Coherent Collection or Motley Crew?

I'd like my collection to remain small and coherent, as it's a family. I think they should look good together. In that vein, my SD girl choice was limited to Angell Studio dolls since they have a custom color service and I want her tan to match my Bambicrony mini.

I have a dream for a gray Iplehouse Carina, and even though she wouldn't match in style she's from the same storyline and a non-human goddess anyway. She has an excuse.

 

I agree with a few others here - my collection is on the whole 'mixed up' but divides into individual groups which I feel are coherent. Like my two yo's, they go together. And I have a in-betweeny size (MSD-SD range) on the way that'll go with my MSD girl, I think. My two largest dolls don't really go with each other or anyone else, ATM.....but I think that's mostly because I haven't developed them enough.

 

This embodies my thoughts and dolls nearly to the tee. Only difference is the eye-makeup is equally important to me

But in response to the thread question posed, I would like to expand by saying I think that it kind of depends on how you look at the definition of coherent or mixed. What I mean is, my dolls are from various companies (some even being hybrids), in various skintones, with various clothing styles ( at least at the moment) but right now, are all in MSD range. So it's mixed, but they are all in proportion to one another. It's more realistic like that, I think, what with the world having so many different people!

(Not that I think mixed sizes aren't realistic or right, but if I let myself think of that too much, I'm not going to be able to resist the beautiful bigger dolls ..)

 

Deeeefinitely a motley crue. But I think everyone is awesome together. I also have groups--some of my dolls are headworld dolls, the minis kind of have their own steampunk-ish whimsical lalaland, and so on. There's room for one of everybody in my collection.

 

I have a motley crew. A couple from one company, a couple from another company and they don't have any storylines that interact. I tend to just pick sculpts that I really, really, like.

 

Haha! Take your idea of a motley crew and put it in a blender: now you have my collection. I buy dolls based on how beautiful I find them on their own with no consideration what-so-ever about them "fitting" some mold. In fact, I often relish in my extremely varied taste. At one point I had a Unoa Chibi who was supposed to be two years older than one of my SDs.

 

Motley crew for me too. I like to organize them in small groups (or families) that look good together, but it's not a requirement for me that the entire collection be harmonious. If I happen to fall madly for a doll that doesn't fit in with any existing group, I simply buy it a companion and start a new group or allow it to stand alone. I admire the collections of friends who have perfect dolls that all might be siblings, but it's just not my style. My taste in dolls is all over the place.

 

Well...I think they look cohesive and good together as if they're all obviously from the same world and the same setting, but by your description, they would definitely by a 'motley crew' as I have a lot of different companies, different heights(even though they're almost all SD's), and also different styles, ranging from Volks to Zaoll. I think though because of how I style them and they all belong to the same kinda strange 'world', they work together and for me it is important they look proportionate together(as in, the 52 cm dolls have smaller heads than the 60+ dolls), but they are different characters with different backgrounds, so they do look different. I like variety, I guess

 

Mine has ended up being fairly coherent, but not by design; I've simply ended up with the majority of my dolls being CP sculpts, and because I do all my own face-ups that lends a certain uniformity amongst them - even the non-CP sculpts. there are two family groups amongst them as well, and all members of each family have a certain resemblance between the members. But I didn't set out with coherence in mind - it's just the way it's ended up.

 

I prefered matchy.I think it's important to create a doll collection that's aesthetically pleasing as a group becasue I want it to look good together. I want all the doll interact together.

 

definitely coherent....all dolls that i acquire have to go together or they simply can't stay. for me, being able to exercise exact control over this hobby is enjoyable for me, and get even more enjoyment when i see that all my dolls go together. that being said i have different resin tones and clothing styles but i make sure that the style of the sculpt goes together perfectly. the way i'm able to do that is to buy from the same company, for me i really like doing it that way but i can see how it would be too constraining for some, but it makes me happy so i keep on keeping on!

 

Oh my goodness, I have the mixiest mixed bag of dollies ever! All different sizes and companies, hybrids and floating heads, more tinies than anyone has a right to, and not a one of them is a character, but their own happy BJD selves

 

I think my resins are more motley. I tend to lean toward younger dolls, and I love stylized dolls, but then a mature vixen broke into the fold, then along came a fairly realistic giant. However, I mix it up by having "natural" face-ups on the stylized dolls and dramatic face-ups on some of the more realistic dolls. But I figure my aesthetic in dress and styling is often pretty similar so they all seem to make some sort of sense in the end, to me at least.

