The Stylish July Round Up: All 31 Creations Together

The Paper Dolls

 I feel like starting the dolls, because well, you need a doll to wear the clothing, right? Right. I was very pleased with this doll and I still am. There’s a few things I would change now, but all in all, I’m quite happy with how she came out.

The Historical Clothing in Order of Historical Period

Originally, this project was going to be all 1910s clothing, but that didn’t last too long. I ended up with some 15th century stuff, some 1890s stuff, and some 1910s stuff. I’m particularly happy with how the folds came out in the 15th century gowns and I fretted for a long time over their headdresses.

The Sci-fi, Fantasy and Steampunk Clothing

I draw a lot of fantasy stuff. I like drawing it. It’s some of my favorite things to work on. I wanted to try out a bunch of different looks and see how I did using digital tools with them, rather than a pencil and pen. At times, I seriously missed my pen, but I can see ways in which I improved as the process went on.

The Contemporary Clothing

 

I didn’t do as many

A Few in Color….

One of the long terms goals of the July Project was to see if I could do a paper doll series similar to many of the ones on this site digitally. Part of that is finding a system, because I am system based soul. I played around a lot with different ways of doing shading and different ways of adding texture.

In the end, I decided I didn’t really love the shading, but I did enjoy trying out several different fun techniques here.

And that’s it! All of them in all of their glory here. If you missed one, you can grab it now and fill out your whole set.

A Stylish Paper Doll July: A Suit from 1894

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I wish I knew where this fashion plate came from, but the Met was not helpful in telling me, because I suspect they don’t know. People have been cutting fashion plates from fashion magazines pretty much since they got invented. So, assuming the person who wrote the date on the plate was correct (and I have no reason to think they were not) this is a suit from 1894.

Even if the plate didn’t say 1894, the sleeves are very much the middle of the 1890s- big and commanding. I mean, who doesn’t want a sleeve that is about the size of their head?

A Stylish Paper Doll July: 15th Century Gown with Hennin

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Okay, so today’s paper doll dress was one of the first I drew and inked, but somehow I forgot about it in the shuffle, so it is ending up being one of the last that gets shared. That’s just how things work out sometimes, I suppose.

When it comes to citing manuscript illustrations, I try as often as possible to go back to the original source if I can and I try to give enough information that if I was working at the front desk of the library that had one of these books and a person handed them the information I provide, that person would be able to find the item (or at least make a really good guess at it.)

The reality is that not all websites give all the details that might be needed, but I do my best to provide as much as I can. Medieval documents generally don’t have title pages and usually don’t have clear authors, but places often give them titles, which is what I’ve used here. It’s not perfect, but it is at least a place to start. I’ve included a manuscript number or shelf-mark when I could find one.

I am endlessly frustrated when I see a great manuscript illustration on some website and there’s absolutely no clue where the book is from or how one might actually verify the details. It’s not that I think people are intentionally making up things, but dates and locations are especially easy to get messed up in the Internet’s game of telephone. Plus, context matters when looking at what people are wearing.

A Stylish Paper Doll July: Late-15th Century European Gown

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Today’s 15th century fashion paper doll is more cobbled together from a variety of primary sources than my last paper doll attempt at the 15th century. The dress is a late 15th century fashion for women from France, but it’s been pieced together a bit. It’s impossible to know if someone from that era would recognize it.

These dresses are called Burgundian gowns and are named for the Duchy of Burgundy which was super rich and fashionable in the 15th century. France has always had the best clothing, I guess.

About 1450, this style of gown became popular. The deep V-neckline revealed the kirtle (under dress) beneath. The trimming could be wool or fur (mostly fur, from what I have seen). The wide belt was placed above the natural waist and gives the gowns a pregnant look. The belts are decorated in studs or with super fancy buckles and can be fastened in front (like this one) or behind (like this one).

I decided to forgo the more popular fur trimming on these gowns for something else, though I am regretting that a little, because fur was certainly more commonly depicted. The hennin headdress is somewhat of a mix of several styles that I saw. The headdresses in this era fascinate me, but I confess I don’t know much about them. I get the sense that they carry a lot of meaning, but I’ll be darned if I can figure out what that meaning is.

I do have another paper doll from this era drafted, but I haven’t finished her yet, because I need to pick out shoes. I wanted to do a doll, because of the headdresses and the fact that fashionable women in the 15th century plucked their hairline which is obvious in portraits like this one or this one. It helps with the headdresses, I think.

Anyway, the dresses’ motif was handplaced and was drawn off this wool and silk velvet in the V&A, though I did simplify it a lot. I sort of had too. I’m still learning how to do patterns in Procreate and I need to work on that more. So many things to learn. Since I got a new ipad, I am discovering that I need to get used to how it “feels” which is different from how my older model felt.

A Stylish Paper Doll July: Early-15th Century European Gown

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Based on these three manuscript illustrations, I worked on this gown. The style is early 15th century French. The headdress is referred to today as a “heart-shaped hennin”, but I don’t know if that was a term in the 15th century for it.

Given that this is paper doll #15, it might surprise you to know it was actually the first or second one I sketched out. Most of the 1910s stuff was the first stuff I worked on, but the 15th century paper dolls were being worked on at the same time. Historical 1400s clothing is not an area that I’m super knowledgable about, but I have been itching to do some for a long time. Even more than the 1910s, it is an era I’ve largely neglected.

This is partly because I don’t know much about it and because I find it all a little intimidating. Also, the headdresses are…. bananas.

I went back and forth about this dress and the headdress. In the end, I decided the sharing things I’m not sure about is an important part of this month long project. Finish it and move on is my motto right now.

A Stylish Paper Doll July: A Doll from 1915

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Today’s paper doll is wearing a 1915 corset and shoes from an ad from 1913. Her corset is the “Perida” model, which seems to have been a name for several different styles sold by Perry, Dame & Co at a variety of price points. This model was advertised as a comfort model, likely because of the elastic inserts and lack of heavy boning.

Confession: I am not 100% happy with how this paper doll’s hair came out. I started with a reference image, as I do, but somehow between the penciling stage and the inking stage and the reinking stage, because I hated the first inking, the end result doesn’t look like the reference photo at all. I’m hesitant to even state what I was working from, as the resemblance is… not really there.

But I did have a source even if the outcome doesn’t look much like the source. Sometimes, that’s how it goes. I did not put it on the paper doll file, because I thought doing so suggested a higher level of fidelity to the original than exists As a librarian, I think a lot about the idea of constructed authority- if you cite a source, people then assume a higher level of accuracy than if you don’t cite a source. Since most people don’t actually check sources, this can create a false appearance of historical rigor where no such rigor exists.

Is this a high standard to hold paper dolls too?

Well, yes, but I still think it matters, especially because this image will likely be separated from this blog post by the whims of the internet and I don’t want people to get a false impression. Mrs. Ike Perkins and Mrs. Sargent Dorsey deserve better than that. Don’t you think? I think so.

A Stylish Paper Doll July: A Dress from 1915

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Popping back to 1915 to continue with that 1910 theme which has been a part of this whole month. I did not finish these pieces in anything resembling the order I started them in (as usual for me), so while this is one of the older ones I drew, here it is on day 10.

Day 10. I am quite proud!

Anyhow, this dress is from Perry, Dame and Co catalog. Perry, Dame and Co. was a New York department store. The dress was described as a bargain, but I have no idea how one assesses a bargain dress in 1915. The price did seem lower than most of the other dresses in the catalog, since the prices range on dresses from about 7 dollars to 2 dollars. To put that in perspective, according to inflation calculator 2 dollars in 1915 is about 60 dollars today.

A better way to think about it, I think, is that in 1912 a union female postal clerk made between 66 to 100 dollars a month in 1912 in NY while a female telegraph operator made between 1.39 and 1.94 per day. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports are just fascinating, if you feel like looking through them. The one I looked at didn’t break out race, just sex, but, in general, black women would have been paid considerably less than white women and had fewer employment options.

Anyway, I assume most people don’t get joy from reading through these sorts of things and I’ll not bore you with more labor statistics from the 1910s.

A Stylish Paper Doll July: A Suit from 1915

A black and white line drawing of a suit from 1915 with a straw hat trimmed in flowers and roses. The suit is trimmed in braid at the waist, collar and cuffs. A printable paper doll coloring page!

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Today’s 1915 paper doll drawing comes from Perry, Dame & Co. was a New York department store which also did extensive mail order business. The Internet Archive has a few of their catalogs available online one from 1915 and one from 1919-1920.

One of my favorite sources to draw from are clothing catalogs which I did for this 1915 paper doll suit. I love flipping through old catalogs and I love knowing that what I am drawing is clothing women could actually purchase. It’s not hypothetical, as many fashion plates are, or something very high fashion, and it’s fully styled unlike museum pieces.

This suit is from the Spring-Summer 1915 catalog. I didn’t love the original hat that was put with it, so I picked out a hat I liked more from the millerinry section of the catalog. Of course, my modern eye is very different from that of a person from 1915 and who knows if this hat would really have gone with this suit. I chose the hat partly because I wanted to practice drawing feathers in Procreate and I chose the suit in part to allow me to try working with a double line brush that helped me do the complicated braided trim that decorates this garment.

So, this was certainly a “Rachel tries out some new Procreate things” creation. I am pretty happy with how it came out.

I confess I’ve got other things from this catalog in progress, so you might get really sick of the 1915 Spring Summer Perry Dame & Co catalog by the time this month is out!

Do you like 1915? Or is that a fashion era that doesn’t do it for you? Let me know in a comment. I’m super curious.

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A Stylish Paper Doll July: A Suit from 1913

A black and white line illustration of a 1913 suit for a paper doll with a hobble skirt and trimmed in fur from based on an illustration from Vogue magazine.

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Today’s July paper doll outfit is a suit from Vogue from 1913 to go with yesterday’s early 1910s paper doll in her undies. Now, she has a suit!

My husband was shocked to learn that Vogue was around in 1913. The suit is made from wool and trimmed in Russian chipmunk fur. I think chipmunks are very cute, so that took a sort of dark turn when I realized why the fur was striped. The skirt has a slight “hobble” so it is a bit tighter around the ankles. Hobble skirts were very trendy in the early 1910s and very controversial.

One of the best things about researching clothing from the 1910s is that there is a ton to look at. It was hard to pick one suit to draw! I discovered this amazing fashion magazine directory that someone else put together and it’s so good! I wish I’d found it years ago.

A few of my favorites from this era are Vogue, Ladies Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Half-Century Magazine, McCalls (which began as Queen of Fashion and became Rosie), and commercial catalogs like Sears. Buried within the fashion commentary (which I am totally into) there is some really interesting insight into how women navigated entering the workforce, growing feminist and suffrage movements, and a variety of other social issues.

Each magazine is a little different. Vogue is very fashion focused, most of the others are also interested in “domestic life” which is early 20th century speak for social issues. Half-Century Magazine, which was a women’s magazine specially written by and for black women, is full of calls to action for readers to support various black businesses and enterprises. Good Housekeeping is aimed at a less wealthy audience and has a lot to say about budgets. Ladies’ Home Journal, one of the most widely circulated magazines in its height, mixes condemnations of “radical fashion” with sometimes surprising willingness to mention radical topics like divorce.

I could go on and on, but this isn’t a write up on women’s magazines of the 20th century, so I’ll spare you all.

A Regency Lady and Her Wardrobe

A two page printable regency paper doll with 5 dresses.

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I’m going to keep this brief, since I wrote a lot of this up in the newsletter already (subscribe here) and I just don’t know if I want to repeat myself (or if anyone wants to read me repeating myself).

One of the weird/interesting things about creating the newsletter has been grappling with the transient/permanent nature of it. I’ve always thought of this blog as both an archive of my work and as a place where if I make a typo and notice three months later (which has 100% happened), I can fix it. However, the newsletters don’t work that way. Once they are sent, they are done.

And while there is an archive, they don’t feel as permanent as a series of blog posts.

Since the whole newsletter thing is an experiment to begin with, I am still trying to grapple with how I feel about all that.

Anyway, let’s talk paper dolls. So, her underwear is a generic set of short stays over a shift with stockings a shoes. My goal here wasn’t to reproduce anything specific, but to get to the basic idea of “generic underwear of this era” rather than getting into specifics. Her hair is a combination of portraits like this one and this one. I wanted a hairstyle that could easily be covered in bonnets or hats, which I knew I was going to be drawing with nearly every dress.

To start with the morning dress is from this November 1813 plate from La Belle Assemblee which, despite a very French sounding name, was published in London and aimed at the fashionable set. People thought all things French were more sophisitcated than all things English. Interestingly, a lot of places will credit La Belle Assemblee fashioj plates to France on the name alone. While many of the plates in the magazine are copies of French fashion plates, the publication was definitely English.

Her cap with the morning dress has a little bit of this one and a little bit of this one, with dash of this one. So, it’s sort of a combination of caps.

The morning walking dress is really just a gown with a pelisse over it. The pelisse and bonnet were inspired by this September 1813 plate from La Belle Assemblee, again. A pelisse was a coat that was cut the same style as the dress. They came in all different styles like this one or this one. Some were made from very lightweight fabrics, but others were warm and designed as coats. Sometimes it’s hard to tell from an illustration if you’re looking at a pelisse or a gown or something in between.

The first gown on the second page (working left to right, top to bottom) is a ballgown. Ballgowns were the most formal gowns women wore with the exception of court dress and court dress has never been a big interest of mine. Court dress was governed by all sort of rules and regulations- a realm I have never wanted to dive into. The ball gown is based on this one from the Museum at FIT. The turban is from this 1815 fashion plate. Turbans were super popular in the 1810s.

The dress with the spencer is basically a walking costume. The Spencer was a jacket version of the pelisse. Both were cut to follow the lines of the dress. Spencers come in all different styles. A few that inspired this one include this 1815 yellow silk version and this March 1812 version from Ladies’ Magazine.

The Ladies’ Magazine was published in London starting in August of 1770. If I am remembering my fashion history correctly, it was the first magazine to publish a fashion plate, though the idea was quickly copied by French and German publications. My understanding is that Ladies’ Magazine was less expensive than some of the other fashion magazines of the era and the quality of the fashion plates shows this difference. Still, it’s a pretty amazing document. I have digressed a lot from our paper doll, so let’s finish up with the dinner dress.

The dinner dress’s hat is from this La Belle Assemblee fashion plate from 1817 showing an evening gown. This 1818 gown from the Met Museum inspired the dress. The color, a smoky purple, came from this fashion plate, though I do like the marine blue.

And that’s it! More, I am certain, than you wanted to know about Regency fashion and inspiration for this regency paper doll set. Tomorrow, I’ll share Vivian’s steampunk traveling suit for my Patrons.