Saturday, June 14, 2014

Hat-Tastic Party Apple White and Clothing from Fable's End Emporium

Mattel has been busy lately.  Not only are the first Freaky Fusion and Zombie Shake Monster High dolls on the shelves, but there are several exciting new Ever After High releases, too.  As if Pinocchio's wonderfully wooden daughter Cedar wasn't enough, both the Hat-Tastic Party lineup and Rapunzel's twins have recently started appearing online and in stores.

Initially, I intended to review only Hat-Tastic Apple White this week, because a friend gave me some wonderful custom clothes that I thought would look great on her.  However, in the midst of that review, my Holly and Poppy O'Hair arrived, and I couldn't wait to get them out of their box!

With all of these new Ever After High dolls to review, this was originally a massive, 250-picture post that included Apple, her new clothes, and both of the red-headed O'Hair twins, but I decided to break that beast of a review into two parts--which I will publish in rapid succession.  First, here's the lovely Hat-Tastic Apple White:

Hat-Tastic Party Apple White
Ever After High's Hat-Tastic Party Apple White.
Hat-Tastic Apple White is my second Apple White doll.  I haven't been tempted by many of the other versions of Apple--mostly because they all look very similar.  This doll strongly resembles the premiere Apple, too, but she has fun pink streaks in her hair:

She also comes with cute tea set accessories!

The Hat-Tastic collection centers around Madeline Hatter's tea party.  There's an Evite-style invitation to this party on the back of the box:

They"charm" things instead of "liking" them.
Madeline asks everyone wear "their most tea-rrific hat," so all of the dolls in this collection come wearing hats.  The five characters listed in the "Hex Yeah!" reply column of the invitation all have doll versions.  Maddie's doll comes with a fun-looking tea party playset.

Apple is displayed against the standard design of typed words in random languages, with a colorful party scene in the foreground:


There's a pop-out cardboard table that held the tea set accessories:


Here's Apple herself:

Hat-Tastic Party Apple White

In general, the Apple character's pale vinyl and platinum blonde hair can make her look washed out and ghosty, but the pink streaks around this doll's face make her look much rosier.  A small section of her bangs are tied at the left side of her face, sweeping some of the pink across her forehead in a simple curl:

Hat-Tastic Party Apple White

Apple comes with a gold stand (tucked into the spine of the book-shaped box), a purse, two tea cups and a tea pot. 


The tea cups attach to their saucers with a peg and hole connection, and the crown-shaped lid of the tea pot can be removed:


Apple's purse is pink with a black beaded handle:


It has a small red apple decorating the front:

It does not open.
And a plain back with a quilted design:


Apple's hat is a white pill box with a large red bow in front:


The hat is held onto Apple's head with a black headband. The headband pushes the hair back and exposes many of Apple's root plugs and her yellowish scalp:




Apple is wearing tiny red apple stud earrings:

Hat-Tastic Party Apple White

Each apple has a bow underneath it:



My other Apple doll has unevenly-placed eyebrows, but this doll's face paint is nice and symmetrical.  Her color palette is slightly darker than the original Apple, with more detail around her eyes:


Each eye has four layers of eyeshadow: an inner metallic gold line, lines of saffron and brown in the middle, and a wide outer band of faint gold.  The thick eyelashes also cast a purple shadow on the top of the eye:


Apple's lips are a deep sparkling red and do not have any decorative dots:


Here are my two Apple dolls together so you can see the differences.  The pink hair is quite an improvement, I think.  


Hat-Tastic Apple is wearing a red, black and white party dress with a lot of printed detail:


The top of the dress is made out of a red polka dotted stretch knit and has short puffed sleeves with white ribbon-banded cuffs.  A black and white sweetheart bodice shape overlays the polka dots, and the whole thing is covered with a three-stranded pearl necklace:



The skirt of the dress is made out of a third type of stiff printed fabric with a tea cup and cupcake design.  The waist is gathered with the short ends sticking up:


There's a design on the tea cups, but I can't tell what it's supposed to be:


The dress opens in back and is easy to get on and off, but Apple's hands have to be removed in order for her arms to fit through the sleeves.


The skirt of the dress is fully lined with plain red stretch knit and hemmed in black lace:


Apple is wearing wonderful netted ankle socks and pearly white shoes:


Her shoes have golden twisted heels and small molded flowers along the sides:


I am not sure what the heel is supposed to be (if anything) but perhaps the small flowers along the sides are apple blossoms?

Very pretty shoes.
Apple's hands are painted solid black as though she's wearing gloves.  She's also wearing pearly white bracelets on each arm that look like the ruffled cuffs of the gloves:



This Apple's body is the same as my other Apple.  I didn't see any red staining from the dress, which is great, however the body does have a glitch.  Hat-Tastic Apple's ball-jointed hips are very stiff and hard to move.  Her right hip can not flex all of the way.  In the picture, below, both hips are bent towards the body as far as they will go:

Frustrating.
Here are my two Apple dolls together: these dolls are similar enough that I'm still unsure about whether it's necessary to own both of them.


