How do you build your doll's wardrobe?

I was thinking about how I'll build up my bjd clothes collection, I know it will take time but I was wondering how everyone else did it? So far for me it's been single clothing pieces secondhand and I think that may be a big way I build it up when people are selling stuff as I will be cheaper. I'll also get new pieces from places like Angelesque (I'm from the UK) or Amazon/Ebay/Aliexpress.

 

My first collection of clothes was single items, both second hand and new (esp brand stuff like MIO, Cadenza and so on). Took me a good five years to build, then I sold it all.

My current one is 90% custom commissions cause true high fantasy clothes in MSD are hard to come by otherwise doing this since around two years

 

A lot of mine came from Dollheart fukubukuro (lucky bags) which I went a bit mad on last year when they were $10 with any other purchase.

For more casual gear that's easier on the wallet there's Alice's Collections (acbjd.com), Sunnys World (swdoll.com, I think) and Dollmore. I'm in the uk too and I (so far!) haven't been charged any customs fees for Alice's, even when I ordered a doll body, and Sunnys have scraped through too. Dollmore attracted a small charge because the $20 price they put on the package was just over the limit. Sunnys say their prices include postage, but they don't, but they're pretty reasonable. Alice's have offers on throughout the year and usually offer free postage if you spend a certain amount. They do charge PayPal fees tho so expect the price to be bumped up 4%.

You can get lucky on eBay - I like Wamami on there for clothes, shoes and eyes - they're also a dealer for Angel of Dream and they were helpful when I just wanted a chest piece. I'm planning a sort out myself but because Christmas post can be manic, I won't be listing anything til the new year.

 

Oooh that's useful to know about Alice's Collections I assumed we'd get customs on it!! Not good for my wallet though that I know that now and yes Wamami are the main place I've wishlisted!

 

Yesterday I was moving the wicker basket-trunk my doll clothes are stored in & was laughing. Because 9 years ago, my bff gave me the basket-trunk with one outfit in it as a place to store my first doll. And now, the lid won't quite close...the boy's have a separate ikea bag for their spare clothes...the clothes for tinies & a couple other dolls are in other totes...and then the nice dresses are hanging on a rack...plus all the clothes all the dolls are wearing!?!?!?
Without even trying it seems my clothes collection has gotten big because:
When I've seen individual pieces I like for sale at meetups, I will buy them.
I love to sew & have made lots of their clothes.
The doll club I belong to has monthly themes so I'm often inspired to make something new for them.
One of my recent favorite doll companies, Maskcat, seems to always offer just what I want on their fullset dolls so that adds clothes.
And every so often I quit thinking about dolls to save up for & instead splurge on a really good outfit from one of the online sellers.
Since the boys never seem to get any of my sewing time, last year I spent all my doll funds on Sadol suits. ;}
I keep going through the trunk, trying to weed out what we don't really need but it doesn't seem to improve things. >///<

then the other night, because I was tired of not having enough shirts to mix & match on the guys...ebay shopping order for christmas. XD

 

I was always fond of full outfits, like the ones Dollheart offers. That's how I started, buying a couple full outfits and adding single bits and pieces here and there. Good thing about full outfits is that you can usually split them if needed.
If I buy a big dress with two skirts underneath for volume I can use those skirts on other outfits too, when the original one isn't currently worn.

I still do that, but I also have a bunch of custom/commissioned outfits on top now and buy single pieces wherever something comes along that I like. I have a mixture of "basics", i.e. things you always kinda need in an outfit and can be worn by a big amount of dolls here (like black pants), and "character", i.e. pieces that strictly belong to one character and are only worn by them. The latter are usually the more flashy pieces too.

I either buy from Taobao and the numerous shops/seamstresses there, etsy or straight from doll companies (like Luts and Iplehouse). I rarely buy clothes second-hand, pretty much nevery buy dolls with full-sets. I wish I could commission more often, but there aren't many seamstresses available with really good quality that are willing to work on sizes they don't own.

 

I use my husband as slave labor. I tell him what I want and make him sew it. Granted so far the dolls I own are either animals that don't really need clothes...or came with a fullset outfit. XD All of his girls he's had to sew for though. Luckily we try to do an outfit theme a month type thing (we miss a few months here and there) so there have been extras. We had a Zenith, then bought new ones so we had a doll to make clothes we knew would fit. He bought a Gem of Doll and made outfits for her and just added another to his collection so we knew what clothes would likely fit (they did change the body, the new one is prettier/slightly bulkier but in a good way but the clothes we have so far still fit).

 

I'm in the UK too, and I've just bought a few things here and there over time. Facebook and ebay sometimes have some bargains. But the best thing I ever did was learn how to use taobao. They sell lots of clothes for so much cheaper than most bjd sites. It can cost a bit because you're buying in bulk most of the time, but it's so worth it. And it works out a lot cheaper to buy stuff from there in bulk sometimes.

