Ms Mannequin

Ms. Mannequin’s Summery Paper Doll Dress from 1935

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: This 1935 McCalls Pattern & This 1935 Fabric
A summery paper doll dress from 1935 based on pattern covers and vintage fabric swatches. Available in color or black and white for coloring.

This is only the second historical paper doll outfit I have ever made for the Ms. Mannequin series. My last one was my second foray into Viking dress. This is a bit more current and I do think the paper doll’s pose works better with more contemporary fashions (if you can call the 1930s contemporary) than it did with Viking looks.

I suppose contemporary is really just a matter of point of view.

What I liked about the pattern cover that inspired today’s paper doll dress was the split sleeves and the wide white collar.

Confession time: The dress fabric pattern is way out of scale for what was common in the 1930s, but I found this amazing pattern swatch from the V&A and I just had to use it. The tulips felt so modern and contemporary. Obviously, I heavily adapted the pattern, so it was more of a jumping off point than anything else.

Part of what I wanted to do was a spring dress in black which isn’t a color usually associated with Springtime fashions.

What are your favorite spring colors? I love corals and yellows. Let me know in a comment.

Meanwhile, if you like the blog, then consider donating through Patreon, plus there’s a behind the scenes blog and early paper doll previews and other fun content.

Also, you can follow it on Facebook where I am sharing past paper dolls I love from the archives of PTP.

Need a paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick out a Ms. Mannequin Paper Doll Here

Ms. Mannequin Printable Paper Dolls Get Fall Fashions 2016

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Fall Fashions 2016
Wide legged trousers, cold shoulder top and a brocade skirt are the latest Fall 2016 fashions. Here they are for the paper dolls in black and white or in full color. Print and play with them from paperthinpersonas.com.

Wide legged trousers, cold shoulder top and a brocade skirt are the latest Fall 2016 fashions. Here they are for the paper dolls in black and white or in full color. Print and play with them from paperthinpersonas.com.

Today’s post is a chance to go back to where the the Ms. Mannequin printable paper doll series began and once again embrace the original idea. Wide legged trousers, cold shoulder tops and a brocade skirt are all taken straight from my fashion magazine collection.

When I first started the Ms. Mannequin paper dolls, the idea as that they were models. Their pose and body build were both intended to evoke the idea of a contemporary fashion model. In fact, when I first posted them, I didn’t really intend for them to become a series. I figured I would post a few pages for them and move on.

But, as it turned out, the response to Ms. Mannequin paper dolls was very positive.

Plus, I found I enjoyed drawing contemporary fashion for them. Over time, that contemporary fashion has expanded into fantasy, history, cyberpunk and steampunk paper doll clothing.

I must confess I am curious through, what do you like more? Contemporary clothing or other stuff for the Ms. Mannequins? Let me know in a comment.

As I announced Wednesday, I now have an Etsy Store! So, there is a coupon code good for 25% off an order of 4.00 or more until the end of March. Visit the shop and use the code: READER2017

And, as always, if you love the blog, think about becoming a patron or liking the blog’s facebook page, or both.

Need a paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick out a Ms. Mannequin Paper Doll Here

Ms. Mannequin: On Future Streets, Again

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Cyberpunk Fashion and my 2014 paper doll set- On Future Streets
A bright and colorful set of cyberpunk paper doll clothing. Fits any of the Ms. Mannequin paper dolls. Download and print for free.

Last year, I decided I would draw some paper dolls based on older sets I have as a way to revisiting older work. So, today’s Ms. Mannequin outfit was inspired by this cyberpunk paper doll clothing set called “On Future Streets” that I created in 2014.

The amount of cyberpunk stuff I draw for the paper dolls is directly proportional to the amount of Shadowrun I am playing at any given time. So, given that my usual group has gathered once more to play, I suspect 2017 will have more in the cyperpunk paper doll clothing genre.

