sports

Ensemble Electica: Sweat in Style

A sporty fashion paper doll with an 11 piece mix and match wardrobe. She's a coloring page.
A sporty fashion paper doll with an 11 piece mix and match wardrobe. She has a micro-afro and a soft ocean inspired color scheme.

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Around the same time I was working on my tennis paper doll, I found myself thinking- I should draw some work out clothing for the Ensemble Electica paper dolls. Mostly, I was thinking this, because I hadn’t yet and who doesn’t want to draw paper doll leggings? (Probably plenty of people, but they don’t run a paper doll website.)

Personally, my favorite workout is yoga. I love how I feel after I do yoga. So, I included a yoga mat and the kind of clothing I would wear to do yoga if I was the sort of person who had dedicated yoga outfits. Aspirational yoga attire. My actual yoga attire is leggings and an oversized t-shirt with a walrus on it from the Indianapolis zoo, because the walrus is really cute and I like walrus.

So, this isn’t really a yoga paper doll, as much as a sporty fashion paper doll. Maybe she’s old school and going to step aerobics. (I actually also kinda love step aerobics.) Maybe she’s just putting on cute workout clothing to go out and buy a bagel. Who can say?

The dress was an extra piece from my tennis paper doll that I thought I would use here, as it wouldn’t fit on the tennis paper doll as I was doing the layout. Maybe she’s a really good tennis player.

Since I drew my sporty fashion paper doll and was coloring her at the same time I colored my tennis fashion paper doll, the most important thing to me was that the color scheme feel totally different. I didn’t want it to have the same vibe at all. So, the tennis paper doll’s vibe is very bright and fresh. This vibe is more calming and low key.

Ensemble Eclectica: Racket Ready Fashions

Tennis paper doll coloring page to print with 13 mix and match piece which make up over 30 different cute tennis outfit combinations.
Tennis paper doll printable with 13 mix and match piece which make up over 30 different sporty outfit combinations.

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While I’ve dabbled in “sporty fashion” before as a trend, this is the first time I’ve leaned into a specific sport. So, why not a tennis paper doll? I do I confess that all I know about tennis I learned from the scene in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead where they play Questions and score it like tennis. (You can watch that scene here from the film version of the play which is excellent.) Still, I have connections to tennis… sort of.

My dear friend works a tennis shop, so I hear about tennis through her. I thought, she might like a tennis paper doll. (She has never asked me for one, but is generally supportive of my paper doll drawing habits.) Also, this summer I read in some fashion publications that tennis fashion was making a come back for summer 2024. As I’m not one to ignore a trend and I do like pleats, I thought- I’ll draw some of that! So, despite knowing nearly nothing about tennis, here we are.

Of course, tennis has all sorts of well-moneyed connotations. So, it has unsurprisingly always had a stronghold on fashion. Tennis dresses are all over the place in summer fashion magazines. Even back in the 1880s when women could play very few sports, tennis was on the list of “approved” options. While I saw more than one article proclaiming tenniscore as the trend of summer 2024, I think I’d argue- “When has tennis not been tied to summer fashion?”

Short of golf (which also has all sorts of specific fashion connotations), I can’t think of any sport more fashion contentious than tennis. Tennis has long been associated with the color white. Even today, the Wimbeldon championship has an all white dress code, because traditions matter in tennis. So, I made sure to include an all white outfit option for my paper doll. I almost included more all white options, but there’s a black and white version. so really… you can mix and match that with the color pieces and get all the white tennis clothing your heart might desire.

I drew a tennis racket based on my husband’s racket. He played varsity tennis in high school and is my other connection to tennis. I also drew a pickle-ball racket, which I guess is very popular these days? Pickle-ball is as mysterious to me as tennis is. Maybe more, because I don’t know anyone who plays. Anyway, I thought a few racket based sports might be fun.

If you need too, you can always print out several of these paper dolls. That way you can get enough rackets for a doubles match going. 🙂

Topaz & Her Workout Clothing

Athleisure has grown as a fashion phenomena in the last few years and so today’s paper doll is a celebration of all things athleisure. If I’m going to draw some paper fashion dolls, I figure they deserve the latest fashion looks. Plus, I don’t know about you, but I’ve been really needing to make sure I exercise these days. Winter and the pandemic have made me very much in need of breaking into a sweat pretty regularly.

