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!!!

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Dolls Eye View: London Fall/Winter 2020 Trends

Disclaimer--All of the information gathered for this report as well as those for Milan and Paris, took place prior to the call for social distancing due to the outbreak of Coronavirus. The girls were able to get through fashion month and head back home, safe and sound and virus free! Currently they are all self quarantined and enjoying their new wardrobes! 

With Brexit behind them, the British style machine is in full metamorphosis. Somewhere between the royal court and punk avant-garde, the British fashion capital has not yet found a way to redefine itself in this 20 year old millennium. The catwalk remains chaotic, vacillating between utilitarian frocks designers know will sell and grab-bag, gender-bender alternatives that feed the need to express their creative side. Many seemed to be dazed, crazed and utterly confused. Throughout all of this, my girls were able to uncover a few snippets of interesting looks--something that took me a little longer than usual, to translate into a few show-stopping looks.

Fashion Animal

We're always drawn to furry burly coats and jackets especially when there's an element of fun like the zebra on zebra total look of Martin Margiela's dress/coat ensemble or the chunky, clunky look of a sheepskin jacket over a sleek pair of slacks.

Making the fur jacket was pretty simple (front, back and sleeve). But to round out Kelly's look we decided to opt for an ankle length cashmere skirt instead of the trousers. And since we're talking about winter fashion, why not wrap the head in a scarf then toss a great big cashmere scarf over her shoulders.

Richard Quinn's ensemble is a bit curious. On the one hand, the polka dots suggest the perfect summer skirt. And yet...it's topped with a short, chubby fluffy, hooded jacket. In order for this to make sense to me and Veronica, we decided this should be translated into an evening look. So I cut a three-layered circle skirt (knee length instead of mid-calf). The skirt starts with a gathered tulle circle skirt, topped with a layer of sheer polka dots then ultimately topped with a circle of bejeweled tulle. The same bejeweled tulle was used to craft a matching pair of knee high boots. Instead of cutting a new jacket, we simply tossed a stole around her shoulders and topped her head with a bit of leftover faux fur.

A Leg-Up on Pants

Honestly, there isn't much which is new here. We really liked the chic, classic looks of each pant suit pictured here. What all of these looks have in common? Each one is nipped in at the waist in one fashion or another.

Ultimately Billie wanted something new. So she settled on a pantsuit with a curvy one-shouldered, princess line top over bell bottom pants. The panels of the top were stitched to the waist then allowed to flap free over the top of hips. The bell-bottoms are fitted to the knee then curve out into a full bell at the ankles.

Sweetheart Deal

This seems to be Richard Quinn's ode to the iconic French designer, Christian Lacroix. These are pretty little dresses with lots of volume and bounce in gathered skirts, lots of color, pattern and print. They are the kind ofgirly  dresses that look really good on any doll!

This could easily be something for late summer. Adriana's floral gathered skirt with its separate polka dotted blouse with a sweetheart neckline and circular bell sleeves still works well in cooler weather when accessorized with a fur toque and thigh high black leather boots.

Midday Stroll in Manchester

A return to insanely sane styles.... After the clownish looks, the mismatched, concept-based mayhem looks from past seasons, some designers have put the brakes on all the craziness by retreating to quiet, conservatism. A leather trench, a two-piece suit inspired by the early 1960's, everything is tame and quietly elegant, once again.

Initially, I thought this was a cape. It wasn't until I nearly finished it as a cape until I realized the original look by Erdem, is in reality....a dress. Still, Waris and I prefer it as a cape! What I like about this is how the designer took a fabric (pin striped lightweight wool) normally reserved for menswear and feminized it by adding very girly embellishments. Instead of crafting black roses, I simplified it by making bows out of black satin ribbon instead!. Instead of styling it as a dress, we thought the addition of tailored trousers resulted in a much more stunning look!

All Wrapped Up

There was something so interesting about each of these four looks. They are essentially suits with pants wide enough to give the impression of being a skirt. Also, each has some element of soft drapery that contrasts with the crispness of the rest of the structured garment. I also would like to point out my pleasure in seeing designers who, at last, have taken advantage of the rich tones of autumn!

I had planned to make the eggplant toned pantsuit, but did not have any fabric close to that color. And I ran out of time. So I sold Kym on the merits of this garment. At first I thought this was a gown. Only after I had completed a gown in oyster white faille, did I realize this garment was, indeed, pants! Draping the top is not as simple as it looks. By now you know that fabric almost never drapes over the doll the way it does on a human. So, I pleated by fabric and pressed down the pleats first...then draped it over the shoulders and tacked it down onto a simple top underneath.

