about a kid's view of the Depression. Other articles in the stack include a piece about FDR speaking to women via the radio, the radio program, and the increased budget for the government in response to financial crises. It's actually very interesting to flip through and look at the various article titles. The papers are tied together with twine, which I didn't want to remove.</div>
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<em>Overall:</em></div>
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I think this set is cute and it goes very well with Kit's entire story line. Kit badly wants to be a reporter and this set shows that (especially with her article on the front page of the newspaper). </div>
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<strong>More Pictures!</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuK9B2yJXEa5u_UW7lQRyTX1CQ467dxOgs7DrGdcolHKgvh3DO7v5_ohZrZQXWUSBl-2P_5uhSIzOC0jEMHWW_QwHCs38xT-LrWU_QJQT4H1fB_0q0krDX4pa0OGt01IYUpypl89N3ME/s1600/outfit5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLuK9B2yJXEa5u_UW7lQRyTX1CQ467dxOgs7DrGdcolHKgvh3DO7v5_ohZrZQXWUSBl-2P_5uhSIzOC0jEMHWW_QwHCs38xT-LrWU_QJQT4H1fB_0q0krDX4pa0OGt01IYUpypl89N3ME/s320/outfit5.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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There she is wearing her reporter outfit with some of the accessories from it on her desk. Soon I'll do a review of the desk as well but I felt like that would be wayyy too much for one blog post.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qW_4-uahmvXyRPBTGGvCTaS8eLJwuLz2EuH_5UNtWdGRnz_R9-W48TfmKJB1WJ7-rjNgmw4f1osVyJbcCxw1sI1rRx6B5jLl1tVP79bUW78qyZ84QxP3kz5pphZm-SVSDT-rBd0Y-fk/s1600/outfit4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4qW_4-uahmvXyRPBTGGvCTaS8eLJwuLz2EuH_5UNtWdGRnz_R9-W48TfmKJB1WJ7-rjNgmw4f1osVyJbcCxw1sI1rRx6B5jLl1tVP79bUW78qyZ84QxP3kz5pphZm-SVSDT-rBd0Y-fk/s320/outfit4.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<strong>News:</strong><br />
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Yes I have seen the pictures of Melody-she is beautiful and is definitely coming home to join my girls. I cannot wait!<br />
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<i>Sources:</i><br />
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<i><a href="http://vintagedancer.com/1930s/women-1930s-fashion/">http://vintagedancer.com/1930s/women-1930s-fashion/</a> </i><br />
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<i><a href="http://www.omnilogos.com/2015/02/the-great-depression-journalism-1929.html">http://www.omnilogos.com/2015/02/the-great-depression-journalism-1929.html</a></i><br />
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<a href="https://www.tes.com/lessons/JNp-UQpmEQorew/the-great-depression"><em>https://www.tes.com/lessons/JNp-UQpmEQorew/the-great-depression</em></a>American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-44481674233312767972016-02-12T14:55:00.000-08:002016-06-09T12:46:37.306-07:00Ivy's New Years Outfit<br />
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Happy belated Chinese New Year! As some of you may know, February 8 was the Chinese New Year-a holiday Ivy celebrates in Julie's books. </div>
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Now I was originally planning to have this post out on the the actual date. I had most it typed out, the pictures taken, etc.</div>
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And then I got strep throat. And because my immune system is bad, I got a bunch of other illnesses (whenever I get sick, I always get something else completely unrelated). It has only been in the past couple of days that I have been feeling at all better. And then I had to work a lot to make up for the missed money...in other words, I just couldn't complete the review.</div>
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I thought about delaying this post for a year...but Ivy doesn't have that many outfits to review. I don't own her rainbow romper so the only other thing I could review is her meet outfit in the fall (I try to dress the dolls seasonally). I could review a Julie outfit with Ivy wearing it but it still wouldn't be HER review. I don't want to wait 6-12 months for this beauty to grace my blog. So I'm just going to go ahead and press forward. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNkZXFst0uTC9O-1BAjbVX-7WcoeG2TKGGGQTr1ms1-UMgotDArPk7YKUtXmX5l4O_N76E0QIXZ3kLazI4rsBI0pfePfuh0vJgzZKOIASbQXwzGuPPOiw6puREeZdkNAT9ObLMQvMrzDI/s1600/IMG_0074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNkZXFst0uTC9O-1BAjbVX-7WcoeG2TKGGGQTr1ms1-UMgotDArPk7YKUtXmX5l4O_N76E0QIXZ3kLazI4rsBI0pfePfuh0vJgzZKOIASbQXwzGuPPOiw6puREeZdkNAT9ObLMQvMrzDI/s320/IMG_0074.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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So first of all, shout out to my grandfather who bought Ivy for me on my very first trip to an American Girl store. There's kind of a sad story about that. I basically had four parents-my mom, my dad, and my maternal grandparents who I saw every day growing up.</div>
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I was going through a very hard time in my life, and my grandmother promised that, once the summer came, she would take me to the nearest American Girl store (which at the time was 5 hours away). It was kind of a life rope for me, as silly as that sounds-it gave me something to look forward to during a time period where I felt like nothing in my life would ever be good again. Everything else was ruined for me-I couldn't read because the story lines depressed me, I couldn't talk to my friends, I couldn't enjoy anything. I couldn't sleep or eat. I managed to still do well in my college classes but that was it. But whenever things seemed really low, I would think about the trip we would make and it would make me smile for a few seconds before I fell down the rabbit hole of depression again.</div>
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She was also the only one who really understood my pain-my grandmother struggled with depression and crippling anxiety that started to really impede her quality of life. Towards the end, she never wanted to leave the house (which should show you how much she cared-that she would take a five hour trip because I was feeling so badly). </div>
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Sadly, that trip never happened-she died before the summer came. It was very unexpected. One day she seemed fine; two months later she was gone.</div>
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Out of all my family, she was the one who really enjoyed the dolls with me. My mom, grandpa, and husband listen but they don't really want to. She loved to look at the outfits and accessories though-she would have loved Maryellen. As some of you may have noted, Granny gave me Saige and Emily. Despite my deep love for Josefina, I will admit that, in a fire, I would save Emily first (after my husband and fur babies) because of the memories.</div>
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Anyways, that summer my grandpa and I decided that we would still make the trip. It turned into a two week road trip-we went to the mountains, where my grandma loved to spend her own summers before she was too afraid to go, before going to see my husband (military life was keeping us apart), and then finally hitting the doll store in Atlanta. While there, my grandpa bought me Ivy. I'm sure you can imagine, then, how much I love that doll. </div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Maybe it seems silly, but I really felt like I could feel her there. I have never felt like that before or since-not even at her grave. But in those mountains, I could feel her. She was finally free of the pain that had dominated her life for so long. </i></span></div>
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Sorry to mope-but the pain is still fresh. Anyways, back to Ivy.</div>
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Ivy, of course, was the best friend of Julie from 1974 and the only historical Asian character ever released (so far). That's a shame because 1) she is now retired along with the rest of the Best Friends characters, meaning there are no named Asian characters in the line; 2) Asian Americans have had a huge impact on American history; and 3) the doll only had two extra outfits, and no pajamas. </div>
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The treatment of Ivy has been shameful and I hope American Girl rectifies it soon with an Asian BeForever character-I would buy the doll the day she came out. </div>
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For this review, I'm going to discuss the significance of what Ivy is wearing and touch on Chinese Americans in California. It'll be sort of like what I did for Nellie in the last post.</div>
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<b>Chinese Americans in California:</b></div>
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From the beginning, America has always had a complicated relationship with immigration. Of course, unless you are Native American or African American (in which case, I hesitate to call kidnapping "immigration"), you are the product of immigration. That is why the stories of Kirsten resonates so strongly-immigration is the story of how most of us came to be here. Obviously, that immigration was horrible for the people already living here-but it is still the reason that a lot of us are here.</div>
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Sadly, however, America has always been more comfortable with certain types of immigrants and less comfortable with other types of immigrants. Basically, white Americans wanted immigrants who looked like them and who had customs similar to their own. They did not want people of color or people with widely different traditions in America.</div>
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Although Chinese immigration was allowed at first, Chinese immigrants were treated differently. An immigrant from Europe had the hope of becoming an American citizen one day. There was no naturalization process for the Chinese (though their children born in America were citizens). </div>
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The Chinese who came to California (mostly men-these immigrants hoped to return to their home and their families one day, though this changed with time) worked jobs that were both essential to the economy of the west and dangerous. For example, they often built railroads (an Irish occupation in the East) and mined for gold. </div>
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Yet despite this, sentiment soon turned completely against the Chinese. A series of economic crises meant that many Americans lost their jobs. They were afraid and desperate. They wanted an outside group to target their frustrations at-a group they could blame for their economic troubles. In the West, they chose the Chinese. Because of this, stricter immigration laws were passed. If this is sounding familiar, that was intentional on my part. There a lot of parallels between what happened then and other historical and current events.</div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Look at this horribleness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">https://unitedstateshistorylsa.wikispaces.com/Chinese+Exclusion+Act</span></div>
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The Chinese Exclusion Act meant that the Chinese were not allowed to enter the United States. Under these discriminatory conditions, illegal immigration began with people pretending to be the children of Chinese Americans already living in the United States (paper sons and daughters). The people coming to America under this guise (along with genuine American citizens re-entering the US) had to go through Angel Island where they were detained for months at a time in horrible conditions and asked extremely complicated, confusing questions. Any mistake and they would be sent back to China. The Julie mystery <i>The Puzzle of the Paper Daughter </i>is excellent and talks about the conditions on the island-I recommend reading it. It is probably my favorite American Girl mystery.</div>
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<b>Ivy's New Year Outfit:</b></div>
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<i>Dress:</i></div>
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For this holiday, Ivy wears a close fitting Chinese inspired (I'll get to why I call it that in a moment) dress that I believe is meant to be a cheongsam (also called a qipao). When I originally posted, I was not 100% sure about the accuracy of this garment as a cheongsam. I was corrected by Shark below in the comments. In the interest of cultural accuracy, I wanted to add some corrections. It is obvious that American Girl was aiming for a cheongsam but they missed the mark in several key ways.</div>
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But first a history of the term. The term can mean different things in different parts of the world and there is no agreed upon origin story for the item. </div>
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According to legend, a peasant woman invented the dress. Later, when the Emperor married her, she brought her dress with her and the court women all copied her garment.</div>
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Women started wearing them as a fashionable item in the 1920s, but there have been variations on the dress in different parts of China for a very long time. The Republic made them popular because they were seen as a liberating garment for women (one piece clothing items had originally been a typically male only garment). The Republic of China actually declared the cheongsam a national dress. The dresses were particularly popular in the fashionable city of Shanghai.The garments became closer fitting to follow the outline of a woman's body. They were often made of silk or brocade.</div>
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<img height="266" src="https://i1.wp.com/www.elegantstory.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Cheongsam-Shanghai-Girls-1.jpg?resize=600,400" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Advertisement for cosmetics (those are actually men because women models were not common) featuring people in cheongsam. Notice how the dress wraps around their bodies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.elegantstory.com/cheongsam-beauties-ad-anecdote.html</span></div>
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After the communist take over, however, the cheongsam was seen as a relic of the past. People were actually found guilty of a crime for wearing one. However, in the 1980s, the dress started to become popular in China again. Nowadays they are often worn as formal wear-sometimes they are used as wedding dresses. Various western fashion designers have used elements from the cheongsam in their designs. </div>
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Now for the actual garment. A traditional cheongsam is often made of silk or brocade. This outfit is made of a very nice brocade, which is accurate for the period.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6YeBGe6kIXFA-MuyjKWHgNqVSjvZYmXKROnLiRq0MB56YsGl6zJpQ5sdWIuHcvNGgKkuV5Y29oiTt-aK_T4QoU17Ky0hJxmOTgpMk_xBc5cjLNzSylXwBPRlFp_Imp-ExGSygE98-Cs/s1600/pattern+on+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6YeBGe6kIXFA-MuyjKWHgNqVSjvZYmXKROnLiRq0MB56YsGl6zJpQ5sdWIuHcvNGgKkuV5Y29oiTt-aK_T4QoU17Ky0hJxmOTgpMk_xBc5cjLNzSylXwBPRlFp_Imp-ExGSygE98-Cs/s320/pattern+on+dress.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Ivy's dress is red with a gold pattern on the fabric. The gold glimmers in the light. The fabric is thick and sturdy and has a very nice sheen to it. It is a quality garment and very attractive. However you will notice that the garment does not wrap around her body like an actual cheongsam. That is one of those details that American Girl failed at including. It wouldn't have been hard to include either since they have made a cheongsam with a faux wrap around function.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARlmYnpV-F0Rrj1AWv5kfYVzRHfK-sOGgfZxHArQkK3E6Frl14EJBGiN3iByp6J-OGGWMMbdJ7LJg-Ljyho4EQLcDLbVMqYQgPiOtMvfIW0HK4mmjYT9G3AtLNP4npNFVl2xgi3AqC14/s1600/neckline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARlmYnpV-F0Rrj1AWv5kfYVzRHfK-sOGgfZxHArQkK3E6Frl14EJBGiN3iByp6J-OGGWMMbdJ7LJg-Ljyho4EQLcDLbVMqYQgPiOtMvfIW0HK4mmjYT9G3AtLNP4npNFVl2xgi3AqC14/s320/neckline.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here you can see the Mandarin collar. Mandarin collars start at the neckline and then rise along the neck with a split in the middle. The collar on Ivy's cheongsam is accurate-American Girl gets points for that from me. Unfortunately though the collar is trimmed with gold piping-there is also a line of the piping crossing her chest. That is not accurate-piping would not have been used as a trim on a cheongsam. Still, the gold and red work well together-it was a nice color combination.</div>
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You'll also notice that the garment does not use the traditional frog closures-that is yet another failure on the part of American Girl.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIvrcO9BPnHFiwp2O5eZRyVwL7Calmb2VFhH7QE9Bpmq5zTN4BM3U7urE1zER3ifFvYnFUL4X5ThLRyLUW8ISm2ggO2dr6uBrP5uEYje63oIkNm3qhRoNDxDa4AT3UC7wT0VhXOtc1xI/s1600/sleeve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIvrcO9BPnHFiwp2O5eZRyVwL7Calmb2VFhH7QE9Bpmq5zTN4BM3U7urE1zER3ifFvYnFUL4X5ThLRyLUW8ISm2ggO2dr6uBrP5uEYje63oIkNm3qhRoNDxDa4AT3UC7wT0VhXOtc1xI/s320/sleeve.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The sleeves are short. Sleeves are of varying lengths on cheongsams so this part is not inaccurate. However, you can see in this image that the dress is very close fitting to Ivy's body, meaning that this is likely inspired by the fashionable 1920s Shanghai garments rather than the older, more traditional clothing. The dress would likely be hard to move in, which is a major reason that these have been relegated to formal wear. Ivy doesn't wear this for day to day activities-this is a formal party garment for her.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25TXOQO64wrRv4Bv80PO-QztKiOeyPDWqZLbLSbYc0oZ9p2bRwTQix0ea-zRJZlvpm4wu-v5s1us9dTYmuzyvg25zWlmqtssZnnNuWrT-wivs6s6L3IdQmMDhCHX8jQ3qVJYgvWgxIAQ/s1600/hemline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg25TXOQO64wrRv4Bv80PO-QztKiOeyPDWqZLbLSbYc0oZ9p2bRwTQix0ea-zRJZlvpm4wu-v5s1us9dTYmuzyvg25zWlmqtssZnnNuWrT-wivs6s6L3IdQmMDhCHX8jQ3qVJYgvWgxIAQ/s320/hemline.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The hemline comes to mid calf-various lengths are appropriate for these garments depending on the occasion. There is a small slit, which is also an accurate detail. The hem is trimmed in the same gold piping used on the collar-which, again, is not accurate to what a cheongsam actually looks like.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzy-ucoPqGLBp1nNx94bBBx44-KKoLLF8ysdWLxx09OUwU4aVk9c58qTE2QZoaeRoPwxAxEU_YgdxmaGWjtn3U8oVyM_-vSru1S9Op5btXM9R7MFpGE9MgX7kDm4Zc9VzbV7ShGAwOcWg/s1600/back+of+dress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzy-ucoPqGLBp1nNx94bBBx44-KKoLLF8ysdWLxx09OUwU4aVk9c58qTE2QZoaeRoPwxAxEU_YgdxmaGWjtn3U8oVyM_-vSru1S9Op5btXM9R7MFpGE9MgX7kDm4Zc9VzbV7ShGAwOcWg/s320/back+of+dress.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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And here is the back of the dress. </div>
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I wish that American Girl had included the traditional frog buttons, the wrap around feature, and nixed the gold piping. That would have made it a better representation of a traditional cheongsam. I am a fan of this outfit but I must say that it would have been very easy for AG to create a just as attractive but accurate item. </div>
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I do, however, like that this is Ivy's formal dress, not her every day attire. It emphasizes her cultural background without making her a caricature. The dress is also very attractive on her-the red looks very nice against her black hair. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2EyHKnPH3hDIRG-YdZJVRD48Us3qhlZlnyw0SP0VSFwlhKdXyeT9MvVcoW9iG38TSkrolWYyp-ixfkaOWG7hjoU30Xaxme6a49DysUWa01kk3UE-Zotvhq1qlkPnIbVeYblYY2Hr_j8/s1600/side+pulled+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2EyHKnPH3hDIRG-YdZJVRD48Us3qhlZlnyw0SP0VSFwlhKdXyeT9MvVcoW9iG38TSkrolWYyp-ixfkaOWG7hjoU30Xaxme6a49DysUWa01kk3UE-Zotvhq1qlkPnIbVeYblYY2Hr_j8/s320/side+pulled+back.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Shoes:</i></div>
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Ivy wears a pair of Mary Jane shoes with her dress. They're black and velvety to the touch. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHmV95Ft9TZ-5SEsLoUbJk8TLmmJI3e1H3Ka-_5W60wQdBFodr3qRoKGwM6Bv6Wc0zP59Jc5Bhwpblj7AmGUxINMe8-kPMkmDJEtModCRf6ik5f6yvubD_DAOEE1_NSU-3U49SY4INZc/s1600/shoes2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHmV95Ft9TZ-5SEsLoUbJk8TLmmJI3e1H3Ka-_5W60wQdBFodr3qRoKGwM6Bv6Wc0zP59Jc5Bhwpblj7AmGUxINMe8-kPMkmDJEtModCRf6ik5f6yvubD_DAOEE1_NSU-3U49SY4INZc/s320/shoes2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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There they are off her feet. They are very easy to get on, which is always a big concern for me.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1n51rTJ6T8NWmhjJWmLyJ3vDQW9JWmG_mroiZbJKpb0RHWg-G555EcNXKXrTH8aUA8gt49TqrRWKLWLQrwc1T2UEvozKCjdtseO07QqO70jBryCfkbeFWcgYATrF7GXaC335Gx8HYlcc/s1600/IMG_0076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1n51rTJ6T8NWmhjJWmLyJ3vDQW9JWmG_mroiZbJKpb0RHWg-G555EcNXKXrTH8aUA8gt49TqrRWKLWLQrwc1T2UEvozKCjdtseO07QqO70jBryCfkbeFWcgYATrF7GXaC335Gx8HYlcc/s320/IMG_0076.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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They look very nice! There isn't a lot to say about them but I love that they are so versatile. These could be worn with a lot of different outfits.</div>
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<i>Hair Clip:</i></div>
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Ivy finishes her outfit off with a flowered hair clip. The clip consists of a barrette with a pink and purple flowers and green leaves. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VqONL-eHLhgkJ_jER6syW4j_rPsntwdbMPOFkSNDtXvtUM844wl7HAGsAyrQrgt7xqJ4soQFgvPc8O-4mZShlCJJBsAuU3oDpadDKGz-V1chRMEWbfzYfnYKQtsHoY-n_G10B1-467A/s1600/hair+clip2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1VqONL-eHLhgkJ_jER6syW4j_rPsntwdbMPOFkSNDtXvtUM844wl7HAGsAyrQrgt7xqJ4soQFgvPc8O-4mZShlCJJBsAuU3oDpadDKGz-V1chRMEWbfzYfnYKQtsHoY-n_G10B1-467A/s320/hair+clip2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The purple flower is the bigger one-the red flower is smaller.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfs5osWNZTF0gu5d4G_9v66sk_BcKAUgEyfIHt7OAmHyDc7LbUpaMjVdsN2LlS0FnQq9iPALtVV4lXc-aeXeJr1_emzLtfCGTGvZTZt5ktJzLa5FpbyH_X-ES2glohbDTtJxEHwwPSlA/s1600/hair+clip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsfs5osWNZTF0gu5d4G_9v66sk_BcKAUgEyfIHt7OAmHyDc7LbUpaMjVdsN2LlS0FnQq9iPALtVV4lXc-aeXeJr1_emzLtfCGTGvZTZt5ktJzLa5FpbyH_X-ES2glohbDTtJxEHwwPSlA/s320/hair+clip.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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That's how the clip looks in her hair. I think the clip adds a nice festive touch to the outfit. It's very pretty.</div>
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<i>Overall:</i></div>
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Overall, I like the outfit. However, now that I have been informed of all the inaccuracies present, my opinion of it has gone down a little. I still like it, but I am no longer as entranced. </div>
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<b>More Pictures!</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aPJWRVsyJW4rwkCSZAh2xdPLjLq2Rl7eE1RmjrN0FvGTuX7Ri4OeUDQoxjo8Rtoxp82bBeXwRj9HuiM8Cf3rqsXD-no84g5LtAwI6FNHOE24e0KRVhIurit-YcMr8MWyzppH7bXQuXs/s1600/ivy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2aPJWRVsyJW4rwkCSZAh2xdPLjLq2Rl7eE1RmjrN0FvGTuX7Ri4OeUDQoxjo8Rtoxp82bBeXwRj9HuiM8Cf3rqsXD-no84g5LtAwI6FNHOE24e0KRVhIurit-YcMr8MWyzppH7bXQuXs/s320/ivy.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The fact that the dress does not wrap around her body is much more apparent in the full length photographs.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssYvhEIKdZ05IFeWNtu45ZUg74HhLJYAEWDp40SqAv5-Mmtw-2N04HHN_5vRvLa27VH45K93D-sP96ZYKlGo1rRYAxWt-YZphkP-Qe7q1LuTyC1AgJ9maMoyjQp82_HeUW86EB4Onp9k/s1600/full+length2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgssYvhEIKdZ05IFeWNtu45ZUg74HhLJYAEWDp40SqAv5-Mmtw-2N04HHN_5vRvLa27VH45K93D-sP96ZYKlGo1rRYAxWt-YZphkP-Qe7q1LuTyC1AgJ9maMoyjQp82_HeUW86EB4Onp9k/s320/full+length2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUSeWvBuaW1rknC6F540g3mC5r19uW8mKruzFeTT6A5mWGNNF0dXvNVGwG6swR2Nzj-Drgu-kr9bOrfMcWeGYD8AgsNWc7kaMWbJtDsR_auYShWQDjsmtTKYx80D-18SxrHopnVhKcj0/s1600/ivy+face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNUSeWvBuaW1rknC6F540g3mC5r19uW8mKruzFeTT6A5mWGNNF0dXvNVGwG6swR2Nzj-Drgu-kr9bOrfMcWeGYD8AgsNWc7kaMWbJtDsR_auYShWQDjsmtTKYx80D-18SxrHopnVhKcj0/s320/ivy+face.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Thank you Shark!</div>
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<i>Sources:</i></div>
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheongsam</div>
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act</div>
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Chinese_Americans#Arrival_in_the_United_States</div>
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http://www.my-qipao.com/qipaofct_engl/qipaofc1.html</div>
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http://www.beanbunny.com/whatpao.html</div>
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American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-54756745122622163382016-01-31T22:59:00.000-08:002016-01-31T22:59:04.309-08:00Nellie's Holiday Coat <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It is still SO cold outside! The one good thing about that is, in my time spent hiding from what, to my Florida mind, looks like a frozen wasteland, I have been able to take lots of pictures of my dolls. Hopefully that means I can stay ahead and keep to my goal of posting about once a week.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UWe-5TQehkQ/VqPTO9nTKiI/AAAAAAAABUY/DmcezehiO_g/s1600/nellie%2Bface.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UWe-5TQehkQ/VqPTO9nTKiI/AAAAAAAABUY/DmcezehiO_g/s320/nellie%2Bface.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Again, we have a new doll on the blog: Nellie O'Malley, the Irish best friend of Samantha Parkington who is center stage in a fantastic (and historically improbable-but hey, it warms my heart) rags to riches tale.<br />
