December 13th is Saint Lucia's Day and what better way to prepare for the Scandinavian festival of lights than having my youngest poppet, Ingabritta, dress up in the Saint Lucia Gown and accessories?
The Saint Lucia Gown, Wreath and Tray are from Kirsten Larson's collection and are truly great fun. Ingabritta, a MyAG 56, is often found playing in my special armoire full of Kirsten outfits and accessories.
This is our first Christmastime with the Saint Lucia Gown and accessories as I bought them this summer on the secondary market. While I always adored Kirsten Larson (introduced by Pleasant Company in 1986 and retired by American Girl in 2010), other than a few of her outfits, I had never purchased a Kirsten doll or actively collected from her line while she was in production. Recently I decided to collect her items and have found most of them, though I have not bought a Kirsten doll and may wait for a BeForever Kirsten (though no word on if this will ever happen!).
Very newly acquired in this quest is Kirsten's Scenes and Settings, so I was able to put Ingabritta into a photoshoot with a real backdrop! I especially love how the snow filled window panes and the cross stitch tapestry set the mood for a wintery evening.
The gown itself is made of a lightweight linen with a scalloped trim at the neck, sleeves and bottom hem. The red-and-white stripped stockings go up to her knees, even a bit past the knees if you pull up a bit on the stockings--I am uncertain why they are a bit oversized.
The red sash is permanently attached to the back of the gown. This is useful because it means the sash can not get lost and it also helps keep the sash in place once tied in front. The red sash is made of similar woven cotton as many of Kirsten's hair ribbons, just thicker and wider. The waist of the linen gown itself is elasticized.
The wreath is one of the more fun accessories from Kirsten's collection. The leaves of the wreath are made of fabric and the clusters of red berries are made of plastic.
The wreath comes with six white candles. This wreath is the older Pleasant Company style wreath and the candles are painted wood rather than plastic as found in later wreaths. The entire wreath is gently wrapped by a red ribbon and topped with four red bows.
The Saint Lucia Tray features a checkered cloth, a sprig of greenery, a heart shaped candle holder and candle, and best of all, two Saint Lucia buns.
Ingabritta was so pleased to get dressed up in a traditional Saint Lucia's outfit and pose with all of its accessories in a photoshoot. Both Ingabritta and I adore the clothing and accessories from Kirsten Larson's line and we look forward to posting more photoshoot looks from the past!
It almost goes without saying, but this entire set earns an A for being totally adorable and awesome. A wonderful distraction from all the holiday waiting, wishing, and wondering!
