Friday, August 2, 2019

Dolls Eye View: Fall/Winter 2019 Paris Couture

To all my friends here, I apologize for the lull in between posts, but I have been working on a project I know many of you will love. I have been teaching myself to make shoes for my divas! Inasmuch as this is not my area of expertise, I feel the need to take my time to do things right and figure ways to surmount the challenges of creating such tiny objects. When I began this blog, I was a huge fan of "Fashion Doll Shoes." Unfortunately Tarja has not updated it in years (though she is kind enough to leave her tutorials online). And as I combed through all her posts, I noticed that she focused primarily on dolls much bigger than Barbie. So I decided to pick up the torch and focus on 1/6 scale footwear for those dolls' high heeled feet.
I have been making LOTS of shoes! And I have made LOTS of mistakes. And while I will not be putting Fashion Royalty out of business anytime soon, I have made a LOT of progress! I am experimenting with different materials, methods and techniques, the most successful of which, I plan to share with you over a series of tutorials in the very near future.

Even though my dolls are THRILLED to have their own personal "shoe making machine" at their disposal...they have been reminding me it's time to post a new fashion report. So here we go.....

While busy making stilettos and stocking boots, the Haute Couture shows in Paris took place last month. With the exception of a couple of couturiers, I cannot say I was thrilled with much of what I saw. I didn't see the kind of innovation, genius cutting style or fantasy that was once a huge part of this art. Still, we took it as an opportunity to look for ideas for our own creations, so in a few cases, I used the dresses to come up with my own versions. There is very little daywear in couture these days which explains the preponderance of eveningwear and formal gowns.

So Chanel Faux Chanel

Who wears couture daywear? High profile women in the media, CEO of Fortune 500 companies, women who express their power and position, starting with the clothes on their backs! It's a circle of women which is shrinking but nevertheless still in existence. As for our dolls... what brings more jaw drops than Barbie in Chanel!!!

Tailor Made

This sort of pristine dressing permeates straight through to late day cocktail attire where pants and blazers rule. Creating custom tailored blazers for a tiny 12 or 12-1/2 silhouette is a challenge but oh my doesn't our divas look devine when decked out in in a suit!

Fancy Pants
Just because pant suits are expected to dominate winter parties, doesn't mean dolly has to wear the same old boring silhouette. Look for a wide spectrum of pant shapes from slim stovepipes to swash-buckling pleated pants all cut from luxury fabrics and topped with an array of tailored, embroidered, unconventionally cut tops and jackets.
At first when I saw this Armani jacket, I wondered...what's the big deal. But upon close inspection, I discovered what I thought was plaid was actually rows of beaded embroidery. For Grace's jacket, I started out with a micro-boucle fabric, then I added rows of shell beads alternating with silver beads. I kept the jacket itself simple, opting not to add a shawl collar. After all, the story here is really about the beads. Her pants were cut from a heavy silk satin....

Misty Melodies
Personally, this looks more like summer than winter.... but I suppose it's sunny and warm somewhere in the world at any given moment. My girls like the nouveau vintage look and feel to these dresses. From the sassa of the fringed "Gatsby" dress to the simplicity of a sparkly slip dress with its matching satin stole, these are easy glam looks to create for your doll.

Duchess of Diva
Continuing along the above theme, this group has perhaps a bit more sophistication by its cut and regal detailing. Worth noting with both groups..... the trend towards soft pastels or flesh tones, filmy chiffons or tulle, and a little bit of pure luxe like beads and baubles.

Tower Power
The timeless sheath dress remains a regal classic in couture thanks to some interesting draping and asymmetrical effects. My dolls were drawn especially to Elie Saab's velvet gown. Velvet is a fabric we don't see very often. But here, with the way it is wrapped around the body terminating in a partial cape over one arm, we can see this being a hit for winter parties. It's also good to see Antonio Grimaldi's use of color!
 I took some liberties with Iman's dress. When I first looked at the photo, I thought I saw a deep fold over the bust. And that is exactly how I created her dress. The drape was very hard to achieve and for good reason.... it isn't a drape at all.... It is, in fact, a separate piece with what appears to be some sort of flap or "collar." For me, the story of this dress is its asymmetrical line falling from high on the hip to the ankle and a "drape" from just under one bust to the other side of the body. I used China silk for Iman's dress. But here, the lesson learned is.....when the dress is so simple, fabric becomes a major player. A better grade of silk would have yielded the more luxurious look of the original dress!

