"Miss Western" Our Generation Outfit Review

Our Generation and Journey Girls

The Our Generation line from Target has a huge variety of different clothes for 18” dolls.  Today I am reviewing a really cute western outfit titled "Miss Western".  The outfit usually costs around $12.99.  This is Target’s cheaper line of outfits.  This means the outfit is not quite as intricate, the material is usually just cotton, and it may not have as many accessories.

Journey Girl Dana in her "Miss Western" outfit

This outfit includes a teal cotton dress with a white under skirt, a pair of plastic red boots, a brown leather head band with leather flowers on it, and a jean jacket (although, really it’s more of a jean vest than a jacket).  The dress has a white stitched floral pattern on it, breaking up the monotony of one color.  At the bottom of the dress there is slight ruffle before the white underskirt. Finally, there are two flower shaped buttons at the top of the dress near the neckline for decoration.

The "Miss Western" outfit includes boots, a dress, vest, and headband.

The dress is more form fitting than any of the other Our Generation outfit.  It looks like it could have been made for the Journey Girls.  I like the color, the little ruffle at the bottom, and the white underskirt.  This is one of my favorite casual dresses, especially for Dana.  There is nothing bad about the dress.

The goofy jean vest thingy.

The same can not be said about the jean jacket.  It is goofy!  It’s not really a jacket, it’s not a shrug, maybe it’s a vest.  I go back and forth on the color of it.  Sometimes I like the color with the dress, sometimes I don’t.  Most of the time Dana does not wear it.  I just don’t feel like it really belongs with the dress.  It does work well with other casual outfits though.

Dana is able to walk due to the boots

I like the boots…most of the time.  The red is a little “in your face”.  However, I do appreciate that Our Generation didn’t just give you the same old brown boot.  The boots are big on Dana, because they don’t have a slit in them like the Journey Girl boots do.  I personally like that they have no slit.  It makes them more difficult to get on, and they have to be bigger, but the fact that they still look like boots from the back, makes up for that.  The boots are wonderful for helping the girls stand.  I was actually able to pose Dana as she walked with relative ease.  I do wish that they were made out of a different material, but the plastic works.

Dana's headband

Lastly, the headband.  Usually I would just say…"this outfit comes with a headband"…but this headband is really nice.  It's not flashy, which I like.  It is very functional, especially with helping to hold Dana's glasses on.  It often times blends into her hair, so it's not as noticeable as some of the other headbands.  The brown goes with just about anything.  It's a great headband!

Rating

All ratings are out of 10

Value 7 – The dress itself is great.  It is well worth the money.  The boots are very cute, they just aren't my favorite with this outfit.  They do work well with other outfits though.  The same can be said about the jean vest.  I don't particularly like it, but it can work well with other outfits.

Fitment 9 – This outfit is one of the better fitting outfits from Our Generation.  Since the Journey Girls are skinnier not all of the outfits that Our Generation makes fit well.  This is a great fit and a great outfit.  Even the boots (though loose) fit right for boots.

Versatility 8 – As I mentioned before the boots and the vest can both be used with other outfits pretty easily.   I think the vest is the more useful piece.  It will be a great addition to use with t-shirt outfits.  The dress is fairly casual, but it's not strictly a sundress.  So it could be used at school or just hanging out or out for a walk.  The headband is awesome!  You can use it with just about anything.

Cuteness 8 – I really like this dress on Dana.  To me she looks the best it in.  Meredith also looks good in it.  I really like the stitching on it and the added little underdress.  

Overall 8 – This is one of my favorite casual dresses for the Journey Girls.  I like that it fits so well, the color is great, and the detail is nice.  I would love to see a few

different accessories, but I do like the boots and vest, just not with this dress so much.  Worth the money, especially if you can find it on sale!

Mikaella's Review

New Journey Girl Mikaella

I apologize in advance for the length of this post.  There is a lot to say about the new doll.

Since last years release of Jordanna, I have been hoping for a holiday rerelease of her.  Well, there is a holiday special edition release….but it’s not Jordanna.  Journey Girls released a whole new girl named Mikaella.  Actually, they released two new girls, both named Mikaella.

Mikaella as a blonde

Mikaella as a brunette

The back of Mikaella's box

The back of Mikaella's box

She comes in a different, heavier box than the other Journey Girls.  This box is a bit more complex to open and not ruin.  The easiest way I found is to take the back off, then the cardboard that Mikaella is on will come out.  So here is how you do that.

Mikaella's box and cardboard backing separated.

Once the card board backing is out you have to cut a lot of pieces to get Mikaella loose.  The following pictures show you what to cut to get her loose.

Finally, there are a few places up front that you have to unfasten things to get Mikaella completely loose of the cardboard and to get her outfit to come off.  Here are the instructions for that.

