Doll's Eye View: New York Fall 2016 Trends

This season I was reminded why I love New York fashion. Easy to wear. Comfortable and classy in an understated way, many of the items I saw is just the way I love to dress. What you'll notice right away is how simple everything is. For my dolls, this was a bit of a mixed bag. The clothes themselves were simple and quickly enough to make....but....once I finished, the finished look was well...understated, discreet and maybe a bit ho-hum. I still stand by those outfits and "off the catwalk" they are very easy to glam up. But knowing how many dolls out there like to "steal the show," I was forced to add in a few eye catching numbers. But at the end of the day, this was a fashion week that I identified with and could have easily made a few more outfits if it weren't for three more cities to explore.

Beauty and the Beast

Spotted cats, shaggy (faux) fur, reptiles, fuzzy collars...the animal kingdom meets sexy, slinky silhouettes (slip dresses in particular)!

What makes this look is the contrast in texture, fabric weight and color. By pure chance, I found a reptile printed, stamped bit of patent leather. This was VERY hard to sew. Instead I'd recommend a square of snakeskin printed vinyl from the craft store. The collar is a small bit of fur I found. by its nature, it is out of scale with the doll, but the only thing in my house that (color-wise) complimented the jacket. The end result resembles those sumptuous coats from the late 1930's.

Cross-check

Plaids and checks have become a fashion staple. Here, the designers took a novel approach to working with them. Instead of the traditional tartans, look for ginghams, windowpane or nubby plaids draped or sculpted to the body. The Herve Leger dress is stretch and could be easily replicated using striped socks.

The New Sweater Girl

This is the look of sweater looks today....soft, cozy, comfortable, yet sexy and even glamorous when given a touch of fur!

The Jason Wu dress is super simple and shows off the curvy hips of China, an S.I.S Barbie. The trend of bare shoulders continues. This is another look easily made from socks or knitted caps.

In fact, for this look, worn by Estelle, I cut up a knit cap to make this two-piece knit dress. I used my raglan sleeved sweater pattern for the top. The bottom is cut in one piece (as a tube) with a bit of elastic at the waistline. Here's a tip. The collar is a separate piece so the top can be work with or without.

Manhattan Daze

A tailored look is given a distinct girly edge thanks to touches of fur or ruffles. A sleek black jersey dress that works for a professional dinner....this is how today's diva does business in the big city. Look for menswear fabrics (stripes, tweeds, flannels), or jerseys.

A simple top made from the basic foundation worn with a fur collar and a pair of straight trousers...it doesn't get any easier than this! In fact, with a small bit of faux fur, you can give a new look to existing clothes in your doll's closet!

A twist on the basic black dress. This stunning look was achieved using a basic knit pattern with funnel collar. After constructed, a diagonal slash at the neck was made, folding under and hand-stitching the new, asymmetrical neckline. If you want, you can pinch one side of the dress and stitch in place at the side seam to create a bit of shirring.

Soft

From the color to the easy fit, the word of the season is...soft!!! These are simple silhouettes cut from supple materials like soft jerseys in winter pastels and white.

 

Waves & Ripples

There isn't much in the way of real color this season. But patterns and monochromatic prints reign supreme. You can even make your own patterns by sewing together bits of heavy lace or ribbon to create an interesting material for a simple top or skirt.

Samantha jumped for this jacket and palazzo pants outfit. What is interesting here is the fabric. The original look is cut from a tiger striped print. My tiger stripes were made for full scaled humans. But look what happens when you cut it for a 1/6 scaled doll! The same print becomes an oversized, abstract print!

Grayscale

Like winter skies in the northern hemisphere, so goes the predominant color palette for next Fall. We noticed a lot dresses with longer hemlines and trousers running the full range from snow white to stormy black.

Grace love this black on black, two-piece dress. The top is the basic sweater with a wide neckline so that it slips down off the shoulders. The bottom is a tube skirt suspended from a strip of elastic. The super-wide, wrap belt pulls it all together. Everything is cut from a fine jersey knit and accessorized with long (fingerless) gloves crushed onto the arms and black rubber necklaces.

The Waldorf

Grand clothes for grand events, my girls really went for black lace which appears to be sheer. In effect, they are lined with a flesh tone lining which best shows off the beauty of the lace.

Lana Turner Syndrome


Diane von Furstenberg

This is about old school glam borrowed from the 1930's. Consider this: Furry collars, boas and stoles will be next Fall's HOTTEST fashion accessory. This Diane von Furstenberg look is simply a slip dress with a fur stole tossed over one shoulder. We like this look a LOT!!! And it can be worn over anything! If you don't find the time to make anything new for your girls, consider a fur stole!

This crazy fashion season is underway. The girls are already in London. And a second crew will be in Los Angeles for the Academy Awards next weekend while other teams set up in Milan and Paris. Stay tuned for lots of new looks and ideas ahead!!!


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