Bewitched!
Black tulle and re-embroidered lace, these dresses all have a mysterious, almost Agatha Christie haunting aura to them. It's part glamour, part goth, and one hundred percent fabulous!
This is quintessential Hollywood glamour at its best. And...it's a good use for that oversized sequin fabric you might have purchased as well. The actual gown has specks of gold on tulle. But in the photo, all you see are spots reflecting the light. This is a halter neck skinny sheath dress with tiny tuffs of tulle at the neck and on the hips with rows of gathered tulle cascading down to the ankles.
I'm not a huge fan of Dior these days. When I examined this outfit up close, I thought the overall look was more interesting than the actual result. I really did not care so much for the black lace body suit. For Noor's dress, I wanted something edgy but more practical. So I imagined this dress in pieces. Underneath it all is a basic lace slip dress in stretch lace. The collar was attached to the front of the dress afterwards but falls free over the shoulders and in the back. The sleeves are detachable, And she's wearing stretch lace stocking boots. Over it all.. an "apron" of black organza and tulle. At any given point (the after-party for example)  the dress can be disassembled and worn as a very simple party dress!

The Empress
Harking back to the golden age of couture, debutante balls and "Gone with the Wind"  style formal events, the ballgown in all of its glory returns to the stage! From the great big Empress Eugenie gown (with its tulle petticoat underneath) to a dress falling from sumptuous pleats tucked into an embroidered empire waist bodice, this is a regal return to era that made its mark on style.
I had fun with Brie's version of Elie Saab's dress. My fabric (a polyester novelty blend) wasn't as supple as I'd hope to pull off the drape of the bodice but I still loved the result. I decided against cutting a slit for the leg because, it didn't make a lot of sense to me. Legs are generally lost under layers of petticoats and, except when the model is walking, the leg would not be showing from under such a full skirt. Since the gown is so simple, I thought to let the tulle petticoat peak out from under the hemline as Brie twirls down the catwalk!

Frou Frou
These are shorter evening looks with lots and lots of ruffles worked in. I'm not really sure what, if any, rapport this has to do with couture, but I included them because they make for nice dolly dresses!
Though I usually love the work of Alexandre Vauthier (who works a lot in ruffled tulle), I was rather disappointed with this particular dress. A stretch dress with a huge flower, is not enough to call it couture for me. Both me and Kimora felt.....half the dress was missing. So even though she thought it was pretty, Kimora gave her dress back to me so that I could elaborate on what was there.
What was a dress for Kimora was a top for Tiah! I added removable long sleeves to her stretch velvet top. I had a straight, wrap skirt out of pink satin. Then I added a drape of peach chiffon just under the flower on the top. And now we're talking couture!!!!!


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24 comments:

  1. I'm not an expert in fashion, but most of those outfits don't have a WOW factor for me. I do like the purple one, but mostly because of the color. I'm dying to see your dolly shoes, seems that you have been making some progress.
    Take care.

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    1. No they really don't. Many of the things I actually liked, I have seen repeatedly. I suppose the message here is wearability. I think the golden age of haute couture is really over. There were other things on these runways but most bordered on costumes. The few women who spend this much money on a made to order gown want something she can actually wear. So, in this case, I picked out dresses for their details or an exercise on "how would I make this to suit my doll!"

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  2. Well, you know I love it all! I really like Grace's suit! This type of suit is so comfortable to wear! You can spend the whole evening in something uncomfortable at tell yourself I'll go home in the first possible moment! Or you can wear something like this that make you feel feminine and fun the night long!

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    1. Thank you, Ms. Leo. These are clothes I would wear myself. At first when I saw the original jacket which inspired Grace's outfit, I thought...."what's the deal." But then when I looked up close and saw the stripes had been embroidered..... that for me is a keepsake! And yes, it is the kind of easy, understated elegance that goes a very long way!

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  3. I love Iman's dress. It is beautiful and elegance.

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    1. Thank you Dlubaniny. I am in love with Iman so I picked this dress out just for her because I knew she would look beautiful in this color!

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  4. I absolutely cannot wait to see the shoes you have made! I am sure your girls are thrilled & probably already fighting over them! Another great post!

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    1. Thank you. Well....in preparation for the succession of tutorials which will be posted shortly, I have made 20 pairs of shoes and updated almost 10 pairs of boots/stocking boots. And yes, my girls are beyond thrilled, they are in shoe paradise! And no, they are not even fighting! Why? Because they know more is on the way. In fact, they are busy collaborating and sketching out ideas for what they want!!!

