Dollz in the Hood

Tis the season for the hoodie. Be it part of a jacket, coat or as an add-on; draped on the shoulders or cradling the head; trimmed with fur or worn as is, the addition of a hood is the easiest way to create a look that's contemporary, sophisticated or simply down right dramatic. And...it's quite easy to make.

A great looking winter car coat in wool tweed.

Here is what the hood looks like in all views.

The pattern involves measuring around the head ending at the pit of the neck.

1)Measure around the head ending at the pit of the neck. Divide the number in have and draw line A-B. 2)Measure around the head from the outer eye to outer eye to get line B-C

 

1. Point A-B is 1/2 the measurement around the head beginning and ending at the pit of the neck. (Take the measurement then divide this number in half. For example, the measurement for this doll was 5 1/2". When divided in half, I arrive at 2 3/4".

2. Point B-C is 1/2 the measurement from the outer eye on one side of the head to the outer eye on the opposite side.



 

3. The line A-B lays on the Center Back of the head. The lower edge takes its lines from the neckline. Lay your jacket or coat back pattern (without seam allowance) so that the center back lines up with the CB of A-B. Take the Front pattern and line it up shoulder line to shoulder line. This results in the curved line A-D. Now trace the necklines of both the front and back patterns to create the neckline of the hood at the bottom.
4) Now draw the front of the hood. Your line should be straight until you arrive at the shoulder line, then make a curve down to "D." Curve the upper left hand corner of your hood unless you want yours to end in a point.
5) Add seam allowance.

It is always good to make a muslin. The hood attaches to the neckline of your garment. If you don't want this much fullness, make adjustments. Mark, then create a new pattern based on your markings. You can line this hood.

We used a small length of velvet ribbon to create the hood for this velvet flocked leather jacket.

Add a furry trim to top a great looking winter coat.

 You can also elect to keep the hood separate, like the one below in black faux fur. Simply add a ribbon at the lower edge so that she can wear the hood over anything she chooses.

Stay tuned...more winter looks are on their way!!!!!

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All images and text property of Fashion Doll Stylist. 2013. Please do not reproduce without prior permission. Thank you.

Diamonds Are A Doll's Best Friend

The most dazzling ornaments aren’t found in any Paris department store, this year. Instead, you will need to head over to the newest exhibition to open at the Grand Palais: “Cartier: Style and History.” Conceived as a history of decorative arts, this show of breathless baubles tells not only the story of Cartier, but also retraces the evolution of tastes, aesthetics and diversity of cultures within the jewelry industry…as told through precious stones and metals.

Interiors of Grand palais drenched in virtual jewels and exotic places

The exhibit is set within the walls of the newly renovated Salon d’Honneur of the Grand Palais which just reopened. A backlit custom-built stand, fitted to accommodate the display cases and documents provides the central structure of the exhibition. Carefully placed spotlights keep each jewelry setting the focal point of attention within the sumptuous Art Nouveau interiors of the venue, draped in a light show of virtual jewels and exotic lands. These wall animations transform the architectural backdrop into a tableaux of mirages, in which glimpses of India, Egypt, and China  melt into a fantasy world of luxury reminiscent of the Café Society era.

Cartier, jeweler to the Royal classes

There was often a collaboration between jeweler and haute couture house:

The story of Cartier is told in eight episodes: The firm’s early days (1847-1905); The Modern Style (a trip through 1920’s, Art Deco); New Horizons (inspirations from exotic lands: Egypt, India, Persia); The Mystery clocks; Geometric Luxury; the Splendor of Stones; Stylistic Freedom (muses of the house); and the origins of the Panther (fetish and symbol of Cartier). Some 600 items of jewelry, watches, miniature objects and clocks, complimented by paintings, haute couture garments, fashion magazines, lithographic works and original conceptual illustrations provide a rare and precious glimpse into ornamentation of the super wealthy class from the Second Empire through the 1970’s. Among  the items on display: 28 diamond studded tiaras, crowns and garlands, 18 “mystery clocks” and 294 documents from Cartier’s own archives.  And while the clarity and brilliance of the diamonds is spellbinding, the strength of this exhibition lies in part, on the homage it pays to its famous clients who contributed to the evolution of Cartier’s style and aesthetics throughout the years.

Art Deco an important influence

Princess Grace and her Cartier jewels

Listed as frequent customers were the likes of Daisy Fellowes (heiress to the Singer Sewing machine fortune), Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, Marjorie Merriweather Post (sole heritor of the Post cereal company) and later, Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Grace of Monaco and socialite Barbara Hutton who owned jewelry once belonging to Marie Antoinette and Empress Eugenie. A separate corner is dedicated to each iconic client complete with a sampling of jewelry ordered by them and photos.