We're not done just yet. Up ahead.....Milan. Given everything that is happening in Italy....both the human and economic toll... this may well be one of the last looks at Italian fashion for quite awhile.....

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Dolls Eye View: London S/S 2020 Fashion Trends

 A little bit here, a little bit there....London fashion right now is all over the place. I suppose the problem is Brexit...Great Britain's planned exit from the European Union with all of its woes. Word is, many companies are looking to relocate their businesses somewhere else in Europe out of fear of potential problems down the road. In the meantime....what do you do! Design a collection with the idea of making a fashion statement or.....put together a collection of tried and true clothes guaranteed to sell! As a fashionista this makes finding something new and interesting difficult. The girls had to contend with pretty much a continuation of what we saw in New York...lots of chaotic concept clothes in odd shapes and mishap color palettes or.....seen that-worn-that (already) styles. Still, upon very close scrutiny when the girls were able to a find those few rare "jewels."

Neutral Territory

There is a lot of fashion left overs from the 1970's these days. Most of it me and the girls can really live without. On the other hand, we kind of like that decade's palette of neutral beige, ecru, brown and nature kissed hues. The girls agreed that the classic safari or sportswear separates: jackets, shorts and trousers are always a good bet. We even threw in a floral printed dress with "faded" prints in tones of off-white, coral and jade.

So if we have to go back in time to simple style, Giselle decided she'd opt for the timeless look of a short-set (safari jacket and cuffed shorts) worn under a chocolate brown micro coat. (Pssst....we also made her these lace-up boots in brown leather!)

The New Pants Story

 What we could appreciate in London was seeing a wide variety of pant silhouettes. If nothing else, we can have fun with pants. It's not just about skinny jeans here, but rather....loose trousers gathered into waistbands, wide pants of varying lengths and even the combination of shorts worn under sheer straight pants.

One-Armed Bandit

The one-shouldered look we saw last year, really takes off for next summer. There are lots of ways and many different shoulder treatments to explore!

Noor opted for the sleek look of a simple black jersey dress with a sheer, bias cut square added to one hip.

What's Your Point

And if you haven't noticed already...there are a lot of asymmetrical details to the hottest summer looks...especially those destined for party wear. The girls love how they almost look like puzzles that come together into sexy dresses with points over the thighs. 

Floral Kaleidoscope

Here is where things really became interesting. At first glance, this appears to be an extreme, even outrageous look. But when I stopped to think about it, I saw the resurgence of a popular trend from the 1980s....a proliferation of floral prints worn in "maximalist" mode. It started with the collection of Duro Olowu....vintage prints put together into a single outfit that somehow work together. The Erdem outfits may have you wondering...."who wears this." But again, this is about drawing inspiration from the essence of the concept, then simplifying or scaling it back into something charming, if not beautiful!

No, I would never wear Richard Quinn's dress, but I imagined how cute this look would be on a Barbie. Kimora made me promise I'd scale the look down into something she would actually wear. I also liked the idea of the matching stockings....but I went one step further and saw them as matching thigh high floral boots instead. So Kimora's outfit is a simple halter neck top and opera length gloves worn over a micro skirt bouncing with two rows of ruffles!

The original ensemble appears to be made from strips of brocade...perhaps even vintage ties. What we loved about the look is how three different prints could work so well together. Naturally I don't have those prints. And to be honest...the patchwork is too much work for a 1/6 scale ensemble. But the real message here is taking two or even three completely different prints and marrying them together into one beautiful ensemble. The trick to making it all work....be sure there is one color shared by all prints! Inspired by Erdem, I went a step further by incorporating a "pop of color" via her gloves and shoes.

Fringe Benefits

Well... you know already how I feel about fringe! I love the use of long fringe here!. The black fringe top over the white fringe under skirt is sublime!

Easy Does It

At the end of the day...we are talking about summer clothes. So instead of super fancy, why not dress dolly in cool, easy to wear silhouettes that drop from bared shoulders and swirl around her calves. The overall silhouette is flared or one that cascades loosely from the bust or hips!

Marpessa loves the sheer simplicity of what appeared to be a strapless indigo denim dress dotted with tiny colorful daisies. For Marpessa's dress, I used a blue silk (with a twill weave) resembling denim. The dress is comprised of a strapless bustier top joined to circle skirt. Initially I had planned to add tiny white daisies cut from trim. But I soon discovered the scale was too big and there is much more embroidery detailing on the original dress than I had the time to reproduce. So instead..... I added medallions cut from a piece of beaded lace and sewed on tiny silver sequins to the body of the dress.

