Last Day to Enter the Winter 2011 Doll Giveaway! And Thoughts on Justice

That is Justice like the clothing store... not like the scales of justice, haha.

So that's right friends and neighbors -- today is the last day to enter our Winter 2011 Doll Giveaway. One lucky winner gets to choose between Kirsten, Ivy, and Kanani. Oooo! Link is at the top menu under "Giveaway" if you are wondering what the heck we are talking about.

Tomorrow we'll announce the winner, after she/he is randomly chosen and notified via email.

So a little while back we had several posts dedicated to American Eagle outfits we'd like to see AG-ized. These posts discussed whole outfits and even just pieces of clothing that were interesting. Obviously AE clothing appeals to some and not to others. In this post we thought we'd go in a completely different direction and look at Justice's more recent offerings. It is a brand that Liberty Jane does look to for inspiration, this isn't a secret -- if you look at the picture below and go "Ah-ha!" there is a reason. :-)

These are great outfits that you see above -- lightweight full, short skirts with strong patterning, simple tank top with some color/graphic/pattern that isn't too intense, and two girls are wearing crocheted cropped vests which I am not sure if anyone out there makes for AG dolls (but they should: they are super-cute).

So one of the big things about Justice is color, color, color. They like to make big, bold statements with their clothing - especially when we look at spring and summer lines. The amount of colors and patterns they use can sometimes be overwhelming. Especially when you have three models all lined up in the same shot with all that "Justice" going on. Or when you walk into the store and your eyes have no idea what to look at first. But a "Justice" outfit can be done well and their ideas can be transferred to doll clothing. Several seamstresses are already doing it, even if they don't know it. :-)

And here is another "Ah-ha!" moment for those of you who work with the Liberty Jane patterns... a halter top is seen above and below, not exactly like the bandeau top, close, but this one has flounces. Ooooo....

As you can tell the key to Justice fashion is bold top, simplified one-color bottom or vice versa. They aren't trying to burn your retinas completely. Heehee.

There is something "new" that we noticed. It isn't really new; there is nothing new under the sun -- but it is something y'all might want to take note of: short leggings/bike shorts under jean shorts. What the heck are we talking about? See below....

So it becomes a two-layered short. Oooooo. Now I think seamstresses could master this puppy without actually having to do two pairs of shorts. Just sew on a strip of leggings material under the bottom cuffs of the short-shorts. But both layers have to be very fitted/skinny to "work." As you can see in these detail shots.... the shorts fit very close to the leg....

This double-layered short gives the Justice design team another chance to throw in some more color and contrast onto the outfit. Heehee. They do love color.

So the slideshow below should make some Justice trends clear: bold, bright tie-dye on skirts, tops and purses; brightly-colored graphic tank tops; layered tank tops - one loose over one that is tighter; short-shorts; and short flouncy skirts. All of these things are "in" at the world of Justice. And of course, you can never have too many pairs of flip flops and sunglasses. ;-) We also included a little color selection key for one of the skirts in the slideshow. It gives you an idea of the some of the colors that Justice seems to be using for this season.

Hope all this rambling helps someone out there and 

remember - enter our doll giveaway today if you haven't done so yet! :-)

American Eagle Outfits Someone Should AG-ize: Part Four

And our last American Eagle post... outfits that we think should be AG-ized, i.e. turned into American Girl scale dolly outfits....

Some more simple but flattering looks.... navy and white striped long-sleeve shirt, again with the cute kangaroo pocket, this time accented with white, and a zip-down collar.... layered over a light aqua shirt.. and nice deep blue skinny jeans with some "destroyed" marks to them..... finished with chocolate brown boots.... have to admit that the stripes are really what calls us to this outfit, but they'd have to be just the right scale...

What catches our eye for #2 here is the army/olive green jacket paired with the blue and white patterned tank top..... with dark blue skinny jeans and totally awesome boots the look certainly comes together.... reminds us of a variation on Liberty Jane's "Pine Gap" outfit from their recent line (see pic below)... so we think a creation of this look would be popular...

