Doll Fashion Trends?

Well just like in the real world there are trend the doll world is going to reflect that, what I find funny is when everyone has to buy the same accessory. Like I remember a few years ago everyone had bought a cell phone for their doll. It was funny.

 

See, now if that were the case, I probably wouldn't mind it at all, But that's not what I see labelled as lolita/gothic lolita, most of the time.

Teddy

 

I think what a doll wears is linked to what the owner usually wears. I prefer getting casual clothes for my boy.

 

My dolls are usually in Victorian/Romantic England clothes some french influences and things with a bit of date. While my first girl Caitlin looks great in that old fashioned elegance, Furiae is a bit more versitile, but seems to be coupled with Caitlin so they tend to share similar fashions. The range is from 1775 to 1875 basically... Caitlin looking best on the older end while Furiae looks better in more deep victorian styles such as bustle dresses and the like. Though at times Furiae would rather just sit about in casual modern clothes. For meet up and shoots however she is dressed head to tow in Victorian fashion.

I have recently adopted and Asil I can't wait to see what her style is. I hope it's something that can really challenge my abilities as an artist. Not that those Victorian/Romantic english dresses don't =_= ,but I want to explore a more French Victorian style or perhaps even more modern clothes or further in the past such as medieval or fantasy~

As for EGL I have one dress that is as such~ but I tend to focus more on the period than EGL does. EGL takes from that time period where I make clothes that are that time period so to speak.

 

For me, I see a lot of punk/emo styles and they are not done well, they are sloppy and looks like the owner was only following the trend to be popular or because the clothes were cheap and easily available.

I do tend to notice trends that are not related to fashion in the doll world, things like boys on girl bodies, zombie mods, scars jump out more than clothes for me.

That being said- I've got two boys, one is pretty much dressed in jeans, hoodies and t-shirts, the other is more dress pants and a button down shirt. I don't particularly care for fashion trends one way of the other, I just like to look at dolls that look good.

 

This. I'm fonder of some trends than others--I love steampunk dolls, for example, and period clothing like the Marie Antoinette dolls, but I don't care for skirt!boys (IMHO, most of them are blindly following a trend) or really anything that's done in a poor way. I mean, some people might like to have 20 dolls in sock dresses and ill-fitting clothing ripped off of porcelain dolls, but I'd rather have--and see--1 or 2 dolls with an amazing wardrobe and great faceup.

/$0.02

 

What saddens me a little when looking around (I've spent so much time lurking on BJD comms, it's not even funny) is that there are often lolitas - wearing stuff that no real lolita would even touch. Ugly lace, horrible cuts, much too revealing clothes. Of course I don't expect everyone to do thorough fashion research or something, I mean, it's THEIR doll, but as a lolita I'm often a little sad about that.

I also pay much care to quality. I don't expect anyone to be a professional seamstress (everyone starts somewhere, and not everyone wants to rely on their own abilities alone, which is perfectly alright) but I also don't like seeing nice dresses - with fraying hems. There's fraycheck, there's sergers, there's sewing machines, there's stitching. Please, do choose something to stop the fraying. (Unless it is intended on a punkish outfit, but usually you can tell the difference.)

There's also some definite trend toward gothy outfits, but you see just as much beautiful casual wear, so it's not right to claim that dark stuff is taking over.

I like cute boys, but I don't think I would dress my own in skirts or dresses. I don't like it with real boys, and I don't like it with dolls. (Not discriminating, but I don't find it as aesthetically pleasing.)

My first doll is going to be some kind of steampunk-ish inventor, and I'm worrying already where to find gloves for her, for example.

 

It's hard for me to respond because the dolls I'll be buying are based off of celebrities or defined characters, who already have their own very distinct styles. Me personally, I don't care too much what other people dress their dolls in, or rather what others' dolls prefer to wear - I care more about craftsmanship than originality. If there are twenty dolls in front of me, and they're all dressed in the same style - whether EGA/EGL, punk/emo, or even just casual - if the clothes are made nicely I don't really get bothered over the styles

 

I don't think there is too much of dolls wearing any particular style. I like that the doll styles seem to pick up some Japanese street styles. I know that I personally have no fashion sense whatsoever but I think much of the doll clothing looks great. 1000x better than traditional American doll clothing. Look at the top Narin outfit here - I love it:
http://www.dollfair.com/narinbliss.htm
But I also love Mio's stuff and Tanya's bright colors and many other kinds of clothes.

As for trends, when I found BJD's in 2005 the styles were much more Lolita for the girls and more feminine for the boys.

Carolyn

 

Personally, I love the Gothic Lolita stlye and punk on my blythe's, but not on my BJD's... or at least my Reira (dz tintan). She looks to elegant for that and I'm trying desperatly to find some victorian clothes for her and it seems to be impossible!!!! I can't find things like that that won't cost me an arm and a leg for MSD! I find GL and PX everywhere but not romantic/rococo,victorian - like outfits. It's pissing me off....

