Summertime Review: Skateboarding Set (2014-

AG has released new summertime play outfits for the dolls. In the spirit of trying something new, Lilja (#55) has taken up the longboard.

The Skateboarding Set includes a sporty jersey dress with a mock tee, jersey leggings, high-top sneakers, and a skateboard. The set also includes stickers (for the skateboard) and a rectangle "Brave" charm. (Hairbands not included.)

The jersey dress has a drop waist and a darling mock cowl at the neckline.

The jersey leggings feature a star motif on the right leg.

The faux-leather is soft and flexible and the high-tops are lined with soft fabric. It took only minimal effort to slip these shoes onto Lilja's feet.

The top side of the skateboard has a realistic rough texture for grip. The board has flexibility throughout the belly of the board and even is capable of tilting slightly side to side like a "real" skateboard.

The underneath reveals a fairly realistic "wheels and trucks" construction.

The AG designers added an elastic strap to use during play. This is a nice touch for active play, though it is quite possible to pose a doll without using the strap.

Lilja shows off her ability to balance on her new longboard!

If I had any one criticism, it would be that the set does not include a safety helmet. The only option in the store at the moment for a helmet is the "Skates & Gear" set, which consists of inline skates, guards, and a helmet. The helmet from that set does reasonably coordinate colorwise, but it is not an exact match to the Skateboarding Set.

Overall, the design, construction, and playability of the Skateboarding Set are all top notch:  A+. The skateboard is very realistic and the outfit is a daring and new design.

Storage Solutions!

As an AG collector, I am certain that I love the process of storing and organizing my collection as much as the dolls themselves. As my collection grows, I have to continually strategize how to store all of the dresses, shoes and accessories. I am fortunate to have some closet space (and two armoires) that I am actively converting into storage space for my collection.

The largest of these spaces is a spare office closet.

I installed and painted the wooden shelves myself. My sister assisted me in measuring and installing all of the smaller sized wooden rods and metal cups.

The wooden hangers are from OnlyHangers.com and were a great investment. Surprisingly, their cost is on par with the prices that AG charges for their plastic hangers.

The left side of the closet hides a giant stack of mini plastic drawers (by Sterilite). The tower is surprisingly stable, as it is supported on two sides by the closet walls.

The mini drawers are a brilliant find by my sister. Each individual drawer fits on average one outfit, such as a set of pajamas with slippers. 

I also use these to store outfits and accessories which do not store well on a hanger, such as swimming suits, towels and accessories.

I was able to store the majority of Isabelle's leotards, tutus, shoes and accessories in three sets of mini drawers plus her dance case.

Finally the right side of the closet has a hidden wooden rod for extra hanger space. I may also put a few hooks on the blank wall space above in order to hang some hats or other items.

Kanani in Review

A Kanani has come to live with us! 

Kanani was 2011 Girl of the Year and since then she has become a very popular doll on the secondary market. My Kanani was a NRFB find, and she certainly lives up to her billing. I was specifically looking for a fairly symmetrical face, especially her eyes, because I had seen and heard several reviewers complain about how their Kanani's left eye was significantly smaller than the other. While I looked closely at all the pictures before buying her, I knew the real test would have to happen in person. My first glimpse of her was a happy one and I am very satisfied with the shape of her face and eyes!

Her flower is such a simple touch but nicely done. It can be removed and replaced easily.

Kanani looks sweet even with her hair still bunched up in a net. Her coloring--from her hair to her skin to her meet outfit--is gorgeously balanced. Her green eyes are warm and inviting.

If I were to criticize anything about Kanani out of the box, it would  be her sandals. The leatherette ruffles show a lot of the white underside for an overall sloppy effect. Additionally, Kanani arrived with clear plastic bands around the sandals. Upon inspecting the shoes it became clear the sandals were too large for her feet and the bands were included to keep them secured to her feet while in transit. I have seen these clear bands in other Kanani unboxing videos, so this seems a common issue with this doll. She stands fine in her shoes, but they are very loose.

Kanani's hair feels particularly silky, especially when compared with my other long haired dolls (Saige and Caroline). Her hair has only a slight wave, but because it is so incredibly long, it does tangle easily. Patience is the key. This is her hair after about five minutes of fussing.

I love the tilt of her head to the right. The tilt seems more jaunty and pronounced than any of my other dolls. I am uncertain if this is a Kanani thing or just the doll to doll variation in all the lines, so I will have to investigate this further.

Kanani might be a 2011 GOTY, but she still seems fresh and relevant today in 2014. 

Meet Gjertrud! A Modern Kit

Graduation has meant I am now able to return to some celebratory doll fun! Gjertrud, a modern Kit, has been added to my family of girls as a college graduation gift to myself. Her name is in honor of my paternal grandmother.

Meet Gjertrud! (Gjerta or Trudi for short.)

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!

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.

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.