Hazel Visits the 1940s: Afternoon Dress from 1940


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mini-maiden-paper-doll-dress-1940

I think it’s a little fitting that at the end of this 1940s paper doll to print week, we are returning to the early part of the decade with this 1940s afternoon dress, especially since we started with a 1940s afternoon dress on Monday. Today’s dress is based on this afternoon dress from 1940 which I found from the New York Public Library Digital Collections.

This dress has many of the details I associated with the 1940s including puffed sleeves, a natural waistline and a gored skirt that falls to the knees, but the ruching details on the bodice are very much of the 1930s. Fashion doesn’t change on a dime, so it’s a nice example of the transition of styles.

The truth is that the 1940s is a fascinating era for fashion. World War II influences everything, of course, but there’s also more women entering the work force, the end of the Depression and Rayon, invented in the 1930s, becaming mainstream. Paris, which was occupied by German forces, was no longer the center of fashion and New York came into its own.

Now you might be wondering, if all that’s true, where can I see more cool 1940’s fashions? Well, I have a whole Pinterest board devoted to the decade. I will confess it’s a little bit of a harder decade to research, because much of the material is still in copyright. However, you can still find stuff around if you dig.

Hazel & Her Wardrobe: A 1940s Paper Doll to Print & Color

In other news, I signed a lease, so I am now in the midst of hard core packing. I think I have enough backlog saved up that the blog will continue as usual, but I will be slow to reply to comments or emails and such until the end of September, I think.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I’ll be spending mine packing up boxes.

As always, I love to hear what people think in the comments.

Hazel Visits the 1940s: Girdles, Purses and Gloves, Oh My!


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Black and white printable paper doll coloring sheet with 1940s underwear, shoes, purses and other accessories for the Min-Maiden paper doll series. Free to print and color from paperthinpersonas.com

It’s Accessory Thursday! See, I didn’t have one last week, but it wasn’t abandoned for long. Today, we have some 1940’s girdles, a long-line bra, two purses, beads and a pair of ever important gloves. If you ever thought to yourself, “I need some 1940s underwear for a paper doll” than here you go!

(I find it hard to imagine anyone ever thought that, but maybe I’m wrong.)

The shoes on the left are based on a blue suede pair from 1941. The other pair is from the 1942 Spiegel Holiday Catalog. The “lower” purse is based on a Gucci model from 1949 while the other is from 1944. See, I said back on Monday one 1949 item slipped into this week’s early 1940s paper doll series.

Her 1940s underwear is based on two different 1940s gridles. The first is from 1942 and the second is from between 1942 and 1949. After I drew these, a freind remarked that he thought they were a bit racy for a paper doll, but I think paper dolls can be sexy if they want to be. Besides, it’s not that racy.

Now, if you need a paper doll to wear these lovely girdles, than Hazel from Monday has the hair for the era, but any of the Mini-Maiden‘s can pull off the looks, I’m sure.

By the way, if you are a twitter person (I am) than follow the blog’s feed and hear all about the movies I watch while I draw and other thrilling details on @paperpersonas. I’ve also been trying out Instagram, but I’ll confess I’m not very good at it yet. And of course, there’s always Patreon if you want to help pay the blogs operating costs.

And who doesn’t want to help with that?

So, what do you think of this weeks set? Are you enjoying this foray into the 1940s? Let me know in a comment!

Need a Mini-Maiden paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Mini-Maiden Paper Doll Here.

Hazel Visit’s the 1940s: A Smart Dress from 1943


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A smart 1943 dress for my 1940s printable paper doll, Hazel. It's free to print and color from paperthinpersonas.com.

Today’s dress for our 1940s printable paper doll is from another pattern cover. It is based on a Hollywood pattern from 1943. One of the things I liked about this dress was the two ways it was styled. In one option, it almost feels like a suit and in the other it is clearly a house dress. Just like today, people liked versatility in their sewing patterns.

