Sunday, January 12, 2014

Color Quest: Lanie's Color Palette

Lanie was GOTY for 2010, and her wardrobe is bright and bold with stripes and plaids!

While Lanie's wardrobe design only takes three of the hot colors of the Spring 2010 season--Ampero Blue, Aurora (yellow), and Tomato Puree (red)--it uses them enthusiastically. The wardrobe pieces stick almost entirely to the this primary color triad, and when adding other colors, the designers chose bright secondary colors (green and orange) for contrast.


Though one has to look at the meet shoes to really get the blue/yellow hit in her Meet Outfit.


Her nightgown repeats the blue and yellow pairing.


The bold Tomato Puree makes a splash in her Butterfly Outfit.



Ampero Blue is in this plaid, but really, plaid is the main event in her Garden Outfit.


And rounding out her wardrobe is her Nature Outfit, which capitalizes on the bright and bold combination of Ampero Blue and Aurora.


Next week in Color Quest:  Chrissa & Friends!

Friday, January 10, 2014

Isabelle: A Hair Raising Experience! (Pink Highlights)

Friday fun! I finally had a chance to try Isabelle's pink highlight extensions. I used my new AG Salon Chair that I received from my sister for Christmas this year. I have an awesome sister!

After I placed Isabelle in the salon chair and used the velcro strap to secure her in place I used a few hair clips to pile the majority of her hair on top of her head.


I needed to find the three fabric tabs in the wig. After her hair was clipped up it only took a minute or two to locate the tabs. The right tab was just above the corresponding ear (and same placement for the left tab).


The fabric tab in the middle back of he wig was a bit harder to find as it was tucked under a fringe of clipped hair.


Slipping the actual pink highlights hair piece in her hair onto the fabric hooks only took about 15 seconds total!

Isabelle is being so patient!


From the back, one can barely see the pink highlights.


Voila!


Overall, the pink highlights were easier to install than I had anticipated. I had been somewhat anxious about the whole procedure. So far, the extension has stayed in place just fine, but I do not play vigorously with my dolls. It was also easy to comb and arrange her hair, though I have not taken her hair out of her "Meet" style yet.

I thought I would be able to see more of the pink highlights, and the fact that they are so subtle underneath her mane of blonde hair is a bit of a surprise--all the buzz about the highlights, yet the impact of the pink highlights on her appearance (so far) is minimal. However, what I like is what the highlights imply in terms of Isabelle's creativity and youthfulness more so than their (limited) visual impact.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Kanani's Color Palate

Over the past few weeks I have been sharing my observations of the possible connection between Pantone's Fall or Spring Fashion Color Reports with the color design of wardrobes of the respective Girl of the Year (released between the two seasons on New Year's Day). Some GOTY color palettes seem to look back to the prior fall season, like Saige, and others, like Isabelle, look forward to the spring colors of the upcoming year.

Kanani's color palette, while definitely showing a connection to the spring color forecast of her release year, does not show as strong of a correlation as new GOTY releases, prompting the need for further analysis. (It should be noted, the Fall 2010 color forecast fared even worse against her Hawaiian themed wardrobe.)

I will start by saying that I still remember Kanani's release in 2011. I was not in the market for a GOTY doll, but each year the hype around GOTY seemed to increase and like many AG fans, I was very eager to see the new doll and her wardrobe. My first impressions were "Wow, that is a lot of purple and fushia," and "I guess that is what little girls like." To be completely honest, I thought maybe the AG design team had tossed up their hands and decided to deliver a "crowd pleasing" (for young girls) purple-and-fushia bonanza.

So is there a correlation between Kanani's colors and the Spring 2011 color forecast? Or did AG designers unleash a purple-and-fushia blitz? Maybe a little of both. More analysis below.

Let's start with an outfit with the purple-fushia mashup, her Hawaiian Lu'au Outfit.


As you can see, I did not select any of the Spring 2011 colors as being specifically alluded to by Kanani's outfit. Pantone's versions of pink (Honeysuckle) and purple (Lavender) in the Spring forecast are far too light and muted to be considered as showing up in this outfit.


Examining Kanani's meet outfit offers very little correlation, either, though the case can be made for the Regatta blue found in her dress--a  blue that appears extensively in her collection.

