Dior makes their entire Automn/Winter Haute Couture 2020 in miniature along with their real counterparts

Miniature use in couture is not something new. Ever since people started coveting other people’s clothes and style and wanting to emulate them, the use of miniature replicas of outfits has been essential in communicating fashion changes and styles to people far from the original clothes makers or style setters. Miniatures of real outfits were making the rounds among royal courts in Europe and abroad, so that people could copy the latest styles worn by royal families, who were the original fashion influencers in centuries past. Later, fashion makers such as Worth, would make miniature outfits from their collections to showcase them to clients abroad. There were no photographs back then! And of course, the most characteristic example would be the Théâtre de la Mode, a traveling exhibit featuring miniature, doll-like mannequins wearing French designers' latest creations, showcasing them to people after WWII.

Autumn-Winter 2020-2021 Haute Couture collection by Maria Grazia Chiuri, showcased in an exclusive film

Dior has used miniature couture in the past as well. They have made spectacular exhibitions with them in China, placed them in boutique windows or used them as part of the Dior latest series of exhibitions in the world’s big museums. They even use them sometimes in the ateliers. And with the world in a crisis from the pandemic everywhere, the line was drawn from the Théâtre de la Mode to this year’s presentation: not a runway show, but a film (shown above) showing the miniatures and their real-life counterparts in a mythical setting and story.

Photograph courtesy of Dior

Photograph courtesy of Dior

Photograph courtesy of Dior

Photograph courtesy of Dior

The collection was inspired in large part from five women Surrealist artists: Lee Miller, Dorothea Tanning, Leonora Carrington, Dora Maar and Jacqueline Lamba. Maria-Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director of Dior women’s collections, chose to produce thirty-seven miniature haute couture silhouettes, embodying the quintessence of the excellence in the Dior Ateliers. An audacious feat for the petites mains (the atelier workers) who, once again, rose to this virtuoso challenge through a demanding, infinitely meticulous dialogue with savoir-faire.

Photograph courtesy of Dior

Photograph courtesy of Dior

Photograph courtesy of Dior

Photograph courtesy of Dior

Photograph courtesy of Dior

Photograph courtesy of Dior

Photograph courtesy of Dior

Photograph courtesy of Dior

Working on a small scale offers the opportunity for Dior’s crafts people to re-embrace and elaborate on precious techniques – such as embroidery and hand-pleating to the nearest millimetre – but also to transpose, on mannequins measuring precisely fifty-five centimetres high (1/3 scale for those wondering), the essentials of tailoring: from white toile (which is the first draft in 3d) to the sumptuousness of draping; from buttoning to the precision of linings; from cut-outs to the rich diversity of fabrics; to miniature labels bearing the Dior logo. Six looks have also been created in life-size versions, based on scale models. I can understand not making more as there was no actual show and getting clients to see the outfits up close (which is what they do in Couture runways and afterwards, in the salon), order and have it made sur-mesure (custom made) sounds quite daunting in the covid-19 world.

Photograph courtesy of Dior

Photograph courtesy of Dior

Lucky us then that get to experience the creation and display of these miniatures, even only in film. Italian filmmaker Matteo Garrone has created an almost perfect fantasy (casting director I’m looking at you for only casting caucasian models) so we can covet those miniatures for our doll collections. Below is a slideshow with more photos of the miniatures and their incredible details.

Superdoll’s Gibraltar: an ode to John Galliano

On the 28th of September, Superdoll London unleashed the gorgeous Gibraltar on their customers. As usual, the doll sold out quite soon. And how could it be any different? She is one of the most beautiful Sybarites released this year. Her outfit and styling are a direct tribute to John Galliano and his Dior Couture collections of 1997, both Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter. To me it looks like a combination of two gowns: the Masai inspired black gown from his S/S 1997 Christian Dior Haute Couture collection and the peacock gown from his Belle Époque inspired F/W 1997-98 Christian Dior Haute Couture collection. The hairstyle of the doll even comes from the last one. And the name of the doll? The place where John Galliano was born.

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​The description from the Superdoll website.