Bib necklace of the Maharaja of Patiala

Some of the more spectacular pieces on display include a 478 carat cushion cut sapphire once owned by the Queen Marie of Romania. It is the largest cut sapphire in the world. Another attention-grabber: a restored version of the necklace commissioned by the Maharaja of Patiala in 1925, who deposited thousands of stones (including a 234.65 carat DeBeers diamond) to be set in a modern way. Cartier was obliged to respect traditional Indian forms while incorporating Art Deco designs. Though this bib necklace was later dismantled, its remnants found in a cheap jewelry store, Cartier restored the original sparkle using traditional methods and synthetic stones.

Dioramas of the Cartier store in 1859

Gems aside, items of doll-sized interest  include a miniscule diorama complete with miniatures and figurines showing a mock up of the interiors of the Place Vendome boutique and doll-sized objects. These precious little items were created simply for the whimsy of the clients intrigued with Lilliputian sized items, Cartier triumphed with small metallic knick-knacks that often featured translucent enamel over engine-turned decoration.

Bejeweled miniatures of camera and clock-- fit for a dolly queen

For anyone headed to Paris in the next two months, this exhibition provides fascinating look at Paris’ most illustrious high fashion jewelry house. Can’t make it but would like to see more? Head over to www.grandpalais.fr/evenment/cartier-le-style-et-lhistoire. An iPhone app with HD images is also available at the Appstore.

Rubies and pearl necklace

Art Deco necklace with diamond inlay

Cartier: Le Style et L’Histoire. Grand Palais. December 4, 2013-February 16, 2014. Open Wednesdays through Mondays 10am -8pm. Closed Tuesdays.  (Christmas hours-Dec 21-Jan 4 open 9am-10pm). Entry : 11 Euros.

All images and text by Fashion Doll Stylist 2013.

Coat Closet: The Redingote

Through fashion trends currently favor oversized coats in the US, we're not seeing them on the streets of Paris for the moment. But we have noticed a resurgence of an old French classic: the redingote. Originally designed as a riding coat at the turn of the last century, this garment is shaped more like a dress (fit and flare) in contrast to the boxiness of an overcoat.



The most graceful versions of this coat employ a princess line pattern. While a lighter wool is more suited for the scale of the doll, I wanted to ensure the end result would really look like a WINTER coat so I broke a major rule. I chose to work with real coat fabric. This created a number of challenges thus resulting in the delay of this particular project.

Velvet trimmed grey wool redingote.

My pattern is based on that same princess line dress we featured awhile back, combined with the real, rolled collar we used for the jacket. Creating the pattern was easy enough but, admittedly, it was a challenge to figure out how the garment would fit due to the bulk of the fabric. Moreover, my fabric was very soft and I didn't anticipate it stretching during the assembly of the coat. I will tell you that pressing this garment as you go, is THE most important element in arriving at a halfway decent coat. In hindsight I should not have chosen a rolled collar, but I really wanted a traditional coat with little velvet accents.



The pattern for this coat is relatively simple. I started out drafting a shoulder line princess bodice. Beginning with the basic bodice, draw a line from the apex of the dart to the middle of the shoulder. Close out half the waist dart. Smooth out the lines so you have 2 parts, a center front and a side front.

Line up the basic skirt pattern CF to CF of the bodice. If the darts of the skirt don't line up with those of the bodice, slide them over until they do. Connect the legs of the bodice darts with those of the skirt. Draw a perpendicular line from the apex of the skirt dart to the hemline.

I have chosen to flare out the skirt side by 1/4 inch. (You can add more especially if you are making a longer coat.) On either side of that perpendicular line, mark 1/4 inch. From each dart leg, draw out a line to that mark. Then, trace the defining silhouette of each section, smoothing out the area of the waist. So as not to confuse you, I have traced each section in a different color. You now have center and side coat fronts that extend from the shoulder line to the hem. Drop the armhole by 1/4inch.

Extend the coat front by 1/4 inch over from the CF line (more if you want a double breasted coat). On the coat front, decide where you want the collar to fold back. Mark. Make a diagonal line extending from 1/8 inch away from the neckline to this mark. Now, on the left side of this diagonal line, draw how you want the collar to look. Trace that drawing onto tracing paper, flip, then lay it onto the coat front along the diagonal line. By tracing this section's silhouette, you now have your coat center front. Trace the shoulder, neck and 1/2 inch away from the edge of the your coat front to create the facing.

