Fashion Inspiration: American Girl Doll Addy
Remember the days of American Girl dolls? If you’re like me, you had your favorite picked out, and – whether you owned that doll or just wished you did – your choice probably reflected your personality.
To help you get in touch with your inner child, our latest series takes fashion inspiration from these elementary school favorites, using them to inspire real-life-wearable outfits you can rock today. (In case you missed them, see our posts on American Girl Felicity, American Girl Molly, and American Girl Samantha.)
Photo via American Girl
Next in our American Girl doll series is Addy Walker, a doll whose stories tackled weighty and heart-wrenching subject matter, while teaching girls to be strong and fearless no matter what.
Addy’s courage is admired throughout her powerful story, making her one of the more sentimental dolls in the original American Girl collection. Through slavery and freedom, Addy’s stories teach us about America’s terrible past, while helping us look ahead to a much brighter future.
If Addy was your favorite doll, you already know that she came wearing an adorable pink striped shirtdress and bonnet. (In Meet Addy, this is the outfit Addy wears on her way to Philadelphia for the first time.) This adorable ensemble, along with all of her other cute outfits and accessories, is a fun throwback source of fashion inspiration.
Below, I’ve put together a few looks inspired by Addy’s attire. Scroll down to view them all.
Classic Casual
Product Information: Dress – Forever21, Shoes – Tilly’s, Bag – American Eagle Outfitters, Bow – American Apparel, Necklace – ASOS
Dress like your favorite doll with a modern twist in this classic but cute ensemble! Wear a berry-colored shirtdress with a pair of edgy combat boots. Grab a crossbody bag to store the essentials, and wear a cute bow clip and shell necklace like Addy’s to complete the look.
Layered in Check
Product Information: Dress – Modcloth, Sweater – Forever21, Boots – Forever21, Headband – H&M, Socks – Gap
Addy looks absolutely darling in her checked dresses! Channel her style with a checked shirtdress layered with a sweater vest. Slip on a pair of classic riding boots and a pair of cream knee-high socks, and wear a braided headband to finish off this cozy but cute outfit.
Festively Fabulous
Product Information: Dress – H&M, Vest – Forever21, Shoes – Charlotte Russe, Headband – American Apparel, Necklace – Forever21
Whether you’re dressing up for the holidays like Addy or just for fun, wear a gorgeous emerald green lace dress with a faux fur vest for a simple but luxe look. Wear with lace-up ankle booties, a fun statement necklace, and a cute bow headband to complete the ensemble.
What do you think?
Was Addy your favorite American Girl doll? Would you wear any of the looks above? Which one is your favorite? What doll would you like to see next in the series? Let me know by commenting below!
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Posted on on November 27, 2012 / Filed Under: Inspiration / Tags: american girl doll, Clothing, Fashion Inspiration, Inspiration, Inspired by, Outfits
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Fillenoire
Yay! Addy was my favorite doll and I still have mine! Love the first look.
Lauren @ la petite fashionista
I was the biggest american girl fan growing up! I had all the books & dolls :) it’s definitely made me the history nerd that I am today!
Sam
These outfits are soooo cute! They are just the right amount of inspiration without being like costumes.
Tracey
I’m sorry but this just seems really wrong- fashion cues from a book about a slave girl?
ashanti
OMG my favorite doll! Love the outfits, they are very true to Addy’s story!
Robyn
I love that third look! And that dress can be easily swapped out for a flannel shirt and skinny jeans. :)
Jenna
I love this series! Could you start including more pictures of the dolls themselves and the outfits that you are getting your inspiration from? I love to see where ideas stem from.
Jess
^ I would definitely like to see more pictures of the dolls – where the inspiration comes from.
And Kit next????
Cristina
Like Jenna I would also like to see the original outfits you were inspired from. Thanks for remembering Addy.
moon
I was also upset that the only African American girl they have in the history series of dolls was a slave. While nearly all the other girls were pretty much little American princesses. She was the first and last American girl book I got (never had those expensive dolls…)
anyways….what Jenna said.
