Les déesses du spectacle: Aliocha by Bestiare Doll

When does a doll, that object so readily boxed into the realm of plaything or decoration, break free to transform our perception and interpretation of their presence? Effigies of the human form have accompanied humanity for millennia with roles ranging from funerary to commercial, yet one idea may be expressed without fear of it being fallacious: dolls are an essential expression of our human desire for transcendence, for the doll will not only outlive us (will they be sorrowful after our departure?) but the doll will present to those after us an idea of our aspirations, of our fears, and of our attachment to sensorial pleasure.

Jeanphilippe Primeau, the talent behind Bestiaire Doll,  is an exemplary creator whose dolls defy categorization as their powerfully generous presences magically transform, like goddesses, to connect with us viewers at that exact place where we exist emotionally and intellectually. Dolldom is honored, once again (our first collab was Chuchu in April 2022), to be able to showcase the most recent creation of Primeau, the exquisite Aliocha.

A painter as well as a sculptor, Primeau expresses his ideas using different mediums, and dolls become another canvas for him in which paint combines with resin, vintage fabric, mohair wool, beads, gold foil, and feathers in an overflowing creative stream. Aliocha is, like all of Primeau's dolls, a 100% handmade object that will gladly play with the dollector as well as exist as an elevated aesthetic expression in a room or a museum.

Dolldom and Primeau sat down for an interview right after the completion of photography to discuss his creative process. Primeau also shared diptychs of his inspirations with the transporting photography of Montreal-based photographer Jogn the Alien.

Dolldom: What ignited your process for the creation of this stupendously opulent line of Aliocha?

Primeau: Actually, it wasn't supposed to be a line nor a collection. It's just that I ended up making one after the other and they kind of fit well together.

Dolldom: Who came first?

Primeau: The first was the Rainbow Girl, I was weirdly inspired by a scene in the movie Grease 2 where the characters sing in a talent show and they each wear outfits representing the months. I liked that it was a bit cabaret, campy and crafty. And I wanted to do something inspired by that. I wanted this Aliocha to be Rococo, very soft, and pastel. I was seeing in my head the rainbow hat with all the beads, and the doll representing the sky. The photo of Rainbow Girl is by me. 

Dolldom: Her blue energy captivated us, the rainbow being such an integral symbol of diversity. And then?

Primeau: Star Girl was inspired by Bauhaus ballet. My aim was to transform the shape of the doll as a star and make her part of that star, with the little hat and big shoulders. And the curtains drape with the tassels just like at a theater for a play or a ballet.

Dolldom: The construction of the jacket is awe-inducing. Your IQ must be off the roof! What inspired the third?

Primeau: Moon Girl was inspired by old 1920s and 1930s costumes. I wanted to place on the doll in a moon cut-out and keep the design simple.

Dolldom: She is a stunning presence emitting a glow all her own! What about your fourth doll?

Primeau: For Sun Girl, I was inspired by Louis XIV and his depiction as the Sun King, on a stylistic point of view, something very Versailles, Rococo, with a n abundance of gold and warm tones. I wanted for a long time to do my own version of this classic outfit. There are many differences in my version, like the corset, the Elizabethan collar, and the stockings. I wanted to do it with a contemporary twist, while making sure to add at least the iconic sun hat, handmade with hand sculpted rays and ostrich feathers.

Dolldom: Outstanding! Thank you, Jeanphilippe, for having colaborated with Dolldom once again! For more information on Aliocha and all Primeau's creations make sure to follow Bestiaire Doll and his Instagram feed.

Visual Literacy

It's important to know how to decipher what one is seeing.



But as critical as how one sees - is how one looks while seeing. And we are not talking about wearing a pair of sunglasses to hide dark circles or to communicate the message that eyes kept in secrecy allow no window to the soul.

Today's lesson is taught best by the formidable Peggy Guggenheim. Eyes she had, trained and skilled to understand the artist's message. And it was she who best exemplified that, regardless of what one wears on the body, it is what frames the face that speaks volumes about one's character.





LizRetros shares this sense of exuberance in design. For more than two decades, the Retros label has exemplified the golden standard in the handmade doll fashion cottage industry. Which presented no surprise when Dolldom learned that soon the doll world would enjoy the pleasures of much needed eccentric sunglasses for all sizes of dolls. The legacy lives on in LizRetros' 3-D printed and hand decorated miniatures. Now any doll can join in Miss Guggenheim in that rarefied realm of inspiring mavens who know how to look at art while defining it.


DAE Originals' "Sugarplum" Vivette goes all-out Tiki on her co-workers. Suit by Marirose.


Prototype Sylvain, by Julian Kalinowski, captures the essence of Miss Guggenheim - it's all about the spectacle of her spectacles.


Julian Kalinowski's Little Miss Lolita (aka Lalka 2) relaxes in her Venice palazzo while watching gondolas pass by through her "Aquarius" sunglasses. Coat by Rosina Haskell.


Contract negotiations will go Ivy Jordan's way. No ones messes with her flamingos. Suit by JK Clothier. JAMIEshow wig cap restyled by Kathy Johnson.


"Check This Out" Esmé by Tonner Doll is mermaid supreme in this under the sea fantasy.


Serious art collector Sofía, by JAMIEshow Doll, goes to a gallery opening and sets the scene ablaze - with one look!


The party got to be very swell once Tonner Doll's Tiny Kitty Collier walked in in her red bubble dress and Retros' "Tikilandia" frames. Mai Tai and Zombies for everyone!


A walk down Fifth is never a mundane activity when invoking tropical climes. It's happy hour at any hour of the day for Tonner Doll's Miss America dressed in Kitty Collier's suit.


Society gals like Tonner Doll's Miss Kitty Collier know how to spice things up at balls and fundraisers with chiffon and flamingos!


Mel Odom's "Phoenix" Gene Marshall, produced by JAMIEshow knows how to make an entrance and kill the red carpet in her Retros's "TikiColor" sunglasses.

To acquire your own pair, make sure to visit Retros Boutique!

Sasha Love

The artist Sasha Morgenthaler created a realm of childhood that, like good literature, offers a stimulating serving of ambiguity to those who engage with it. Begin with the sculpt: a universal depiction of the human child transforms via vinyl coloration and hair. The one becomes the everyone. Proceed to the expression: a smile? Not really. A pout? Certainly not. It all depends on the tilt of the head and the way that the light illuminates the face to evoke a milliard possible expressions. End with the simplicity of it all: the integrity and strength of the artist's vision creates a doll that requires the most minimal of adornments to be. The Sasha doll is a presence, a sentiment, a conduit to the eternal moment to which many of us aim. That is the power of art and the power of a very good doll.

Dolldom shares this exclusive portfolio with an invitation to dream and to project your thoughts into these soulful vignettes. Our hope is that you will reconnect with the essential moment of childhood that makes us the unique creatures we are today.