Clothing Archives • Page 4 of 27 • Paper Thin Personas

A Paper Doll Suit from 1860s

May 28, 2020November 24, 2016

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Sarah Josepha Hale, 1860’s Men’s Clothing and Harvest Colors

I’ve never done a Thanksgiving paper doll before. Personally, I have always struggled to come up with an idea that isn’t either cliche or offensive. The portrayal of Native American, for example, in paper doll form has generally been rather awful and I certainly wasn’t in the mood to do some mythical pilgrims.

So, why do a suit from the 1860s? Well, I wanted to honor Sarah Josepha Hale.

First of all, she wrote Mary Had a Little Lamb, which is pretty cool, but more then that she was the editor of the important publication Godey’s Lady’s Book, and was an advocate for Thanksgiving.

In short, Hale believed that Thanksgiving was about choosing a time to both unite as a Nation and to express our joy and gratitude for our many blessings. Given the current political climate, I cannot think of a better reason to have a holiday. Her advocacy for the national holiday began in 1846 and was successful in 1863 when Lincoln, in the midst of the Civil War, formally announced a National Day of Thanksgiving.

In celebration this year, I have drawn a suit from the 1860s, specifically 1861. I actually had a really impossible time finding a suit from 1863, so this will have to do. Keeping with the Thanksgiving theme, the suit is done in harvest colors. You’ll need a gent to wear this suit, so I recommend picking up one of the Marisole Monday & Friends guy paper dolls and outfitting him. Should you like him to have a lady date to his 1860s Thanksgiving Dinner, then here’s some 1860s clothing for the Marisole Monday & Friends lady paper dolls.

I don’t know nearly as much about men’s clothing of the Victorian era as I know about women’s clothing, so I am pretty nervous about how accurate this is, but I did my best and I think this is the first ever historical men’s paper doll outfit I have ever posted. So, please be kind to my first attempt. I also need to get some books on men’s clothing of the 19th century. Anyone got any recommendations?

Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with family, with friends or just with the day off.

I’d also like to take this chance to thank everyone. I am thankful for everyone who supports the blog on Patreon, who leaves a comment, who follows me on Twitter or who just comes to read. Trust me when I say, it is because of my great readers that PTP is still around.

Need a Marisole Monday & Friends Guy Paper Doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick One Out Here.

Ancient Greek Fantasy Gown Paper Doll

December 6, 2020November 15, 2016

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Ancient Greek Dress, Corsets, Lyres and Pale Aqua

So, I have been spending some time with my big paper doll index and I have noticed there are a few tags with very few items in them. I don’t think everything has to be even, but I was surprised at how few Ancient Greek Inspired pieces of paper doll art I have posted. The last one was back in 2013. So, just like I created an Astronaut and a Ninja recently to try to flesh out those areas, I decided to dabble in the world of Ancient Greek inspiration.

Therefore today’s fantasy gown was inspired by Ancient Greek clothing, particularly the peplos which was women by women and fasten at the shoulders. Because I have a fondness in my heart for corsets, I added one over the top and her accessories are a scroll and a lyre, because everyone needs a lyre, don’t they?

Plus, they didn’t have codex format in Ancient Greece, so scrolls it is.

Other paper doll light tags include Russia inspired, cyborgs and ballet. Which one of those should I work on next? Let me know in a comment if you have an opinion, just remember: I always reserve the right to ignore suggestions and, of course, things take a long long time to go from idea to finished paper doll.

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Need a Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick One Out Here.

Ninja! Paper Doll Ninja!

May 28, 2020November 9, 2016

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Ninjas, Obi Belts and The Lack of Ninjas On the Blog.

Sometimes, your paper dolls just want to be Ninjas. To solve that problem, today’s outfit is a free printable paper doll ninja outfit. Everything I know about ninjas I learned from watching Kung Fu movies in college which means I really don’t know anything at all. Mostly, I tend to think that ninjas fall into the “vaguely Asian feeling assassin/spy territory” and I can live with that.

