Hair Ado

For the Mattel face sculpts that I like, I want to have them in varied skin tones, hair color and hair styles, although I want the facial screening to be more or less the same. There isn't a lot of dolls that have updo's and most of them are over-priced. That is why I had to learn how to give some of my dolls an updo. The Midge doll (Golden Qi-pao Barbie) had her hairstyle restored since the bun has become undone. She got a some repaint to make her look less inert.

I found out that the dolls with thinly rooted hair works best for an updo, otherwise the hair would be difficult to twist and turn. And since it's quite difficult to restore when undone, I decided to sew them in place.

The girls are naked for now because I felt that they need gowns to go with those hair. I'm not very motivated when it comes to making gowns. Maybe I should review some red carpet moments to get some inspiration.

Bombers

Both bomber jackets were done by me

Rockin' Red

No pair of men's pants calls for attention quite like those red pants. This intense color is worn best by people with dominant personalities, people who can handle all the deadly attention.

For the first two looks, I tried to control the intensity with white, black and gray. The first look is more relaxed but still evokes sensuality. The second look, although very casual, still conveys strength.

The final look is that of a rock star. It's about power and control. A trace of ochre pulls the attention away from the red crotch to the intense face. The dominating red is down-played by black. The withheld intensity, softened by a fur wrap, is just about to explode.

Wow With White

Although white is an easy color to wear, it won't be so easy for a guy if it is so short!

The first look is sporty and typical, almost bland if not for the pop of purple. I'm from a tropical country so a blazer is just not part of out basic wardrobe. A blazer and shorts combo seems new to me, but it is not really out there. That just won't work for someone who knows he is special.

So how do you style a pair of white shorts and make a guy wearing it have that wow factor? Give him a little twinkle and take cue from Tony Manero. This look is not about being safe. It's about being a star. Wouldn't you like to dance with this star?

Blue Bottom

Blue is generally a safe color  for men to wear.  It is fairly easily to style a blue pair of pants. The first look is for a warm weather while the second, cold. Not that they look bad, but there's really nothing new with either. That just won't do for this fashion sensitive Ken.

I was looking for inspiration on how to style a blue bottom when I came across Pause (an online fashion magazine). I forgot what specific article I got the inspiration from, but it was one of those where they feature what actual people wear on the streets. The main trend was a touch of bold colors in men's wear but one guy caught my attention. He was mixing some military inspired pieces with bold colors. It seems like a major mismatch but I kinda liked it and used it in this look. Bold colors seem to make men look softer or feminine but with a touch of a military piece, there seems to be an added masculinity in the look.

Last for my high-low

This is my final project for the high-low series, another high-low top. The clothes are really basic. Anyone who knows how to sew doll clothes should be able to make one. The thing I find really interesting these days is the color combo.

When I say i find it interesting, I just don't mean on dolls. I mean, I'm using some colors that pop in my wardrobe as well. Just this year, I bought 3 colored shoes for myself, a turquoise/cyan sneaker, a mustard colored loafers, and a green one with elastic sides. I'm already used to wearing colored tops but I normally just use black, brown (for work) or dark blue (for the sporty look) for footwear. When I was younger I used to have green denim pants but at my age I find it hard to wear colored pants.

So my next project is to style some pants in vibrant colors in male dolls and make it look okay according to my taste, of course. Unlike with my female dolls, I do not want to use too many clashing or matchy-matchy colors. I guess, I don't want to use too many colors in general. The dolls on the background is a sort of preview for my next entries...well that is if I can make it work.

Let's wear it again

I challenged myself to find the top I made last year (1st photo below) and use it in a new look. I was reminded of this top because it still falls under the high-low category.

A classic look

Aside from the challenge of making something old look new, one has to overcome the physical challenge of sorting through a lot of stash just to find that specific item of doll clothing or accessory. It took me about an hour to find that top as it was almost a year since I used it. I almost forgot where I hid it.

This turned out to be a memory exercise and a test of patience aside from being imaginative.

Kayla's quirky new look.

If you're inspired, it shows.

The inspiration top

The handmade top with the third and final high-low skirt... for now.

I'm not impressed...

I'm not impressed with what you can buy but with how you work with what you have, so work it.

- Working Girl Kayla

The New Look

Old doll. Contemporary fashion. New look.

1. I don't want to buy a new doll. The old ones can still work it.

2. I don't want to buy too many mass-produced doll clothes especially if they cannot be mixed and matched. If everybody will, our dolls will look like they're wearing a uniform.

3. I want my dolls to look different (from yours). It's my way of saying, "I can think on my own."