alt fashion

Pastel Punk: Mix and Match Paper Doll for Creative Kids

Black paper doll coloring page featuring a girl with natural hair in a bun and glasses, wearing a bra and underwear. Includes a variety of mix-and-match outfits to color, such as pleated skirts, ripped jeans, crop tops with skull and heart designs, fishnet tights, and platform shoes. Printable fashion paper doll from the Ensemble Eclectica collection by Rachel L. Cohen, perfect for kids, crafters, and paper doll enthusiasts.
Printable Black paper doll with natural hair and glasses, wearing purple lingerie, from the Ensemble Eclectica collection by Paper Thin Personas. Includes a mix-and-match wardrobe of pastel goth and kawaii-inspired outfits with lavender ripped jeans, pleated skirts, crop tops with skull and heart graphics, fishnet tights, and platform shoes. Designed by Rachel L. Cohen, perfect for coloring, crafting, and dress-up play.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Paper Dolls from the Ensemble Eclectica Series

Say hello to the latest addition to the Ensemble Eclectica paper doll series! This week’s printable paper doll is a pastel punk Black girl paper doll with her hair up in dreads and funky glasses.

Pastel Punk is what happens when soft, sugary pastels collide with 1970s punk fashion and somehow it works. From my limited understanding, the style pulls some inspiration from Kawaii and Harajuku fashion in Japan, mixed with the grit and DIY spirit of classic punk. I like the contrast of the surgery sweet with the spikes myself.

With more than fifty potential outfit combinations, she undoubtedly possesses a wealth of sartorial choices, as any paper doll should. I wanted these pieces to all be able to be mixed and matched for maximum versatility, so I kept to a very limited color palette. After all, what paper doll doesn’t need the juxtaposition of soft lilacs and mints paired with skull prints, fishnets, and a serious attitude? I can’t think of one…

Of course, if you’d prefer a more traditional punk color scheme, there’s always the coloring page version. Maybe she’s more red and black tartan punk than lavender and mint. You do you.

Don’t forget, she can share clothing with my other Ensemble Eclectica paper dolls. She has the same skin tone as some of my other Black girl paper doll creations including Sweat in Style, Straps and Lace, and In 1938. None of them match as well stylistically as the Gothic Glamour sets I did for Halloween back in 2023. Lots of skulls in those sets to expand her collection here.

I’ll admit that drawing alt fashion always makes me a little nervous. I’m more of a t-shirt and jeans (or cardigan and tweed) kind of person. I love the boldness of alternative styles, even if I’m not brave enough to wear them myself. They are a lot of fun to draw.

If you like this set, please consider sharing it on Pinterest or supporting my work through Patreon or Etsy. Even a little love goes a long way in helping me keep creating these!

Straps and Lace: Steampunk Paper Doll For Ensemble Eclectica

A black steampunk costume paper doll printable coloring page with a wardrobe of ten pieces. She can share clothing with the other paper dolls on Paper Thin Personas.
A black steampunk costume paper doll printable with a wardrobe of ten pieces.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Paper Dolls from the Ensemble Eclectica Series

Today’s steampunk costume paper doll has a mix and match wardrobe of ten pieces. There are about 12 different outfit combinations here. I really wanted to experiment with drawing lace and lace like patterns using some lace brushes I have in Procreate. I use the brushes during the penciling stage and then I ink over them. I don’t like how they look “raw”, but they really help when I’m trying to draw a repeat pattern that runs along something- as lace often does.

I feel like I am getting much more confident in rendering lace in my digital ink style, which I am really happy about.

I will save you all from my “steampunk” vs “Victorian fashion inspired” language musings from last week. Instead, I will simply say that that steampunk is a combination of modern styles and Victorian looks. It is both fun and whimsical and usually brown. I find brown boring, so I tend to lean into color with my steampunk costumes.

(This is why I never could have been a Goth. I just find all black so uninteresting.)

