Casual closet includes: charcoal and light gray hoodie, mesh turquoise blue basketball tank and shorts, gray pants to match hoodie. turquoise sneakers, white sneakers with chartreuse trim.
Formal closet includes: dark blue pinstripe suit with PINK topstitching, blue floral short sleeved shirt with pink satiny ribbon tie, red plastic roses, dark lace-up shoes, gray vest, and small dark blue plastic box (gift for Barbie?).
The photo below shows the back of both packages and how three complete outfits emerge from these two packages.
Thoughts/reactions: The casual closet looks okay. I cannot say that I am eager for my Kens to have a basketball outfit, but this one is okay. I like the vest in the formal closet and the idea of the suit and the floral shirt. The David Tennant Doctor Who wore a suit similar to this one. But this suit fabric looks cheesy while the shirt looks like the minimum of fabric possible was used. The sleeves almost looked clipped. (Siren shrieks "cheat" or "cheap" ... your guess which.) There are no cool accessories or complex pieces here to enhance the clothes.
If I hated to sew menswear, I would snatch these sets up as being half-decent Kenwear. Since I used to sew for my dolls many years ago, I am thinking I might skip on these closets and set aside time to create my own Kenwear. Yes, the looks would likely be dated - lol- but they would fit better in my sense of what my Kens and male figures should wear. Because the Kens in my world live under my fashion preferences. And this D is stronger than any B - wink.
11 comments:
I saw these in my Walmart for $11.47. I actually detest sewing so I'm okay with paying that price. I've no doubt that I will be getting the sports one because I like everything in it. I just want to see if Target will be carrying it cheaper or on sale.
The only thing I like in the formal one is the phone! Even that vest, though not hideous, does nothing for me. This one would have to be at least half off before I would even consider it. Blue pinstripes?! No, thanks. And my grandmother had a sofa made out that flowery blue shirt print, bah. LOL, I sound so cranky about this pack.
And what the heck are those girls doing in the background of the sporty pack? They need to settle down.
The first thing I noticed was how the clothes were packaged. The package design SEEMS to imply that three people/dolls can wear the clothes in one package.
I look forward to the day when they will use the same style of packaging for Barbie clothes. One character from the illustration gets the shoes/bag/necklace, the other gets the skirt, and the third get a blouse. That would be a very funny day.
@ Muff - Lol! I agree with you on the fashion packs, I also want the sport one. The other one would have to be a sale item. Mattel really needs to step up the clothing game.
I agree with you D7ana.. the Mattel clothing is becoming increasingly more cheap and with almost no fabric (although the prices don't reflect that --'). Even worse, these new clothes are made for Fashionista bodies so they don't fit my "older" Ken dolls snif snif
Hi Muff, Niel, Georgia Girl, and Vanessa! Thanks for your comments. Yes, these would need to be on sale for me, too, Muff and Georgia Girl. The deceptive packaging is another point of wrongness about them. If you didn't see the outfits up close, you might assume that there is a green sleeveless top in the casual closet that is NOT there. OR that all three figures have pants. That is wrong in my opinion. False advertising. Then what you get is so flimsy for the money ... Sigh. I'll talk with my wallet and NOT buy at full prices as Niel suggested.
Hello from Spain: I like the pack of sportswear. I think Mattel needs to create clothes for Ken more serious and real current of a man ... I think you have to sew clothes to dress your Ken. I am sure that your clothing is more suitable for a man. In my country these packs still not sold in stores. I'm sure that will be on sale in December ... Red Ken's car, the Golf, even just come on sale this September as big news ... Keep in touch
I just picked up what I THINK is a new Ken single pack outfit. Most of the time the determining factor for me (aside from the price) when I am buying Ken clothes, are what kind of accessories do they have with them. I loved the "straw" fedora hat and glasses that came with a previous set, and this week a new set (at least new to me) was one with a new style of black sandals. I actually prefer to put the majority of the Ken clothes on my CY girls (female action figures) which usually are not too masculine looking for these ladies. Also the shoes fit the CY girl feet quite well, and those are tough to find. The clothes that are truly masculine and not unisex looking, go to my Kens and M&C soldier guys.
Rosi
Hi Marta and Rosi!
@Marta, I think my Ken fashions would be more traditional, lol. I prefer fairly conservative fashions for my guys. That is so good to read, Marta, that the red Ken Mini Cooper car is for sale in Spain now.
@Rosi, do you have a photo of your new Ken single outfit? Please send a link if you do ;-D I would love to see it. Now some cute accessories like that straw boater hat and the eyeglasses in an earlier Ken outfit, that would have been an asset to these fashions.
Thanks for posting these. I had seen both and wondered if there were more sets out there somewhere. Apparently just the two:/
But I followed a link someone else posted recently and found a suit for my Tiny Tim Gunn. http://stores.ebay.com/Nancys-Doll-Things/Jacket-Pants-Shirt-Tie-/_i.html?_fsub=4973847018&_sid=45091268&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322
I sew home decor items for a living, but I really don't like sewing in 1/6. I really like these suits this lady makes. I plan on tailoring the one I got a little bit (TTG is on a teen body so he's a little slender in the body but wide at the shoulders) but for this price, her suits are a great start.
I just bought the sports pack today from Walmart for $11.47. I like both outfits. I'm going to pass on the other pack. Now that I am sewing, I want to eventually make some nice suits.
Mattel is doing better on the clothes. It's called Tim Gunn and now the Barbie Look lines. BUT, I imagine if there are price complaints about $4 Barbie outfits (3 for $12) and $5.67 Ken outfits (2 for $12), those people are not going to buy the better outfits at $24. The inexpensive clothes are there primarily for the kids (and me). But there are so many more options for adult collectors who want nicely made clothes. Go to ebay and Etsy. You can buy really nice clothes all day long. Some are even really cheap.
Hi Miss_Lola_77 and Vanessa!
@Miss_Lola_77 - thanks for that link to Nancy's eBay site. Five dollars for a complete Ken suit! Variety of colors.
Regarding the 2 Ken sets: Mattel always makes fewer Ken clothes ;-) It's not fair, but I guess they have less demand for menswear.
Sewing 1/6 scale is harder because the pieces are smaller but not small enough that you can "cheat" by gluing pieces as you can with 1/12 scale. If you use a machine, I imagine the seams and hems go quicker, but some parts might be tricker to navigate like darts, etc.
@Vanessa - congratulations on getting the one you liked. I look forward to seeing your suits - you did great tailoring with that houndstooth suit.
Mattel has done lovely work in the 1960s and sometimes, for some collector pieces. I like their Fashion Fever pieces, too, which weren't extravagant but were "decent" pieces. Yes, they used velcro on those pieces, but the clever, bright designs and varied fabrics made those fashions fun. Today's clothes seem to be mostly synthetic jerseys.
That's a good point, though, that the playline clothes are for budget-minded children and adults. Collectors do have access to other sources for better quality items.
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