Monday, June 30, 2014

Journey Girls White Lace Dress Review

Journey Girls Outfit Review

The Journey Girls line is exclusive to Toys R Us.  Since the Journey Girls are a little bit skinnier than American Girl dolls or Our Generation dolls, the clothes are a bit different.  Journey Girls clothes made for Toys R Us fit the girls better than any other brand of outfits.  The downside to having a doll that is sized differently is that no one else makes outfits that really fit your doll.  It also limits the amount of outfits that are available.  Right now there are 8 full outfits from the London line and 4 half outfits (these usually are outerwear or extras to outfits such as scarves, shrugs, hats, etc.) Compare this to the 30 or so outfits that are out right now from Our Generation as well as American Girl.  At some point I hope that Toys R Us will give us more options for the Journey Girls.

One of the options that is available right now and the outfit that I am reviewing today is the white lace dress.   The dress retails for $16.99, but if you watch you can find it for around $12.99.  I love this dress set!  It is a great dress that can be semi-dressy, but still casual enough to wear for any occasion.



The set includes the lacy white dress with a purple ribbon around the waist, purple sandals, a purple “wristlet” purse, a lace headband and a hanger. 

Getting the dress out of the package is pretty easy.  First cut the tape at the top of the box to get it open.  



The dress is attached to a backing board that slides out of the box.  On the back of the backing board there is all sorts of tape.  Cut around any of the plastic tabs (6 in all) that are held down by the tape. 

The red in the corner is an "I" fastener.  The pink is the rubber band.
The blue circles are around the tape that is over some plastic tabs. 




















There is also a clear rubber band that you should cut through (towards the top of the package), as well as three clear plastic “I” fasteners near the top that hold the headband on.   The dress is on a plastic bust that pulls away from the backing (once the tape is cut from around the plastic tabs on the back).  Once this plastic bust is free the dress comes off very easily.

The dresses top strap portion is just the lace, so you can see through it.  The rest of the dress has another layer of fabric underneath the lace.  The dress is form fitting for the Journey Girls, which is common with the Journey Girl line.  It’s not tight; it just fits the dolls thinner frame better than Our Generation doll clothes, or American Girl doll clothes.  This means that this dress will not fit an American Girl doll.  The dress has Velcro in the back to fasten it up.



I like the purple sandals.  They are very cute, with the plastic flower on the front.  I like that it is a little higher sandal with the strap around the ankle.  The strap does slide out of its buckle to make it easier to get the sandals on and off.  As Chavonne models the outfit she is very stable in the sandals, but she does have to lean back a little bit.

The wristlet is a cute little purse, but really has little function.  I had Chavonne holding hers by the strap with her hand, rather than hanging it on her wrist.  It is a little difficult to get it on her wrist.  The ribbon is just big enough to go around her fingers.  I wish the wristlet had a snap or something to keep it closed.  You can’t really put things in there, without them falling out.  After all every girl can use a place to keep her accessories!



The headband is great.  It is a circular headband, with elastic at the bottom of it.  I really like that it is white, because I can use it with all sorts of other outfits.  The lace is cut well and has no frays on the edges.  It fits great on Chavonne’s head!  Not too loose or too tight.  A great, versatile accessory.

Rating
All ratings are out of 10

Value 9 – The lace dress is the standard price for the Journey Girls outfits.  For the price I think this is a great outfit.  I would have loved to have seen a shrug with it and have the purse close, but even without these things, the outfit is still awesome.  The dress is crafted well.

Fitment 10 – This dress was made for the Journey Girls and as such fits perfectly!  It really shows off the dolls skinnier body.   The headband is a perfect fit!  The shoes are great.  My purses strap was a little tight, but still manageable.

Versatility 9 – The design of the dress lends itself to a lot of good play.  The girls could be going to a fancy tea party or just going out to hang out.  Other outfits shrugs or sweaters will go well with the dress.  The headband can be used with all sorts of other outfits.  The purple shoes are a little bit more limiting…but are still able to be used with other outfits. 

Cuteness 10 – I love this dress!  Every one of the Journey Girls looks great in it.  It is a wonderful outfit to have in your dolls wardrobe.  

Overall 10 – This is a must have if you like dresses for your dolls.  It is well made, has good accessories, is very cute, and if you wait and watch, can be found for a great price!