The First "Fancy" Goodies You Purchased For Your Doll

Depends, I would say its between buying a pair of Boots from Heise for Cain or the military Uniform for him from Sapparo or the Heise High Priest uniform for Jez. Deinfately Cain' clothes first but I can't remember if its clothes or boots first I got them similar time together. I remember the boots was more expensive after the shipping and fees but considering the quality and detail of them and how often he wears them. Money well spent.

 

My first "fancy" thingy was that Senior Delf duit from Luts. ^^
I just love that suit, it's perfect for Vincente (, and all the other heads that borrow his body every now and then)!

 

The first fancy, expensive thing I ever bought was a silver brocade outfit for my incoming Hound, back in 2005. It was from Cheerydoll, and cost $175. I felt so indulgent! Since then, and especially after I discovered Y!J and how to buy things from there and other Japanese dealer shops, that one outfit seems small potatoes in comparison. (Like to the $250 pair of eyes my Okita wears. ) It was a really great outfit though, and if I hadn't gotten rid of my Dollshe boys a couple years ago, I'm sure I'd still own it.

 

The first "luxury" item I ever splurged on for my boys was a h.Naoto outfit from a Volks dolpa - it wasn't even technically in the right size (SD17, and I've only got SD13 boys here. ) But I liked it so much that I was determined to make it work! And luckily it did. I sort of... studiously ignored the fact that about half a year later Volks released the same outfit in SD13 size. Lol.
It was also the fist lottery-style item I had ever entered for, and won. So that was sort of special too.
-V

 

I was a bit hesitant at first to buy expensive things for my dolls. I always thought, "By the time I buy a few outfits, I could have had another doll!"

But when I actually bought an expensive outfit I was so impressed by the quality it seemed like a fair price. Now all of my dolls wear $50-$80 outfits. I've also found that German threaded glass eyes are well worth $30 a pair--four of my dolls now wear them in different colors.

The only thing I've started spending less on is shoes, because I've found the less expensive ones to be every bit as nice!

Yes, the expensive things don't always end up getting worn by the doll they were intended for. But that's the beauty of having multiple dolls of the same size--there's always someone who can use it!

 

I have no income, so anything I get for my dolls is a luxury lol.
I did get a small green, snake-skin purse for the DOC Leya I'm saing for. It's actually a pocket watch case.

 

I used to balk at the price of Dollheart clothes...and then they came out with the Destiny of a Broken Vow collection and I HAD to have the Justice outfit. >.< To this day it's still the only article of clothing my boys own that isn't made by me.

 

Before she arrived, I purchased Cecilia a hand-made corset and skirt from Sylphide here on DoA (she does AMAZING WORK.) It's now her main outfit! ^^

Cost me $60, and it was worth every penny. You can see it on my profile

 

Mmm first really "fancy" thing I bought for my doll was ED Eyes. I loved them so much I've had to splurge and make sure every doll that comes into my house has their own pair. Love those eyes!

 

The first fancy thing I ever bought for one of my dolls was a beautiful (and pricy) pin-striped suit. It looks amazing on him, and in a way it did help me bond with him more. However, its a little too fancy, and he doesnt wear it all that often lol I would definitely say that my opinions have changed on buying fancy or expensive things for my dolls. I wouldn't dream of it when I began the hobby, but I suppose I have fallen onto the dark side ^.^

 

Hmm... first fancy thing I ever got for a doll was.. Pipos cat ears XD It might not seem like much just from looking at the website, but it's actually around $50 something with shipping and blushing. And I consider that fancy, as far as ears go, haha

 

It really wasnt that expensive but I was so excited to order a custom mohair wig for my doll. I had it made to look like my own blonde and pink hair.

 

the first fancy thing I bought for my girl was a Dollheart set
and I loooove how it looks on her, really worth it~

 

I can't sew to save anyone's life, so I didn't balk at the prices for long... if I wanted my doll to look their absolute best, I was going to have to shell out! I can't remember exactly which was the first high-ticket outfit set or boots I sprang for, I mean 2005 was a century ago. ^^ But I think it was LUTS's killer Cosmic Monochrome j-rock uniform. Or it might have been DollHeart's School of Vambane uniform. It was something delicious with a lot of buttons, whatever it was.

Having Just The Right Item can indeed change the way I 'bond' with the doll... vis-a-vis the way it makes the doll match my vision for him. For example, when I took the time & expense & wait-time to score a custom-made dreadlocks wig from Dieux-Faux for my Iplehouse Luo, and I replaced the braids wig he'd been wearing until that point, *poof*, that was the detail he'd been waiting for-- that wig suddenly turned him into the exact doll I'd been dreaming of. It was Radu's hair! It looked like he'd been born with it on! Worth every penny & every week of waiting.

