As you know, I am always inspired by the show Mad Men and the wonderful fashions and period details. A few months ago I found a fabric that really got me excited. It is a quilting cotton, but has an almost heathered appearance, like a tweed. It comes in a variety of great colors and I immediately thought of a dress that Joan wears on Mad Men made from a similar fabric.

I first made the dress in the original green. It has a split neckline and a self belt with buckle. I placed the belt a bit higher than on the original; just under the bustline. I decided to use a metal buckle for contrast, but I did make tiny covered buttons. I limited them to two, not wanting to overwhelm the miniature version with too much detail.

When the new Agnes arrived last week, I made her a version of the dress in purple with red details. I used red for the belt and buttons because I thought that they disappeared a bit on the green dress. I think this dress, though very simple in design, has a real vintage flair.

An inspirational dress! I found this vintage dress while browsing the web for 60s fashions. I wanted to try something similar, and this is what I came up with. I decided to use tulle for the wrap instead of lined fabric, thinking the lined wrap would be too heavy in miniature. Then I added beading to the shoulder strap and figure I might as well add beading to the belt as well. I quite like the result and I am curious to see how it looks in other dramatic color combinations.

Va Va Voom! Peggy Harcourt has been here for about 2 weeks. I can't remember the last time I was this excited to receive a new doll! My first impression of her was that she is enormous! And she is absolutely gorgeous! What a diva. As soon as I unpacked her I couldn't wait to make her a dress. I decided to try the basic Wiggle dress in bright red silk noil. She has the perfect body for 1960s fashions! I was so thrilled with how it came out!

Not long after she arrived, life got busy and I had to put her away for a while. But I can't wait to make her something new and have already found a vintage floral dotted swiss cotton. I am envisioning a full skirted dress for spring.

OK, OK...I know...I have been seriously neglecting my blog. But a lot of things have been happening in my other life.

So what's new in the world of Bellissima Couture, you say? Well, I was so excited to receive my long awaited Blue Chip Monogram yesterday. I was thrilled to win the chance to buy one and as soon as she was out of the box I designed and made a new dress for her. I found this cool satin last week. I like the print. It seems retro to me. And the colors were so perfect for Blue Chip's hair! I wanted to bring in some blue to bring out her distinctive eye shadow color, so I used this glorious teal silk noil.

I tried something new for the bodice; instead of the usual vertical darts I gathered the front. I believe Randall Craig published a Gene pattern last year with a similar bodice. I like how it came out, but it is a bit subtle. I may need to pleat the fabric, or add extra fullness. The print of the fabric might be the reason why it is hard to see.

I just listed a new outfit on Ebay!

Madame L

I recently found a new blog, entitled Madame L, that is run by a lovely woman named Lisa who lives in California. Lisa, like so many of us, loves vintage fashion and fashion dolls. Her blog is a wonderful combination of these two passions, with a liberal amount of glamorous movie stars thrown in (like the divine Hedy Lamar, shown here...doesn't she look like Midnight Lace Gene??).

Lisa loves MadMen too, and she was intrigued by the recent FDQ article for which I made the women's costumes. When she asked me if I would like to be featured on her blog, talking a bit about my hobby, I jumped at the chance! I have a new doll/fashion friend now, and that is what I love about this hobby; I have met so many friendly, talented and creative people. And they are always just as good when we finally meet in person, which Lisa and I are still hoping to do.

So check our Madame L and add it to you favorites! It is definitely one of mine!

Midnight Lace Gene is HERE!

OMG, she is so adorable! As soon as she arrived I ripped open her box and put her in some clothes. She looks great in everything. Her heart shaped face is so sweet and I can't wait to make her some clothes for Valentine's Day! It's funny, because I never really warmed up to the 16" Gene, though I tried. But the mini version is a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to dressing her. These dolls are not easy to find, however, and they are expensive. Considering the fact that she is basically a lingerie doll, I think her retail price of $165.00 is pricey. But nevertheless, I had to have her. Now I need the other two...

I have been in California for the last few days attending a conference. The weather is amazing. It is so strange to walk outside without a coat or even a sweater. There are palm trees and we have a friendly hummingbird who hangs out in the palm tree near our balcony. Being caught up in the doings of my "real" life, I feel very removed from my "play" life. But I am getting another Black Party Monogram! What should I do with her? Should I have her re-rooted? What color? Should I try to get her re-painted? It is exciting to contemplate.

Those $%*@#* Monogram Dolls!

Monograms are crazy hard to find and crazy expensive. Is that why I am suddenly obsessed with them? Because I can't find any and can't afford them? A friend of mine (you know who you are, evil temptress) is responsible for getting me into this mess. The same with the mini Genes...Honestly, I couldn't have cared less when I first saw the Monograms and the mini Genes. I breathed a sigh of relief that I didn't have to have them (Poppy is another story for another day). But suddenly they haunt my sleep and everything I sew is for them. It is almost like the golden days of FR, when they could not be had for love or money.

Why do we always want what we can't find or afford?

I have found so many amazing blogs that I am jealous and want one of my own! We shall see if I can keep it up!

I recently collaborated with Maryann Roy, who creates the most amazing Mid Century Modern furniture in miniature, on an article on the AMC series Mad Men. Maryann made the sets and I designed the fashions for the female characters. What a fun project! The article is in the Winter 2009 issue of Fashion Doll Quarterly (FDQ). I put some of the fashions I made for the article on Ebay, hoping to reach some fellow Mad Men fanatics out there!