This archetypal 1960s dolly bird was ever-stylish with a wardrobe fit for the finest world destinations. The Bold Doll joins her as she travels the globe with panache.
Simona is the shining star in the lineup of the Italian Alta Moda high fashion dolls by Furga. This doll was designed with a jet set lifestyle in mind. Not only does she have an enviably expansive wardrobe, but many of the ensembles are named for some of the top travel destinations of the 1960s beau monde. A range of three initial dolls, Susanna, Sheila, and Sylvie, was launched in 1965. The following year they were joined by the somewhat scarily wild-eyed Simona. Each boxed doll sported a cowl-necked mini shift in her own signature color.
Honey-blonde in Italy, Simona was sold as both platinum- and ash-blonde in the US. She was the most versatile and widely-available doll – owing more than a little of her looks to the aristo of British TV’s Thunderbirds, Lady Penelope. Simona was featured in Sears catalogs from 1966-69, but many outfits were only available in Italy and other European countries.
If you’re buying one of these vintage dolls, watch out for mold, especially on dolls bought in Italy – the home-girls seem more prone to this. These dolls have very distinctive inset eyes, which are not sleep eyes. Contrary to first impressions, they are made of shiny plastic and not glass. And those eyelashes! Furga used yarn, nylon, or fabric for these. To say they are luxuriant would be an understatement: they can be pretty wild and usually need taming a little.
Part of the charm of these dolls is their hand-painted look: for example, the manicure polish paint can seem slapped-on. But there was great attention to detail in the design of the outfits. Simona was a particular Furga favorite – always the model of choice for wedding dresses, and modeling elaborate new hairdos. There was a new wedding dress each year, just like couture collections. The range of outfits rivaled home-grown ranges such as Madame Alexander.
Much of the marketing relied on the catalogs: outfits were often bought on the strength of the beautiful, lively illustrations. As ever with merchandising of that period, the illustrator of these dolls was not credited and remains an unsung hero. Accessories were generally not sold with outfits, and were sometimes illustrated but never made. Some purses were a simple tube and strap – with very little construction to them, not even sides. Alta Moda jewelry can be hard to find, as are the ‘wiglets’ – little hairpieces held on with a comb.
There are outfits in the style of Mary Quant, Courrèges, or Pucci. Famous movie stars of the day were also reference points with ensembles based on clothes worn by Jeanne Moreau, Brigitte Bardot, and Raquel Welch. Locations were important too: glamorous destinations like Capri, London, and the French Alps gave the dolls a chance to model the best of European style. Thoroughly Lady Penelope!
In fond memory of Franklin Lim-Liao, who kindly loaned of part of his Alta Moda collection for this feature, first published in Fashion Doll Quarterly magazine, Fall 2014.
Watch a video about Simona and the rest of the Alta Moda gang here: