Your Most Expensive Doll Dress Set

My most expensive dress set was $950 plus shipping for a used La Petite Madeleine dress set I bought second-hand from a user on the marketplace here.

Most of my dress sets are around $450-$750 each, but I have a couple that were more than that. I consider myself to be a LPM dress collector, so I will often spend more on LPM dresses than the cost of my dolls.

I say pretty regularly that doll clothes are really more of my passion than the dolls themselves. I'm just obsessed with heirloom style SD dresses!

 

I've been looking into buying some cute clothing for my dolls. But I am super shocked by some of the prices for a full set of clothing and the (lack) of quality. I have my eyes on this set for about 150. But not sure if I should get it. It's a 4 piece set dress+underskirt+socks+head piece, but the quality doesn't look super good.

What is the most you have spent on your doll clothing (single piece or full set) did you feel like it was worth it.

 

If you like it and have the money, get it! I regret not buying full sets when I had the chance now I'm broke and my feeple60s naked
I've spent 45$ on a jacket that didn't fit any of my dolls.

 

I think the most I've ever spent on one set of clothes was $150 USD. It was a doll heart set... And worth every penny.

I bought a dress for $120 USD and was genuinely shocked by how wonderfully constructed it was. That one was an Etsy purchase.

And... The most for a pair of shoes was $30 USD... And I was super unhappy with that purchase, as, after putting them on for the first time, the faux leather began to flake off.

So, really, you may be surprised with what you get.

 

I'm not sure.... I tend to buy pieces over sets so while I've definitely spent a lot of money over time, I don't think I've put down the big bucks all at once for one item. But if you're not sure about the quality, consider passing. I've definitely seen sets that look to be worth every penny of their triple digit price tags. However, there have also been things I've passed on because the fabric or sewing quality didn't look to line up with the asking price.

 

I usually buy separates and rarely go over $45 on jeans or $20 on shirts, but I spent $200 on two separate occasions--once on a Freedom Teller white suit for Dhani's wedding, and once on a custom 18th Dynasty Pharaoh outfit for a previous doll. In both situations, I'd say the quality was worth it, and that I got something I couldn't get for cheaper or in the same size/design elsewhere. I've also traded a Soom Idealian for a lot of clothing custom made for Hailey and also was very pleased. That being said, I have spent less money and been disappointed with quality or fit. The worst is when something appears to be quality, then I pay good money for it only to realize I could have made it myself better. :/ I feel like it's always a risk, but research first and check the company/artist's feedback, look at owner photos if you can, and check the size of the doll modeling it to that of your own.

 

I would look into the quality, I have as well bought a lot of pieces on etsy and been pleased with the quality. If it looks well made its probably worth it. Look into what each piece would cost if you bought something similar separately and see if you think you are getting a decent price with all the items are together. Also keep in mind shipping. That's how I have justified buying sets anyways. Especially if you know you will eventually be getting those pieces anyways.Good Luck!

 

It just kills me to spend more on my dolls' clothes than I do on my own (I mostly thrift shop). However, I make doll clothes and I understand why they are priced as they are. Quality doll clothes are really worth the money. I don't think I've spent more than $25 on a piece yet, but there are some items (Minifee jeans and dresses) I plan to buy someday that cost more. I still can't bring myself to spend $35 on a pair of doll shoes though.

 

I've spent $200 and close too on one outfit a couple times (mostly mens suits 70cm from Sadol and a few other places) and yes it's worth it. The quality and fit are so much better on the more expensive items.

That's not saying a lot of less expensive items aren't worth it. I've gotten clothes from places like Etsy and been surprised at how nice they were. Totally worth more than they charged. But that's not always the case when shopping anywhere tbh. And just because the item costs a lot doesn't mean it's going to be perfect. I have paid $50 for doll jeans that, though they were gorgeous, like human jeans shrunk to doll size, they literally fit none of my dolls well. I still use them....but I'd have preferred a better fit for that price.

 

Don't know if this counts, but I bought a 27$ dollar synthetic wig and it had choppy bangs... Besides that, it was a nice wig.