For the holidays, I treated myself to a set of Color Cubes by Sarah Renee Clarke to help choose color schemes for paper dolls. I randomly selected a beautiful teal, cream, and blue palette (Color Card 101) and added yellow for extra contrast. The new pieces can mix with last week’s Victorian Whims paper doll, though the colors don’t coordinate perfectly, so some creativity is needed, but the black and white versions work well together. If you combine these two steampunk costume paper doll creations together, you’ll end up with 72 outfit combinations, before you even add in hats and purses.

As some folks know, I have a coloring book out from Colouring Heaven and I’ve heard that it’s popping up in the occasional Walmart. I am still going to recommend you order it directly, if you want a copy, because as far as I can tell distribution in the USA is not consistent at all. However, if you happen to see it in a Walmart, I’ve love a photo. I am psyched to see it “in the wild” out there in the world.

Purim is this Friday. I confess that I have been do wrapped up with other things that I completely forgot about my favorite Jewish holiday, but if you need some Purim paper dolls in your life, I have several. If I remember I’ll see about drawing a new one for 2025, but life has been a roller coaster these last few weeks.

Happy Halloween: Here’s a Little Gothic Fashionista

Celebrate the October season with this little printable Halloween dress up doll and her gothic wardrobe. A coloring page, this paper doll has a 14 piece mix and match wardrobe.
Celebrate the October season with this Halloween dress up doll printable. She has a cute modern gothic wardrobe and lots of mix and match clothing options.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Paper Dolls from the Ensemble Eclectica Series

I created today’s gothic themed paper doll for Halloween. So, I hope you enjoy this little paper Halloween dress up doll. Clearly, I’ve been digging into drawing skulls which I did here. One of the wonderful things about digital drawing is that it is so easy to work with reference images and you can resize them with much more ease, so the skulls are a big part of that.

One thing I’ve noticed about most alt fashion scenes is that there are endless nuances. It seems to me that there’s often “formal” alt-fashion and then also sort of street level alt-fashion. Things people wear and then also go onto the train, rather than just get photographed posing beautifully next to a headstone.

Last week’s three Ensemble Eclectica: Gothic Glamor Collection paper dolls were all more over the top and this paper doll is more street level fashion. While I know very little about where someone buys gothic fashion, The brand Fantasmagoria inspired both the paper doll’s cropped red corset top and also her hairstyle. The brand Heavy Red inspired the corset over the t-shirt look

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this little foray into paper dolls and has a safe, happy, slightly spooky Halloween! Or Samhain or Día de Muertos or anything else that’s happening around this time of year.

Vintage Vamp: Gothic Fashion with Retro Flair Paper Doll

A retro gothic fashion printable paper doll with a mix and match wardrobe.
A retro gothic fashion printable paper doll coloring page with a mix and match wardrobe.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Paper Dolls from the Ensemble Eclectica Series

Today’s creation is a retro gothic fashion printable paper doll with a mix and match wardrobe. Her purple hair is rolled up in some slightly over the top victory rolls. Her wardrobe is a little more colorful than a lot of the other gothic paper dolls I created. I really wanted to expand to other colors that I tend to fall into with gothic clothing. Plus, I can only draw so much black clothing before I get bored.

All of the Ensemble Eclectica: Gothic Glamor Collection clothing works together, as do all of the dolls. You could easily borrow the short skirt from Haunting Couture and pair it with today’s lavender top or grab one of the tops from Dark Demigoddess and match it with the skirts in this set.

Vampira is one iconic figure who seamlessly embodies the ways in which gothic fashion is always a little retro. Vampira, famously portrayed by Maila Nurmi in the 1950s, epitomized the dark allure of gothic aesthetics with her dramatic black gowns, cinched waistlines, and bold makeup. Her macabre elegance and haunting glamour had a absurdist humor edge. There’s a wink and a nod going on, always. I only recently learned about Vampira, because the Addams family movies of the 1990s are what I grew up on.

