This is the second to last Florence post with her last being a wedding dress/dinner dress for next week. The regency wooden doll is going slowly. I have the doll drawn, but am struggling with regency underwear information. My sources suggest that while some women shed corsets (mostly radical french women), most still wore some sort of corset like garment. The challenge is figuring out what those garments were. So, I have six books on historical underwear spread across my dining room table while I try to figure it out.
Speaking of paper doll research, I have been collecting a series of links I use for research. You can find them up in the new Research Resources section.
Plus, if you need the base paper doll that wears these outfits, she’s here.
I’ve really been enjoying Liana’s posts over at her blog lately. I love that she’s making them more substantive. I always want to do that with my posts, but I also feel like I don’t have a lot to say. There is, also I suspect, a fair bit of general tiredness thrown in there. By the time a paper doll is ready to post, I am usually tired and not very interested or capable of writing intelligently.
It is something I am trying to work on.
On that vein, I would like to bring up one of my favorite websites which is Arabella Greyson’s site. Considering some of my other favorite websites are Go Fug Yourself and Jacket Magazine, it shouldn’t surprise anyone I have a soft spot for Greyson’s site which includes a selection from her collection of black paper dolls along with articles about her collection and about the question of race in relation to paper dolls. I remember reading about the famous baby doll experiment done by Kenneth and Mamie Clark in the 1940s and being fascinated by how children internalize the messages of toys. Though the more I read about it, the more concerned I become about the internal messages of my own paper dolls… then I remind myself not to over think these things.
As a child, my favorite paper dolls were those of dolls themselves. So, here is an 1886 fashion doll and her three page paper doll wardrobe. Each of her gowns is based on a gown from a Dover book of fashion plate reprints from 1886. I remember checking the book out of the college library and spending hours pouring over it looking at the bustled costumes. A lot of fun.
I’m still proud of this paper doll, even all these years after I drew her. She was drawn during my senior year of college while I was sharing a house with two roommates. I distinctly recall sitting on this ugly green couch we had and penciling her while watching Law ans Order reruns on TV.
Clearly, we were a mad partying group.
I have nothing else really to say today. Classes are going well and work on my grad stuff continues. I’m be so glad when this is all over, I think. I like classes, but I miss working a lot.
It’s been a long week of writing a paper. It’s over through and turned in. I’m excited that its over. I’ve also been inking a fair bit today and working on something fun for Marisole for Monday which should be fun. I do like inking. It’s very calming after a long hectic day at work. Of course, working on the blog is a luxury which explains why I’m a little late today.
I’ll be starting a new Fashion Doll Friday series on Dec 1st. Currently, the regency wooden doll is in the lead, but it’s open until next Sunday. I must confess I rather suspected the regency doll would be in the lead, though the fifties fashion doll may yet recover and pull a head. Both sound like they would be fun.
So, vote if you wish. Comment if you wish. Let me know what people think they would like.
Florence, the paper doll that wears all these clothes, can be found here.
It has been one of those weekends in which nothing seems to get done. I ran errands yesterday, payed some bills and did my dishes, but I don’t feel as though I’ve accomplished anything. And I didn’t get as many dishes done as I should have.
This is the last of the “Cybergirl” series which has taken me a while to get through. Probably cause I flaked off for a while there… Never the less, it’s done and next Saturday there will be a new Shortrun paper doll. I need to dig through my sketchbooks and see what I have done or at least close to done to scan in.
As long as you’re here and reading this post, consider voting in my poll about what I should do for my new Fashion Doll Friday series. More information can be found on the last Florence post I did. The poll will be open until November 1st. I’ll have it on the posts for the rest of the week and then it’ll live in the sidebar.
So I’m a little peeved at WordPress right now. This post was supposed to go up Friday afternoon. Obviously, it didn’t. So, I’m back dating it for the day it should have posted and getting it up today. Apparently, the world has decided against playing nice with me today. (On the upside, I got my homework done this after noon and bought a really cute pair of riding boots. So… things aren’t all bad.)
Today, we have a morning dress for Florence. We also have a poll to vote for the future of Fashion Doll Fridays. My intention is to draw another historical fashion doll and then work on drawing a full wardrobe for her much as I have for the last year and a-half for Florence. A few people have expressed sadness at the ending of Florence. I hope people will come to like whatever comes after as much as they have liked Florence. She will continue for four more weeks (cause that’s how much I have draw for her.) And her final post is quite cool. So look forward to that one.
For me, the challenge of Florence was to draw a historically accurate French fashion doll based on the dolls produced by the Bru company (which I did, mostly… her head is more Gaultier or Jumeau in nature) and give her a wardrobe which she would have had from the period of the soft bustle. The question for the poll is, of course, what sort of doll should I draw next?
