Spring into Ruffles

Mikaella is Pretty as Can be in a New Our Generation Outfit

Looking for a cute spring/summer outfit for your doll?  Our Generation has released a deluxe outfit, named “Spring into Ruffles”, that is a beautiful option.  The outfit arrives with a white ruffled dress, a lavender top with small printed flowers on it, a coral cardigan, a fabric headband, and multi-colored sandals.   While the outfit is beautiful in the package, it is a bit strange on Mikaella.

Starting with the good; the skirt is wonderful.  It’s full and fluffy and wonderfully made.  It has an elastic waist, which means it fits perfectly on Mikaella.  There are two layers of tulle ruffles with a ribboned edge.  The underlying skirt is a very simple cotton.  Simple, but very pretty.

The cardigan is a lighter, spring fabric.  It is big on Mikaella.  Which is more obvious than with most Our Generation outfits because of the purple top (more about that in a minute).  Like many of the new “knit” outfits, this cardigan has a layer of fabric so that Mikaella doesn’t snag her fingers in the cardigan.

When looking at the purple top as it is in its packaging it looks as though the top is a tank top.  However it is closer to a halter top, with the v-neckline straps going over Mikaella’s shoulders and then fastening at the back of her neck with Velcro.  The bottom part of the top also Velcro’s in the back, leaving an open area on Mikaella’s back.  The strange part is that the top is open in the front also.  

In this photo you can see the front straps of the top.  This creates an open shoulder and triangular area near Mikaella's chest.  Good thing she has the cardigan to cover up.

Instead of being solid from the neckline down, the neckline is formed by ¼ inch straps.  The straps go around the back of the neck and attach to the top at the bow in the front.  This leaves these strange triangular areas open in the front on each side.  The top is very loose and long, which makes the top sit goofy on Mikaella.  Even on an American Girl doll the top is big.  It sits better, but still not perfect.  If the space was a little shorter between the halter and the rest of the top, this might fit better, even with the strange openings in the front.

The back of the outfit is just strange.  And as you can see it is HUGE on Mikaella.

The sandals with this outfit are wonderful!  The bottom is a dark tan plastic, with a light tan plastic foot pad.  At the front of the sandal there are three leather straps, each a different color; lime green, florescent pink, and florescent orange.  A leather strap goes around the back of Mikaella’s heals and fastens with a strap around her ankle that has a pull through buckle.  The sandal has a little bit of a heal, which make Mikaella have to lean back a little, but nothing bad.

Lastly, the headband that comes with the outfit is a braided fabric.  It has some elastic in it, which makes it fit better than some of the Velcro headbands.  It’s cute.  The braiding is a nice change from the normal flat ribbon or fabric.

Ratings

All ratings are out of 10

Value 6 – The skirt is awesome.  As is the cardigan.  And the sandals are super cute and fun.  The goofy top is not so awesome.  Unfortunately the other great pieces can't make up for the weirdness of the top.

Fitment 4 – Again, the top is the reason for this low score.  The skirt fits great, as do the sandals.  Because of the elastic in the skirt it is a perfect fit for Mikaella or any of the other Journey Girls. The cardigan is big, but would be fine with another outfit. The top is a horrible mess when it come to fitting.  It's too long, too big, and too many pieces.  Bummer.

Versatility 7 – The skirt can be used with so many other outfits.  This is a must have in your dolls wardrobe.  The sandals are also amazing.  They can be very casual, or a little dressy.  The cardigan is a statement piece.  It's such a bright color that it will need to go with whites or a toned down outfit to work well.  The headband is cute and can work with many things.  Don't bother with the top.

Cuteness 7 – This out fit is really cute.  It just doesn't fit real well.  With some Velcro it looks great, but without it, the top is a mess.  It is still very cute.

Overall 6 – Buy this outfit for the skirt and shoes.  The top is just too darn weird.  Which is too bad, because it is really cute.  The ruffles around the neckline are adorable, the pattern is cute, the cut and design just don't work well.  If you can find this for 40% off or more…buy it.  Or if you are handy with a sewing machine.