 

In this aspect, I consider my resin crew a coherent mix and match slightly motley collection. Next, what I own keeping in mind the following things:

Company:
Most of my BJD are from a same company, but some few became hybrids (Three of four with bodies from other companies) and some few others of my BJD are directly from other different companies.

Size:
Ten of twelve are large size and only two (Curiously my only two own creation characters) are MSD size. With the crew also an small resin pet.

Skintone:
Among the troop, most of them are normal skin, but also within a tanning BJD, a white skin BJD and even one with his head in real skin which fits well his normal skin body.

I care they make a coherent whole bunch only in one sense, that all of them suit the features, styles and proportions of their characters individually and as a crew.

 

I prefer a coherent group, though I know I'll have a few dolls that break the 'mold'. I prefer mature, slim minis, but the individual character style for each one will likely be drastically different--hair, skin and fashion all very different.

Saying that I know I want at least one sd-sized girl and quite a few tinies. Anything smaller than a yo will likely be it's own little thing, or part of a very small group (pun not intended)

 

Mine are both, kind of. They appear very mismatched and odd, each having a different style, different time period, and some even different species. But I do definitely go for a certain type of doll; thin, long limbed, with an otherworldly look, and usually very stylized/anime-ish face. Out of six dolls, only two have human ears, and only one is dressed and meant to be an actual normal human.

 

This. Although I consider my house more of a boarding house or hostel for dolls. They come from varying companies although I do have several Soom dolls and they all have quite unique features. I never wanted to them match and I think the only thing they'll likely have in common once I get more time is that they'll each have at least one Steam Punk outfit. Otherwise they all wear different clothes, look very different and I love them all the same. I'm one of those that collect because I love looking at them so for me I don't usually have a character in mind for them until after they've arrived.

Companies I own dolls from : 1 Luts, 1 Volks, 1 Rosette Girl (Soom), 2 Soom Monthlies, a Peaks Woods girl and an in progress Unoa. My wishlist has includes Iplehouse, Crobidoll, and Souldoll.

Sizes: 2 YoSD, 2 SD, 2 MSD

 

For me, because all of my dolls are part of a family friend group, I prefer for mine to all be coherent. It bother me, in my own collection, when the dolls have different sized eyes and realistic versus anime style features. I don't think there is anything wrong with motley crews but they just aren't for me.

 

I have a few dolls from a variety of different companies that I want to go after, mainly Luts, Soom, Iplehouse, and Fairyland. Most of them will be 60-70 cm dolls so their heights should match up pretty well, although with differences in sculpt proportions this might not end up being the case, but I wont be too bothered by that. I have two Minifees and a Minigem that I'll be getting who will be sort of out of place. The two Minifees, however, are two OCs of mine, the only OCs I'll be getting in resin, and so I wanted them to match. I also wanted them to be desk size since they are sort of muses for me, which is why they are going to be smaller instead of bigger, and I love the posability of the Minifee bodies so I'm really not finding it an issue, besides it makes it easier for one of my OCs to be picked on(in a nice way) by my other dolls, which fits her character. The Minigem I'm waiting for is Soom's Faerie Nelen, and, she's a faerie... So it kind of makes sense to me that she's smaller than the others XD

 

So, which do you prefer? Matchy or mixy?

While I do admire the people who have perfectly matched doll families... I'm definitely of the Mixy persuasion!

Do you think it's important to create a doll collection that's aesthetically pleasing as a group?

I have a number of matching mini-groups! Groups of 2 to 4. And one individual... although that might not last long...

Or do you focus, instead, on individual dolls and not worry too much about how they look next to your other dolls?

I buy a doll if I really like it on a number of levels. Way, way down the list is how they go with other dolls... it matters a little, but is not the main thing. So... I'll go for something I have to have that doesn't go with any of m other dolls... but then I have this desire to give them company and make a mini-group for them... so maybe BOTH mix and match urges are going on with me!