I sort of collect historical costume and vintage fashion resources around the web. One of my favorites is The Vintage Patterns Wiki full of pattern covers from the 20th century. From there, I found the wonderful blog What I Found where the author had posted a Simplicity Simplicity Fashion Forecast – 1937 advertising book. It’s wonderful. Curve’s paper doll costumes both come from this lookbook from the era- one smart suit and one summery casual frock. Her shoes are based on illustrations in John Peacock’s book Fashion Accessories.
I’ve been drawing a lot, but not posting a lot which is rare for me. Usually, I’m struggling to keep up with the blog and come up with ideas. Lately, all I’ve been wanting to do is draw and when it comes time to scan or color, I just sort of go, “Meh”. I think it’s because I find drawing relaxing and posting is more like work. Anyway, today’s Curves is going up and on Friday there will be a Florence (one of the last Florence’s I suspect) and starting in November there will be a new Fashion Doll Friday paper doll, of style I don’t know yet. Maybe I’ll put it too a vote.
It’s been a long few days between work and classes, so Curves is a slightly late paper doll today. Her dress is based off one I own and wear all the time. (I never thought I’d love dresses as much as I do. It’s like one step dressing for work.) The tank top is based off an image in Anthropologie, but it was from a few years ago. I do love Anthroplogie’s clothing, but they are so expensive that I just admire from a distance.
Edit: I have removed the PDF file link for the moment, because for some reason the file seems to have a coding problem which is turning out to be too complicated for me to get fixed tonight (’tis late and I am tired). Thanks to Corissia who noticed it. I will get it fixed within the next few days. Until then, you can print from the PNG file.
Edit: The PDF file has been fixed. So good news on that front.
I try not to have favorites among my paper dolls, but I do have favorites. And these are two of my favorite of Cybergirl’s costumes. They feature all the things I sort of love- straps, tweed, crazy hair, a little bit Victorian, wacky jewelry, absurdly impossible to wear…
The joys of fantasy dressing through paper dolls.
So, I got a couple good responses about Fashion Doll Friday and what I should do about my apathy towards Florence. Since I have a few dresses already penciled, scanned or ready to post for her, things won’t be changing for a while, I assure you. I spent last night drawing and inking and working away on paper doll things, so Marisole will get some cute Ancient Greek inspired duds tomorrow. I also put some time in on a new paper doll, possibly a serial one. I wish I knew where my digital camera was so I could preview her. Maybe another time.
Until then, enjoy the future of fashion in this set of paper doll dresses.
Today’s paper doll costume is based off an 1872 dress housed in the V&A Museum which has a fantastic costume collection. I first saw the dress in a book describing it as a yachting costume which is not, I found out later, how the V&A describes it. I’m still calling it a yachting costume. After I saw it on the paper doll, I realized it should have been a bit shorter. Oh well.
I must confess I am getting a little weary of Florence. I have been drawing for her for over a year and a half. While I like the early 1870’s, I find my patience with the costumes is slipping. The stripes are much sloppier on this dress then they should have been and the bustle is awkwardly shaped. The paper doll has 22 dresses at the moment, not including hats and underwear. I have a list of paper doll dresses I still want to draw for her, but I worry I’m not really that interested in drawing them.
Of course, I have nothing to replace Florence with, so I guess for the time being she’ll continue. Still, I’m curious- If my readers could pick out an era to have a paper doll devoted too, which era would they choose? I might make a poll, but for now it’s just a casual inquiry.
In case you missed the first post of this long running series, here is Florence, the paper doll whose wearing this dress yachting.
Mermaids and I have a mixed relationship. On one hand, I really think they look pretty. On the other hand, I don’t think I can draw tails to save my life. The result is that I always think the idea of mermaids is great, but the reality usually doesn’t make me happy. But I think if you don’t try new things and stretch then you can not learn, so here we have me stretching.
Yes… that’s my excuse.
So, a new paper doll blog that was pointed out to me is Vee’s Paper Dolls which are darling and then on Monday, Liana linked Cutout Couture which has a fantastic name. I mean, I kinda think my blog title sounds like I either can’t properly pluralize my Latin or I have multiple personality disorder and paper dolling is my therapy (one of these is true… or both… you decide). I know I’ve gotten some requests to comment on other people’s work and I do try to comment on blogs when I can/when I remember, but I usually don’t remember to comment even when I do check out people’s blogs.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Labor Day weekend. I have had one. I did a lot of drawing, a lot of homework and hung out with some friends. I’m hoping to spend Monday working on the site and getting some stuff posted and scheduled and generally better organized. We’ll see how that goes. In the meantime, enjoy this little pause in to the world of cyberpunk.
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