I like revisiting my older sets for two reasons:

  1. It helps me get ideas when I don’t have any ideas. A totally blank piece of paper is both the most inspiring and the most scary thing in the world.
  2. It helps me write about the post when I have to write the post. Because writing about these paper doll outfits is sometimes the hardest thing.

So, I have the following things to say about this paper doll outfit today.

  1. I did wanted to make something that could be cyberpunk, but could also just be scifi. I totally can imagine someone from 5th Element wearing this get up. Actually, all the costumes in the 5th Element are amazing. I love that movie.
  2. Making things look shiny is a skill I was really out of practice at. I used to be so good at it. I shall have to practice more. Shiny things here I come!
  3. Writing blog posts as numbered lists is actually kinda fun. I should do this more often.

As always, if you love PTP and want to donate to keep it up on the internets, please consider becoming a Patron. If you just want to know what I’m up too then you can follow it on Twitter. And if you want to make me feel less alone on the internet, leave a comment.

Tell me- Are you excited about more cyberpunk paper doll clothing?

Need a paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick out a Ms. Mannequin Paper Doll Here

Violette: A New Ms. Mannequinn Printable Paper Doll

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  The Disturbing Realization that I Had Never Done a Blond Ms. Mannequin paper doll

A blond paper doll with blue eyes who can wear any of the Ms. Mannequin paper doll clothing. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com

A short haired printable paper doll coloring page who can wear any of the Ms. Mannequin paper doll clothing. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com

So, I was looking through my Ms. Mannquin paper dolls recently and I noticed that I have never done one with blond hair. Ever.

Today, Violette is here to fix that.

Plus, a few weeks after I made her, I was asked my one of Patrons, Elizabeth, when I was going to do a blond Ms. Mannequin and I was like, “Oh, just wait until January 9th and I’ll hook you up.”

Which makes it sound like I am selling drugs rather than posting paper dolls.

Anyway, Violetta is my answer to the  blond Ms. Mannequin paper doll need. I wanted to give her a really modern hair style, calling back to the original “model” idea of the Ms. Mannequins.

She can share shoes withe other other Ms. Mannequin paper dolls with fair skin and red bases- Cerise and Natalie.

For the rest of the month of January, I am mostly going to be posting material I created in 2016, so the majority is dated with a 2016 copyright date. I just wanted to explain why that was considering that this is 2017 and all that.

And, as always, if you love the blog, then donate by join Patreon. And a big thank you to everyone is already is a patron.

Need some clothing for today’s Ms Mannequin paper doll? Pick Out Some Ms. Mannequin Clothing Here

Ms. Mannequin’s New Years Couture Gown in Lavendar

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Ralph & Russo Fall/Winter Collection 2015 A printable paper doll couture gown for the Ms. Mannequin paper doll series from paperthinpersonas.com. This gown in lavender and has a heavily boned bodice. Free to print in color or black and white.

Today’s Ms. Mannequin couture gown was based on Look 11 from the Ralph & Russo Fall/Winter Collection in 2015. The original is in a lovely soft gold. I chose to make my lavender, because I love dusty lavender as an evening gown color. It’s also a Victorian color of mourning, but I don’t think that has anything to do with today’s evening gown, I just thought I would mention it.

Meanwhile, I think this couture gown could go New Years, as I have designed it, but it could also be a great red carpet look or something for a black tie wedding.

Just like for the Poppets, there were more Ms. Mannequin paper doll posts this year (13 rather than 8), but I don’t know how to really “count” things. I mean, the posts are much smaller these days, but then again, there is a lot more variety.

Posting just one dress/outfit a day opens up some more strange things like this evil sorceress gown. By the way, that was so fun to draw that I am totally doing more evil gowns in the future.

However, today’s couture gown is not an evil sorceress gown. It is far to sweet for that, I think. Rather, it is a sexy red carpet or evening look for those times when the printable paper dolls have an important paper doll affair or they just want to look really good.

Want to support the blog in 2017? Then become a patron.

