Clothes

Mini-Maiden’s 1930’s Evening Gown & Shoes

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Sears Fashions from 1934 and these shoes from the Met

Today’s paper doll is post is the last one for a the next little while. I am not only out of paper doll content that is finished, but I am also in the midst of finals for my graduate program. So, as of Friday, the blog will be on hiatus until December 11th and the end of the semester.

Meanwhile, today’s paper doll dress is a 1934 evening gown. The major reference book for today’s dress was Everyday Fashions of the Thirties As Pictured in Sears Catalogs from Dover Publications. The decoration at the neckline would have been a removable clip on piece, according to the catalog description. These slinky evening dresses are really pretty fun (though would not be very flattering on me). The sleeves are two tiered flutter sleeves which, now that I mention it, remind me of the sleeves that my friend had on her wedding dress.

The shoes are a pair of high evening pumps from The Met museum based on this pair. I was super happy that I could locate shoes from the same year as the dress. It always makes me excited when that happens, though of course, people keep clothing for longer than I year. In fact, right now, I am wearing three year old shoes, two year old pants and a year old sweater.

Meanwhile, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving if you celebrated and, as mentioned, I’ll be laying low until my school work if finished. So, no paper dolls will go up until the 11th of December. There will be a “formal” hiatus announcement on Friday.

(I try not to just disappear on you all. I know that’s kinda annoying and sometimes people send me emails worried about me, so I’d hate for anyone to worry.)

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.

Mini-Maiden’s Summery Tanktops and Jeggings

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Jeggings and Summery Clothing
A set of paper doll jeggings to color and print and play with. Who doesn't need that?
Confession: I drew this back in July when the weather was hot. It was so very hot, as it gets in Alabama. (Seriously, this is not a state you want to live in when it’s July.)

So, since I am working through a large batch of Mini-Maidens that I drew all those months ago, I can safely say this it the last “summery” fashion collection for them I have for the moment. I’ll need to draw some more for the Mini-Maiden paper dolls really soon. I’ve got Ms. Mannequins and Poppets in the works, but Mini-Maidens need love as well.

Anyway, summer has left Alabama, though it is still in the 60s. It does drop down at night, but I’ll openly confess that the weather is really mild compared to what I saw in Alaska. I am going home soon and am not looking forward to returning to below freezing weather. I own no clothing that works for weather that cold.

I dug my only wool sweater out of my closet earlier. I haven’t worn it in, I am not kidding, five years.

Ahh, well. I’m sure I’ll be okay. (Freezing cold, but okay.)

I digress. I wanted to design these clothing pieces to slide perfectly into the wardrobes that you can create with my other contemporary Mini-Maiden paper doll fashion sets. I was thinking this set and this set, this older set or this older set.

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.

The Mini-Maidens Get Some Bloomers & a Top Hat in Today’s Paper Doll Steampunk Coloring Page

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: This Steampunk Outfit
A printable paper doll steampunk coloring page from paperthinpersonas.com. The paper doll outfit can fit any one of the dozens of Mini-Maidens paper dolls

While I was never a big colorer as a kid, I do love creating black and white paper dolls, like today’s steampunk coloring page. I never liked coloring big expanses when I did color. So, the paper doll designs with more detail would be, I think, more fun to color.

(I maybe wrong of course. I don’t work in non-computer media much anymore. Someone who does should feel free to correct me in the comments about my coloring assumptions.)

So, I was very much feeling that I didn’t want to draw another steampunk fashion paper doll set when I saw this wonderful steampunk outfit on Pinterest and changed my mind. At first, I confess, it was the hair that got me, but I also adore the bodice.

So, I set to work on the paper doll’s bodice and the bloomers. Then I did the tights and invented some shoes. Striped stockings might be cliche, but I still really like them.

The hat was a last minute edition, because I thought the outfit needed something else. The set just didn’t feel complete without it.

Personally, the garters at the top of her stockings make me smile the most. I think they are just so fun! Though potentially impractical, because if you must lock on your garters that would just be a pain in the butt.

Still, as I have often said, paper dolls are not a place for practicality. If they did, I don’t know if I could draw them anymore. Half the fun is creating things I think look cool but would never wear.

So, love today’s paper doll steampunk coloring page? Hate it? Let me know in a comment! I always love to hear from you guys.

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

Mini-Maiden’s Might be Pirates in Today’s Set of Paper Doll Clothes for Coloring

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: This Amazing Leather Bodice

I don’t really know what is going on with today’s printable paper doll clothes for the Mini-Maidens. Is she a pirate? Is she a warrior? Is she just someone who super adores thigh high boots?

The possibilities are truly endless. Endless I tell you!

