Sock dresses and the anger they seem to generate.

Please, if I myself could wear a sock dress everyday, I would do it.

Seems comfy.

On dolls? Eh, mine don't wear them. My dolls are also boys. Boy boys. But, for anyone else's dolls? sure, have fun. That's what the hobby is all about, eh?

 

by "carelessly made clothes" i didn't mean poorly made because the person was just learning. i meant poorly made because the person put no effort into it. the former person is likely to improve with practice, so i would never criticize their attempts (though gentle critique, if asked for, to help them improve could be appropriate.

 

As some have stated in the thread already, its possible the doll didnt have clothes prepared for its arrival. Or just buying the doll has cost the owner all their funds. I'm the type of person that would rather save for something extravagant that I cant make. So if I just bought a doll it might live in my handiwork for some time before I buy them clothes. Rather buy what I want over buying "just something to wear."

As for the Sock-ness.....If its other people's handiwork I woud say I like the "outfit" it depends on if it still looks like a sock? I like to see creativity with the use of the material.
Making outfits for dolls out of my own clothing is not uncommon for me. Ive made hoodies and shirts out of old tanks and socks, and I've even made a little hat and glove set out of a sponge! When it comes down to it, I would like to think that it's "making the most of the materials you have on hand/can afford."


So....I think its important to keep in mind that these dolls arnt cheap. And nor are their clothes.
Yeah......I guess personal taste I'm sitting on the fence, but I don't see it as any reason to hate on others.

 

Is there still sock dress hate after all these years? Lame.

 

But... I love my doll's sock-skirt.


- Do you have an aversion to sock dresses?
Nupe! Not at all. In fact, my girl has a lovely skirt made from a sock, with a lovely punky pattern, and is well made. It hugs her curves, and looks like it's just knitted, which suits me just fine. Granted, I wouldn't want a dress, skirt, anything made from a used sock. But I've thrown random fabrics on my dolls and had a photoshoot, brought to you by lots and lots of safety pins. If that makes me less in the eyes of some doll owners, what do I care? So long as I meet my own lofty (and they are lofty) standards, then that should be enough for everyone. If you don't like, don't look.

- Do you think it makes a doll less of a doll when it doesn't have what the average owner calls proper clothing?
Absolutely not. How can you make something less of what it is? Have we discovered alchemy with sock dresses?

- Do you think less of the owner when they choose to either have a temporary sockdress or a permanent sock dress?
Why would I? It would be hypocritical of me.

- Let me now how you feel about sock dresses in general.
At the end of the day, mostly indifferent. It sounds terrible, but I don't really care what other owners do to their dolls. Like everyone else, I like to see some effort put in to the design and overall product, and I want to see another's doll look as beautiful as they can make it. But honestly, I don't see why people get so mad about doll clothes. It confuses me.

 

Personally, I see nothing wrong with using socks to make doll clothes. And I think nothing less of dolls (or their owners) because of where the material their clothes were made out of came from.
Make it look as good as you can, put some effort into it and most important - have fun! We are talking about a hobby involving collecting/playing with dolls - fun should be one of the priorities, IMO.
(and I've seen stuff made out of socks here on DOA that are much prettier than some really expensive store-bought clothes, IMO)

 

This is hiliarious!
I can't stop LOLing at some of these comments.

I like how a few people have said that it's lazy to make a sock dress, by just cutting off the toe.
Well people, we do not come into this world with thread and a needle. You have to start somewhere.
I think it's very snooty to assume that someone is lazy because they make "poor" sock dresses.
Sometimes that's just where you start especially if there is no crafting or sewing experience.
And sometimes you'd rather take photos of your dolls in something you made even if that something is, god forbid, not up to par with your high standards.

I've been hated on for some of my doll work and I can personally say that it's hurtful, so if you have to make yourself feel better by being a angry-sock-hater person, then be an angry-sock-hater person but keep it to yourself, or share it with other first-class "I'm sixhundred dollars and I don't wear sock dresses" doll friends.

haha. XD

^_^

 

I dislike seeing dolls that look like there is an absolute minimum of attention and care spend on them. Quite often sock dresses are not well made and badly finished or not finished. But sometimes i see dresses made of expensive, very pretty materials that hurt the eye far, far more, because the pattern has not been taken in to consideration when cutting or the tension was wrong or the seamstress was too unexperienced to work with very thin materials or did not know how to work with fraying materials. Some how it bugs me more to see clearly expensive materials put to bad use, than to see cheap materials used badly. And sometimes i quite like cheap materials used well.