So the trend right now is gothic lolita and Punk it seems...

 

Lunestis, ANY high quality outfit will be expensive. Everything about this hobby is expensive and this is something that a lot of people don't seem to get. I often see people who just think that the dolls are expensive and expect to get wonderful quality clothing for cheap, it doesn't work like that.

If you want an outfit to fit your doll properly, and look good, and be good quality, you are going to have to pay for it, more so if the style is not a hugely popular style.

 

I agree with Kokoryta, one has to expect to spend a lot of money on nice things for their dolls (unless you can make it yourself.) I can understand that if a person makes nice clothes or wigs or whatever, they spent a lot of time on each piece and they deserve to get paid for it. A lot more than fabric goes into a dress.

Anyway, back on topic. I too get tired of the old BJD cliches. I tend to dress my dolls in clothes I'd wear (or, my guy friends wear if it's a boy doll) and it's mostly very casual. Everyone mostly wears jeans, button-up shirts, hoodies, t-shirts, and the girls get casual dresses and leggings sometimes.

 

I don't want to get flamed here, but I really think that paying $100 for an MSD outfit is a bit too much, Even if it's high quality... I have been a fashion doll/pullip/blythe collector for about 10 years (in that order) and I have commissioned clothes for fashion dolls that were elaborate and did not cost me $100 each. The other thing is, I don't understand why it's so much more expensive to craft for msd which is larger, than a fashion doll or a blythe, when their bodies are clearly smaller and harder to make beautiful clothes for. I have seen just the same amount of talent and attention given to smaller dolls for half the price by individual doll artists . I'm pretty sure part of it is also inflation and name I guess.

 

I think people charge whatever the market will pay... I do find it crazy that some doll outfits cost more than a comparable outfit for myself. I think style and trends are all relative - people are going to buy/make/clothe their dolls in whatever they like. The great thing about these dolls is that they ARE so versatile - personally, I change mine around all the time... they may be goth one day, fantasy the next, Victorian, the day after, etc. etc. They are so adaptable they can take on various styles and even various personalities depending on the type of dress, hair, wigs, etc.

 

Well, I personally dress in lolita style and am a lolita seamstress for humans (though maybe someday i'll take doll commissions as well), so I enjoy plotting cute lolita doll outfits. Doll-trends seem to follow human subculture clothing trends pretty closely, though. A lot of people style their dolls after popular j-rock bands, and those kinds of clothes are popular for humans at the moment, too. It's really not surprising that certain things keep showing up.

The great thing about dolls is that they look good in everything. less agonizing over "will such-and-such make me look fat?" leads to more time to come up with fabulous and interesting outfits. XD

 

I try not to be too "emo" or "gothy" with Ro's clothes but he's my first doll and since I'm still waiting on a sewing machine and smaller knitting needles I can't really do anything to make his clothes yet and everything I like that is for sale tends to be in darker colors.

 

Well I love most styles really Lolita, Gothic and Victorian are the main ones I'd pic for my dolls. At the moment though they're just in casual stuff as I attempt to actually make things for them

I would love to be brave enough to wear Lolita or Victorianesque fashions as well but I guess they'll just end up being on the dolls

 

My kids actually wear very bright and obnoxious colors compared to most dolls.
To the point where it hurts your eyes, lol. XD
Because I can't afford super doll fashions, I usually make my own doll clothes out of stuff I already own.

I started sewing for my 1/6 dolls when I got them, and I still sew for my kids now.

I like punk trends and enjoy putting my kids in punk-based clothes, because that's what I dress in myself.

I do think Lolita and emo are a bit overdone in the doll fashion world, but there are some dolls who can really pull off that look.

That's why it's nice to see when people throw in their own ideas into the fashions to make something new (or at least unique) to look at.

Who knows, they could start a brand-new fashion trend!

 

I think that there are some trends that are very over done and played out, but really what can you say? In all honesty, I feel my dolls made their own personalities. Even if I had something planned for them, they may come along and tell me that isnt who they are.
You cant force your doll to fit a personality that isnt them, and it they are trend whores in a trend you dont like, what can you really tell them :lol
All you can do is hope they evolve

Personally I like goth and emo if they are done right, but they have been stereotyped in a certain ideal and it's overplayed, same with the Vampires and rock stars. They are all types of trends that i like, but it gets overdone easily and quickly and occasionally needs to be refreshed as an idea.

 

I really don't like the current trend of doll fashions migrating towards goth, emo or grung. Everything is so dark, plaid or torn! I have such a difficult time finding clothes for my dolls that I like! Most of the doll companies are all making the same dark, dreary stuff; it's so frustrating! I prefer bright colors and classy designer styles for my dolls.