It took me and the girls a while longer to analyze what we saw in Milan. There were more choices in Italy (as opposed to London), but those looks tended to be, once again...basics. So I suppose the message her is the return to a simpler life where silhouettes are less complicated and we can, once again, allow ourselves and our dolls to get lost in the details. In some cases, it's all about styling...taking something simple and transforming it into high drama through a bold choice of fabric and accessories.
Chex Mix
Big checks, oversized houndstooth and plaids, these look immediately drew our attention. What's so much fun is the fact that most of what you find in the fabric stores are already out of scale for the doll, which in this case.....will be perfectly suited for this season!
Meow!
Animal prints...spotted cats in particular...have become the new neutrals. They work all by themselves or teamed with nearly any other color! Once again, we're looking at very simple garments here.
The Cloak Room
Coats are both beautiful and functional...cut with plenty of volume to glide over dolly's shoulders no matter what is underneath! What is new here are the broad shoulders signaling the return of 1980's all star styles!
Madame Jolie
These are graceful, elegant look. The jacket is supersized and worn as an overcoat or...transformed into a coatdress! The cut of the coat also takes its lead from the Jackie Kennedy days of the early 1960's.
Knit Wits 2.0
Sweater dressing has hit the European shores with a bang! What's great is that it is not confined to traditional cardigans and pullovers. You can buy socks or knit caps from the dollar store to create big dresses, tops and cardigans or slouchy sweaters worn over a lace, gathered skirt!
Fur, feathers and faux fur....the best way for dolly to wear this is in touches....wrapped around the throat or around the head (as a detachable hood) of a simple dress; following the zigzag movement of herringbone over a coat; or cut into one big, fluffy bathrobe!
Often we are confused by clothes that look more Spring than Automne. But here, we applauded these old fashioned rayon floral border prints, slightly muted for a cooler season. What really makes this work are the prissy little 1960's styles which are nipped in at the waist and flare over the hips in A-line silhouettes.
The fabric store nearest me did not carry the rayon border prints I had hoped to find so.... I achieved the same look through decoupage. I cut out pieces of a floral pattern from some old upholstery material I had on hand and glued this to solid black cotton. The dress was sewn only at the side seams before I attached the flowers. You can apply an anti fray product to stabilize the edges of the print. Just be sure to give everything a good pressing after you have glued the print to the dress.
Soho
The girls chose this set of looks for their vibrant prints. In a season full of grey and black, they were happy to see a few sparks of color. Look for vibrant prints. Again, keep the silhouette simple!
Suits Me!
Again, the best looks for eveningwear keep it simple. The devil remains in the details of subtle laces, discreet velvet embellishments. The slip dress and the sheath is the only way to go!
Up next: Our last stop is in Paris. Throughout the nine days of Paris Fashion Week, the girls came away with a great deal of looks they were excited about. We'll be presenting those in two parts!!!
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Your blog is my only way of keeping up with the current trends. Some of these are really weird! The oversized checkers made me laugh. I seriously can't get over the fact that the models in your pictures are not dolls, the fashions look so much like something a parent made out of suit remnants, it's a huge dolly faux-pas :) I was in a fabric store just yesterday, they actually had tiny houndstooth in several colours. The big floral prints seem to work a little better though, your version turned out even nicer than the original!
ReplyDeleteLOL!!! Thank you, BlackKitty, I always enjoy your comments. I suspect I am the sole source of current trends for a lot of people. In fact, a friend of mind told me his companion (who is in fashion) said he turns to my dolly blog instead of his usual trade paper for a summary! Nevertheless, those "dolly faux-pas" oversized checks now officially gives us an excuse to stop worrying about scouting for 1/6 scale patterns! What you should know is this. Much of what we see on European catwalks never makes it into the stores. The show is to make a statement to the press, but afterwards, the buyers and editors meet with the designers and adjust the collections (colors, lengths, details)to fit the tastes and needs of each market's customers! In a way, what I do with the dolls is the same. I often modify the style to fit my dolls and their personalities (thank goodness or it might look a homely pile of plastic). To be honest, for many catwalk shows, I don't like the choice of model, the fit or the choice of accessories. It's as if they get caught up in "fashion intellectualism" and forget to have fun or to create something that is flattering makes customers feel like a million dollars. For the most part, I select more wearable things from fashion week. If you think any of these styles are weird, you won't want to see what is really considered extreme fashion!!! ;-D
DeleteCzarna suknia z kwiatami jest piękniejsza niż oryginalna, na której się wzorowałaś! Piękna Zara Wade wygląda w niej olśniewająco!
ReplyDeletePozdrawiam serdecznie!
Olla wrote: Black dress with flowers which you made, is more beautiful than the original! Beautiful Zara Wade looks stunning in it !
DeleteBest wishes!
Thank you Olla. I haven't made many clothes for this doll because she is taller than the other dolls. I chose her because I thought she would work best with the scale of the floral print. I'm very happy with the results. And yes, she is very stunning in that dress.
I really have enjoyed seeing all the fashions via Instagram. Just like being there.
ReplyDeleteThank you Brini. Nice catching up with you and your gang on Instagram, too!
DeleteBeautiful <3 <3 <3
ReplyDeleteThank you Urszula. I'm so happy you enjoyed this post. Big hugs. April
DeleteI love the black dress in flowers and this white outfit with a furry hood! :) Beautiful :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Aya. At first I was thinking both of these dresses were, perhaps too simple. But sometimes less is more and these dresses make such a dramatic impact.
DeleteHello from Spain: your creations are awesome. I love your designs. Nice pictures .. We keep in touch
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marta. Glad you enjoyed everything. See you soon!
DeleteC'est un magnifique défilé de mode plein de bonnes idées. Merci pour ce partage.
ReplyDeleteMerci Shasarignis. Je trouve toujours pleins d'idees aux defiles de mode! En plus, c'est tres agreable de monter mes comptes rendues des collections! (Une de mes anciennes professions!)
DeleteYou outdid yourself on all of your fashions! I like them all much better than the inspiration outfits.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Vanessa. The catwalk shows are good for recharging my batteries. There were many looks I wanted to do. I would have done something with those big checks but couldn't find any fabric that came close to those looks. What I've learned about reinterpreting the styles is that it's better to make changes that will make the doll look better than the original if necessary. And then again, I have the advantage of having better looking models than the human versions on the catwalks! (LOL!!!)
Delete