Today I thought I’d show you the Fashionista outfits that I bought from Amazon before Christmas. I bought them because the colours were nicer than the usual pinks even though there did not seem to be much colour coordination in the two outfits in each set. There were no shoes included.
When Vivienne received a new shipment of clothing for the store she was not very impressed with it. She decided to hand it off to one of her younger staff members to run a fashion shoot as she felt the clothing was more suited to the younger age group.
The Showrunner:
It was Petra’s turn to be Showrunner and she was very excited. Petra normally works in the gift department of Cruikshank’s which she enjoys but the store has a policy of giving staff members a taste of working in other areas from time to time. Petra wanted to show Vivienne and Georgie that she could do a good job in any department they asked her to work in.
She received a list of people available to be models and made her selections. Rather than picking her friends and co-workers Lisa, Penny and Natalie, Petra decided to bring in a more random group.
The Models:
- Gemma
- Frances
- Alison
- April
The Fashions:
Even though there were only four outfits Petra put a lot of thought into what she wanted to do. She had purposely chosen models with different measurements. Gemma’s friend Frances was very tall, Alison had a tiny waist and larger bust.
Petra gave each girl an outfit to try on. As she did not have any shoes for her models she suggested that they wear a neutral coloured shoe or pose barefoot if they preferred.
Frances volunteered to be first as she was new to modelling. She said she’d rather not stand around getting nervous. She liked the Tee shirt and waistcoat but not the skirt which she said she thought was ugly. Petra gave her the bag to hold as the ginger cat was the only thing that matched the colour even a little.
April was next wearing the dress from the same pack. She found it a good fit and liked the style and colour.
Next came Gemma in a black vinyl skirt, white crop tee-shirt and a denim print jacket. Gemma liked the jacket and tee-shirt but not the skirt. “Look Petra, it’s damaged.” she complained, and indeed a piece of the vinyl had not been stitched to the elastic waistband. Gemma also felt that the skirt was too loose and did not sit right on her unless she wore it low on her hips.
Last to appear was Alison wearing a red check sundress. While saying that the dress felt cool Alison said that it was quite large for her and that she would not feel happy wearing it without a bra. She did like the sunglasses, however.
Petra wanted to be thorough so she suggested doing some mix and match and outfit swapping as she had seen Jan do on occasion. Gemma and Frances swapped skirts. Gemma thought that the all black and white outfit looked better although she found the check skirt a rather odd shape too. Frances also found the vinyl skirt loose around the waist. Petra also asked Alison to try on one of the skirts but it was way too large for her as well. Alison was very happy to change into the red print dress which was a clear favourite with everyone.
April was less happy to wear the check dress which Petra also asked Frances to try on. “You have to be kidding me!” she said crossly. “This dress is a wardrobe malfunction waiting to happen,” she added as she struggled with the straps. The dress was huge on April who is very slim. It was a better fit on Frances but she too agreed it was something she’d probably only wear to the beach.
Petra was quite pleased with her efforts and posed with the girls for the usual photos after the shoot. Vivienne was also pleased with her work and said that she would be contacting the supplier about the faulty items and odd sizes as this was not the sort of thing that they wanted to sell at Cruikshank’s.
*Note: I thought that the sizings of these outfits were strange. I did expect them to look odd on April and Alison but the skirts were big on everyone. I wondered if they had been made for Curvy Barbie but it did not say so on the pack so I suppose they are making them “One size fits all” these days. I was annoyed to find the black skirt was faulty. I can probably put a stitch in it but it was poor manufacture I thought. I did not care for the style of either skirt really. The vinyl one seemed odd to me because it was flared while the check one which was meant to look like a wrap round reminded me of gingham curtains. I also thought that for the price they could have come with shoes. I know kids lose them but still. This is the problem with playline being made for such a young age group.
Dolls, Dolls, Dolls 
Yay, first fashion show of the year! Petra did a great job considering what she was given to work with. Ultimately i liked the black and white outfit with gingham skirt and the red choker collar dress best as i thought they were the edgier pieces. I too “went to the dark side” and got a few packs of fashionistas clothes. I considered the one with the pieces i liked too expensive for what it was. For the price, at least include some shoes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I liked the red choker collar dress, a nice little outfit and when I was finished I put it on Gigi with the black waistcoat. It looks good on her. I did like the other dress but the fit was really a problem. Most of the girls would have been showing way too much skin, or their bras in it so I put it back on Tall Fashionista who can wear it with the least embarrassment. I liked the idea of the gingham skirt but just found the shape odd. I haven’t found anyone I like it on yet. Maybe I’ll see if Roseanne or Happy Family Grandma can wear it.
LikeLike
My ladies have also struggled with some of the clothes in the fashion packs. Some skirts fit the Malaville dolls better than the Mattel dolls. Maybe in trying to make one size fits all, all they have created are poorly fitting clothes for all.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just like in the real world 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have that fashion pack with the gingham skirt and kitty shirt. Right now, my Disney Store Cinderella doll is wearing it, and it looks pretty good on her. I have the choker collar red dress on my Avon Rose Splendor doll and she looks amazing. I’ve noticed that a lot of the newer fashions do seem better suited to curvy dolls, which is actually fine with me, but they are going to look sloppy on the original/tall/petite body types. I always love your fashion shows, and I love the red sundress! It definitely needs a curvy girl to fill it out a bit though.
LikeLike
I thought that my TNT girls who are more busty might be able to wear it but no. It was loose on them too. I don’t have a Curvy yet so I may do a mature age fashion shoot with Happy Family Grandma and Roseanne one day. I wonder if the skirts would work on Tammy?
LikeLike
Loved this, I can see some leggings and tights handy w/ these loose items, really layer them up. Loved Francis in nearly everything. Besides Rosie and Gran..(my names for the big gals) I’ll be looking for an AA curvy gal and guy. Plus I’d love to see Tammy or Sindy or Tressy or Misty try these too?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry Frances,Only saw the cat pack available but also a mix and match or layering , when did they get so…expensive got two used lots less than that..guess I’ll have to be scouring Salvation army stores for older fashions..
LikeLike
It probably won’t be long before those sets turn up at thrifts. The turnaround time seems much less now with eight and nine year olds deemed too old for dolls.
LikeLike
I did try the check skirt on Gran this morning and it fit nicely at the waist. Gran said “A bit short dear.” but I feel that Rosie probably wouldn’t mind. At least that confirms my “one size fits all” theory.
LikeLike
They really don’t compare with the fashions you could buy for Barbie during the 90s.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They sure don’t.
LikeLike
I’m just catching up with some of the posts now. The fashion shows are always fun. There isn’t much opportunity to buy the fashion packs here (in Canada) so it’s interesting to see these outfits. I love that cat t-shirt, and the black skirt, vest and print jacket appeal to me. The gingham skirt looks like a fashion mistake and I think Happy Family Grandma deserves better. 🙂 Unfortunately, I think the issue with the black vinyl skirt seam and the one-size-fits-all mentality is the norm for Mattel nowadays. Barbie clothes are definitely not the same quality they were years ago. Maybe Petra needs to work as a consultant with Mattel and educate them about quality!
LikeLiked by 1 person
The fashion has definitely gone out of fashion doll with the quality of what they make now.
LikeLike
i like your every dress .i waiting for your next posts dress.
LikeLiked by 1 person