I have water based pens but the mark they leave on printed fabric is not very visible. Since it's water-based, it seeps through the fabric. I want the mark to stay on top of the fabric and very visible even on a printed fabric.
The tailor's chalk is too hard. The soft fabrics, like chiffon, move a lot when marking with a tailor's chalk.
The dermatograph makes thick lines. We know how a few millimeters off and it could mean a bad fit. I love these Dong-A Twistable Color Pencil for the job. If only they were sold separately and with neon colors...
Some time last year (or was it 2 years ago?), I found a dark-skinned 12-inch Original Action Figure Body. I got it from Divisoria unboxed. It was missing the additional neck pegs and the closed fist hands. I had no doll head that match the skin tone so the body was left in storage. I realized that my chances of finding a head for this body for a good price is impossible so last weekend, I went ahead and painted an action figure head to match the color of the body.
If there was something I was looking forward to last weekend, it was making this dress inspired by the red Dior dress worn by Jennifer Lawrence in this year's Golden Globes. I made the cutouts larger to make it more visible on a small doll's body. I like the dress for its simplicity. The cutouts reminded me of the 60's but it looks very fashion forward. This dress is timeless. It's a must have for every dolly wardrobe.
There are a lot of Dolls of the World (DOTW) peg warmers in the various local toy stores. There is no news of any upcoming dolls in that line. It might as well be dead. Ever wonder how that happened?
Starting 1980, Mattel released Barbie dolls with various ethnicities, like the first Black and Oriental Barbie dolls. Although criticized for a lot of cultural misappropriations or lack of authenticity, it wasn't enough to totally kill the line. It brought different faces to Barbie's circle. It was actually one of the major selling points for these dolls.
Now, ethnic diversity can be had from different Barbie lines. This was one of the reasons why the Barbie Basics was a hit. It was the same for the university cheerleader dolls. (The Barbie look flopped partly because they insisted on including the Mackie and Aphrodite molds a number of times.) With these lines, you get the diversity in ethnicity without the cultural misappropriation. Plus, the idea of getting just one doll is not enough. Collectors welcome the diversity so most bought a few, if not all, of the dolls in a line.
Now the same formula is being used for the current Fashionista line up. You don't have to pay a "collector" price for a DOTW doll just to harvest the head. It is now easier to snag a Lea/Kayla, Mbili or Goddess face molds. These are usually reserved for the collector and exclusive dolls. You also get a reusable piece of clothing with no cultural issues, hopefully.
So what's the point of collectors buying DOTW these days? I'm really fine with them gone AS LONG AS the diversity is present in at least one of their lines available globally.
I'm happy you didn't make a sock dress for me. You took time to create a pattern just for me. I feel special knowing that unlike others, the patterns cannot be shared by a number of dolls. It's especially made for me.
I know my love for fashion doesn't show because I don't aspire to be anorexic like some fashion models but I do appreciate beautiful clothes and styling. Not a lot of fashion designers would want to dress me. Manufacturers would rather not risk spending extra capital on to solve plus size problems in fashion.
They stereotyped us as people who doesn't care about the way we look just because of our size. They think we can settle with dated and shapeless clothes that lacks character. I even heard someone say that I can just borrow Ken's pants. The nerve!
My love affair with fashion is unrequited but you loved me back.
I'm glad you didn't style me like Melissa McCarthy, fully covered. I like showing my arms even if they're big. I'm also happy that you didn't make me wear dyke fashion like Rosie O'Donnell even if we have the same body and we're both lesbians.
I really appreciate what you have done for me. Please don't take it the wrong way if I expected more. Let's be honest. The clothes the you've made me are pretty basic. I know I need to build my basic wardrobe, too, but I'm looking forward to you making something that shows my character. You know how I am. I'm far from basic.
If you were raised in the Philippines, there's a good chance that you were conditioned to think that dark skin is ugly. Skin whitening products are one of the best selling beauty products here. "Nognog" is a local word similar to "nigger" and is used as a derogatory word to describe one of a current presidential candidate without raising a debate on political correctness. This is my reality and I don't want it in my deluded doll world.
One thing I've learned from collecting dolls is that beauty comes in different shades and color. I knew it the moment I saw a photo of the Princess of South Africa. I instantly felt the need to have her, so I did. But her playability is limited. She had limited clothing options with an older busty body. She cannot do many poses. She eventually was kept in storage.
I'm not a Deadpool fan, not yet anyways. The movie trailer got me interested. I was also intrigued by the multitude of Deadpool fans. He has quite a following. There's got to be a reason why people like him so much. Maybe I'll find out when I see the movie.
Being a popular character, Deadpool toys are easily sold out from toy stores, with the help of toy scalpers, of course. A lot of Deadpool toys are exorbitantly priced. This includes the 4-inch action dolls. It was a good thing that I'm no fan otherwise I would be pissed about acquiring a Deadpool toy.
