Microbraided Wigs: are they niche, or just unpopular

I actually would love at least one microbraid wig with wild coloured streaks/highlights/"fantasy" braids mixed in with a more natural color. Microbraids, for me, actually seem like they could work really darned well in a Cyberpunk Dystopia setting, not unlike how it's not too uncommon to see dreadlocks in that same kind of setting.

And yes, I would be just as likely to use said wig on a male character as a female one. :P

 

Oh, they're certainly out there! I have a couple of dolls who I keep in that style and I haven't found it to be uncommon at all.

ETA: although on tinies not so much - that would be a challenge. But the person who figures it out would have nearly the whole market to themselves!

 

Well, myself, I haven't bought any because that style wouldn't suit any of my dolls, but I do like seeing what other doll owners do with them-- male or female, regular or fantasy colours. I've seen some fantastic looks using microbraids. Maybe they're not very common, but that makes the ones I see really pop out as unique.

(I don't mean to say people couldn't do something really unique with a wig that was common, of course)

 

I have yet to see a convincing tiny braids wig. The braids are always too thick, and wigs are hard to make into a style that will have so much obvious hairline or skin showing. Pity, because I have a character who really needs a full head of braids.

 

I have a microbraid wig that I LOVE. It is from this set:

http://eluts.com/shop/step1.php?number=358

I managed to get it off the MP for a good price. The back part was taken down so it looks a bit weird in the back, but the "kink" caused by that is fading away. I've brought it doll meetups and it winds up getting worn by several dolls over the course of the day. Love. This. Wig.

I've thought about ordering this wig as well: http://www.ebay.com/itm/DS-WIG-bjd-...47?pt=US_Dolls_Bears_Toys&hash=item4608a6472f The seller has it in a couple of colors.

 

Meh, I don't hate them but I don't like them either. I think they look good on African looking dolls like you said but most dolls are white or Asian looking. It's like seeing a white, blonde haired person with cornrows in real life. To me it looks odd.

 

I have one in tones of brown that I bought years and years ago...I think it was by Cancan, but I don't realy recall. Anyway, I've always use it on my Passion (SD13 Volks Shizu), when I want to give her a beachy/island look. Mine wig is microbraided vs. dreadlocks, and I'd love to find something similar to fit Yo-SDs.

 

It's all about scale to be honest. I have a character now who needs a plaited wig, and trying to find one that doesn't look silly is hard. Considering that most hair is out of scale on dolls anyway, and then factoring the density and size issues, it's just really really hard to find a microbraid wig that doesn't look weird on the doll. Other than that, I see no reason not to smack a braided wig on a doll that isn't african- druids used to plait their hair the same way and weave in beads and things too. I think people only find that sort of thing odd or weird because they aren't used to it. I say, if you drop blue eyes in an African looking doll then you can smack some braids on one that's not. End of.

 

I wish there was a shop that sold them 7-8 size. I'd like to have two but I can't find any in that size. U.U
I think it can look good at girls and boys alike.
The major problem is, I think, that there really isn't a lot to choose from. And if you are looking for a particular hair color and it's not avaible, you look for something else ...

 

There was a time when microbraided wigs were EVERYWHERE--around 2004/2005 or so. Then, yeah, most of them disappeared from the market; I don't know whether the demand dried up, or whether the wig sellers who had offered most of them closed up shop (like the late lamented Poshdolls). I still have a few of the ones I bought back then, though I mostly keep them around for nostalgia's sake. Other than my Souldoll Gunun, who wears the Cyber Bohemian Shiwoo microbraided/high-ponytailed wig with chains, none of my dolls really incline to that style.

 

Poshdolls....yes...that rings a bell! I think you're right Cynthia, I think I must have bought my microbraided wig from them. I had reached a point where I felt like I had enough wigs for all of the large dolls I had at the time, and just stopped buying for a while. During that period, I probably "missed the memo" that Poshdolls had gone away.

Meanwhile, I went to the Gaithersburg, MD doll show today and found a nicely textured mohair wig that I'm going to try braiding myself.

Juli DC

 

I do love that one and yes I think it is all about proportion. I have seen one on a Supia Rosy and it looks amazing. Isnt that the fun of BJD, swapping in and out of looks.

 

Yeah, braid wigs are still popular, although not as popular as they used to be some years ago. For one thing, a really good braid wig is a little hard to find... not everyplace makes them, they're probably too difficult/time-consuming for a lot of mass-produced places to handle regularly, and (probably as a result) it's too easy to find ones with overly-big braids or less-than-exquisite workmanship.

I have three... one Tiny one that came from DD-Anne... and two size 9s, one from Poshdolls (very old) and one from Yi Jia (less ancient but still old). The Yi Jia one has thinner braids & better scalp-coverage, it's wonderful. It comes pre-tied into a kind of cheerleader topknot ponytail, too, which is excellent.

It's easier to make a braid wig look good on a giant doll than a Tiny/Mini, of course. Braids look nice & thin on an EID.



And I don't have any racial bias when it comes to hairstyles, either. I think your doll can be any color or shape under the sun & still look good in braids or dreads. Not every individual face looks good in them, of course, but there are no cultural restrictions. Since you see so many African-styled dolls who have straight smooth light-colored hair, why not blue-skinned elves with blonde cornrows? It's the twentyfirst century, after all-- women are allowed to wear pants, and Asian folks are allowed to wear dreads. We live in Modern Times.

ETA: ZOMG Cyber Bohemian Shiwoo