 

I generally buy outfits at the same time that I buy a doll, because not only is it less expensive to ship combined orders, but if I decide to do a layaway on the doll, then the clothes are automatically on layaway, too...which basically means that I have three months to pay for the pricier ones. I love Iplehouse's and Soom's style and high quality, so I will frequently splurge on an outfit for one of my other dolls at the same time that I am buying one for the new doll. Of course the longer you're in the hobby, the more clothing you will amass - so you can start to mix and match pieces to come up with whole new looks that you hadn't even thought of when you first made the purchase. Etsy is also a wonderful treasure trove of outfits and accessories for BJDs of every shape and size, frequently far more affordable than the stuff you can get directly from the doll companies, and many of the people who sell there are SO talented!

 

I built up my dolls' wardrobes the same as I did my own. I sew (am a costumer) so lots of stuff I made. I buy 2nd hand a lot - I've found antique ~sic~ doll clothes & stuff at thrift shops sometimes, and I buy stuff at doll meets & occasionally off the MP. I also have bought new stuff from doll companies. Some of the clothes I've made, have been from patterns I bought or downloaded, some from patterns I drafted from full-size patterns, some from patterns I drafted myself. I've also made doll clothes from baby clothes & from various novelty items (ie those wine bottle sweaters LOL)
So pretty eclectic!

 

I got most of mine from ebay and etsy ! there are some really cute shops on etsy. so far I've only bought a few different pieces to make one outfit, and begged my friends to get me other outfits for christmas lol

 

It is one of the hardest parts of BJD hobby for me. To find the clothes that fit your dolls is something that never comes easy. Many bodies that fit into a general cathegory (like SD13 or 70+) will leave you surprised when trying to put the clothes on for the first time. Especially if your doll sports a rare body type with unusual proportions like 70+ but with wider shoulders or SD13 but even longer legs than 'long leg'. Your situation is even worse if you have a very specific style in head for your doll.

My strategy has been:
Order full outfits if you can. That will save you a lot of trouble. You can use parts of the outfit even if other parts don't fit. If you select from the same range of style,fitting parts will give you a good result even if they are from different outfits. You can sell the parts that don't fit, or other dolls of your doll family can wear them.
Sew what you can't buy, correct anything that doesn't fit (there are some limits with the intricate styles of course). I think getting some experience with the basics of sewing will also give you a helping hand to build up a cool wardrobe.

Finding the clothes of your (and your dolls') preference can indeed be a handful, but finding the shoes can be a mission impossible sometimes. I have less than 50% success rate with shoes, I had to sell more than I could keep. I don't have any strategy, so if you have any good tips, I am eager to listen.

Another strange thing that keeps me worried: I could go with my doll wardrobe for a long time, but some of the clothes have started to look worn-out. I haven't bought new clothes for some time but now I would like to update my dolls' wardrobe with some basics of good quality. But I notice that the price tags went skyrocketing in the last couple of years. An outfit that cost 80-100 USD 1-2 years ago, costs 140-250 these days. C'mon this is crazy.

 

Also UK based. So far, I've ordered from ebay (agree with the seller wanami being good!) and etsy. I've then hand sewn lots of other items. My doll Lili already has quite a collection from what feels like out of nowhere, haha. Your collection of clothes will shoot up in no time!

 

I started with one outfit for each doll and that's all they had for a couple of years. Recently I've been slowly growing their wardrobe and my favorite place to shop is definitely Taobao. AC offers only a tiny part of what's available there. I like to start with a basic item - like a dress, and add pieces to it, so it can be worn in different ways! Etsy has really nice things as well, but mostly for slim minis.

 

I used to have quite a lot of clothes. I would save up and order lots at once to make it worth the shipping. I also browsed the marketplace regularly to pick up secondhand items that caught my fancy. And I sew my own.

I stupidly sold most of my clothes last year when I "left" the hobby, so now I'm having to start my collection all over again! (Sometimes I think about particular items I had that are no longer sold and weep a little bit inside) So here's a tip for you, don't sell your clothes! Hahaha.

Oh - I also picked up quite a bit of clothing from buying dolls secondhand. I had a few sellers include bits of clothing they didn't want as free gifts.

 

I am a seamstress and I sew most of the items but what motivates me is conventions, contests, and doll meets as my crew always needs something new to show off. Wish I could sew as much for myself but I tend to wear the same thing most days.

 

For about the first year or two, I made everything because it was the only way I could afford. Now, I build it up in a variety of ways. I still make a lot of things, but I also shop on Etsy, eBay and doll shops, enter swaps, buy secondhand and shop on Taobao. I also have a sister and friends in the hobby, and we often buy/sell/trade at local meets too, or request doll clothing as gifts if asked.

 

Most of the clothes I have for my dolls come from Etsy or conventions ^^
As I have dolls with strange measurements I prefer to buy something that was made especially for the type of doll or that I can try on my doll first

 

First I try to find what suits which doll and their needs, style, and so on. Then after that I look at price (I know I may look like a money bags but some dollies need to come home still ) and after that then I think of season/would they wear it for pics a lot or is it more "casual" kind of clothes.

 

I buy certain pieces of clothing for certain dolls. Most of my characters have very specific styles and very different from each other.