We're only half way through our fashion journey. Next stop......Milan!

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Dolls Eye View: London F/W 19 Trends

London was no New York! With Brexit (Britain's exit from the European Union) looming, designers are clearly rattled. Not knowing what the future holds and how this will impact them financially, many didn't hold a traditional show and when they did, some played it super safe. Others threw caution to the wind with a chaotic palette. We were tempted not to stop in London this time around. But my girls spotted a few interesting items and so we transform this trip into a learning experience.... It is a quick pit stop on our way to Milan and Paris.

Neo-Afro Post Modernism
Doru Olowu is a young Nigerian designer best known for his innovative combinations of patterns and textiles drawn from his own native land. Looking at his work showed, once again, the influence Africa has on western designers and it gave me a better insight into the mind of the late, great Yves St. Laurent. The French couturier was born and raised in Morocco, an area of the world which impacted his designs throughout his historically successful career. He made much of his fortune by translating the the clothing of local women with its kaleidoscope of patterns, prints and colors into chic western wear. When I spotted the first two garments, I admired how Olowo used three colors of the same print in the same dress. Even more interesting is the middle ensemble where there are three different patterns topped off with an animal print! Personally, I am not really drawn to this color palette and I feel the dress itself is more complicated than it need be. But  still, I appreciate the beauty of this set.

To pull off such an audacious use of pattern and print, there must be a connection. In my case, where I have combined five different prints in one look, each pattern contains black. Also, the abstract print used for the blouse has a light tan streak running through it with ties it to the leopard spotted coat. Her skirt, by the way, was made from a silk men's tie. (Tie prints offer the perfect scale for doll fashion!) Unlike Mr. Olowu, I kept each element very simple. There is a dolman sleeve top, a straight skirt and a cummerbund belt underneath a standard straight coat. Instead of putting Grace in black boots, I pushed the envelope a little further and gave her velvet flocked plaid boots.

 If you want to opt for a less ethnic vibe, remove the head wrap and it easily fits right in with western wear!

West End Promenade
Simple wardrobe staples for a stroll around town.

 The original Vivienne Westwood coat is made from a soft, fleece fabric. I tried to copy this look using the wrong side of a sweat sock. The end result was..well...underwhelming. The moral of the story here is that when something is this basic, your garment is only as good as the fabric itself. So I started again with the approach, "Go big or go home!" This time I opted for a faux fur super plush effect. (This time around, I used a furry head band I found at a beauty supply shop! It contained just enough fabric.) It's a little over-the-top but well suited for all Natasha's silver accessories including her silver stocking boots.

Soft Shoulders
It's not that I'm all that wild about this group. But there are times the clothes on the catwalk look more like they should be cut in 1/6 scale!

Such is the case with this red and fuchsia dress. An empire waistline filled in with two tiers of ruffles makes for the perfect dolly dress, modeled here by Peaches, one of three My Scene dolls in our house!

Though I like the leather corset over the blouse and flared skirt, personally I found the original dress to be a little sad. So for Kimora, I added length to the corset as well as little bit of lacing under the bust. The blouse underneath is a crinkled taffeta bustier and, as you can see, we've added a mini circle skirt cut from faux stretch leather. I have these boots left over from my post on fancy footwork which I feel adds more of a pirate girl charm to the entire look.

Nottingham Hill After Dark
This is a hodge podge of evening looks with no real thread. But you know....dollies got to party! And these were the best uptown looks of the season here.

 When I first saw the Marchesa Notte gown, I thought..."what an interesting use of tie dye." But when you look more closely a second time, you see that the print is really a blurry watercolor floral print. Still, I went with my first impression to create Zoe's gown. I had some purple tie dyed cotton on hand and I must admit....I am very happy with the results. (Moral of the story: think outside of the box for a truly creative look!) And, making this dress could not have been easier. I started out with a simple one shouldered sheath gown. Then, I draped fabric over one should and tacked it on the side just above the hip. The volume tossed to the side and back is more interesting than the original dress where it made to cascade down from the high shoulder point. Again....what I did was to make a basic dress, then drape fabric over the bodice and tack in place!

A pair of wide trousers, a bit of polyester organdy draped into a top.....what better way to look while walking the dog! 

That's it for London. We're headed for Milan where my girls tell me there is LOTS more to love!!!

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