Both Apple dolls have red-based, busy outfits that remind me of Angelic Pretty Lolita-style fashion. Despite some differences in makeup, their faces are hard to tell apart from a distance.  They both have jewelry pieces with nice, themed details.  The texture and style of the hair is the same on both dolls, and the pink streaks are the only difference.

So, which doll do I prefer?  Well, the new Apple's pink hair and cute hat give her a definite edge, but her black hands are not very versatile and her articulation is too stiff.  The original Apple has wonky face paint and a super-pale head, but she moves better and has normal hands.  My older Apple has a much better purse, but Hat-Tastic Apple has the adorable tea set with pieces she can actually hold:  

Hat-Tastic Party Apple White

All in all, this new doll is my favorite of the two...she just might need an occasional hand transplant from the other Apple.

So, one of my reasons for purchasing Hat-Tastic Apple is that I needed a model for some new handmade clothes that fit Ever After High dolls.  Our friend Emily, who wrote the Picture Day Frankie Stein and Scaris Abbey Bominable doll guest reviews, has opened a new Etsy shop!  She was kind enough to send me some items from her store as a lovely thank you for her review.


Emily's Etsy store is called Fable's End Emporium, and it specializes in mix-and-match outfit pieces for Ever After High dolls.  She also accepts custom orders.  Emily's gift to me was an 18th century-inspired outfit that isn't even listed in her shop yet.  I also bought a few of her well-priced separates.  This all added up to a nice pile of goodies!

All wrapped in recyclable brown paper and beautifully labeled.

Apple was pretty excited to try on her new clothes.  She wanted to start with some of the smaller packages and leave the enticing panniers, petticoat and overskirt for last.


The separates are made out of a stretchy synthetic knit.  They come either in the Royal color palette (pink, red and white) or the Rebel colors (purple, blue and grey).  I chose the Royal options for Apple: 

Ruffled top with pencil skirt.
I ordered two tops, two skirts, a jacket and two belts.  All of this cost about $20 with shipping.  Here are some of the fun combinations that are possible:

Ruffled top with circle skirt.

Peplum top and circle skirt.
Peplum top and pencil skirt.
Peplum top, pencil skirt and jacket.

Of course the clothing can also be mixed and matched with regular Ever After High items, too.  These are nice basics to have.  Some of the regular Ever After High clothes are so packed with prints and designs that it's nice to have solid colors to balance things out.  The pink peplum top is my favorite piece.  This looks so sweet on Apple and the style is perfect for her fairy tale theme.  My least favorite pieces are the belts.  These are unfinished strips of fabric, and I couldn't get mine to look good:


I've looked back at Emily's store pictures and realize that this is partly my fault--I was supposed to fold the belts over before tying them around Apple's waist.  That would have hidden the rough edges and looked much better!

Ok, now for the pieces that Emily made especially for me!  There were no pictures of these items in the shop, so the outfit was a huge surprise.  All I knew was that it was inspired by 18th century fashion and had "panniers" and a corset.  This outfit even came with carefully-written instructions for how to put it on correctly:

Brilliant idea!
Following these instructions carefully, I first got out the corset and put it on Apple--keeping the ties loose.  The corset is the only piece that is made out of a printed fabric.  It is an off-white muslin with a red and pink flower pattern.


Before I put on the petticoat, I wanted to get a picture of Apple with just the panniers on.  Panniers are hooped underskirts that were popular in the 18th century.  The name comes from the French word panier, which means "basket."  These are amazing.  They are made out of off-white muslin and are quilted and boned to create a perfect profile:


Here's a photo of some full-size panniers from the mid-1700s:

Stays and hoops

Here's the entire outfit on Apple--it includes a muslin petticoat, a pink stretch overskirt, the panniers and the corset:



I tried to do a quick Marie Antoinette hairstyle by poofing up the blonde part of Apple's hair and letting the pink ringlets hang down, but it's a little crazy:



I love this style of clothing on Apple and think it gives her an elegant, mature look that still has a healthy dose of fairy tale fun.  Emily--thank you so much for making these beautiful clothes for my Apple.  I wish you all the very best with your new store!



Now, if you still have the energy to read about Holly and Poppy O'Hair, check out part two of this Ever After High extravaganza!  


20 comments:

  1. Eeep! I'm so glad you like everything! I would like to note that the the belts have gone through some changes--I've been experimenting and figuring out what works best, but from now on they will be ribbon unless specified otherwise. I think it makes for slightly easier use. And your review of Apple was, as usual, wonderful! My sister was looking at the pictures with me and practically drooling…I think HTTP Apple might be joining us soon. I can't wait to see Holly & Poppy!