So let’s meet the new girl.  Mikaella enjoys cooking and fashion. She comes in a beautiful purple, satin, tiered dress, with matching plastic purple shoes, mesh black gloves, a faux fur shrug, a matching purple cloth headband with a flower accent, a very nice purple hand purse, a “diamond” necklace, and a pretty pearl bracelet.  She either has vibrant blue eyes and dark blonde hair, or deep brown eyes, dark brown hair, and a darker complexion (similar to Callie’s complexion). 

Mikaella with her purse

Mikaella posing

Like the new Kyla, either Mikaella also has the new face sculpt. I like Mikaella’s face.  I like that she has a little bit more of a smile than the older Journey Girls did.  It’s nice to have the variety in the faces.  I also like her eyes.  They seem wider open to me.  Both eye colors are different than any of the other girls.  The blue is deeper than Meredith’s or Dana’s eye color, and the brown is darker than Kyla’s and Chavone’s eye color.  I also like the little bit of smile that she has.  It’s very cute.

Mikaella and Kyla have the same face sculpt.  You can also see the difference in skin tone and eye color compared to Mikaella in the photo below.

Mikaella has dark brown eyes or vibrant blue eyes.

Mikaella’s body is also like Kyla’s.  That means that her torso is filled better than past Journey Girls.  There is no bending in the fabric torso, making it easier for her to stand on her own.  Her joints seem to be different also.  Kyla’s joints click into place.  Mikaella’s don’t click, but they are tighter.  No issues with loose joints.  She has the same flexibility issues that all of the past Journey Girls have had (so the arms don’t raise straight out to the side).  They raise enough that you can get her clothes on and off easily, but I’d just like to see more flexibility in the shoulder joint.

Mikaella doing the splits to sit.

The Journey Girls have always had an issue with sitting (which most 18” dolls do).  Their legs splay out to the sides.  Mikaella’s legs go out further than the older Journey Girls.  She is not only sitting with her legs apart, she is now doing the splits!  It looks ridiculous.  It also makes Mikaella wobblier when she is sitting.  In the past if there was something that the girls could sit against, their legs did not have to spread out as much.  The new joint in the hip makes this almost impossible.  Even while holding Mikaella in the seated position, her legs spread out.  Hopefully in the future Toys R Us fixes this issue.  Mikaella’s legs are actually sculpted differently than the older Journey Girls, with a bit more hip flair in the new leg.  The legs also look skinner, but that could just be the flair.

Naked doll warning

Mikaella's legs are different than earlier Journey Girls.

I had a hard time getting Mikaella to pose for pictures, especially with her shoes off.  It was difficult to get her balanced just right.  I had the same issue with the new Kyla doll.  Kyla has longer boots that make it a little easier for her to stand.  The issue is the Journey Girls have skinnier legs, smaller feet (they are the same size as the old Journey Girls) and a larger head than other 18” dolls.  It makes for a very high center of gravity.   Once Mikaella is up, she is pretty stable, but finding that spot took more time than it should have. 

The tiers on the dress look a little goofy from the back, but look wonderful from the front.

Mikaella’s dress is beautiful.  It is a very different style than Jordanna’s dress from last year.  The purple is a beautiful color that looks great on both dolls, although I do like brunette Mikaella just a little more in it.  The tiers look wonderful from the front of the dress, but look somewhat strange from the side.   Especially the doll’s left side.  The tiers slop downward, leaving a large area of fabric open on that side.  I wouldn’t say it looks bad, just something that I was aware of.   The bodice of the dress matches the edge of the tiers.  It is lighter colored purple cotton with a purple stitch pattern in it.  At first I was disappointed that it was not lace, but the more I see it the more I like that it is not lace.  Especially since the bodice would probably not be able to be lace.

Mikaella is showing the tulle under her dress.  I am disappointed that
Toys R Us decided not to give her underwear.

There is tulle underneath to help give the dress some volume.  I would have liked more tulle to really help fluff the dress out.  Jordanna’s dress stayed out more because it was a thicker material.  Mikaella’s dress is not as thick, which makes it flow better, but it also makes it lay flat.   I also like the shear neckline.   The flower accent on her waist is just the right size and helps bring her headband into the outfit better.  The fur shrug is okay.  It does add some elegance, but I like Mikaella without it just as much as with it on.  I love that Mikaella comes with gloves.  They add elegance to the outfit.  I am not sure about the mesh look to them though.  I liked Jordanna’s satin white gloves.  I would have loved to see Mikaella have satin black gloves.  These are okay though. 

Mikaella's necklace

Mikaella's bracelet is beautiful.