Paper fashion doll coloring page with workout clothing. She has a fantastic 12 piece wardrobe of cute gym mix and match clothing.

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Of course, my workout clothing isn’t nearly this cute. Maybe I should invest in something much cuter to exercise in. If I am going to draw paper fashion dolls, it seems like at minimum they should get cute work out clothing.

Super cute paper doll and she has a fantastic 12 piece wardrobe of cute gym mix and match clothing.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones 2.0

This version of Topaz was first created way back in 2019. I am recycling her here, but all the clothing is totally new. I still super love her hair. It’s like a 1930s glamour look, but for the gym. Hmm…. maybe not the most practical option.

By the way, have you seen Lane Bryant’s workout line? I haven’t gotten any yet, but their leggings are super cute. I love this floral one and this color blocked option. Living in Alaska means I pretty much 100% shop online, unless I’m in the lower 48 and then I can actually buy things at real stores.

As the year begins to wrap up, I am nearly done with my 366 Day paper doll Project over on Patreon! Now would be a great time to jump in and see the last few weeks of paper doll creations. Then I am taking off January (no charges for anyone on Patreon) for a little vacation and to get my Newsletter up and running smoothly (I hope.)

By the way, you can sign up for the Newsletter here and there will be more information about it in coming weeks.

Ballet Practice Clothing

A set of dancing clothing with two leotards, two skirts and two wrap sweaters with tights and toe shoes for the curvy Jewels and Gemstones paper dolls.

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
I love drawing pretty things like tutus, but I also wanted to draw practice clothing, because in reality many folks who dance, dance for the love of dance. They are not automatically dancing with the goal of performance before a crowd.

I have mixed feelings about ballet’s relationship with body shape, as I have said before. The stats on dancers and eating disorders are troubling. One 2003 study from the journal Psychopathology found that non-professional ballet dancers reported the highest prevalence of eating disorders (anorexia nervosa 1.8%; bulimia nervosa 2.7%; eating disorders not otherwise specified 22.1%) compared to gymnasts and bodybuilders, two other performative sports with high prevalence of eating disorders. I should add that the study looked at non-professional dancers, so I’m not saying these are the stats for people actually dancing in the National Ballet company or something.

Anyhow, I couldn’t in good conscious draw ballerina paper dolls for kids without feeling like I needed to mention the issues of body image and ballet. I try so hard not to preach on this site, but I know too many people in recovery from eating disorders, so I take that stuff really seriously.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
I don’t do a lot of mix ad match sets anymore, but given that I couldn’t fit clothing and en pointe shoes on the same pages as the dolls I drew to go with this series, I thought I would make sure to give a variety of practice clothing to be mixed and matched. If you’re paying close attention, you’ll notice the en pointe shoes duplicate. I didn’t feel like drawing the same thing over and over again.

Specific Source Images: Dancewear Solutions and International Dance Supplies were two of the sites I used to find images of dance clothing.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & other Ballerina paper dolls
Around the Internet:Eating Disorders and Body Image Disturbances among Ballet Dancers, Gymnasium Users and Body Builders, Why Ballet Hasn’t Yet Caught Up to the Body Positivity Movement from Medium & Big Moves Dance Company: Beyond Body Positive Towards Fat Liberation

Last Thoughts

So, right now life is super crazy busy for me and I don’t see it slowing down for a while. I keep thinking- next month won’t be so bad and then next month rolls around and it is just as insane. So, thank you for your paitence as I work through everything happening in my life.

Meanwhile, don’t forget that becoming a patron means getting an extra paper doll/outfit every Friday.

I’m thinking I should also draw some non-ballet stuff. I specifically called this collection Ballet & Dancing. What other sorts of dance should I include? Leave me a suggestion in the comments.

Belly Dancer Costume for my Paper Dolls

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
When I was a kid the mother of a good friend’s cousin (talk about strange connections, huh?) was a belly dancer. When I was eight or nine, we had a sleep over at their house and tried on a bunch of her mom’s belly dancing stuff.

I was a chubby kid and I remember being so surprised that this older woman (who was not skinny by any means) would be willing to put on a bra and skirt and dance at all.

