summer

1955 Summer Dress With Hat and Purse

A lovely Mid-1950s Summer Dress with hat. The dress is from Vogue in 1955. The hat is from Montgomery Ward in 1950. The purse is from Sears.

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
There’s a few silhouettes one tends to associate with retro 50s fashion. There’s the tight waisted, full skirt look (like this) or the narrow fitted suit look (like this). There’s also a few variations on this and one of those variation is the dropwaist version of the full skirted look.

A dropwaist is when the waist (aka seam where the bodice meets the skirt) is lower than the natural waist on a person. A highwaist is when the waist is raised above the natural waist, but below the bust. An empire waist is when the waist of a dress is located right under the bust.

More than you maybe wanted to know about fashion terminology. I digress.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
Summer is coming rapidly to Alabama. I love the Fall in Alabama and I like the Winter. I could leave the Summer without any sense of guilt at all. It’s hot and humid and my allergies are exploding. Ugh!

Anyway, I always think women in retro spring fashion ads look so wonderfully cool and calm and it probably sucked living in Alabama in the 1950s when air conditioning was rare and petticoats were common. None the less, I loved the concept if not the reality.

Specific Source Images: Vogue 8596, Montgomery Ward Spring/Summer 1950 hats pages and Sears (I used Everyday Fashions of the Fifties As Pictured in Sears Catalogs)

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & More 1950s Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: Closet Historian regularly posts images from vintage catalogs in her collection and they are fascinating.

Last Thoughts
I’ve done two more 1950’s paper doll dresses and shared them with my Patrons. They are a 1950s suit and 1950s day dress. Join Us on Patreon if you’d like to support the blog (and get more paper doll content!)

Also, if you’re thinking- Well, I wish I had a 1950s paper doll to wear this stylin’ 1950s dress, I’ve made a version of the ever delightful Sapphire in 1950’s underwear. So, you can print her, but, as always, this dress will fit any of the Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls. Retro 50s fashion is so popular right now.

Some Super Non-Seasonal Summery Minimalism

Minimalist fashion paper doll clothing for the B Pose printable paper dolls from PaperThinPersonas.com. A blouse, pants and bag.

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Years ago, I was asked if I had ever explored minimalism fashion for my paper dolls. Minimalism? I thought. I love layers and ruffles and over the top gowns, why on Earth would I want to explore minimalism.

But even as I thought this, I realized that was the reason to explore it. Because it is not what I am naturally drawn too. And because it is a style where one badly drawn line out of place can make a huge difference in how the finished paper doll dress looks.

There is no hiding in details in minimalist styles. They are so simple that they reveal all my messy linework and misshapen pieces.

So, when I come back to fashion minimalism, as I do on occasion (and I am today), I am reminding how critical every line is in pen and ink based art.

Every line matters when there are very few of them.

While there’s a simplicity to today’s paper doll clothing, there is also a challenge to drawing it. Sometimes the simplest things are the most difficult to illustrate. Today’s top, pants and bag were harder than they look and that, I suppose, is the whole point.

Besides, as hard as they were to draw, they were so simple to color. There’s something to be said for that as well. I went with white and blue, because I didn’t want to obscure the line work by going with black (the favored color of many minimalist designs).

If you’re not sure what minimalist fashion is, here’s Vogue’s article on it. (I really hate all the ads on the Vogue website, but the gallery there does give a good overview I think.)

And if you have a moment, think about becoming a Patron or following the blog/me on Instagram or telling a friend about it.

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

A Boho Fashion Paper Doll Mini-Wardrobe for Sunny Summer Days

Paper doll fashions inspired by boho fashion brands. Eight different pieces of paper doll clothing that can combine into over 18 combinations.

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At work, I dress in slacks, white shirts and cardigans, but at home I am a lover of maxi skirts and boho blouses. I love embroidery, texture and handmade looking details. I know some people manage to have a wardrobe that switches between “work” and “home”, but I’ve never really wanted that and would much rather just have a work wardrobe that I wear to work and a home wardrobe that I wear outside work.

I digress.

The point is I really like hippy/boho clothing and I knew I wanted to draw some for the blog. So, here’s a little paper doll boho mini-wardrobe of eight pieces of paper doll clothing. There’s four tops, two bottoms, a romper and a bag. That means (ignoring the bag), there’s about 9 clothing combinations or 18, if you count the bag. 

 In the process of doing this, I also really got to thinking about what makes a Mini-Wardrobe and what just makes a paper doll outfit. I think the answers are: At least six pieces and more than one top and/or bottom. So, that’s my criteria going forward. I feel better when I have criteria. It is probably the librarian in me. 

