Fashion Doll Fridays

Florence’s Traveling Suit: An 1870s Paper Doll Fashion

Today we have a traveling suit for Florence’s trousseau. I have known I needed one of these for her, so I went onto finding a fashion plate.

Autumnal traveling suits for Florence from 1873.

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Florence’s paper doll traveling costume is based on this fashion plate from the NYPL’s digital gallery (I say based on because it is fairly obvious where the paper doll clothes and the actual plate deviate). The dress is labeled in German and my German is practically non-existent.

Kleid aus einfarbiger und gest... Digital ID: 804190. New York Public Library

I’ve been meaning to ask my German speaking co-worker to translate it for weeks and keep forgetting. I tried babelfish and it didn’t exactly work. It game me an answer, but the answer made no sense. Truth be told, I don’t know if its a traveling suit or not, but it looks fairly similar to others I have seen. Anyway, Florence is my paper doll and if I want to declare this her traveling costume, I darn well can. My life might be full of other sources of chaos, but my paper dolls do as they are told… sometimes.

Suits for women were in style in the 1870’s, so it seemed only reasonable to give Florence one, since she is the most fashionable of paper dolls. I also wanted to use the opportunity to make a few tops to go with the same skirt or several skirts. I expect I shall do this more often and a smart color-er of these paper doll clothes would be wise to consider this for future mix and matchable clothing options. It was common to have two bodices to go with one skirt during this era, so one bodice might be a formal dinner dress while the other bodice would be an afternoon or a visiting costume. The very smart lady (or paper doll, in our case) could, of course, turn an afternoon costume into a visiting costume by adding the right jewelry and a smart hat.

Here is Florence, just in case you missed the first post in this series.

Fashion Doll Friday: Florence’s Dinner and Opera Costume

Florence is an interesting case of paper doll uncertainty. Unlike Marisole whose paper wardrobe is organized based on how I am feeling on any given moment or Curves who have no real trend either, Florence was always intended to end when I had finished a complete trousseau.

An opera costume and a dinner dress for Florence, a French Fashion doll.

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Of course, the site crash delayed that point, but I am forging onward trying to finish her, so that I can move on to other Fashion Doll Friday Ideas (like a regency wooden doll or a nineteen fifties hard plastic or a civil war era china head). The problem is that every time I think I’m done, I find another thing I want to make for her. Today, we have a re-print of two paper doll costumes I posted once before.

On the left is the Dinner Dress. Dinner dresses were deisgned to be more formal afternoon frocks and often had long sleeves. A dinner dress could also be worn to lectures or other evening entertainments which were not formal. Another evening activity which required a special sort of dress was the Opera. Opera toilette were intended to be more fanciful then dinner dresses, but still long sleeved. These dresses could be easily redone to be worn as dinner dresses or for other semi-formal occasions.

So, Liana of Liana’s Paper Doll Blog colored in my Regency Teddy Bear paper doll which it very exciting. You can find the black and white original paper doll here. I love what she did with it. Makes me want to start playing with my colored pencils… But I have too much school work right now.

If you missed the first post, than here is Florence, the paper doll whose meant to wear these gowns.

Florence’s Spring Costume: 1870’s Victorian Paper Doll Clothes

A spring walking dress for Florence, my paper doll from the 1870s.

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It is late. I am sleepy. I wish I had something intelligent and in depth to say about this paper doll, but I’m afraid I don’t. The pattern took a long time to draw on the dress, but I think it was worth it. I don’t remember if I based this gown on any real costume. I drew it a while ago and then it languished while I tried to decide what sort of pattern I wanted to decorate the dress with.

I walked home from work today and it was lovely. The walk is mostly flat which is nice and there was a slight breeze. I’ve learned how to walk to avoid the busy street that smells like car exhaust. I am finally learning my way around my Illinois home. Still, I miss Alaska so much.

I am going to bed now, because I am sleepy.

Before I do, Florence is the paper doll that’s mean to wear this gown. You can find her here.

Florence’s House Dresses: Victorian Paper Doll Clothes

Houses dresses for Florence, my paper doll of an 1870s French fashion doll.

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So, here I am all slacking after everyone was so gracious about my little foray into steampunk on Monday. Oh well, that’s just how things go sometimes here in Library School Land where I spend most of my time. I hope, in some small way, these two Florence costumes rather then one make up for it. They are both based on fashion plates from the 1870’s. House dresses were worn often in the mornings or in the afternoon if the lady of the house wasn’t planning on visiting and didn’t expect to be receiving any visitors except those whom she could be casual with such as family. Neither costume has a hat, though the one of the left does have a decorative head covering. The dress on the left comes from this Victorian fashion plate and the dress on the right from this Victorian fashion plate.