Venus is fabulous as could be in her strelitzia Extravaganza, a late night rendezvous calls for coiffure, blossoms and very high heels.She is probably not paying attention to anyone other than herself this evening!
From the top. A gorgeous headpiece of banana yellow guipure asymmetrically sprouts from her flaming blunt red banged wig. A statement just as we get started ...fabulous!
Her eyeshadows in the spectrum of shocking green and smoke surround her eyes of translucent pistachio and blind fern with lids of unripened vanilla. Lips of fluorescent coral Macaw and beyond.
Her 1 piece frock; an ode and a nod; in electric blue sinuous silk satin custom printed with deconstructed strelitzia embellished in laser organza petals and piece d' resistance..... a beaded Massaii corset finished with a flourish of jungle bouquet. Probably not something you would wear for pre rendezvous cocktails.. unless you were a D'Royce; of course.
Venus loves twilight and loves nothing more than oozing around in skin tight satin as the moon comes out.
Always accessorised to the twenty sevens, Venus has a discreet electric blue clutch trimmed in stuff that matches her corset, opera length gloves in almost not there yellow illusion tulle, and totally uncomfortable stiletto heeled courts in magical 'just the right' blue.
Huge inspired gilt bracelets are her final accessory!
Venus knows once the beats start beating she's gonna shimmy all night long.
Could someone please hand her, her sunglasses?

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Doll characteristics:
Clone: 1000 Venus d'Royce
Skintone: COSMETIQUE
She comes with the following standard accessories:
-manic_cure hands (see booklet for hand change instructions)
-booklet
-stand
PRODUCTION MAY VARY FROM PROTOTYPE SHOWN.
Price: £279.75 (Excluding VAT at 20%)

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And now let’s see the inspirations... 

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John Galliano for Christian Dior, Haute Couture Spring/Summer 1997, photo by Annie Leibovitz for US Vogue. 

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John Galliano for Christian Dior, Haute Couture Fall/Winter 1997-98, photo by Peter Lindbergh for US Vogue.  

Le Petit Théâtre Dior - Haute Couture in miniature

On the 31st of May, Dior unveiled the exhibition Le Petit Théâtre Dior in Chendgu, China (open until the 20th of June). It is the first stop of this travelling exhibition, inspired by Théâtre de la Mode, a 1945–1946 touring exhibit of fashion mannequins, approximately 1/3 the size of human scale, crafted by top Paris fashion designers. Now, for the house of Dior, twelve installations retrace the history of the House and present miniature versions of the Bar suit, the dresses Schuman, Muguet, Miss Dior and many more. Minutely sewn to the millimetre, they resemble the originals down to the tiniest detail. It's not just an exhibition that's heading off around the world, it's the Dior spirit that's travelling, too.


So why is Dior making these miniature dresses, crafted with full-scale precision? "In a time when everything is tending to the machine. Dior should be more like an artisanal laboratory than the ideal of a factory" Christian Dior wrote in his memoirs. Even before founding his own House, the couturier recognized that the noble professions exercised by the artisans were inseparable from Haute Couture.


Pale pink and white silk bustier ball dress worn by Jennifer Lawrence for the 2013 Academy Awards.
Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2013

At the time of the original Théâtre De La Mode exhibition, Christian Dior himself was working for Lucien Lelong, a venerable French fashion house and it is believed that he had a hand in making some of the original dresses. In the modern reinterpretation, even at only a third the size of the original model, each miniature dress in the Petit Théâtre Dior is produced with the master's exacting standards: based on a cotton toile in the purest Haute Couture tradition and with the same precision and rigour as the magical creations worn by Dior's clients.


J'Adore: Backless dress in nude-coloured silk chiffon, Belle Epoque gold necklace.
Special creation, 2011 for Dior perfume ad.

In couture ateliers time seems to stand still: embroidery is done by hand, as in the 18th century (and mostly in specialised small firms such as Lesage), miniature silk fabric flowers are made by hand, with delicate precision almost matching a neurosurgeon:.one can see them on the original Miss Dior dress, designed in 1949, as well as on the miniature version,made especially for this exhibition. To achieve this result, le petite main carries on as part of a long legacy; fabric petals are cut out by hand with a punch tool and the embossing is done with a period tool. Then both are fixed around a brass stalk to make the final flower.


