Fashion and Dolls

Théâtre de la Mode doll

As you know from a recent post I'm something of a doll fan. I'm not a serious floor to ceiling doll collector, but they are something which has been a particular soft spot of mine lately. I love them as a girl who used to play with dolls, but I also love them as a fashion designer!

Dolls have played a huge roll in fashion for centuries. During the 18th century french merchants de mode used to send out little poupees dressed in their latest creations to entice potential patrons with exquisitely made miniature replicas of their designs. In the 1940's dolls like Virginia Lachasse  from London and those created for the Théâtre de la Mode from Paris showcased the talents and workmanship of couturiers in the mid 20th century.

I've had a lot of fun recently playing out designing in miniature for Monster High dolls, after customizing a Slow Moe for Ghoulia (that letter jacket!) I turned my hands to designing a Sweet 1600 outfit for my favorite Zombie girl, and a Loch Less monster doll as a way to let lose with some UK monster and fashion pride!

Sweet 1600 Ghoulia

Lochturna Ness

As a designer working on a small scale is a great way to try out new things with little expense, and a fun alternative outlet to showcase work in a different way.

Dolls can also be a fun way of finding new styles to try for yourself! For the vintage fashion lover vintage and retro Barbie fashions can be a fun source of inspiration for your full scale fashion! As can some of the amazing Gene dolls out there.


 Make Your Own Doll!

I've had a tutorial on my site for a few years with tips on making your own ball jointed dolls, and this past weekend before jetting off to England to stay with my family over the holidays, I also added a tutorial for customizing fashion dolls! You can use the tips for customizing the freak fab Monster High dolls, but the same techniques can also be used to create your own unique Barbie dolls or which ever fashion doll speaks to you most! When it's all about expressing your style, it's always fun to find a doll that reflects it the best!

 There are some tips on how to wipe, re-root and paint your doll, ready for your miniature fashion adventures! Give it a shot and let your inner designer run wild!

The new tutorial plus extra photos of my 2 newest Monster High customs can be found on the Dolly Daydream site here!

Quick Pin Up Fix!

This time of year is about as hectic as it get's for me, working in the wonderful world of handmade retail over the holiday season means I pretty much eat, drink tea, work, and sleep from Thanksgiving through Xmas. On top of that we've had a lot of travel the past few months making a busy time even crazier!

A girl can get tired of looking at her worn out face in the mirror at times like these, and that's when you need a nice fast easy glamour fix that won't eat into your work time! For me that fix is the good old faux bumper bang. It takes seconds, looks pin up fab, and requires very little prep!

To get the look all you need is:

• 3 bobby pins
• A splash of water
• Hair spray
• 1 min extra time before bed!

The Styling:

1. The night before separate out a small section in the front you want to curl into your bangs.
2. Dampen the section with a bit of water
3. Put the section in 3 (maybe more if you're blessed with thick hair) standing pin curls.
4. A fast way to do these is to roll your hair around a smooth tube (I use a Besame lip gloss) slip the "tube" out and pin with a bobby pin so it sits as if it had a roller in it.
5. Wake up!
6. Take out the bobby pins
7. Gently brush the curls over your hand and roll up under itself
8. Arrange the bangs to suit your face
9. Spray with liberal amounts of hair spray

Leave the rest of your hair down, throw it in a ponytail, do whatever! The whole thing including setting your hair the evening before takes less than 5 minutes, but you'll look like you had time dress up even if you didn't!

It's also a pretty fun way to play with bangs without having to make the commitment of cutting them in.

Usually it comes out much fuller, but the day you set up to take photos is always the day things fall a little flat.