Morticia who inspired Vampira which in turn inspired Elvira are all the reigning ladies of gothic for me. Of course, Mortica is ruling queen. I’m fascinated by the ways different eras interpret her distinct black gown. As you may have noticed, the first three of the Gothic Glamor Collection‘s contain a lot of mermaid skirt silhouettes all owing something to Morticia Addams.

Next Tuesday’s addition is a little different, so stay tuned for that one.

Haunting Couture: A Foray into Gothic Fashion

A gothic wardrobe paper doll template printable for coloring. She has a 13 piece mix and match wardrobe. A little Halloween fun.
Gothic wardrobe paper doll template printable. She has blond hair, blue eyes, and a mix and match wardrobe. Some fun halloween things for you to enjoy.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Paper Dolls from the Ensemble Eclectica Series

Today’s paper doll with her gothic wardrobe was inspired by a lot of different things from my my gothic fashion pinterest board, including this corset, this top and this dress. I really wanted to do a take on Morticia Addam’s famous dress, but I added a bit of a puff sleeve, as those are very popular right now. Of course, Morticia Addams is timeless, but I didn’t want to copy the gown in all the details, in part, because I don’t love the bottom of the skirt. It reminds me a little too much of tentacles (true to the comic, but still.)

(Speaking of Morticia Addams, Julie Matthew’s did a nice write up about her paper doll of Morticia Addams.)

Lastly, I wanted to make a gothic baby doll dress which was 65% just a chance to play around with lace and a new procreate brush set. My first plan was to do see through lace sleeves, but then I couldn’t seem to get a version of that which I liked, so I ended up abandoning that idea. I did keep the lace around the neckline with the openings for some detail.

I can’t claim that I meticulously assembled my gothic wardrobe paper doll, because really this was not that organized (am I ever that organized?). I do think of all the pieces of the Ensemble Eclectica: Gothic Glamor Collection as sort of. mixing and matching together. I think the ruffled skirt from Dark Demigoddess, for example, would go well with any of the tops in this collection.

Anyway, stay tuned for more gothic paper doll fun Friday and Tuesday of next week.

A Stylish Paper Doll July: A Strawberry Lolita Dress

A strawberry themed dress with tights and a purse. A paper doll coloring page.

Download Black and White PDF | More July Project Paper Dolls

So, when I did my strawberry doll I somehow got in my head that I wanted to draw a strawberry coordinate in the Japanese street fashion of Lolita. I really love how detailed these styles can get and it was great practice for working on my linework in Procreate. I got a new tablet recently. It’s bigger (which is amazing), but it is also much more sensitive. I am having to learn how to use the stabilization features a little more.

Anyway, this was a challenge for me, but I am happy with how it came out and, as I always do with Lolita fashion, I had lots of fun coming up with ways to include strawberries. I wish I’d gone a little further with the pattern on the dress, but I am still not very confident with patterns in Procreate.

Post-Apocalyptic Fashion With Dawn

A black and white printable paper doll with seven clothing pieces based on post-apocalyptic fashion.
A printable post-apocalyptic paper doll with a mix and match wardrove of seven different clothing pieces. The doll has many tattoos.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Dolls Du Jour Paper Dolls

At the height of the pandemic, I just couldn’t draw post-apocalyptic fashion. It felt somehow too much.

But now that things are starting to feel “normalish” again, I decided I could maybe slip back into that genre for a little paper doll set for the Dolls Du Jour. So, here’s Dawn and her post-apocalyptic fashions.

Also, is post-apocalyptic an oxymoron? Isn’t there not supposed to be anything left after an apocalypses by definition? That maybe overly pedantic.

Let’s move on.

The styles were inspired by my Post-Apocalyptic Fashion pinterest board which is, in turn, inspired by things like Mad Max and Tank Girl and Fall Out (even though I’ve never played Fall Out.)

I need to get to work on the OPDAG prompt for plaids. I am not much of a plaid drawing person, but I have an idea of how I might be able to make plaid work. Julie Matthews has a plaids in photoshop tutorial.

