Rain, Rain, Go Away: Raincoats Review

Review of Three Different Rain Coats

There is a great variety of clothing options for your dolls with Target, Toys R Us, and Walmart, each producing clothes for 18” dolls.  Each company has their goods and bads.  Today I am going to review three rain outfits, one from each company.  I will give you an overview of each set and then compare them against each other at the end.

If you have been following me, you will recognize these outfits.  Jordanna, Chavonne, and Callie were out after a rainstorm trying them out.  There are great things about each of these outfits, but I think one is a strong winner.

Our Generation’s “A Spot of Rain”

“A Spot of Rain” is a deluxe outfit from Our Generation.  The outfit comes with a raincoat, a rain hat, boots, and a vinyl purse.  There are no pants or shirt with the set, so Callie had to wear her outfit underneath the raincoat (which I think is fine…who wears a raincoat without clothes underneath).  The raincoat is long enough (past Callie’s knees) to get away with nothing underneath.  Callie is just more modest than that.  

The raincoat and hat are made out of thick Nylon with polka dots all over.  The coat has working plastic snaps up the front and on the two pockets.  Snaps are sometimes hard for little girl’s hands to manipulate, but these; because they are plastic, seem to be easy for them to use.  I really like the snaps rather than Velcro.

Unlike the My Life boots, these boots are solid all the way up (no slit).  Because there is no slit, the boots are larger to make it easier to get the dolls feet in.   I think this works wonderfully. It may not work for every boot, but I think it works for these boots, because rain boots are usually bigger.  Callie stands really well in the rain boots, making it possible to pose her more easily.

I like the rain hat for its simplicity.  It’s just a rain hat.  It does have a nice chinstrap that makes it easy to keep on Callie’s head.  The purse in this set is weird…cute, but weird.  I love the see through vinyl the bag is made out of.  I just would have liked something that made a little more sense with a raincoat.  That being said, this raincoat is pretty complete and doesn’t really need something like an umbrella.  For a dollar less than the My Life outfit I was hoping for a bit more.

Rating

All ratings are out of 10

Value 9 – I would have liked to see something for underneath the raincoat (at least undies).  The quality of the raincoat is amazing!  I love the snaps and the working pockets!

Fitment 10 – This outfit perfectly!  It fit just right over Callie's outfit.

Versatility 4 – The only thing that can be used for another outfit is the purse.  The boots might work with a winter outfit.

Cuteness 10 – How can you not just love the polka dots!  Cutest raincoat I have seen for the 18" dolls (I like it better than the American Girl raincoat)

Overall 9 – Cute! Cute! Cute!  I wish it had a few more pieces of clothing…and I am not sure about the purse.  Great rainy day outfit though!

My Life as “Playing in the Rain”

Chavonne is wearing the “Playing in the Rain” outfit from My Life (Walmart).  This is the most expensive set at $17.97.  It also has the most in the set.  It includes boots, blue polka dot pants, a rain slicker, an umbrella, and a dog with a raincoat and hat.  The only thing it is missing is a shirt (Chavonne borrowed Kelsey’s Paris t-shirt). 

I love this raincoat!  I really like the blue and yellow color combination.  The coat is made out of a yellow vinyl material.  It has a blue collar around the neck that is made from a lighter water resistant material.  The pockets are actual pockets and can fit tiny trinkets in them.  The coat has Velcro in the front underneath the buttons to keep the rain out.  The coat has a cute hood also.  Chavonne’s hair can be tucked into the hood pretty easily; however longer haired dolls have a hard time putting their hair in the hood.  You can put their hair down the inside back of the raincoat to keep it out of the way.  The raincoat goes to just above Chavonne’s knees.

The pants are a little loose in the waist, because they are made for the My Life dolls; which are a tiny bit larger in the waist.  The boots are also big on Chavonne, partly because My Life dolls have wider feet, and partly because the boots have a slit in them. I’m not a big fan of the slit in the back.  It makes it easier to get the boot on, but it looks cheap. 

The Scottie dog that come with the outfit is a bonus.  He looks like a stuffed animal.  But he is very cute, especially with his raincoat on.  I didn’t love his little umbrella hat…it is a cute idea though.

One of the reasons I really wanted this outfit was for the umbrella.  It does not disappoint.  The umbrella is very easy to get up and down.  It’s a good size for Chavonne, covering her head pretty well when she holds it up.  The handle fits well in her hands, but will not stay there without the help of the strap that is on it.  My Life is great about putting straps of elastic on anything that the dolls are going to hold in their hand.  I love that!  It makes it easier to use the umbrella in a realistic fashion.  Otherwise you have to try and balance it just the right way.

