The remarkable thing about Milou is that her style transcends fashion. I’ve dressed her in ensembles from the past hundred years and brought her bang up-to-date. No matter what Milou is wearing, she makes it look great. Milou has the classic blank canvas look of a miniature store-window mannequin and yet adds a contemporary twist. Part mid-century Parisian high fashion model, with a twist of Japanese Geisha, part 1960s Dolly bird; all blended with a turn of the century sensibility. Milou really is the most versatile doll.
In keeping with the original spirit of Milou – and her exquisite haute couture ‘Milou Vent Doux’, envisaged by Wendy Roper and designed by Gary Alston – we have kept to a strictly limited palette of colors. The aim is to show off the form and style of the decades without relying on fussiness or extra frills and flounces. This is a pared down showcase of Milou at her best.
From left to right:
1900s
The perfect Edwardian lady, Milou models a riding outfit of the era, tailored to perfection in this black ensemble. The tightly cropped, waisted jacket conforms to the structured, corseted silhouette of the time. The line of a heavily encased bosom falls almost vertically to the base of the skirt. A tiny waist is emphasized with a bustle and the whole is set off with a tiny topper, the fashion headwear of choice at the time. The heavy woolen gabardine drapes well, but is hardly a practical for sporting pursuits. Milou is never one to be intimidated by mere fabric, so it’s “Tally ho! And orff we go.”
1910s
Art Deco meets Arts and Crafts. Liberated from the corsets and whalebones of previous decades, the modern woman desired a more natural, flowing shape for her couture. Milou has embraced this movement in her Kimono wrap and long shift dress. Le Style Japonais was very popular at this time. The palette of colors became very bold and deep, rich jewel-like shades were often used.
1920s
As women sought clothing that allowed freedom and physical activity, so the look became more sporty and tubular in form. A boyish physique was the fashionable ideal – think Julie Andrews in Thoroughly Modern Millie battling against her curves and wondering “Why are rich girls always flat-chested so their pearls hang straight?” Milou becomes the quintessential flapper in this long, lean, drop-waisted, softly-draped tea gown. And yes, her pearls hang straight – she’s a jazz baby.
From left to right:
1930s
A tall slender profile continued into this decade, but the natural female shape was rediscovered and celebrated again. Women wanted to look feminine again: skirts clung tightly and fell almost to the ankles, the waist was set artificially high to give the illusion of long legs, and the shoulders were often widened with capes or puff sleeves to create the impression of slender hips and waist. The modern woman was not scared of color and she embraced a daring palette. Milou comes into her own in this gown by Mel Odom, ‘Devil May Care’ for Madra Lord.
1940s, center and right
The 40s represented a major turning point in the way women dressed and even thought, punctuated as it was by World War II. By the mid Forties, most fabric was in short supply, so fashions had to use less. Since the men were off at the front, women began taking over male suits for their own use. Even old curtains were put to good use to make dresses to avoid imposing on the nation’s needs. The natural female shape continued to be flattered in this decade, partly because the shortage of material encouraged the look. There was an emphasis on the shoulders and bust, small waists, and skirts tailored to enhance the look of womanly hips. Think of Joan Crawford during this era and you get the picture. Outfits by Mel Odom for Gene and Madra.
From left to right:
1940s
Milou models the mode for which she was designed, in Mel Odom’s take on Christian Dior’s New Look. This voluptuous collection was the antithesis of masculine wartime fashions. The designs featured sloping shoulders, a full bust and a cinched-in waist above full, long skirts. The vintage Gene “Love Paris” outfit shows off Milou’s womanly curves to 1940s perfection. A tightly-waisted jacket sits above a luxurious full-circular skirt, the New Look silhouette is topped off with a picture hat in contrasting pink.
1950s
Milou typifies Hollywood glamour of the 50s, when designers such as Edith Head were at the height of their powers and influence. Magazines like Photoplay and Silver Screen were eagerly devoured by a hungry public after the frugality of the war years. Movie stars including Elizabeth Taylor and Anne Baxter had great influence on how the average woman wanted to dress. Here Milou wears a cocktail dress designed by Jason Wu from the “Park Avenue Prowl” Giftset.
late 1950s
Moving seamlessly into the late 50s, what a hip cat Milou becomes as she works those shades with panache. Her narrow waist suits this pedal-pusher and closely fitted top to a tee. Who’d have guessed that a 1940’s mannequin could look so cool in the fashions of the following decades? Milou models the vintage Hi-Fi set for Ashton Drake’s Gene.
