All Hallow's Eve - Dreary Style

The Dreary twins have captivated Dolldom since their very first appearance in 2007. And this Halloween 2022, they are back! In this Dolldom exclusive, Agnes and Viktor share their love for anything and everything spooky.

As the day begins its descent into dusk and candles begin to flicker, Agnes and Viktor Dreary escape to a corner of the garden...



My Witch Wish
"Dinner Doldrums" Agnes Dreary gets her witch wish with a fantastic hat by Peggy Feltrope.

Little Ghosts

Viktor imagines that his broken frozen Charlotte dolls are ghostly creatures sprouting from deep inside the Earth. 

The Greatest Showman

Viktor in a shirt, tie and pants by The Doll Workshop's Andrea Jacques and a hat by Peggy Feltrope, shows off his ghoulish menagerie. 

Let's Face It

"Minor Conundrum" Agnes loves a mask - just not on her face. Her vintage zombie lady will go trick or treating, on her hand.

La mosca mortal

Viktor leads his pack of Thetis Lake Monsters by Stexe on a nighttime excursion to the pond in LizRetros' The Fly get-up.  

Bzzzz...

Sweet Little Witch

Who's behind that mask? 

She's not saying! But everyone around her knows...

Monster Trainer

"Odd One Out" Viktor Dreary tames the beasties.

But the Enfield Horror by Stexe has gotten away...and on Halloween! 

This Halloween entry closes with a little ditty composed by the twins and enacted by their beloved friend Cuculala, an antique porcelain headed mignonette.

As I walk by the forest grand

So full of green amphibians

I realize it's time again

To make my introduction!

A casque of moss, redolent most

Of buried leaves and chestnuts,

Adorns my thoughts so hollow.

For I'm the grand Cuculala,

Cu-cu-la-la forever!

In light or dark 

You'll hear me chant

I am the grand Cuculala,

Cu-cu-cu-cu, Cuculala,

Cu-cu-la-la forever!

Happy Halloween!

Evocations

What if travel back in time were possible? Triumphant voyagers would visit any selected moment in the past and partake of its zeitgeist, maybe even going along (very much tongue-in-cheek) with the rules and mores, knowing too well how society will change for the best or maybe how it will devolve for the worst. But then again, it's nothing but a séjour, one from which it's possible to return.

Fashion, in its constant push to renovate and reinvent, is always in movement, revisiting past decades (rather anachronistically) with its poetic evocations of time, place, and mind space. For what was exquisite in the 1920s is still today - infused with current dreams, hopes and fears.

Accompanied by V.Jhon's unique Nightingale Molly Hayward, Dolldom embarks on an exploration of fashions past and present. Bon voyage, chers lecteurs!



Back in May 1927, Paris was in love with these evening designs by Vionnet, Lanvin and Chanel.


V.Jhon's revision, called Nightingale, maintains the essence of languid sophistication.


Chanel's 2018 Fall/Winter Haute Couture, designed by Karl Lagerfeld.


Time moves on....


Actress Wendy Barrie in a 1937 photo by George Hurrell. It's all about draping the fabric. And the unfortunate use of animal fur.


V'Jhon's Molly Hayward updates the style in an Ilaria Mazzoni wig for Time of Doll, an Integrity Toy's dress for Mel Odom's Rich Girl Madra Lord, and a faux fur jacket by the now defunct RDGdoll.


Actress Ann Sheridan in another photo by the grand George Hurrell, circa 1947.




Forging on...


Black and white?


Lingerie time! Mid-century bondage in cotton or silk covered Lastex!


Molly models LizRetros' interpretation of bullet bra and girdle. Hair by Ilaria Mazzoni.


Beehive, do we see?


Mid-century fantasy. For the cover of her album, singer Julie London goes all out in a poured-on-her-body baby blue number.


LizRetro's revision boasts elaborate beading with jet stones and the unforgettable pointed bosom. Hair by Ilaria Mazzoni.


But, when are we now?

We're in 1975. And it's all about Yves Saint Laurent, French Vogue, and Rue Aubriot in Paris.  Helmut Newton takes the photo and the worlds of art and fashion will never be the same.


Molly melds the essence of both models by donning a pair of tuxedo pants and a lace dickey with matching poignets. Top hat by Peggy Feltrope.


Time does not stop...


An open palm helps one take cover. A paparazzo is on the prowl. The cult of celebrity is in full force.


David Bowie and Kate Moss ham it up  for Ellen von Unwerth's camera in this photo for the October 2003 issue of Q magazine.


