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Current BJD Trends?

Jun 7, 2019

    1. I remember when I first started out people were really into scene-ish decora style and rainbow gore stuff and thick fur wigs etc. Nowadays tho, I've been seeing a lot, and A LOT of minifees. Mostly girly cute styles, hipster like everyone else says. Also, from instagram, there's a big trend in BL/Yaoi bjds. Styled in street fashionish/kdrama hair etc.
       
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    2. On the DIY side of things, there's more diversity when it comes to wig making. It's no longer just fake fur and Tibetan mohair, but lace front wigs, brushed yarn and so on.
       
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    3. I noticed more dolls made up of clear resin. Sometimes there are even various small things in the clear resin -- like flowers, moss, glitters... and they are decorated by painted ornaments here and there, sometimes. It looks good in my opinion. Very suitable for elves, spirits and other supernatural beings.

      There are more artists who make pearlescent resin now.
       
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    4. I’ve definitely noticed the shift towards Kpop boys fashion. Years ago there were lots of leather jackets and jrock inspired clothing
       
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    5. Fantasy is definitely something I've noticed! Before I joined the hobby I sorta stalked from a distance lol, and now I'm seeing more fantasy than before, which is good imo. The more unusual the better!
       
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    6. What are some new trends for 2020 and 2021?
       
    7. Eye making! Every one and their grandmother seem to be making "uv-resin" eyes, many using nail art supplies, with varying degrees of success and quality control.
      In the sculpting and actual doll making, 3d sculpting is becoming more and more common among independent artists. It's been around for a long time, but now every other artist is using it.
      On the casting side of things there is a steady evolution going on making saturated colours more common (though still rare) but that is not really a trend as much as a natural, slow developement.

      For photots the trend for desaturated colours and very flowy, artsy settings with one or several dolls simply posed together, usually styled to fit the theeme and creating a very pretty picture, have taken over from the more slice of life-centered photos where the point is more in the lines of representing the doll and it's character and to tell a story. The later still exists, of course, but not as much as it did half a decade ago.

      For clothes there is more diversity than ever. If there is a trend I'd say it's similar to the photo trend with a little less casual clothes and a lot more fantasy and very sylized outfits.

      Finally there is this one thing that I don't know if it's a trend and I don't even know if it reflects how people enjoy their dolls or not, but you see a bit less talk and interaction focused on the dolls characters and a lot more focus on the doll as a decorative art piece. I don't know if this has to do with the fact that many of the early collectors have reached a point where they are quite happy with their collection and feel they are "finished" with a lot of their dolls. (That's another buzz word for you. "Finished". I don't think anyone refered to their dolls like that in the early days.)

      None of this is good or bad, nor is it absolute. Just some personal observations.
       
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    8. The word "finished" in reference to dolls has been around for quite awhile... People were already using it when talking about completing particular dolls' kits and characters back when I first joined the hobby, so it's been A Thing since at least 2005.
       
    9. I didn't think this was a new thing either-- I dunno if the sense people refer to being "finished" with their dolls has changed and I haven't noticed, but I always use it to mean that I've gotten the doll fully styled as the character I've designed for it and ready to display, photograph, and otherwise play with-- it has the eyes and hair I planned for it, faceup done, and at least one outfit to wear that is specific to the doll's character. It doesn't mean I'm done with the doll in the sense that I don't want to do anything else with it, only that it's not a blank bald naked WIP anymore. I feel like I remember hearing people use the term "finished" about their dolls in a similar manner pretty much the whole time I've been into BJD, and I started around 2013...
       
    10. I'm really happy to see realistic bodies in smaller sizes become a "thing" since I first started looking in 2018. I'm still getting a 70cm~ but knowing smaller exist in the typical MSD range now is really nice for future purchases!
       
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    11. I love the K pop and fairyland dolls. Love love them! Minifees seem to be the highest trend I see everywhere even in my collection.
       
    12. Oh lawd! Those lily white hands touching that scraggly face :wiggle
       
    13. Intersting you are seeing more fantasy, because I've felt like modern casual has been gaining lately. I guess it depends on where you're looking.
       
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    14. Probably, yes.
       
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