How are the quality of these new costumes I haven't seen them in person only on this website but it seems the older ones were better quality. Please tell me I am wrong.
It depends on what you like personally. We have about all of the
Disney Store costumes and the WDW costumes. DS costumes are wonderful and if you buy thoseat the right time you can get them for around 19.99 or less if you have aDS coupon. They usually retail for $39.50. They also carry a deluxe version sometimes and those usually go for $79.50. The DS ones are made "softer" but this also means they can tear up easier. If you notice..when you go into a DS and take a close look at the dresses they have at Halloween many of them will be damaged. Kids are hard on their costumes sometimes so consider this.
The Disney World costumes are made of a thicker lace material. Yes this does cause more itching from those with sensitive skin. They are made better in that sense. There are ways round this. Get a leotard. turtleneck, s/s T sirt and wear it under the costume. This will help ease the itchiness. If you still can not tolerate it look at Alice or Minnie. Both of these dresses are made like real clothes so there's nothing itchy on them. Pocahontas is more simple as well and may be a better choice for kids who do not like the lace.
As for the old WDW versus the new. Again a personal choice. I have them all. We like them all for one reason or another. I will say both Tinkerbells have the worst wings ever! They velcro onto the backs and made like cheap pantyhose. If you get a Tinkerbell consider buying other wings from the Disney Store to go with it! My DD says Tink is very itchy. It's gorgeous but it is covered in glitter. This one she'd have towear an undershirt with.
Ariels ~ my favorite Ariel is the classic mermaid set. This one is not very itchy either. It's simple and great for the super hot weather. Makes a GREAT picture with Ariel in the grotto too!
Ariel wedding dress. Not very itchy either. Pretty but not good for a hot Summer. This is our least favorite of the three.
Ariel Ball Gown. This is a gorgeous dress! The sleeves have great detail. The colors in the skirt are amazing too. This looks very similar to Ariel's costume that she wears at Princess Stroybook! Would make a great photo op over there! My DD says the arms are itchy in this one.
Cinderella ~ I have not gotten my new Cindy yet but the old one I know I will like the best! It did not itch according to my DD and it looked very similar to te one Cinderella wears in the parks. Yes, it was simple but I loved it for that reason! It was one of my favorite dresses!
Wedding Cinderella....WOW! So much detail there! Amazing dress. A little itchy but not too bad.
Snow White ~ We liked the old one the best because it looked like SW's dress she wears in the parks! The only bad thing about SW was the cape. It would fall easily and had to be pinned for the SW "look" Other than that, amazing costume!
The New SW is very pretty too but it has a lot of glitter on it. Doesn't look so much like the real SW. DD did not complain of itchies with this one. The sleeves are poofy with some glitter but not like Ariel's. Ariel's is more like a recital costume or pageant dress. Make sense?
Jasmine ~ Both of these are similar. The old one looked more like the Jasmine you meet at the park. The new one has extra designs on it but it's beautiful! Shows up GREAT in a picture too! Not very itchy and great for the hot weather. Both show the belly button so if you're against that stay away from Jasmine. I see "Jasmine" more than any other at the parks! She must be their #1 seller!
Pocahontas ~ great for the Fall/Winter visits. We have not worn this to the parks yet. It's always been too hot. The one in my Trip Report is the one from the Disney Store. The one from WDW has the fake white fur across the top. It's pictured here in this thread. Minimal itchy here too.
Minnie and
Alice ~ Not itchies here and both dresses are Gorgeous on. Love them both!
Aurora ~ We like the old one best! The new one is pretty too but again has a lot of glitter on it! The other one looked more like Aurora in the park. My DD never complained of itchies in either of them. In the older Princess dresses the bottom was more full making the dresses more elegant IMO. The new Ariel is made this way too. (With the full skirt) That might be the reason the new ones appear to be of lesser quality? Both the ol and new are made very well though.
Belle ~ As mentioned before the older Belle was much fuller. Looked more like Belle you meet. But, in this case we like the new one and the way it looks on my DD better. This dress has the little straps to hold it on the arms. The other dress sort of hung off the arm. DD said this one did not itch at all. This dress is long in length too! If we could only have one it'd be the new version!
Red Belle ~ This one is a deluxe style. It does itch a little so I'm told. I have a Holiday Belle I bought from Disney Online though and this dress doesn't even compare to it! It's nice but not one of our favorites!
Did I cover them all? There are some I would never pay $65 or $85 for but all of them I have paid 29.99 for!
I bought two for the $60 price tag before I met Ms B. The original Belle and Jasmine. I hope this helped...