I had to learn to sew too and used up a great milage of old bedsheets before i had the experience to make something worth showing at all.

id like to quote:

 

Oh GOD I mean, seriously? All my dolls have tailor-made or store bought outfits, and yet the one piece I am most upset about losing? The sock-hoodie I bought from a friend which is simply cute as hell. (Stupid zip broke and I haven't fixed it yet ><)

- Do you have an aversion to sock dresses?

Not at all! I recognise that some people have to really scrimp and save for their dolls and want to stick them in SOMETHING (I actually tied scraps of some fabric left over from a cosplay dress around my boy's waist for months till I could afford him some clothes) and what better than a sock dress? I think they're ingenious.

- Do you think it makes a doll less of a doll when it doesn't have what the avarage owner calls proper clothing?

Who cares what the 'average' owner thinks? I dress my dolls very well - but as a result they each have one outfit at most. But I do so because it fits their character - if their character was a punky 20th century chick I would have a veritable plethora of sock dresses for her to wear.

- Do you think less of the owner when they choose to either have a temporary sockdress or a permanent sock dress?

Um. No If you have a temporary sock dress then YAY YOUR DOLL ISN'T NAKED!! If they have a permanent sock dress then YAY YOU DOLL ISN'T NAKED!!

- Let me now how you feel about sock dresses in general.

I love them! One of my favourite dolls I've ever seen lived in sock dresses, with matching hats made from the cut off toe, and they were super-cute!

I'll be honest here. I've seen some dolls in shop-bought outfits that look HIDEOUS. I've seen dolls in DOLLHEART outfits that look HIDEOUS. Sock material doesn't always mean ugly. Just as paying $200 for an outfit doesn't always mean elegant or pretty. Raging because YOU think SOMEONE ELSE'S doll should wear more expensive/better made clothing just makes you really arrogant >.>;; I agree that I would rather look at someone's doll who's pulling off a look well rather than badly, but similarly I'm not about to go around judging them just because they don't have the money or skills to buy posh dresses or snappy suits.

I do agree that they should put badly-made sock dresses on the MP though - but then that's a matter of opinion as well, if they think their dress is gorgeous but the buyers disagree then they just won't sell. Still not something to get mad about.

Bear in mind that I also admire people who can make sock dresses. I am so artistically backward that I can't even do that. The most I've made for my dolls is a tie - ooh, how hard it was to hem a strip of fabric

I think a lot of people in this hobby need to get over themselves to be honest I often see people making very unkind comments - either to people's faces or behind their backs - just because another person's doll doesn't fit their aesthetic. I think some people need to remember that it's not YOUR doll, and if they're happy with their doll in a sock dress then that's up to them, it's not for you to tell them they can or can't.

 

Each and every sockdress, sockcardigan or sock coat in this thread is amazing:

http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?318333-Sock-Couture-WINNER-POSTED!&highlight=sock

 

To me, it all depends on the individual outfit and even picture in question.

I can see the excitement in getting a new doll and wanting to share, after all we all know that feeling, and we can´t all be master photographers with expensive equipment. But it doesn´t change the fact that blurry, badly-lit pictures of a doll with no or a sharpie face-up, a messy unkempt wig, in a cut-off sock with fraying edges are a lot less pleasant to look at as pictures which show that the owner has made at least some effort to get a presentable result. While I don´t have an aversion against sock dresses of the cut-the-toe-off-and-be-finished variety, I usually don´t enjoy looking at them.

Having said that, socks are indeed great in-scale knit material and there are patterns about that just beg to be made into doll clothes. I like to work with them myself, using patterns most of the time. For me, it´s important that the finished result looks reasonably like a small-scale garment. Hemming seams and edges is an absolute must. It´s really not complicated, so even someone new to sewing should be able to do it (and should do it if the sock outfit in question is intended to be worn for more than just one quick deboxing photoshoot to cover up the nudity).

