Monday, October 2, 2017

Dolls' Eye View: New York Summer '18 Trends

The world is in a turmoil. And even if this doesn't seem to be related to fashion, it does appear to make an impact on the creative world. Politics and badly behaving human beings is on everybody's mind and the center of conversations everywhere. This distraction seems to have seeped into the pores of designers. What role does fashion play today...really? Who controls it? Who influences it? Who wears it? My girls have been all through my closets where they've learned about good design, quality clothing. So, quite naturally, they know what they like. But what we're seeing today is, well....challenging. The fashions appearing on most catwalks are all over the place. There has been a lot of eye rolling among my girls. But amidst the chaos, the circus costumes, the faux vintage looks, and "les artistes," they managed to find a few treasures. So hop on board...it's fashion month and New York is the first stop!

Brighton Beach Beauties

It's not often we see bathing suits on the catwalk, so the girls were thrilled to have a few new choices of things to wear to the beach. At the top of the list: these 2-piece swimwear as well as the classic bra top with shorts or button up wrap-around skirts.
Okay, so it's really not for the beach, but it's edgy and it's hot and that's all that matters to Radiah!

Urban Vibe

Streetwear based on simple elements: a T-shirt is cut, twisted and tilted over a basic tube mini. Or a bra with over-sized pants caught with a belt at the waist. It is simple. It is easy. And when kept in the monochromatic palette of black and white...it works effortlessly.

Graphic Language
Black and white, a seasonal favorite...takes its cue from key looks originating from the 60's, 80's and the 2000's. Silhouettes are simple and prints are eye popping black and white abstracts.
Here we had a little fun with Billie's dress. The checks we had on hand were not the right scale, so made a simple shift dress of white cotton and painted on our own checks. You can make your own magic with fabric paint or fabric markers from your local crafts store.
A black jersey top with a steep asymmetrical hemline worn over a pencil skirt of white rayon jersey is the easiest way to give dolly a chic, Madison Avenue look.

The Many Faces of Jeans
Jeans are now considered classic garments to be worn at any time of the day or night. Here we noted that in addition to the classic skirtwaist tunic worn over a lacy skirt or ripped jeans with a tailored jacket, jeans are also worn under a taffeta evening dress!

South of the Border
Here, designers celebrate the sass, the spice, the sheer femininity of our neighbors to the south. A look that began last season, be on the look-out for lots of ruffles that bounce from the hips, bell-bottoms dancing about the calves, dresses made from lace trimmed hankies and calypso dresses with miles of flounces!

As cool as a summer's day...Akure's outfit is as easy to make as it is stunning. We simply took a rectangle of cotton and wrapped it in the middle with a ribbon that ties at the back of the neck. This bra is worn over the classic circle skirt that opens down the front. And it's all in cool, white cotton!

For evening, Shakira chose this sexy look. It's a simple wrap skirt with flounces spilling down the side. On the top, she wears a "barely there" T-shirt made from a single layer of silver tulle. We added a few adhesive pearls over "strategic" areas, then layered ropes of pearls around her neck.

The Long and Short of Things
Though we think knee length is the newest, most stylish way to go today, there are no rules when it comes to hemlines. All lengths co-exist to bring some of the coolest looks for summer. Most noteworthy--a long tunic spills from under a hip length blazer worn over short, pencil thin pants; a waist length, square shoulder. Again, cotton lace is big. And everyone is showing lots of shoulder!

Fringe Benefits
On the move, a skirt, a dress or maybe even a simple belt sports lots of motion to the total look. We especially love the unexpected combination of a cashmere sweater worn over a sarong skirt with a hem chocked with lots of spaghetti fringe. But you can easily take an existing garment and make it swing with the simple addition of a fringed belt.

Little Black Dress 2.0
The little black dress is alive and strong on class and style. The summer 2018 version adds little details that make it anything but boring. Think one shoulder, no shoulders, belted or halter neck. Again, consider making your dolly's dress in the sophisticated under-the-knee length. Add a bubble skirt at the bottom or a rim of bouncy ruffles for a distinct feminine edge.
We started out with a basic strapless sheath out of stretch velvet for Marpessa's dress. We added a row of ruffled satin across the top of the dress which blend in perfectly with the removal sleeves. The sleeves, by the way, are small tubes with ruffles stitched into the center seam. (The photo at the top of this post shows how this dress looks from the front view.)

Dinner at 21
The five looks featured here are classics in the world of New York high fashion. There's nothing revolutionary here. Just basic shapes in beautiful fabric: silk, satin, sequins, lace appliqued onto tulle.

Botanical Garden
This is a very pretty group that starts with flat, floral printed silk and extends to appliques and tiny silk flowers suspended into tulle. A very pretty way to dress dolly up for formal summer parties!