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It is hard for a lot of people to understand this nowadays, when Irish Americans have become so assimilated into mainstream white American culture, but the Irish went through a lot to make that happen. The Irish in America were discriminated against, hated, and were not considered white.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBoof0fO-w52hAucJrswFGLWhRPZaZuDrgAY-iJgKXt5MZgxZLS0shn99zxNMkIqzz4fKiJ3_VQw9-mi7R3E8epA0SY5WP2_3Jp3ei1ReusOIOPSpD7sCVBIGgzXjuP5moTil6ylLc7NM/s1600/irish+and+african+american.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBoof0fO-w52hAucJrswFGLWhRPZaZuDrgAY-iJgKXt5MZgxZLS0shn99zxNMkIqzz4fKiJ3_VQw9-mi7R3E8epA0SY5WP2_3Jp3ei1ReusOIOPSpD7sCVBIGgzXjuP5moTil6ylLc7NM/s1600/irish+and+african+american.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>A political cartoon showing that African Americans and Irish Americans were seen as equally inferior. They are both drawn to look inhuman.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/01/28/irish-apes-tactics-of-de-humanization/ </i></span></div>
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My family has been in America for a long time. I don't speak with an Irish accent or eat traditional Irish foods. But I want to stress that the reason I do not is because of specific choices made by other cultural groups that systematically stomped out (not for everyone, but for people like my family) the unique things that made up the Irish culture. Lots of people in America, including myself, have ancestors like Nellie who were treated like garbage because they were Irish and Catholic. Many Americans have ancestors who were forced out of their homes because of horrible practices and the threat of starvation and experienced the Irish Diaspora. <br />
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I am going to use my Nellie posts to both talk about her clothing and to discuss the Irish experience in America. I will go way before Nellie and way after Nellie.<br />
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<b>Ireland Under Occupation:</b><br />
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Perhaps the Great Famine (known as the potato famine and the Great Hunger as well) and the later Irish Diaspora would not have happened if Ireland had maintained its independence. But starting in the 12th century, England consistently sought to conquer and control her neighbor. Ireland resisted of course, but did not prove strong enough to maintain independent rule.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVdt22WE0xCCzyT26bg6ld6cZLs6wV2UMYuIJ7KKLwG1mFaLFn2Uc-Uf6AvgDGUrbx14zEbqRF7ZrpHr-0eceeZ817r1lIjIWP5hKmj2wUFBpWYcxNaykiPhy6OEhihJBZx_lAykDmr0/s1600/ireland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVdt22WE0xCCzyT26bg6ld6cZLs6wV2UMYuIJ7KKLwG1mFaLFn2Uc-Uf6AvgDGUrbx14zEbqRF7ZrpHr-0eceeZ817r1lIjIWP5hKmj2wUFBpWYcxNaykiPhy6OEhihJBZx_lAykDmr0/s1600/ireland.jpg" /></a></div>
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Things became significantly worse during the rule of Henry VIII. For those of you playing along at home, remember that Henry wanted to annul his marriage to Katherine of Aragon because she had not given him a male heir and because he wanted to marry his mistress Anne Boleyn. When the Pope would not grant Henry his desired annulment, he broke with Rome and the Pope, setting up his own Church of England with himself as the head. Since he controlled Ireland, this had a direct impact on the Irish people.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWisrrA2xBCUSebtZ-TXChyPs_HnMgDvxoH8Sj7jQ5d5-lpkQ2IfHg1-sJKcUyPyCZwucHUJexfIM0Dlh1vRqmVEoewzCP3mcG9I-pQUh42MsX0UcYs_9b5R_oLKyysPfQNtIRS7c1go/s1600/henry+viii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWisrrA2xBCUSebtZ-TXChyPs_HnMgDvxoH8Sj7jQ5d5-lpkQ2IfHg1-sJKcUyPyCZwucHUJexfIM0Dlh1vRqmVEoewzCP3mcG9I-pQUh42MsX0UcYs_9b5R_oLKyysPfQNtIRS7c1go/s320/henry+viii.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Giant jerk face and the worst husband ever-one potential bride responded to his offer of marriage by saying that if she had two heads, she would marry him but as she only had one, she would have to decline.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i> Look at how smug he looks. No one wants to take your religious advice Henry. No one. And no one wants to marry you either.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>http://www.historyonthenet.com/tudors/six_wives_henry_viii.htm</i></span></div>
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The Irish were predominantly (and are still predominantly-though of course there is a difference between being an active practitioner of a religion and claiming it on a census) Catholic. They had no interest in disobeying the Pope to follow Henry instead. When England couldn't force the Irish to convert, it instead sent Protestant settlers from England and Scotland to Ireland. New boroughs were created to create a false Protestant majority in Parliament (despite the fact that 85% of the population was still Catholic-compare this to gerrymandering in America). At the end of the 17th century, Irish Catholics were outright banned from Parliament. They had no political power in their own country. This obviously caused rebellions, which were put down by England.<br />
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At various times, Catholics could not hold public office, bear arms (meaning only the Anglicans had weapons), serve in the military, go to Trinity College in Dublin, buy land except under very discriminatory conditions, own a decent horse (so that the majority would not have a horse to ride against the minority in case of rebellion), or teach. These laws were put in place to systematically destroy Catholicism in Ireland. In every case, a person would materially benefit from converting to the Anglican Church; however, if you went the other way and converted to Catholicism, you had to give all of your goods to the state and you forfeited legal protection (meaning some one could steal from you or kill you and nothing would happen to them).<br />
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It is a testament to the strength of their faith that most of the Irish did not convert. These laws basically made it impossible to be financially successful as a Catholic in Ireland. Many of the Irish did not own the land they were living on; the land was owned by landlords who lived far away (often in England) and were instead controlled by middlemen who directly managed the lands and made their profit that way. The money made off Irish labor was sent out of the country, into England.<br />
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The goal of the middleman was to collect as much money from the Irish as possible. There was no concern for the living conditions of the laborers working it. They could evict the laborer for any reason, such as failure to pay the expensive rent or simply because they wanted to do something else with the land (often this meant raising animals).<br />
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The families lived on very small plots of land and the only crop that would feed a family that could be grown on such a small piece of land was the potato, a crop native to the Americas. Additionally, the landlords had turned so much of the best land over to cattle grazing that the Irish could only farm on less than ideal land. The potato is usually a sturdy crop and can survive in less than ideal conditions.<br />
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Anyone with any understanding of farming knows that it is smart to grow a variety of crops on a farm, because diseases will come-it's not a matter of if but of when. That way, if your potato crop fails, you at least have something else to eat. But the Irish were living under conditions that made that impossible, so they grew potatoes.<br />
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The Irish knew that the potato could suffer from blights, but they didn't have much choice. Basically, conditions were set up for a perfect storm which would lead to the deaths of at least 800,000 people.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgxqzR2VSN36q8dQWdR0yOnYZnNbSDVpF-ujgIGKcZDmHytvXFZztr7MNVCFgOFd8iqcfsCjMfTFIqBprqMVvQgux2DP-1z9cskFYwHbvzSwKL_FibAnTELAEi0A4QoeXRnLSXYKPI-A/s1600/05E0435-155-498-300x214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKgxqzR2VSN36q8dQWdR0yOnYZnNbSDVpF-ujgIGKcZDmHytvXFZztr7MNVCFgOFd8iqcfsCjMfTFIqBprqMVvQgux2DP-1z9cskFYwHbvzSwKL_FibAnTELAEi0A4QoeXRnLSXYKPI-A/s1600/05E0435-155-498-300x214.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>http://www.archaeology.co.uk/articles/features/the-kilkenny-workhouse-mass-burials-an-archaeology-of-the-great-irish-famine.htm </i></span></div>
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This isn't meant to be a complete history of Ireland-I just wanted to give you an idea of what the Irish faced and what set them up for the Great Hunger, which is what I will discuss on my next Nellie post.<br />
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Now that I've likely depressed you (sorry, but history isn't always pretty) let's move on to the actual review!<br />
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<b>Nellie's Holiday Coat:</b><br />
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<i>Coat:</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprgNTi1NaF8cZtx8i3FHz9o7Jd9kKnufGN2yJfSdSvuJHAhOEt1S0VI30bD3mpnOeQ8o7M9yZ_njul-L3Ks5kUAowZqlnKtssz-Rnj0HChza09ocySyFFkXOOOpl9SDci0YAtiDY17PQ/s1600/nellie+winter+coat+no+cape2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgprgNTi1NaF8cZtx8i3FHz9o7Jd9kKnufGN2yJfSdSvuJHAhOEt1S0VI30bD3mpnOeQ8o7M9yZ_njul-L3Ks5kUAowZqlnKtssz-Rnj0HChza09ocySyFFkXOOOpl9SDci0YAtiDY17PQ/s320/nellie+winter+coat+no+cape2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Nellie's coat actually has two components-the actual coat and a capelet that goes over it. The coat will go first. The coat is a durable grey fabric (I'm assuming wool). It is thick and warm, though not very soft to the touch (it might be a little scratchy to the bare skin). The coat is almost cape like in dimension-it is very full at the bottom. My only complaint is that the fabric collects any and all lint in the area.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjq_SLlbT2ANbDEy-n9dIlysVvLdsCg6Kt8kbzKIF94XQAoXbimrvq1lSNh4ajEm2ve3YgM8j_bMTuIPIocCsweCaIhLiEG6o3d-B7ypmsE0mWZe1_V1VHOu_XvWSEDOfV4WejIJiq7gI/s1600/nellie+winter+coat+buttons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjq_SLlbT2ANbDEy-n9dIlysVvLdsCg6Kt8kbzKIF94XQAoXbimrvq1lSNh4ajEm2ve3YgM8j_bMTuIPIocCsweCaIhLiEG6o3d-B7ypmsE0mWZe1_V1VHOu_XvWSEDOfV4WejIJiq7gI/s320/nellie+winter+coat+buttons.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The coat has two sets of plain white buttons-however these are simply decorative. The coat is instead closed with two clasps on the inside. I prefer these to Velcro because they don't snag the fabric in storage.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKHYyf8Ke9l2K-gqvAgMBVQnlErlvtVwqRiL4xnjg0InwOI0YVaxraZzIKAnSBY5FD0OKYyBML9t1wtVydm-EVvDsO0QFtdcyRiuLPHxxT_fBVyEv-bcaRRVZhdmW2jj_Ii4HWVacdXs/s1600/nellie+winter+coat+no+cape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNKHYyf8Ke9l2K-gqvAgMBVQnlErlvtVwqRiL4xnjg0InwOI0YVaxraZzIKAnSBY5FD0OKYyBML9t1wtVydm-EVvDsO0QFtdcyRiuLPHxxT_fBVyEv-bcaRRVZhdmW2jj_Ii4HWVacdXs/s320/nellie+winter+coat+no+cape.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Another clasp secures the neckline, which is very high to keep out the cold NYC air. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMvfQAzC-l_LmVrvNju9vwd6JeYOtdPygsc7NaPODQK-z1w5KjirkgtxHMfbXUMlVyYX7dSHAJ3KjP20N0B-NhyphenhyphenHSKNtHYuQNxgoc-px99oOKOubFG80_QEB4nXBwRfpK3QTVEiOdKQI/s1600/nellie+winter+coat+sleeves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixMvfQAzC-l_LmVrvNju9vwd6JeYOtdPygsc7NaPODQK-z1w5KjirkgtxHMfbXUMlVyYX7dSHAJ3KjP20N0B-NhyphenhyphenHSKNtHYuQNxgoc-px99oOKOubFG80_QEB4nXBwRfpK3QTVEiOdKQI/s320/nellie+winter+coat+sleeves.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The sleeves are long and close fitting but they are trimmed with faux black and white spotted fur. I looked for a long time to see what kind of fur this is supposed to simulate. I believe it is either lynx fur or possibly leopard. The fur is thick and nice but obviously fake to the touch-which is good, because I'm not sure how much a fan I would be of real fur being used for doll clothes. Still, I think AG could have done a better job making the fur <i>look </i>real.</div>
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Fur-which is usually very expensive-would have announced Nellie's new social status after her adoption. All clothing during the Edwardian era was meant to announce certain things about the wearer (that is true today as well, though the rise of fast fashion has made it very possible for people on a budget to dress very nicely and much closer to the wealthy of today than in the past). Fur was often used on trims (like it is for this set) and for stoles and muffs.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZvf30TiGlriJBslDwvkYWgj_LYyzg_bhO7QF4DWW5-fbnk8o2FNCU3WHh46zdjtB87KCasj7xw4JW54jd-f5n4PgqU9TP6JbFNqzCEmPHTf3SMqmH-CDjKa2tl0vKQxKYPDSKpEW9sY/s1600/nellie+winter+coat+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZvf30TiGlriJBslDwvkYWgj_LYyzg_bhO7QF4DWW5-fbnk8o2FNCU3WHh46zdjtB87KCasj7xw4JW54jd-f5n4PgqU9TP6JbFNqzCEmPHTf3SMqmH-CDjKa2tl0vKQxKYPDSKpEW9sY/s320/nellie+winter+coat+back.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Cape:</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ftmOALj3-Chc9xGWHuhqkUsLQUlJQbNn9P_pydMH77DHkF_qaP4NiO-KkN_RlW2XnwKHJ6jWz3j5zw_R11nmuhLFf5NW0gJSBdFH9dZ3WRGn5Mmzd_mPsdytKIu9ZWJHxxcumNuIlTw/s1600/nellie+winter+coat+cape4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ftmOALj3-Chc9xGWHuhqkUsLQUlJQbNn9P_pydMH77DHkF_qaP4NiO-KkN_RlW2XnwKHJ6jWz3j5zw_R11nmuhLFf5NW0gJSBdFH9dZ3WRGn5Mmzd_mPsdytKIu9ZWJHxxcumNuIlTw/s320/nellie+winter+coat+cape4.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I would actually call this a capelet instead of a cape. It is made out of the same grey material as the coat, trimmed again with the white and black spotted fur I mentioned earlier.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-2Mj_VHzLmAi1T2nAr-9Leskdf19Q4r1Hmbtc3ALZvL9Njh6Y6zdgGTgdUDBxzGa0qi5-qm0Ni6QtJWfpA75UwHtZCCqoWWcuMSS2DTWBVPVxoRmkq2GCcYp1hUlduMG9hQxrjf28Sw/s1600/nellie+winter+coat+cape2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-2Mj_VHzLmAi1T2nAr-9Leskdf19Q4r1Hmbtc3ALZvL9Njh6Y6zdgGTgdUDBxzGa0qi5-qm0Ni6QtJWfpA75UwHtZCCqoWWcuMSS2DTWBVPVxoRmkq2GCcYp1hUlduMG9hQxrjf28Sw/s320/nellie+winter+coat+cape2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHR4_baaXkUtPJ5gL1voy4bd3z20g1tRmeNPNUZlRDKHueatwr6YVMWoHwRflid4y7nNex9XIbpXFtQ06p82hr1smKGoOCQKiAt0N87hCwC5uy6-h9groTcl4haJcrBUJXke3Uo7NmCiM/s1600/nellie+winter+coat+cape3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHR4_baaXkUtPJ5gL1voy4bd3z20g1tRmeNPNUZlRDKHueatwr6YVMWoHwRflid4y7nNex9XIbpXFtQ06p82hr1smKGoOCQKiAt0N87hCwC5uy6-h9groTcl4haJcrBUJXke3Uo7NmCiM/s320/nellie+winter+coat+cape3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The cape ties under her chin with a cranberry ribbon. It looks much nicer on than it does lying on the ground, but I wanted you to see the almost half circle shape made by it. I'm glad she has the cape because the coat was very boring without it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJ88aa4QJv2cVFqYNdL02vojeWIDiQ1gQUYHBh6p5vz8EbGPqeRiPOgDnIdVe6sXinN6TO-VMHhviV_llsGl199W1Za0KCYK0Yr7LcsDbWjDds9a7K_Uii94ZtikVSZqfQhzgExdnAf8/s1600/nellie+winter+coat+cape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWJ88aa4QJv2cVFqYNdL02vojeWIDiQ1gQUYHBh6p5vz8EbGPqeRiPOgDnIdVe6sXinN6TO-VMHhviV_llsGl199W1Za0KCYK0Yr7LcsDbWjDds9a7K_Uii94ZtikVSZqfQhzgExdnAf8/s320/nellie+winter+coat+cape.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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And here's the back of the cape. I adore this part of the outfit!</div>
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<i>Hat:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFemXspTHRKuhvaZFAmclPehYHBSG253cIWEBQPADpisFuHd_pEESAXw9ShE1T14oSsQwvBosbpBH9S7LA9xCVBvsqUbZzTY8XPBwKljfxNk5pJxY8AOJHmXVDwB2s3Ow_Wf7bH4Pjk3A/s1600/nellie+hat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFemXspTHRKuhvaZFAmclPehYHBSG253cIWEBQPADpisFuHd_pEESAXw9ShE1T14oSsQwvBosbpBH9S7LA9xCVBvsqUbZzTY8XPBwKljfxNk5pJxY8AOJHmXVDwB2s3Ow_Wf7bH4Pjk3A/s320/nellie+hat.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Hats must be my thing because a cute doll hat makes me squeal with delight. This one was no exception. It is a plain circular hat made out of the same grey material and trimmed with the same fur.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jyEiVBfaHvw/VqPi8Ixs0bI/AAAAAAAABWQ/sScI9c6kk2I/s1600/nellie%2Bwinter%2Bcoat%2Bhat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jyEiVBfaHvw/VqPi8Ixs0bI/AAAAAAAABWQ/sScI9c6kk2I/s320/nellie%2Bwinter%2Bcoat%2Bhat.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Look how cute she looks with it on! What an adorable little face...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2JwfuQBrt2L2eSnD4MoWbedIsEF9fIUvpfh2pHwd7MkaT9T6DpR416A339d5hsJtp1HybOQpkKX0BGqHRRVH6_ljkM76rkTPUfzIusWx_tXvlKc6MIhzStjpzuHumVmIkQcicBAWalvU/s1600/nellie+winter+coat+hat+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2JwfuQBrt2L2eSnD4MoWbedIsEF9fIUvpfh2pHwd7MkaT9T6DpR416A339d5hsJtp1HybOQpkKX0BGqHRRVH6_ljkM76rkTPUfzIusWx_tXvlKc6MIhzStjpzuHumVmIkQcicBAWalvU/s320/nellie+winter+coat+hat+back.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Mittens:</i></div>
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The last component of the set is a pair of cranberry mittens.</div>
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Now I have said before that I hate doll gloves because they always look like cooking mitts to me (no fingers). However these are an exception-and it is all because they are attached together with a string.</div>
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The practical benefit of this is obvious. Once your hands get hot or you need to do anything that requires any dexterity, you have to take off your glove. The string allows you to loop them around your neck. </div>
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The benefit for Nellie is this-since I hate the way the mittens look on her, but want the pop of color on what would otherwise be a very grey outfit, I just pretend that her hands are always a bit too warm to use them. Instead they hang on their string, ready for when her hands become chilled.</div>
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<i>Overall: </i></div>
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My only real complaint is that the fur looks and feels very fake and cheap to me (which isn't true for all simulated animal products made by American Girl). Overall though it's a nice set. I appreciate that it isn't a bright color-the grey color scheme is actually nice to me, especially with the two pops of cranberry.</div>
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<b>More Pictures!</b></div>
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<b>Further Reading:</b><br />
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<i>https://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/01/28/irish-apes-tactics-of-de-humanization/</i><br />
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<i>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ireland </i><br />
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<i>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penal_Laws_(Ireland) </i><br />
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<i>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_(Ireland)#Causes_and_contributing_factors</i><br />
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<i>http://www.fashion-era.com/Coats_history/cloak_costume_history_3.htm</i><br />
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<br />American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-48184839063654522352016-01-24T14:54:00.000-08:002016-01-24T14:54:15.572-08:00Frosty Fair Isle SetSo I hope everyone is keeping warm like Saige!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4L3CUVmAm3PWyuO718VX55p0tFMrhxpBVqb7YY5cSmXbun1Rt4_Zr2oEryXBi4713oiwHnYI0uyL5DdTQwAgcjEeJKt4e5cogo-XJ3-IWK35AHYbvcovmM7I8yj3Wfl5h0uj0iPcrMQ/s1600/frostyfairisle1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw4L3CUVmAm3PWyuO718VX55p0tFMrhxpBVqb7YY5cSmXbun1Rt4_Zr2oEryXBi4713oiwHnYI0uyL5DdTQwAgcjEeJKt4e5cogo-XJ3-IWK35AHYbvcovmM7I8yj3Wfl5h0uj0iPcrMQ/s320/frostyfairisle1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Look how toasty she looks! Please check out the P.S. on this post to learn about my new picture taking methods!</span></em></div>
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I'm from the south, where even the hint of snow sends us into a panic. The city I live in might as well be shut down-and yes, I did participate in the mayhem. I went to the store to purchase the obligatory bread and milk as well as a flashlight in case the power went out, bottled water for me and the fur babies just in case, a huge bag of cat food (the apocalypse was surely coming, but my cats were gonna survive!), and Mountain Dew (which I am addicted to, there should be a Mountain Dew Anonymous).<br />
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My internet went down for three days and that was the worst-I realize that this is the epitome of a first world problem, but I guess I'm addicted to the internet as well.<br />
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So in honor of the hilarious way people have reacted to this, let's look at an appropriate doll outfit! This will be a new experience for me, because I have never reviewed a modern outfit on this blog. Saige is the only modern doll I own-she was a gift from my grandmother less than a year before her death.<br />
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This set was released in 2013 as part of the My American Girl line (now Truly Me). I thought it was still available but a quick search of the Truly Me outfits shows that it is not. It sold for $30. As soon as I saw it in stores, I had to have it for Saige. That is not my typical reaction to the modern outfits either so...yeah, this was cute.<br />
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It was supposed to be paired with the puffy jacket set which included the jacket and some fingerless gloves, which sold for $24. I didn't purchase that set, because at the time, I had never experienced cold to make me believe a puffy jacket and gloves were important items. I only started wearing gloves regularly when I moved away from Florida, and I still have not seen the need for a puffy jacket.<br />
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I want to have complete collections for the historical dolls (yes, I know that is not practical) but thankfully I feel no such compulsion with the modern dolls or sets. So I bought what I wanted and ignored the rest.<br />
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Anyways, here is the review!<br />
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<strong>Fair Isle Technique:</strong><br />
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Oh did you think I'd skip the history because this is a modern review? Lolz. <br />
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This knitting style is named after the island called Fair Isle, which is part of the larger Shetland Islands. Fair Isle is to the north of Scotland. The style became popular when Edward VIII (the one who abdicated to wed the divorced Wallis Simpson and the one with Nazi sympathies) wore a Fair Isle tank top as Prince of Wales in 1921. Ever since then, the fair isle sweater has become a staple in many people's wardrobes.<br />
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The island is very beautiful (based on all the pictures I saw) and I hope I can visit one day<br />
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<a href="http://www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><em>http://www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/</em></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Isle"><em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Isle</span></em></a></div>
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The Fair Isle technique refers to a traditional knitting technique which involves only five or so colors and only uses two colors per row. I am not a crafter so that description doesn't mean much to me, but what I did take from it is this-this is a specific kind of craft, and not all colorful knits meet the standards. And they certainly aren't made by authentic Fair Isle knitters! As of 2011, only six women on the Fair Isle still made the traditional knit.<br />
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<a href="http://www.fairisle.org.uk/images/jumpers.jpg"><em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.fairisle.org.uk/images/jumpers.jpg</span></em></a><em><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> (taken from Wikipedia, but that's the original photo)</span></em></div>
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Despite that, Fair Isle is often used as a generic term for any knitting that uses alternative colors to make a pattern. <br />
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Here's one being sold by the Gap for $49.99. It's called the circular fair isle sweater in heather grey. The URL to find this is way too long so I am going to include it at the very, very bottom of this post. If you want a genuine fair isle sweater, I'm pretty sure they listed authentic sellers on the fairisle.org website that I listed in further reading.</div>
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Anyways, on to Saige!<br />
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<strong>Frosty Fair Isle Set:</strong><br />