You can get Florence, the paper doll who wears these outfits (and her nightgown) over here.

Florence’s Winter Walking Costume: Victorian Paper Doll Clothes

 

A winter walking costume from 1874 for Florence, my Victorian paper doll. The dress features a train and fur trim. She also has a matching hat.

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New thing for the Florence paper doll today. It’s very exciting. Well… I think it’s exciting…

(I might need to have more thrills in my life.)

So, this dress was drawn off this fashion plate from the LA Public Library’s Casey Fashion Plate Index. It’s a fantastic collection of plates.

In case you missed Florence, the paper doll who wears these outfits, here she is.

Florence’s Afternoon Dress: Paper Doll Clothes to Print

An afternoon dress for Florence, my French fashion doll paper doll.

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Imagine there is a witty intelligent blog entry here rather then some random sentence I wrote before going to bed early since I have a horrible headache.

In case you missed her, here’s the paper doll to wear this afternoon dress. 🙂

Florence’s Promenade Dress: 1870’s Paper Doll Clothes

A promenade dress for Florence, a paper doll from the 1870s.

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This promenade dress for Florence is based on an image from a Godey fashion plate in Feb. of 1873. The gown was purple, black and white, but I’ve left it uncolored, so it can be any combination you like. The skirt is shorter then the carriage dress allowing for easier walking, though such things are rather subjective. It is the 1870’s after all.

I don’t think I would want to dress like a Victorian lady.

Here is Florence, in case you missed the first post in this series.

Florence’s Carriage Dress: Victorian Printable Paper Doll

Today, we have a carriage dress for Florence. Carriage dresses differed from walking dresses for the Victorian lady because they were intended to be worn while riding in a carriage. So, they often feature long trains and longer skirts.

A carriage dress for Florence, my 1870s paper doll. Free to print and color from Paperthinpersonas.com

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It’s odd to realize that the bustle was originally considered a more rational solution to the huge width that crinoline skirts had grown too.

Fashion can be such a funny thing.

Outside, the snow has coated the ground and it is a beautiful white covering. It makes everything look so peaceful. Unfortunately, it also makes everything so very cold. I avoid spending much time outside in this icy Illinois winter.

Here is Florence, the paper doll that wears this series of gowns.

Florence’s Underwear: Paper Doll Victorian Undergarments

I have come to the end of my first week of classes. I am tired, but pleased to have gotten posted Florence’s underwear. I posted Florence last week, and here now is her corset. 🙂

florence-victorian-paper-doll-underwear-150

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It’s actually a simplified version of all the layers Victorian women wore. There should be a bustle and a corset cover and a chemise under the corset. I’m glad I don’t wear so many layers of underwear.

Except when it’s really cold out, then I get close with my long underwear and my heavy wool socks and my jeans and then sweater and coat and hat and scarf.

But not corsets… I wouldn’t want to wear a corset every day. Once in a while might be okay, but not every day.

Don’t forget to print out Florence, so she can wear these clothing pieces.

Florence: 1870’s French Fashion Doll in Paper Doll Form

French Fashion Dolls were dolls made in the 19th century to help educate young ladies how to dress properly for adulthood. They often had a complete trousseau of clothing which makes them a great subject for paper dolls.

Florence, a paper doll of a jointed Victorian fashion doll from the 1870s.

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Florence is a combination of several different dolls. Her face is based on the dolls of François Gaultier like this one from the Carmel Doll Shop. Her body is based on a wooden bodied Bru doll which is one of the most highly prized types of French fashion dolls. I think she sure does make a beautiful Victorian paper doll for printing and coloring in.

Since I didn’t want to end up drawing clothing from the entire French fashion doll era (it ran from about the 1850’s through about 1885, though there are some from as late as 1915), I decided to limit myself. This printable paper doll and her wardrobe is from between the years 1869 and 1875. Today, the paper doll has her night gown, dressing gown and night cap.

Next Friday, Florence’ll get her underwear and then after that she’ll start getting dresses to print. Since Florence, like Curves, is a printable paper doll hold over from the old blog, I do plan to post a mixture of dresses some people have seen and some people haven’t. I am still proud of a lot of the dresses I drew for Florence last year (this isn’t true of a lot of things I’ve drawn), so I have no intention to not keep them as part of the paper doll’s trousseau.