Need a paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick out a Ms. Mannequin Paper Doll Here

Ms Mannequin’s Get an Evil Sorceress Gown & Crown

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  This Evil Sorceress Paper Doll Set from 2010
A purple, green and black evil sorceress gown for my printable paper dolls designed to fit the Ms. Mannequin paper doll series. Free to print in color or black and white.

An evil sorceress gown to color for my printable paper dolls designed to fit the Ms. Mannequin paper doll series. Free to print in color or black and white.

Inspired by a Curves paper doll set from many years ago, today the Ms. Mannequinn paper dolls are getting distinctly magical. I have to confess, I had a lot of fun visiting the evil sorceress gown designing game. I make need to make more of these. They are so unlike the sort of sweet gowns I tend to draw.

You see, I think if you’re going to be an evil sorceress, you can’t just wear anything. I mean, who would take you seriously in pale pink? Therefore, if you’re going to practice black magic, you need some fancy get up to do it. This lovely paper doll evil sorceress gown is black and purple trimmed in bright green and has a black and white striped corset top. The high stand collar frames the face. So, if you’re going to be evil and you’re going to do magic, I figure the least you can do is look darn sexy while you’re at it.

Also, I gave her a crown, because every paper doll evil sorceress needs one.

Confession- I did not test the collar, so I am a little skittish about how it will work on an actual Ms. Mannequin paper doll. I think it should work, but I thought I should mention it in case I was wrong.

So, you tell me, want to see more evil sorceress gowns in the coming year? I had way more fun designing this then I probably should admit.

Also, if you love the blog, then think about making a donation and become a patron to help it keep going. Plus, there’s a behind the scene blog, previews and extra content.

Need a paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick out a Ms. Mannequin Paper Doll Here

Ms. Mannequin: Coats and Boots for Fashionable Winter Wear

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Sorel Boots, Coats and Boots Worn by College Students

Paper dolls need warm clothing, too! Here are coats and boots for the Ms. Mannequin series. Free to print in black and white or in color from paperthinpersonas.com.

I grew up in Southeast Alaska where the winter weather is so horrid that stylish winter wear is pretty much out of the question. One of the things I like about Alabama is that our winters are fairly mild and I can wear a coat that is cute, rather than waterproof and really warm.

As I mentioned last week, I am trying to post one “winter” themed piece a week for December. Today’s coats and boots are this weeks “winter” items. Not quite as ambitious as say Julie’s amazing 30 days of Angel paper dolls, but my little nod to the season. I do find since I just draw “one” thing for each day, it is much easier to do holiday/themed pieces, because finishing one paper doll outfit last minute is far simpler than finishing four or five that I needed to fill up a sheet in the past.

Needless to say, I am really enjoying this new way of doing things.

All right, so the white boots with the fur trim are based on some Sorel boots, but only in the vaguest of ways. The brown boots are based on some I saw a college student wearing and thought were cute. The coats are both based on items from various fashion magazines in my house.

Meanwhile, if you like the blog then think of making a donation through Patreon.

Need a paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick out a Ms. Mannequin Paper Doll Here.

Ms. Mannequin: As A Paper Doll Viking!

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Vikings… Yeah, That’s About it

Historical viking clothing for the Ms. Mannequin paper doll series with shoes and stockings. Free to print in color or black and white.

I think it was last year that I did a ton of research on Viking clothing and even wrote up a lot of what I found on this article. Later, my Viking B&B paper doll went a bit viral on Facebook which I had to have other people tell me about, because I don’t have a Facebook page. On occasion, I do think about making one for the blog. Is that something people would like?

Anyway, I took a long look at my goals for 2016 that my patrons helped me come up with. Doing more historical clothing was a part of those goals, so I have decided to dabble in viking clothing once more. It is hard to assess those goals, because I wrote them when I was still posting paper doll sets and I am not doing that anymore. Still, not posting sets has really opened up the options for doing just one of something which is why I have drawn (though not yet posted) my first 17th century piece ever.