Mikaella’s necklace is very pretty.  The diamond is on stretchy silver elastic, much like Jordanna’s was.  It has no clasp to undo the necklace though, so you have to just stretch it to get it over Mikaella’s head.  I liked the clasp on Jordanna’s necklace better than just stretching the elastic.  Mikaella’s pearl bracelet is amazing compared to Jordanna’s bracelet last year.  The pearls are on a stretch cord that can expand to get the bracelet of her wrist.  This is much easier than the rubber buttons that Jordanna’s bracelet had.  It also has a small silver band that is filled with jewels.  Very pretty.

The shoes are the same plastic dress shoes that come with every dressy outfit.  These ones are purple, which is nice.  The shoes have a little heal in the back, making it difficult to stand Mikaella without bending her backwards.  I wish the shoes were a little different than all the other shoes that The Journey Girls have.  

Every girl needs a cute purse!

The purse is pretty.  It has a jewel on the flap that matches the jewel in the middle of the flower on Mikaella's waist.  The fabric matches her dress, with part of the purse being the satin material and part of it being the stitched pattern material.  The strap is a little short for a shoulder strap, but too long for a hand held purse.  And it doesn't fasten closed.  The jewel helps weight it so it stays closed, but it would have been nice to have some Velcro there.

Mikaella has the Geoffrey LLC logo on the back of her neck and on there torso (which is new on the new sculpts).  She still has the big Journey Girl tag on her waist also.  I know that I can cut the tag off, but especially with Mikaella and Jordanna, it's better to leave it on.

Geoffrey stamp in the new place, on her back.

Like all Journey Girls, Mikaella has the Geoffrey
stamp on her neck.

The big tag did not go away on the new dolls.

I am a bit perplexed as to why Toys R Us released two girls with the same name and the same outfit at the same time.  Why not name them differently?  Why not just release the brunette, since we had a blonde last year?  One of my Mikaella’s will be renamed…maybe Alana after the 1^st Kyla released. 

Both Mikaellas side by side.

There is really no difference in Mikaella other than skin color and hair color.

Results

All ratings are out of 10

Poseability - 7  - Mikaella has the same issues as all the other Journey Girls with her arms.  They don’t go out very far to the sides.  The bigger issue is her legs.  Mikaella cannot sit down without doing a full spread eagle, which just looks dumb.  If the leg issue could be fixed, Mikaella would be a lot better.

Quality - 9  - Mikaella is made really well.  There is nothing on her that feels cheap.  All of her joints are solid, her body is well made, and her hair is nice quality.   Her outfit is top notch and is worth the $50 price tag by itself.  There are dolls that are $20 more that have better movement, but they are not as cute and their outfits are very plain compared to Mikaella’s

Adorableness - 9 – I really like the new face sculpt, but I still have a huge fondness for the old one too.  Mikaella as either the brunette or blonde are gorgeous, but I still like Jordanna better.  I think it may be Jordanna’s dress that I like more.  Mikaella is stunning though and is a very cute doll.


Compatibility - 8 – Mikaella is like all the Journey Girls, a little skinner than other 18” dolls.  Because of that, other doll clothes are big on her.  They still fit well though.  Unlike Jordanna, Mikaella does not have a darker lipstick on.  This makes her look better in a range of different style of outfits.  Jordanna looked better in formal wear.  Mikaella will look good in anything!

Overall Score - 9 – Mikaella is truly a special edition doll.  She is beautiful, made well, has a gorgeous outfit, and is a wonderful price.  At $50 she is a steal!  I would try to get her now.  If last year was any indicator, she will be hard to find near Christmas, and will disappear after the New Year.   Mikaella does have a few issues; the main one being her flexibility, especially with her legs.  These will not hinder the ability for a special little girl to play with her though.  Whether you are going to buy her just to display her or if she is a play doll, you should not be disappointed with Mikaella.

Chavonne's Sunny Day

Chavonne Enjoys the Sun and Flowers

Chavonne has really enjoyed the last few weeks of weather here.  Beautiful 80 degree temperatures, a light breeze, the sun shining on her face…what more could a girl ask for in a day.  Chavonne was up early on this day.  She walked in the high grass as the sun rose behind her.

Chavonne walking through the high grass in the morning

The dew was heavy, but felt nice on her toes.  And the heat on her back from the sun shining down was like a warm embrace.

Chavonne saw a beautiful crab apple tree and decided to climb it.  Up she went to the first branch, which happened to be a perfect branch for sitting on.  She kicked her feet up and relaxed for awhile.  The smell from the apple blossoms was amazing.  She could stay here all day.

Chavonne taking in the sights from a crab apple tree.

Next she came to a beautiful hill, full of dandelions.  She wanted to run up the hill and then…roll down the hill as fast as she could, but she decided not to.  Instead she took a stroll along the bottom of the hill.

