Mattel's recent reproduction of the Black Francie doll reignites Dolldom's passion for the styles of the late 1960s. And "Floatin' In" Francie is the perfect model muse to star in a little adventure into the world of Crest of the Hill Knits' (formerly Hill Crest Barbies) hand crafted fashions.
Associated with the homemade, knitted garments are often overlooked and under appreciated by collectors of fashion dolls. But Dolldom is sure that this Black Francie and Crest of the Hill Knits combo will surely whet your appetite for a little yarn. Knitted specifically for the slender silhouette of Barbie doll's MODern cousin, the looks reference Flower Power, YSL and Emma Peel. Isn't that groovy?
This saturated marigold yellow dress features a single cornflower blue blossom producing undeniable graphic impact.
Museum Piece...Not!
The reference to YSL's famous Mondrian dress is there but with a glittered driving cap by Maryann Roy and her swinging attitude, Francie takes the look out of the museum and into the streets of Swinging London.
The Emmapeeler
Cause a gal needs to have a black catsuit! Knitted to fit like a glove, Francie's jumpsuit features shot-with-silver-thread black yarn for extra glam.
Fifty years ago, the American Girl Barbie doll (stock # 1070) debuted a new bobbed hairstyle and bendable legs in one of Mattel's swingiest television commercials: "The Barbie Look"
"Here are five of your favorite friends,
Barbie,
Midge,
Skipper,
Allan,
and Ken
But if you think they're the same
As they've always been
You better take another look,
Better check them again!
Now you can see that they've all acquired
A brand-new look that's Barbie inspired!
Designers call this The Barbie Look,
This great new fashion look.
And these bendable legs really look so natural
And the way that they move is so lifelike,
That you'll really be amazed at all the things they can do,
And they way that you pose them it's up to you!
You can seat them on a sofa or the edge of a bed
Or you make them sit right on the floor instead
They can cross their legs and relax and while
Or sit down to dinner in formal style.
You can pose them together in dozens of ways,
You can even have them dancing the latest craze.
You can put them in a really swinging pose,
And they look so graceful in all their clothes,
And that is just part of the fashion look,
The great new Barbie Look.
You'll get Barbie, Midge, Skipper, Allan, and Ken
And the Go-Together furniture to sit them in,
And you'll find them all where the best toys sell!
You can tell they're Mattel, they're swell!"
Bendable legs had been introduced the previous year with the sleep-eyed Miss Barbie doll. Designed to look like human legs, the clicking joints were hidden under a perfectly smooth vinyl skin. But for 1965, Mattel decided to marry this innovation to the soft vinyl head mold with a rooted bob hairstyle (another first), creating a decidedly different look for Barbie. The Bendable Leg Era is also known for the now-iconic and much-coveted "sixteen hundred" line of fashion ensembles (their stock numbers started with the 1600 prefix) that were designed by Charlotte Johnson to take Barbie to new heights of elegant luxury. In a stroke of pure marketing genius, Mattel also released Go-Together furniture sets so that its famous teenage fashion model could have plenty of chairs, sofas, swings, and recliner chaises to show off what she could do with her newly acquired articulation
To Dolldom, the American Girl Barbie is the most beautiful iteration of the doll that uses the original Barbie face. Be it as a low color, pale-lipped girl-next-door or as a high color Technicolor sophisticate, the American Girl Barbie has unequivocal magic and veritable chic. Produced for only two years, the bendable leg American Girl Barbie would soon disappear (many were traded in for the new Twist and Turn model) but her allure lives on as this Dolldom celebration illustrates.
Vintage Skipper had many detailed fashions. Some were girl versions of her sister Barbie's most iconic looks while others were original designs that reflected the interests of a girl in the mid 1960s. One activity never portrayed was an artist's get-up. Following the sentiment of our previous "What If...?" post, a vintage titian Skipper doll from 1965 models Retros' version of the never produced artist's fashion.
Skipper's smock is made of vintage print fabric. Her turtleneck striped sweater goes over sparkly black knit cigarette pants.
Her perky felt beret is classic French style.
Liz Cole also created the paint palette and brush miniatures so that Skipper can indulge in her artistic impulses.
DOLLDOM is a showcase for ideas intended to inspire, amuse, and guide the modern dollector. Fashion, art, décor and gastronomy, it's all here for you and your friends. It's Life Deluxe, DOLLDOM style.
Copyright
All of my images are copyrighted Ernesto Padró-Campos.
Please do not use my images without my permission.
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