Dolls' Eye View: NY Spring/Summer 2019 Trends

Fashion is a reflection of the times. And today, no matter where in the world you are, there is a good amount of upheaval, dissent, confusion and chaos within our political environments. The same applies to what the girls are seeing on the catwalks of the world beginning with New York. Between the abundance of ho-hum ordinary frocks to the excess of wild and out-of-your-freakin'-mind-crazy  costumes, there is no logic to what many designers are sending down the runway. Very little is flattering. And much of what is actually wearable, is simply not special enough to go out of the way for.  We found beautiful eveningwear at Oscar de la Renta and elsewhere, but almost no interesting daywear.--something we find surprising But the good thing about dolls---they don't mind going back to the past to come up with a great look. We'll first take a look at the takeaways of Spring/Summer 2019, then we'll show you something wonderful we found from 2010.

Oh Natural!

Given the fact that we've had some of the hottest summers on record, I am really surprised not to find more sexy, cool looks. (Maybe everybody is wearing T-shirt and shorts?) In any case, the message here au natural in terms of neutral colors and fibers. Dresses  are long, body skimming (not tight).  Trousers are loose and shorts tend to be those over the need "Bermuda" variety. Just remember to...Keep it Simple!

Here's Grace in a raw silk dress with fringe. I've used the pattern for the basic knit dress and trimmed it with three layers of fringe cut from the same fabric.

Spring Forward

We're still talking about the neutral tones here, though they are sometimes teamed with grayed pastels. What we like here is the pairing of a jacket over lacy tops and slip dresses--all suggesting a casual elegance kind of look.

Pretty in Pink

This is another color story where everybody is thinking pink! It doesn't matter the shade--choose from bubble gum pink to fuscia in silky solids, stripes, patterns and even flower appliques!  In a nutshell, we see looser, wider pants and longer shorts on one hand, slip dresses and "Barbie" doll silhouettes on the other.

For Kimora (the "girlie girl" doll in the house, we started out with a basic lace slip dress (with ribbon straps) then covered it with tiny flowers. No, I wasn't able to find flowers that small. Instead, I removed the petals from regular sized silk flowers, cut them in quarters, twisted the center and stitched them to the dress!

Mellow Yellow

Color is always a welcome element on a summer catwalk. Here is the story of three delicious lemon tarts: a fluffy cocktail dress out of tulle, a strapless tea length gown and a pantsuit where the sides of the jacket and pants are outlined in matching buttons. Whatever you decide to make doesn't really matter. Just be sure to....make it in yellow!

Tar Babies

This group is more about texture than the inky, slippery color of the garments. This is about using fabric that glistens, that shines with the depth of an oil spill or a freshly tarred road on a hot summer day. Again, the garment is fairly simple. It's about letting the fabric tell your story. Look for black lame, midnight blue silk, cire or satin or even reptile embossed fabrics...

Fly Away With Me

A sultry cocktail of feathers and fringe, all fluttering in a warm summer's breeze. The girls were crazy about this glamorous mixed media that has so much movement incorporated into the style!

Hmmmm....so THAT's where Sarah Poulson (and our girl, Kelly) found their dress for the Emmys red carpet!

What's Your Point

We like the look of modernity illustrated by these four gowns...each  in clean lines with a different point of its own. The sculptural beauty of these sheaths is effortless, though the challenge of cutting the neckline is certainly there. I think the black dress has a few pieces to it, even though it almost looks as if it were cut in one piece.

For Nadia--standing all of 12.5 inches....I wanted to keep this look as simple as possible. Normally, I would have begun with a foundation undergarment, but I decided to make this in rayon jersey (which makes it hang well)  so I didn't have the same kind of control. The dress has side seams but no back seam or closure. (She slips out of the top of the dress.) A small circle of fabric is inserted over the thigh. And a simple slit at the was made as opposed to cutting the bodice in two pieces. I really would like to recut this dress, making the bodice in two parts. But keep in mind, the more seams you have, the more you have to solve the problem with...bulk!

While the selections from NYFW are quite nice....frankly there wasn't much daywear we liked. For that, we took a trip down memory lane.

Flashback to 2010: Donna Karan

Now this is what we like to see. For her Spring/Summer 2010 collection, Donna Karan (no longer showing on the catwalk these days) had one of her more gorgeous set of clothes. The silhouettes were simple: curvy little dresses and jackets cut in air thin layers--with twisted details that added a special twist. If I had the time, I would make all four of these looks. But with three more fashion weeks to cover, I settled on the one below.

We all loved this jacket. Finding a simple way to do it really isn't that hard. This is, essentially--a very simple fitted, unlined, jacket with a shawl collar. I allowed for a little extra fabric on the collar and the hem of the jacket. The edges are pleated, pinched and folded. I wet it and let it dry. I also cut an extra strip of fabric to sew under the hem of the jacket. When everything is dry, iron the jacket where you want it flat (sleeves, bodice and back) then carefully unravel the folded edges. You can stop there, or..do as I did, add a bit of the extra strip to the under side of the hem.

From front to back, this is what I ended up with!

Well....the girls have warned me there is not a lot coming out of  London. But we'll take a look anyway!

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