It was a strange idea- that there was a sort of dancing that didn’t have to be done only by skinny people. At the time it felt empowering, though as an adult, I realize that empowerment is complicated by institutionalized racism, sexualization of Middle Eastern women, and a whole lot of Victorian orientalist baggage.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
I don’t know much about actual belly dancing costumes and I’m not an expert on their history. I looked up belly dancing costume sites like Belly Dance.com and Belly Dance Digs. I did want to include finger cymbals which are also called “zill”.

Specific Source Images: Coin bra’s like this one and this one

Learn/See More
On the Blog: This is my first ever belly dance costume! But here’s More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: Wikipedia on Zill, a fascinating history of belly dance, an article on appropriation in belly dance and an equally interesting response to said article
Last Thoughts
I don’t know a lot about belly dance, but I know enough to know that there’s serious issues around appropriation, sexualization, racism, orientalist fantasy and such in the whole thing. I went back and forth about posting this outfit, but in the end, I chose to share it.

Why? Because my rule has always been not to post anything with sacred religious meaning. None of my research suggested that there was religious meaning in belly dance costumes, unlike, for example, Native American regalia (which often includes holy symbols) or Catholic nun habits.

In case you’ve ever wondered why I don’t have any nun paper dolls, now you know.

Tomorrow on Patreon there will be a medieval inspired princess paper doll for my Patrons. Join now and you can check her out too!

I want to do more dance costumes. Any suggestions? I’m thinking maybe Irish step or a classic tutu.

Purple Ice Skating Costume for the B Pose Ladies

Ice skating paper doll clothing with a performance dress and practice outfit and, of course, ice skates. Available to print in color or black and white for coloring.

Printable Black & White PDF Printable Color PDF More Paper Dolls & Clothes
Ice skating, like most things that involve coordination, is not something I’m very good at. I occasionally watch other people and think, “That looks like fun.”

However, upon attempting the activity, I end up falling down a lot.

Never the less, I do like the clothing people wear to go ice skating and since I draw paper dolls, it seems to me that the clothing is the important part. Plus I thought these ice skating clothes would be a fun winter coloring page. It’s cold and dark outside, so coloring in front of a fire sounds like a pretty good time. 

So, here we have a set of practice clothing for ice skating and a performance dress. I chose purple and black, because I like purple and black.

Not being an ice skater, I can’t speak to the accuracy of today’s ice skating ensembles, but I hope I didn’t screw up too badly. Maybe someone who does ice skate can let me know in a comment.

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Need  a doll for today’s clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing

The September 2018 Collaborative Paper Doll Post: Golfing in the 1920s

Black and White Paper Doll PDF Paper Doll Collaboration 2018
Let me be clear here- if I am going to sprint, it is probably because I am being chased by a wild boar or something. When I do exercise, it’s entirely because it helps my anxiety and not because I particularly enjoy the activity.

So, when someone else (I know it was NOT me) suggested we pick our favorite sport for September I was struck by two things-

1. I don’t have a favorite sport.
2. I really don’t care about sports.

Listen, I know I live in Alabama were football is basically the state religion, but despite the urging of people I know, I just don’t care. Really I don’t. I can only watch football when I tell myself that it is ritualized tribal warfare. Otherwise, I just think it is dumb. (Okay, I still think it is dumb, but the anthropologist in me can respect the need for the ritual.)

Meanwhile, I had to draw something for the month of September and making a paper doll t-shirt that said- “Ugh… Sports” on it felt a little dismissive of the whole point.

So, I settled on my Dad’s favorite sport- golf.

And while I still think golf is dumb, I can at least respect the fact that women have been playing golf for a really long time and there have been some super cute outfits designed for golf.

Today’s paper doll dress is vaguely inspired by the 1920s. She has two hats with different styled bobs and a golf club which is probably totally inaccurate.

If you want to see more “favorite sports” hop over to Paper Doll School and Miss Missy Paper Dolls. They are my partners in crime and I can’t wait to see what they’ve done with this theme.

Need a paper doll to wear these clothes? Grab her and more clothing here.

Marisole Monday in a Women’s 1920s Golf Clothes

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Golfing Outfits from the 1920s

Women's 1920s golf clothes for my Marisole Monday & Friend's paper doll series in full color to print from paperhinpersonas.com.

Women's 1920s golf clothes for my Marisole Monday & Friend's paper doll series in black and white.

I can’t tell you how many times my father has dropped hints that I should draw some golf clothing. He’s a fan of the sport. So, today I am pleased to present some 1920s historical clothing attire for the Marisole Monday & Freind’s paper dolls.

