Hello Dolly!
So where's a girl to shop in New York? Bloomingdales? Macy's? Saks Fifth Avenue? Of course, but the strangest has to be American Girl.
I had been keen to go there for a while. Unheard of in England, it is the mother of all doll stores. I had first seen it in Chicago, but decided to wait until Abi was here so we could go together.
Let me explain, American Girl is a store especially for mummies and their little girls. It sells dolls and accessories, but in an almost creepy kind of way.
As you go through the entrance you are met by a reception desk, just like in a hotel. On the wall is a schedule of events, from shows to tea parties. As you enter the main part of the shop, you are greeted with an army of rigidly smiling dolls, gleaming American teeth glinting through the plastic covered boxes.
Now the whole point of American Girl is that you can choose a doll that looks just like you, then buy a matching outfit - sort of cloning in reverse. Now of course none of the dolls will look exactly like your little girl, unless she fell into a vat of cement, but this is no problem. Once you have chosen the best fit, you take it over to the hair salon where the doll and your little girl can get matching hair dos. The dolls sit in mini hairdressing chairs while the assistants snip away. Once the pampering is over, you can take part in the ultimate dolls' tea party.
Since my little girl is now 20, we declined to actually buy a doll, but had fun talking to the assistants.
It turns out the store began as a mail order company in the eighties, and opened its first stores in 2000. They have become a phenomenon in the U.S, with lines stretching round the block when a new doll is released.
I doubt it will be long before American Girl hits the London streets. Of course there the dolls will have sneers instead of smiles, and when you press a button in their backs they'll have a tantrum. The bigger dolls will all be pregnant, with fake Gucci handbags as accessories. Remember.. you read it here first...
I had been keen to go there for a while. Unheard of in England, it is the mother of all doll stores. I had first seen it in Chicago, but decided to wait until Abi was here so we could go together.
Let me explain, American Girl is a store especially for mummies and their little girls. It sells dolls and accessories, but in an almost creepy kind of way.
As you go through the entrance you are met by a reception desk, just like in a hotel. On the wall is a schedule of events, from shows to tea parties. As you enter the main part of the shop, you are greeted with an army of rigidly smiling dolls, gleaming American teeth glinting through the plastic covered boxes.
Now the whole point of American Girl is that you can choose a doll that looks just like you, then buy a matching outfit - sort of cloning in reverse. Now of course none of the dolls will look exactly like your little girl, unless she fell into a vat of cement, but this is no problem. Once you have chosen the best fit, you take it over to the hair salon where the doll and your little girl can get matching hair dos. The dolls sit in mini hairdressing chairs while the assistants snip away. Once the pampering is over, you can take part in the ultimate dolls' tea party.
Since my little girl is now 20, we declined to actually buy a doll, but had fun talking to the assistants.
It turns out the store began as a mail order company in the eighties, and opened its first stores in 2000. They have become a phenomenon in the U.S, with lines stretching round the block when a new doll is released.
I doubt it will be long before American Girl hits the London streets. Of course there the dolls will have sneers instead of smiles, and when you press a button in their backs they'll have a tantrum. The bigger dolls will all be pregnant, with fake Gucci handbags as accessories. Remember.. you read it here first...
posted by Hilary at
8:38 AM
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