For those keeping count (which I am 95% sure is just me), this is Dolls Du Jour paper doll number seven. Three to go before I hit my 2022 goal.

Qi Lolita: A 2019 Patreon Friday Paper Doll

A qi lolita fashion paper doll dress coloring page with accessories inspired by Japanese street fashion. for the curvy Jewels and Gemstones paper doll series. A qi lolita fashion printable paper doll dress with accessories inspired by Japanese street fashion. for the curvy Jewels and Gemstones paper doll series.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

One thing I am super excited to do in 2020 is get to share some of the Patreon Friday paper dolls I created in 2019. Not all of them, of course, but a few. My 2 dollar Friday Paper Doll Club folks got pretty close to 52 extra paper dolls (I did miss a week here or there with travel/moving/job interviews).

If you’d like to join the 2 dollar a month Friday Paper Doll Club it’s super easy. Just hop over to Patreon and sign up. The best part of signing up now is that you get access to all the paper doll outfits and dolls I created for 2019, which makes this an even better deal.

Inspiration for Today’s Printable Paper Doll

There’s a Japanese street fashion style called Qi Lolita. Lolita is a fantasy version of Victorian clothing. Qi Lolita is that same style crossed with traditional Chinese clothing. This dress provided both my source image and my color scheme, which is part of why I like it so much. It’s a very unusual color scheme for Lolita clothing and I really loved that about it. At least, I haven’t seen a lot in these colors, I might just not know the right brands to be looking at.

Sources: This dress was some of my inspiration. Also, these shoes and this purse.

Learn & See More

On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & my other Lolita fashion paper dolls
Around the Internet: My Lolita Fashion Pinterest Board and a Qi Lolita Overview

Last Thoughts on today’s Qi Lolita Paper Doll Dress

When I look back at a year of paper doll creations, there’s always one or two that I’m still pretty happy with. There’s also always one or two I’m sort of not sure about.

In deciding to offer a 2 dollar Friday Paper Doll Club to my patrons, I knew one perk would be that I would then recycle some of the content over the next year, allowing me to double the lifespan of some of my paper doll creations. So, I’m pretty happy to share today’s Qi Lolita paper doll dress and maybe entice a few of you to consider joining us over on Patreon.

Classic Lolita Dress With Hat and Boots

A Classic Lolita inspired coordinate for my printable paper dolls with a purse, hat and shoes.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
Of all the Lolita styles, I like Classic Lolita the best. It’s by far my favorite style.

Classic Lolita is the most mature and subtle of the Lolita styles. This is an example of the style and so is this and this dress too. I love it.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
This is a case where there were super specific source images. Classic Lolita is very much Victorian influenced (yay!) and sometimes a bit less matchy-matchy than the other Lolita styles. I had a lot of fun creating this Lolita coordinate.

Specific Source Images: This Lolita dress, this purse, and these boots.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Lolita Fashion Paper Dolls & More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: Lolita brands like Innocent World, Mary Magdalene, and Victorian Maiden

Last Thoughts
The Jewels & Gemstones have a few different Lolita sets. One in Sailor style, one in Qi Lolita for my Patrons and yesterday’s Valentine’s Day outfit.

Over on Patreon there’s a circus set today.

Well? What do you think of my foray into Classic Lolita. As always, I love to hear what you all think. So, leave me a comment.

Sweet Lolita Valentine’s Day

A Valentine's Day inspired Lolita paper doll outfit.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
In the world of Lolita fashion (which is a street fashion from Japan), the outfits are called coordinates. This references the extreme level of coordination each outfit entails. Unlike in contemporary US fashion where “matchy-matchy” isn’t a good thing, Lolita fashion encourages thematic dresses.

A strawberry coordinate, therefore, might not just have a dress with strawberries on it, but strawberry purse, cardigan, shoes, tights and a color matched wig.

This is, in fact, part of what I find so charming about Lolita fashion.