Raspberry Pineapple Sorbet
The garments are all very simple: a basic sheath, a classic jacket, wide legged pants. Perhaps even a kimono coat. It's the color that tells the story here.

Summer Cocktails
Look for tulle to be big next summer. The girls were particularly drawn to these dresses which resemble iced, sweet, summer cocktails. And yes....there is a tutorial on tulle on the horizon!!!
In the meantime...I decided to mix my own drink....a Bellini (peach nectar and champagne), inspired by the swirl of tulle of the Oscar de la Renta dresses.

Stormy Weather
The concept is pretty much the same as Summer Cocktails except...in place of color, these dresses start light and descend into a swirl of black.
Veronique's dress started out with a sheer foundation of sheer white organdy. We draped a medium gray sparkle tulle around the body, asymmetrically, then added a pouf of black tulle to finish.

Okay, we're just getting started. Pack your bags. The girls are headed to London next!!!


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18 comments:

  1. Very beautiful! Especially like tulle dress, white -vrey-black one.Simply stunning!

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    1. Thank you, Jewel. I had already planned to do a tutorial on tulle. So I am thrilled to see so much of it on the NY catwalk this season because these fashions really provide lots of new ideas! I also love how two or three tones are mixed into a gradation effect. I draped these two dresses quickly, but for the tutorial, I will take more time and then hand off what I learn.

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  2. Oh I so enjoy the Dolls Eye View. I was just thinking there wasn't much colour then Bam! Pineapple and Raspberry Sorbet. So many lovely feminine things and as ever your interpretations are wonderful. Loved the white pant suit with the split sleeves, ruffled skirt with barely there top and denim shirt waisted with lace skirt and look forward to your tulle special.

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    1. Thank you Karen. Truth be known, there was much more color I New York...but it looked more like a chaotic grab bag. I really had to dig to find a bit of sanity. Same thing for the fashion weeks ahead. Designers gone wild (but not always in a good way)! I can't wait to get started on the tulle tutorial!

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  3. I love the skirt and the dress with ruffles! The black and white combinations are always elegant, your model looks great in the black shirt and white pencil skirt :-).

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    1. Thank you MillicentAndFriends. My eye was immediately drawn to the ruffled skirt with all the pearls over the bust. It came out better than expected. The black dress, too. Wasn't as impressed with the original until I finished the doll version. And that's often what happens. Making the doll scaled fashions helps me better understand and appreciate what the designer had in mind when he created it.

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  4. Wow, some really beautiful fashions here! I think my favorite is the black and white tulle and organdy dress!

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    1. Thank you Phyllis. I too, am very intrigued by the tulle dresses. I have a feeling there will be lots of girls in my house wearing tulle dresses for the holidays this year!!!

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  5. These are great! My faves are the white skirt, blue skirt with flounces and the black dress with ruffles! Great job on all of this!

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    1. Thank you for your kind words. Half way through putting this post together, I wasn't sure these fashion were all that great. But now that I have everything up, this turned out to be a very pretty season!

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  6. As always, your versions are at least as good as the inspiration! My favourite is the last dress. I'm looking forward to the post about tulle, I hope you'll include a little description about various types of tulle and how to tell them apart when shopping.

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    1. Thank you, BlackKitty. Oh yes, I do intend to talk about the different types of tulle and make a recommendation! In the meantime, I've been playing around to see what works best.

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  7. Beautiful creations. I admire Your skills. Amazing photos.
    I invite You to my blog.

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    1. Dlubaninyalkowe, thank you for your kind words and welcome to my blog. I will include your blog on my bloglist to the right! Come back any time!

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  8. Wspaniałe kreacje! Różnorodne i piękne! Niektóre modele są wprost zachwycające i trudno oderwać od nich oczy!" Ogród botaniczny i burzowa pogoda" są fascynujące!
    Swoimi strojami dla lalek dokonujesz cudu! Twoje ubrania są doskonałe i modelki pięknie się prezentują! Nazwy takie jak "brzoskwiniowy nektar i szampan" dodają im jeszcze oryginalności! Uwielbiam Twoją modę!

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    1. Olla wrote: Great creations! Diverse and beautiful! Some models are simply stunning and it's hard to take their eyes off! "Botanical Garden and Stormy Weather" are fascinating!
      Your dolls make miracles! Your clothes are perfect and the models are beautifully presented! Names like "peach nectar and champagne" add to their originality! I love your fashion!

      Thank you so much Olla. Coming from you, I consider it a real compliment. Happy to know you enjoyed this post.

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  9. So beautiful <3 You are very talented <3

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