The talented doll couturier, Diana Lemieux, working as Matilda Pink, dresses a perennial childhood favorite – Sasha Morgenthaler’s eponymous doll. The Bold Doll takes some photos and finds out more.
The theme of Childhood and Diana Lemieux’s work seem like the ideal pairing. 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 60s to early 70s. Just the right period for classic Sasha.
Seaside fun with a quartet of Sasha dolls. The code numbers shown signify the doll or outfit number, the year of issue is shown in parenthesis. All outfits featured are from Matilda Pink. From left to right: Gregor Dark London #4-304 (1970) sports a natty pair of red swimshorts with anchor motif. He’s ready to provide some beats on a drum Battat Our Generation Retro accessory set available at Target stores. To keep off the sun, his straw hat is from Sasha Harlequin doll. Sasha Short Blonde Sweater #112 (1982-1984), the only short-haired girl manufactured. Ready for a dip in her floral bikini, a Liberty of London swim fabric Betsy Beach – as soon as she has finished that delicious ice cream (from daisojapan.com), shoes from her original outfit. Sasha Brunette Gingham #4103 (1966-1975) resplendent in green polka dot one-piece with a jaunty half-belt. She carries a tote in vintage Liberty Sun Man print. Her straw hat is an eBay find and the daisy frame sunglasses are from the Battat set as before. Gregor Redhead Cord #312 (1982-1986) does a headstand to celebrate summer. Shoes borrowed from Gregor Shorts outfit. Knit fabric striped long-sleeve top coordinates with fun shark-infested swim shorts. Beach ball is from Juggling for the Complete Klutz by John Cassidy, Second Edition, 1986. Background fabric, Marimekko Hennika (1958).
As Diana explains, “I like designing for dolls like Blythe, Patience, and Ellowyne Wilde, but my heart belongs to vintage 16- to 17-inch dolls like Crissy, Nancy Famosa, Marie Françoise by Petitcollin, Sasha, Furga’s Alta Moda S Girls, and Corinne by Italo Cremona – just to name a few. The bigger fashion dolls remind me of one of my best childhood memories, when I received a Crissy doll in my Easter basket. My mother had purchased her secondhand, without shoes or a change of clothes. I have a golden memory of sewing a wardrobe for Crissy with my mom, using a Simplicity pattern we found at our library’s pattern exchange. My mother worked full-time, so this was my only childhood memory of sitting at a sewing machine with her.”
Left to right: Sasha Velvet #180 (1981) with brunette human hair wig, wears Cool Britannia Union Flag mini shift dress, blue colorway, paired with ladybug boots from mimiwoo on eBay. Flashing sputnik ball from dickblick.com. Sasha Redhead White Dress #108 (1979-1986), in her own hose, wears Cool Britannia dress in traditional colorway, with bright red Mary Jane shoes by Monique. Gregor Fair Denims #4-305 (1971-75) in navy-and-white gingham shirt is paired with white jeans and a red belt. He’s playing a guitar from Sasha Harlequin #184A (1984). Glasses from rongsheng-electronics on eBay. The bike is a limited edition Sasha original. Marimekko background fabric, Räsymatto (2009).
Diana’s new patterns, especially drafted for the clothing shown here, are available for purchase from the Lemieux Doll Boutique on pixiefaire.com. Additionally, finished outfits can be found at matildapink.etsy.com. As she says, “I’m pretty excited about all of this. I discovered that the vintage Sasha dolls can share clothes with several dolls that are currently in production (the English doll A Girl for All Time, the Sylvia Natterer Starlette doll for Petitcollin, and the new La Bella doll by Kathe Kruse). It was a very happy discovery.“
Three “no philtrum” German Sasha dolls (1964-1970) out to play in the sun. Left to right: A flat-nose blonde boy (based on Sasha’s Type I and II face molds), wears his original school uniform shoes and socks. White poplin shirt with green striped seersucker shorts trimmed with a Swiss embroidered belt. Vintage hat found on eBay. Redhead girl with eyelashes and yellow-beige eyes, an early German Götz doll with a face based on the Type III mold. She wears a green-and-white micro-gingham mini dress with three-quarter sleeves and flounce detail, trimmed with white lace daisies and finished with a matching headscarf. Original shoes and socks from her classic yoke-style gingham dress outfit. Brunette Sasha originally in a cord yoke dress, models a sleeveless shift in green, white, and red print in a style reminiscent of classic Lilly Pulitzer shift dresses of the 60s and 70s. Trimmed in white dot lace and complete with triangular headscarf. White Mary Jane shoes and socks are vintage Sasha. Outfits all by Matilda Pink. Metal tree and herb pots from daisojapan.com, wooden plinth from dickblick,com, Pocket Pup by Schylling. Background fabric, Marimekko Kaiko (2004).