This incredible leather bodice with cut outs inspired this whole outfit. The moment I saw it I knew I wanted to draw it. Beyond that, I wanted to do something different with the boots.

I draw a lot of boots, but I honestly don’t think I’ve ever done a strap pattern like this before. Because I didn’t want the bodice to overshadow the boots, I treated the straps as almost jewelry. That’s why they got the elaborate studding detail and the fancy clasps on them.

This outfit came out beautifully, I think. I still don’t know if she’s a pirate or something else, but I want to find out. (Also I think she can kick my butt.)

So, let me know in a comment what you think of today’s paper doll clothing to color. It’s one of my favorite sets.

Meanwhile, if you need more boots and leggings for the Mini-Maidens than pop over here  or here or here. Also, this set works, too.

Man, I do have a fondness for leggings and boots. I never noticed how many I have drawn.

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

A Mini-Maiden Fantasy Gown Inspired by Hanfu

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Fantasy versions of Hanfu Gowns like this one, this one and this one
A fantasy paper doll gown influenced by hanfu and the Tang Dynasty in China. A paper doll dress to print and color.
On Monday, I posted a Lord of the Rings Marisole Monday paper doll gown which was a very European fantasy look. It was, after all, based on English and French fashions form the Medieval era. Today’s Mini-Maiden paper doll gown was inspired by Chinese historical clothing.

The hanfu, specifically. There’s something about these gowns like this one and this one that I just think are so elegant. I realize they aren’t exactly historically accurate, but I think they are still beautiful.

And lord knows, I’ve never been one to let a lack of historical accuracy stop me.

I think this would be a fun dress to color and I might even add some pattern to the long outer robe, if I were to color it, I think.

Most of my inspiration for today’s paper doll gown comes from Pinterest. Gowns like this one, this one and this one from my Fantasy Clothing Pinterest board. More examples would be this dress and this dress.

Personally, I love wandering around, metaphorically speaking, on Pinterest. I always see things and I think, “Huh. I want to draw that.”

Love this dress? Hate it? Let me know in a comment. I always love to hear from you all.

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

Mini-Maiden’s Romantic Princess Gown

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: This Dress from Pinterest
A romantic fantasy gown for the Mini-Maiden paper doll series.
Today’s paper doll dress was very heavily influenced by this dress on Pinterest. It’s not an exact replica, but it is really very close.I really loved the romantic style of the dress. It just felt so fairy tale to me.

The ribbon detailing on the sleeves and the bodice was one of the things that drew me to the dress. I didn’t like how  the bodice and the waist seam cut off the lines of the dress, so I changed that for my version.

I sometimes feel a little guilting drawing such close replicas to other’s designs, but I also know that clothing designs can’t be copyrighted, so I refuse to feel too guilty about it.

In my head, this is the sort of paper doll gown that a paper doll wears while lounging on a stone bench in the garden near a fountain playing her stringed instrument and looking super amazing. It is the opposite of these fantasy outfits.

There is no practicality here at all, except perhaps her shoes which I wanted to be simple given the complexity of the dress.

I do regret not doing some pattern on the trimming on the shoes, but I shall survive.

Meanwhile, I am three weeks into my graduate program. So far things are going pretty well. I have more work ahead of me, but I am feeling pretty confident about it.

I will admit that I’ve been struggling to find time to draw. I want to draw, but somehow I can’t seem to quite get into the right mental place to let things go and just relax into the process.

Friday there’s an amazing paper doll dress planned. A 15th century Burgundian gown for the Ms. Mannequin series. It’s glorious.

Also, Rosh Hashanah starts tonight at sunset, so Shana Tova everyone! May your new year be sweet.

Mini-Maiden’s 1935 Dress & Shoes From Sears Magazine

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Sears Fashions from 1935
A black and white 1935 paper doll dress coloring page with shoes. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.
The Mini-Maiden paper doll series are getting some attention today with a 1935 dress and a pair of 1933 Shoes. Both the shoes that go with today’s day dress and the dress based on designs from the book, Everyday Fashions of the Thirties As Pictured in Sears Catalogs.

One of my favorite series of fashion history books are the Sears Fashions set from Dover Publications. Each book is a reprint of pages from Sears Magazines from a decade long period. There’s not a huge amount of contextual information, but they provide a vivid window into the fashions of the decade for children and adults. Plus, they are super reasonably priced, so not bad place to start a collection.

(Says the girl with over 50 fashion history books on her shelves.)

The 1930s is a fascinating period. Skirts get longer than the 1920s and there’s a lot of fun details like the scalloped collar on this dress. There’s also a lot of asymmetry in the styles as well which you can see from the side wrap style of today’s dress.

Right behind the 1920s (which are my first love) is the 1930s. Again, it’s not a period where it would look terribly good on me, but I love the details in the styles.

