Dolls Eye View: Paris Fall/Winter 2022 Couture

It has been a long, hot summer and for the most part, I've given my crew some time off. This has given us time to really contemplate the future of fashion. Although the fashion world had already began its centurion transformation (social, cultural, sexual and physical diversity)  a number of years ago, the arrival of Covid pandemic accelerated the obvious changes. With the exception of a handful of couturiers: Armani, Gaultier in particular, come to mind--the old guard has pretty much disappeared and a new generation of designers proposing new aesthetics and design theory have stepped forward onto the world stage. 

I've been involved in fashion since the age of 16, when I picked up my first piece of fabric and attempted to make a party dress for myself. My history, my culture, my professional experiences are all heavily ensconced in 20th century century aesthetics...which was a much different time than today. Some dolly clothing designers prefer the well manicured look of the first half of last century, 1950's and early 60's, in particular. As you've noticed, I am a big fan of the 1980's-'90s when trends were a mix of glamour and textile exploration. But today's designers seem to be searching for an identity..something to define and reflect the current world status--which frankly--is in a state of chaos. There is talk of fashion in the Metaverse...a platform of an imaginary world filled with NFTs and imaginary fashion products for digital avatars that cost real money (bitcoin, of course). None of this I fully understand and none of this brings any joy to my dolls who only exist to wear beautiful clothes.

And so... Perhaps now with the return of in-person catwalk shows, designers will set their sights on clothes us non-Metaverse folks can relate to and might even want to wear in the real world. For the Fall 2022 edition of Paris Haute Couture, the girls looked past all of the concept costumes and took a good look at all of the shows. They came away with two strong themes: Winter Garden and Old Hollywood. 

Winter Garden

I was in the process of researching a blog post using one of my favorite themes: Late Summer Blooms. But the Fall Couture Collections simplified that task with look that were inspired by floral gardens....roses in particular!

This looks more like a spring dress but I suppose it is always warm somewhere in the world.... Here, the concept is simple and one we've done before. We created a simple bodice/skirt dress out of pink chiffon and added a silk flower to the top. You could always make the rose petals yourself, but with these hot temperatures, we took the easy way out and used a silk rose from the Dollar Store.

We weren't wild about this look at first glance. Then we thought about the possibilities. The construction of the original is quite interesting. However the end result was a bit too kitsch for Belle's taste. Instead, we chose a silk rose with looser petals and felt it made for a much more vibrant cover-up. This began with a simple cape made from polyester organza, over which we hand stitched on several whole roses. The petals are more bouncy and the total look more fun than the original. I can imagine making another our of say, a black satin rose for a black tie event!

This is the same principal as the pink dress but using a more compact red rose on the bodice. 

My girls have so many black dresses. So for this one, which uses a black rose, we decided to do this in navy velvet. Again, the choice of flower will impact the style. I could not find satin roses at my craft store this time of year, so I opted for a flower with looser petals. These are really simple looks you can quickly and easily create!

And so...we arrive in at the holidays when our garden is frozen over and the snow seems to sparkle like glitter.... Of course the fabric of the original is everything! Unfortunately we didn't have access to anything like it, so we started out with a simple bodice/skirt dress cut from gold lame. Then....we brought out the Christmas decorations and carefully sewed a few stalks onto the dress itself. The trick here is to know when to stop before the doll resembles a miniature Christmas tree herself! 

Old Hollywood

These are glamorous looks from a bygone era of film stars. Celebrities dressed up as queens and princesses. 

Kym's dress is a simple, strapless flared gown. Taffeta is ideal for this look. Though Kym's dress was cut from a silk faille fabric....heavy, thick and difficult. But I wanted a certain look so I suffered through it. The stole is organic. It is a tube that I have gathered and pinched at random to get this scrunchy effect. 

Honestly...I hated the original dress. The draping technique is amateurish for a couture house and the fabric looks as if it came from one of those emergency aluminum foil blankets you find in a first aid kit. I love silver fabric, so I went ahead a draped a movie star dress out of it. 

There is nothing new about this dress. But it is very classy and my girl, Dorian insisted I make it for her. This is a stretch rayon with gathers on one side at the waist and a train attached to the one shoulder. 

Confession here...I had a small piece of this "3D" sequin fabric and a few strands of oversized paillettes that I've been dying to find a use for. It is not exactly the same as the Alexandre Vaultier gown, but rather, inspired by it. I made Iman's dress in two pieces...top and skirt. The paillettes are really not in scale but works here because I stitched them to the hem of the skirt and sleeves. 

And so our Hollywood story comes to an end with a dress and over sized stole made from black synthetic taffeta. 

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