Matilda Pink’s work is beautifully designed, with great attention to detail – often resembling miniaturized versions of full-scale clothing. The shirts in particular really do look like tiny grown-up garments, fully-fashioned with working buttons. Pants include functional pockets, and dresses are carefully lined.
Sasha dolls were created by Sasha Morgenthaler (1893 – 1975) in Switzerland. Morgenthaler wanted her dolls to have expressions capable of interpretation by their young owners. The dolls were consciously neither happy nor sad, rather having a more wistful look that could capture many moods. The faces were originally hand-painted by the artist herself, with bold abstract strokes – a style that was suggestive, not precise. The artist sometimes used a stick to pull up the wet paint of the eyelid to form eyelashes. Her vision was to create dolls that represented the spirit of children of all races and cultures during their age of innocence. A protégé of Paul Klee, she was active in European artistic and social movements.
Left to right: Sasha Pintucks #182A (1982) with blonde human hair wig, wears navy-and-white gingham tunic top with ruffle detail, paired with crisp white sight-seeing shorts. Shoes from Sasha Velvet doll. Sunglasses from rongsheng-electronics on eBay. Caleb #4-309 (1972-1979) wears linen grandad shirt, trilby, and beige slacks with belt (a leather bracelet cut down to fit). Sneakers from wonderfulworlds on eBay. Cactus sculpture and plinth from dickblick.com. Marimekko background fabric, Mansikkavuoret (1969).
From the 1940s until her death, she created one-of-a-kind 20-inch cloth, gypsum, and plastic dolls in her studio, these dolls are museum-quality works of art. Sasha’s dream, however, was to make less expensive play dolls with universal appeal. In the mid-1960s she developed her 16-inch vinyl dolls, manufactured in Germany and England. These dolls have stylized bodies, are asymmetric, and have realistic proportions. They gained worldwide popularity during the 1960s to the 1980s. They are perfectly balanced and can assume many poses unsupported – even headstands! Skin colorings were chosen to represent all the children of the world.
It’s a rainy day on the playroom. Left to right: Sasha Blonde London #4-110 (1970) wears Japanese cat print polo dress with black shoes from Marina. Right, Brunette Marina #102 (1981-1986) wears tropical Liberty print (Ibiza) shirt with linen shorts. Canvas shoes and striped tote bag from Holiday outfit #208 (1982-1986). Marimekko background fabric, Uneksija (2004). Also in the picture are: Moni red-head mini Sasha doll by Uranium, in original cord dungarees and plaid shirt with modern high-top sneakers; Swedish chair and horse from Skansen, the world’s oldest open air museum. Marimekko background fabric, Uneksija (2004).
Sasha Morgenthaler was fiercely protective of her dolls and their image, she quickly saw off any imitators such as Moni the interloper, a cheaply-made mini version of Sasha by Uranium of Switzerland, but actually made in Hong Kong.
More ideas for dressing these dolls can be found in Golden Hands, a weekly crafts magazine published in the UK during the 1970s, with occasional knitting instructions for outfits to fit Sasha and her brother Gregor. Another source is the excellent 1981 book, Head to Toe, with vintage sewing patterns by Jeannette Murphee Orsi. For this story we decided on a mixture of vintage and modern fabrics, that would be appropriate for the era. As a backdrop some groovy prints from Marimekko have been used. We hope Sasha Morgenthaler would have approved!
Left to right: Sasha Honey Blonde Silk Dress #101 (1981-1984) in her best party frock, wears socks from Holiday outfit #208 (1982-1986). Ruby red slippers from lovvbugg on eBay. Cora Flowered Dress #118 (1980-1984) in pink and white candy stripes with glitter detail, wears socks from Silk Dress, silver Mary Jane shoes from Monique. Artist’s easel, canvas and paints from dickblick.com. White table from daisojapan.com. Marimekko background fabric, Kauriin Kääntöpiiri (2011). All outfits especially created for this feature by Diana Lemieux for Matilda Pink. Additional research from Sasha Dolls Through The Years, by Dorisanne Osborne, 1999, Gold Horse Publishing.
You can see more of Diana’s work at matildapink.com and matildapink.etsy.com, her doll dress-making patterns are available from Lemieux Doll Boutique on pixiefaire.com. Her work for Blythe is featured on these pages at thebolddoll.com/modern/dressing-blythe and you can see her Poupées de Kiraz outfits at thebolddoll.com/vintage/les-parisiennes-de-kiraz.
This feature originally appeared in Fashion Doll Quarterly magazine, Summer 2019 issue.