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.

Destination: Lilliput

The old proverb "Good things (perfume, poison) come in small packages" could not find a better embodiment than in the many seven and a half inch Bild Lilli clones produced in the 1960s. The popularity of the sculpt that gave birth to Mattel's Barbie doll propelled many a company to recycle it or to create dolls that evoked the essential visual style of Bild Lilli.

The charm of these tiny powerhouses of attitude cannot be questioned. Perhaps the happy accident of being hand painted by hurried factory workers, it's hard to find two tiny gals whose expressions are identical. More fun for the obsessive collector (redundancy intended) of these denizens of the real Lilliput.

Unfortunately, the wardrobe available for them was manufactured in order not to sell them nude. Rustic at best, the fashions lack attention to detail and in most instances the passage of time has not been kind to the textiles. How to go on with the fashion show?

For this Dolldom exclusive feature, Liz Cole of Retros created a superb selection of styles made with her customary attention to fit, fabric, and sex-appeal. These fashions, many made with vintage textiles, transformed Dolldom's ho-hum collection of tiny Lilli dolls into a realm of veritable sass and class.


You Are the Sunshine of My Life. A vinyl Liza doll by Cragstan models Retros' tribute to sunny morning. With her pink scarf, she's ready to go flower picking. "Golden Foliage" necklace by Joy Jarred.


Full view of the dress and scarf set worn by a hard plastic blonde.


Cock Tails on My Hat. A vinyl Liza doll by Cragstan readies for the cocktail hour in Retros' "Atomic" sheath and orange feather chinois hat.


Board Meeting. To face investors and lovers alike, a Marx Miss Marlene doll dons a fresh-from-the-urban-jungle suit in vintage green foliage print, faux gorilla fur, and matching turban. Hand stitching in this reduced scale is proof of Liz's dedication to all dolls - big or small.


Grand entrances are made in sweeping coats over basic black. This imposing long-sleeved coat of vintage mustard, orange, and brown print is a must for entering your theater box fashionably late.


Wedding Bells! May is the month for weddings. But who is the pretty bride in Retros's white and silver lace dress? She's hidden underneath the matching veil.


A dark hard plastic Hong Kong Lilli! By the look in the mini Ken clone doll's eyes, love will keep them together. Lilli's silver and rhinestone necklace by Joy Jarred.


Watering Hole. At the cocktail lounge, smart gals wear their very best. Retros' unending creativity gives birth to these ultra glamorous ensembles. An ash blonde Lilli wears a gold Lurex strapless jumpsuit with turquoise velveteen shrug and Barbie doll's plastic tiara. A brunette vixen chooses to seduce in a red long dress with leopard shrug and a monumental hat by Maryann Roy. A mini Ken basks in their beauty in his green and gold brocaded silk dinner jacket and green nylon jabot.




Now You See Me? For the costume party theme, Retros came up with an Invisible Man get-up for mini Ken clone. Red silk and stretch gauze never looked better together.


Summertime! Beach resort fantasies come true in this fantastic swimsuit and terry cloth bathrobe and turban set worn by a soft vinyl molded hair Lilli. Mini Ken follows suit in his matching set and vintage red straw hat. Tiny Lilli's Enid Collins purse also by Retros.


But behold! The terry cloth robe is reversible! A bathing beauty ought to have options, don't you agree?


Female on the Beach! Ken is spotted wearing Retros' swimwear.




One dress, two witches! Halloween days call for appropriate fashions. A witch's dress is worn by two different dolls: a Hong Kong hard plastic gal with a delicately minute head and a Japan-produced vinyl Liza. Notice how the fit of the felt hat varies depending on the doll. Boo!

To close our Lilliput feature, we now give you our gallery of portraits! Enjoy!


Marx's Miss Marlene! Wow!


Hong Kong Lilli! Swoon!


Soft vinyl molded hair Lilli! Divine!


Mini Ken Clone in Retros's tux. What a doll!


Mini Ken clone #2. What a playboy!


Hard plastic small headed Lilli! Enchantress!


Cragstan's Liza. Lovely and amazing!


Hard plastic Hong Kong Lilli. Sphinx!



Blonde hard plastic Hong Kong blonde. Pout away, babe!
If interested in acquiring a luxuriant wardrobe to dress your own Lilliput, visit Retros' color saturated boutique.

All Hallows' Eve 2013

It's that time of year! Dolldom's very special tribute to the best of all holidays. For at Dolldom, Halloween is imbued with the images of Halloween celebrations of old, those based on vintage and antique postcards that portray the magical powers of the Earth, right before cold Winter comes to lay us all to sleep. It's a time for dancing and singing to the Harvest Moon around a crackling bonfire, for carving turnips to hold candles with which to find our way home at night, for reading ghost stories while drinking one's spirit of choice, and for turning into ghouls and goblins by means of an artful disguise.

For this year's celebration, Dolldom enjoys the presence of old and new friends who come together to partake of a good vintage Halloween time. So grab a fistful of candy corn and enjoy the fun.


Bruja bella. Nothing like a glamorous woman in orange and black to define Halloween magic. Tonner's Déjà Vu line introduces basic Emma Jean McGowen, who in Retro's sensational witch costume and Joy Jarred's jewelry, is nothing but the essence of fashion witchcraft!


A classic vampire film is de rigueur this time of year.


And Phoenix Gene Marshall by Mel Odom,produced by JAMIEshow, is our beautiful and eternal beloved.


In her Retros' Morticia Adams dress, cluster of diamonds nekclace and spider bracelet by Joy Jarred, and raven beehive by Ilaria Mazzoni, Phoenix Gene Marshall is the ultimate vamp.



But wait! Here comes the enchantress of all. In her royal blue gown with batty sleeves, also by Retros, J'adore Gene casts the ultimate fashion spell. Her necklace is by Joy Jarred. Her blond pompadour wig by Ilaria Mazzoni for Time of Doll.


You MAY kiss her hand now.


Emma Jean McGowen, the inimitable heroine from Tonner's Déjà Vu line, models a curve hugging sheath by Liz Cole for Retros and a witch hat by Peggy Feltrope. Jewelry by Joy Jarred. The little ghost costume was created by Our Sweet Creations.


Boo! Sad Sally is here!


Wilde Imagination's big eyed girl with the vivid orange cotton candy hair is the ideal poster child for vintage Halloween.


Look into my eyes....and suddenly the air turns cold, cold as ice...


Who is the magnificent apparition who stands in the middle of the ruins?


It's Wilde Imagination's One More Time Evangeline Ghastly in her ethereal gown, perfect for flying through the midnight sky in search of her beloved.


Vintage seven and half inch Genevieve doll is a Japanese beauty made of very malleable vinyl. For this classic Halloween scene, Genevieve models a Retros dress with gathered neckline and full skirt. Her Salamander Poliwogg friends all agree that she is the cutest witch of all. Felt hat also by Retros.


A Gotham Halloween, you say?


But of course! Barbie and Ken, in their original vintage sculpts, impersonate Catwoman and Batman, circa 1960's.


Trick or Treat! The Poliwogg Pumpkin Twins salute you on Halloween!


What would Halloween be without the quintessential scary old witch?
This fabulous lady boasts a uniquely expressive sculpt. Witch Polywogg by Salamander.


And she's ready to fly away on her broom along with her half moon charm.


Mel Odom's Madra Lord closes - and some say - steals the show in her purr-fect and ever so seductive sheath with pussycat print fabric by Retros and a classic witch  hat by Peggy Feltrope. The Enid Collins purse reproduction is also by Retros. Madra's big pumpkin is from Target.

This is Halloween!