I saw an ad online about this possibly unlicensed version of Deadpool. It came loose so there is no way of verifying its authenticity. It looks and feels like the original, including the Hasbro markings. I checked one of the offline stores the online seller uses for his transactions. It wasn't on display. He could just have displayed a couple toys on the offline stores and I would have bought immediately. I wanted to verify some things before actually purchasing it. The seller was too lazy to post actual photos or comparison photos with other figures, so he might be to lazy to answer my queries. Plus, the seller gives off a certain attitude that I don't like.
Since the seller is doubting if the toy is a clone or not, he must have gotten it from where most things sold are clones, Divisoria. Divisoria is a big place to look for a small action doll. I saw a number of Deadpool merchandise in different stores but I saw only one store selling the 4-inch doll. There was also the gray version but since I'm no fan, I just bought the one with the popular color scheme.
I'm just happy that I didn't have to pay a crazy amount for this toy. I'd be happier if it was indeed a clone. That means someone out there can do what Hasbro is doing. Since Hasbro is doing a stellar job in disappointing the fans of the 4-inch Marvel toys, I don't mind an alternative option, even if it is unlicensed. If these are indeed authentic toys that someone just hoarded for a profit to later find out that not a lot of people are willing to pay an arm for so it is being sold at a more reasonable price in time with the upcoming movie, that would be the best.
I noticed that the Get Real Girls body is a tall body. Note that she is wearing flats in the photo. If she were to wear heels, she'll be a lot taller. She has big feet.
Another alternative to the tall Barbie bodies are the Integrity doll bodies, like the African-American on the left. Of the 3 new Barbie body types, the tall body is receiving the least amount of praise since there are better articulated tall dolls around. If ever I will be getting any tall Barbie, I only will be getting it for the head, so I will wait until they are on sale. If stocks run out, it's no big deal.
I don't have a tall Asian doll yet. What I do have is an athletic Asian doll (left-most in the photo above). See those arms? Her body is from another doll line. The guessing game starts now.
If I were designing Barbie dolls for Wonder Woman, Misty Copeland or Abby Wambach, I will make the body look more athletic. Well, that is if I want to promote athleticism and a healthy lifestyle. If I'm just in it for the money, I can just use any thin body. Doll collectors have impressive imagination so let them imagine that those dolls are athletic enough.
I have always felt alienated from the privileged collectors from the West. Whenever they post something that is not available locally I am overcome with this sense of materialistic envy. I'm not saying that others should stop flaunting their toy hauls. I have no right to say that. Plus, placing the responsibility of my happiness on others is just so wrong. I just want to name what I'm feeling: alienation and envy. I'm just owning it. Like I've said before, I can handle some negativity.
They say that the first step in transforming anything is owning it. One cannot change what one has no control over. One way of taking control is owning it. I have made use of other's toy photos to make myself a petite doll. I can do the same to make an overweight doll. The envy can be transformed into creativity. The alienation is what offers this different perspective and flavor to my blog. I haven't read a doll blog like mine. So there.
The stiff Barbie Fashionista with the new body types are not yet available locally. I like the concept but not the lack of articulation. Lammily isn't available locally at a reasonable price. There is a someone selling a Rosie O'Donnell doll since last year but I have been putting off buying it. The seller then offered it at a lower price so that sealed the deal. I'm not a Rosie fan and I have a spare Raquelle head. I'm glad that I don't have to shrink another huge head. After a wardrobe change, I was inspired to make this video:
Dressing her up is more challenging than dressing the new curvy Barbie. The curvy Barbie can share a lot of the original Barbie's clothes. My overweight doll can't but she is inspiring enough to make me sew more clothes for her.
I learned from fellow hobbyists that the petite dolls are about the current Skipper's height, which is shorter than the teen Skipper dolls. Susie isn't my first petite, Rachel is.
Since there is no assurance that the new bodies will land locally and since I have a headless Skipper body lying around and a shrunken Raquelle head, too, I might as well make my own petite.
It's Susie. She has better articulation. She's able to fit in a lot of Barbie clothes and shoes. I've had her for years although I seldom play with her. She seemed out of place in Barbie's circle of friends.
I don't know if I'll be getting any of the new petite dolls. I have dolls that can stand in for petites like the teen Skipper size dolls.
I saw a me-you meme circulating a few days ago. It got me thinking. A lot of people who are into fashion dolls know how to be judgemental based on looks. That includes me.
Lammily has a boring wardrobe compared to Barbie. Let's be honest. But so does Mark Zuckerberg.
Maybe someone who has bigger things to do doesn't want to sweat the small stuff.
Why do we want to look a certain way? A lot of times, it is because we are manipulated to follow certain rules. We have a dress code at work. We have a dress code in life. If you fail to comply, you are punished or shamed. If you follow the rules, you are rewarded.
Mark Zuckerberg can get away with a boring wardrobe because he is more or less a powerful person. A lot of rules, like fashion rules, are really meant to control the plebeians, to keep the powerful in power. People who break the rules and not experience ill repercussions are the powerful ones. So if you want to know how powerful you are, go break a rule.
The next time you judge a person for breaking some fashion rule, ask yourself. Is that person exercising or testing his/her power? Or are you just being a fashionable commoner? Somebody has to worry about the petty things.