Also, it really should be a given to buy new socks specifically for the purpose and not use old, worn-out things that were rescued from the trash bin (even if they are washed).

 

I'd like to add that by the yard, socks are more expensive than linen and only slightly less expensive than silk.

I searched every fabric store looking for a knit fabric like the SOLDIER sweater that Zack wears and the only place I found the perfect fabric was in the men's socks at Wal-mart. So these are not the most expensive socks ever made. I cursed my luck when the only fabric for the trousers that matched was linen. At least until I figured out that even my "cheap" socks were more expensive per yard than the linen.

As others have pointed out, money spent doesn't equal quality garments. Or there wouldn't be people complaining about an expensive limited outfit coming apart the first time they put it on their doll.

This. I'd rather see a doll that is loved in a sock dress, no matter the skill level involved, than a doll comes across as little more than a "look at how much I spent achieving the perfect doll." Of course, I take pains at being a consummate bargain hunter (and I doubt any of my boys would be coveted no matter what they were wearing). . . so take my opinion with whatever sized grain of salt needed. Myself, I prefer my grain of salt to have a margarita attached to it.

And. . . it seems rather petty to me for any collector to make another feel bad about their collection.

 

- Do you have an aversion to sock dresses?

Honestly, yes. I know we all have to start somewhere, but surely in the 4+ weeks of actually waiting for the doll (assuming you haven't bought second hand), if you search the marketplace in the meantime, you will find a lots of bargins that are well made and you won't have to pay overpriced shipping fees for. I spent the time waiting for my first doll to buy a few inexpensive outfits from ebay and the marketplace so he wouldn't be naked when he arrived. I think that clothes made from socks can be really well done when some effort is put into it, but I've seen far too many dolls in tube sock dresses that do nothing to flatter their shape and just look cheap and lazy. I hate to say it because I don't want to upset anybody, but I can't stand looking at sock dresses so I simply choose to ignore them. Its not my doll, but at the same time I'm not going to make any false or patronising comments in the gallery, or give praise where it isn't deserved. I always go by the old rule, if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all! ^_^


- Do you think it makes a doll less of a doll when it doesn't have what the avarage owner calls proper clothing?

No, it will always be a doll with the potential to look beautiful, sock dress or not.

- Do you think less of the owner when they choose to either have a temporary sockdress or a permanent sock dress?

I can understand the appeal of temporary sock dresses (by which I mean the toe cut out of a sock dresses), they are cheap, quick to make and some people just don't want to have a naked doll while they wait for clothes to arrive. However, as I mentioned before there are so many seamstresses out there who make good quality affordable clothing, both here in the marketplace and on Etsy. If you take the time to look through the marketplace, it really is amazing what you can find! There are also some fantastic tutorials on DOA, and using them you do not need to be a professional seamstress to create something wearable. I think there is also a "Goodbye Naked" thread in the marketplace which offers free clothing to first time dolly owners. So yes, I can understand the sock dress as a temporary thing, but not as a permanent thing because there are so many alternatives. The BJD hoddy is huge now, its not like how it was back when BJD's were less popular. There are so many affordable options out there if you just take the time to look for them.


- Let me now how you feel about sock dresses in general.

I don't like them, and I would never dress my dolls in one, and again I mean the 2 second cut toe sock dress, not a well made sock item like some of the entries in the DOA sock couture contest. There are lots of those sock creations I would happily dress my dolls in! I am really picky about what my dolls wear and I like them to look as realistic as possible in pictures, so well fitting, in scale clothes are a must. Imagine if you saw a real person walking down the street dressed in a big sock with the toe cut out, it wouldn't look very flattering, would it? It's the same for dolls in my opinion. Now... while I would NEVER exclude somebody or be rude at a meet because their doll was wearing a sock, at the same time I'm not going to sing their praises and tell them the outfit is wonderful either. I understand that we all have to start somewhere and not everyone can afford company made clothes, but there are so many affordable options! Sock dresses just aren't necessary!