One might be ready to decide that the designers of Kanani's wardrobe palette went rogue that year--until looking at her pajamas!


Blue Curacao sleeveless tunic! Regatta leggings! Peapod slippers! Jackpot! This combination is just unique enough to indicate a deliberate nod to the spring season's hot colors.


Regatta shows up strong both in her Party Dress above and her Beach Outfit below.


So is the Pajama Outfit a convincing enough nod toward the Spring 2011 color forecast? Or did AG just pick colors that evoked the blues of the Hawaiian ocean waters and the purples and fushias of its gorgeous native flowers? I am inclined to believe it was a combination of the two, where the stunning natural setting of Kanani's home needed to trump the color palette offerings of the year--but without totally abandoning the forecast, either. And a bit of purple whimsy never hurts. 



Monday, January 6, 2014

Isabelle's Closet: AG T"AG" Game!

There are a lot of "Isabelle" tags sewn onto this year's GOTY doll clothing and soft accessories. A lot. Almost every outfit has at least one, if not two, "Isabelle" tags sewn onto it. So far I count 16 fabric tags. And that does not even count Isabelle's name embroidered in silver thread on the front of her Meet jacket.

Like some people, I was at first concerned by all of the tags. Would it be odd to dress a non-Isabelle doll in a jacket or wrap with a large "Isabelle" tag sewn onto a sleeve?

I decided to treat the brand of "Isabelle" exactly as that - a brand. A sweet, well-designed line of dance and active wear clothing for 18" dolls. And my non-Isabelle AG dolls (and I) are quite happy with this approach!

So, have you found all 16 fabric "Isabelle" tags on the outfits and accessories released so far? Have I missed any? Let me know!

Isabelle Meet Review - Part II (Accessories & Pink Hair Extensions)

I have been so enjoying Isabelle. She is such a sweet girl! As promised, here are the rest of the pictures for Isabelle's Meet Outfit and the doll herself.

Here is another look at the Meet pants and shoes. I love the detail stitching on the pant front to mimic real jeans. The shoes can be very hard to slip on (especially over tights during a wardrobe mash-up), but I found I could use a long thin plastic handle as a make-shift shoe horn! I can create a video of my technique if there is interest.



The jacket is a soft cotton, easy to get on and off of Isabelle. Originally I was put off by the "Isabelle" stitching on the front of the jacket, as I like to be able to have other dolls be able to wear GOTY clothing, but I have come to peace with it and perhaps even like it now. More on the "Isabelle" tags in a future post!



I love her silky hair. The color really suites her and her wardrobe color palette.



I have not ventured to place her pink hair extensions into her wig. Above are the side and back view of her wig and closeups of the pink hair piece itself (front and back).


The directions seem pretty straight forward. I will try this out next weekend and let you know!

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Color Quest: McKenna's Color Palette

I have had several requests to look back into the color palettes of previous Girl of the Year dolls. Next up, McKenna Brooks from 2012!

I compared McKenna's wardrobe to Pantone's Fashion Color Report for Fall 2011 (with McKenna's release just a few months later on January 1st, 2012).

The teal is definitely featured in the Meet Outfit, though somewhat lightened. This seems a reasonable accommodation of the color palette since McKenna's dress is such a small canvas!


This darling sweater from McKenna's School Outfit is an exact match for Phlox! The vibrant violet-plum color is an unforgettable hue.


Wow, Bamboo!


McKenna's Warm-Up suit uses the Fall 2011 forecasted colors paired with a light lavender that has shown up in several of her other outfits. The Bamboo peaks through in the details on her tennis shoes.


And all together now:  McKenna's leotard seems a direct echoing of the trending fall fashion colors from 2011.




What do you all think? As my earlier blog posts reveal, the Girl of the Year line represented by Isabelle (2014), Saige (2013), and McKenna (2012) seems to have a strong tie to the larger color trends in fashion and design. Shall we take a look back to Kanani (2011)? Will this popular doll also reveal the same design planning strategy?

Isabelle Meet Outfit and Accessories Review - Part I

Readers, I brought Isabelle home.

When I went to the American Girl store premiere on New Year's Day, I did not intend to bring Isabelle home. The possibility was not ruled out beforehand, but my plan was to only buy her mix and match pieces to add to my wardrobe collection and not add another doll. However, the more I saw of Isabelle in the store, the more I concluded that she'd be a special addition to our home.