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So the main draw of the entire outfit is, IMO, the sweater.<br />
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The sweater is a light, icy blue with long sleeves and a close fit to the body. The sweater has a crew neckline.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQYPPCWBka2FmL55zTX18cN9EU2vL_qMSG-A6uDQmrcw4KgFc1bHl0AEEaq_EkOBR49wPZxxiezn0S4uzkIMilnxpC2In0_e2ku8yre3LMhrPxyUXH6I2DRuf0Tm2dwRKvmo-pSOYf4k/s1600/sweater2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaQYPPCWBka2FmL55zTX18cN9EU2vL_qMSG-A6uDQmrcw4KgFc1bHl0AEEaq_EkOBR49wPZxxiezn0S4uzkIMilnxpC2In0_e2ku8yre3LMhrPxyUXH6I2DRuf0Tm2dwRKvmo-pSOYf4k/s320/sweater2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here is an image of the pattern used. Now I cannot count more than three colors-the light blue of the background, the medium blue, and the darker blue. It only uses two colors per row. As far as I can tell (and I am by no means an expert) it looks like a Fair Isle sweater. Of course, that does not mean that Mattel had authentic knitters create this sweater. But it <em>looks </em>real to me.<br />
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The sweater has a simpler pattern on the sleeve-just the background color and the lighter blue. The sleeves have no puff and instead fit snugly all the way from the shoulder to the wrist. You can see the brand label in the corner.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21UsDG_SCyf7CdFJ9fzGs4w7IhcQzO0lf_dnV_vsJXFjsEPKGIkoVfnGG4nMovZ8ktqLpjhorxQ9CpMNOmiQm0nG4anPqeLK6nVthP7NthRl-G3ul06Z50SH_d1EJLJS02WSKzwc4_H4/s1600/sweater1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21UsDG_SCyf7CdFJ9fzGs4w7IhcQzO0lf_dnV_vsJXFjsEPKGIkoVfnGG4nMovZ8ktqLpjhorxQ9CpMNOmiQm0nG4anPqeLK6nVthP7NthRl-G3ul06Z50SH_d1EJLJS02WSKzwc4_H4/s320/sweater1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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That simpler pattern continues on the hem of the sweater, which fits very snugly and nicely around her hips.<br />
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As you can see, the pattern continues along the back-I hate when the pattern ends, these clothes are too expensive for that nonsense. It velcros up the back like most American Girl outfits. <br />
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You obviously can't tell, but the fabric is very nice and soft. Make sure to store this carefully-the Velcro will certainly snag the fabric if you don't carefully close it up in storage.<br />
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I like this sweater and I would probably wear it myself. I would prefer it in a gray on me, but the light blue is also nice and looks very pretty on Saige. The fit is flattering and the pattern is nice. The sweater is basically the reason I bought the outfit.<br />
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<em>Leggings:</em><br />
<em></em><br />
Leggings are basically my favorite thing because they're so comfy and they are apparently fashionable. This set includes a pair of very basic knit gray leggings.<br />
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The front of the leggings.<br />
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They pull right on up, as leggings should. The leggings are fitted but not super tight. She has room to move around in them. As you can see, the leggings tuck into her boots.<br />
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The back of the leggings, with a giant American Girl label in purple to match her boots.<br />
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The fabric is sturdy and solid-some leggings are very flimsy and I just know that, despite their cheapness, they aren't a good buy because they'll have to be replaced. Or some leggings are see through in certain lights, which makes for some embarrassing situations. But not these. These are made out of decent fabric.<br />
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Not much to say about these-they're just basic leggings. I actually like how plain they are-the gray makes a nice neutral against the blue sweater and purple accessories. Also, the color makes these very versatile, which is how I like my pants. My tops add the flair; my bottoms are almost always denim, black, or gray. They're the canvas; the top and accessories are the paint. Or maybe I'm just boring.<br />
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<em>Boots:</em><br />
<em></em><br />
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The pants tuck into a pair of lilac boots. These come up mid-calf and are fuzzy. They have dangling charms (don't know what else to call them) on the side.<br />
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This image is blurry but these are the charms. They have snow flakes on them.<br />
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Better picture of the charms but with no close up.<br />
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The bottoms have treads so she won't slide on the ice. A lot of doll shoes have smooth bottoms which I guess doesn't really matter, but in real life would result in a person falling on their face.<br />
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The boots are probably my least favorite part of the outfit. I don't like that fuzzy material in pretty much anything-it makes my skin crawl for some reason. Additionally, I feel like these are impractical snow wear. I realize that there are ways to waterproof boots, but these are the farthest from waterproof ever. Her feet will get soaked.<br />
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Still, they're pretty cute and I like the color.<br />
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<em>Headband:</em><br />
<em></em><br />
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The final component is the lilac headband that matches the boots. It's cute and it does its job-it holds back Saige's hair.<br />
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<em>Overall:</em><br />
<em></em><br />
I love this outfit! The boots are not my favorite, but they're alright. The rest of the outfit is very nice. Currently, since I have no modern holiday wear, Saige wears this for Christmas. I don't think that is too far fetched either-I rarely see a modern child dressed up for Christmas day. I do have my eye on a few holiday outfits though so soon this will become her winter wear.<br />
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Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed learning about the production and history of fair isle sweaters!<br />
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<strong>More Pictures!</strong><br />
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<strong></strong><br />
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<em>Further Reading:</em><br />
<br />
<a href="https://retrowithrosie.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/that-old-alpine-style/">https://retrowithrosie.wordpress.com/2011/11/15/that-old-alpine-style/</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.fairisle.org.uk/">http://www.fairisle.org.uk/</a><br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Isle_(technique">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Isle_(technique</a>)<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Isle">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Isle</a><br />
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P.S. Shout out to Neth from American Girl Outsider-you'll notice that some of my pictures on this post have an all cream background. That is because of the recent crafting post on her blog-I modified the idea using a bookshelf but the idea still originally came from her. Make sure to go check that out! I'm including a link both to that particular post and to the blog in general.<br />
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<a href="http://americangirloutsider.blogspot.com/2016/01/crafting-creatively-15-pvc-photo.html">http://americangirloutsider.blogspot.com/2016/01/crafting-creatively-15-pvc-photo.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://americangirloutsider.blogspot.com//">http://americangirloutsider.blogspot.com/\</a><br />
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<br />
<em>Fair Isle Sweater sold by the Gap:</em><br />
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<a href="http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=718311012&vid=1&locale=en_US&kwid=1&sem=false&sdkw=circular-fair-isle-sweater-P718311&sdReferer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Di%26rct%3Dj%26q%3D%26esrc%3Ds%26source%3Dimages%26cd%3D%26ved%3D0ahUKEwj1mMCsmr7KAhUI2SYKHXCfBPIQjB0IBg%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.gap.com%252Fproducts%252Fcircular-fair-isle-sweater-P718311.jsp%26bvm%3Dbv.112454388%2Cd.eWE%26psig%3DAFQjCNHsvdhc6ElQi-gXWYm0CBPCifEcTQ%26ust%3D1453579106360525"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=718311012&vid=1&locale=en_US&kwid=1&sem=false&sdkw=circular-fair-isle-sweater-P718311&sdReferer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Di%26rct%3Dj%26q%3D%26esrc%3Ds%26source%3Dimages%26cd%3D%26ved%3D0ahUKEwj1mMCsmr7KAhUI2SYKHXCfBPIQjB0IBg%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.gap.com%252Fproducts%252Fcircular-fair-isle-sweater-P718311.jsp%26bvm%3Dbv.112454388%2Cd.eWE%26psig%3DAFQjCNHsvdhc6ElQi-gXWYm0CBPCifEcTQ%26ust%3D1453579106360525</span></a>American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-74581031275725247282016-01-19T14:46:00.002-08:002016-01-22T12:56:17.732-08:00Kaya's Winter Cape and Hood SetFinally Kaya makes her appearance on my blog! <br />
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So I've discussed Kaya and tokenism before (Kaya would be a perfect doll and a perfect addition to the line if they would also have a modern Native American doll to show people that Native Americans are still around and live modern lives-some people truly think that they all live in teepees even today!) but I have never done a clothing/item review for her. It's also not yet her turn for the future prediction stuff. Therefore I'm excited!<br />
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So why the delay?<br />
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Mostly because I am not all that familiar with the clothing of the Nez Perce tribe (the modern term for the<strong> </strong>Nimíipuu-every source I consulted called them the Nez Perce so I used the terms interchangeably). I can discuss riding habits from Felicity's time or Christmas dresses from WWII with some ease. With Josefina, I at least have some background.<br />
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With Kaya, I often feel lost-the sad truth of the matter is that Native American history is pretty much ignored in our current education system and even though I have personally studied history, my knowledge is still lacking. It's actually embarrassing and I am trying to rectify the situation.<br />
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Since I don't want to mess up something that I believe to be important, I have avoided it. However now is the time.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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<strong>Winter Wear for the </strong><strong>Nimíipuu</strong><strong>:</strong><br />
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In Kaya's time, women wore their regular clothing during the winter topped with buffalo hides for coats. They might also keep warm with rabbit skin coverings.<br />
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Instead of their typical ankle length moccasins, women donned knee length ones to keep warm during the winter. <br />
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Just as they would have done with their normal clothes, the Nez Perce decorated their winter garments with things they found in nature such as porcupine quills, feathers, natural dyes, shells, bones, etc. Clothing actually became more decorative after the introduction of horses because the horses allowed the Nimíipuu to travel greater distances and therefore trade with other tribes.<br />
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Today, the Nez Perce wear the same clothing as any other American. However, they sometimes still wear ceremonial garb on special occasions. <br />
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<strong>Kaya's Winter Accessories:</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
<em>Hood:</em><br />
<em></em><br />
Obviously to keep warm Kaya needs to put something over her head-this will keep her ears toasty.<br />
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<strong></strong><br />
Kaya uses this dark brown (it's a darker brown than her meet outfit) hood. It's trimmed with gray fur and has ties. The material feels like animal skin but of course all animal products are simulated unless otherwise noted. I <em>think </em>this is supposed to simulate buffalo skin. The meet outfit is deerskin I think and then this is buffalo skin. I think this because that's what one of my sources said was used for winter wear. But then again, if that is the case, what kind of fur is that?<br />
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This is part of the reason I was hesitant to write this. If you know what kind of animal hide that is supposed to simulate, please let me know in the comments and then I will update the post!<br />
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The hood has a small feather on one side for decoration. <br />
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The back of the hood is plain.<br />
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Here's what it looks like on! Look at Kaya's beautiful face! Yes, she has no teeth showing. An entirely new model was used for her because baring teeth is considered rude in the Nez Perce culture.<br />
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I like the hood-it looks like it would keep her warm, which is the point of winter wear.<br />
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<em>Cape:</em><br />
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Kaya covers her shoulders in this white rabbit fur cape. You can see a picture of it on with her hood in the above section. The "fur" is very luxurious and soft. I love running my hands over it.<br />
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<em>Gloves:</em><br />
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Kaya wears gloves made out of the same dark brown animal skin used for her hood. They are lined with the same gray fur. I am not a fan of doll gloves because they <em>aren't </em>gloves. These are mittens and I think they look weird.<br />
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See how odd that looks? But she needs them-I know what it's like to go outside in the winter without gloves.<br />
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<em>Moccasins:</em><br />
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Instead of her usual deerskin moccasins that come with her meet outfit, Kaya wears these. These come up higher on her leg and, more to the point, these are trimmed with the same fur as the hood and gloves.<br />
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That's what they look like laced up-they're cute and they look really warm! <br />
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<strong>More Pictures:</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
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Kaya on Steps High with her saddle accessory set. I pair this set with her meet outfit.<br />
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<br />
<strong>What Happened Later to the </strong><strong>Nimíipuu</strong><strong> tribe:</strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
Kaya lived before European contact-though obviously Europeans had arrived on the continent as evidenced by the arrival of horses and smallpox. Though Kaya was happy about the horses, and though horses eventually became a symbol of Native American culture in the west (which has always seemed ironic to me, since horses are not native to the Americas-I'll discuss the impact of horses when I do a review of Steps High and Kaya's saddle), soon European contact would have a negative impact on the tribe as a whole. <br />
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In 1805, Lewis and Clark made contact with the Nez Perce tribe. Without the assistance of the Nez Perce people, that mission would have likely been a failure and the explorers might have starved. The tribe helped Lewis and Clark to the Pacific. After that, there was a period of relative stability. Christian missions were established and the Nez Perce seemed to appreciate these. The tribe participated in the lucrative fur trade.<br />
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Later, the Nez Perce were moved to separate territories. In 1855, the Nez Perce ceded most of their territory in exchange for money and a guarantee that what was left of the territory would be theirs as part of a reservation. This choice split the tribe between the converted Christians who supported the exchange and the traditionalists that did not.<br />
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Gold was found on these territories and prospectors came out to take the gold, violating the treaty. Up to $7 million in gold was stolen from the Nez Perce tribe by the white settlers. Settlers began to take the land as well that had been promised to the Nez Perce by the American government, and the American government did nothing to stop it. Eventually the Christian Nez Perce faction agreed to give away even more land; the traditionalists could do nothing to prevent that.<br />
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In 1877, the Nez Perce War began following the violent removal of the Nez Perce-President Grant wanted all Nez Perce to remove themselves to the Lapwai Reservation in Idaho as per the new treaty (remember that the traditionalists did not agree with it, so they didn't see their actions as violating the agreement-it was in fact duplicitous of the American government to not deal with all factions and to instead divide the tribe). A group of young Nez Perce men attacked a group of settlers out of anger. This led to the Nez Perce War.<br />
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<a class="image" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chief_Joseph-3_weeks_after_surrender-Oct.1877.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" class="thumbimage" data-file-height="561" data-file-width="400" height="309" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Chief_Joseph-3_weeks_after_surrender-Oct.1877.jpg/220px-Chief_Joseph-3_weeks_after_surrender-Oct.1877.jpg" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Chief_Joseph-3_weeks_after_surrender-Oct.1877.jpg/330px-Chief_Joseph-3_weeks_after_surrender-Oct.1877.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/Chief_Joseph-3_weeks_after_surrender-Oct.1877.jpg 2x" width="220" /></a><br />
The war was short-the Nez Perce fought valiantly but they were vastly outnumbered. Chief Joseph (the face of the Nez Perce War and the traditional group-picture right, taken from wikipedia) was forced to surrender on October 5 of that same year. He believed that his people would be allowed to return to their previous land (the Lapwai Reservation). However, that wasn't true-the American government lied. The Nez Perce were instead forced to go to Oklahoma to live in until 1885 when some of the Nez Perce were allowed to return to the Lapwai Reservation. Chief Joseph was never able to return home.<br />
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I will discuss other aspects of Nez Perce history in further posts but I want to save something for later Kaya reviews!<br />
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<em>Further Reading:</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<a href="http://thenezperceofnorthamerica.weebly.com/homes-and-clothing.html">http://thenezperceofnorthamerica.weebly.com/homes-and-clothing.html</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/indian-tribes/nez-perce-tribe.htm">http://www.warpaths2peacepipes.com/indian-tribes/nez-perce-tribe.htm</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Le-Pa/Nez-Perc.html">http://www.everyculture.com/multi/Le-Pa/Nez-Perc.html</a><br />
Certainly the most informative source! The others were great as well but they mostly focused on kid friendly information. This is a more in depth look!<br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nez_Perce_War">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nez_Perce_War</a>American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-21818299840027939712016-01-09T20:59:00.000-08:002016-01-22T12:56:40.665-08:00Felicity's Riding HabitI hope everyone is having a great 2016! My resolution for this blog is to post weekly-I don't know if I'll be able to maintain that, but I do think every other week is certainly doable. <br />
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So I should be doing the yearly GOTY collection review but...I just don't have it in me this year. I haven't been to a store to see it all in person so I don't have personal pictures. I do have a catalogue and I could do it that way but...<br />
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I'm just not feeling it this year. Lea is a beautiful doll, very similar to Kanani who is gorgeous...but she is a disappointment. We have been waiting and waiting and waiting for a DOC for GOTY and what do they give us? A 1/8th Brazilian doll. It's a sop to get us to shut up.<br />
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And Lea's collection? I'm not into the whole tropical look-it's not for me. I'm allergic to sunscreen and of Irish descent with reddish hair and pale skin. I burn within 15 minutes. So how much time do you think I spend at the beach? I actually might have to get a mole removed and tested soon, which is really upsetting to me because I do try and remain out of the sun as much as I can-I break out in hives when I put sunscreen on though. I have found one brand that works but it is thick and pasty with an awful smell and not something that I could wear on a daily basis. But guys, seriously-check your skin and wear sunscreen. Anyways, tangent over.<br />
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The only things I like are her kayak thing (I do like kayaking, which is unfortunate given the information I've shared above), her hiking set, her pajamas, and the sloth. I may buy the hiking set and the sloth. Other than that, I'm good. The moderns aren't my thing anyway.<br />
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If you want to read a great review of Lea's collection, please head on over to American Girl Outsider-she expresses the outrage better than I could.<br />
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I'm going to save my money for Melody instead-I've already started a little fund for her. She's slated to come out this summer I think. I haven't found her book at any local bookstores (it has to be local because I would have sat and read the book because I'm not paying for a book I'll get with the doll, since I KNOW I want her) but I've heard about her story. It is going to be one of the most tragic story lines in the entire historical collection-but you know what? History is often tragic-especially for minorities and women. The modern world is often tragic.<br />
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But that is all for the future.<br />
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I am finally covering one of Felicity's outfits-I don't know why I didn't just do a double review for Felicity and Elizabeth with their holiday outfits like I did for Molly and Emily. I have the outfit-it just didn't occur to me until the review was live to be honest. <br />
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I would do a double review covering both Felicity and Elizabeth's riding habits, but I don't have Elizabeth's yet...so it'll be Felicity by herself.<br />
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Felicity is of course the <span data-dobid="hdw">raison d'être for the historical line. After a trip to Colonial Williamsburg, Pleasant Rowland was inspired to make a historical line of dolls. Even though Felicity wasn't one of the original dolls (she came out in 1991 and was the 4th doll released), her time period was the inspiration for the entire line. I adore my Felicity doll-she has gorgeous red hair and startling green eyes-she is probably the closest thing to a look alike doll that I have when my hair is in a natural state.</span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw">Felicity's biggest "hobby" is horse back riding and her relationship with Penny-short for Independence-is a large driving force for her series. In the first book, Felicity "borrows" Ben's riding breeches to ride Penny in secret. Later in the series however she rides with permission, which means she must wear an actual riding habit. Girls obviously couldn't just go around in breeches.</span><br />
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<span data-dobid="hdw">The one she is given was supposed to be a gift from her grandfather, who (spoiler alert) dies at the end of the series. It is given to her after he passes. I am extremely, extremely close with my grandfather and so this part of the story really resonates with me. That is one reason this riding habit is one of my favorite Felicity outfits.</span><br />
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<span data-dobid="hdw"><strong>History of the Riding Habit:</strong></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"><em></em></span><br />