 

What was the first "fancy" goody you purchased for your doll? Were you excited?
I guess it was the Ethereal urethane eyes I bought for my first doll before I even had him together. I was excited about the doll in general. However, I did not think of them as a fancy item that much, though I realize they are on the high end of standard doll eyes. The first thing I got that I considered fancy and was hesitant to buy due to the cost was a Dollheart Persimmon Fer. I was quite excited as I had never bought a new, complete Dollheart outfit before.

What were your experiences when you had the items? Has your opinion about the high cost of various doll items changed since finally seeing the quality of the items in person?
I liked the Fer and was not disappointed with the quality. My biggest concern with buying the more expensive limited clothing was that the quality may not live up to the price. I found I enjoyed dressing my doll in the Fer more than other clothes, and I had more desire to take photos.
I did sell it after a while and also sold the white Fer I bought second hand. I think what getting Fers really did, which may or may not be good depending on how you look at it, was make me more comfortable with spending more money on doll clothes. I liked the quality of the Fer, so I felt better about buying more expensive Dollheart items because I felt more sure I would not be disappointed. Then, since I was already spending kind of a lot on clothes, I thought "Why not just comission? It's not THAT much more, really, and I can get exactly what I want." >_> Before I got the Fer, $50ish was probably the most I would even consider spending on a full outfit (maybe minus shoes). After getting the Fer, $50 is what I spend on most of their more casual outfits, and the typical cost of a Fer is more usual for what I spend on one outfit. Now I am also pickier (with Dollheart, too). Before, I noticed imperfections on clothing but did not think about it too much. Now I search every piece of clothing I get for my dolls for uneven stitches, strings, or any other little issue, and it does bother me- I guess before I thought "Well, didn't spend much anyway..."
My dolls get much nicer starter clothes, too. I used to get something very simple and inexpensive for my new dolls, and they may stay in those clothes for months - maybe a year before they got anything nicer. So before, K2 from Mintoncard or something second hand from the MP. My last two dolls got Tous Les Garcons and a Dollheart set as their first outfits. They get more casual things later.

Did it effect your motivation to hand craft things for your doll?
Yes. I now have almost zero motivation to sew anything for my dolls. I think the reason I did not think too much of getting the urethane eyes was because I couldn't see myself ever making eyes. Part of me still thought I might sew for my dolls, so buying something custom made or from a company like Dollheart seemed silly if I would soon be making things just as nice or nicer at much less cost to myself. Well, I still hate to sew and can't see myself ever spending the time to make something as detailed as a DH outfit or half as fine and caringly sewn as the beautiful outfits I have had comissioned.

 

For my first doll, it was either Zoukeimura eyes (which didn't end suiting him) or the limited edition tuxedo from FreedomTeller. I can't remember which came first. It might also be because they came at around the same time.

 

At first I ordered of the hand-made carpet with the family crest of my doll (the design not by me, it was a book-cosplay).
And after it was the chain-armour for my elf-warrior, because I felt that it needs for him, indeed ^_^

 

What was the first "fancy" goody you purchased for your doll? Were you excited?
The first truly fancy goods I bought are Orian hair sticks from ttya. I've always wanted to make a traditional Japanese setting and all I need is the accessories. I was pretty excited when I found out someone selling these, if one thinks finding replica orian hair sticks for humans is hard then try finding doll sized one's.

What were your experiences when you had the items? Has your opinion about the high cost of various doll items changed since finally seeing the quality of the items in person?
They were worth every dollar I spent on them. They look real enough on photo's and are very vell made. I do need to do a little painting on them (painting the "ball" red) but I knew that from the photo.

I think that if people want high quality doll items then you should be prepared to pay for it. It's not easy to make items in doll size, and artist should be payed for their time.


Did it effect your motivation to hand craft things for your doll?
Yes, it did. There is no artist out there (that I have found) that can craft a orian hair for my doll so I need to make it my self (and it's more fun making it) And I need her geta's, they are not exactly a off the shelf item

 

A beautiful, handmade suit for Darcy, from Her Delicate Strength. Secondhand, thankfully, but $135 dollars was still a massive shock to my rather frugal system. Haha. I usually buy very inexpensive doll clothes. I always try, but some styles are just expensive.

 

The first fancy thing I bought was an outfit set. However, I was upset because it didn't fit my doll properly. That's what happens when there are slight differences between the demetions of dolls that are both supposed to be a 1/4. However, I'm confident that with a little customization, I can make the outfit work.