Back to the paper doll dress, this is a Viking clothing from around the 10th century. So, she is wearing a shirt, or serk, under an apron-dress, or smokkr. Serk fragments have been found both pleated and unpleated. I chose an unpleated version. She also wears an apron over her apron-dress. In my outline of Viking clothing, I mentioned that Ewing, in his book Viking Clothing published in 2006, discusses a theory that sometimes one apron-dress was worn over another apron-dress. I have illustrated that style today.

I will openly confess that the Ms Mannequin paper dolls have a very modern pose, so drawing historical clothing for them for the first time was a little surreal. I might stick to vintage looks from this century in the future for them.

So, what do you think about today’s foray into Viking dress? Do the Ms. Mannequin dolls need more historical clothing? Let me know what you think.

Need a paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick out a Ms. Mannequin Paper Doll Here.

Ms Mannequin: Meet Sunitha

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Files I Find on My Computer Years Later

A free printable paper doll of a young woman named Sunitha in color or black and white.

Sunitha is a Hindi name meaning “well conducted, polite,” according to Behind the Name (my favorite name website). When I am trying to find a name from a culture that I don’t know much about, in this case India, I usually google search the name to see if anyone has it who is famous. Sometimes, that tells me if the name is common or something super unusual.

I was comforted when I found out that Sunitha is also the name of an actress and playback artist, Sunitha Upadrashta, in the Telugu cinema industry. For those of you who, like me, didn’t know what the Teluga film industry is, it is a region of India which produces films much like the classic Bollywood movies. My favorite Indian restaurant plays Bollywood films and I find them totally fascinating, though I confess I don’t really get the plots that often.

The truth is that I kinda found today’s paper doll on my computer, but I created her several years ago. Super embarrassing, but it does happen erratically. She has a new skintone to add to the Ms. Mannequinn collection and any future dolls with the same green colored bases will have the same skintone for additional shoe sharing options.

Everything is better with additional shoe sharing options.

Do let me know what you think of today’s paper doll Sunitha in a comment. I always like to hear from my readers. Plus if anyone knows if Sunitha is a common Hindi name, that would be cool to know, too. 🙂

And, as always, if you love the blog, then join Patreon. It helps keep it chugging along on the internets. And a big thank you to everyone is already is a patron.

Need some clothing for today’s Ms Mannequin paper doll? Pick Out Some Ms. Mannequin Clothing Here

Ms. Mannequin: Running Away to Join the Circus

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  My Circus Pinterest Board and my Love of Boots

A circus inspired paper doll outfit for the Ms. Mannequin series from paperthinpersonas.com. Free to print in color or black and white.

I have this odd fondness for vintage circus art. While I can’t really explain it, I mostly think I like vintage posters in general and old photos. By far the strongest influence on today’s paper doll outfit was my circus Pinterest board. Also, like my Ancient Greek fantasy gown from Tuesday, I realized I haven’t done much Circus inspired stuff since my Marisole Monday & Friend’s set from 2014.

Several years ago, my National Novel Writing Month project involved a circus. I never finished it, but that’s okay. Is anyone doing NaNoWriMo this year? I usually do, but I confess I’m not this time.

Anyway, I think this is the sort of circus outfit that is probably worn more often by burlesque dancers than actual circus performers, because I don’t think you can do trapeze in those boots, but then again, I don’t know much about actual circuses or their performers. Let’s be honest, here.

Still, I think there’s a lot of interesting things you can do visually with circus imagery.

Meanwhile, what do you think of today’s paper doll outfit? Let me know in a comment!

And if you’re interesting in what happens “behind the scenes” then join Patreon. There’s a whole different blog devoted to all things “backstage” there.

