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Ever owned a difficult to understand doll?

Aug 18, 2010

    1. My wording on the title is a bit off, so let me explain.

      I am absolutely in love with my Penelope, but it's been a couple months with her and I still can't figure out what she wants to wear. It's not that I'm not bonded to her or don't have an understanding of her character, I just can't really figure out what she as a person would wear day to day.

      She's currently in black leggings and an oversized striped sweater and red boots. It's the cutest outfit but I don't think she's a black and red kind of girl. I've been thinking about getting a little pink t-shirt and denim shorts with some little vans but I'm afraid that's too simple.

      When I look at dresses, I feel like, no, that can't possibly be it. When I look at pants, it's the same thing! What to do! It's such a big job to interpret a personality that she can't just explain to me!

      Have you ever experienced this with a doll that you are bonded to? Was it a clothes problem? Or wigs, eye color, face up, etc.
       
    2. I could never figure out what my little Yo-SD Kanon would want to wear. Her personality was set in stone, and she seemed to communicate that personality all the time but... The punky look in her promo pics seemed somehow too harsh, and the sweet little kid clothes seemed too too young, but I wouldn't want her to wear anything older exactly... and her hair mystified me, as did her eye color....... her faceup was the only thing I was sure about. But I really loved her to pieces, and if Volks Kurumi never existed she would remain my dream doll and I'd still have her lol.
       
    3. My Doll Love Lenon is having that problem, and as much as I hate it, he's currently wearing a sort of 'scene-kid' fashion. That really isn't what I want, but I think his style is going o be really eclectic...
       
    4. One of the great things about dolls is they don't have an opinion. Dress your dolls in whatever you think looks good, they wont care.
       
    5. Yeah! I do have this problem! My first boy, his name is Julian. He is a DZ Megi and I can't figure him out. He is not a jeans guy, but I don't want his wardrobe to just be suits. I'm thinking of sticking him back in high school so that I can put him in a school uniform, but even then, what else would he wear?? T-shirts and other normal things don't suit him at all.

      Then I have two girls. Their names are Dahlia and Clare. Clare was supposed to be my punkish girl, but it doesn't suit her. So now Dahlia is going to be my punk, but she was supposed to be a gothic lolita. Clare now has a more traditional fashion sense, but there aren't any companies that make normal things for girls to wear. All of the clothes are either sweet dresses, pants/t-shirts/punk/goth/just not really her style. I need some things like pumps and and normal things. Like a Nordstroms sized down for minifees.
       
    6. Kotori! Granted she is my first doll... I buy the most for her, but because... I have certain expectations for her? She is one of the most mysterious of my group. She changes often; maybe too much. She can be a pretty princess one minute, to a tomboy, to cute fluffy style. I now know that Kotori's hair color is eve cream and that her eyes are this pretty blue green color. What I really want for her is just pirate style clothing. Maybe thats why I havent gotton something that screams Kotori yet =P
       
    7. This is true. ;)

      Give it time, I would bet that you will figure out how she "should" look sooner or later. Good luck!
       
    8. Well, that depends on what you do with your dolls. If you're interested in developing their characters or personality, clothing style can become very important -- it's part of what makes them who they are. No matter how much I may like an outfit, I will not put it on a doll who's character wouldn't wear it. Of course I could physically stuff them into whatever I want (and I do threaten to put Frank's awful default wig on him when he doesn't behave for photoshoots ;)), but it doesn't feel 'right.'

      To answer the OP, yes, I have had that issue before. Not with my pre-existing characters, but with the dolls I bought because I thought they were pretty. Doing that generally hasn't worked out so well for me. However, if you don't already have a character in mind for the doll, it can take some experimentation to figure out what works. I have two dolls that after two years I can't figure out (though I'd gotten much closer on one of them)-- I'm also planning to move them on to new homes, but that's mostly because I'm trying to focus more on one story line and am trying to cut down on the number of extra dolls, so don't lose hope -- sometimes it just takes time.
       
    9. Taco - I guess I just don't (or don't yet) think about a doll's 'character'. I'm ordering my first doll soley because I think she is pretty. I'm not into roleplay or story writing, so maybe that is why I am different in that respect. However, I can see what your saying and find it very interesting. :)
       
    10. One thing I've found fun to do, is when people come over to my house for a doll meetup, is to pull out the 'box o'wigs', and people just get to try on different wigs on their dolls. At meetups often people switch wigs about. Clothes are not traded around/tried on as much, but it does happen. So that may be what you need. Just more options. Try stuff you never would have considered, you may surprise yourself.
       