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<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"><em></em></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw">Riding habits were worn by women but were often modeled after men's dress. To this end, they were often made by male tailors instead of the seamstresses that women would usually turn to for formal wear.</span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw">The colors were often much darker than the ones used for other outfits (to cover dust and mud that would likely collect on the garment-though a habit used for city riding, where one was more likely to be seen, might be in a brighter color), the skirts were not as full as those of a normal dress, and decorations from male attire such as gold braid were often used. This started being the case in the mid-17th century. </span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw">These items were meant to be functional-by the time Felicity would have worn one, they would have been worn over a petticoat but likely not over hoops (can you imagine riding in hoops?). </span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw">Habits worn during the winter were usually made of a nice warm wool, like Felicity's which is given to her in the winter. The summer, however, usually meant a switch to a lighter, cooler cotton fabric. </span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw">Habits were meant to look like military uniforms-red was popular in England, perhaps because that was the uniform color of the English army. Women using militaristic detailing in their outfits was quite à la mode. The Duchess of Devonshire (the subject of the incredibly inaccurate and slanderous movie <em>The Duchess</em>)<em> </em>often wore military dress for example.</span><br />
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<span data-dobid="hdw"><em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Political cartoon of the Duchess of Devonshire canvassing in the streets in riding costume-such freedom of movement and political involvement would be unimaginable to women even a century later. This picture is from the British Museum.</span></em></span></div>
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw">During the second half of the 1700s (so, when Felicity was alive), riding habits began to be used as informal day wear-one could wear them to ride, obviously, but they were also used for walking or sitting around the house. It was fashionable to wear a riding habit-riding was seen as a very appealing hobby for women of a certain status, and so women wore them often. After all, they were comfortable compared to the typical day wear a woman could choose from. Two Nerdy History Girls (link below) wrote, "today there are many women wearing yoga pants who couldn't name a single pose." It was the same with this type of fashionable undress-it was easier to move in the riding habit.</span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw">Also, it gave women a certain independent charm. A woman who could ride well would be very much admired. In my understanding, upper class women (I say upper class because this didn't reach down to the poor and the enslaved) have always had their freedoms move backwards and forwards on a pendulum. </span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw">The Duchess of Devonshire enjoyed freedom of movement and the ability to be involved in politics on a scale that Victorian age women could only have dreamed of. Georgiana's love affairs were open secrets and she was a political figure in her own right. She wrote novels and did science experiments. She canvassed in the streets. A woman who did the same thing 100 years later would have been an outcast, no matter her social rank. Women of Felicity's era were allowed to be eccentric if they liked. That changed very quickly-after that, women's lives were more confined and women were expected to follow a very strict pattern of behavior. I believe that is the reason Samantha (raised by a strict Victorian) was held to a much higher standard of behavior than Felicity-Felicity's parents tried to get her to act like a lady, but they did sort of laugh off her tomboyishness. Samantha didn't get the same long leash. </span><span data-dobid="hdw"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><em>Keira Knightley as Georgiana-while the movie had very inaccurate plot lines that made her husband look way worse than he was, you can better see the kind of costume she would have worn in this still. The coat is very similar to that worn by Felicity.</em></span></div>
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw">I believe this is due to the revolutions that rocked Europe-before the French Revolution, the aristocracy could do as they pleased and their morals were not subject to close inspection. However, with the stakes for being hated significantly raised (I'm sure the nobles thought they were safe right up until they were loaded into the carts to be taken to the guillotine, but afterwards, the survivors were very much aware that they could be done away with), the press issuing increasingly unflattering portraits of the rich, and the happy model family of Victoria and Albert before the world, discretion-if not actual circumspection-followed. Women were put on confining pedestals due to the cult of domesticity and expected to remain home. The shocking open immorality of the previous age was replaced with boring hypocrisy. </span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw">I love Felicity's habit because it indicates a freedom for a certain class of women that would not return for a very, very long time. </span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><strong> </strong><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"><strong>Riding Habit:</strong></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"><em>Jacket:</em></span><br />
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As you can see, Felicity wears a forest green jacket-based on the color, this habit would have been worn for actual riding, not riding in the city to look fashionable. It is decorated with gold braid-the style is reminiscent of the military. You obviously can't tell but the wool is heavy and nice-it would have kept her warm when she rode in the winter. She likely would have had to switch to a lighter garment in the hot summer months.</div>
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The jacket has a split back, just like a men's coat-this was likely made by a male tailor (well it was probably made in a factory, but you know what I mean) instead of by a female seamstress.</div>
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The waist coat is a silky, lighter green with gold buttons. It is a false waistcoat but that is actually historically accurate-not just something the company did to save money. Many riding habits had false waistcoats.<br />
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See how close fitting the jacket is along her body? This would make riding easier and safer-extra flounces could have literally meant injury while riding a horse. You can better see the contrasting waistcoat in this shot.<br />
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Very close fitting and compact sleeves-compare these to her lacy sleeves in her rose garden meet. These are meant to be functional. The sleeves are also decorated with gold braid.<br />
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The jacket is perfect and historically accurate! Also, you guys already know my passion for green so...of course I love this!<br />
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<em>Skirt:</em><br />
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The skirt is plain and without decoration, which is fine. This outfit isn't meant to be flouncy. It is also in a dark green color-the lighter trim along the waist matches the waistcoat.<br />
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You can see here that the skirt has slits for pockets on either side-a historically accurate detail that I very much appreciate and that is missing in Elizabeth's collection.<br />
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This is how the two pieces go together, front and back-it makes for a very smart, narrow garment. I love the skirt as well.<br />
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<em>Hat:</em><br />
<em></em><br />
But of course, no outfit can be complete without a smart hat to go with it. I love hats-I may have to do a post one day just about hats. Felicity tops her outfit off with a tricorn hat.<br />
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The hat is black felt with gold braid detailing around the brim. A feather-I think a rooster feather?-adorns one of the corners. This corner goes off to one side-not in front. <br />
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This is the hat on her head-it looks very cute!<br />
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<em>Overall:</em><br />
<em></em><br />
I simply adore this outfit and I consider it a core outfit, despite the fact that technically it is not. But it is mentioned in the sixth book!<br />
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<strong>Pictures:</strong><br />
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Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this! I really love getting into the historical details of an outfit or of a time period/activity! <br />
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I don't want to scare anyone but there are rumors (unconfirmed by American Girl but from a source that has been reliable in the past) that Addy will be retiring soon to make room for Melody. If there are things in her collection that you want and you don't have yet, I would encourage you to try and purchase those items. <br />
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<span data-dobid="hdw"><em>Further Reading/Sources:</em></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riding_habit">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riding_habit</a></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"><a href="http://demodecouture.com/18th-century-riding-habitses/">http://demodecouture.com/18th-century-riding-habitses/</a></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"><a href="http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/2011/05/riding-habits-for-more-than-riding.html">http://twonerdyhistorygirls.blogspot.com/2011/05/riding-habits-for-more-than-riding.html</a></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw">I'm loving this blog that I found!</span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><em>The Duchess</em> by Amanda Foreman (previously published as Georgiana Duchess of Devonshire)-this is a really absorbing and interesting book. I recommend it.<br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />
<span data-dobid="hdw"></span><br />American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-89226481113296147812015-12-26T21:54:00.000-08:002015-12-26T21:54:36.538-08:00Who Would They Be in the Future? Addy<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5pSdcopRIhs/VnMX7G79WEI/AAAAAAAABJc/kS6kmqHJP9g/s1600/addy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5pSdcopRIhs/VnMX7G79WEI/AAAAAAAABJc/kS6kmqHJP9g/s320/addy.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
It takes me a very long time to write the future predictions for the characters and I'm sorry for that. Unfortunately, they take up quite a bit of my time because I don't want to throw just anything together. I want the predictions to be fairly plausible with enough detail that people reading might learn something about the time period under discussion.<br />
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And of course I'm always learning. None of us are truly experts at things-more information comes to light or is brought to our attention. History is my passion and I spend a lot of time reading biographies and books about the lives of women (currently reading Stacy Schiff's new book on the Salem Witchcraft Trials). But despite my life long interest in the subject, I still learn.<br />
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For example, my understanding of life expectancy has become a bit more nuanced. Neth from American Girl Outsider pointed out to me after my Felicity and Elizabeth prediction that I was using life expectancy statistics that predicted life expectancy <i>at birth. </i>Since a major factor in low life expectancy in the past was child mortality (which is defined as children dying before the age of 5), that statistic wouldn't really apply to Felicity and Elizabeth who we know were 9 at the start of the series. Therefore the dismal life expectancy of 36 doesn't really factor in. In other words, while it is plausible (if depressing) that Baby Polly died very soon after the story wrapped up, that wouldn't have such an impact on Felicity and Elizabeth.<br />
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If you look at my predictions for Molly and Emily, I did use statistics applying to 10 year olds. I used the statistic correctly. I can't remember, but I believe that the figures for ten year olds weren't available for 1774. I have spent plenty of time searching for that information and I can't see to locate a reliable figure-I would argue that Felicity and Elizabeth could have expected to see their 40s or 50s.<br />
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Still, life expectancy was shorter for reasons other than child mortality. For example, a child of 5 (so past the child mortality border) in 1845 was expected to live to age 55. Today, a 5 year old can expect to live to age 82-27 years is nothing to scoff at! (Of course these changes are not equal around the world-there are places where child mortality is still very high.) <br />
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So my point is that I take time to do these because I want them to be useful-once I have completed a bunch, I may go back and edit all of them with the information I learned so that people finding them for the first time can get more use out of them. Additionally as I read more of the books for each character (I have read the core series for each character, but not always the all of the additional material such as the short stories or mysteries) more information might come to life. <br />
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So please always view these predictions as works in progress! I would rather release these in a timely manner and edit later than stress out over every detail (as a person with a type A personality, I would never publish them if I didn't give myself the option of editing). <br />
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I'm also becoming better at blogging in general-I have learned how to insert a jump break for example, and I have come up with a better format for my item reviews-so it will all get better in time.<br />
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A lot of the information I take for the series comes from the "Welcome to ______'s World"-except Samantha and Nellie because I don't have a copy of Welcome to Samantha's World yet. I also use the Internet (I do use Wikipedia but I also try and include a more reliable source that backs up the information I find there though that doesn't always happen-and I do believe that Wikipedia is a fine place to obtain information in general unless you are doing a legitimate research paper or something), other books in my personal history collection (a book about Ida B. Wells became part of the inspiration for Harriet's future), and my own education. Obviously, I let the plot line and character dictate how her story will go. I just wanted to give you a glimpse into my process for writing these.<br />
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Anyways, on to Addy!<br />
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From the very start, Addy valued her education and wanted to become a teacher. She quickly learned to read-which is no mean feat when you're already nine, so obviously Addy is a very smart girl-and worked hard to help her mother learn as well. The Walkers also worked hard to keep Addy in school while other children like Sarah had to drop out to help their families stay economically afloat (remember that, in <i>Changes for Addy, </i>Sarah asks Mrs. Ford for paper to line her boots because her family could not afford new ones).<br />
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Along with Harriet, Addy was accepted to the Institute for Colored Youth (henceforth I'll be using the abbreviation I.C.Y.) in the spring of 1866 because of the recommendation of Miss Dunn. She was well on her way to achieving her goal of becoming a teacher. She was able to do this because of the sacrifices her family made to come up with the annual attendance fee.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Philadelphia Department of Archives</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">This is the second location at 915 Bainbridge Street.</span></div>
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The I.C.Y. was founded by Richard Humphreys, a Quaker who left a tenth of his wealth to create a school for African Americans. His goal was that the students of the I.C.Y. would go on to become teachers, thereby spreading education. The organization was founded in 1837 and at first they trained African American students in trades-like agriculture. However by 1852 the Managers (the group of Quakers running the Institute) decided to return to the original plan and train teachers. The first one was at 716-718 Lombard Street in Philadelphia. <br />
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Even though the I.C.Y. was ran by the Quaker Managers, the staff was all black. In 1869, Fanny Jackson Coppin became the first African American principal in history as the principal of the I.C.Y.<br />
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The staff focused on providing an advanced, classical education to the male and female students they taught. In 1861, they moved to a larger facility at 915 Bainbridge Street-this was the building Addy and Harriet would have gone to.<br />
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Addy and Harriet both studied hard at the I.C.Y.-Addy's favorite subject was literature. Afterwards, Addy traveled back to North Carolina to teach. Her family, fearing for her safety, tried to convince her not to go to the South. But Addy was brave and knew that she had trained for this, and that it was time for her to pay it back. <br />
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At first, Addy did not even have a building to teach in. She taught the children (and sometimes adults-at times, entire families would come at the same time) outside. It was very hard, as she did not have much money for supplies. Students came and went-as the children of sharecroppers, they often had responsibilities that prevented them from attending on a consistent basis. Yet Addy kept teaching on, knowing she was doing the right thing. She knew that an education was the key to success. Eventually things became easier after she converted a barn into a school room.<br />
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After marrying a fellow teacher and I.C.Y. graduate named Thomas, Addy retired from teaching and went back to Philadelphia to start her family-while she was willing to risk her safety, she was not willing to raise her children in the South where their lives would be led in fear of the Ku Klux Klan founded in 1865 and where their days would be dictated by the infamous black codes. Yes, the North was still a hard place for an African American family to live, but it was much better than the South.<br />
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Back in Philadelphia, Addy became an active member of her church while her husband continued to teach. She had six children (Solomon, Sarah, Lula, Benjamin, Thomas, and Ruth)-Sam went to Fisk University in Tennessee. Addy was very proud of the life that her family had built.<br />
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Addy's parents, now married in the way they wished, had a happy life surrounded by their children and later their grandchildren. They did eventually get their own house outside of a boarding house. They often told their grandchildren about their life as slaves, something Addy herself had a hard time doing.<br />
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Mrs. Ford stayed in touch with the Walkers until she passed away-time did not mellow her sternness. <br />
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Esther, Addy's baby sister who insisted that she wanted to be just like Addy, also went to the I.C.Y. She traveled west to Kansas where she worked as a teacher for the children of the "Exodusters." Exodusters were African Americans who went west as a way of founding their own communities. After marrying, she remained out west in the community she had found.<br />
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Harriet, after graduating from the I.C.Y., married into further wealth and became a writer, submitting opinion pieces to African American owned newspapers. After some time, she eventually bought her own small newspaper in Philadelphia. She was known as a stylish, elegant, opinionated lady. Despite their earlier differences, Addy and Harriet remained life long friends-and competitors. Addy thought Harriet was very brave for publishing such controversial material; secretly, Harriet thought Addy was braver for going South to teach. When Harriet died, just as opinionated as ever, Addy was extremely bereaved.<br />
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Sam worked hard to catch up on his studies. It was a long shot, since he was so far behind, but he decided that he wanted to become a pastor. He knew that the church was the major hub of African American society.<br />
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And Sarah? Sarah worked for a time as a laundress, something she hated doing. Sam was not yet a pastor and was wondering what exactly he would do to support himself since no one seemed inclined to hire a man missing an arm-working as a stablehand was hard work and not something he wanted to do for the rest of his life. While Addy was in North Carolina, Sarah spent much of her time with the Walker family. She and Sam became very close as time went on and eventually he asked her to marry him. She agreed, and continued to work as a laundress until he became a pastor. At that point, she happily stopped working and led a very active life as the wife of the pastor. She ran charities and socials and never touched laundry again. Sarah and Addy remained best friends of course, and Addy was thrilled that they were now family. <br />
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Addy died in 1910, happy and optimistic about the future of black people in America.<br />
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Further Reading:<br />
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On life expectancy:<br />
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<a href="http://ourworldindata.org/data/population-growth-vital-statistics/life-expectancy/">http://ourworldindata.org/data/population-growth-vital-statistics/life-expectancy/</a><br />
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On Addy and the time period in general:<br />
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<em>Welcome to Addy's World </em>by Susan Sinnott. I cannot stress enough how interesting these books are.<br />
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<em>They Say: Ida B. Wells and the Reconstruction of Race</em> by James West Davidson<br />
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On the Institute for Colored Youth:<br />
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<a href="http://www.cheyney.edu/about-cheyney-university/cheyney-history.cfm">http://www.cheyney.edu/about-cheyney-university/cheyney-history.cfm</a><br />
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Colored_Youth">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Colored_Youth</a>American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-74607504754001920212015-12-21T11:32:00.000-08:002015-12-21T11:32:41.875-08:00Molly's Evergreen Velvet Dress and Emily's Holiday Gown <br />
Again, happy holidays everyone! I'm back to give you one more seasonally appropriate post before preparing for Christmas (pretty much everything on my wish list was AG or book related) and heading out of state to spend time with my family.<br />
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Many of you know that I am a military wife, and I feel really lucky that I have never missed a Christmas with my husband. If I ever do miss a Christmas with him, it won't be because of the military either-this is his last year. By Christmas 2016, I'll be back in my hometown with the rest of our family, ready to start my own career and help him with college. Maybe we'll have children then-I'm not sure. I have mixed feelings about him getting out-on the one hand, I'm ready for the next stage. On the other hand-I love this life, and I love being a military wife.<br />
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But I have been very lucky in terms of his service. He has never been in danger, and the most I've gone without him is a month and a half or so. I have put my own aspirations on hold, and I have spent a lot of time away from my family and friends, who I was very close to. Yet I've looked at the bright side-the time away from a job that wasn't just there to keep me busy and buy extra stuff gave me time to focus on my creative writing, and the time apart from everyone else we cared about other than two cats taught us how self sufficient we really are, and brought us closer together.<br />
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But many military families are not so lucky. Their service member is in danger, and they often spend holidays away from their family. That reminds me of Molly and Emily, two girls who suffered horribly because of WWII. They were both away from people they loved-Molly was away from her father who was serving as a doctor in England (and in the mysteries it is later revealed that he is suffering from some form of PTSD) and Emily, who had to leave behind her entire family and her home because of the bombing of London.<br />
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The challenges military families face today are not as severe as those faced by Molly and Emily. Phone calls and the Internet make separations easier in most cases. Deployments aren't as long. Fewer Americans die. But the pain of being away from the people you love is the same now as it was then, and that is what American Girl is all about-yes, it shows the ways that things have changed, but it also highlights the multitude of ways that life has remained the same. Love, family, the desire to spend time with the people you care about during the holidays-those things have remained mostly the same.<br />