 

I have spent $230 in a hanbok, $185 in a kimono, and $130 in a traditional chinese dress. I really don't regret buying those outfits, the fabrics are so pretty (are fabrics I could have not bought where I live) and the quality and details of the confection is very good (I wanted to see in person how was done the construction of those traditional clothes), fortunately they fit well on the dolls. I plan to also buy korean, japanese and chinese traditional outfits for 3 of my boys (when I have the founds for that).
Apart from that I plan to make most of the clothes for my dolls (simple shirts, pants, skirts, stuff like that) so I can make them to my taste, and crazy as it sounds I'm not willing to pay $20 for one shirt or pants I can do myself (specially when I have 10 dolls to dress)
I too have seen outfits that have few pieces and that don't look so detailed or complicated to cost as much as they cost. I'm curious, could you put a link to the outfit you are thinking to buy, I'd like to see it

 

Absolutely, from the right makers.
Have you ever tried to sew anything? It is harder than it looks. Then do that at like 1/4 scale and it gets 4 times harder. Trust me, most handmade doll clothes are being sold for grossly less than they are worth in terms of hours of labor and the skill required.

 

For me so far...

Most expensive set: 151USD
Cheapest set: 59USD
Most expensive item: 109USD
Cheapest item: 12USD

I will choose quality over quantity any day. Expensive clothes are usually higher quality and have more detail, so I do think it is worth it.

 

I guess the most expensive single piece I've bought has been like...$40ish? I usually don't buy sets, but I do put together outfits of separates from the same store and buy all those at the same time. Those outfits usually cost around $80-100, and I usually have a shirt, pants, a jacket, shoes, and maybe another shirt or accessory thrown in there. I probably wouldn't spend like $150+ on an outfit unless it was really specific and the only outfit a character would wear (unless it's a really fancy kimono set for Toshi). I definitely think my clothes purchases have been worth it, especially when I've put in the money for good quality.

Quality over quantity is definitely my mindset too; if you think a set doesn't look like it's good quality, then don't get it. No reason to waste your money when you could probably find something similar or have something made that's better quality.

 

Most expensive I've bought was Monochrome Chic set from Freedom Teller for $177. I think it was worth it. IMO, Freedom Teller has the best tailoring and fabric quality of any company I have bought from. Sadol is pretty good, but not quite as good (some of the items for their school sets fit so tight you'll nearly pop a seam shoving it on and sometimes the fabrics are a little more scratchy than nice).

I am really weak for a well-tailored suit and cheaper suits have something left to be desired when it comes to tailoring and fabric choices.

As someone who sews, I have no problem buying expensive stuff I achieve in a quality to my liking (though I want to get to that level eventually!).

On the other hand, I am really stingy when it comes to casual wear because "expensive t-shirt" and "cheap t-shirt" quality isn't as dramatically different to me.

 

I'm actually looking at this dress for a new 1/3 doll I'm thinking of ordering as a Christmas present for myself from luts and wanted to purchase an outfit for her. With shipping & currency conversion everything I think it would cost close to 150 (Canadian dollars lol) but looking at it the fabric and the way the dress is cut I'm a little hesitant.

The set in question is this Welcome to LUTS - Ball Jointed Dolls (BJD) company

Do luts have good quality clothing? I've only really heard that their wigs are pretty good.

 

Customhouse/Ai CeeBee by Linda Trettel, on Flickr This outfit was from Phantomdolls just several years ago and cost $356!!! I had several similarily priced outfits from her. They are gorgeous but the resale value is less than half. I still have one I have never been able to sell. I won't pay that for dresses or outfits anymore. My girls just have to live with whatever I can create for them.

 

I wanna hear about your high-end clothing purchases for your girls and boys. What's the priciest thing you've gotten for them? Was the quality/craftsmanship worth the price you paid?

 

It was a $200 suit from Freedom Teller. It was definitely of the quality I expected, it was nearly the same quality as a real suit would be! It's not something I would normally buy, but it was for a wedding photoshoot for my very fashion aware boy, and I hadn't found any other white suits in his size that looked professional enough for my taste. I have since used it again, when one of my other boys was the best man in a different wedding.

I have learned from my time in the hobby that it's usually worth it to pay a little bit more for something of high quality. This doesn't mean you need to buy only the most expensive things, but you shouldn't settle for the cheapest things just because it's cheap if it's not the quality or design you really want. If I settle for less than what I want, I know I'll regret it and agonize over it until I end up buying the better thing in the end anyway, so it's best to just skip that middle step and go straight for what I really want in the first place.

 

Ehehe.... Not the outfit itself but the fabric to make it. I dropped about 15 bucks for fabric to sew with. And then another 20 on charms/add ons/trims/fresh thread/new needles.

The most expensive actual outfit I bought, was the yukata that fits my MSD girls, it was 15 dollars and being sold at a meetup. A girl there makes them for sale (very beautiful and accurate) and it was my first meetup with my first girl BJD. So I picked one out and that was that.