 

I think everyone that thinks sock dresses are lame, cheap, lazy, unimaginative or whatever else need to do the people who like them a huge favor..... don't take it so seriously. ^_^

I mean, people, people.... they're dolls. Most people on this forum are adults, yeah? Why can't we just appreciate the fact that we are all here for the exact same hobby? What about... I don't know, what's on the INSIDE? (Well, yeah, it's resin... but I mean the owners...) I think it's extremely childish to argue over the quality of clothing for a doll. If someone dresses their doll in bubblewrap and duct tape I can hardly imagine the impact to your daily life or to the love of your own dolls. I've seen some dolls that wear NOTHING but underwear... and hey, whatever, if that's your doll then go for it.

I mean, look at the people on the street. Does everyone dress nicely? No. Some people don't have money, but... and here's a huge one.... SOME PEOPLE JUST LIKE TO DRESS A CERTAIN WAY. We all dress differently. I don't judge you guys if you don't wear suit and ties or nice formal dresses.... right? I don't think many people here would. At a doll meet if your doll is wearing a $50808.00 dollar outfit and you are wearing sweatpants and a T-shirt I don't immediately go "OMG THAT HUMAN NEEDS BETTER CLOTHES. SHE'S/HE'S LAZY!" ....

I think that's the same concept. It's early here and it may appear to be a ramble.... but I'm just tired of elitists ALL OVER. And by the way... I own 0 sock dresses. So this is not me ranting because it's what my dolls wear. I just wanna promote happiness and unity among doll owners.... we're all a little crazy anyway so we might as well stick together.

you.

 

I think it's worth pointing out that not everyone enjoys sewing. I can hand sew some simple stuff, and occasionally I'll get a wild hair where I'll want to sit down and sew. However, that's pretty rare. It's just not my favorite doll activity. Plus, I want clothing with more correct fit and detail than I can put in. Spending $35 (which, depending on the garment of course, can be quite reasonable) is more than worth it to me. I'm not lazy at all -- there are just other activities I enjoy doing with my dolls more than sewing. I'd rather do faceups, write stories about my dolls, and go to meetups than sit down and construct a garment most of the time. There's a lot of different ways to play in this hobby, and not everyone enjoys the same doll related things. Just like some people prefer to commission faceups or get a default, some people would rather buy their dolls' clothing.

Part of that money goes to the time and skill it took to make the outfit as well as the fact that they aren't produced on a mass scale, so there isn't a discount for quantity made. It's not just how much fabric is used. Making basic pants and a shirt maybe cheaper, but that doesn't mean that it's going to be what I want for my dolls. The reason I started putting more money into clothing for them was due to the dissatisfaction I felt when I went to dress them in the mix of mediocre homemade clothes that made up most of their wardrobe for the first couple of years in the hobby.

Other people, of course, can do what they want and that's fine.

 

But nobody here is saying that expensive=better. Pretty much everyone I've read the post of who was talking about how they dislike sock dresses (again, people not stuff with a pattern, just a sock with the toe cut off) is saying that it is lazy, it looks awful, and is linked in the mind with a sharpie or crayola style faceups, a wild, awful wig, blurry photos and a doll just flung on a bed. The dolls generally take a long time to arrive. There are tons of patterns on the site. There are threads that offer free clothing to first-time doll buyers. There are people who offer free or SUPER cheap commissions. There is no excuse to post pictures in the gallery of your doll wearing a sock dress, to me. I will not look at it. I will close the thread and make a mental note of whoever posted it, and avoid them in the future.

People browse the galleries to see beautiful, artistic things. Things that have some care taken on them. It is not elitist. It is human nature to be drawn to beautiful things, and pushed away by ugly things. (Except for looking at car wrecks and the like.) It is NOT ELITIST. It is style. It is not aesthetically pleasing to look at a doll in a sock dress, especially with what I mentioned earlier as what people associate it with.

 

1) I'm drawn to natural beauty in things. Not superficial beauty. Maybe a doll in a sock dress has a wonderful faceup? Maybe her accessories are phenomenal. What about the lighting of the picture or the setting and scenery? So much you are missing out on just focusing on outfits.

2) Some people don't want clothes from other people. Some people don't want to purchase clothing. You do, and that's fine. Just because you want to buy clothing does NOT mean that EVERYONE has to.

3) It's elitist. Plain and simple. Human nature is that we are drawn to what WE deem beautiful. Not what a mass quantity of people deem beautiful. If you like tall men, and your friend likes short men, and your other friend thinks skinny girls are awesome.... that is THEIR beauty that they are drawn to. Very different concepts of beauty, but still beauty. Who are you to judge what is ugly and what isn't?

