Séjour à Kamakura

Longing for a change of pace, Petworks’ Momoko, Eight, and Nine chose to head to the coastal city of Kamakura. After several days surfing and hiking, the friends where excited to visit the monumental Daibutsu or Great Buddha of Kamakura. 

For this visit, our fashionable friends opted to wear traditional Japanese styles to allow us to vicariously travel with them, not only geographically, but also chronologically to a sartorial aesthetic that exemplifies the richness of Japanese history.

B2508 Eight and 25ETO Snake Nine are impressive in their Petworks hakama sets. Manufactured in Vietnam with immense attention to fabric selection, fit, and execution, the hakama sets’ kimonos may also be worn by themselves, providing two distinct looks. 

My Choice Momoko 2109B and Punk Nine wear handmade kimonos by the talented Ayakadoll on Etsy. Momoko models a pink print kimono inspired by the early part of the Edo period while Nine wears an Edo-komon stripe kimono and a Kinran obi. 

My Choice Momoko 2109C models a kimono evoking the middle of the Edo period, also by Ayakadoll on Etsy. Tanaka Hisae, the designer, used antique silk stripe fabric. The Kinran obi is tied using the Taiko musubi (knot) style. 

Momoko, Eight and Nine enjoy this moment with full awareness of its unrepeatable nature and bid us farewell with a collective chant: 

“一期一会” (Ichi-go Ichi-e)  - “One time, one meeting.”

May you cherish the moment as well, dear reader.

The Visit

A doll - fashion or otherwise - is the offspring of an intention. Sometimes, that intention is crassly exploitative, aiming to simply make money. But even in such a situation, said doll still will possess a truth to and about those who will -captivated by what they see- welcome her in their collections. And once on display, in or out of the box, the doll will transform and become part of a dichotomous reality, one that is both illusory and ever-so-tactile. 

Dolls created by independent artists carry a most different substance as their original intention, despite being offered for sale, is to present the specific aesthetic perspective, full of meaning and motive, of their creators. These creations will also become, once in dynamic exchange with their admirers, unique representatives of aspirations and perspectives. 

Be what the doll be, Dolldom is fascinated by the that which the doll expresses, as that message is as much the product of the objective elements that compose the doll as it is the subjective interpretation of them. 

Photography is the medium via which Dolldom engages in that visual study that later, carefully combined with words, will create what will hopefully be a celebration of humanity's exploration of itself. Why would we, through millennia, have worked so assiduously to replicate the human form? What is it that we aim to find, to understand and to see in a doll? 

Independent doll artist Joey Versaw, creator of, among many others, the fabulously bodacious Miss Mary doll - one of Dolldom's most beloved darlings, and his YouTube channel are the vlog equivalent of our blog, and via substantial conversations with doll artists, Versaw focuses on documenting the diverse pursuit of the capturing the human essence in doll form. 

For this interview, Dolldom prepared a special imbibe honoring Versaw's Miss Mary. Here's the recipe:

1 part gin, poured over a big ice cube.

A delicate and ever so limited pouring of Campari.

A cranberry or two, cut in half. 

Once the gin is cold and has bloomed, add the Campari and mix. Strain and pour into a cocktail glass with cranberries. 

Also for this interview, Dolldom set a special display of dolls to provide a context to our creative process. As the Miss Mary cocktail had already had its intended effect, not all dolls were properly placed in front of the Zoom camera and the accompanying photo portfolio aims to present them in their full glory. 

Dolldom thanks Joey Versaw for including our voice among those of creators who have had an immense impact on our own pursuits. 

A vintage composition ventriloquist doll - a clone of Charlie McCarthy - by Freundlich Doll Company. 

A Licca Castle doll in a gorgeous gown by Endangered Sissy. 

Hildy, one of Versaw's characters from his Pulp Dolls line. 

Viktor Dreary by Tonner Doll Company in a fashion by Andrea Jacques of The Doll Workshop. Hat by Peggy Feltrope. Inset eyes by Jim Dandy. 

Tallulah, another inspiring character from Versaw's Pulp Dolls. Wig by Yatabazah. Dress by Retros. 

Petworks' Nine in a kimono by AyakaDoll on Etsy.

Versaw's Meadow, a tribute to French illustrator Kiraz's Les Parisiennes art. 

Fabulous Ivy Jordan, by Mel Odom, as manufactured by JAMIEShow Doll. Glasses and bag by LizRetros. 

Dolldom and Versaw have enjoyed collaborating for more than 20 years. Being part of Versaw's artistic pursuit has been and is Dolldom's honor.

JAMIEShow Muses Daniel elevates the concept of the 1:6th coded-as-male doll being made of resin with a hand painted face-up. 

Anna Egorova's Alexander for her Solarwind Dolls line is exemplary in its intention to make us consider what a doll is and can be. 

Another Licca Castle doll, this time a 1st gen reproduction in a dress by INOMI.

Takara's vintage Wataru-kun in original fashion. 

Vintage Nancy by Poupée Bella. 

Tonner Doll Company's Sydney Chase redefined the fashion doll once she debuted. This version has a hand painted face-up by Sherry Miller.

DEFA Lucy - a relatively new entry in the collectible fashion doll arena - is providing collectors with high quality, inspired design, and affordability. 

Versaw's Myle's autonomous definition of masculinity breaks free from patriarchal limitations. 

Julian Kalinoski's Lilli Lalka not only reproduces vintage doll making techniques but is imbued with her maker's philosophy of creative expression. 

The exquisiteness of AyakaDoll's gofun creations, textile selection, and immaculately precise design executions is not to be missed. 

Memen and Tomori, Bones mignonette twins by porcelain doll artist Katarina Karsberg close the show. 

A Gene-ius Conversation

To sit and to listen to a conversation, substantial, rich, and revealing is truly a gift in a world that relies more and more on the exact opposite. But independent doll maker Joey Versaw and his YouTube channel provide an opportunity for dollectors to take the time to sit and listen and enjoy fashion doll repartee like no other. 

The latest video features the iconic Mel Odom, illustrator, painter, and creator of the seminal Gene Marshall doll. Without Gene Marshall, the renaissance of the fashion doll at the end of the 20th century would have not occurred, and listening to Odom provide the context - biographical and artistic - for her creation is enriching, and for those who experienced it, a rewarding memory. For those who did not, the interview is invaluable. 

To celebrate the event, Dolldom revisits a portion of the many images of Gene Marshall, friends, and of course, Madra Lord! Here's to the art of conversation!