The detail is so breathtaking that it seems the miniature dresses are even more exquisite and precious than their life-size counterparts. I wish I could have all of these made for my dolls and photograph them as couture models of this era. What a lovely assignment that would be.



White organza evening dress embroidered with “Pointillist” layered chiffon.
Haute Couture Autumn-Winter 2012.



Aventure: Black wool button-up skirt, black-and-white hound’s-tooth jacket with gored back.
Haute Couture Spring-Summer 1948, Envol line.


Opéra-Bouffe:  Short evening dress in candy-pink silk taffeta.
Haute Couture Autumn-Winter 1956, Aimant line


Schumann: White silk tulle ball gown trimmed in Valenciennes lace. Cascade of Dior roses at the back. Haute Couture Spring-Summer 1950, Verticale line.


Display at the exhibition - notice the oversize thimble and pin cushion contrasting the miniature dresses.






Emiliacouture - creativity in new heights

Emiliacouture is run by the extraordinary talented Emilia Nieminen. She began with creating fashions for dolls but she kept on trying to create her own doll, one to match her own aesthetic. She has the Inamorata dolls, who have a ball-jointed body (BJD) and are 16" tall, made of polyurethane resin and have 21 points of articulation. They have two sculpts up to now, Miao and Nnaji, who share six different skin tones. She releases limited editions of dolls and fashions every now and then, which all sell out almost immediately. She also does one-of-a-kind commissions. 



Vertebrata fashion by Emiliacouture - copyright 2013 Emilia Nieminen

The Vertebrata fashion is extraordinary and is a dress that Tierry Mygler would kill to have in one of his collections - even though it is somewhere between Mygler and something Alexander McQueen would make. There were two colour variants: Dust in a Limited Edition of 20 and Nude (already sold out) in a limited edition of 10, each at  US $199.


Vertebrata fashion by Emiliacouture - copyright 2013 Emilia Nieminen

Dust is a 2-tone cross weave silk of powder pink and black making the fabric an elegant dusty grey with a mauve hue. The Dust silk is coarse dupioni with a raw feel to it and the trail of the gown is a matching colour soft netting. The Nude is a luxurious silk satin in toned down shade of pale powder beige. The trail of the gown is a matching colour soft netting with golden hue.


Vertebrata fashion by Emiliacouture - copyright 2013 Emilia Nieminen

The colour variation share accessories in beige leatherette: three strap pumps with golden edgy spine heels and a clutch with metal corners. Amazing detail and design.


Vertebrata fashion by Emiliacouture - copyright 2013 Emilia Nieminen

The focal points of the Vertebrata gowns are the metal ornaments on the shoulders and a pale gold spine snaking down the naked back. The detail is incredible and looks extremely well made and thought. The Vertebrata also fits Numina Devon and Ajuma.


Vertebrata fashion by Emiliacouture - copyright 2013 Emilia Nieminen

The Cherub is a new doll from Emiliacouture. She has the Inamorata Nnaji sculpt in Chocolate skin tone and comes with flocked hair and basic lingerie. She wears a strapless under-wire bra in intricate white lace and matching panties. Her shoes are white leatherette between toe sandals featuring the Art Nouveau serpent heels in glossy black.


Cherub doll by Emiliacouture - copyright 2013 Emilia Nieminen

According to her angelic origins Cherub wears a gold leatherette harness with a pair of metal wings. Cherub has brown eyes with with a gentle expression with subtle amusement. Her make up has a black cat's eye eye-liner, warm brown hues on her top lid and smoky hue eye shadow below the eyes, and coffee coloured lips parted to reveal upper teeth. Her applied lashes are medium length and nail polish is coffee black.


Cherub doll by Emiliacouture - copyright 2013 Emilia Nieminen

The flock hair is great with traditional wigs as it gives a good grip to hold the wig firmly in place. However, this means she cannot share Inamorata size hard cap wigs. If you want to wash the flock off email Emilia for a safe tutorial. She also had 2 Cherubs bald.