Jazmin
Addy was my favorite doll! Even though I never had her, I had her books. I loved them. What Jenna said… I love outfits #1 and #3!
Miss K
I absolutely love Addy! She was my favorite of the girls after Samantha. I think it says something about the ultra-yuppie neighborhood I grew up in when none of the girls my age seemed to like her except me. (Racism, you are so insidious except for when you’re right out in the open.)
Anyway, the outfits are very cute — I like them much better than the ones for Molly and Samantha.
Ellen
I still remember some vivid scenes from reading books about Addy–like when the owner of the plantation forced her to chew and swallow caterpillars from the plants she had failed to pick pests from.
I love outfit 2 the most–that dress and the cardigan go so well together! I like outfit 3 too although I have an aversion to furry-looking things like the vest. The necklace and dress (oh what a lovely color!) look beautiful.
A
Love the third look so cute! Great job!
Catalina H.
The second look is definitely my fav. Much love!
Diana
Addy was my favorite. loved it’s dresses and used to ask my parents to buy dresses like that. Sometimes we would make matching dresses too..lol
Katha
i have that green dress :D
kimberly
AH! This is too cute! I used to have an American Girl Doll when I was growing up! I love these outfit ideas so much, especially the “festively fabulous” look! The faux-fur is just adorable!
Luisa
I always thought of the girls as a fun way to learn about history. I am not saying that Samantha and some other dolls weren’t portrayed as little “princesses” as someone mentioned, but they also had dolls which were not little “princesses”. Molly (my personal favorite) was from a middle-class family and her father was overseas caring for soldiers in WWII. Kit Kittredge lived during the great depression and was FAR from glamorous. And those are just two. You can find many others who were made to explain historical topics. So although I understand slavery is a controversial topic, American girl tackled many other controversial topics in a manner that was creative and appropriate for children. This is just my opinion, and you are entitled to disagree.
Layna
So in the last post I asked for Addie or at least one of the girls of color to be used for fashion inspiration and I really appreciate it! I think this one is amazing (your best one yet) and I’m not just saying that because I asked for it. I also think the Josephina (I had Josephina growing up) and Kaya would be really awesome. I love the last outfit by the way! Keep up the good work :)
Bethany
@ Luisa I completely agree and was about to post a comment saying the exact same thing when I saw yours
I love these posts and this is definitely giving me feelings of nostalgia. Addy was the first American Girl book I ever read when I was in the third grade. So this post is definitely taking me back! The first two looks are my favorites, very nicely done!
Ashley - Flagler College
Such a fantastic idea for a series, Shelby. These post are bringing back so many memories for me!
Since I had a Kirsten doll, I’m looking forward to her post, but I also think Josefina and Kit have really inspirational style.
Samantha
I don’t see why featuring Addy as either an American Girl or as the topic of this article is a big deal. Slavery is a part of our history that we don’t want to repeat, but at the same time, we can’t pretend it didn’t happen. Addy started out the books as a slave, but she gained her freedom in later stories, and she is a great example of strength in a difficult situation.
jenny
What a wonderful post! i was waiting for this – Addy was my favorite American Girl!!! Like a previous poster said, I always appreciated that AG tackled some heavy topics by portraying the stories of girls in the past. these fashions are super cute and i LOVE #1.
and to address a previous poster, as an african-american, i was proud that they even had a doll that looked like me. as a girl, i loved reading about her heart and her stories, and how she survived extremely tough situations but still came out a survivor. and that is a story that everyone can identify with.
Kris
Kirsten! Do Kirsten next! She’s my favorite, because my ancestors came over from Sweden at the same time she did :-)
Katy
Though Samantha (whose books deal a lot with poverty) and Felicity were loaded, most of the girls were middle-class types or kind of completely outside of that realm (like Kaya and Kirsten). I read a bunch of American Girl books recently (lord, don’t even ask…), and Addy’s were among the best.
Shaney
I love the second look.
hunterkleeberg
i love moily’s hair
Mellie
I would love to see Kaya and Josefina on here!