And if you are thinking, "Well Liberty Jane already made an outfit like this... why should I make something like this?"... you would be right, but only four people in the world got a "Pine Gap" outfit...

A long skinny striped scarf! Whoo! Anybody have a place they get skinny scarves for AG's from? A lot of AG scarves are offered, but we haven't found skinny scarves like this for them. We also like this wrap-around chocolate sweater with the deep neckline over a purple top. Definitely a cool sweater and a cool look. The knit hat with ear flaps is also cute....

And here is a good chance to point something out: Etsy seller Doll Closet works with Etsy seller Yarn Twisted to pair dolly knit hats with dolly shirts and outfits... so if you are in the business of knitting, but not so much sewing... you might want to pursue a partnership with a dolly seamstress... she makes the outfits, you add on the accessories...... just an idea...... especially since accessorizing with a hat and scarf combo is very "in" right now...... and of course if you sew, but don't knit, you might want to find someone to partner with to make accessories for your clothing.... maybe even someone to make awesome cardigans to go with your tank tops and jeans....

We have talked about belted tank dresses before... but this one has a neat criss-crossed bodice, and we wanted to point out how it looks with a nice cardigan over it... nothing says you can't layer over a dress as well as under it.... ;-)... oh and check out those fantastic boots....

And last but not least a classic look that with some intriguing aspects... red and blue striped shirt under a close-fitting blue jacket (very collegiate-looking)... and jeans with destroyed patches that see-through to blue fabric (a nice touch)... add on some navy wellies and a handbag and she is good to go.... anybody have a place where they get nice dolly wellies from? (those rubber boots for rainy weather)... and p.s. for anyone making handbags, this bag is pretty cool.....

Stay tuned for posts on our new AG stuff that we got in January... right around the corner.... :-)

American Eagle Outfits Someone Should AG-ize: Part Three

We return... with more AE outfits....

Here's an interesting look.... what looks like a hand-cut V-neck shirt with big lettered graphics, light-colored "messy" jeans with tapered legs, a skinny yellow grommet-ed belt, and faded tennis shoes... nothing really stand out as a "must-have" item, but together they definitely have a cool, hanging out at the beach feeling to them...

Next we have part of the so-called "70s retro" thing going on in fashion.. a longer, floral peasant top which has an airy feeling with inset bands of lace..... paired with slightly flared-leg jeans, again with the light color that AE seems to be favoring for the spring/summer line... T-strap sandals, a double-necklace, and the dark brown cuff bracelet are nice touches....

Our third outfit for today, also from the spring/summer line.... again we see soft colors, floral patterning and our favorite tank dress, but this time with an intriguing verticality to the patterning, as well as a layered neckline and a tiered skirt... can't say we love the pink-ness but the overall design looks very nice....

Number four brings us a nice relaxed look... we like the all-over patterned shirt with the notched collar, cap sleeves, and the faded insets on the sides and waistline (unique), the semi-skinny belt makes an appearance, and we have some light-colored war-torn jean shorts... how one would destroy shorts like this and still have them stay together is a mystery to me, but they look cool..... question is, with they hold up in the wash?... though I guess that wouldn't matter in a dolly version....

A silky brown tank top, a 3/4 sleeve cream cardigan, relaxed fit white pants, and some really awesome ankle boots... and a pretty cool necklace... another one of those relaxed, but elegant looks... obviously for the dolly version, you'd skip the cropped tank top/bare mid-riff part and have the top meet the pants... but we think it would be possible to mimic the vibe of this outfit for dollies.....

That's all for now... stay tuned for more posts soon.... some with more AE outfits, some with AG stuff!

And don't forget to enter the Sew Fun Doll Clothes Giveaway before February 17th!