A little bit of important housekeeping- As you may know the EU recently passed a law called General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which is meant to help people with online privacy (a cause I strongly support), so I’ve been working to make the blog GDPR compliant. You will now need to opt into cookies when you come to the site and opt in to retention of your information (email address and name) when you comment. Nothing about how I handle your information has changed. I have updated the site’s Privacy Policy with more details that will hopefully help illuminate how your data is used on this site.

If you have any questions about any of that, you can ask in a comment or through email. I’ll try to answer the best as I know (but I am not an internet privacy expert or a lawyer).

Or you can let me know what you think of today’s post in a comment and to support the blog, think about donating through Patreon.

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

Summer Shorts for the Paper Doll Men with Stripes

Paper doll men's clothing. Shorts and two t-shirts with stripes. Free to print in color or black and white from paperthinpersonas.com.

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Every guy I know from my brother-in-law to the students I supervise seem to live in shorts and t-shirts. In the South, this seems to be a year around even when it is snowing.

This is the third shorts set I’ve done for the C pose paper doll men. There was the 4th of July set and this set from June.

So, I am going to keep this post short as I am trying to slip it in under the wire of Midnight Central time. Here’s a link to the second color scheme I created on my Patreon page. It’s available to anyone to print and play with.

Meanwhile, let me know what you think of today’s paper doll in a comment (I love to hear from y’all) and consider supporting the blog on Patreon if you want to help off set the costs of keeping it on the internet.

Tune in Monday for the first dress from the 1920s! It’s super cute.

Need a paper doll to wear today’s clothing? All the C Pose Dolls & Clothing

4th of July Paper Doll Clothing!

A set of 4th of July paper dolls from paperthinpersonas.com.

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Happy 4th of July to those who celebrate!

I am back home in Alaska for the 4th and I am very excited about it. There will be fireworks at 12:01am on the Fourth, because it doesn’t get dark until then in Alaska. I am very excited about that. There’s always a big bon fire on the beach as well.

I decided to do a set of contemporary summery clothing for my 4th of July themed paper doll clothing set. I realized quickly that shorts and a t-shirt didn’t seem like quite “enough” so I drew an outfit for each of the Dames and Dandies paper dolls.

For the A pose, I did shorts and a boat-necked shirt. For the B pose, I did a blue dress with white polka-dots. For the C pose, guys I drew surf shorts and a t-shirt. All summer time clothing.

Anyway, enjoy the 4th of July if you are celebrating (or just have a wonderful Wednesday) either way!

Need a paper doll to wear today’s clothing? All the A Pose Dolls & Clothing, All the B Pose Dolls and Clothing , and All the C Pose Dolls and Clothing

A Summer Time Princess Paper Doll Dress With Matching Hat

A fantasy princess paper doll dress with matching hat decorated with roses and ribbons. Available to print in color or as a paper doll coloring page.

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I always think of these big full skirted dresses as ‘princess dresses’ even though princesses wear all sorts of different dresses across time. It’s probably the influence of the 1980s on my childhood along with movies from Disney that makes me think of these dresses in that context.

I’d say there’s a bit of the 1860’s in today’s summer paper doll dress, but I’m not really sure there is. No lady of the 1860s would be caught dead during the day in a dress that showed off this much shoulder.

Usually, this is the point where I link my inspiration, but frankly this one came mostly out of my head. I don’t even think I did a thumbnail pre-sketch, which is a bit unusual for me. I do remember drawing the top of the dress first and then deciding I needed something on the skirt to fill up the empty space beneath the over skirt.

I wanted this dress to feel summery like my last foray into this style (back in February) felt wintery. I do think both this dress and the February dress come from the same universe, so to speak. I see them as sister dresses.  

I have been debating drawing more of these dresses. I think there needs to be an autumn and a spring version as well. What do you think? Big skirted princess dresses? Let me know in a comment. 

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

C Pose Guys Get Some Summer Paper Doll Clothes

A summery set of guy paper doll clothing with cargo shorts, a tank top and t-shirt. Free to print in color or black and white for coloring!

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People who have been following this blog for a while know that I like to work in batches. For my sanity, I usually try to keep my batches to four or five paper doll outfits at most. I recently finished a big batch of C Pose guy paper doll clothing. So, since I think they’ve been a bit neglected as of late (the last C Pose set was back in April), I thought I would devote this whole week to guy paper doll clothing.

That’s right. A whole week of guy stuff!

And we’re starting with some contemporary summer clothing.

Last night, I was chatting with a friend as I colored this set and I was like, “I need a color scheme.”

And he said, “Purple and pink.”

