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.
Table of Contents
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!
I would love to see Kaya and Josefina on here!
i love moily’s hair
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.
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.
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.
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.
@ 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!
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 🙂
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!
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.
OMG my favorite doll! Love the outfits, they are very true to Addy’s story!
I’m sorry but this just seems really wrong- fashion cues from a book about a slave girl?