Cherub doll by Emiliacouture - copyright 2013 Emilia Nieminen

The doll is a limited edition of 20 and costs US $475. She is sold out. And how could she not be? Emilia's dolls and fashions are of exquisite quality and a particular aesthetic that makes certain of their popularity. Just like my favourite fashion of hers, on the Mirrorball OOAK doll below, who received a DOLLS Industry Award of Excellence at IDEX 2013 - well done Emilia!


Mirrorball OOAK doll by Emiliacouture - copyright 2013 Emilia Nieminen

My dolls in Haute Couture: a photoshoot for Grazia India magazine!

A while ago the editor of Grazia India, Nadnini Bhalla contacted me about doing a photoshoot with my fashion dolls for the magazine, with them wearing miniature outfits created by Indian fashion designers. She said she loved my Vogue mock up covers and wanted to make something in that context for the photoshoot. Of course I agreed and started planning the whole thing. After a while, the outfists arrived. Opening the garment bag of each one was a surprise: the worksmanship was incredible. The designers, with only a basic pattern to help them had made miniature miracles. Some of the outfits had miniscule accessories with them, which made them even more incredible.

fashion doll Nadja wearing Lecoanet Hemant mini couture dress

Turmeric sequin ball gown and gloves, Lecoanet Hemant

Not all the outfits were made in the exact doll sizes I had provided. Some were too big or too small to fit on either 12" dolls or 16" dolls. But with the help of pins and proper posing, all of them were finally photographed by me with my dolls wearing them. From a huge number of photos, I picked soem and sent them over to have the magazine editors finalize the selection and layout. When this was done, it was ready for printing. The issue was out in May and it was a huge 12-page spread exclusive. I am publishing the results here and hope you like them! In future posts, I will feature each and every dress seperately, with facts about the designer, the specific dress and also photos of the original outfit on the runway. Enjoy!

fashion dolls wearing mini outfits by Indian designers Raakesh Agarvwal, Sitara by Manjaree and Kallol Dutta

Jumpsuit, Raakesh Agarvwal; Bubble-hem dress, Sitara By Manjaree; Bambino-print maxi, Kallol Dutta

Bubble hem mini dress Sitara by Manjaree worn by Kyori Sato doll

Bubble-hem dress, Sitara By Manjaree

Ombre pleated gown by Nachiket Barve, worn by Kyori Sato doll

Ombre pleated gown, Nachiket Barve

Ruched dress with circuitry sleeve by Prashant Verma, worn by Lush Avantguard doll

Ruched Dress with circuitry sleeve, Prashant Verma

I would also like to thanks Nandini Bhalla (senior editor), Nidhi Jacob (editor) and Rajni Phatak (accounts) for their incredible help and collaboration and coordination of this dream project! Grazia India is in great hands!

Lame origami gown by Varun Sardana worn by Kyori Sato doll, lime one shouldered maxi dress by Gauri and Nainika worn by Eden Blaire doll

Lame origami gown, Varun Sardana; Lime one-shouldered maxi, Gauri and Nainika

Ball gown with rosette train by Preeti Chandra, worn by Natalia Fatale doll

Ball gown with rosette train, Preeti Chandra

Sheer knotted dresses by Anuj Sharma, worn by Lush Avantguard doll and Venus Sybarite doll

Sheer knotted dresses, Anuj Sharma

Tie-dye sleeveless jacket and top over satin pants by Savio Jon worn by Lush Avantguard doll

Tie-dye sleeveless jacket and top over satin pants, Savio Jon

Sequin strapless dress by Namrata Joshipura, worn by Lush Avantguard doll

Sequin strapless dress, Namrata Joshipura

Textured prom dress by Alpana and Neeraj, worn by Lush Avantguard doll

Textured prom dress, Alpana and Neeraj

The shoot was also published in an indian blog about fashion, High Heel Confidential. The photos below of the magazine pages scanned are from that blog as I still have not received the magazine to scan them myself.

double page spread from grazia India magazine Nadja doll wearing Lecoanet Hemant

All photographs for Grazia are not to be published in any other form, in print or electronically without permission from the magazine and me. Photos published by special permission of Grazia Magazine.