Monday, October 19, 2020

Doll's Eye View: London Spring/Summer 2021 Trends


The girls were debating whether or not it was worth their while to stop in London this season. And for good reason. London fashion was not nearly as pretty as New York. Most of the designers seem to turn a blind eye to the pandemic and how it has impacted our lifestyles. It was business as usual: lots of crazy experimentation, designing from their ivory towers as though nothing had changed. And much of it looked so wrong. My dolls just want to look and feel good. It's as simple as that! Consequently their report on the Brits is short. (Only four themes!) There was a fifth group but frankly, at the last minute the girls were not in the mood for vinyl stretch jeans or tight plastic dresses. 

Candy Stripes and Coconut
There is something very refreshing about these dresses that recall how women once dressed on a hot summer day back in the late 1950s, early 1960s. Crisp cottons in a fruity stripes, patterns or simply pure whites shaped into easy silhouettes pinched in at the waist...it was a very pretty, easy look. 

Katoucha was instantly drawn to this striped cotton dress designed by Duro Olowu. The dress is super simple...a simple princess line bodice with a gathered skirt. As you can see, I had fun with the stripes, once again, relying on my textile markers to copy the pattern onto unbleached cotton. 

Crispy Cremes
Uncomplicated, easy to wear...this is another classic way to dress on a typical spring or summer day. The pants are loose and so is the jacket. And it can be as crisp or as fluid as you want.

So here's what happened... Nadja already had a classic, double breasted linen jacket. So I thought I only needed to make was this special style skirt/shorts. But I didn't consult the photo when I cut the shorts, so the proportions appeared too short. And the wider jacket seemed to overpower the doll. As a human, this is the jacket I would like wear right now. But for Nadja, she wasn't so sure so I decided to make her another jacket...this time a fitted blazer. The result... two completely different takes on the original look. Underneath it all, Nadja wears a T-shirt and the combination of a skirt with patch pockets over shorts. 

The Bra
Once again, the bra comes out from hiding and takes center stage for next summer. Granted these are looks for the very young! But hey....many of us have Barbies that are looking for something fun to wear. My more sophisticated dolls also like this look, but for them there's the addition of a jacket or another fun detail like the pleated skirt that tops pencil trousers. 

This is such a fun look that borrows a little from the 1970's at a time when mini dresses were worn over pants in a total look. Instead of a dress, Iman opts for a halter neck bra top and pleated micro mini skirt over stovepipe pants in a bright cherry red. 
When you're a teenager, you can get away with almost anything! This is just bra top (with a bow added) worn with a gathered skirt. Here Kimora does her babydoll look with a bow in her hair and little black heeled sandals. But most days, she's going to slip this look with a pair of sneakers instead!

Fade to Black
And so....we end our journey with another series of little black dresses. This just seems to be the easiest, most effortless way to pull off night time looks. 

A simple tube dress, I made in two options for Kym. Using one of the patterns in my Notorious LBD post, I cut the black dress out of a sweater knit fabric. I accidentally cut the pattern too small for my FR dolls. But it still fit Kym's impeccable figure! However, we both liked the look and fit so much, neither one of us really wanted to cut the center slit as seen in the original dress. For the human, this silhouette looks chic as well, though madame cannot walk because the dress is too restrictive around the knees and calves! So.... I cut another dress, this time using a polyester ribbed material from an old men's knee high sock! The knit has enough body to it that you don't have to worry about finishing the edges. And this time I cut it in the correct size which has more ease through the torso. I carefully cut the slit in between the ribbing. The end result is a bit wider on Kym, which I believe, is how this dress was designed fit. Incidentally, I saw this dress as something that could be worn in the daytime.

My girls can never have too many little black dresses AND I was somewhat intrigued by this little scrap of a dress by Vivienne Westwood. It looks a bit like a rag on her curious choice of model. But me and Zoe figured I could "clean it up" somewhat. It is a jersey dress with shirring on both sides. There is another piece of fabric that ties onto the main dress, stretches over one shoulder and across the bust. The dress actually fits Zoe better around the underarm on the left, but I pulled it down to better show off the detailing over the bust.

Well that was short and sweet. But we have bigger fish to catch in Italy....at least we hope! Catch up with us later as the girls head to Milan. Stay safe. Mask up!!!

Follow us on Twitter: @FashDollStylist
Like us on Facebook: @FashDollStylist
We're also on Pinterest: @FashDollStylist
And of course, we are on Instagram: @fashiondollstylist




12 comments:

  1. Love that last shot...really sums up life right now. Love the red pants and bra, and I like that you gave a little more coverage, much like a 1940's movie costume, but still usable. I have a photo of my mom in such a top, taken while she was working in California in Howard Hughe's airplane factory in 1942.She was a prude, lol, but wore the top constructed just like this one. One thing about fashion is nothing is really new...!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sandi, you're so right. Nothing is really new. Many years ago, I worked with a designer on a project and I asked him about inventing something NEW. He replied, "The human body never changes. As long as human beings have 2 arms, a body and two legs, it's really hard to invent something truly new." Back in the 1960's, our ideas about 21st century or "space age" fashion consisted of jumpsuits and padded shoulders. And now in 2020, we see that simply has no relevance. Where we are likely to see innovation is in "smart fabrics." Antibacterial, anti-UVA, fabrics with special cooling or warming properties, fabrics that are more easily biodegradable. But the aesthetics always seem to borrow from the past except with time, silhouettes tend to simplify as lifestyles become more relaxed. (Ha ha ha...there's the teacher/journalist speaking there!) I did make changes with the red top to differentiate it from little black bra and because I did think it was more interesting. It kind of mixes 40's with 70's. As far as the last shot...I have hesitated to put masks on my girls because, as Ive said...dolls don't catch CoVid...yet! But since they are out in all the major fashion capitals collecting trend information, I thought I'd use my Tonners to send a message supporting the use of masks! I'm trying to make them as "fashion" as possible.

      Delete
  2. Moda lubi się powtarzać. Jeśli nie kompleksowo to chociaż elementarnie. Barwne sukienki w paseczki, z paskiem w talii są śliczne i wygodne :-)
    Jasne spodnie lub szorty z żakietami, marynarkami wyglądają pięknie. Zwłaszcza te, które sama uszyłaś dla swoich dziewczyn 😊
    Biustonosze noszone pod żakiet czy kurteczkę? Dlaczego nie, choć to strój dla zgrabnych, młodych dziewczyn. Masz jednak rację. Barbie bardzo chciałaby mieć taki strój 😉😁.
    Ciemne, wąskie suknie, idealne dla smukłych modelek. Świetne!
    Mała czarna, rewelacyjnie udrapowana na modelce też mnie zaintrygowała :-)
    Dziękuję za kolejną porcję Mody Wiosenno-Letniej.
    Pozdrowienia serdeczne z życzeniami zdrowia!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Olla wrote: Fashion repeats itself. If not comprehensively, at least elementary. Colorful, striped dresses with a belt at the waist are beautiful and comfortable :-)
      Bright trousers or shorts with jackets and jackets look beautiful. Especially the ones you made yourself for your girlfriends 😊
      Bras worn under a jacket or jacket? Why not, although this is an outfit for shapely young girls. However, you are right. Barbie would love to have such an outfit 😉😁.
      Dark, narrow dresses, perfect for slim models. Great!
      Little black dress, sensational draped on the model, intrigued me too :-)
      Thank you for another portion of the Spring-Summer Fashion.
      Best wishes with health wishes!

      Thank you so much for your lovely compliments, Olla. You are so right.. Fashion does repeat itself though hopefully, the designer has put a modern spin on things! The bra worn with pants remind me of the type of looks I was drawn to in my teenage years. That's a time, I think, when young girls are their most flirtatious! The bra/pleated top/trouser outfit is another personal favorite of mind. I remember wearing my minidresses over pants. So even though we didn't find any ground-breaking fashion news, I tend to think of these outfits as a retreat from the usual fashion fodder and a return to all time favorite looks. Big hugs.

      Delete
  3. This was a fun project - nice replica of the striped dresses. Loved the 3 piece sleek red pants, bra top and flirty little pleated skirt��

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Olympia. The fashion week projects are always fun for me. The textile markers provide an extra tool for enabling me to create a 1/6 replica. Also this season is quite personal in that, much of what I have posted are old time favorite styles I've loved over the years. Thank you for stopping by.

      Delete
  4. Bonjour April, j’aime beaucoup le modèle David Koma. C’est magnifique. J’ai bien envie d’essayer de le faire, mais actuellement j’ai tellement de créations en attente. Je les ai mises sur une feuille de modèles à faire, je crois que j’en suis à 35 modèles créés pour 2020, et je n’ai pas fini. J’étais bien contente de voir le modèle de Vivianne Westwood. Cela m’a fait penser à un modèle de Jupe qu’elle était la seule à faire à l’époque. Peut-être que j’essayerai de créer ce modèle.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Shasarignis wrote: Hello April, I really like the David Koma model. That's wonderful. I really want to try to do it, but right now I have so many creations waiting. I put them on a to-do template sheet, I think I'm down to 35 designs created for 2020, and I'm not done. I was very happy to see the Vivianne Westwood model. It reminded me of a Skirt model she was the only one to make at the time. Maybe I'll try to create this template.

      The David Koma dress is so simple yet so versatile. It's the type of dress that is easy to make and so elegant, you could easily make a small wardrobe of these dresses then dress them up or down....something I am really connecting with right now!
      Wow--I have the impression you are really busy right now with all of your planned projects! Hope to see some of them on your blog!!! Bisous

      Delete
  5. I liked this red one outfit ^_^ , but every your idea is great!

    ReplyDelete
  6. The striped dress is great! I would like to wear one myself. But all the other dresses also have something intriguing about them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Gorgeous fashions, especially those little dresses by Duro Olowu, they are really pretty. Thanks for showing these.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ok, this time I don't have mu number one. I just love striped dress, red set and creme jacket. Perfect!

    ReplyDelete

We love hearing from you. Your comment will be published shortly. Please note: SPAM IS NOT TOLERATED. It will be deleted immediately!!