Part of my decision to draw a ninja outfit for the Marisole Monday and Friends paper doll series came from the realization that I hadn’t done very many ninjas over the years. Last time I did one was 2014 and she was less ninja and more scantily clad Asian warrior chick.

The general idea of creating an all black paper doll outfit doesn’t hold much interest for me, so I brightened up my Ninja paper doll outfit design with some red trim.

I did seriously consider making the outfit all white, because the color white is associated with funerals in China. However, I didn’t think white would be a very logical color for a sneaky stalker of the night to wear. Along with the outfit, there are some accessories. I did some throwing stars and knives, because they are cliche.

And a kusarigama which translates to “chain-sickle.” I omitted the chain for both space and practicality when cutting out the pieces. So, I guess mine is just a sickle.

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Well, what do you think of today’s paper doll ninja? Let me know in a comment.

Need a Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick One Out Here.

Marisole Monday & Friends Masquerade: Mia as a Loon

May 28, 2020November 4, 2016

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Loons and… well, Loons. That’s actually all I got.

Of all the dresses I designed for this week, the only one I was really worried people wouldn’t get was this one. Loons are beautiful birds for which I have always had a fondness, but they are hardly as well known as the Raven or the Flamingo. Interestingly enough, the Loon is the state bird of Minnesota, where my mother grew up. As a child, I had a puzzle my grandfather made featuring a loon, so I have fond associations with the birds.

Wig instructions are available if you’re not sure how to attach the back piece here.

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Well, now that the week of bird masquerade gowns is wrapped, I am curious which one people liked the most. So, let me know in a comment. Was your favorite the Owl, the Flamingo, the Raven, the Hummingbird or today’s Loon?

Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing Here.

Marisole Monday & Friends Masquerade: Monica as a Hummingbird

May 28, 2020November 3, 2016

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds, Chokers, and Yellow Hibiscus Flowers

This was the only dress I based on a specific bird subspecies. I knew I wanted to so the Red Throated Hummingbird from the start. Hummingbirds come in so many color combinations, I really felt like I had to pick just one to focus on with this paper doll masquerade gown modeled by the wonderful Monica.

Of course, the choker is red to match the red throat of the hummingbird. The flowers decorating the wig and the gown are yellow hibiscus which are a hummingbird friendly flower. If my Raven masquerade gown was a gothic fantasy, than this gown is much more romantic and soft.

I have some wig instructions if you’re not sure how to make the pocket by pasting on the backing piece. Read them here.

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Tomorrow will be the last bird masquerade gown- a gown based on the Loon.

Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing Here.

Marisole Monday & Friends Masquerade: Margot as a Raven

May 28, 2020November 2, 2016

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Ravens, this Gold Corset, and 18th Century Hair Styles

I love Ravens. I grew up in Southeast Alaska where there are a lot of Ravens. We also had a fair number of Crows, but I hate Crows for being loud and annoying, so I refuse to draw a paper doll gown based on them.

So, this is a Raven Masquerade dress that Margot, of the Marisole Monday & Friends paper doll series, is modeling.

Ravens are some of the smartest birds in the world and they can do fairly complex problem solving. No unsurprisingly, they show up a lot on myth and legend. In Tlingit stories, Raven is trickster who frees the sun, moon and stars. In Norse mythology, the god Odin is depicted as having two ravens serving as his eyes and ears. They are named Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory). In Ancient Greek myths, ravens are associated with Apollo, the god of prophecy.

And of course, there are always the ravens of the Tower of London who, should they ever be removed, would foretell the fall of the Kingdom of England.

So, if you want folklore heavy animals, it doesn’t get much better than the Raven.

This is the most fitted of the gowns. There’s something mysterious about Ravens and I wanted the masquerade gown to capture some of that mystery.

Here are some instructions for the wig, if you’re not sure how it works.

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So, I am curious, what is the favorite Masquerade gown so far? Let me know in a comment!

Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing Here.