Molly, JAMIEshow's Lee and RDGdoll's Lucien (face-up and tattoo by Rim Doll) follow suit in this Dolldom tribute. Fashion by Joshard. Hair by Monique Wigs. Male dolls dressed and wigged by Chewin.


In Christopher Kane's Fall 2017 show, large scale sequins and appliqués rule the runway.


V.Jhon's 2017 version for his muse Molly Hayward mirrors the current trend but on a well-fitted black silk jumpsuit.


This version by Gucci dates to 2012.


V.Jhon is a master - the minimal meets the maximal. Exquisite pairing of extremes. Hair by Chewin.


For more on V.Jhon's couture and exclusive models, visit his exciting boutique. 

A New (Silk) Stone Age

The Stone Age gave way to The Bronze Age. As 2016 begins, changes rock the quintessentially classic Barbie Fashion Model Collection, made of Silkstone.

Evolution is the name of the game in the world of fashion dolls too and as lines begin to stagnate, designers go back to the drawing board to see where improvements may be made in order to keep a beloved character fresh and relevant. The Barbie doll is the ultimate example of this constant self-actualization. But at Mattel, home of the Barbie doll, changes are sometimes unsettling and abrupt. Back in 1967, children were invited to abandon their 1965 and 1966 dolls in order to get the new and improved Twist-and-Turn model.

 After fifteen years of designing the best that Mattel could create for the Barbie doll,  head designer of the Barbie Fashion Model Collection Robert Best introduces a new era of Silkstone dolls featuring more complex articulation than the six-points with which the lined debuted in 2000. The new BFMC dolls boast thirteen points of articulation promising the beloved vintage-inspired line to give the Barbie doll the ability to increase her posibing abilities. A big task to fulfill given the fact that the original dolls - although frozen at the elbows, wrists, and knees- were given sculptural bodies that evoked the movements and poses of the most iconic flesh and blood fashion models. A right hand that perfectly fell on the right hip now gives way to the promise of two hands on hips or of a hand that can hold a bag by twisting the wrist.



But this transformation has not been without growing pains. The first doll in the line, "Classic Black Dress", has been much examined on social media sites. Condemned by many for the rough seams and stubborn joints,  2016's BFMC  "Classic Black Dress" Barbie has ignited a veritable revolution but mostly for the wrong reasons. For not only has the articulation changed, so have the body dimensions.



The sacrosanct and ever-so-elegant body that so ideally illustrated mid 20th century ideals of feminine beauty gives way to s slimmer physique. Slimmer as in a reduced bust line that challenges the proper fit of fashions designed on previous years. Will "Classic Black Dress" Barbie be able to fit in a legacy of gowns and suits? Yes, of course she will. But will these fit her properly? Not at all. The new body changed proportions and will now require its own line of fashions.



"Classic Black Dress" is a classic Barbie style. Is it BFMC style? Not necessarily. What it is is an invitation to play with a new concept. A thinner, less curvaceous doll that will usher a period of more youthful fashion designs for the line. Just look: Barbie is wearing a little black dress. But the dress is a mini. Instead of high heels, the doll wears tall boots. It's not difficult to anticipate what else will come from Mattel and Robert Best for this line. So it's time to say good-bye to the line as it debuted and to consider accepting the new look.





The doll is fun to redress and even begs the collector to do it. Wearing nothing but the dress and the boots, the doll comes alive with small touches such as black opera net stockings (that hide the unfinished knee joints), and a simple necklace and Chanel-inspired cuff from "Dusk to Dawn." The plastic boots will be great for wet weather fashions as for this dress nothing but platform pumps will suffice. The turquoise suedette pumps by e-Bay seller Paul Zhangby bring an unexpected touch of color and much needed finesse. And for that touch of whimsy - Barbie carries a reproduction Enid Collins purse made by the amazing Liz Retros for her Retros line. Little things mean a lot. 




Dolldom looks forward to seeing where this new iteration of the Silkstone line goes. Hopefully, design and production issues will be addressed and maybe even both bodies will be offered in future years. As  it stands, the new BFMC is defiantly breaking away for its origins and proposing a new way to play with our beloved Barbie doll.

Crème de Cerise

- A glass of liqueur, Mademoiselle?
 -Absolutely, young man. Crème de cerise.

Lilli Lalka slowly sips the highly sugared spirits flavored with macerated black cherries and waits for her appointment to arrive.

In her superb Retros cocktail sheath and black glittered tulle shrug, Julian Kalinowski's Lilli Lalka evokes that luscious flavors of her drink of choice.