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So, since this is my last Christmas as a military wife, I wanted to go ahead and cover Molly and Emily's Christmas outfits-two girls who would have spent their holidays away from people they loved. <br />
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<b>Christmas During WWII:</b><br />
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The holiday season on the American home front was of course adversely affected by the kind of rationing that meant Molly had to eat the infamous disgusting turnips. There were very few workers to cut Christmas trees down, for example, and there was no way to ship the trees because railroads were being used for war goods. Many people who previously would have insisted that a real tree was a proper tree therefore bought artificial Christmas trees that year.<br />
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What did they decorate them with? Well, a lot of ornaments before WWII were apparently of German or Japanese origin, so people threw them away when the war began (despite the fact that, after you've purchased it and given them the money, they can't possibly be affected economically if you then throw it away). Obviously precious supplies weren't going to be wasted in creating new ornaments so magazines taught people how to make home made ornaments out of things like pine cones and string.<br />
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Children might have gone to see Santa Claus at Saks Fifth Avenue-but under the beard, it was likely that Santa Claus was actually a woman! With so few men around to play Santa Claus, a lot of women filled in, as they filled in at the factories. The home front was increasingly a world where women, previously seen as properly serving only in the house, were coming out in droves to run civilian society.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/at-a-glance/christmas-on-the-home-front.html</i></span></div>
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Just like I couldn't go home last Christmas because my husband had no leave after the wedding and the many funerals we had to attend (and I wasn't about to leave him alone on a day like that), many families couldn't travel because of gas rationing.<br />
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And of course, for many American families, it was hard to spend a holiday away from their family members. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" was written during WWII, and that breaks my heart.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>http://www.americainwwii.com/galleries/disney-to-the-front/</i></span></div>
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Things were even harder in London during the Christmas season. Many men were off at war, and many children had been evacuated like Emily. The bombing of London-which went on for 57 consecutive nights in the fall of 1940-did not let up for the holidays. In 1940, a lot of people spent Christmas Eve underground, waiting for the bombing to stop.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0NQC3jdwgLBTKwJ26p5VJ5Snun4Q-tyGqvKBaq2wlonZXAbrlweLtGXalsV9US6S0kfEA2ukNLgRrB7KM1jBTWmQxjYJwKgl3aXm_ElrQiJn_4ExJc-Tm3vkSzddRwG563UMtmcElwyc/s1600/A4_IWM_ART_LD_001899.tif_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0NQC3jdwgLBTKwJ26p5VJ5Snun4Q-tyGqvKBaq2wlonZXAbrlweLtGXalsV9US6S0kfEA2ukNLgRrB7KM1jBTWmQxjYJwKgl3aXm_ElrQiJn_4ExJc-Tm3vkSzddRwG563UMtmcElwyc/s320/A4_IWM_ART_LD_001899.tif_.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
<div style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Interface, Arial, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 19.2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><em style="border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 3px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A Shelter in Camden Town under a Brewery: Christmas Eve</em>, 1940, by Olga Lehmann.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/16591" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #057abd; font-family: Interface, Arial, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 19.2px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; transition: color 0.2s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Art.IWM ART LD 1899</span></a></div>
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People were encouraged not to spend too much money during the Christmas season in London. Gifts were small, practical, and often home made.<br />
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But there were still some bright spots. Many groups, like the British War Relief Society, tried to give gifts to children who otherwise would not have had them. Americans serving in England (such as Molly's father) spent time with British families and brought food, which was obviously welcomed because rationing in Britain was tougher than rationing in the U.S. Children still met Father Christmas, and carols were still sung.<br />
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Most notably in my mind was a Christmas radio program that began broadcasting in 1939. King George VI was the first monarch to participate in that, and it is still an annual tradition today. Much like the fireside chats of FDR during the Depression, that program gave hope to British people suffering from the realities of living under siege.<br />
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And of course, being away from your family was just as hard for the British if not harder (more people were likely to be away).<br />
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All in all, I would say that I would have preferred having a colonial Christmas like the one I discussed with Elizabeth Cole than a Christmas on the American home front or a Christmas in London during the Blitz.<br />
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Now on to the actual review.<br />
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<b>Molly's Evergreen Velvet Dress:</b><br />
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<i>Dress:</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzUVe9_orYWeNonK06xKsY15J8h81ED4al2ULg2h8iewrv6ZOeEhBI5wh6ZqIUMkXDr3YBWXB_D4WJ6wei6nGfELJSncgBUax-t_h-x-nmwmsY7It6YJGAsOPsh8xN-M0uK5lYVajo9U/s1600/mollychristmas1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzUVe9_orYWeNonK06xKsY15J8h81ED4al2ULg2h8iewrv6ZOeEhBI5wh6ZqIUMkXDr3YBWXB_D4WJ6wei6nGfELJSncgBUax-t_h-x-nmwmsY7It6YJGAsOPsh8xN-M0uK5lYVajo9U/s320/mollychristmas1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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As the name suggests, Molly wears a dark green velvet dress for Christmas in 1944. As I've said before, green is my absolute favorite color and it is an especially great color for Christmas gear. Forget red-it's overplayed. The set came out with Molly when she was released and it is one of my favorite holiday sets. I said before when I was doing my review of Kirsten's summer outfit that I really have a thing for simple garments that appeal because of a nice color or cut (other examples-Felicity's summer outfit, Addy's flower picking dress, Kit's birthday dress, etc.). That's kind of how I feel about this dress-it's simple, the decorations are tasteful, and it looks very elegant.</div>
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The dress is short-it comes to just above her knees-with short sleeves and a full skirt.</div>
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The collar and the sleeves are trimmed with small cream lace-I much prefer that over ruffles. I also like that they used cream instead of pure white-the cream and dark green color combination really pops. </div>
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The front of the dress has a set of six simple, small white buttons down the front. If you have an older version of the outfit, it won't have these buttons. I prefer the ones with the buttons because I think they look nice against the dress. My set is a much later one-I got it right before Molly retired. </div>
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The back of the dress closes with velcro. The lace continues around the back of the sleeves and the collar-they didn't cut corners with this set like they did on the Elizabeth Holiday Dress that I reviewed last time.</div>
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<i>Hair ribbons:</i></div>
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This set is not very elaborate. Other than the dress, the only other component is the set of hair ribbons. The dress is meant to be worn with her meet shoes and socks-this was back when American Girl was trying to cut costs down so the meet shoes were meant to be worn with a lot of their first outfits (Molly wears it with her school outfit, holiday outfit, and wears the same shoes but not the same socks for the birthday outfit if I'm not mistaken; Samantha wears her set for her school outfit, gets a new pair of white stockings but wears the same shoes for her holiday dress, and wears the gaiters over her meet shoes and stockings for her winter set; Kirsten wears her meet shoes with her school outfit). Compare that with Caroline, for example, or the new Rebecca outfit, where they have meet shoes that ONLY go with their meet outfit (Caroline has pink shoes, and Rebecca's second meet has a pair of darling velvety purple shoes). </div>
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The hair ribbons are therefore the only other part to this set.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-8zz3DFoc7VWDV-oAUvdmr0bgDj-AGGCJeGV5YykCXdCKUNsgG7egN3G3i_rQKql6gVh2PYKJVvFFocH8NkC565a-ub_a2-0f5AF0kHOdlJWdt_DoRi7FCm1LUL525QkmkjWA9jDMuA/s1600/mollychristmas6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-8zz3DFoc7VWDV-oAUvdmr0bgDj-AGGCJeGV5YykCXdCKUNsgG7egN3G3i_rQKql6gVh2PYKJVvFFocH8NkC565a-ub_a2-0f5AF0kHOdlJWdt_DoRi7FCm1LUL525QkmkjWA9jDMuA/s320/mollychristmas6.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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They're cream, just like the lace. There are two, so you can tie them to the ends of her braids-though her hair isn't depicted as being down in two braids in some advertisements. I keep Molly's hair in the two longs braids personally.</div>
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The hair ribbons are nice and silky. There isn't much to say about them-they're hair ribbons. If you are on a budget, maybe just get the dress and go to Joann's for your cream hair ribbon needs.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNuyWTcm9OgJ24MkzfQRWGKTy0WGS1sscK1tEqTDa8GLf_eMpvFjY7N5iwi-xDmVn7MTu_pt7lHXxWAkOAGshgm1R3I6L1f_plkHl34yotVnmto9UhM7oHyFbjE0c7XSC7ACVuNxGBWMY/s1600/molly+full+christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNuyWTcm9OgJ24MkzfQRWGKTy0WGS1sscK1tEqTDa8GLf_eMpvFjY7N5iwi-xDmVn7MTu_pt7lHXxWAkOAGshgm1R3I6L1f_plkHl34yotVnmto9UhM7oHyFbjE0c7XSC7ACVuNxGBWMY/s320/molly+full+christmas.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Anyways I love this outfit so much-I would wear it myself!</div>
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<b>Enily's Holiday Outfit:</b></div>
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<i>Dress:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0iBb7bvnuHpRGP6DtIG5bnlhyphenhyphen6_59HMVnwezqgi6sCbswR2Cvoa27A_L1g4X2Mx3wMh9GAjGfXIrZb9BlXC3Jcxkw9dMUs7PJxipTRQoxopmXuMEDBxcEfuTLFqI8E2Td_E1jZM24u4/s1600/emilychristmas3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0iBb7bvnuHpRGP6DtIG5bnlhyphenhyphen6_59HMVnwezqgi6sCbswR2Cvoa27A_L1g4X2Mx3wMh9GAjGfXIrZb9BlXC3Jcxkw9dMUs7PJxipTRQoxopmXuMEDBxcEfuTLFqI8E2Td_E1jZM24u4/s320/emilychristmas3.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Emily wears a purple satin holiday dress. That isn't as awesome as wearing a green dress, but at least it isn't the overplayed red! I can only assume that this is her holiday dress for 1945 (she came into the picture around Molly's birthday, so after Christmas 1944). It makes me happy that she got a pretty dress-I think Molly's concerns (though they were actually quite serious-having a parent serving is no cake walk) were played for laughs (shut up about the turnips Molly, you're such a whiner) when they could have done so much more with her story-though her fears for her father in the Christmas book were much more serious. </div>
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Still, Emily's life was (rightly in my mind) depicted as much more difficult, properly illustrating the greater difficulties faced by Britain than by the U.S., which came into the war much later. Emily was literally a refugee, someone deserving of compassion (and yes, I am making a political statement right now). A large amount of her life had been spent in terror of the Blitz. So thinking she had a beautiful dress makes me really, really happy.</div>
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The dress, like Molly's, has a full skirt and short sleeves.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoLuR-Svqfh933k-t5A4GUiSLSc8gRFWMbrvqrob2UiY3nx-7wM2yYvHc8CTzeudjsvLKda70o1xHCvh8imZdTDaYjYxsuppgAHSALOvJ5HZLm1N38B94sWgae2CNJP_LP2F8bVNXEaw/s1600/emilychristmas4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYoLuR-Svqfh933k-t5A4GUiSLSc8gRFWMbrvqrob2UiY3nx-7wM2yYvHc8CTzeudjsvLKda70o1xHCvh8imZdTDaYjYxsuppgAHSALOvJ5HZLm1N38B94sWgae2CNJP_LP2F8bVNXEaw/s320/emilychristmas4.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The sleeves have some puff to them and a lilac trim around the edges.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHxBgD-_5TYy-xsyZZ13GmYpf3O1TuYsE3xVJ5dPwkSNiZjpu50neMgMSRyHz3X14EL1oB9RMSSjfj4ePXzNvLt2obiO0fCvqfyCCI3gFiP9GDUEjtkQjF0ReFX8TROy6DhTpUuriLSo/s1600/emilychristmas5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGHxBgD-_5TYy-xsyZZ13GmYpf3O1TuYsE3xVJ5dPwkSNiZjpu50neMgMSRyHz3X14EL1oB9RMSSjfj4ePXzNvLt2obiO0fCvqfyCCI3gFiP9GDUEjtkQjF0ReFX8TROy6DhTpUuriLSo/s320/emilychristmas5.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The light purple trim is matched by the satin lilac ribbon tied in a bow around her waist. The bow is big-the edges reach half way down the skirt. In my experience, this ribbon tends to ride up, making the fit on this dress a little off.</div>
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The collar is square, with more lilac trim and a lilac rosette on the left side. I think the rosette is too much. With the shiny fabric, puffed sleeves, and big bow around the waist, I feel the rosette doesn't add anything and instead detracts from the outfit.</div>
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The dress Velcros up the back and the lilac ribbon goes all the way around in the back.</div>
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Overall, I like the concept of this dress but I think it fails in the execution. Purple is nice. However, the fabric has too much sheen to it for my taste-the sheen on Elizabeth's dress is much more subtle. It makes the dress look kind of costume-y and cheap for my taste. Additionally, I think the fit on the dress is weird-the square collar doesn't sit right, the dress is a bit too short for me (it's a centimeter or so shorter than Molly's, but that's a lot on an 18 inch doll), and the waist ribbon rides up. </div>
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However I can see why a little girl would love this dress-the shiny fabric, the bright color, the embellishments. Emily is a little girl after all, and in my head, she loved this dress.</div>
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<i>Necklace:</i></div>
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Emily, whose set was released later, gets more components to her set. Instead of wearing her everyday dog tags (Molly wears her everyday silver locket with her dress), she gets a new necklace.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJ_jgC81KcuxnZWENE57JZpriZ0TBgehjOx_GvT_EDklofejOZ4F16KHLDCeomQdqtEmQxse3A3BWlGWum2VkW8JrqzNMvvfbsceBe-yZczc6lxjxsRuC1NuxEjrROwM7fPDfkI5TPek/s1600/emily1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJ_jgC81KcuxnZWENE57JZpriZ0TBgehjOx_GvT_EDklofejOZ4F16KHLDCeomQdqtEmQxse3A3BWlGWum2VkW8JrqzNMvvfbsceBe-yZczc6lxjxsRuC1NuxEjrROwM7fPDfkI5TPek/s320/emily1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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It's a silver necklace with a pearl on it. It's very pretty, though part of me wonders where it came from. Still, I don't insist that the dolls have historically accurate numbers of clothes and accessories. Kirsten, historically, would have had like three dresses. I'm okay with my Emily having pretty things, and the necklace is easily the best part of the outfit.</div>
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<i>Socks:</i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZN1ke3twkQPuH9mg29NUhRXKtbzCTJvJIMHMeOiwWBahf6by2R9poYRiY_g7xX4aAgVw9VqrkVc_1o5jaDSDIzgYxWdWcmw3Fvyu32pD3jZCf-jJSCp9hSAo8lg8HGjmFQheB_WnII0/s1600/emilychristmas6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ZN1ke3twkQPuH9mg29NUhRXKtbzCTJvJIMHMeOiwWBahf6by2R9poYRiY_g7xX4aAgVw9VqrkVc_1o5jaDSDIzgYxWdWcmw3Fvyu32pD3jZCf-jJSCp9hSAo8lg8HGjmFQheB_WnII0/s320/emilychristmas6.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Emily does wear her meet shoes (and her meet shoes are SO much better than Molly's!) but she gets a pair of fancy socks with lace trim to make her outfit a bit more festive. She had to-her meet socks were red to match the cherry print on the dress (see what I mean about American Girl caring less about versatility) Not much to say about socks,</div>
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<i>Bow:</i></div>
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To finish it off, Emily ties back her hair with a lilac bow that matches the trim on her dress-it's attached to an elastic. The hair ribbon is okay-it won't go with anything else and it's a bit too much for me. </div>
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Overall, I do like the dress but I think there are some serious issues with it.</div>
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<b>Verdict:</b></div>
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I do like Molly's outfit more than Emily's, I have to admit it. Looking around at my dolls in their holiday get ups, I have to say that it might be the least favorite holiday outfit I own along with Julie's second holiday outfit. Molly's is one of my favorites. I think it has to do with the fact that American Girl went all for the "oooh! ahhh!" for Emily instead of focusing on fit and quality of material. Molly-whose outfit I bought at the same time, so it isn't a question of Pleasant Company versus Mattel-has a much less ambitious but a much better constructed outfit.</div>
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<b>Further Reading:</b> </div>
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<i>http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-britain-celebrated-christmas-during-the-second-world-war</i><br />
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<i>http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/at-a-</i><br />
<i>glance/christmas-on-the-home-front.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/ </i>American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-20291327026566785002015-12-13T12:36:00.005-08:002015-12-13T12:36:56.481-08:00Elizabeth's Christmas GownSo if you celebrate any holidays around this time of year, Happy Holidays! <br />
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I hope all of your holidays are turning out well and that you're spending time with your family or friends, and that they're not annoying you too much. Holidays are funny like that-we're allegedly supposed to look forward to them but often they involve being around people you otherwise avoid throughout the rest of the year. Try to be around positive people and, if you can't for whatever reason, remember that this month will soon be over. Take care of yourself-this is a hard time of the year for a lot of people.<br />
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I personally celebrate Christmas (though I am not Christian) but we have dolls celebrating a wide variety of holidays in my apartment. Kirsten is celebrating St. Lucia Day soon, Rebecca is celebrating Hanukkah, and Kaya is enjoying the winter season. My holiday traditions include dressing my dolls in their holiday gear and so today my post is going to focus on Elizabeth Cole's Christmas gear (I'm trying to cover more dolls instead of my usual Josefina, Rebecca, Kirsten, and Caroline).<br />
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Elizabeth Cole is a lovely doll-I know there are a lot of complaints (for good reason!) that they changed her to a blue eyed blonde. I would have loved a dark haired Elizabeth but I still think my Elizabeth is beautiful. We share a name so of course I adore her. :)<br />
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Some background on the subject is in order. I received much of this information from the Colonial Williamsburg website. I strongly urge everyone reading this to visit the website if not the actual place-I adore Colonial Williamsburg and I think it would be a fun place to bring Felicity and Elizabeth. Colonial Williamsburg was actually the inspiration for the entire historical line and of course the Felicity doll.<br />
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<strong>Christmas in Colonial Williamsburg:</strong><br />
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I specified colonial Williamsburg because not all Christians in the Americas celebrated Christmas. The Puritans outlawed observing Christmas (which just shows how a persecuted group can so quickly turn right around and persecute others without ever seeing the hypocrisy of that) in New England. As late as the 1870s, you could get fired for missing work on the 25th of December (better not get sick!) and schools were open. They saw Christmas as a pagan festival (which there is some truth to it, many of the common traditions have direct roots in the pagan faiths that Christianity tried to stomp out in Europe) and so they tried to prevent people from observing it. Festive celebrations went against a purely "Puritan" form of Christianity. <br />
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However in Virginia, Christmas would have been a cheerful time of the year-a time of feasts and dancing, with presents given to children and servants. Most people in Virginia were part of the Anglican Church so they observed Advent (fasting and repenting) and then celebrated on Christmas Day. The service and the meal were seen as the important parts of the holiday-more emphasis was placed on the social events than on the gift giving. <br />
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The Christmas festivities lasted well into January (hence the 12 days of Christmas) which is why the ball Felicity and Elizabeth attend takes place after Christmas Day. The focus back then was on the days following Christmas Day (whereas we focus on Thanksgiving to the end of Christmas Day). Many people gave gifts on New Year's Day instead of on Christmas. It seems that parents and employers gave presents to children and servants; children and servants did not give presents. The presents were small. <br />
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As to the customs, those are harder to determine. I don't want to say definitively that Felicity and Elizabeth wouldn't have had Christmas tress, but I don't think they would have. Christmas trees became extremely popular in England and in the United States after Victoria and Albert (who remember, was German) popularized the German tradition in 1848. Again, I don't want to definitively say that, but I am pretty sure. However it is likely that Williamsburg residents brought in evergreens and holly to make the room seem festive. <br />
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The meal would have been great because animals are slaughtered in December, meaning there would have likely been fresh meat on the table. Obviously, however, fruits and vegetables would have been scarce in the middle of the winter,<br />
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Christmas carols might have been sung. "Joy to the World" and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" were around-at least the words were. These songs would probably not be recognizable to the modern ear because the tunes have likely changed. We can't be sure if there were any Christmas carols sung in 1774 that would be recognizable today. <br />
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Santa Claus as we imagine him today appeared in the 1800s, so Felicity and Elizabeth would not have imagined him as we would have if at all. <br />
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Okay, now on to the actual outfit.<br />
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<strong>Dress:</strong><br />
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Elizabeth gets a green and gold dress for the holidays. Green is my absolute favorite color in the world, especially for clothes that I wear. I have red hair and very pale skin and so green looks fabulous on me. Red...not so much. And yet every year people tend to want red for their Christmas stuff! Red is cool, but I think it's overused.<br />
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The dress is light green satin-remember that the Coles are wealthier than Felicity's family, so she wears expensive fabrics-with a floral print. The light green is so shiny that it can almost pass as a cool silver in some lights The dress is trimmed with a darker green piping. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvIXCB9vnXznuhA1n8DsFLG7kxDa7O1qPmfwPY827kW_l9rREYyW82dST5QtR24HxQBP5I82hHkYmRTZAFAjEv9TPPdbhJ0j1oymNG4j4jNJxcl-wXVGGt47_L5WmUKViv49Hvaw3tdE/s1600/tumblr_nzabvl1Y0V1skd3dio1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdvIXCB9vnXznuhA1n8DsFLG7kxDa7O1qPmfwPY827kW_l9rREYyW82dST5QtR24HxQBP5I82hHkYmRTZAFAjEv9TPPdbhJ0j1oymNG4j4jNJxcl-wXVGGt47_L5WmUKViv49Hvaw3tdE/s320/tumblr_nzabvl1Y0V1skd3dio1_400.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The neckline is white and trimmed with dark green piping and ribbon. </div>
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The sleeves reach the elbow, are trimmed with two rows of the dark green piping, and have fine lace cuffs. You can get a better look at the small green, red, yellow, and blue floral pattern.<br />