Marisole Monday & Friends Masquerade: Marisole as a Flamingo

May 28, 2020November 1, 2016

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Flamingos, 1980’s Prom Dresses, and Spiky Hair Cuts

There is something really silly looking about flamingos. Still, I love their color and I wanted to do something a little playful for one of the masquerade gowns, and who doesn’t want to dress their paper doll up like a flamingo?

I was trying to research flamingo folklore and I didn’t find much. I did however find a great history of the pink plastic lawn flamingo, should anyone be curious. I also learned, though I haven’t been able to confirm this through a really reputable source, that in Ancient Egypt Flamingos were considered sacred to the sun god, Ra.

The over-skirt of the gown is meant to mirror the fuller body of the flamingo. Originally, I had a very narrow skirt attached to the bottom, but later I altered it to fit in better with the rest of the gowns. Due to the very low neckline and decorate edging, I think the dress will work best with floating tabs, so I positioned two on the page. You may need to add some longer floating tabs for the skirt.

Our printable model for the flamingo costume is Marisole. I thought her light brown skin-tone would be set off really beautifully by the pink gown.

If you’re not sure how the wig works, here are instructions. Also, I would recommend adding some additional tabs to the skirt as needed. It is a very wide skirt.

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Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing Here.

Marisole Monday & Friends Masquerade: Meaghan as an Owl

May 28, 2020October 31, 2016

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Owls, Victorian Ballgowns, and Platform Sandals

Happy Halloween!

Halloween always feels like it is a holiday ripe for paper doll activity. It’s all about costumes, after all. So, while I abandoned themes last week, I will be returning to them this week. Each day this week there will be a different Marisole Monday & Friend’s doll and her bird themed masquerade ballgown.

Meaghan is starting us off with an owl themed paper doll masquerade dress which was the first of the dresses that I designed. The sketchbook page of this gown on Instragram went up a few months ago, but it can take a long time for things to be finished. My goal was to capture the idea of an owl without being specific to species, so the buns on her head are supposed to be like the owl’s ears and the layers in the skirt give a sense of wings.

Due to the width of the skirt, I would strongly recommend adding some floating tabs to the back of it. Her wig is designed to work with my usual method of pasting the back to the front and leaving a pocket for the dolls head. Here are the full instructions. I really should do full instructions on floating tabs, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.

Now, tomorrow there will be a flamingo and after that, I haven’t decided which ballgown will go up next.

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Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing Here.

Marisole Monday & Friends: A Retro Astronaut Paper Doll

May 28, 2020October 24, 2016

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Retro Sci-Fi Magazine Cover Art, Krylorians and Lavender Hair

Sometimes, I feel like drawing a different sort of paper doll, so today we have a little pink skinned retro alien astronaut paper doll, because why not?

Over the course of the year, I have continued to move closer to my roots. And today, I am moving there even further. When this site started, before the whole thing went down in flames in 2009, there was just one series and that series updated with whatever the heck I felt like. Later, I added the first Curves series, but continued to post whatever I felt like.

Starting today, I am going to abandon weekly themes, except when I feel like there is a real reason I want to do one.

For example, I have only one astronaut paper doll until today. For several years, I’ve wanted to draw a really retro inspired, pin-up inspired sort of astronaut, but I’ve never wanted to make a whole set like that. But during my short hiatus I had an epiphany, I realized that I didn’t have too. There was no reason I had to do a whole week of retro-astronauts. I could just do one!

And on the next day, I could do something else entirely.

So, today enjoy this “Friend of Marisole Monday” and her retro inspired astronaut suit. I also gave her a pair of somewhat impractical shoes, because I thought she might want to wear something other than her space suit and with her pink skin, burrowing shoes might be straight out, unless they were boots.

Thoughts on the new plan? Do let me know in a comment. And if you love the blog, than think about supporting it through Patreon.

Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing Here.

Marisole’s Fresh Summer Fashions: Watermelons & Crop Tops

May 28, 2020September 16, 2016

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We are closing the week with watermelons, because I really don’t think there’s anything more summery than watermelon. I have fond memories of spitting the seeds off the back deck to see who could get it the furthest into the woods.