So, today’s colorful set of guy clothing is thanks to my friend and his liberal views of men’s clothing colors. I confess I am kinda conservative in the guy clothing color schemes. I am trying to spread my wings and go for something different today. After all, everyone should get to wear whatever colors they like.

By the way, if you missed it, Friday’s paper doll was this fun B Pose superhero and there’s an second color scheme for that on my Patreon page for anyone to download and print if you want. It’s also in a purple and pink color scheme. 

I guess I’ve just been in a purple mood as of late!

Need a doll to wear today’s clothing? All the C Pose Dolls & Clothing

Mini-Maiden’s Summery Tanktops and Jeggings

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Jeggings and Summery Clothing
A set of paper doll jeggings to color and print and play with. Who doesn't need that?
Confession: I drew this back in July when the weather was hot. It was so very hot, as it gets in Alabama. (Seriously, this is not a state you want to live in when it’s July.)

So, since I am working through a large batch of Mini-Maidens that I drew all those months ago, I can safely say this it the last “summery” fashion collection for them I have for the moment. I’ll need to draw some more for the Mini-Maiden paper dolls really soon. I’ve got Ms. Mannequins and Poppets in the works, but Mini-Maidens need love as well.

Anyway, summer has left Alabama, though it is still in the 60s. It does drop down at night, but I’ll openly confess that the weather is really mild compared to what I saw in Alaska. I am going home soon and am not looking forward to returning to below freezing weather. I own no clothing that works for weather that cold.

I dug my only wool sweater out of my closet earlier. I haven’t worn it in, I am not kidding, five years.

Ahh, well. I’m sure I’ll be okay. (Freezing cold, but okay.)

I digress. I wanted to design these clothing pieces to slide perfectly into the wardrobes that you can create with my other contemporary Mini-Maiden paper doll fashion sets. I was thinking this set and this set, this older set or this older set.

As always, I love to hear comments or, if you’d like to support the blog further than become a patron.

Need a Mini-Maiden paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Mini-Maiden Paper Doll Here.

Ms. Mannequin Fashion Paper Doll’s Tropical Vacation

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Trendy Tropical Clothing

Some super trendy paper doll clothing today! Tropical pants, paper bag shorts and an off the shoulder top. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

Some super trendy paper doll clothing coloring today! Tropical pants, paper bag shorts and an off the shoulder top. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

I have kept seeing tropical prints this year. And patterned pants are in, so I decided to draw tropical printed patterned pants. A meeting of two worlds!

Actually, now that I mention it, everything in today’s Ms Mannequinn paper doll clothing set is super trendy. There’s paper bag waistband shorts and an off the shoulder top. Those are two other super important trends for this last summer. I guess I was just feeling super duper trendy when I drew these.

It’s good I have paper dolls, because I never dress trendy. I don’t think cardigans have ever been that trendy.

(But I do love me a good looking cardigan.)

When I was coloring this set, I had a lot of fun matching the top to the colors in the flowers. And then using the green for the shorts. If you should chose to color the black and white version than I recommend playing around with the shades. I think a monochrome look with black and white could be also really dramatic.

Drama in clothing can be fun. Drama in real life usually isn’t as much fun.

So, let’s keep all drama to clothing.

Meanwhile, what do you think of today’s paper doll outfits? Would you wear tropical print pants?

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

A Nod to the End of Summer with the Ms. Mannequin Paper Doll Fashions

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Spring and Summer Fashions
A set of summery paper doll fashions with shorts, a sundress and blouse from paperthinpersonas.com.

A set of summery paper doll fashions with shorts, a sundress and blouse to print and color.

Summer is finally coming to an end here in Alabama. When I went on my usual walk around the campus at lunch, I actually was grateful I had a sweatshirt to wear. Of course, tomorrow it might be in a 90s. If it stays cool, I’ll have to switch out my short-sleeved summer cardigans for my long-sleeved winter cardigans.

The cardigan rotation is proof that fall is really here for me.

Meanwhile in paper doll land, I drew these paper doll fashions for the Ms. Mannequin paper dolls when it was still hot outside. So, think of these as a last summer set of fashions for them. Of course, knowing me, I’ll end up posting sundresses in December, because that’s just how I roll.

The theme for today’s paper doll fashions is stripes. I’ve noticed a lot of stripes this summer, especially broad stripes. I wanted to play with color, but also shape. This may, or may not, explain the shirt with the flounce sleeves. Has anyone else noticed that flounce sleeves are making a comeback? I’m excited about this, because when I wear them I feel like a princess. In my head, that shirt’s made of chambray, in case anyone is wondering.

As always, I love to hear from you guys, so leave me a comment and let me know what you think of today’s paper doll fashions.

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