The back is made exactly the same way as the front. The only difference is that after closing out half the dart which was transferred to the shoulder, I have straightened up the dart and slid it to line up with the dart of the bodice.

Again, the back skirt is incorporated into the creation of the pattern and lines up with the back bodice. Adjust the darts so that the legs line up. Smooth out the waist area. Add flare just as explained in the front.



For the coat back, create a single piece by tracing off one side and adding it to the opposite side along the CB. If you want more fullness, flare the coat back at the hem of the center back. Add seam allowance to the CB. The center back pattern will be in two pieces. A center back seam will also allow you to custom fit the coat to the doll. Be sure to lower the back armhole by 1/4 inch.

Add seam allowance to all pattern pieces. I'm using the same sleeve used for the jacket.

My velvet collar is a 1/2 inch piece of velvet ribbon attached on the inside of the collar (folded over to the exterior of the coat). I also used a bit of the same ribbon for the pockets. The front of the coat is closed using two hook & eyes to keep it close to the body.



This fabric became really bulky, especially along the outer edges (where the facing folds back), the collar and the hem. So using a moist pressing cloth, I pressed and pressed and pressed along the seams while applying pressure. Because this is a napped fabric, hems had to be sewn, not glued, them steam pressed.

Mocha brown plain woven wool coat with waistline seam.

You can also do a more simplified version of this coat. The process is the same, however the bidice and skirt patterns are made separately. Just as in the case of our 2-pc basic dress, the bodice is then attached to the skirt, making sure the seams match. You will want to belt that coat, shown here in a lighter wool which was infinitely easier to work with.

I used a facing for both coats due to the type of collar I chose. If your coat has no collar, you can do an edge to edge lining. Otherwise, in a separate and later post, I will address the subject of lining coats and jackets.

Christmas shopping at Galeries Lafayette in Paris under the stained glass dome.

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All images & text property of Fashion Doll Stylist. 2013. Please do not use without prior permission. Thank you.



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Doll Event: Frimousses de Créateurs

Here we are at the Petit Palais, on our way to see the Frimousses exhibition.

The girls went to see the UNICEF exhibition and found it to be so much fun, they convinced me to devote an entire post on it!

Stunning Louis Vuitton dressed Cami (Tonner doll). Perfect scale. Incredible detailing!

This is a miniature replica of a look from Vuitton's Spring 2014 collection

She holds a (stunning) real Louis Vuitton bag complete with LV lock!

This year marks the 11th edition of UNICEF-France's charity auction of dolls and original works of art created to raise money for the children of Darfour. Held in Paris at the Petit Palais, it provides a glimpse of the originality and creativity for which designers and artists here are renowned.

Lanvin by Albert Elbaz

Yulia Yanina Couture

Loewe

Authentic Loewe leather bag

Beaded red lace dress by Dolce Gabbana

Beaded tunic by Hubert Barriere for Lesage

What began as a display of rag dolls in couture outfits has clearly been expanded to include a variety of dolls handled to display a host of expressions. Though many fashion houses like Chanel, Gaultier, and Dior, adhered to the original theme (cloth dolls) by submitted items with hand drawn faces and soft, squatty bodies, others like Louis Vuitton, Gilles Dufour opted to dress Tonner, Monster High, Barbie or other commercially produced dolls. All in all there are 48 local and international fashion and accessory companies represented.

Ragdoll in exquisite Christian Dior dress

Missoni

Issey Miyake

The exhibit culminates on Dec. 2, 8pm (Paris time) at the Hotel George V with an auction in collaboration with Artcurial France and Figaro Encheres. Last year's auction drew a record €1,363,000.

Emilio Pucci

I luv Paris outfit by Gucci with matching real Gucci handbag

Jean Paul Gaultier

Monster High girls in sportscar by Rallye des Princesses

Max Chauol

Anne Fontaine

Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld

Chacok

Barbie in Coco & Forget Me Not (handbag)

Leather jacket & dress by Comtoir des Cottonier

Prada

Mink trimmed vinyl cape by Paule Ka

Leather punk by Jean Claude Jitrois

Couer de Frimousses

Issey Miyake

Feather dress by Serkan Cura

Monster High in Gilles Dufour

Beaded dress under glass by Dice Kayek

Georges Hobeika

Can't make it to Paris in time? The expo has its own site: www.frimoussesdecreateurs.fr and its own free app, available in the iTunes Store. You can also bid on a doll or follow the action at www.lefigaro.fr/encheres.

Dolls made by 7 year old local children for this exhibition.

All images photographed by Fashion Doll Stylist. 2013