Cyber Monday: Cecile's Parlor Dress

The Cyber Monday sale is the one day where I really feel free to break my “no buying fun things for myself during the holidays” rule (though we’ve all seen how well that rule actually works in practice, lol). This is my third year shopping Cyber Monday (and my third year of enjoying the annual cries of “worst CM sale EVAR” on Facebook and Playthings), and this was my favorite sale thus far. The best part?

Cecile’s Parlor Outfit, which is the last NOLA outfit I wanted for Addy 1. This is a really pretty outfit – can I say how much I’ve loved all of Cecile’s jewel-toned clothes? – and it looks great on Addy 1. Now, seeing the absolute gutting that has happened to the Cecile & Marie-Grace line, I’m glad I had a chance to get it.

The shirt is very basic, crisp and white, with a hint of lace trimming the collar. The sleeves break AG tradition by not having tiny Velcro tabs at the wrist cuffs. This is a bit of a shame – I love a tidy, fitted look, and the looser, non-Velcro sleeves aren't as appealing.

(They’re also not as character-accurate for Cecile, who would certainly have had custom clothing from a dressmaker, fitted to her measurements. But for Addy, who gets a lot of things secondhand, they’re a bit more forgivable.)

The skirt is a lovely dark purple with gold print. It’s a cotton or cotton blend, but nice and heavy.

It’s meant to be worn over a crinoline, but holds its shape well enough to look nice without one. It is definitely a post-Mattel item – it took me some tugging to get the skirt up onto Addy’s chubby PM waist, and the elastic is stretched almost to full length.

The jacket is the low point of the outfit – the gold fabric is that synthetic-silk “windbreaker” fabric. It’s very thin, and the much heavier purple trim looks odd against the thinness of the gold fabric.

Last but not least, a pair of purple hair ribbons to complete the look. The whole ensemble looks lovely on Miss Addy, and I can see the shirt in particular being a good mix-and-match item for skirts and jackets in the future.

(For starters, it looks lovely with the Special Dress! While I love this dress for Addy 1’s holiday attire, the short sleeves and wide neck have always made me want to give the poor girl a shawl or something. Layering the Parlor Outfit shirt underneath, while making it a bit of a challenge to fit, gives it a more seasonally-appropriate look.)

(I also bought the Doll Tees book, which I’ve always been slightly tempted to buy, just to get the shirts. T-shirts are my sewing Waterloo – I just cannot make one that looks good. I’ve never been able to justify
spending $20 to get 3 doll tees, though, and of course it’s technically a book, which means no using that 40% coupon at Michaels. But for $5 on Cyber Monday? Sold! Lucy and Nasrin seemed pleased with their new shirts!)