Need a paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick out a Ms. Mannequin Paper Doll Here

Ms Mannequin: Layered Fantasy Gown with an Underbust Corset

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Victorian Garters, Folk Art, and Layers, Layers, Layers

ms-mann-paper-doll-fantasy-gown

Sometimes when I draw a paper doll outfit, it is really an excuse to explore something artistically. In today’s fantasy paper doll gown, I wanted to practice drawing drapery and layers. One of the things I am always thinking about when it comes to paper doll designs is how different pieces will layer over each other. Clothing, after all, has bulk and drape.

I previewed today’s fantasy paper doll gown way back in June and I actually drew the design back in December of last year. So, this has been a long long time coming, clearly.

There’s a second similar fantasy gown for the Ms. Mannequin series over on my Patreon page that everyone, not just Patrons, can download in color or black and white, so check that out over on my Patreon page and consider joining. It’s a great way to support the blog.

The corset designs are based on folk art designs which I love. I’ve always liked folk art florals and traditional crewel embroidery designs. The garters are, as I said above, based on Victorian garters which often closed with a clasp.

Meanwhile, please let me know what you think of today’s paper doll gown in a comment.

Need a paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick out a Ms. Mannequin Paper Doll Here

Hip-Hop Ms. Mannequins: The Last Outfit

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A hip -hop fashion inspired paper doll outfit for the Ms. Mannequin series. Part of a week of hip-hop paper doll fashions. Free from paperthinpersonas.com in black and white or color.

Ending the week with my favorite of all outfits for Zola, my hip-hop fashion paper doll. I know that I shouldn’t have favorite outfits, but I totally do and this is it. I love the top and I love the skirt. Both are based off River Island pieces from Rihanna’s capsule collection for that brand, but, here’s the embarrassing bit, I drew them so long ago that it doesn’t look like the website it still caring them. You’re just going to have to believe me when I tell you this is the case.

Anyway, I do think this outfit is the most formal of the all the outfits I designed for Zola, the paper doll from Monday. Of course, any of the Ms Mannequins can wear it. I think Kira and Shayna would look particularly good in the neon green skirt thanks to their darker skin tones. Thoughts on that one?

I did want to take a moment and talk about something that is dear to my librarian heart: Research.

More formally, how do you research something like Hip-Hop fashion?

Let me be clear, I am an outsider to all this. Hip-hop was born out of the African-American experience in urban environments. I am from the rural state of Alaska and I am not African-American. So, yeah… not exactly my area of experience at all. So, whenever I am trying to learn about something where I am an outsider, I go in with the goal of learning, not judging. And I go in knowing that I don’t know very much and I might be wrong.

Actually, those two goals are pretty good ways to approach life generally, I think.

In this case, I started with encyclopedia’s of African-American culture to learn more about the history of hip-hop. Then, since I am such a visual person, I went to the fashion websites of many of the fashion lines like Rocawear by Jay Z, Yeezy by Kayne, Billionaire Boy’s Club by Pharell and Ivy Park by Beyonce. Lastly, I watched a wonderful documentary called Fresh Dressed. Of course, there are some books I could have read and more research I could have done, but at some point you have to pause and say, “Okay, I think I know enough to try.”

And this last week has been the result of my efforts.

So, I actually have a few more hip-hop paper doll pieces from when I started this project (that was back in December, I am ashamed to admit). Some of them may yet find their way onto the blog. I haven’t decided, but I did want to share this unique style to the best of my ability.

A Hip-Hop Fashion Paper Doll Named Zola and Her Wardrobe

If you didn’t know, the blog has a pretty rocking Twitter feed. It’s also one of the best ways to ask me questions, because I answer way more often on Twitter. Also, if you love the blog, then consider becoming a patron, every dollar really helps and once I am done with my move, than I am planning some cool Patron only content.

So, as this was a rather experimental week, what did people think? Did you all enjoy this little foray into a hip-hop fashion paper doll? I’d love to know in a comment. Next week is going to be a Marisole Monday & Friends paper doll week with Marisole and some fun summer fashions.

After that… well, I haven’t really gotten that sorted yet.