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  5. These shoes look sooo amazing! Your dolls have again beautiful and original outfits. How do you do that, really I don't know!

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    1. Thank you Aya. I'll making the first post in a day or so for anyone who wants to make shoes for their dolls. Yes, I have a house full of very spoiled dolls who surround me everyday waiting on me to make them outfits. Thankfully I get inspiration from all around me.

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  6. There are many intresting outfits in these post. I really enjoyed watching all of the pictures. I like the emerald green dress in you version.
    I'm so curious about the shoes project... :)

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    1. Thank you so much Kamelia. This is always a fun project that provides me with so many ideas for future posts! Oh....the shoe project is in full swing beginning right now!!!!! (Very exciting!)

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  7. J'aime tellement quand tu fais les défilés de mode, puis tu prends un modèle que tu réalises. Tu es vraiment une artiste et tu m'inspire beaucoup. Mais cela, tu le sais déjà.

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    1. Je te remercie, Shasarignis, pour les mots tellement gentils. Je suis tres contente de partager ma passion pour la mode et les poupees mannequins avec mes tres bonnes amis comme toi!. Bisous!

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  8. I have a question i hope you can help with. Why is it that most of the fashions i sew , from commercial made patterns even with a 1/4 foot still never fit well? I always have to go back and make adjustments here & there. I even made sure the sewing foot was accurate. And the patterns are made for the particular type of doll body. It is kimd of frustrating. Thank you in advance!

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  9. Unless you have the exact same doll as the person who made the patterns, you will ALWAYS have to make adjustments! This is because there are so many different body types in the same doll family. I have only 7 Tonner dolls--but there are two different body types (Tyler and Antoinette) even though they are both 1/4 scale. Within my collection of 1/6 scale dolls I have six completely different body types for Fashion Royalty dolls and two different bodies (playline and Model Muse) for Barbies. That is why at the beginning of this blog in 2013, I started out by showing collectors how to measure the doll for "slopers" which are basic patterns based on the body's measurements from which all other patterns are made! The fact is...even my readers who have figured out how to trace my patterns off their computer screens will still, most likely, have to make adjustments unless they have the same doll as the one I've created the original slopers for! Hope that answers your question.

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    1. Yes thank you again!

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    2. Oh one more question, would you happen to know the measurements of the older FR body dolls? The bust , waist & hips! Thanks. :)

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    3. Hi again. I could not find a website with the exact measurements, so I measured my own dolls.

      FR1 - 5-3/4 x 3 x 5-1/4" (back neck to waist= 3-1/8")
      FR2 - 5-1/2 x 2-3/4 x 4-1/2" (back neck to waist= 3-1/8")
      FR2 tall body - same as FR2
      FR13 - 5 x 3-1/8 x 5-1/8" (back neck to waist= 3")

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    4. Thank you so much! Appreciate it!

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  10. I wanted to know, when they have fashion week in the big four places - NY, London, Paris & Milan, are they all Haute Couture or some RTW? I have been wondering. I ask because you have worked in the industry. Thank you in advance!

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    1. The ready-to-wear fashion weeks in the big four fashion capitals takes place twice yearly, once in the fall and once in the spring. Currently, we are in the midst of New York fashion week which began a couple of days ago and goes on through September 11. London Fashion Week: Sept 13-17; Milan Italy 17-23 and finally Paris Sept 23-Oct. 1. We are seeing fashions projected for Spring/Summer 2020. BTW....there is also Menswear Fashion weeks, and Paris Couture....all are shown separately at other times in the year.

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    2. Just Paris has the Haute Couture? I assume it does as the HC is made in Paris!

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    3. Yes, only Paris has Haute Couture. It's been awhile since I did any in-depth reporting on it, but traditionally, Haute Couture is regulated by the French government! The Chambre Syndicale de Couture, the officiating body, determines who can enter its ranks. (Potential members are mentored in.) And anyone outside of France can only show during that week upon invitation only. (Valentino, Armani and Versace are "invited" guest houses.) The government sets rules regarding how many private shows per year a couture house must show, how many outfits per season must be created, and how many employees must be hired in order to remain in good standing. Given the economic nature of the country and the fact that there aren't nearly the number of bonafide Couture customers as there once were, I am thinking some of these rules have been relaxed.

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