Dolls Eye View: Paris Fall Trends 2022

We can always count on Paris for a wide diversity of looks. But as was the case with Milan, there was not a lot to fall in love with. But within the dumpster dive of concept clothes and flights of fantasy, the girls were able to find a few things worthy to come home with. 

For the most part, designers here were not generous with color, preferring black and grey over a palette of bright autumn tones. 

 Warm Leatherette

One trend we could pinpoint....leather. Either as an all-over look or used in touches or for accessories, next fall will see generous slabs of leather (or leather look-alikes) crafted into dresses, vests, thigh high boots. 

Two things to note here: super long blazers and super short shorts! Both are trending and can be teamed together or worn separately for a combination of looks and styles. This is largely an exercise in styling. Here Estelle wears a simple halter neck top belted over wool shorts. Topping it off...a classic leather blazer in a long, hip grazing length.

Dorian, on the other hand, wanted something with a little more cutting edge style. Her dress is cut from stretchable faux leather. It is an asymmetrical fitted sheath dress where one side traces her body down one side, while the other side is fitted but has exterior seams closing like a clam-shell. Of course on a 1/6th scale, the "leather" won't drape, so we took the liberty to fold and tuck the "ruffle" along the seam line. 

The Revenge of the Classics

As pandemic protocols are dropped and offices reopening, look for the classic suit and its variants to return. The Chanel show this season, was criticized for looking a tad bit matronly, but when the girls looked closely, they saw many classic staples they felt could be restyled into something more exciting.

For example, Sonia opted for this classic Chanel tweed suit worn with a super long "Chanel" charm necklace and bracelet. She swapped out the thick socks for lurex stocking boots. And take a look at what happens when she opens up her jacket!

There's a silver satin top for those late day dates. We lined the jacket with the same silver fabric as the top! 

Orange Is the New....

A trend we first spotted at New York Fashion Week.... Orange is trending for next fall. From bright tangerine to mellow pumpkin and blood orange..... this is a color your dolls will be demanding, no matter the time of day!

La Belle et La Bete

Be it faux fur or feathers, the nocturnal animals are on the loose. Once again, they are found in jackets and coats of all lengths and looks. Look for feathers at night.

One of the coolest ways to wear a fur jacket....here's grace in a black "chubby" fur worn over leggings.

Cocooning

Not interested in getting skin in the game? Cocoon coats and jackets provide a fur-free alternative. Quilted coats and jackets have been elevated into high fashion status. Look for satin coats and nylon cocoons to shine next winter. 

For Latoya, we constructed this cocoon coat based on the pattern we created for the Patrick Kelly cocoon. The jacket doesn't require much fabric so I made my own quilted fabric. I began by tacking on  sheets of soft, non-woven material to the lining, layering on satin and then top-stitching. Then we laid down and cut out our pattern. Our jacket is not perfect. Next time I will plan the stitching pattern better.  (We plan to make others jackets in the near future which we promise to share with you.) Neither me nor Latoya liked the washed out jeans worn with the original jacket. We wanted something more elegant so we teamed our white satin cocoon with navy blue taffeta stovepipe pants.

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These are skinny, slinky looks in black...straight up!!! Think slim fitting dresses, straight pants or leggings....all in the noteworthy color of......black!

The orignal look consists of a draped top over wide trousers. Creating this look appears easier than it really is. Because we are working in 1/6 scale, the fabric won't drape quite like the original. After three attempts with two types of fabric, I decided to simplify. So for the dress created for Amalia, I started with an ankle length jersey sheath with funnel collar cut from a thin, nylon jersey. I draped a separate piece of this fabric extending from the tip of one shoulder, diagonally across the body and caught into the opposite side seam. 

By now you know my divas....They LOVE everything that sparkles and shines. As such Sophia couldn't pass up this modern day version of the flapper dress. A basic strapless sheath dress worn with shiny vinyl boots. 

Hot Hot Hot!!!

Everybody is talking about the color of the year....Hot Pink! At the Valentino show, more than half of his show marched out to the vibe of this single electric tone! A few other designers also picked up on the on the trend. So this Fall...Think Pink!!!

We didn't have the same feathers as the original dress. (We used turkey feathers instead.) So while the spirit of the look changed, Simone, the newest model to join our staff, still loved the resulting look.....bird in paradise! The base is a tent dress with feathers tacked on one by one. 

The Tuxedo

The look--a feminine version of the tuxedo--made famous by the late, great Yves Saint Laurent, gets an update and comes back into the spotlight for modern times. On the left, a long, curvy blazer over shorts and thigh high, leather boots. On the right....an exaggerated, squared off androgynous version of Yves' iconic look.

Again, this is a question of styling. Here, Morgon chooses the more feminine version of the two options, worn over a short skirt instead of shorts.

Love Me Tender

None of these looks says fall/winter fashion. However, in contrast to all of the hard edge looks, almost masculine air of the upcoming season, these pretty little dresses provided a sweet, flirty counterpoint.  

Chrissie LOVED this dress. It is so young and fresh and has a vintage vibe. Admittedly though, I was heavy handed with the flounces and my dress flutters more. 

There is really nothing new here. It is a classic Grecian style gown we've seen over the decades. An elegant, easy to construct (halter neck tent dress) belted and worn with contrasting opera length gloves. Pure high style!

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