Of course, the watermelons in question are on a paper doll skirt rather than an actual melon, but that’s what you get when you come to a paper doll blog, right?

It would be kinda off if I was offering actual watermelons.

When I was designing pattern motifs for this series of paper dolls, I really got to thinking about summer symbols- watermelon, citrus fruits, flamingos, suns. All things I associate with sand and summer.

I made this skirt more of a middie length so it could be worn a little more formal if you paired with the right top. I was thinking of the pink one for that look. That pink top would also be very cute with the white cropped pants from Tuesday or the denim top with the white shorts from Monday.

Marisole’s Fresh Summer Fashions: A Paper Doll & Her Clothes

As usual, I tried to make sure all the pieces could mix and match together for this week. I am considering abandoning weekly themes though and just posting random stuff. Thoughts about that idea from my readers?

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I hope everyone has a delightful weekend.

Marisole’s Summer Clothes: Accessory Thursday!

May 28, 2020September 15, 2016

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Happy Accessory Thursday! The day when I get to do what I like a lot which is show off paper doll shoes! (Everything is better with paper doll shoes. There’s been a study.)

I designed these shoes to go with Monday’s paper doll, but since I use the same set of seven skin-tones for most of my paper dolls, these shoes should also work with A Little Retro, Beautiful Boho, Sweet and Saucy, Secret Agent, Prima Ballerina, my Divergent Paper Doll and Hearts, Denim and Bows since they all share the same skin-tone as Monday’s Marisole paper doll.

I designed these shorts and I added them in with these two sandals. I colored them and I like their pattern of suns, but I couldn’t decide what they went with. So, I decided to post them with these shoes and bags. I think they could go with the yellow crop top from Tuesday.

The back strap on the cross-body purse is designed to tuck behind the paper doll’s body. That’s how that works incase anyone is wondering what that white tab is for- it’s just to hold the purse against the doll. Nuances of printable paper doll design you never knew you never knew.

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Meanwhile, I always love to hear from my readers.

Marisole’s Fresh Summer Fashions: Flamingos and Lemons

May 28, 2020September 14, 2016

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Every week I seem to end up with a favorite set of printable paper doll clothes. It’s not on purpose, it just seems to happen. This week, these are totally my favorites. Hands down. No question. I mean, who doesn’t want a sundress covered in lemons or one decorated with flamingos? I want one! I totally do.

I confess I probably wouldn’t wear it though. I am much more of a maxi-dress kinda girl.

If you’re thinking, but where is a doll to wear these fantastic whimsical sundresses, than here’s Monday’s paper doll, but any of the Marisole Monday & Friend’s printable paper dolls can wear these clothes.

As usual, the black and white coloring page version is linked at the top of the post. I have gotten several emails asking where it is lately, so I am wondering, is it really that hard to find?

I wanted to do a flamingo covered dress, because I have a strange fondness for plastic lawn flamingos. When I was a kid, there was a house that faced the main road that had a flock of plastic flamingos that would be arranged in different styles. During the 4th of July, they would be marching with flags and around Christmas, they were festooned with Santa hats.

I never met the people who owned the house, but I’ve always thought I would get along with them. Anyone who arranges their lawn flamingos in thematic displays is my kinda person.

So, when I moved into a townhouse down here in Alabama which was identical to every townhouse next to it, I ended up being given a lawn flamingo by a friend as a gift. It got broken when a nasty storm knocked it over and then I moved into a place where a lawn flamingo wasn’t really viable.

Now that I am back in a place with a yard, I am looking forward to picking up a pair of flamingos. After all, if I just have one, it’ll get lonely. 🙂

Meanwhile, enjoy the paper doll dresses! I don’t have any stories about lemons to tell you, but I had fun doing the lemon dress, too.

Thoughts on lawn flamingos? Cheesy? Or fun?

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Marisole’s Fresh Summer Fashions: A Paper Doll & Her Clothes

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