I am very pleased to be able to review the Isabelle doll in detail for Poppets & Posies.

There is something special about that moment when the doll is still waiting in the box, secured and tidy, her hair perfectly coifed under the hairnet. I waited 24 hours before removing her from the box simply because I prefer to wait for that perfect quiet moment to take her out and appreciate her.


Her face is lovely. I am a real fan of the classic face mold from after Pleasant Company was sold to Mattel. I believe her eyes are definitely a serene and sombre green and not merely hazel as described.


Her Meet coral tee has many delightful details, from sequins to glittery paint to an added layer of mesh/tulle on the little skirt of the ballerina!


Her golden dance shoes are even more glittery and well constructed than I thought they would be from pictures on the internet. While I am not a fan of the style, I have no complaints about the execution of the vision. The metallic denim pants with knit cuffs seems different and fresh and the sheen of the metallic fabric is really in keeping with the whole aesthetic of the meet outfit.



Last moments before unboxing her and removing the hairnet. This is the most pristine her hair will ever be. With American Girl dolls, I consider the moment of removing the hairnet as the moment the doll becomes truly mine.

Isabelle! 


I thought maybe her blonde hair would be a bit drab considering it isn't the extreme white blonde of a Caroline or even the light blonde of a MyAG 22 or 27. But her honey golden hair has a lovely glow--understated much in the same way her eyes are a lovely but gentle green.

The light from the window was still good enough to try on her jacket from Isabelle's Accessories and get  few pictures.


A closeup of the Isabelle tag, of which there are many in this collection. More on the tags next week. 

The light has gone, so I must conclude Part I of my review of Isabelle and her accessories. 

Next week:  Isabelle's Accessories (jacket, purse, enameled hairpin and arm warmers) and her pink-tipped hair highlights.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Isabelle at AGSF!

What a fun way to start 2014 by getting up early and heading to American Girl San Francisco to meet Isabelle! Husband slept in at home but my sister was ready to head out for an early morning New Year's Day adventure.

We arrived around 9am and there already was a small line forming in front of the store in advance of the 10am opening. We were approximately 40th in line. We could see through the front picture window all of the last minute set up of Isabelle's world by the staff. When the store opened, we were let in by groups of approximately fifty people and were in that first lucky group!


Isabelle looked just as sweet in person as she did on the website. 


And we loved her Mix & Match clothing line, especially her wrap, seen below, as well as her two skirts.


But her studio--the white armoire and sewing accessories--was a major highlight.



Overall the experience was spectacular. When we were let into the store at 10am the line was about 150 - 200 people long. When we left the store shortly before noon, the line had expanded to 200 - 250 people. Arriving early before the doors opened was definitely the right strategy for us.

Inside the store we experienced only lovely parents and well-behaved children and the atmosphere was bustling but never grabby or pushy. The check out line was long, but moved at a reasonable speed and the young woman who rang up my purchases made certain that I did not have any repeat items (unless purposeful), something important when dealing with lots of small boxes with single items inside.

We left with two large red bags full of darling Isabelle merchandise. Come back tomorrow for the start of a series of reviews of the Isabelle line!

Meet Isabelle! A Spring-tastic Bouquet!

Isabelle Palmer has arrived on the American Girl website, and as promised, here are Isabelle's outfits lined up against Pantone's Fashion Color Report for Spring 2014. Unlike Saige, whose color palette seemed to slightly follow the forecast (a 2013 Saige premiere using a 2012 Fall color palette), Isabelle's palette literally springs forward into 2014!

Isabelle's Meet Outfit coral tee seems to sing a pretty Cayenne note and the material of the jeans evoke a blend of Placid Blue and Paloma.


Isabelle's Mix & Match #2 repeats the Cayenne in the leg warmers and uses Sand tone in the rosette and tutu.


Isabelle's Mix & Match #4 hits the almost all the same color notes as #2.


Mix & Match #5 offers a blast of Freesia!


Mix & Match #6 plays up Radiant Orchid and adds a lot of silver bling.


Isabelle's Metallic Dress! Right on hue!


And that is Poppets & Posies' look ahead to the 2014 Spring Colors--and our first detailed look at Isabelle! Keep an eye out for a report on my trip to American Girl Place San Francisco!