Journey Girls Celebration Chiffon Dress

Alana In a Beautiful Celebration Outfit

A favorite part of the Journey Girls collection is the “Celebration” outfits, which come out each year before the holidays.  This year three outfits were released including the red outfit that we are going to review today. The outfit comes with the dress, a pair of sandals, and a purse.

The dress is always the main part of the Celebration outfits, usually made of higher quality materials than the regular Journey Girls. This dress has a red chiffon overlay on the top and on the bottom. The red chiffon is tied in a knot at the middle of the halter neckline. 

There is silver braided string that wraps around Alana’s neck and has a piece of Velcro in the back to hold it secure. 

The gathered chiffon flows from the knot, to the side of the dress right underneath the arms where it is sewn into the  side seam.  The chiffon that makes up the skirt is sewn into an inverted V shape right below Alana's breast plate.  Around the waist of the skirt there is more chiffon that is sewn into two wing like pieces of fabric. 

The chiffon wings start about an inch in from Alana’s side and wrap all the way around the back to the center. They curve down from the front all the way to the back so that the back is almost the full length of the dress. Underneath these wings is another layer of chiffon that stays right with the dress. Under that layer is a layer satin fabric that is just a plain straight satin dress.

The sandals that come with this outfit are almost identical to the ones that come with the pink outfit, the only difference is the color. The sandals are black with black sparkly straps across the toes and around the ankle. It is nice to have black sandals rather than red sandals, especially since the black will go with a lot of other outfits.

A cute little black hand purse accompanies the dress.  It is made of satin material, with a bow at the top. A piece of silver, glitter ribbon is wrapped around the middle of the bow.  Although Alana has no trouble holding the purse in her hand, there is a silver braided rope loop that can be wrapped around her wrist also.

Ratings
All ratings are out of 10

Value 7 – Similar to the pink dress, this is more of a simple dress then some of the Celebrate outfits we have seen in the past, however it is still a very nice dress.  Again, would like to see different shoes, but these aren’t bad.

Fitment 10 - Dress fits beautifully.  As do the sandals.  Each time I look at this dress, I think that the knot is just a little off to the side.  Even when I move the dress, it still looks off.  I think it’s just my eyes.

Versatility 5 - The shoes and purse can be used with other outfits.  The dress can not.  Adding a sweater can change the feel of the outfit, but the dress is still a formal dress.

Cuteness 8 - The style of this dress looks more mature than the pink Celebrate dress.  It is still a cute dress.  Love the wings on the side of the dress that add another layer.

Overall 8 -  Not blown away by this outfit, but I’m not disappointed by it either.  I feel like the dress is a nice dress, that is made well, just wish for a little more.  The Celebration outfits are so beautiful and are meant to be formalwear…then go all out.  This would be an amazing dress if it was floor length and had a small train.  Still the outfit is beautiful and the shoes are nice.

AG note- The purse is the only thing that fits on an AG doll, and even that is difficult to get on her wrist.  

The dress will stay on and can be Velcroed, but just at the very top.  

And your doll will not be able to sit…ever!  The silver rope just fits around Annie’s neck. 

The whole outfit looks uncomfortably tight.  This one is only for Journey Girls!

Journey Girls Rosette Sleeveless Gown Review

Kelsey in the New York Celebration Outfit

One of the best things to come out of the Journey Girls lineup is the “Celebration” outfits. These outfits are usually fancier gown style outfits that are made with a little higher quality material, have great embellishments, and are made to go with the holiday special edition dolls.  This year there are three different outfits: a red outfit with a halter top, a light blue sheer short dress and the dress that we're looking at today, which is a beautiful pink floral top dress.

Celebration outfits do not come with very much, usually shoes and a purse or shoes and a headband.  This is true with this outfit.  It comes with shoes and a handbag, and of course the dress.   You're really paying for the dress when you get these outfits.

The dress is a “strapless” dress with a long flowing skirt that goes just to above Kelsey's feet. The top part of the dress has fabric roses around the whole top of it made out of a very light sheer fabric.  

There are clear plastic straps to help hold the dress up, although they're probably not needed.   You may want to keep them on though just to help hold the dress up.

At the waist there is a half inch pink ribbon that matches the dress, going all the way around, and stitched at the sides and at the back. The ribbon separates the top, which is an empire waist and the bottom which has a long two layered skirt.

The top layer of the dress is a see-through pink fabric that is gathered at the waist right underneath the pink ribbon. Underneath of that is a satin pink skirt that is ankle length. The satin layer is a bit more form fitting then the top layer which is very flowy. Together these two layers make for a very beautiful dress.

Lately Toys R Us has been giving us a few different shoes rather than the normal plastic low heels. In this case we get sparkly gray sandals with silver straps. There is one strap that goes across the toes and another that goes around Kelsey's ankle. The sandal is nothing special but it does look very pretty with Kelsey's outfit.

Purses with the Journey Girls outfits are very hit or miss; sometimes they can be amazing and other times they are definitely a quick add on. In this case the purse is fairly nice but doesn't quite make it into perfect. It's made out of the same material the top of Kelsey's dress is, with fabric pink flowers adorning the entire thing. It is a hand purse with no way of closing the top. 

There is a little piece of silver fabric that is made to look like a clasp on the front. Then there is silver rope ribbon for the handle. Not quite big enough to fit around Kelsey’s wrist easily, but it does fit. You are just going to have to finagle it on there. Kelsey is able to hold onto the purse with just her hand, not the strap.

Rating
All rating are out of 10

Value 7 - Celebration dresses are very beautiful and this dress is no exception. There's not a whole lot to the set; you are definitely paying for the top of the dress which is quite intricate. Overall a good outfit but for $20 I would hope for better shoes and a nicer purse.  Still a great outfit.

Fitment 10 - This dress fits perfectly which is to be expected since it is a Journey Girls outfit,  made specifically for them. I do wish that the dress was just a little bit longer, it just barely touches the floor, this dress would be amazing with a small train. A minor complaint when viewing the dress as a whole.

Versatility 5 - A formal dress is a formal dress. There is really nothing that this dress is going to be used for other than a formal occasion.  The sandals could be used with other outfits which is nice. The purse can also be used with other outfits, since it's fairly simple and the pink is a nice color that goes with a lot of other outfits.

Cuteness 9 - This dress is adorable.  The little fabric flowers that make up the top of the dress are just gorgeous. The color is nice and will look good on almost all of the Journey Girls. The flowing fabric on top of the skirt makes a wonderful dress. Overall this is a beautiful and cute outfit.

Overall 8 - A great outfit a very cute dress, okay shoes and an okay purse. Not the best celebration outfit that Toys R Us has put out but it's definitely not the worst.  I think the cuteness of this outfit really brings the rating up. It’s just so darn cute! This is a wonderful dress that is well worth adding to your collection.

AG note - This dress does fit American girls. It is very tight in the back and around the arms. I had to squeeze in Leah's butt to get the dress on. 

You'll also probably end up stretching the little plastic straps that go around Leah's shoulders. It's okay if you're going to use this just for an American girl doll but if you are going to use it with your Journey Girls it may stretch it. 

As with all of the Journey Girls outfits the shoes do not fit the American girls at all. The purse does work, however getting it around an American Girl’s wrist is very difficult. Like many of the Journey Girls outfits this one is great if you have the Journey Girls but if you're buying it just for the American girl dolls it's probably not the best way to use your money. 

However if you can find it on a good sale and you just want to use it with your American Girls it might be worth it. If you're going to use this with your Journey Girls and sometimes with your American Girl doll this is an amazing outfit. It'll look great on your Journey Girl and it fits pretty decent on your American girls.