Let’s travel back in time to the Ottolini factory in Milan, Italy. This is where Sonia dolls were manufactured during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this video presentation on Sonia Ottolini, her clones, and the elusive Ellen fashion doll.
Bonnie Porter’s beautiful French fashion doll is from around 1880-1890. She was probably made by Steiner as the factory was known for producing open-mouth dolls with teeth. Bonnie designed and made her outfit way back in 1965, she says “I remember when. She had her mauve silk parasol and her Read more…
While tidying our archives we discovered scans of these vintage Furga postcards. They capture an era perfectly and some of the images are certainly not how dolls would be marketed today. But they all have a certain charm so we wanted to share them. You can see the whole collection Read more…
Rik Andersen tells us all about his highly covetable yellow-themed doll. “The starting point for this look was to find the right doll for the outfit.” As Rik explains, “I have always liked the Tonner Shauna face sculpt. I knew I wanted a red head with a ponytail: when I Read more…
This beautiful doll was the genesis of Ryan Andersen’s Downton Abbey collection of Edwardian fashions. The collection became a passion following his discovery that the doll designer and manufacturer, Robert Tonner, was unable to acquire the license to produce dolls based on this well-loved British television series. The doll chosen Read more…
The highly talented Joe Coloff shows us an outfit he created using red brocade fabric with a pattern of gold flowers. The jacket is lined with gold Asian-style fabric. To make the hat a material called Fosshape was used – a heat-activated non-woven fabric that will hold a shape, in Read more…
Just for fun, we put together a whole bunch of Miss Gene Marshall’s earliest outfits. Based on the Golden Age of Hollywood, the doll’s costume designers drew liberally from vintage sources. We hope this will be a useful point of reference, which will be periodically updated. Get more information on Read more…
This mid-century doll from Italy truly is a beauty. She has been described as a cross between Jennifer Lawrence and Bild Lilli. Sonia’s figure is shapely and elongated, with elegant limbs and hands. These are big dolls! Sonia is 25” tall, and has a passing (though probably not accidental) resemblance Read more…
These intricate new dolls are hand made in porcelain and fired in Beverley Senatore’s own kiln. With a perfectionist’s eye to detail, she designs and creates every aspect of her dolls, from painting their faces to tailoring bespoke outfits. She has enjoyed great success in the past with her dolls Read more…
When Sasha dolls first appeared commercially in the 1960s, they were dressed in the height of modern fashion. This continued right up to their end of production. It’s a perfect fit for Matilda Pink, Diana Lemieux’s clothing label. Diana loves creating doll fashions based on vintage styles from the late Read more…