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    1. What an amazing collection! I'd love to buy one from your store lately. I just need to get my own bank account and credit card and get a paypal account. <3

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  2. If you think the skin tone on the two Apple dolls is a close enough match, I think I'd just swap the heads on the two dolls. Then you'd have the fully functional body with nude hands, and the more attractive streaked hair all in one! :)

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  3. Yesss third comment ..:)
    Hello Emily. I have to say you are the most amazing doll collector I've ever seen I'm not even into blogging lol but for you I keep up with. Have a nice weekend. By the way do you like lalaloopsy minis? I have so many. :)
    ~Gaby

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  4. Great review as always !! Is it me or do her shoes remind me if rapunzel ? The heel could be hair and the detail on the white bit reminds me of the detail on the bottom of her dress (if it was purple). I love the pink into apples colour pallet

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  5. Happy World Doll Day! I think the new Apple is much better and the handmade clothes are awesome! I should check out that shop :)

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    1. I really love those clothes too.
      ~Gaby

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. Dear Emily,
    Have you heard of the San Diego Comic Con exclusive Cerise Wolf? Its the Cerise Hood doll, but she decided to follow in her fathers footsteps and became Cerise Wolf. I think she looks really nice and I just wanted to tell you just in case you did not know yet

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  8. Awesome! She is so pretty! My heart is for Maddie though, ^_^
    Happy national Doll Day!

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  9. Hi Emily,
    Great review! I really like this Apple White and the Getting Fairest Apple White. To me, Hat-tastic Apple White is the most unique Apple White. The black and white in her outfit stands out from the basic and Legacy Day Apple White dolls, which both have similar colors and patterns in their dresses. I am hesitant to get this doll just because I'm trying to collect mainly the basic versions of each character.

    While I think most of the Apple White dolls are very beautiful, I cannot get past her character in the first book and the webisodes. I haven't read the second book so maybe her character has changed. To me, she's too self-absorbed and cares more about herself and her own destiny than how miserable Raven would be if she choose to follow in her mother's footsteps and be the next evil queen. This taints the Apple White dolls somewhat for me.

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  10. Hi! I know this is a odd question, but do you know any lolitas? You reference it every so often, so I was just wondering. I think it is really cool that you actually seem to know about the fashion!

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  11. I didn't bought the first Appele White for two reason : her wonky eyes (they are really disturbing, misplaced), I couldn't find a good doll in any shops I went; and...her coloring. To red on the lips...
    But I bought Getting Fairest Apple and she's absolutely lovely ! No wonky eyes (thanks Mattel !) and her face has the perfect colors. I think she's much more versatile than the others Apple. Her hair are very easy to brush. And she doesn't have a lot of glue in her hair : I can easily "squeeze" it.

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  12. I didn't knew there was a Mad Hatter inspired doll in MH, but i really think it's a waste that it's an Ever After High doll, because of the round face they have, and that is a really huge turn down for me.

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  13. Hello Emily! Wonderful post as always! I was relieved to see that your Apple had difficulty with her hip; we have two Raven Queens here with the same problem, and I was beginning to think it was just me, as none of the other dolls we have from the line seem to suffer from the same fate. I love the extra clothing pieces too and will have to check out Emily's Etsy shop.....right after I read the other review.

    Have a great day,

    Joette

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  14. I think that too many of the EAH dolls have same-same going on. If I were you, I'd keep the Hat-tastic Apple and the signature Apple's hands and stock and sell the actual doll. I'm already planning on buying a few dolls just for their stock outfits and accessories and selling the actual dolls on myself just to keep things at a manageable level.

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  15. Wonderful review as always! This is the one Apple I've been excited for, I think the colored streaks are what makes her more interesting for me:) I think her heels on her shoes are supposed to be like decorative chair legs (and ties in with the tea party theme).

    Have you tried heating the hip joint (with hair dryer or soaking in hot water) and then trying to move the leg? Knees get stuck like this quite often and it just takes a little more force (and nerves of steel lol) to get them to work correctly:)

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  16. I agree, Hat-Tastic Apple's pink curls makes a big difference! It makes her look more alive rather than ghostly white. XD I also love the fact that they removed those white dots on her lips. Oh boy, those dots bothers me! :( Thank you so much for this amazing review Emily! <3

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  17. I like the doll Apple but not the new clothes they aren't as patterned and well made as the company clothing for your doll

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  18. Some clothes could have longer sleeves or a more extensive chest which may seem off-kilter when worn by another person. When purchasing dresses or covers, know the suitable length that would accommodate your stature. Joker Jacket

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