So, today’s Valentine’s Day paper doll outfit is a heart based coordinate. I could have also done a card, letter based coordinate, but I wasn’t that creative.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
Sweet Lolita is today’s theme which is a Lolita style that most folks are most familiar with. Lots of pastel and things. I chose to draw a JSK (jumper-skirt) over a white blouse. Initially, I thought about making these pieces separate, but as it turned out that didn’t work very well from a paper doll engineering standpoint.

Specific Source Images: This JSK (jumper-skirt) from Angelic Pretty. This purse from MILK.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Lolita Fashion Paper Dolls & More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: Lolita brands like Angelic Pretty, millefleurs, Baby the Stars Shine Bright, and metamorphose temps de fille

Last Thoughts

If you really like all things Lolita, I’ve done two other sets for the Jewels and Gemstones. One in Sailor style and one in Qi Lolita for my Patrons.

Tomorrow there will be a classic Lolita set (another genre in the Lolita world) and that’ll wrap up this week.

Pink Stripes In Cybergoth

Today's paper doll clothes are inspired by cybergoth fashions. There's shorts, a tank and an under-bust corset, plus platform boots and striped tights.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
And today is the last day for cybergoth week on the blog (but there is a Friday additional post on Patreon for my backers).

One thing I noticed in my cybergoth research was a real prevalence of black with a strong accent color and an aesthetic that emphasized matching clothing pieces. So, for example, if the accent color was pink than I wasn’t seeing a lot of deviation from that pink. That meant, that I stuck to just five colors- black, white, pink, blue and green for this whole week.

All of those colors are in the Lapis’s cyberlox if you’re wondering. I did think about that.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
As I often do, I cobbled together several different outfits and pieces to make today’s outfit. Since I used pretty much the same sources for this whole week (because it was a project drawn all at once), I seem to be linking to the same things every time. But that’s okay, because who knows how people will view these posts in the future.

Specific Source Images: This Lovely Lady (her corset over tank) from Pinterest, this Other Delightful Person (her tights) from Pinterest, & these pants from Rebels Market

Learn/See More
On the Blog: My other Foray into Cybergoth & More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: Wikipedia’s Article on Cybergoth, Cyberdog (clothing brand), Lip Service (clothing brand) & Cyber Goth (On Tumblr, Rather NSFW)

Last Thoughts
I know striped tights are kinda of a 90s/2000s thing, but I still love them. Probably because I was in high school back then. Well… early 2000s really. I graduated in 2003.

Over on Patreon there will be an exclusive cybergoth outfit for my Patrons. It’s maybe my favorite one for this whole week.

If you’re ever wondering what my sketchbook looks like or seeing little videos of me inking, than follow me on Instagram. That’s where I tend to share that stuff… Well, Instagram and Patreon.

As Cybergoth Fashion Week Continues Blue Bones

A super fun set of white shorts and blue top for my paper doll cybergoth week. Nothing says paper dolls like cybergoth?

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
As we continue cybergoth fashion week, today’s outfit is one of less traditional. I noticed some cybergoth images used white as the neutral color rather than black. I didn’t want to do a solid white outfit, because I wasn’t sure how well it would mix and match with the rest of the clothing designs. So, I settled on a white and black combination.

I titled this set “blue bones” because the piece over the shirt looks like ribs and a spine to me.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
I loved the original body suit this top is based on, but I had no idea how to make it a viable paper doll outfit!

Specific Source Images: This Fierce Fashionista (her body suit) and these Pants found on Pinterest

Learn/See More
On the Blog: My other Foray into Cybergoth & More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: Wikipedia’s Article on Cybergoth, Cyberdog (clothing brand), Voodoo Maniacs (German clothing brand),  & Cyber Goth (Tumblr, Also Rather NSFW)

Last Thoughts
I always try to remember to thank my supporters on Patreon, because they make the blog possible. So, thank you all!

There must be a term in linguistics for creating new words by combining other words like cyberpunk + goth = cybergoth. I have no idea what it is though. Too long since I took a linguistics class in college. Anyone know?