Despite appearances, this dress is really made in one piece. Similiar styles are this 1944 Dubarry design, this 1942 Hollywood desig and this 1945 Simplicity version.

The pattern on the dress’s skirt is based on the fabric of this dress from 1942. It’s another example of the “two piece, but not really” dress style and I loved the fabric print which I simplified extensively to make into a paper doll version. Be sure to read the whole blog post, it’s totally fascinating.

Her hat is based on the hat worn by the fashion figure on the pattern cover, but small hats like this, sometimes called “doll hats”, were very popular. Here’s an example from 1940 and another example from 1940. I did my best to capture the look in a way that I still thought would stay on the paper doll’s head.

If you’re in need of a 1940s printable paper doll to wear this lovely 1943 dress, you can pick up Hazel in all her 1940’s printable paper doll glory from Monday’s post.

If you want an inside look at what goes on behind the scenes of PTP, you can follow the blog on Twitter or become a blog patron. Blog Patron’s get their own special behind the scenes blog and sometimes extra paper doll outfits. (Just sometimes, because I do have a life. Mostly.)

So, is anyone planning on coloring today’s paper doll dress? What colors would you use? I’ve been thinking rust and navy, but that’s just me. Other people’s thoughts? Leave a comment and let me know.

Need a Mini-Maiden paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Mini-Maiden Paper Doll Here.

Hazel Visits the 1940s: A Dress from 1942


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A 1940's paper doll dress with matching beret in black and white for coloring. The dress is based on a 1942 DuBarry pattern design and fits the Mini-Maiden paper doll series.

So on Monday, I posted Hazel and her afternoon dress from 1940. That was kind a formal 1940’s look, so I wanted to show of something maybe a little less fancy for today. This Dubarry pattern from 1942 is a great example of the masculine influenced dresses of the early 1940s and I recreated as a 1940’s paper doll dress to print and color.

To go with it, I drew a beret which was a very popular hat style, but I’ll admit- beret drawing is maybe not my great strength.

So, a few things about this dress. It’s based on a pattern by the DuBarry company. DuBarry was a branch of Simplicity Patterns that were made from 1931–1946 exclusively for Woolworths. The wonderful Vintage Pattern Wiki has a bunch more Dubarry styles available for browsing, if you want to pop over there to see them. Two of my other 1940s favorites from Dubarry are this wedding dress from 1941 and this dress from 1944.

Most of the dresses I have drawn for this week come from sewing pattern covers. Though not always an obvious source for fashion history, sewing patterns, like catalogs, are useful to see what normal folks had access too. Most people weren’t buying designer clothing after all and I like to keep my paper dolls a little down to earth… except when they’re aliens.

The downside of these sorts of primary sources is that it is impossible to know what people thought about the pattern design. Did they like it? Was it popular? Did people think it as ugly?

For example, here’s a Simplicty pattern for a strange lace up poncho. Will some historian in the future think we all wore lace up ponchos in 2016? Probably not… but it highlights some of the danger of not using multiple sources when making decisions about what to create for historical paper dolls.

By the way, what do you think of today’s 1940’s paper doll dress? Do you like it? Hate it?

New content announcements, plus other interesting stuff, goes up pretty regularly on the blogs Twitter feed. Also, if you love the blog, then support it on Patreon.

Need a Mini-Maiden paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Mini-Maiden Paper Doll Here.

Hazel Visit’s the 1940s: The Doll and Her First Dress


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Hazel- a paper doll and her 1940s afternoon dress. She's the first in a series for 1940s paper dolls.

May I be honest with y’all? I like y’all, so I feel I can be honest.

I have been super busy in the last few days looking for an apartment. I have finally found a spot I like and am now starting to pack. So, during the chaos, I have fallen back on the Mini-Maidens. Frankly, they are the only series I can scan and prep in just one night.

I mean, I’d like to say I did this for purely artist reasons, but really it was a mental health decision.

Plus, I printed out some images from the 1940s as source material weeks ago and I decided to get the darn paper doll set done.