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The petticoat is gold and trimmed with the same light green satin as the rest of the garment. If the dress was historically accurate, the petticoat would be a separate garment like it is on Felicity's Christmas dress. However that doesn't annoy me nearly as much as the fact that the trim on the petticoat doesn't go all the way over. They got lazy and saved a few pennies by ending the trim once the flap of the main body of the garment covered the petticoat. Can you tell when the dress is on? No. But it is still annoying, especially when you consider what these clothes retail for. <br />
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The back of the dress is pretty much the same. It closes up with Velcro on the back.<br />
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<strong>Shoes:</strong><br />
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What is this nonsense? These aren't shoes. These are socks. They have no shape to them, they're just floppy little piece of fabric that get on with elastic. They have no sole so they aren't going to protect Elizabeth's feat. I like the color (gold and green are a really nice combination IMO) but I hate these shoes.<br />
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<strong>Necklace:</strong><br />
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The necklace is the same gold color as the petticoat and shoes. It's a choker type necklace. I like it but I also think it is very hard to get on especially if you have issues with motor skills like I do (I have a hard time cutting food, opening things, etc., and my hands stiffen-everyone in my family eventually develops arthritis so I think I'm just experiencing the beginning stages of that).</div>
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<strong>Hair ribbon:</strong></div>
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The hair ribbon is a dark green to match the piping, which I like. However, despite the fact that Elizabeth wore it with ease last year, I could not for the life of me get it onto her head this year. <br />
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Now for some pictures!<br />
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You can see that my Elizabeth is losing one of her pin curls! I'm sure there's a YouTube tutorial about restoring them though.<br />
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I love how the colors look on her. She really is a very pretty doll.</div>
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I took this shot (she's wearing her meet hair ribbon) so that everyone could see that her hair is a much warmer blonde that either Caroline or Julie. It has a slight wave on the ends to it.<br />
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There she is, with a Christmas tree she wouldn't have recognized. You can see how stupid the shoes look even on her feet.<br />
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I think overall the outfit leaves me with a mixed taste in my mouth. Despite the lack of historical accuracy and the lack of detail in terms of the ruffle on the petticoat, I think the dress works. It's when the accessories come into play that the set loses me. The necklace and ribbon are pretty but hard for my stiffening fingers to get on (which means that a child of 8 would also likely have a hard time IMO). The shoes are shapeless socks. You'll see that, other than the shoes, Elizabeth doesn't wear either of the accessories that came with the dress. That was a conscious choice on my part.<br />
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I paid eBay prices for this set and I would again, but I would have paid less for an incomplete set of just the shoes and dress.<br />
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<strong>In Other News:</strong><br />
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Pictures of Lea have been leaked-I have mixed feelings but I'm going to hold off on discussing them until January.<br />
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Rumors are swirling that the next retired doll will be Addy, after the release of the new African American historical. On the one hand, it sort of makes sense since Addy has been around the longest. On the other hand, why all the tokenism? Personally, I have most of what I want from Addy's <em>current </em>collection so I would have been paying eBay prices regardless. Still, I suggest that you focus on getting any remaining pieces from the current Addy collection that you want and haven't yet purchased. <br />
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Hopefully I'll get in another holiday outfit review before December is over and then I can finally do my future predictions for Addy. <br />
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<strong>Further Reading:</strong><br />
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<a href="http://www.history.org/almanack/life/christmas/hist_customs.cfm">http://www.history.org/almanack/life/christmas/hist_customs.cfm</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.history.org/almanack/life/christmas/hist_inva.cfm">http://www.history.org/almanack/life/christmas/hist_inva.cfm</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.history.org/almanack/life/christmas/hist_music.cfm">http://www.history.org/almanack/life/christmas/hist_music.cfm</a><br />
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American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-78820610019995769132015-11-17T11:46:00.002-08:002015-11-17T11:47:49.798-08:00Addy's Striped DressSo I am keeping my promise to not post about the dolls I always post about (Josefina, Rebecca, Caroline, and Kirsten). Since it is still fall, I wanted to show you guys one of my favorite fall outfits that American Girl has released.<br />
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And it's an Addy dress! Let's talk about Addy for a moment since this is her first time being seen on my blog.<br />
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Addy was the fifth American Girl doll released and the first doll of color. I think what fascinates me the most about Addy is that she didn't just involve a skin color swap-Pleasant Company created a new face mold for her (the four previous dolls all used the classic face mold) and used textured hair for her wig.<br />
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Let's talk about black dolls for a moment. African (I can't say American here because many of these dolls were created by European companies) dolls have been around for a while. According to Wikipedia, which I know isn't the best source but can give an overview of the subject, European companies began making black dolls in the late 1800s, with American companies following. However these were not accurate representations of African features. <br />
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Often they were in fact racist caricatures. An example would be the golliwog doll. I debated including a picture of a golliwog doll on the blog, but I didn't want to upset people who could, after all, just google the term if they wanted to see what I was talking about. You can also find many examples of Mammy or pickaninny type dolls.<br />
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Shindana Toys is (again, according to Wikipedia) one of the first companies to create accurate African American dolls. The company was founded in 1968 and was a part of Operation Bootstrap. The first doll released was called Baby Nancy.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><em>Shindana Toys (Division of Operation Bootstrap), Watts, California<br />"Baby Nancy" Doll, 1968<br /> 13 1/4 x 6 1/4 x 3 1/2 in.<br /> Collection of Civil Rights Archive/CADVC-UMBC, Baltimore, Maryland, Anonymous Gift, 2008.4</em></span> </div>
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There is no doubt that having beautiful (not caricatured) African American dolls is important to the self esteem of little black children. When arguing for desegregation, the Clark doll experiments were used to show that segregation was harming children. You can search for videos of these experiments on YouTube-they're repeated every few years it seems.<br />
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That is why dolls like Addy (and other dolls of color) are so important and why it is so upsetting for many when American Girl fails, year after year, to release an African American GOTY doll. It might seem like <em>just a doll </em>to many white people (who have the room to feel that way because they are surrounded by white dolls that look like them all the time) but it is not <em>just a doll</em> to black children who want a limited edition, special doll that looks like them.<br />
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Addy has sweet features, beautiful long hair, large brown eyes, and lovely clothes. She is a far cry from the golliwog dolls, and has shown how far we have come. But don't be fooled. This isn't over. We still have a long way to go.<br />
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Alright. On to the dress.<br />
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Addy's striped dress is not marketed as a "fall" dress (the short story it is taken from actually takes place in the spring) but the colors of the dress (orange and green) scream fall to me. Since she was wearing this dress when she was told that she was accepted to the Institute for Colored Youth (which means that Addy will have a chance to fulfill her dream of being a teacher), I like to think that she wore this dress in the fall when she began to attend the ICY.<br />
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<strong>Dress:</strong><br />
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The fabric of the dress is a burnt orange color mixed with a softer yellow shade. That is definitely a fall orange. In what universe is that a spring color?<br />
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The dress is trimmed with orange and green plaid. The skirt has two ruffles on it as seen in this picture. As seen above, the plaid is also on the waistband.</div>
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The collar (which reminds me of a Peter Pan collar, but since that story wasn't out yet, it is not appropriate to call it that) is also made of the same plaid material. </div>
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Along with the plaid ruffle, the sleeves are trimmed with olive green material.</div>
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The sleeves are long, which again makes this a fall dress in my mind. Addy would be able to keep warm in this dress (or maybe I just think that because I grew up in the south, where spring is hot). </div>
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That's what it looks like on her. This is definitely a fall dress! My Addy wears this every October and November for Halloween/Thanksgiving. I don't care what the short story suggests.<br />
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<strong>Hair ribbon:</strong><br />
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The set only has one other component to it: a headband that matches the green trim on the sleeves. <br />
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The ribbon is meant to stretch around her hair so that the ribbon sits on top. It's pretty easy to get on and can be used with any number of hairstyles. It's just been a while since Addy has had her hair down and I wanted to show how long her hair really is for this post. I don't think her hair is <em>quite </em>as long as Kaya's, but Addy has very long, very thick hair. </div>
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There it is once on. Forgive her flyaways-I took the photo before straightening her up like I should have.</div>
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There she is, all done up in her striped dress (with the boots from her second meet outfit) and her school lunch. She is ready for her first day at the ICY!</div>
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American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-20330156798552372142015-11-04T13:32:00.002-08:002015-11-04T20:56:11.848-08:00Item Review: Josefina's Weaving Outfit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">More Josefina!</span></div>
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So Halloween is over and we're now on the count down to the busiest months of the year for me which include: my anniversary (yes, I had an anniversary earlier this year but that is the anniversary of my legal marriage and this is the real deal), my birthday (which for the first time this year leaves me with a sense of depression instead of excitement), the military ball, Thanksgiving (which I'll be celebrating with my dad for the first time ever), Christmas, a trip home right after, and then the New Year. Once New Year's hits, I'll be preparing for my husband to leave the military. Busy times ahead...<br />
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And of course with the holiday season coming up, American Girl is busy as well. Grace is about to be gone forever, as well as Caroline (go to Costco!), and then AG can disappoint me again with their new GOTY. I am not getting my hopes up. I guess I'm getting cynical.<br />
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In the meantime, American Girl can deal with the criticism over their recent coverage in their magazine of a foster child who was adopted by two loving parents. Why would that be a big deal, you might ask? Oh, yeah, because those two loving parents are both men. We all know that children are better off stuck in temporary foster homes than with two loving but gay parents! I just can't...<br />
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Usually, I get pretty upset over the cultural issues with AG-the lack of diversity in certain lines, things like that. But I'm standing by American Girl this time. This just makes me want to spend even more of my money with the company (despite my rage at not receiving a coupon). I'm standing by American Girl.<br />
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More importantly I'm standing by Amaya, an American girl who deserves a loving, stable home and who doesn't deserve the ire of a hate group like 80,000 moms. I'm standing by adoptive parents, no matter their sexual orientation, who provide these homes.<br />
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The silliness of this whole thing astounds me. If you're going to cut out of your life every single company that has expressed support for the gay community, you would have to live under a rock. And you know what? I wouldn't agree with the principle, but I would have more respect for these 80,000 moms if they did cut out every single company. At least I would think they were sincere. No Disney, no Facebook, no Doritos, no Target...<br />
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But they won't because they're hypocrites. So no respect for their belief (which was a given) but also no respect for their strength of conviction.<br />
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Moving on.<br />
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So I am in the process of dressing all my dolls for November (I'm a bit late but I'm almost done) and I was struck at the beauty of Josefina in her weaving outfit. The weaving outfit was released in 2003 and retired in 2006. It was one of her short story outfits, and is, in my opinion, one of the prettier outfits she has in her collection.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhJp5e4et-HmUnh8I5VuOuM0QHnI96aKwtOqg7dqcPunOZho7m8_vKjIwlOOqovLpj5oH5ibyi7ZgaNClqdRcoDh5UFWQCnRcVY1_5QEy_iOLM8l3FUp5HRHFKH8XCUhX1pF33BpZYxs/s1600/tumblr_nxb14tyByb1skd3dio3_540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnhJp5e4et-HmUnh8I5VuOuM0QHnI96aKwtOqg7dqcPunOZho7m8_vKjIwlOOqovLpj5oH5ibyi7ZgaNClqdRcoDh5UFWQCnRcVY1_5QEy_iOLM8l3FUp5HRHFKH8XCUhX1pF33BpZYxs/s320/tumblr_nxb14tyByb1skd3dio3_540.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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It consisted of a camisa, skirt, belt, and rebozo. Let's get started!<br />
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<em>Casmisa:</em><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkQ10aXiTbtd3yoEwcpWN8z0ceTEAgI4N-5SUJcTRB4XBscB9NZTuioeG7imrDuzXEBhLzCdAQqvbWK3iiS4AOGb_MNuME4Vmw4ThqImvvSYH19njCTCITkRo1ilTyTb4dNPhl7qB_NU/s1600/tumblr_nxb0wpz1Ob1skd3dio1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkQ10aXiTbtd3yoEwcpWN8z0ceTEAgI4N-5SUJcTRB4XBscB9NZTuioeG7imrDuzXEBhLzCdAQqvbWK3iiS4AOGb_MNuME4Vmw4ThqImvvSYH19njCTCITkRo1ilTyTb4dNPhl7qB_NU/s320/tumblr_nxb0wpz1Ob1skd3dio1_400.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<em>Josefina pausing before her box of clothes.</em></div>
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So what is a camisa exactly? It's basically a long undershirt/shift that would go under the full skirt worn by Mexican women at this time.</div>
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It's important to get a few things straight about the fashions worn by Josefina and girls/women like her before we move on. When Josefina and her sisters were working or doing anything that wasn't extremely formal, they wore camisas, full skirts, moccasins adopted from the Pueblo Indians, and rebozos to protect their skin from the sun. They did not wear constricting European undergarments such as corsets-these clothes were meant to allow a more active life style. Examples of this style in Josefina's collection include her meet outfit, her school outfit, her birthday outfit, her harvest outfit, and this outfit.</div>
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Note that this did not mean that these outfits couldn't be beautiful. The rebozos were often art quality, and the colors of the skirts were intense. But these outfits were uniquely Mexican in style, combining elements from European and Pueblo Indian fashion into an entirely new (practical but beautiful) style.</div>
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When a girl or woman truly wanted to dress up for a formal occasion, however, she would wear European inspired clothing. Josefina's Christmas dress and mantilla is an excellent example of a European style dress. You'll notice the long tight sleeves, the Empire/Regency style waist, the fancier fabric. This is a more formal look. Josefina's fiesta outfit is another example.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpLV-CO39qDFYJIP_vmQQAZyl2k89y92fSnb5otzVs_aMtMFIEtXs88WNpcsyYimSo5UvRjrfG1EEip6wPx3hu4-mhu1Vye-Tc34Ov2N48gRjMEQXkGtPYcnVC4TlAY6-EmtokkrxSw2k/s1600/JosefinaChristmasDressandMantilla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpLV-CO39qDFYJIP_vmQQAZyl2k89y92fSnb5otzVs_aMtMFIEtXs88WNpcsyYimSo5UvRjrfG1EEip6wPx3hu4-mhu1Vye-Tc34Ov2N48gRjMEQXkGtPYcnVC4TlAY6-EmtokkrxSw2k/s1600/JosefinaChristmasDressandMantilla.jpg" /></a></div>
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The European outfits involved stricter undergarments, and therefore hampered movement. In 1846, when the United States claimed New Mexico, many cultural changes occurred. Soon, most women wore European style clothing year round. I am not 100% on this, but I am sure that this change of clothing also reflected a change in activity for New Mexican women like Josefina. It is harder to get around in a corset and hoopskirt (which would have been in fashion during the change over) than in a full skirt and long undershirt (it is my belief that many female fashions throughout history, including things like high heels and tight jeans today, are meant to impede physical movement and therefore freedom and self defense). Yay, progress.... </div>
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But of course Josefina, who likely died a United States citizen since she was (I hope) alive in 1846, couldn't have known that the days of practical but pretty clothing were numbered. The weaving outfit is an example of one of Josefina's Mexican outfits. A camisa was an essential element of these ensembles.</div>
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This camisa features burgundy embroidery on the chest with matching trim on the neckline. The embroidery showcases a flower and two leaf vines. The neckline is square. </div>
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The sleeves are capped with a bit of gathering for fullness and also feature burgundy trim.<br />
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I didn't capture a picture of it, but the camisa velcros up the back like most AG clothing. <br />
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The only issue with this camisa is that it won't really go with any other skirt combination. Josefina's camisa from her meet outfit will go with any skirt you pair it with because of the lack of colorful detailing. These outfits are supposed to mix and match, but in this case, the other skirt would also have to be burgundy. Still, the camisa is absolutely lovely so no complaints from me.</div>
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<em>Skirt:</em></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfINrER2hSEJmiJLoRH9EgvQEM1niKXC0bn2r5qlwHdvysaH8eKOd9w7j7ja_MVdwrz1bwFeSTq4j9j-kbZSqBy0zJNzuBLOe0UoCiyLDSyO8I-gYM_WVSm25bjufYkIKAL2rpBOfSGoU/s1600/tumblr_nxb0wpz1Ob1skd3dio4_250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfINrER2hSEJmiJLoRH9EgvQEM1niKXC0bn2r5qlwHdvysaH8eKOd9w7j7ja_MVdwrz1bwFeSTq4j9j-kbZSqBy0zJNzuBLOe0UoCiyLDSyO8I-gYM_WVSm25bjufYkIKAL2rpBOfSGoU/s320/tumblr_nxb0wpz1Ob1skd3dio4_250.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The skirt is full and calf length. The top part is white-when Josefina has the entire outfit on (including the belt) the top part of the skirt makes it look almost like a dress because it matches. A burgundy ribbon separates the white top half from the patterned bottom half. The ribbon of course matches the trim on the camisa.</div>
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The pattern is stunning-small burgundy flowers with brown vines against a beige background. </div>
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Along the hem, there is a kind of thick, crochet lace. It is barely noticeable but it really adds a nice, pretty detail to the outfit. Here's to all the haters who say Josefina and Addy (I need to review one of her outfits to prove this) don't have pretty clothes. Yes they do! Who can look at this outfit and not admire the copious detail that went into it? This outfit is gorgeous.<br />
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<em>Rebozo:</em><br />
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<em> </em></div>
Th<em></em>e rebozo is a much wider piece of material than the other rebozos that Josefina typically wears. It is a burgundy color with fringe on the side.<br />
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Rebozos were necessary for remaining pale (and also to prevent premature aging caused by sun exposure, but I'm going to focus on the cultural implications of remaining pale). It's hard for many white Americans to believe in this day and age of worshipping the sun (recently at the hairdresser I was asked if I have ever considered spray tanning-I'm of Irish descent and my coloring reflects that, I cannot tan, and I have a history of skin cancer in my family-I wasn't insulted, I just informed my stylist that I have come to terms with my paleness), but once upon a time, being tan was considered a terrible thing. Not because of skin cancer, but because people who were tan theoretically acquired their tan while working in the sun. Since working, especially outside with your hands, was seen as something only poor people did, women tried to keep their skin was pale as possible. <br />
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Josefina and her family did work outside with their hands. But they didn't want people to know that because it would reflect badly on their social status. The women could use other methods-some women spread mud on their faces to protect against the sun.<br />
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This hasn't changed. I said above that <em>white </em>Americans don't get it. But people of color around the world try to lighten their skin all the time, and being dark skinned can sometimes be viewed as aesthetically unpleasing within communities. There's a documentary available for viewing on Netflix called <em>Dark Girls. </em>It's hard to watch but I think it was an important thing to see. Western beauty standards of skin color, hair, and facial features have had such a huge impact on ideals of beauty around the world. It hurts me to hear a kid say that they feel ugly because they're "too dark."<br />
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I don't want to get too into that because I'm not in these communities and so my understanding is superficial. But I do want to say that your skin is beautiful. My skin is beautiful. <br />
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Back to the matter at hand. <br />
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This rebozo has a very light pattern consisting of lighter and darker burgundy colors interlocking.<br />
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Fringe is cool. This rebozo isn't an example of this, but many women created elaborate designs with the fringe of their shawls to add a pretty detail.<br />
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<em>Belt:</em><br />
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This belt is a woven strip of thick material. The colors are yellow, black, burgundy, and blue. You tie this around Josefina's waist to conceal the waist of the skirt.<br />
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Picture time!<br />
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I choose to wrap the rebozo around Josefina's pretty face. The Josefina mold is definitely my favorite out of all the molds AG has ever used. No, I'm not biased....that would be wrong...definitely not.<br />
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To really shield her from the skin cancer causing sun, the rebozo would have to be pulled forward a bit. But I couldn't resist showing off her pretty brown eyes and thick hair. I think this might be my favorite picture of her that I have ever taken.<br />
