Uncompromisingly French, this charming competitor to the ubiquitous Barbie doll was introduced in 1964
Images from les trousseaux de Mily, showing the basic doll in her underwear plus high-heeled mules combo
Mily, the French fashion doll, began life far from the stylish boulevards of Paris. Her birthplace was Montbrison, in the Loire region of France, at the venerable Usine de Gégé. Established in 1934 by Germain Giroud, who lent his initials to the name of the company, the factory specialized in toys and plastics. Find out more about l’enterprise Gégé, and more of the company’s dolls, at Poupée-Collector blog.
Following the worldwide success of Mattel’s Barbie doll from her launch in 1959, other manufacturers were keen to create fashion dolls for their own local markets. Mily was perhaps one of the most unique of these interlopers. Her looks could not be further from the haughty features of her American cousin. Consciously appealing to a French aesthetic, her face has a somewhat pouty expression, and with smaller eyes than were common in dolls at the time. Her insouciance was possibly modeled on French pop and film stars of the time, such as Brigitte Bardot and Sylvie Vartan.
A magazine advertisement for Mily. Readers were encouraged to clip out the coupon to receive free gifts. “Mily offers you another wonderful gift. Simply return the voucher opposite, to receive a free subscription of: 3 months of the L’Echo de la Mode, or 10 weeks of Lisette, plus the last volume of Mily’s adventures.”
Similarly, her wardrobe had a particularly French flair, this was a home-grown product. Mily’s clothing was unlike Barbie’s outfits of the time which, although based on contemporary Parisian couture, were given their own American spin. Pink gingham was a Mily favorite. This archetypal French fabric was favored by Brigitte Bardot (she even used it for her wedding dress), as well as the for the branding of the much-loved, and now departed, French discount chain, Tati.
The doll’s construction also differed from that of most fashion dolls of that era. Although she borrowed the twist-and-turn waist and bend legs from Barbie, Mily had strung arms, which made her poses perhaps a little more expressive than the ‘marching soldier’ arms of other dolls.
As her launch brochure proclaimed, “Chic, Grace, Elegance: The arrival of the lovely Mily has been unanimously welcomed by the press with these enthusiastic words. Your new companion is a wonderful ambassador of French charm and style, and we are convinced that you will love her.” Gégé even had a special offer for new customers, “To get to know her better, on request we would be delighted to send you the book of her thousand and one adventures.”
An alternative black and white magazine advertisement, with different outfits, to publicize the doll
In an age before the hard-sell and glitzy marketing, the dolls’ new owners were gently encouraged to buy Mily’s outfits. “Here are twelve new suggestions, each more attractive than the last, to dress Mily. She needs a large wardrobe because she has many exciting adventures.” A further book was also available, “These [adventures] are recounted in the second volume of La Vie Merveilleuse de Mily that we will send free of charge on your request.” Presumably this extravagant offer of free books was a successful marketing tactic in the 1960s.
To follow are some vintage publicity shots of the doll and her outfits. They have their own period charm – the use of scale was variable, it’s unlikely that Mily would fit in the car in Simplette, although she could have ridden on the roof. In the early days, her choice of footwear was always the peep-toe high heel mule, regardless of the situation she found herself in, whether on the beach, in the snow, or on a hike. She was nothing if not consistent!
