It's a Doll's World!!!

While the girls are waiting for me to finish my next project for you, they've decided to get a little sight seeing done....strictly from the doll lovers perspective.



First stop: La Musée de la Poupée (Paris renown doll museum). Situated in a courtyard

just off the rue Beaubourg (near the Pompidou Center), this entity encompasses a museum with both permanent and temporary exhibitions, a marvelous store chocked with all types of dolls & accessories and a doll hospital.



The museum itself recounts the history of dolls from 1800 through 1959. Complimenting this, is a thematic temporary exhibition. Presently, thru Feb. 1, is a show dedicated to prestigious dolls and their sumptuous wardrobes created during the Napoleon III empire.

Tonner doll paradise at the museum's gift shops!!

The Musée de la Poupée is open Tues-Sat from 1-6pm except holidays. For more information consult www.museedelapoupee.com



From there, we headed downtown to see the Christmas decorations of the major department stores on Blvd. Haussmann. From early November until after New Year's Day, every year, stores here put a great deal of effort and imagination into creating winter wonderland settings animated with toys which is always a visual treat for children of all ages. This year was no different. At Galeries Lafayette we were entertained by rag dolls and teddy bears who dance, climb and entertain passers-by.

Next door at Au Printemps department store, teddy bears are busy creating a larger than life-size bejeweled Prada dress and hawking the most precious Prada handbags in bonbon colors.

Santa's working on the Prada orders this year with the help of teddy bears!

Yesterday we attended the DollExpo fair at the Novotel Est hotel. OMG!!! Everything we love under one roof! Dolls, teddy bears and miniatures!!! The highlight of that fair was being able to converse at length with one of the designers of the notorious Sybarite dolls. Sorry, we weren't allowed to take pictures of the 4 dolls on exhibit, but we did learn that from the face sculpts and makeup to the edgy clothing, everything is created and controlled in house.

Hangin' out with friends at DollExpo. The Sybarites are here too!

There was a sprawling stand complete occupied with primarily Tonner's gorgeous, dressed dolls, clothes and accessories. A few Silkstone Barbies and accessories were also available.

The miniatures were as good at it gets with stand featuring everything from Liliputian food to exquisite period furniture and everything in between. Fashion animals that we are, we were immediately drawn to a table with designer bags, luggage and desk accessories by Domino Miniatures. What appeared to be snakeskin luggage is, in effect, the skin of chicken feet or frogs, treated, dyed and glazed. The amount of detail was astounding. Mme Roche doesn't have a website, but if you email her (DominoMiniatures@gmail.com) and tell her what you want and what color you want it in, she'll make your dolly a luxury Designer treat.

Domino Miniatures makes exquisite bags and luggage for the 12" doll!!!

Starting Nov 26 and running until Dec. 1, UNICEF's Frimouses des Createurs at the Petit Palais. In its 11th year of existence, the organizers were, once again, able to solicit the biggest names in European fashion to dress and submit a doll to this brief exhibition. Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Prada, Gaultier, Lanvin...a total of 44 dolls, each from a different will grace the sumptuous walls of this major art venue. On Dec 2 ar 8pm (Paris time), the dolls mare taken over to the Hotel George V where they will be put up for auction and sold to raise money for vacinations of children in Darfur..

This event has its own smartphone app and Facebook page where you can see many more pictures of this year's submissions. To be continued......