The history of women’s sports attire has always fascinated me. By the 1920s, from which today’s paper doll outfit hails, women were participating in many different team and individual sports including basketball, tennis, archery, fencing, and, of course, golf. Golf was pretty popular in the 1920s and women’s 1920s golf clothes were being designed by big names like this golf outfit by Worth.

Most women’s golf outfits have skirts, but there were also trousers options, like the ones shown in this article about golf in advertisements. I based today’s outfit off illustrations from my two favorite 1920s fashion history books, Everyday Fashions of the Twenties: As Pictured in Sears and Other Catalogs and 1920s Fashions from B. Altman & Company, both of which are from Dover publications and are excellent resources on 1920s clothing. Sears was a more affordable company while B. Altman was much more fashionable and expensive.

Catalogs offer such a great window into what people could purchase in the past.

Anyway, I also had to draw a golf club for today’s outfit. Now, I will openly confess that I am not a skillful golfer, but I have taken a lesson or two. I based my golf club (I was not about to draw a whole set) on photos of 1920s golf clubs from Google Image Search. I know, I know. Not the best research practice.

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

B&B Girls Get Some Cute Workout Clothes

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Cute Work Out Clothing and Sweating a Lot

The B&B paper dolls are hitting the gym in some cute paper doll workout clothing. They get a pair of leggings, shorts and tanktop combo. Available in black and white or in color from paperthinpersonas.com.

I am spending most of January 2017 posting things I drew in 2016 to clear out my image archives and I came across this set of cute paper doll workout clothing that I drew. I really am not a fan of exercise, but I know I need to do it. I tend to approach it the same way I approach a lot of things, “You can do anything for 25 minutes, even if you hate it.”

And while I don’t like the actual exercising part, it does wonders for my mood and I always feel better the next day, even if I am stiff. When I first started working out, I just wore some old sweats and a t-shirt. Eventually, I bought some real workout clothing and I discovered that it was much easier to work out when you have real workout clothing on.

Since I, like the B&B paper dolls, am pretty buxom, it is hard to find cute sports bras in colors that still give me the support I need. However, the fun thing about paper dolls is that you can create things for them that you can’t find for yourself. Therefore, I gave my B&B girls a fun teal sports bra under a tank, leggings and shorts to wear while she hits the gym.

My workout clothing does not coordinate nearly as well as this, but as I have said before- fantasy fulfillment is a big part of paper doll drawing.

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Need to get a Bodacious & Buxom paper doll to wear these fabulous clothes? Pick one out here.

En Pointe: A Printable Ballerina Paper Doll in Color

logo-mia-ballerina-colorMore ballerina paper dolls!

Okay, so this is the last one, but I did have fun with this little foray into dance clothes for the moment. Now that I have done these, I feel like I should do some tap dance clothes or something.

Anyhow, today’s Mia ballet set is in color. While Monica is the white swan from Swan Lake, Mia is the Black Swan for Swan Lake. Of course, traditionally, these parts are danced by the same dancer, but I thought it would be more fun to break up the two tutus across the sets.

Her Giselle costume is from the second act and therefore had to be white. After the character Giselle dies, the whole second act of the ballet is done in white costumes. It is sometimes called the “White Act” for this reason. I couldn’t exactly make it purple.

Don Quixote costumes are often based on Spanish flamingo dresses and this one is sort of in that vein. I settled on a golden bodice, black tutu and red roses. I’m not entirely pleased with how it came out, actually. I do think this tutu could also be for the Nutcracker’s Spanish Chocolate dance.  I chose teal for both Romeo and Juliet and Scheherazade (which I think I finally have memorized how to spell).

asian-ballerina-paper-doll-color

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For those of you who have been paying close attention, you have likely noticed that the en pointe shoes were copied for both sets. I thought about drawing two of basically then same thing and then came to my senses. The dolls leg positioning doesn’t really allow for “other” en pointe poses then this one. The leg warmers are also duplicated across both sets. Once again, I didn’t really want to draw the exact same thing twice.

Generally, I try to avoid copying from pervious sets- which is how I have draw way more pairs of skinny jeans than any person should- but sometimes I give myself a break and do it.

Lastly for those of my readers in the United States, Happy Labor Day! Let us all take a moment and be grateful for the people who fought hard to provide their fellow workers with a better way of life. Also, eat barbecue.