Chavonne strolling along in the dandelions.

Chavonne is so cute in her sundress!

The dandelions were so pretty she decided to sit down and pick some of them.  Maybe she would give them to her mom later.  Moms always like flowers!

Chavonne sitting down to pick some flowers.

 Chavonne is wearing an outfit from the Our Generation collection at Target.  It is one of the regular outfits, retailing for $12.99.  Her hair bow is from her original outfit.  Chavonne hopes you all get out and enjoy some nice weather.

New Journey Girl Mikaella

Holiday Journey Girl Released…and it's not Jordanna!

I was at Toys R Us today looking for the new outfits that are out on their website (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=34466676&cp=2255956.2262937.3752627.10834348&parentPage=family).  Sadly they did not have any of the new dresses.  I found something 10 times better.  A new doll!!!

That's right, Toys R Us released their Special Edition Holiday doll, but it is not Jordanna.  They are introducing a brand new girl named Mikaella.  She has the new face sculpt similar to Kyla's. There are two versions of her, both with different photos of real girls on the back, but with the same story.

New Mikaella Journey Girl (brunette)

New Mikaella Journey Girl (blonde)

 She has a wonderful purple dress on, not quite as fancy as Jordanna's, but still stunning.  Mikaella has on purple heels that match her dress as well as black gloves, a faux fur vest/shrug, a pearl bracelet, a large "diamond" necklace, and a purse that matches her outfit.

I like the new face sculpt, but hope that not everyone of the girls will get it.  Mikaella has stunning dark blue eyes or dark brown eyes (depending on which one you get).

Mikaella either has stunning dark blue eyes

 or Mikaella has beautiful brown eyes.

I will have a full review of Mikaella (blonde version) later this week.  I just wanted to let you know that she is out there.  They are both beautiful…so if you can pick them both up.  I'm sure they will be hard to find near the holidays.

This is the back of the box for brunette Mikaella.  There is no difference between the backs.

I am a little disappointed that Toys R Us gave us two different versions of Mikaella, rather than two different girls.  They are both awesome though!

Our Generation Sundress

Out in the Sun: a Review of the Our Generation Sundress

Target gets a lot of my money!  Their Our Generation line of clothes for 18” dolls has a huge variety of clothes and changes quite often.  I found this outfit, called “Sweet in the Heat”, this spring for $12.99.  It is one of their normal fashion sets.

The set comes with a white and green-stripped sundress, a straw sun hat, and pink plastic shoes.  It is a smaller set that is fairly simple, hence the smaller price.

As I’ve stated before, the Our Generation outfits are loose on the Journey Girls.  This dress is no exception.  Since it is a sundress…you really can’t tell though.  The dress is a light cotton material. It is white with green stripes running vertically.  The top is smocked and is empire waisted.  I really like the fabric flower on the waist to add some accent.  I love the pink stitching.  It gives the dress another color and makes it stand out.

The hat fits great.  It fits on top of Kelsey’s head really well.  It can be angled back or to the side.  I have a straw hat for another outfit that is a little bigger and it can’t sit on top of the Journey Girls’ heads.  I wish that the hat had a ribbon or a cloth flower or something to make it feel like it was really a part of the outfit.  I would have also liked a more flexible brim, but I’m sure on a small scale that is difficult to do.

I do not like the shoes that come with this outfit!  No sandals?  This is the perfect outfit for some cute sandals.  I do like the pink, since it matches the pink stitching.  The shoes are horribly wide on Kelsey’s feet.  That’s to be expected since they are designed for American Girl dolls, which have a little wider feet.

Rating

All ratings are out of 10

Value 8 – The craftsmanship of this cute little sundress is very good.  There is good attention to detail.  The pink stitching is a great accent as well as the fabric flower.  The straw hat is great.  My only complaint is the shoes.

Fitment 8 – Overall everything fits well.  The sundress is loose, but not baggy, and it looks just right for a sundress.  The hat fits great.  Again the shoes are wide, but they do fit.

Versatility 7 – Very cute sundress, but that is it.  That hat can be used for beach outfits or garden outfits.  With a few flowers and some ribbon it could become a really great Sunday hat.  The shoes can probably go with other outfits, but I don’t like them enough to use them with other outfits.

Cuteness 8 – I won’t mention the shoes.  The dress is very cute.  I love it on Kelsey, Kyla, Chavonne, and Callie.  I really like the smocked top and the accents on the dress.  Overall a very cute outfit.

Overall 7 – This is a wonderful spring and summer dress.  Kelsey has been out in the flowers with it on, tree climbing, and frolicking in the sun.  It is a cute dress, with a nice hat.  I wish there were a few things different with the set (namely the shoes!!!), but I would definitely suggest getting this outfit.