    11. Pandemic has this problem. I don't have a body for her yet, but whenever I think about what kinds of clothes I'll make for her, nothing seems to work. She has a third eye gore mod, and her story is set in a post-nuclear-apocalypse.
      I realize the best thing for her is apocalypse style; big boots, goggles, heavy chains and trenchcoats... but that stuff is really hard to buy and make, and what about when I want something simpler or more natural? She's proving to be a real bear to dress.
       
    12. Yeah, not everyone is into creating characters -- for me it's the highpoint of the hobby, and it is helpful when it comes to making choices about what sculpts to choose, eyes, wigs (wait, scratch that -- finding the right wigs is still a nightmare half the time, lol), clothing styles etc. It automatically limits things for me, so the doll situation doesn't get too out of control.

      But not worrying about characters is a completely valid way to enjoy the hobby -- they're just different approaches.
       
    13. One of my dolls is like that too. I have trouble finding things that suit her character. Although I did eventually find an outfit that I really like for her, it took over a year to find something like that.

      Have you tried commissioning someone to make some clothes that might suit you and your doll? I am pretty picky about fashion, and this has helped somewhat with finding clothes for my dolls.
       
    14. See, this is my problem. She's in what -I- wanted, but -she- doesn't want it. Without getting creepy, my dolls do have opinions. She has a personality, and these clothes just don't suit it! I can't figure out what does!
       
    15. Leenah, I am thinking that's going to be the best option. I try to close my eyes and see what I really imagine her in, and then maybe I can sketch it and order it from a seamstress. So stressful though!

      Thank you everyone! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one that is suffering from this. I'm going to keep looking at every clothes site out there and in the meantime maybe sketch my own ideas. We'll get there :D
       
    16. My first doll was the doll I had the biggest issue with. I just couldn't find any clothes that were 'her' and it eventually did become a huge issue for me. Eventually I fell out of love with the mould enough that I sold that particular doll. Since then I've missed having that character shelled and did some revamping of her character and find tentative shopping for her so far to be much easier. I hope when her new shell arrives that I don't have clothing issues again! I don't think I could stand parting with another mould I love because I can't get it to work, especially that character.
       
    17. Apricotkiss, what a nightmare :( I hope this one works out!
       
    18. Why bother answering when your words only point out what the OP most likely already knows (that the doll is not alive and thus has no real opinion), and completely disregards what the discussion is actually about?

      I have felt the same as the OP. I have an AS Gus in white resin that is very adorable and looks good in just about anything I put him in. However, just because he looks good in it doesn't mean it feels as though it necessarily suits him. I've tried him in head to toe black, total emo kid and he pulls it off wonderfully. Even so, after a second glance, I can tell there's something about the overall look that doesn't quite mesh well with his physical features. Likewise I've tried him in prim and proper attire, totally cutesy fluffy clothes, even went for a punk/grunge sort of look, and every one of these images don't seem to suit him. Sure, he looks GOOD in them and it's not as though the doll is telling me in some way that he's unhappy, but just as a few other people have also encountered, some dolls just have a difficult style to pin down.
       
    19. I do find a bit of that problem with my boys, which is strange, since they're based on real people. I guess I don't just understand the people well enough or my interpretations of their characters. Why not look at some of your favorite clothes stores, like American Apparel, and try to gauge her like a person. If you remove her from the doll mentality, finding the right style of clothes for her might be easier.
       
    20. Don't be afraid to try different styles on your doll. I wanted a Lishe for a long, long time and finally bought one. I put her in fancy, frilly Dollheart outfits and couldn't connect with her at all. Jeans and T-shirts? No luck. Business suits? Nope. I tried a horde of wigs and eyes, no go. It wasn't until I got a Dollheart fukubukuro with some clothes that I didn't think suited any of the dolls (a pair of thigh-high patent vinyl boots, a teeny pleather skirt and a red-hot top) and I tried them on her (for sales photos!) that I realized I had this doll all wrong. She wasn't a sweet, beautiful Lishe, she was a no-holds-barred, unapologetic tart! :XD: I'm so glad I found out that all my girl needed was skimpy clothing and a fluffy cherry wig to shine.