Anyway, today we have Hazel, one of the Mini-Maidens. She’ll be getting an early 1940s wardrobe. Because nothing says, stress relief like a 1940s fashion paper doll, am I right?

Why the early 1940s? Because the styles changed dramatically after World War 2. I wanted to look at the fashions for the first part of the decade, except for one purse that slipped in accidentally. You can check it out come Thursday where there will be an Accessory Thursday post. I know that will make some of you happy.

So, Hazel here has one dress for today. It’s based on this uncredited image from a magazine from 1940 that I found in the New York Public Library Digital Collections. I did my best on the hat, but I’ll openly confess that I am not totally pleased with how it came out. Still, you can’t please all the people all the time or even one artist most of the time. I struggle with hats, but I won’t get better if I don’t practice.

Thoughts on the 1940s? Is it an era you like? Or hate? I find people seem to be pretty adamant about this decade one way or the other.

Isadora Goes to Prom: Paper Doll Coloring Pages


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A paper doll prom dress for the Mini-Maiden series featuring a high-low hem and some beaded details. From paperthinpersonas.com.

These high low dresses certainly seem to be sticking around. I confess when I first saw them, I thought they looked kinda absurd, but the whole style has grown on me. Now, I rather like them. I’m also starting to kinda like skinny jeans. Clearly, there is something wrong with me.

At the top of this paper doll dress, I put some beading/sequin/ruching detail. I think it could be any of those things, depending on how you color it. I was thinking a combo of sort of a beading and ruched detail when I drew it, but don’t let that stop you from coloring it anyway you like.

That is, after all, the power of paper doll coloring pages- You get to decide what it becomes.

Friendly reminder- the dark lines on the skirt should be cut along carefully, so you can wrap the back of the skirt around the back of the paper doll. The shorter front of the skirt will fall over the front of the paper doll. This kind of trimming sometimes easiest to do with an Xact-o knife or razor blade, but if you use one, I would do it on a cutting board or some cardboard or something.

If you don’t, you will cut your countertop and then you will pray your mother never notices. (Ask me how I know…)

The Rest of This Week’s Isadora Prom Paper Doll Coloring Page Posts

 

All right, so I hope everyone enjoyed this week’s paper doll prom series. I certainly had fun posting them.

Now, I’m going to go get ready for my weekend and also be grateful that my parents replaced that counter-top before I ever had to explain any youthful antics involving paper doll coloring pages and Xact-o knives.

Ignoring my childhood misadventures for the moment, please consider taking a second to tell me what you think of this new pattern of posting and/or support the blog by becoming a patron.

Isadora Goes to Prom: Accessory Thursday


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Paper Doll Prom Accessories!

So, I have the best boyfriend ever for two reasons. First of all, he puts up with me when I am at my worst which is something only someone who loves me would do. Secondly, he not only listened to me talk about the blog for three hours one day, but he came up with a fun idea of his own- “Accessory Thursdays”.

Some Thursdays I’ll be posting accessories for that week’s paper doll. One thing, he noticed was most of my paper dolls had cool accessories . So, he thought I should post them all on one day. I’m not promising every week will have an Accessory Thursday, but here is the first of this new tradition.

In this paper doll prom related accessory set, we have a three pairs of strappy high heels to go with any of the dresses. I don’t think it comes to a shock to ANY of my readers that I like to draw paper doll shoes. After all, I kinda have a thing for shoes. Meanwhile, she also has four different handbags, since any girl needs her cellphone, lipstick, and a flask to spike the punch. Where else is she going to put all that?

(I am not condoning anyone spiking their prom punch.)

Lastly, I added in a pair of long gloves. I just think gloves are so darn elegant, though I have never worn a pair.

Tomorrow, there will be a round-up of all the posts this week and then, of course, another dress. So that’ll end the first week of this new format.

I’d love to hear what people have enjoyed or not enjoyed so far, if you like to support PTP, than consider becoming a patron.