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Josefina getting her learn on! When she becomes a curandera, maybe she'll write down her herb knowledge.<br />
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You need a light to read!<br />
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One day Josefina will get love letters and she'll send responses by letter as well. Or...maybe she'll just send them a squash!<br />
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Notice that Josefina is wearing her moccasins with this outfit. Those are the only acceptable pair of shoes for this set.<br />
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Josefina and Nina (who is wearing a copy of a European ensemble).<br />
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Anyways, that's all for this lovely outfit! I still haven't done any reviews for Kaya, Felicity, Elizabeth, Marie-Grace, Addy, Nellie, Kit, Molly, Emily, Maryellen, Julie, Ivy, or Saige. It's irrational but it's starting to make me feel bad. So my goal is to not do another clothing or furniture review for Josefina, Samantha, Rebecca, or Caroline until the rest of the dolls get some coverage.<br />
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Also, who would Addy be in the future? Hopefully that post will be up soon!<br />
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P.S.<br />
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Now am I in support of covering your skin when you go outside? Yes! Slather that SPF on, wear a big hat, cover up. But it isn't because darker skin (or paler skin, unlike what my hairdresser implied) is ugly. It's because you can get skin cancer. Everyone, no matter their race, can get skin cancer. I feel forced to add because I have no idea who is viewing this that people of color can sometimes be more likely to die of skin cancer. Why? Because there is a myth in our society that only white people get skin cancer, so people of color often think they're safe. Often skin cancer is seen as a white person's disease. Doctors often think their patients of color are safe and don't warn people of color (especially African Americans) that they are at risk. Then by the time they realize they have skin cancer, it's way too late because no one was checking. <br />
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I posted a link to back up what I was saying. Check for moles and marks. Go see a doctor. Be safe. This is the perfect time since the summer just ended. This applies to everyone.<br />
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<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/many-blacks-are-unaware-of-a-skin-cancerthat-primarily-affects-dark-skinned-people/2014/08/04/14164ada-e68a-11e3-afc6-a1dd9407abcf_story.html">https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/many-blacks-are-unaware-of-a-skin-cancerthat-primarily-affects-dark-skinned-people/2014/08/04/14164ada-e68a-11e3-afc6-a1dd9407abcf_story.html</a><br />
<br />American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-62474153709294868982015-10-10T18:45:00.001-07:002015-11-17T11:48:56.970-08:00Welcome Cécile: The Newest Member of the Doll Circle<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">Meet Cécile</span></u></strong></div>
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I'm happy to welcome the newest member of my doll collection-Cécile Rey!<br />
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She's an early anniversary gift from my husband-I'm sure the buying of her was extremely stressful for him since he had to go to eBay. He hates buying American Girl things as a surprise off eBay-since he doesn't know what to look for, he thinks he'll be taken for a ride. He'd rather go to the American Girl site and buy a new item. But I wanted Cécile and I have for a while.<br />
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This involves some history on my part. When I first got into American Girl collecting, all I knew was that I wanted Josefina. I had wanted her as a child and I finally had money of my own so I said, "I'm an adult, and adults with their own money don't care what other people think!" And I purchased her and she came and I loved her so much. That was when I decided to start a collection.<br />
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But who to buy next? Much to my disappointment, Samantha, Felicity, and Kirsten were all gone. But Addy and Kaya and Kit and Molly were still there, and...oh wow, they made an Emily doll! And who were these new characters? They were so pretty! And what was a Girl of the Year anyways?<br />
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I was so overcome with shinies that I didn't bother to decide how to focus my collection. I wanted it ALL!<br />
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Molly and Emily were about to retire and so I went ahead and got Molly, Emily was given to me as a gift from my grandmother, and then I decided that I wanted Saige. It was only later on that I realized I had no interest in additional modern dolls. I won't buy anymore-unless they come out with a DOC for GOTY, in which case I'll put my money where my mouth is and buy her. But for now, Saige is my beloved modern doll, the other doll given to me by my grandmother, who passed away a little over a year ago.<br />
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I kept on collecting, mostly getting the dolls from the books of my childhood. Soon Kirsten, Addy, and Samantha were added-I overcame my fear of buying off eBay. But it was (and is) my goal to eventually own all of the historical dolls-I just didn't think they would retire Ivy (managed to snag one of the last ones at the Atlanta store), Ruthie, Marie-Grace, and Cécile so soon-they were all practically brand new!-and so quickly. I missed out on all 4 except Ivy.<br />
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Later I realized I wanted Marie-Grace and Cécile very badly but it was too late. I found Marie Grace rather cheaply, but a Cécile in good condition was expensive on the second hand market. And I couldn't get any Cécile doll-I knew I'd never be able to fix her hair if she came all messed up. But then I felt kind of bad for having Marie-Grace but not Cécile in my collection-like I'd chosen the white doll over the black one, when I had always preferred Cécile. (I've since bonded with MG and so I now love them equally).<br />
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I had gotten so involved in the AG community that I was more aware of issues like the lack of DOC in the GOTY line up. I was no longer blinded by shinies. So I felt icky.<br />
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But now I have her and she's perfect. I'm going to go ahead and do a review of her meet outfit and accessories.<br />
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Cécile comes from a wealthy family-she is in fact wealthier than Marie-Grace, which makes me happy. There have been wealthy African Americans, just like there have been poor white people (not that Marie-Grace is poor). Cécile's clothes show her wealth-she is a pretty princess doll, kind of like Samantha.<br />
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Now before someone starts thinking this makes her a "better" African American doll than Addy, hear me out. We need both dolls, to show that there were a wide variety of lifestyles for African Americans in the past. Is Samantha better than Nellie? No! They're just from different socioeconomic backgrounds, showing that there were vast differences in lifestyle. Addy and Cécile complement each other, just as Sam and Nellie do.<br />
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The dress is made of a dark blue (the wiki entry is more specific and calls it cerulean) silk. The fabric is shiny, and most of the time, I hate shiny fabric (see Caroline's party dress Elsa knockoff monstrosity that was supposed to replace her lovely birthday dress). Most of the time, shiny fabric looks cheap. However, this dress has more of a sheen to it than an outright shine, probably due to the dark color. It looks nice.<br />
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The color also looks spectacular on Cécile. In my doll family, friends from the same time period share clothes (but no one else-my dolls do not time travel), but this is one case where I'll probably have to draw the line. I might try it, but I doubt this color will look nice on Marie Grace. To keep it fair, I won't have Cécile in Marie-Grace's meet-I've grown to love her too.<br />
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The dress reaches Cécile's calf-the proper length for a girl of Cécile's age. Want to do an experiment and learn something about children's fashion history? Line up the dolls in chronological order wearing dresses (excluding Kaya, because she was around before European influences on dress, and dress Josefina in one of her European inspired outfits like the Christmas dress) and see where their hems fall to. <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">This isn't a perfect example because I had this idea at the last minute and it doesn't include all my dolls but look. Felicity and Elizabeth's hems reach the floor. MG and CeCe's hems reach the midcalf area. Addy's dress is a bit below the knee and Sam 's is almost exactly at the knee. Yet for all the dolls, except Felicity and Elizabeth, their time periods would not have allowed adult women to dress in those fashions-check out CeCe's mom, Mrs. Walker, or Cornelia in the book illustrations to see what the expected adult fashions were. All of their hems hit the floor. This shows that adult fashions and children's fashions had diverged after the Revolution (Felicity would have dressed like a miniature Martha Merriman). All of these girls would have looked forward to the day when they could have lowered their skirts and be considered adult women.</span></div>
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I did a mini-example above.<br />
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From Felicity, who basically wore a copy of an adult ensemble, to Maryellen, whose poodle skirt would have been too full for an adult and so was inherently a children's/adolescent's style, you can see that times have changed. Children no longer dress exactly like their parents. Every doll's hem is a bit shorter then the doll from the period before her's. I think that's really cool, because I'm a history geek.<br />
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It's also cool to do with underwear but I digress.<br />
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Back to Cécile's dress. It has black velvet trim around the skirt and in a V on the bodice. I love velvet trims in darker colors-like a light blue dress with a darker blue trim on the hem sounds gorgeous to me. It's no different here, and the velvet emphasizes her wealth. Clothes back then (and today) were meant to send a message, and her clothes do it successfully.<br />
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The velvet continues on the back of the dress, which is good. I HATE when American Girl ends the pattern or decoration on the back of an outfit. If I'm paying $30 for a doll outfit (how much material could it possibly use up?!?) the trim should certainly continue!<br />
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There is a rosette on the front, which emphasizes the color nicely, and the V neck part of the bodice is white.<br />
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The dress is detailed and perfect-I love it.<br />
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Here are her pantallettes. They are not the same as the pair worn by Marie-Grace, which have elastic around the ankles and lace trim. These instead have eyelet trim, and you can see them poking beneath her dress (another thing that an adult woman would never have done).<br />
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The boots are a versatile black with four nonfunctional gold buttons along the side. I strongly prefer these to Marie-Grace's black and white boots. These will go with most if not all the outfits she has-I already have her special dress and her parlor dress, so she has a bit of a wardrobe already. They velcro up the back. In this shot you can also see the eyelet detailing.<br />
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Under her boots, she wear cream ribbed stockings. Again, these will go with everything.<br />
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Her hair is tied off her face with two white silk ribbons. Let's take a moment to admire her mane of curls.<br />
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She really has the prettiest hair. I'm terrified of it, but I'll just try not to touch it. And if I do, I'll take her butt right up to the store to have her hair done. Out of all my dolls, she has one of the prettiest hair styles (other contenders are Josefina, Rebecca, Kaya, Caroline, and Felicity-in my opinion of course). <br />
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On to the accessories! As a later doll, she only has three items in her accessory set-a hat, a pair of gloves, and a necklace.<br />
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I hate doll gloves-they look like oven mitts. If you don't look too closely, they're fine. But, upon closer examination, they look really dumb. If I had my way, she would have had a blue and black fan like her friend (Marie-Grace had a cream and pink fan). I love doll fans. Oh well.<br />
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Oh no, semi-naked doll! Who cares? Cécile doesn't.<br />
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At least she has a better necklace than Marie-Grace does (MG has a gold locket), and again this showcases her greater wealth. It is a rather large (for doll scale) pearl on a gold necklace. Very pretty.<br />
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I saved the best accessory for last. Her hat. Hats were very important back then-they were seen as indispensable when outdoors. The more ornate the hat during this time period, the better. A milliner or hatter who could make a nice hat would do a brisk business. Remember how excited Kirsten was about her straw hat from her summer story? While Marie Grace has a rather plain hat furnished only with a pink ribbon, Cécile has a much nicer piece.<br />
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That's a vertical view. It's a sculpted round hat. The hat is made of felt material that matches her dress. Felt is made by compressing fibers together-according to Christian legend, fleeing Christians made felt by lining their sandals with wool to cushion their feet. At the end of the journey, the materials had matted from pressure and sweat into felt. Doesn't that sound gross?<br />
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The person who made her this felt hat might have contracted Mad Hatter Disease (I'm not sure which kind of fibers the hat is supposed to simulate, but if it is meant to be an animal fiber then almost certainly), which comes from making hats, yes, but specifically from making felt hats because of the mercury used in processing it. The process was called carroting (because material that was too thin or near the edges would turn orange when exposed to the mercury compound), and it is no longer in use today. I'm not sure this applies here because of the color of the hat (though surely they could have dyed it) and also because American Girl doesn't use animal products (though they do simulate them-see Kaya's dress). Still, the hatter would have worked with animal fibers so he (or she) would probably have gotten the disease at some point. That is where the phrase "mad as a hatter" comes from and why the hatter acts like he does in <em>Alice in Wonderland.</em><br />
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I just think that's an interesting historical tidbit.<br />
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You can see the black ribbon trim around the brim. It is further accented with a pretty floral detail on the side, which matches the rosette on her dress.<br />
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The hat has a large silky red ribbon tied in a bow at the back.<br />
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I adore this hat. I wish I could wear it myself. Why did hats as everyday attire have to go out of style? You know I love living during this period since I can vote and work and because more people have civil rights and because of things like air conditioning and modern medical science...but man, the way they dressed back then!<br />
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Here is a close up of Cécile with her hat on. You can also see her eyes, which are hazel. I know American Girl has been overusing the hazel recently, but the color looks really nice and unique on Cécile.<br />
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So Cécile and Marie-Grace are finally reunited! Welcome to the circle Cécile!<br />
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American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-71836922597494807772015-09-18T23:54:00.000-07:002015-11-04T20:57:03.839-08:00Who Would They Be in the Future? Felicity and Elizabeth<div align="center">
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<em>Faithful Friends Forever Be</em></div>
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So I'm finally back to the series people ask me about the most-the series where I predict the future of the American Girl characters. It's been a while since I've written one of these, for a couple of different reasons.<br />
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The first is that they take a lot of effort. That sounds lazy but I have two jobs, a husband, and all that comes with adulting. Oh how I hate adulating...Plus this isn't my only writing thing-I like creative writing-so I have to divide my time between the blog and that.<br />
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The other is that I have a feeling this post is going to be very unpopular. I know a lot of people picture Felicity and Elizabeth together in the future. I do not. I see Felicity with Benjamin. This isn't because I don't like gay relationships either, since I do ship Nellie and Sam. But not every close friendship equals homoeroticism to me (or heteroeroticism-I don't see Kit with Stirling), and this is one of those. I always sensed something between Lissie and Ben. <br />
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I don't have an issue with people who ship Felicity and Elizabeth. It's just not for me, and I guess YMMV. <br />
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So on to my prediction.<br />
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Life expectancy during the American Revolution was only 36 (don't you love modern sanitation and medicine?). How depressing.<br />
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In 1775, Mr. Merrinan promised Ben that he could be a soldier the following year if there was still a war going on. Sadly there was, and Ben set off to be a Patriot in the fall of 1776. He was 18. Felicity, by then 11, had developed a girlish crush on the older teenager, which her parents encouraged. After all, it was suitable since the two were close in social stature. The two exchanged letters, which became more romantic as the years went on. Ben wintered with George Washington at Valley Forge, and Felicity worried about him-that was an awful winter for the soldiers. She was also very proud of him-he had found a way to honor his promise to her father while also fighting for the cause they both deeply believed in.<br />
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He would not return for several years. As a military wife, all I can say is that I'm thankful that, even in wartime, my husband would come home more than once every six years and that I could contact him in real time. Those luxuries were of course not available to Felicity and Ben. When he finally came home in the fall of 1781 to finish out his apprenticeship, Felicity was sixteen and Ben twenty three. He owed Mr. Merriman two more years of service, which he completed as agreed. During that time, Felicity and Ben became engaged. She liked the way Ben never questioned her independence, and Ben thought Felicity epitomized the feisty American spirit he had fought for. When his contract was over, the couple married, set up a store of their own in Yorktown, and lived quite happily. They worked side by side in the store, which everyone said was very odd, but neither cared. Their marriage worked for them. Felicity always owned and rode horses, most of them descended from Penny.<br />
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They had six children. Two girls and one boy survived to adulthood. The girls were named Elizabeth (after Felicity's best friend) and Martha (after Felicity's mother and the wife of the first American president). The boy was named George, after the president.<br />
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Of course, there was a dark side to their life. Like her parents before her, Felicity owned slaves. Since they were not rich land owners, they owned two-a man to help in the store and a maid of all work to help Felicity run the house. Again, I realize this isn't what people want to read about their beloved characters, but it is the historical reality of the time period. I would like to think they weren't the absolute WORST people to their slaves, but all slavery is wrong, and there is no such thing as a "kind" master. <br />
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To go off on a rant, I am so tired of that legend of the "kind" master and the "happy" slave being used as a defense of the south. I see it all the time-whenever there is a news story about the Confederate flag, someone invariably comments that we "Yankees" who live up North (amazing how they always assume I'm from up north when I disagree with displays of the flag on private property, this despite the fact that my family has lived in the south since before the American Revolution, owned slaves, and fought for the Confederacy-as if the lives of ancestors I never met are going to change my moral views) just don't understand that lots of slaves were well treated and that so many African Americans fought for the Confederacy (fact check-the number of African American men who fought for the south <strong>by choice</strong> can't be determined, but it was an extremely small percentage according to every academic source I have ever consulted).<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Not a history book. Just an extremely biased work of fiction. You would never know that to see certain comments on Facebook.</span></div>
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Do I think there were slave owners who didn't kill and maim their slaves? Sure. Do I think there were some slaves and masters who formed complicated emotional bonds, like say the children who grew up side by side? Sure. The human heart is a strange thing and knows no bounds on love-for example, Frederick Douglas wrote to the master he ran away from asking about the children of that master, since he had grown up with them. He told his master that he loved him but hated slavery. I'm not going to write that off completely.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">This is from a later period, but my point still stands. I can't say for sure how that woman feels toward that white child in her lap-I know that her lack of a smile isn't necessarily because of the child, people didn't usually smile in photographs back then. She might love this child; she might hate this child. I think it's likely that the feelings are mixed. On the one hand, it is hard to hate a small baby. On the other hand, she's busy raising this child for a life of privilege while her own children, if she has any, are being raised to be slaves. Either way, don't see this and think that the Mammy myth is accurate.</span></div>
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But that's the kicker isn't it? Douglas still hated being a slave, no matter how much affection he felt for the children of his master. No matter how complicated those bonds might be, slavery is such a fundamental robbery of human dignity that it is inherently wrong, no matter what the conditions of that slavery might be. Slave masters abused their slaves by default, because to hold someone in bondage at all is abuse, even if you don't kill them or beat them. There is no "benign" slavery. There's just perhaps different degrees of cruelty, and I like Felicity and Ben enough to say that perhaps they weren't the absolute worst slave owners. And again, I wouldn't judge them by the same standards that I would judge myself.<br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Remember her? They might have called her a "servant" but it was obvious that she was a slave. There might have been some love between her and Felicity, but any relationship in which the adult calls the child "Miss Felicity" and the child responds by just using the first name of the adult is bound to be tainted. Rosa likely had a hand in raising Felicity and perhaps had those same mixed feelings towards her that I described above. Don't mistake her politeness for friendliness-she has to be friendly, she is a slave.</span></div>
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The Merrimans owned slaves, it was right there in the books. They didn't outright call them slaves in the stories, but it was heavily implied and outright confirmed in some of the material. Again, no judgment against them-different historical times, different codes of morality. I'm just tired of these myths coming back to be used as a defense for racism.<br />
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Felicity died in 1800 at the age of 35. She died, like many women did in her day, of childbirth, and the baby was stillborn. Ben never remarried but instead ran the store on his own. He lived a comparably long life, dying at the age of 50.<br />
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And what of Elizabeth? When the American Revolution ended with the colonists victorious, the Coles decided to remain in America. They wanted to leave after the treatment they were given by the colonists, but Annabelle had married an American man, and Loyalists who had created roots in the colonies were unlikely to be among the perhaps 10% of Loyalists who left.<br />