There’s also a theory in fashion history that really modern clothing begins in the 1930s and the changes that follow this era are fairly minor. I think there’s a lot of truth to that.

Really fashion hasn’t dramatically changed in the last 80 or so years.

So, what do people think of today’s paper doll dress? I always love to hear from people in the comments.

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

Summery Printable Paper Doll Clothing for the Mini-Maidens

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: What I see in the Summer Fashion Magazines
A pair of sleeveless tops and a pencil skirt with booties for a printable paper doll in black and white for coloring. Free from paperthinpersonas.com.
So, for today’s paper doll clothing I created a skirt and two sleeveless blouses for the Mini-Maiden’s printable paper doll series. The designs are straight from the fashion magazines that seem to pile up on my coffee table while I’m not paying enough attention.

Truth be told, I’m not a big fan of summer. I dislike the heat and I really dislike the humidty. I never felt this way until I moved to Alabama and now I’ve learned why people don’t like summertime.

I do, however, enjoy looking at the seasonal fashion magazines though and seeing different clothing ideas. Flipping through fashion magazines always seems to make me want to draw. I see all sorts of things I’d like to try to recreate for my paper dolls.

Today’s pair of sleeveless tops and skirt all come from different fashion magazines. I tend to use Instyle and People StyleWatch most often. They have very easy to see photos of clothing.

In the magazine, the paper dolls booties were heavily decorated with cut outs. When I tried to draw the cut outs, they ended up looking really odd. So, I have omitted them from today’s paper doll.

You’ll just have to imagine cut outs.

Love today’s paper doll clothing? Hate it? Let me know in a comment.

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

Mini-Maidens’ In a Medieval Fantasy Paper Doll Dress Coloring Sheet

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: 12th Century Clothing, Sort of, but Not ReallyA beautiful fantasy paper doll dress coloring sheet with a Lord of the Rings style fantasy gown and shoes. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

When I just feel like “generic fantasy”, I tend to fall back a lot on medieval looks. Sort of Lord of the Rings inspired, really. I think knights, castles, princess, dwarves, and dragons are all things I associate with classic fantasy.

It’s also a style I was asked for more of by several of my Patrons. I like to draw it as well, so I am happy to oblige.

I gave her a book as an accessory, because every paper doll should have a book. Besides, as a rare book librarian, I love drawing historical looking books.

Mini-Maiden paper doll dress coloring sheets I think are more fun if there is some pattern involved. While this might not be the most complex pattern, I really thought it added some beautiful depth.

The shoes are vaguely based on some from the book Stepping Through Time which is a wonderful book on historical footwear. It’s arranged by type of shoe construction which makes it a little confusing, but it is an amazing work.

Anyway, the shoes aren’t from any specific period. I just wanted to mention that book, because books about historical footwear are oddly hard to find.

Tomorrow, there will be some Ms. Mannequin designs and then on Friday, there’s this month’s paper doll collab 2017 outfit. Be prepared for spikes.

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

Mini-Maidens Visit the 1770s

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: This Dress From the 1770s, This Dress from 1775-1780 and This dress from the 1770s
A paper doll dress based on the designs of the 1770s. The dress has matching shoes and stockings. It is black and white for coloring and fits the Mini-Maiden paper dolls.
Today’s Mini-Maiden paper doll dress should have maybe been posted on the 4th of July since that is Independence Day, but I decided to hold off on it. I’m not sure why exactly, but I did. So now, I am posting it on the 19th of July for really no reason, except that I really love 18th century clothing.

Often when I created historical pieces, there is a specific piece I am recreating. I choose a dress that I love and then I draw it. That was the case with my 1820s morning dress for example, but today’s 1770s gown is much more an expression of several gowns from the era. This dress, this one and one more all from the 1770s are some of the source images that I combined. Check out my 18th century pinterest board for way way more examples of clothing from this era.

Because I did not use just one dress, there is a a lot of room for error. It is highly possible that someone from the 18th century would look at this dress and think it was way off for reasons I can never know.

Clothing is full of tiny nuanced rules. Most of these are never written down and are now lost to us on the whims of time. Mostly, I’ve come to accept this as part of the creative process. I’m never going to be perfect.

Perfect, I am fond of saying, is the enemy of good.

I can however been well researched. In the interest of that, I wanted to mention that Dover has just reprinted the book, Eighteenth-Century French Fashion Plates in Full Color edited by Stella Blum. This is a great book that I have been wanting for a while. So, I just ordered my copy and while I get no benefit from the link above, I wanted to mention it in case anyone else has been wanting this book.

Should I do more 18th century stuff? I have been thinking about maybe a riding habit. Thoughts?

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