Need a Mini-Maiden paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Mini-Maiden Paper Doll Here.

Isadora Goes to Prom: Part 3


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Two short prom dresses for the Mini-Maidens paper dolls. Print and color from paperthinpersonas.com

Two paper doll dresses today for the prom going paper dolls. (Here’s Isadora whose got the hair-do for these dresses)

So, in my prom dress research, I learned that short prom dresses are in right now. I’ll confess, I don’t like short dresses. I am a maxi lenght girl, but I’m also pretty tall. I have been told by my height challenged friends that short dresses are nice when you’re not tall.

(I have no clue what it feels like to not be tall, but I trust my non-tall friends to know things about being short that I will never know.)

Anyhow, the prom trend for short dresses seems like a nice option for people who don’t like long dresses. The paper doll dress on the right is a more sophisticated cocktail sort of option. Very modern with that obi-sash detail. The paper doll dress on the left is actually a take on a dress I drew years ago for this Marisole Monday Prom Paper Doll set back in 2010.

So, my question is, who was into short dresses for their prom? I wasn’t, but I suspect I have readers who went the short dress route.

So, tell me in a comment. I’m quite curious.

Also, if you want support the blog, I have a Patreon page.

Need a Mini-Maiden paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Mini-Maiden Paper Doll Here.

Isadora Goes to Prom: The Sequel


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A prom dress for a paper doll with a wrap bodice and some beading detail. This dress fits any of the MIni-Maiden paper dolls and it's free from paperthinpersonas.com.

If there is one thing I noticed while looking at way more prom dresses than any person not planning to go to prom should have to look at, it was the amount of beading detail on these gowns. Every gown it seemed like had some sorta beading or sequin detail.

Made me feel weird for not really liking sequins that much.

I wondered if maybe I liked sequins when I was sixteen, but I don’t think I did. In fact, I can’t remember ever being like, “Yay! Sequins.”

However, I am not the average prom-goer, so on the right side of the bodice of this paper doll prom dress there’s a little beading detail, just to keep things interesting. You might have to look closer to really get to see it.

Otherwise, this is a pretty basic long gown with a wrap bodice. I confess I don’t have much more to say about it.

I’ve drawn similar gowns before, I know. There’s one here, one here and one here. Clearly, it’s a style I like, but I also notice that it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Do you need a doll to wear this stylish dress? Here’s Isadora ready for Prom!

As always, I love to hear comments or, if you’d like to support the blog further than become a patron.

Need a Mini-Maiden paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Mini-Maiden Paper Doll Here.

Isadora Goes to Prom


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A prom paper doll set including a doll and a prom dress in black and white for coloring.

All right, for those of you who missed Friday’s post, here’s the new plan for the blog:

Every Monday (which is today), I’ll post a doll and an outfit or accessories.  Each day for the rest of the week, I’ll post another outfit to fit that doll. Most of the time, each week will represent a theme like 1860s children’s clothing, steampunk attire or, as this week, prom night!

(Regrets and bad decisions on Prom night will not be illustrated in paper doll form. You’ll have to add your own.)

On Friday, a gallery post of all the paper doll pieces and links to every post will go up, so if you missed one you can pick it up then, plus that day’s outfit.

Than, I’ll do it all over again.

All righty, so this week’s theme is formals or proms or possibly red carpet, but I confess I was thinking prom when I designed this set of gowns. Our model is Isadora, one of the Mini-Maidens. Not for any reason, except she’s got fewer sets than all the other Mini-Maidens. I felt bad for her. What can I say?

Her first dress is a floor length number with a boned bodice. She has strappy high heeled shoes and her hair is up in a formal undo. I once had my hair styled like that for a winter formal in high school. It looked pretty wonderful, but it made me almost taller than my date who was 6’2”.

Anyway, it gave me a life long love of curly undos.

Lastly, if you like PTP and want it to stick around than consider becoming a patron.