American Eagle Outfits Someone Should AG-ize: Part Two

AE outfits to AG-ize part two.... thanks for the comments on part one. We think we will look into Miranda's Claire's idea too.... *starts to browse the Claire's website......

So many intriguing things to this outfit... the semi-destroyed, bleached jean shorts, the cropped vest in a semi-shiny fabric, and especially the drapey shirt under it that cuts down from one shoulder and hangs off the other. A cool look indeedy...

A slightly less splashy look, but these types of cardigans with the gathered, empire-waistline area under the bodice look great.... is there a way to make a pattern for these?... we wonder....

And we also found these cardi variations online... the gathered front and the gathered sleeve looks.... unique possibilities if one could pull it off on AG scale...

And what do we have here? Nothing too overwhelmingly new... but something people tend to avoid for AGs.... why? we aren't sure...... A nice, lightweight hooded long-sleeve shirt with scrunch-able sleeves (i.e. they can be pushed up).... big lettered, blocky colorful graphics.... rolled cuff jean shorts with a nice thick brown belt to accent the waistline... all good things, right?.....

Here is another simple but pretty statement (AE is so good at looks that say "I can dress down but still look elegant")... a white tank top, a cream cardigan, long necklace, dark blue jeggings, red-brown belt, and slim-fit dark cowboy-esque boots...... we are in ♥.....

The return of the 80s? Kind of.... but not exactly... first let's address the colors: black and gray stripes, you can never go wrong with that... layering with the bright turquoise, also cool.... and blue jeggings/ skinnies, a great look... of course the top is 80s-esque... but we like the poncho-esque look with the kangaroo pouch and drawstring waistline.... not that a dolly version would need all that... but a nice drapey poncho-shirt pattern is lacking from the current offerings... (again, the key is to bring the shirt in at the waistline, defining that "hourglass" shape... you will notice the shirt creates a subtle upside-down triangle on the model below, from her shoulders to her waistline, echoing the triangle embroidered at the neckline....)

Okay, that's five... I'm done rambling for today. ;-) Will go check out Claire's a bit more.... look for more AE outfits for sewing inspirations around the corner....

American Eagle Outfits Someone Should AG-ize: Part One

Sorry we have been MIA. Traveling again... and one thing to do for school after another. Blah.

So awhile back we talked a little about Hot Topic outfits we wanted to see as AG outfits. People seemed interested in that idea. We thought we'd do some American Eagle outfits in this post as a "part one" and then add on some more pics in the coming days. These are ideas for people who are interested in making dolly-sized outfits. We can't guarantee they'd sell-- just that we like them and think they'd be cool AG-ized. ;-)

Psst.. if you want ideas for patterns and outfits, it is always a good idea to look for current trends being offered by all those stores you see in the mall...

Most of all, fit is very important (nothing too baggy-- pay attention to how things fit the models and try to mimic that on the dolls)...

Selena Gomez's AE outfit... dark jeggings and a striped poncho-esque shirt which drapes over a strappy tank...

Have to say we are a sucker for the dress-over-a-shirt look if it fits right and the dress has that bodice shape you see below.. psst, the tights here really make it look "complete"...

Another look with leggings.. we like them with the jean mini... and the cropped, hooded varsity jacket is really awesome-ness... someone should make a pattern for that...

The tights/leggings-under-things-look persists as it appears under shorts (who says you can't do that).. we like the look of the shorts combined with the flowy peasant-like top which still has a clear waistline... and the colors are just great....

Belted strappy dress! We love these strappy dresses and they are the perfect things to go over tees and long-sleeve shirts if someone could size them right for the AGs... and adding on a thick belt looks really cool.... something to help define the waistline (which usually looks good for AGs -- try to give them the hourglass shape visually, even though they don't have one in reality)....

Okay, that's five.... don't want to bore you to death... will have a few more things to discuss from AE soon...

If there is an outfit from any human clothing company out there that you have been dying to see as an AG outfit, please comment below! Or if you just have thoughts to share, please comment below! :-)