From left to right:
1960s
The Swinging Sixties and Milou looks exactly like she’s stepped out of a Mary Quant window display from London’s King’s Road. This is Gabby’s “Postcards from Paris” mini dress by Doug James, which in turn is based on a design from the 1967 Spring/Summer African Look collection by Yves St Laurent. A perfect evocation of the urban modernist style of the 60s. If Milou had been around at the time she’d have given Twiggy a run for her money!
1970s
Hippy chic, shades of San Francisco and the Haight Ashbury Flower Power happening. The 70s dipped liberally into the 1940s dressing-up box for shapes and accessories, but added its own spin on color and pattern. This Sybarite “Tribe” dress and hat combo has been teamed with 40’s style bag and shoes from the Brenda Starr “Fit to Print” outfit. The inspiration for this decade was firmly in the 40s as the A-line skirt silhouette reappeared as did platform shoes. Partly in reaction to the pared-down minimalism of the 60s, this was a chance to use yards of fabrics again. The full-circle skirt reappeared on the disco dance-floor later in the decade helped by the movie Saturday Night Fever.
1980s
The era of Big Shoulder Pads, Joan Collins in Dynasty, Power Suits, and Power Dressing. Black emerged as a fashion color in its own right. There were accents of red and navy but it was mainly black, black, and more black. Jewelry was BIG – Butler and Wilson on South Molton Street, London was the store of choice. Everyone wore huge pearls and gobstopper earrings, with no attempt to make them look anything other than fake. Folks with city jobs were doing well and wanted to flaunt their new-found wealth in the boom years. There’s no messin’ with Milou in her 1980s Lady Luminous ensemble.
Left to right:
1990s
Following the conspicuous consumption excesses of the 80s, the 1990s heralded a more caring sharing decade – as exemplified by Princess Diana, the people’s princess. Her charm and public compassion captivated people all around the world. Magazines eagerly lapped up details of her latest clothes and hairstyles, and she was widely imitated in both hair and dress. She was not averse to turning the pages of media coverage to her advantage as exemplified by the “divorce” dress modeled here by Milou. Originally designed by Christina Stambolian, this doll-size version was produced by Franklin Mint for its Princess Diana doll.
2000s
With more than a nod in the direction of Issey Miyake, Milou’s contempary take on fashion in this Japanese influenced pleated day dress made from fully-recyclable material. The modern sneakers are by Horsman for Rini. We think Milou more than rose to the challenge and she truly is a doll that transcends the vagaries of fashion – she can make any outfit from any period look fantastic!
In some ways Milou flies against fashion in current doll collecting trends. She is strictly a clotheshorse (albeit with her own personality) designed to show off clothes to their best advantage without detracting from them. The garments are the story and Milou remains an enigma. She has minimal articulation – at neck, shoulders, and hips – but she is so expressive one never longs for her to have more moves. She works in a kind of symbiosis with the clothes she wears – like the best sort of high fashion model – the one building on the other. She’s not a ‘bells and whistles’ multi-jointed, highly poseable doll for good reason. There’s little to interfere with the clean lines of her limbs and distract from the garments she wears. Similarly her pure white skin tone is not naturalistic but serves as a counterpoint to the colors she models. The monochrome complexion of Milou means that there is nothing that won’t suit her coloring. This in particular is a stroke of genius.
This is an edited version of a feature that previously appeared in Haute Doll Magazine
Gary Alston, from The House of Retro, designed a capsule collection of couture outfits for Milou: Collection L’Ouverture. As he explains, “The magical and luminescent art of Parisian Haute Couture has reigned supreme over the world of fashion for more than 150 years. Unrivaled and inaccessible it continues to enthral and captivate us. Haute Couture’s savoir faire is steeped in historical tradition. Indeed, it can be traced back to the court of Louis XIV. Ironically, it was a Briton, Charles Frederick Worth, who founded the first two houses of Haute Couture in Paris in 1858.
Yesterday’s Haute Couture existed in a more formal world and in answer to the needs of a certain social class, for clothes for their grand occasions, such as gala balls, first nights, embassy and presidential dinners etc. This is the era I sought to recreate when designing Milou’s ‘L’Ouverture’ collection, which features two separate costumes along with the ‘Vent Doux’ dressed doll. My approach to the project was to design outfits for a human being, rather than an inanimate object, whilst uppermost in my mind was the ‘simplicité de luxe’ concept which Milou so perfectly embodies.
