American Girl Heaven

eccecorinna:

So that massive polyvore project on which I embarked, featuring modern-day reinterpretations of the American Girls’ Meet outfits, is at long last finished. Feel free to click through.

Some notes on each outfit if you’re the sort who’s interested:

The Magpie: Kaya’s outfit. I made an executive decision and decided to stray away from the fashion they’re selling in stores these days that they’re saying is Native American inspired. As I understand, that stuff is Not Too Culturally Sensitive and takes money away from the actual tribes. So instead I went for a practical outfit that’d keep Kaya warm when she’s hiking around the Pacific Northwest, and a backpack so she can bring essentials with her.

Merriman: Felicity’s outfit. Felicity in the books is interested in comfort, so I went for a soft-looking shirt in the same floral pattern as her meet dress and a sturdy pair of jeans, as well as some boots for riding. Tan suspenders add that slight Felicityesque suggestion of cross-dressing, and a coral bracelet pays homage to her old necklace.

Cole: I’m the first to admit I don’t like the way they gave Felicity’s friend Elizabeth a makeover, and I’m not the biggest fan of her Colonial Barbie dress. Nonetheless, here’s my adaptation of it: a pink party dress with a darker pink coat. Repeated motifs are bows and pearls. The British flag clutch seemed appropriate since it’s a Plot Point that Elizabeth’s family is Loyalist.

Abbott: Caroline’s outfit. Caroline’s so new I don’t actually know what’s going on with her, so I went ahead and put her color scheme together in an outfit that I thought made sense.

Montoya: Josefina’s outfit. I kept some of the shape of Josefina’s white camisa in the blouse, and swapped her burgundy skirt for pants. The moccassins and pouch-purse are intact in a more modern rendition, and she has garnet earrings as a homage to her old cross necklace. I replaced the flowers in her hair with a flowery hairclip.

Rey: Cécile’s outfit. As Cécile’s interested in opera and performance, I tried to give it something of a dramatic flair. Her velvet-trimmed dress has been transformed into a skirt, jacket, and top, and she now has a hat with a brim. I kept the gloves, but made them lace.

Gardner: Marie-Grace’s outfit. Like Cécile’s dress, Marie-Grace’s dress now comes in multiple pieces. The plaid pattern comes out in the skirt, while the darker pink is found in the bolero jacket. I’ve also used the cream color of her hat elsewhere throughout the outfit.

Larson: Kirsten’s outfit. I wanted something that looked sort of prairie-ish, or at least like it belonged to one of the longer-skirted of Mawrtyrs, hence the long skirt. For other parts of the outfit, I’ve done a bit of pattern shifting. Her sunbonnet’s gingham, for instance, is now a button up shirt. And of course, how could I forget boots? The amber plays homage to the old amber heart and the lunch bag struck me as the best modern-day approximation of a spoon bag.

Walker: Addy’s outfit. The stripes on the old cinnamon pink dress have gone horizontal, and she’s got black jeans and combat boots to accompany the dress. For her wrist, there’s a series of cowrie shell friendship bracelets. And for her gourd and kerchief, there’s a nalgene and a canvas bag. (The slogan struck me as pretty appropriate—I’ve always seen Addy as the Ravenclaw-est) of the American Girls.)

Parkington: Samantha’s outfit. This is for getting important shit done in New York. A grown-up dress and jacket which evokes the plaid of her old tea dress, accompanied by stockings and high-button boots. There’s also burgundy accents in the scarf and her handbag. Finally, I couldn’t resist adding a big hairbow, because the hairbow always struck me as Samantha’s iconic accessory.

O’Malley: Nellie’s outfit. The springtime variation on Samantha’s, with a light blue dress, scarf, and hat. Celtic jewelry accompanies the clothing as a shout-out to Nellie’s Irish heritage.

Rubin: Rebecca’s outfit. Another set of clothes created with dramatic flair in mind, since Rebecca wants to be an actress, so maybe she can hang out with Cécile? I played up the yellow of Rebecca’s shawl by incorporating it into the shirt, giving her a red jacket to echo her dress. The buttons from her meet dress have been moved down to her shorts and boots.

Kittredge: Kit’s outfit. I wanted to do something that was a mixture of tomboyishness and girliness, and something that looked comfortable for writing at home. So I went with a t-shirt dress, a plaid shirt to go over top, and a pair of jeans. The green band from her cloche have been transformed into a pair of headphones, so Kit can listen to whatever it is she needs to listen to as she types out her next story.

Smithens: Ruthie’s outfit. PURPLE in capital letters. Some of the at-home comfort of Kit’s outfit, but with a few more girly accents in the form of heels and a handbag. I always got the impression Ruthie would explain makeup and hairstyles to Kit as she got older (but never got too offended when Kit kept things simple/stayed tomboyish.)

McIntire: Molly’s outfit. Pants and a waistcoat in navy to echo the navy of her skirt and sweater set, and a white shirt with a peter pan collar. In lieu of an argyle component to the sweater vest, I’ve given Molly a red plaid tie. A locket ring takes the place of her old necklace.

Bennett: Emily’s outfit. The blue flowered dress gets a modern makeover, with red tights standing in for red bobby socks. Watson fans will be pleased to note that Emily’s cardigan is here to stay in an updated form. Finally, to indicate Emily’s Blitz-surviving spirit, she has a Keep Calm And Carry On cell phone case.

Albright: Julie’s outfit. Her jeans and tunic come together in a summer sundress, while her multicolored undershirt becomes a scarf. Julie’s hat… is pretty much the same. The 1970s wasn’t too long ago, guys. Give me a break.

Ling: Ivy’s outfit. See above re: the 1970s. Another one where I’ve taken the color scheme and remixed it with newer fashions. Though I think my favorite part of this outfit is the boots.

Phew! So those are the outfits! @nympheline says we should get a crew of girls dressed up in these outfits to explore the world. Anyone up for it? I call I get to be Kit.

Wow, this is really rad! And you actually put a lot of thought into it you cool person you

I wasn’t aware that there were sometimes actual text differences between the magazine version and the book version of the historical short stories….that’s something I’ll keep in mind if I ever get book versions of ‘Sam’s Blue Bicycle’ or ‘Molly Marches On’.