Rating

All ratings are out of 10

Value 10 – Even without a shirt in this set…you get a lot for your money.  All of the pieces are made well with no fraying or stitching issues.

Fitment 8 – The pants are a little big, and I don't like the way the boots fit (because of the slit), but over all the fit is great.  I think the fact that the outfit is big works great, because then Chavonne can wear something underneath of it.

Versatility 6 – It's a rain outfit…there isn't much else you can use this for.  The pats can be use with other outfits and the dog can be used.  So there is some flexibility.

Cuteness 9 – The yellow is such a classic color for a raincoat.  It's just perfect.  And Chavonne looks great in it!

Overall 9 – This is a wonderful rain outfit!  It has got a lot of accessories, it is made well, and it is very cute!

Journey Girl Fashion Accessory Pack

The Journey Girls raincoat is the least expensive of the three outfits at $9.99.  It is also the only one that requires the use of other outfits to be appropriate.  Both the My Life and Our Generation raincoats are missing something, but they can be worn as they are packaged and still be appropriate.  Without Kelsey’s jeans, Jordanna would be showing off her naked bum in this outfit.  That being said, this is not one of the Journey Girls outfit packs…it is an accessory pack, so it is supposed to be combined with an outfit you already have.  Just be aware that this is not a complete outfit.

So here’s what’s in the package: a green nylon raincoat, a cotton (fisherman’s) hat, a pair of pink cloth rain boats, and a plastic cell phone.  The raincoat is very cute.  I love the green!  It adds great color to the Journey Girls wardrobe.  The jacket is made out of a thinner nylon.  It reminds me of a windbreaker more than a raincoat.  It Velcro’s up the front.  The pockets are just sewn on and cannot be opened.  I like that the neckline is higher.  Makes it look cozy.

The hat is very cute!  I love the floral design on it.  It’s hard for me to say that it is a rain hat, since it is made out of a stiffer cotton material.  If Jordanna wore it out in the rain her poor head would be soaked.  It reminds me of a fisherman’s sun hat.  I like it with this outfit…it’s not realistic for a rain outfit (as far as fabric), but it works great with the ensemble.

I have mixed feelings on the boots.  They are super easy to get on and off thanks to the Velcro strip in the back and them being made of a fabric material.  I like that they are not open in the back, like the My Life boots, but I don’t like that they aren’t rubber/plastic.  There are other Journey Girl boots that are made out of plastic; I’m not sure why these aren’t.  I have a shoes fashion pack from Journey Girls and there are some green rain boots that are made out of this same strange material.  I like the looks of these boots; again it’s not very realistic (but come on…these are play dolls)

The cell phone should not even be mentioned.  As you can see from my photo, Jordanna’s foot is holding the phone.  Since the pockets are non-functioning she cannot put the phone in these.  The phone is not quite the right size for her to hold it.  She kind of can…but only for a few seconds.  It would have been great to have a little elastic strap or piece of plastic to help Jordanna hold onto her phone.  Oh well, I don’t think she needs a cell phone at her age anyways.

Rating

All ratings are out of 10

Value 8 – Missing a few things that I would like to see in this pack.  The raincoat feels cheap compared to the other two.  But it is the lowest price…and it is an accessory pack, not an outfit.

Fitment 10 – Awesome.  It's made for the Journey Girls…so it fits perfectly.  I especially like the fit of the boots.

Versatility 8 – All of the pieces of this out fit can probably be used for other outfits.  The coat could be used in the spring as a windbreaker; the hat can be used for camping or fishing; and the boots can be used for winter or fashion.

Cuteness 8 – I like this outfit, but compared to the other two…it's not quite as cute.  

Overall 8 – I wish it was a little better quality, and more raincoat than windbreaker.  I love the color, I like the boots, and the hat is really cute.  Oh…do I hate that phone though!

The Final Verdict

After going back and forth for awhile I went with the My Life, "Playing in the Rain" as the winner.  It has the most accessories, is very cute, and feels the most like a real raincoat.  It is the only raincoat set with an umbrella.  And it has a dog!  The Our Generation; "A Spot of Rain", was a close second.  With the Journey Girls outfit finishing it out.  Any of the rainy day outfits will make a great addition to your Journey Girls wardrobe.