The results of this endeavor can be seen in the two new Milou designs: L’Heure Six – a charming cocktail suit, and Belle Epoque – a stunning evening wear ensemble. Both of these costumes were painstakingly researched and put together using the finest fabrics; in addition, they feature precision tailoring and extraordinarily fine detail rarely witnessed on this scale. The ‘L’Ouverture’ collection is understated, luxurious and timeless and is possessed of its own unique ability to captivate and charm. It was born of a true admiration, respect and fondness for not only a particularly auspicious period in the history of fashion, but for a world and time when good manners, refinement and breeding counted for something. I hope that you will enjoy the fruits of my collaboration with Wendy Roper and Mannequins de la Mode as much as I have.”
A charmingly detailed cocktail suit cut from silk taffeta, featuring a form-fitting jacket with layered peplum waist along with an ‘A’ line knee-length skirt. The jacket bodice is cut with princess seams to provide the perfect fit whilst the double-layered peplum features a contrasting top layer fashioned from an exclusive sequinned cloth (perfectly in scale & lined in taffeta) with a draped sash effect at the jacket waist opening. The short, set-in sleeves are ruched at the center of their bottom edge (an attractive style of the day) and accented with hand-sewn clusters of miniature bugle beads. This same process of beading forms the three ‘buttons’ on the jacket’s center front edge. At the neckline a delightful silk contrast forms a draped, scarf effect; the silk is also used throughout the cocktail suit as a lining. The ‘A’ line skirt is cut in the classic style of the era. It sports an inverted pleat at center front along with a darted waistline for a perfect fit.The ensemble is completed by a draped silk turban with hand-sewn beaded accent and a pair of three-quarter length black gloves.
A stunning evening wear costume which perfectly captures the look and mood of an era, Belle Epoque is actually two designs in one as the evening gown can also be displayed in its own right, sans jacket (see below). The ensemble consists of a strapless evening gown and hip-length evening jacket in silk-taffeta. The evening gown’s bodice is cut in princess seamed panels with a dropped waistline forming a shallow ‘V’ shape at the front and a deeper ‘V’ shape at the back.The bodice is painstakingly mounted with black lace then hand beaded with Smoked Topaz Miyuki beads which also trim the lower bodice edges and miniature bow at the bottom of the back bodice. The skirt part of the gown is cut in an ‘A’ line silhouette with center front seam which opens into a curved edge slit at the center front hemline. At the back a delightfully gathered godet panel in the center back seam forms an attractive, flared train effect.
The breathtaking evening jacket exhibits all the hallmarks of haute couture. Cut in silk taffeta it features a notched lapel, two-piece ‘leg-of-mutton’ sleeves and beaded sash effect at the center front waistline opening edge. The hip-length bodice of the jacket is darted to fit perfectly over the evening gown. The sumptuous detailing includes mounted, hand-applied lace on the jacket top collar and lapels, the yoke on the jacket front/back and hand-cut lace appliques on the sleeve heads.In addition, the lace has then been hand-beaded with the same Miyuki beads as for the evening gown. On the inside of the jacket there are miniature shoulder pads covered in black lace – in the true haute couture manner! Accessories include a luxurious dark brown fur muff lined in the taffeta of the jacket and full-length black opera gloves.
A final word from Wendy Roper, Creative Director, Mannequins de la Mode:
“Exclusive is a word that is used too often and applied indiscriminately these days to market a product. But in this small collection of costumes designed by Gary Alston the word fits like a glove. You will not find this quality of design, fabric and construction in the large, mass-produced ranges of doll outfits. In fact, I believe this debut collection for Milou is the best and the finest evocation of the original Théâtre de la Mode that there has yet been. Each of the three costumes is a miniature masterpiece of museum quality. Together they form a beautiful and enchanting work of art that will gain in charm and interest as the years go by. Gary discusses at length the fabrics and details that make this collection cohere, but I would like to draw your attention to the lovely vintage colors we have used: antique gold, bronze, olive, and cafe au lait all classically teamed with black. These subtle and unusual shades evoke so charmingly the immediate, post-war Paris of 1945. To my original vision and design brief for Milou, Gary has added not only his creative talent but his extraordinary integrity of execution, coupled with a complete surrender to quality in all its aspects.”
MILOU COMES TO LIFE!
Join our favorite fashion doll mannequin as she presents her personal selection of commercials and newsreels. See the animated version of Milou below…
MORE MILOU!
A potted history of Milou is included in the Théâtre de la Mode video playing below …