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Elizabeth went on to marry a plantation owner named James in Virginia-since her family was wealthier, she was destined to marry into the ever wealthier aristocracy that was quickly developing in the south. Just like Felicity and Ben, she owned slaves, though she owned a great deal more. Felicity visited the plantation from time to time, but it was a bit of a difference from York. Their friendship was mostly conducted through letter.<br />
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Unfortunately, Elizabeth died very early on from illness when she was only in her twenties. She had only given birth to three girls-Felicity, Charlotte, and Annabelle (she became closer with her sister as they grew older). Even though James remarried, Felicity still took an active role in the lives of Elizabeth's three girls.<br />
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Felicity never quite recovered from the death of her best friend. Though she had a loving husband, a family, and a successful business, things were never quite the same once Elizabeth was gone. Later, George, Felicity's son, married Elizabeth's youngest daughter Annabelle. In that way, Felicity and Elizabeth had mutual grandchildren and their friendship was honored in that way.<br />
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Until the day she died, Felicity would always remember how she and Elizabeth promised to be "faithful friends" forever. They kept that promise, despite differences in wealth, class, location, and ideology. <br />
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<br />American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-13185890561438616982015-08-30T17:47:00.001-07:002015-11-04T20:57:21.955-08:00Product Review: Samantha's Buster Brown Dress<span style="font-size: x-large;">Brace Yourselves: The School Year is Starting....</span><br />
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The school year has begun, and kids are heading back to class! Not me-my school days are done, at least for now. I might go back and get a graduate degree once military life is over and my husband gets his degree (so at least another 5 years). Still, I loved that time of year-new clothes in attractive fall styles, brand new school supplies with cute animals on the covers of my notebook, the chance to see my friends again after a long summer. But for now, I am no longer a student.<br />
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But that does not stop my dolls from getting ready for school! Oh no-all the dolls that have school outfits must put them on this month. As I was dressing them, I thought about which of the dolls gets the most attention on this blog-only 4 dolls have had a product review. Those dolls are Josefina, Kirsten, Caroline, and Rebecca. I felt kinda bad, in much the same way that a child feels bad when they pay too much attention to one stuffed animal or doll and then neglects the others. I need to rectify that, and I'm going to start with my original girls. So come on down, Samantha, and show us how you go back to school!<br />
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Samantha of course came out in 1986 and this was one of the first items that came out with her. The set is simple, and it only has two items (the dress itself and a black hair ribbon). The dress didn't retire until 2008, meaning it was on the market for over two decades. I say that because it means you should be able to get it for a reasonable price on eBay-I wouldn't pay more than $35-40 for a complete set. You can see that she wore this dress on the cover of her second book. It also features prominently in the illustrations. Samantha wore this to her private girl's academy, where she learned how to be a young lady.<br />
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I choose this outfit for Samantha for two reasons. The first is that I love it. I don't mind frou-frou outfits and I am very girly. But Samantha's collection is getting a bit <em>too </em>girly for my taste, and it wasn't always so...pink. For example, her original meet was a lot less frilly than the new one. Her original coat set too. It is all becoming, in my opinion, too much. This outfit is a nice grey.<br />
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The second reason is because this is my favorite Samantha book, because of the way Samantha helps Nellie. I know that Samantha has a privileged life, and that can be annoying. But people can't help it if they're born rich. It's what they do with the privileges they're given that matters to me, and Samantha is a good friend to Nellie, one of the best in the entire collection [1]. Also Samantha knows how to accept when she is wrong and change her viewpoints accordingly. Do you know how few adults have mastered that skill? And she's 9. That makes her worthy of praise in my book.<br />
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Anyways, here's the review!<br />
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Here is the dress-it is a grey flannel material, which would hopefully keep Samantha warm in the chilly New York autumn. The fabric feels really sturdy and nice. The grey is a good color, since this dress would be worn often, and the grey would hide dinginess very well. I remember reading that, back in the Victorian and Edwardian era, people wore a lot of black and grey because gas lighting made everything filthy, and the more somber colors disguised that well. <br />
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Anyways, one of the main issues I have with people studying the past is they seem to believe that no one before the current era was concerned with hygiene. I recently read a really interesting book called <em>Inside the Victorian Home </em>(yes, I know it's a bit early for Samantha, but some of the principles probably still apply, and yes it also was more focused on England, but still) which explained the life of the middle class Victorian woman by going about the various functions of each room in the house. Those people worked <em>hard </em>to keep their homes clean-or at least, they paid servants to do so. It was just harder, since they didn't have the modern implements that we do.<br />
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The poor tried as well, but many of them did not have running water, or at least reliable running water. Imagine running up and down stairs with buckets of water, heating the water because you can't bathe in cold water in the winter, pouring them into a hip bath, bathing, drying, dressing, and then carting all of the water, bucket by bucket, back down the stairs because of course there is no drain. I guess you could also just toss the water out the window. Still, very time consuming, after coming home from a hard day of work, taking care of children, cooking (remember to haul water up for cooking too!), etc. Is it any wonder they bathed less? The rich did so because they had servants and regularly supplied running water. Anyways, done with that tangent. Back to our review.<br />
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The grey is top stitched in white, which gives it a crisp look.<br />
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If you look at the bodice, there are two rows of white buttons down the front. These buttons are non functional but they really help the neutral color scheme and add a pretty little detail. The other detail is the little black bow tie at the top. Above it is a white collar. I like how that makes the dress look like a uniform (which I suppose it is-a school uniform). There is something charmingly utilitarian about the entire outfit.</div>
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The waist is dropped, as are most of the bodices on Samantha's clothes from the beginning collection. That was a style trend from that decade.</div>
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The skirt is pleated-I feel bad for whoever had to do the ironing in a house full of pleated skirts. It is time consuming to get a razor sharp pleat with an iron.</div>
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The full sleeves have a slight puff, and end in a white cuff. The sleeves have openings that close with Velcro to get those inflexible doll hands through. Those are the bane of my existence, especially when you're trying to put the gloves on a doll hand. The only thing worse is a pair of really fitted doll shoes. So I'm glad American Girl took mercy and gave us the Velcro closures. It also, like most of the clothes, has a Velcro down the back to get the dress on and off.</div>
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The outfit also came with a black hair ribbon, but the set I bought off eBay didn't come with the ribbon, and I refuse to pay eBay prices (probably at least $10-15) for a piece of fabric. I'll take my butt up to Joann's if it starts to bother me too much. Don't make my mistake though and buy a set without the ribbon, unless it is really cheap.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_m_OKYuEH2xbjkUWXO9qEKRblVaNRslkgYT-8HAa8h0Zr_LCNEiYDPcKlRy-DBPBwXYJvtir6nVzON20PJS3TX4QA5CzVxIVAUE-6h8OJD1twhtzf_3L1IIpuDoyvJ1WJCU6t4NVceC8/s1600/tumblr_ntx3vmFg2f1skd3dio6_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_m_OKYuEH2xbjkUWXO9qEKRblVaNRslkgYT-8HAa8h0Zr_LCNEiYDPcKlRy-DBPBwXYJvtir6nVzON20PJS3TX4QA5CzVxIVAUE-6h8OJD1twhtzf_3L1IIpuDoyvJ1WJCU6t4NVceC8/s320/tumblr_ntx3vmFg2f1skd3dio6_1280.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">I added this picture so you could see her pretty decal brown eyes-they're unique to the AG world.</span></div>
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There's Samantha sitting on my shelf, all ready for school! You pair the dress with her tights and shoes from the meet outfit. Do not pair this outfit with white tights-she'd get them dirty at school. She's hanging out with Nellie and Addy.</div>
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Now for the history of the dress. The outfit is called the Buster Brown dress. When I initially found that out, I thought it was so weird. The dress isn't brown, after all. So why Buster Brown?</div>
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Buster Brown is actually the name of a popular comic strip character who debuted in 1902 in the New York Herald. Buster was known for playing practical jokes on people that he never repented from. He often spouted a moral that had absolutely nothing to do with what he got into trouble for.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi074q5FOaOOUFd0mDeD6bWHq2hOyccREBqwoRSoQTMhZ84CHx9X2TNXvwgZ4RDtxA3096JZorXQNT7n1vCDOZP2huytRbpJqqBf4b49QKqta-va5z3e2b-TTrswP4LYQ32V-l6DC1ULfc/s1600/423px-Buster_Brown_alone_mod_color.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi074q5FOaOOUFd0mDeD6bWHq2hOyccREBqwoRSoQTMhZ84CHx9X2TNXvwgZ4RDtxA3096JZorXQNT7n1vCDOZP2huytRbpJqqBf4b49QKqta-va5z3e2b-TTrswP4LYQ32V-l6DC1ULfc/s320/423px-Buster_Brown_alone_mod_color.png" width="225" /></a></div>
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Anyways, he was very popular and eventually appeared in other media (the stage, TV, radio, and even movies). Clothes inspired by his look became popular. You can see the cuffed white sleeves and white collar with a black bow tie (though his is distinctly exaggerated), along with a dropped waist.</div>
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You can see the style there as well. Again, white cuff and collar, dropped waist, black bow tie. <br />
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That is where the name of Samantha's school outfit came from.<br />
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So there you have it. Samantha's outfit is cute and stylish, not frou-frou, and is clearly historically accurate and well researched. Hopefully, I'll feel like doing one of Molly's outfits soon. It'd be great to do her Halloween Hula costume for next month, but I'm afraid I don't have that one. We'll see!<br />
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[1] What other good friends do we have? Kaya is a good friend, but she ends up getting her blind sister captured because of her recklessness. Felicity and Elizabeth are probably the closest after Samantha and Nellie. Caroline can be a brat to her friends, trying to get them to skate when they're afraid of skating. Josefina's friendships don't feature prominently in the books, and all of Kirsten's friends die or leave forever-she doesn't get much of a chance to show how good a friend she can be. Marie-Grace and Cecile's friendship never struck me as particularly close (sorry, but it didn't). Addy, though I love her, was so caught up with Harriet's glamor that she sort of forgot Sarah for a bit, something Samantha never does in the series with Nellie (possibly because Samantha was born with glamor and Addy wasn't, so it means less to her to be fair). Rebecca's a good cousin, but again, friendship isn't the main point, and if I remember correctly, she was embarrassed of Ana. Kit and Ruthie argued a lot. Molly was a jerk 90% of the time, including to Emily. Julie and Ivy were also close, right up there with Samantha and Nellie, and if anything, Ivy was the jerk. But still, Samantha and Nellie and Felicity and Elizabeth. I also know everyone ships Felicity and Elizabeth, but I don't (Felicity and Ben). As my "where would they be?" showed, I ship Sam and Nellie.</div>
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American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7446237013817559233.post-61480467275872925532015-08-28T13:02:00.000-07:002015-11-04T20:58:13.296-08:00Maryellen's Collection :)<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">Maryellen and Her Collection</span></u></strong></div>
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So unless you've been living under a rock (at least in the American Girl world), then you've known that Maryellen Larkin was our new historical character, the much requested girl from the 1950s. And she has finally been released. Now I haven't seen any of this in person-I don't live close enough to a store, and since it is only the day after, I can't possibly have received any of it.</div>
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Well, here she is in all her stock picture glory! What do I think? I think the doll is very pretty-I like the strawberry blonde hair, kind of like Nellie's hair. The high pony tail is cute, peppy, and very 1950s appropriate. Her eyes are pretty too-they're about the color of my own eyes. She actually looks very much like my grandmother who was a child in the 1950s, which hurts a bit because her death was just a short time ago-I showed her the leaked pictures when they were first coming out.</div>
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Of course, I still think they should have used this opportunity to release an Asian historical doll. </div>
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The meet outfit? Eh. I don't like the pink and powder blue color combination. I don't hate it, but it isn't my favorite. I kind of feel like this is the meet outfit because Mattel wants to make beaucoup bucks. Otherwise, they probably would have slapped her in the poodle skirt since that was what people were sort of expecting for a 1950s doll. Call it kitsch, but people are going to buy this doll AND the poodle skirt and immediately throw her in the poodle skirt. Me included.</div>
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The sweater with the M is cute. The shoes should be white to really go with the outfit. I get that they wanted to make it versatile; I get that black goes with most things. Key word-most. Not this thing.</div>
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I don't like these...like at all. I can't even put my finger on it, but they are so frou frou that they even turn me, the queen of girliness, the woman who likes to wear dresses and florals everywhere, off! Too much pastel. Maybe in person?</div>
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These are the pajamas and they are adorable! Baby doll PJs are very cute, and very accurate to the period. I love the light apple green and I think it works well on our girl here, what with her light red hair. Green is actually my favorite color (favorite outfit for Felicity-riding habit, Josefina-harvest outfit) and so I was bound to love this.</div>
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When I first saw the leaked pictures for this collection, I asked myself, "Where is the holiday outfit?" Yet when I read the descriptions on the American Girl website, it became obvious that this is the Christmas outfit. I want to be clear-I think this outfit is really cute. But this to me feels more like a winter outfit, in much the same way that Caroline (to use a recent example) has a holiday gown and a winter coat thing. Samantha in her BeForever iteration has a plaid Christmas set and a coat set. Maybe this is the time period when people just stopped wearing fancy clothes for the holidays. But if that is the case, then why does the modern line put out a few uber fancy confections every year as their holiday dresses? I hope they'll eventually give her a true holiday dress-maybe they're waiting for the Christmas season to approach and then they'll release it.</div>
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Love this outfit! I know everyone thinks it's a stereotype, but it is actually a pretty genuine 1950s fad. The style became popular in the 50s and girls (I say girls-the poodle skirt was more heavily marketed to girls and teenagers than to adult women) wore them both as everyday clothes and to school dances (known then as sock hops). The skirt didn't always have a poodle on it either-the consistent design element was a felt circle skirt with some sort of applique on it.<br />
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The design was also easy to make at home which helped make it popular.<br />
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Looking through pictures, I have also seen the Eiffel Tower and homages to Elvis Presley. Here is an image to prove that Maryellen needed a poodle skirt in her collection:<br />
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That is a ten year old wearing a poodle skirt in 1954. I think people hate on the poodle skirt partially because of the white American (I say American because I am an American-it is possible and perhaps probable that other people in other countries do this too, but I cannot speak on that) tendency to idealize the past. With these rose tinted glasses, the American Revolution was a foregone conclusion and the only choice the brave colonists could make (never mind that many of these colonists were filled with apathy about the whole matter), the Antebellum South was a place of gentility where chivalry took its last bow (never mind that the Cotton aristocrats gained their vaunted social status on the backs of slaves and that the adored southern belles had no rights), and in their turn the 1950s was a time of innocent fun for everyone (never mind segregation still being around in certain places, diseases like polio, and confining gender roles). White Americans look back with longing for yesteryear.<br />
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For people of color, I can only imagine that this is maddening (once again, I cannot say for sure). As a woman, it can be aggravating, because the times when women were "protected" and "innocent" were also the times when women had very few options.<br />
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This idealization has its symbols (the Mammy figure for the South is an example-see the issues with Aunt Jemima syrup). The symbol for the 1950s Americana idealization is the poodle skirt. Yet this is one place where the symbol isn't necessarily a lie-poodle skirts were popular. <br />
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I guess I'll have to read the Maryellen books to see if American Girl idealized it all. To be fair, I believe they did a pretty good job of NOT doing do in the past so I have faith.<br />
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I digress. I will be buying this outfit.<br />
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This is her birthday outfit. I think I like it, but I would really love to see it in person to see what the fabric looks like. I usually have an issue with shiny fabrics (I hated Caroline's BeForever party gown-gross Elsa knock off), because I think they look cheap, but this looks really lovely. The green kind of tones the shiny down I think. This might end up doubling as her Christmas dress too. Also that headband in her red hair...gah.<br />
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I'm a red head (well...my hair is reddish brown) and I'll be the first to say that I look horrible in some colors (reds, pinks, and yellows). But no one looks better than a red head in greens and certain shades of blue.<br />
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This might compete with the poodle skirt for my favorite outfit for Maryellen. Purple plaid is a unique take, and I want it. I WANT it...according to my sources (some friends who lived during the period), the outfit is very accurate-a fake blouse "under" the dress was a common trend. So points for accuracy and points for cuteness!<br />
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Maryellen would not have worn this to school (women did not wear pants to school apparently) and that is why it is her PLAY outfit...and boy is it adorable. The cherry on the shirt with the matching cherry on the shoes....I would wear this outfit myself. Thank God for women being able to wear pants...it's one of the things I take for granted.<br />
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu7qQIdTMvDG_uAKJRirLPQrIwMDgSYVl5zAG9v1WmaOP538T3yqeil8PDBmH7JnFPodFhwUy8YtP8SFu9fS0wnzjBM0GPPEBBc-5McaOH9JEqWSAYPJ3O8Jgf44ov1E00XDuXrXusfXI/s320/tumblr_nsxrc9xoZ41skd3dio2_400.jpg" width="180" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5W9UQN-9BcIP4bmLcwPnDnHjjKSC_-Tix0WLUu6PuBaq-mB59jpKJlOyrVzbvoEq4sImBr-RJsLb6WD-TaW9hE3jtsRvHXgJqiHIACkvLL9M8mfQHTVMz1ISOshegFZQDkIp3fPBVlE0/s1600/tumblr_nsxrc9xoZ41skd3dio1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5W9UQN-9BcIP4bmLcwPnDnHjjKSC_-Tix0WLUu6PuBaq-mB59jpKJlOyrVzbvoEq4sImBr-RJsLb6WD-TaW9hE3jtsRvHXgJqiHIACkvLL9M8mfQHTVMz1ISOshegFZQDkIp3fPBVlE0/s400/tumblr_nsxrc9xoZ41skd3dio1_400.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
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I don't know why the couch/bed annoys me so much...but I feel like Mattel is trying to pull one over on us. I realize that these were...are...popular. For guests. But since when did that mean that regular family members don't have their own bed in their room? Do these people have SO MANY children that their kids have to sleep on the couch? Is that what this is going to turn in to? <br />
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Are we going to read a personal life history of the Duggar family? Are we all buying a Michelle Duggar doll?<br />
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That would be the final straw with me. I have been around fundamental religious people of every type (well, at least from the Judeo-Christian-Islamic faiths) but I have never, in my entire life, met such a bunch of hypocrites...um. Yeah, this is a doll blog. Ignore me, and back to our regularly scheduled programing.<br />
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Maryellen needs to keep her hair looking nice. She can roll it up with the curlers and put the cap on her head. I think this is cute and I like that it matches the PJ set but it isn't very high on my list of priorities right now.</div>
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Confession time: I think most (not all-Caroline's calf is cute and Sombrita is okay) of the American Girl animals that are not horses look stupid. The scale is way off and they just look so cheap...like, a Beanie Baby makes a better pet for your 18 inch doll. This...thing...is no exception. Pass.</div>
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This is okay. Nothing I love, nothing I hate. I do think it looks very 1950s.</div>
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School stuff! I love school things! I need this...but then she needs a desk! I hate this new trend from the company-make accessories but forget making furniture to put them on. Here, have some "bedroom accessories." But no nightstand? Why?!? So I guess we can just put it on the floor? Where does Maryellen sit when she gets taught all of this geography?</div>
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Need. It has a little black and white TV with antenna. I like it, I love it, I want some more of it, to quote the cheesy country song.</div>
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Big ticket item for Maryellen is the diner, which thankfully isn't *quite* as expensive as the Grace bakery monstrosity. I actually think this is cute, but I doubt I will ever buy it. Who has the space for stuff like this? (Though I do believe this folds down, which is a nice touch). I also know that a lot of people are buying the Target diner and some people even say it is nicer in terms of play value.</div>
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But I will buy this jukebox as a stand alone item. It connects to the phone (of course). <br />
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I have always been taught that the 1950s was the age that a youth culture became important, as a separate thing from adult culture and children's culture. In other words, the teenage years became a more distinct phase at this time, and teenagers had their own music (as the decade progressed, Elvis as an example), clothes (Poodle skirts), places, etc. I think the jukebox is symbolic of that.<br />
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Anyways, I'm excited for this new doll! Now of course I'm gearing up for the holiday releases, the big GOTY reveal (it already looks disappointing), and the 1960s African American historical for next year! <br />
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American Girl Lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11147054093232215051noreply@blogger.com2