Bain de soleil (sunbathing), a fruity bikini with matching cover-up, and a white straw hat to protect the complexion. The outfit is shown with a towel, a lilo, and a Gégé brand beach ball. Perhaps not the most elegant pose, but those white high heels are de rigeur for la plage.Mily’s been buying the latest records from along the Champs-Elysées. She’s showing off that twist-and-turn waist and those bend legs to great effect in her groovy, off-white, figure-hugging knit dress. Not everyone can pull off a chunky rope-twist belt. Red mules and matching red tassel details complete the look.With more than a nod towards classic Balenciaga, Mily is out for a stroll among the twigs in Coquetterie, an elegant fitted suit with faux ocelot trim.Ready for a dinner date in a simple floral sheath dress, Diner, cinched at the waist with a jeweled clasp. Mily sports an ash-blonde updo and reclines in a somewhat under-sized armchair. Let’s hope her derrière is not tightly wedged in it when her beau arrives.Rain, hail, or snow, this doll is always ideally shod in her peep-toe mules – shown here buried in faux snow. Elegance combines a Tippi Hedren-style pencil skirt and sweater with a voluminous fake fur coat. A patent handbag with gilt chain, and jaunty fur hat, pull everything together. Brrr, wrap up warm, Mily.Feu follet (Will o’ the Wisp). Why? ‘Call the doctor, I’ve slipped a disc’, might be more appropriate if the awkward pose is any indication. Another set of out-of-scale furniture, and a poodle with a monkey’s tail. But the plant looks like it’s doing very well.All set for any weather conditions, Jour de Pluie (Rainy Day) joins Shopping for a trip into town. Luckily there’s a handy bench to take the weight off those high heels. It doesn’t look like the bus is arriving any time soon, but the pipe-cleaner dog may have spotted a squirrel.Off to see an afternoon movie at the local flea pit in Matinée, Mily accessorizes a bold tartan shift with a black belt, matching handbag, and a nifty tam o’shanter.A strikingly-fitted wool suit in coarse-weave plaid, Natté Bleu (blue basketweave) cuts a dash as Mily totters towards the railway tracks. Drinks before lunch are never a good idea.Hello Sailor! Mily goes nautical in Petit Mousse (sea foam), a seaworthy combo of pinstripe sheath worn under a tailored double-breasted blazer, with a jaunty captain’s cap. She’ll need those rhodium-plated binoculars on board – once she’s sorted out the rigging on her plastic boat.The studious Quartier Latin (Latin Quarter) takes a picnic with Fraîcheur (freshness). Two sides of Mily’s personality as the student in her micro-check A-line skirt, with a blue sweater framed with a crisp white collar and black ribbon tie, meets a more playful look of pink gingham. Fraîcheur, with its full skirt, headscarf, and lace trim, owes more than a little influence to the outfit that Brigitte Bardot famously wore for her wedding.Rayon de Soliel (sunshine) is a casual ensemble of pop art-print tabard worn over narrow white slacks. The mules have been ditched for this alfresco lunch, but the monkey-tailed poodle is back on the scene.You can’t keep Mily away from the shops! Regent Street bizarrely mixes her Scottish kilt, complete with matching tartan sporran, scarf, and tam, with a black sweater featuring crochet sleeves. The pin is a nice finishing touch. But surely Regent Street is in London. Maybe Mily has been at the Scotch whisky again, and is actually on Princes Street in Edinburgh. Either way, the enormous flowers are in full bloom.… And so to bed in Rose et Blanc (pink and white). At least the scale seems right here, but has Mily’s body been replaced with that of Yoda? A pin from Diner rests on the table, so perhaps Mily ate something that disagreed with her earlier in the evening. She sits scrunched over her dressing table in a fresh striped nightgown beneath a scalloped-edged peignoir. Pass the sick bucket, just in case.A giant Mily towers over her motor vehicle in Simplette, an unusual combination of color and pattern, that can’t decide whether it’s waitress or customer. Mily models Sport. It’s hard to know what kind of sporting activity involves a leather jerkin, tight slacks, high heels, a pocket watch, and bending over in the undergrowth. Style Ranch, where the deer and the antelope play, no doubt. A corduroy pinafore dress with front zipper, very 60s, teams up with that crochet-sleeve top again. Accessories include a fringed leather bag and a tartan blanket.Tennis, well here’s a sport we can understand! Mily plays on a sand court with white paper lines, in a knife-pleated crisp white tennis dress and matching high heels. It seems she’s trying to shake off the ball that someone has thoughtlessly glued to her racquet.Tweed, indeed. A sturdy double-breasted coat with loop-knit trim at collar and cuffs. The gilt-chain handbag is back, and for a pop of color, a green silk headscarf.Dashing through the snow at Val d’Isère. Winter pixie chic in a festive striped top and matching bobble hat with contrast red leggings. The peep-toe mules are hidden by the snow – luckily it’s fake.The essence of the 1960s in YeYe and Twist, outfits in tune with the latest pop music. YeYe pairs a simple red turtle neck sweater with a black-and-red plaid A-line skirt. Twist teams up a cutting-edge leather shift dress (very Emma Peel) and a black turtle neck sweater. These dolls shrunk the grand piano to get it up the stairs. Groovy baby!
Although the production of Mily dolls has long ceased, Gégé discontinued the doll in 1976, it is still possible to find her on the secondary market. For anyone who would like a contemporary example of Mily, Emily la Parisienne is a perfect replica of this doll – created by Michael Ben. They were sold via the Mamzelles de Paris website, which currently appears to be defunct, but you can sometimes find these Emily dolls online.