4) I simply find it shallow to judge someone's entire experience based on clothing. If you can't find beauty except in personal possessions... then I hope that one day you'll realize there is an entire world of beauty out there that you are passing up that doesn't cost a dime.

 

Do you have an aversion to sock dresses?

I have an aversion to sloppily made clothing, be it constructed from sock material, T-shirt material, panne velvet, raw silk, or pork chops. Socks are a great learning tool when you're starting out making doll clothes, and whole books have been written on the subject. Really.

Do you think it makes a doll less of a doll when it doesn't have what the avarage owner calls proper clothing?

This is just a silly concept, sorry. How do you make a doll less of a doll?

Do you think less of the owner when they choose to either have a temporary sockdress or a permanent sock dress?

No, and I would personally think less of anyone who would think that.

Let me now how you feel about sock dresses in general

I've made sock dresses for Chae-ri. I've also made sock sweaters, sock skirts, sock hats, and sock socks. I use whatever material comes to hand. I made her an entire clubbing outfit out of a pair of (bought new, unused) panties because I liked the lime green material.

As I look back over the replies, I see several people who object strongly to the very concept of sock clothing on the grounds that it is "cheap" or "lazy". I think an important point is being missed here. Not everyone is a seamstress, but most BJD owners get a certain amount of satisfaction out of making something for their doll. The most elaborate, expensive outfit in the world simply can't compare to looking at what your doll is wearing and having the feeling of "I made that." If you made a sock dress for your doll, if you like the way it looks, if you're proud of your effort, no amount of money or expense can equal that feeling. What I'm really concerned about is that if the haters get too loud, it will discourage newcomers from even trying their hand at making something themselves. Isn't a big part of the hobby creativity and customization? Most BJDs are sold blank and naked for a reason. We shouldn't lose sight of that.

 

I think my point of view is like most people, it depends what type of sock dress. Socks used for material purposes and used like any other fabric, sure, its great. But what I'm assuming is the bog standard, take a sock cut of the toe, unhemmed stick on doll tbe dress? No. My answers are based on the latter and not the former.

Do you have an aversion to sock dresses?

Yes I do have an aversion of them.

- Do you think it makes a doll less of a doll when it doesn't have what the avarage owner calls proper clothing?

A doll even if its naked, in couture, in a sock is still a doll. A doll in a sock is an unflattering and in my opinion tacky doll but its still a doll.

- Do you think less of the owner when they choose to either have a temporary sockdress or a permanent sock dress?

It depends, if its a temporary thing for their first doll then sure why not. A permanent sock dress that is just a cut off toe? No. There are loads of quality and inexpensive seamstresses on the MP, on ebay, on taobao, companies I don't see the need to keep the doll in anything thats a 2 second cut off sock.

I wouldn't think less of anyone, but I would never praise it. If I see it in the gallery, I don't even bother looking at the photos.

- Let me now how you feel about sock dresses in general.

I dislike them. I never thought of putting my doll in a sock, I never will and never understand it. No doll is 'cheap' so I don't get why people will spend so much on a doll and put next to no effort on their presentation. Clothes don't have to be expensive to be quality, there are many equally inexpensive solutions to clothe your doll. I would not tell someone they can't do it and I will never shun anyone at a meet if they do. But I never will put my dolls in a sock and I will never praise or say anything good about them. To me it just looks tacky and effortless.

 

I have to say I totally agree with Emby Quinn.

A 'sock dress' in the sense of a hole cut in the toe and slid on is not a pretty, attractive thing, but it doen't make me mad to see it. Perhaps if it was something like a Soom MD, or a LE, put in that sort of 'sock dress' forever, then I'd feel a bit sad, but using socks as material into bigger and better things is really great, I think! I totally agree with everyone needing to start somewhere, (myself included), and I'd much rather 'ruin' a 6-pack of cheapo socks than some beautiful material I'd found! It's the same with everything, drawing, faceups, modding, sewing... You start at the bottom and climb your way up I've seen some gorgeous sock dresses (made into actual clothes from sock material), and some awful clothes made from expensive material.