Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Doll's Eye View: Golden Globes 2017

It's that time of year again....the first red carpet event of the year! The Golden Globes! My girls love these types of galas. It gives them an opportunity to rival, if not upstage the actresses present on the red carpet!

In covering these events over past few years, I've noticed how the fashions at these events have become increasingly simple in line. Emphasis is placed more on the fabric rather than the cut which presents a particular challenge for choosing what to make. There were a few gowns I passed on simply because I couldn't find a similar fabric or print. Still, I was able to make a few which I share with you here.

This dress, designed by Armani especially for Janelle Monae, really compliments the actress' personality. I was immediately attracted to it for its fancifulness and originality. But I wasn't sure if it was a dress I'd want after making it. However, Iman, pictured here in the dolly version, insisted on having this dress. The bodice is a simple bodice cut from a band of mini sequins (perfectly scaled to the 12" doll). The skirt is a bubble skirt gathered into a satin ribbon waistband. What is difficult to see in the initial photo is that atop the white bubble is a single layer of tulle, to which black disks are attached.
I love slinky gowns with a bit of draping. Of course, getting the look is tricky due to the weight of the fabric. The trick is to select a silk or, in this case, rayon 2-stretch jersey. It's thin enough get the folds (which are controlled by slip stitching them in strategic spots).

Sometimes simple is challenging! I assumed the criss-cross draped bodice of the yellow gown would be pretty easy. But alas...it took me a day to arrive at something I could live with. I decided to do this dress in two parts: a corset over a slim, high waist sarong skirt. I began with a waist length foundation piece (for structure), over which I draped softly pleated fabric which criss cross over the skirt. I could have used a China silk, but instead I wanted something with more body, so I used, instead a polyester. Silk would have produced finer drapes over the bodice but I feared the skirt would have been a bit flimsy. In any case, my dress is INSPIRED by the original Atelier Versace dress. so I am still happy with the result. Eva need something else...so I gave her a white boa in addition to her pearl necklace.

At this year's even, there were a number of women who appeared on the red carpet in a tuxedo. The jacket is the one from my post on Yves Saint Laurent. The trousers are a standard pair of pants, but with slightly wider legs. The blouse (cotton) was made with the basic bodice sloper but with a front closure. The bottom front edges were cut diagonally away from the center front. A long, rectangular strip was added to the neckline which wraps around the neck twice and ties into the bow.
 
For another tux, Kathy wears a bra underneath a slightly shorter jacket and the same, wide trousers.
 
The focal point of this Armani Prive gown is the horizontal beading on the silver satin. I was able to recreate the look of this fabric using metallic ribbon with "ribbing" that resembled the beads. I sewed the horizontal edges of each band together. However, you don't see where I've sewn those bands together because I discovered that I could glue strips of ribbon over those seams and iron them in place. On the other hand, in my first attempt to duplicate the exact neckline, the ribbon frayed terribly and I discovered that with this very stiff material, it did nothing for the doll. So I decided to simply decided to "sculpt" the ribbon over the bust into a 3-dimensional form. Naomi still felt this dress was missing something, so I gave her a long shawl of silver lame to toss over her shoulders. Admittedly this dress is more of a "craft project" than a real dress. Nevertheless, Naomi has made me promise that she will get first dibs on this dress next holiday season.

I don't know what it is about velvet that makes me want to make a dress out it..especially at 1/6 scale where with tiny details, it is difficult to control. I liked this "Dowton Abbey" sort of gown with its draped cap sleeves and long train. For the doll, I decided to lower the neckline which made the sleeves fall slightly off Karen's shoulders. Personally, I think the dolly version looks less matronly than the original dress.

 
The dolly version of this Tom Ford dress is a simple strapless dress made from black sequins. If you can find stretch sequined fabric, you could make it by simply making a long, skinny tube the length of the doll. In any case, it still needs something else. So Lana brought her attitude as well as a whiff of bejeweled, black tulle.
 
Coming up next....part two of our last post...but this time we have a few more ideas on......Footwear!!!!
 
 
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18 comments:

  1. So many lovely items. That first black and white dress is gorgeous. The pant suit is also one of my favorites.

    All the dolls look like they belong on the red carpet.

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    1. Thank you, Jaye. I almost didn't make the black & white dress because I thought it might look too much like a costume. But it kept haunting me until I finally gave in and made it. Now that it's done, I'm happy. The tuxedo with the white shirt came out even better than I imagined. Thank you for your kind words.

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  2. Wow! Love love love!!! And I'm always impressed and amazed how fast u sew up these fashions in a short period of time! Ur so awesome! :) 👍

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    1. Thank you for your kind words. I work fast on these sort of projects because I want it to be as relevant as possible to the recent event. In able to do that, I narrow done a selection of dresses I think is possible, then analyze the designs to figure out the simplest way to get the look. Much of what's out there today is super simple with embellishments. But if I cannot find a similar fabric or print--and the fabric or print is what the dress is all about--I'll pass it up.

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  3. I love especialy the Eva's and Kathy's oufits in your tiny version - little art works! Your doll Nikki looks like silver princess ;-)

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  4. Thank you so much Aya. Your comments mean a lot to me.

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  5. *clap clap clap* Very impressive!

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  6. Brawo! Przepiękne stroje, kreacje godne królowej! Rewelacyjne materiały! Jestem absolutnie zachwycona!
    Pozdrowienia i uściski!

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    1. Olla wrote: Bravo! Beautiful costumes, creations worthy of the Queen! Excellent material! I am absolutely thrilled!
      Greetings and hugs!
      Thank you Olla. I'm happy you like these dresses. This is always a fun project. Big hugs!

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  7. Hi April! I'm always impressed by how well you scale down this designs. I like the yellow gown and the first tuxedo.

    Cheers!

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    1. Thank you, Monstercrafts for your kind words. This is always such a welcomed challenge. The tuxedo with the shirt was a real surprise in how well it turned out.

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  8. I have enjoyed seeing all the outfits via instagram. Such great details and the ladies are dead on "twins".

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    1. Thank you, Brini. I try to come as close as possible to the original outfit. And now that I have so many dolls, I can almost match the doll to the actress which makes it more fun!

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  9. I never dress up, but if I did, I would LOVE Kathy's tuxedo suit amd Naomi's silver dress. Your fashion doll are stunning. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thank you D7ana. I don't dress up anymore (though I wish I had an excuse to do so). So when I'm selecting what to make for the dolls, I tend to pick things I would love to wear as well. At first I wasn't going to do the tuxedo, but then I thought, why not! So happy I did because I'm happy with the way both turned out.

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  10. j'ai le même problème : je n'arrive pas à laisser de commentaire ... est-ce que tu reçois mes commentaires ??

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    1. J'ai recu ce commentaire hier (21 Jan)deux fois. Normalement il y a un petit delai car je dois approve chaqu'un laisse. Je fais cela parce qu'il y a beaucoup de "spammers" qui essaient de laisser leur pub (pour les poupee gonflable) sur mon cher blog. Autrement, j'approve immediatement tous qui ne sont pas pub dans le delai le plus court que possible. Cela dit, je suis navree mais j'etais absente depuis quelque jours pour raison de travailler sur la poste (chaussures couture) qui m'a pris enormement de temps.

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