Shoes (contrary to popular belief) do not have to be expensive in the World of Blythe. I have a lot of inexpensive shoes, and you can find inexpensive shoes all over the place. You can find shoes from Skipper, Liv, Francie or Licca that can fit Blythe. My least expensive pair of shoes came from a lot that I bought from a member over at Blythe Kingdom. With that in mind all the pairs technically cost the same, but I enjoy these pairs the most (it worked out to be ~$0.25/pair):

They’re simple, and they’re not particularly flashy or show-stopping, but that is what makes them great because you don’t always need to have shoes that are the most important part of the outfit (contrary to Sophie’s beliefs!).

What is your least expensive pair of Blythe shoes?

Can you keep a secret?

I play favourites with my Blythe dolls. Sometimes I even feel bad for doing it, but I do it anyways. It’s not always obvious, but sometimes it is. If I look at my Flickr sets, I can see that some of the dolls that I’ve had for over years have had less than 100 photos, while others than I’ve had for just over a year have double (or triple) that. Love for a doll is a finicky process, if the Going Baroque section on Blythe Kingdom is anything to go by. And yet, I have only ever sold one doll.

In the past, I’ve found myself thinking that my home was the last stop for dolls. They come in, but they don’t leave! That’s the way it has been for all of my dolls (except for the Fancy Pansy who was never named). They come in, they set up shop (figuratively) on their stands and take up space. Then comes the demands for things – shoes, hats, clothes, more shoes… But as demanding as the little plastic ones are, I do play my favourites. I listen a little bit more or cave for the demands much more for some than others.

Some dolls get a pair of shoes to themselves, others get whole outfits. I have a trio of hats that only my Kenners get to wear, some dresses that only my Kenners (or Halo – my solo custom doll) gets to wear. I have a fairly sizable collection of pink everything that only one doll gets to wear… I play favourites often, it’s just what I do – even if I don’t care to admit it. I suppose it’s like that with a lot of things though. We choose favourites throughout life. We have best friends, a favourite movie or book, a favourite boy band as a young girl (ahem, Backstreet Boys vs. NSYNC, anyone?). It’s just the way that the world works sometimes. There’s no cut and dry method of liking everything equally, no matter how hard that we try. That said, I could probably take more photos of some of my ‘lesser loved’ (but still loved) dolls from time to time.

Do you play favourites with your Blythes?

Hello, budding fashionistas! It’s your fabulous and favourite dolly blogger, Sophie!

It isn’t often that I say positive things about the sisters that I have. After all, I didn’t have a choice in my family members. If I did, I would probably be an only child. If I was an only child, I could have all the clothes and shoes and accessories to myself. Because I am not an only child in this family, I have to share and that is very unfortunate. Sometimes they have their good aspects though, sometimes.

This trio consists of my “eldest” sisters (Primrose, Emmalynn and Lillian Rose). I’ve been here longer than they have, but apparently they’re older than me.

Then there’s my sisters: Big Hair (Halo), the Normals (Belarus, Eden, Bennett and Kindred).

And then there’s this bunch… The Not-Normal Coloured Ones (Tertiary Jane, Moxie and Mollie).

Can you believe that I have to share my clothes and shoes with them? I’m a very generous soul, you know, for deeming them worthy to wear my things. All the clothes that they wear? All mine. All the shoes that they wear? Mine. Even though some of them seem to think that they “own” the shoes. They don’t, honestly, because I’m just that generous. The only sisters that I can really stand are these girls, they get me, they understand me, they don’t try to steal the boots that I want to wear before I get to them:

I guess I love my sisters, sometimes, but I do love my shoes too! Until next time, fashionistas!

Sophie is a mostly stock Cappuccino Chat that came to live with me in June 2009. She loves shoes, new clothes, playing with her hair, fashion, magazines full of fluff and shopping. She aspires to be a model and would like to model for some of the ‘great’ dolly fashion houses one day.

I have… a lot of doll shoes. This is not an exaggeration, I honestly feel that I have a lot of doll shoes. I had gotten into the habit of buying up shoe lots on eBay and then it turned into more and more mail full of shoes. A lot of vintage boots? Don’t mind if I do! Lot of vintage Skipper flats? Sure! My girls will wear them. Given the number of dolls that I have, I probably have too many doll shoes. There’s a great range of prices for shoes, and this pair is my most expensive: a pair of pink lace-up Barbie boots that may have cost close to around $40 after shipping was included. Yes, $40 doll shoes. But they’re delightful, are they not?

What is your most expensive pair of Blythe shoes?

I’ve found that I like a lot of vintage things since joining the dolly hobby. Since Blythe, I’ve found myself attracted to vintage coloured Pyrex, vintage doll shoes and vintage doll fashions. I also collect kitschy knick-knacks now and just have an overall appreciation for older things at times. A personal favourite are vintage Skipper fashions. This isn’t going to be a big reference post – because goodness knows this isn’t a Skipper website – but I did want to talk about vintage Skipper fashions, because they fit Blythe pretty well.

Vintage Skipper fashions were produced from 1964-1979. They fit the flat-chested vintage Skipper perfectly and most sets came with a matching set of flats (possibly my favourite part). Nowadays, you can find vintage pieces on eBay or on forums from $5-100+ depending one how complete the set is and which piece it is. Some designs are more in demand than others, but a girl can still dream. Based on pictures that I see on Flickr (and Ipernity) that Skipper fashions remain popular with Blythe collectors today. Not only do the clothes fit Blythe fairly well, the shoes do too! If you’re a savvy shopper, you can find some Skipper fashions available at a decent price on eBay or the forums.

My tips for those interested in shopping for Skipper fashions on eBay is to watch listings for outfits that you’re interested in without putting in bids (unless there’s a Buy It Now option that is at at fantastic price). This helps you to get a feel for what you should be looking for. Are you interested in the complete set, or just the dress/clothing? Shoes by themselves can also go for a lot, or you can search for “Skipper shoes lot” and see what you get! I managed to get my hands on a few Skipper flats lots that went for the same price as some of the BIN single pair of flats listings. It’s always a good idea to do some research before hitting the BIN button or completing a bid. You want to make sure that you’re not overpaying for something that is common.

“Teen Skipper” was introduced in the 80s when they decided to give Skipper a more “grown up” look by giving her breasts (smaller than Barbie) and changing her face by giving her more make-up. Some of the clothing is still cute (more likely to contain velcro as the fastener), but they were tailored to fit a doll with of a well-endowed chest than compared to the older Skipper dolls and even Blythe. You can also find “Teen Skipper” shoes on eBay as well – and they include some very adorable tennis shoes.

I have a wishlist that is ever changing when it comes to Skipper fashions, but there are a few that will remain there until I get my Skipper-loving hands on them:

• Rainy Day Checkers
• Trim Twosome
• Posie Party
• What’s New At The Zoo?

You can find out more information at reference websites such as:

• Fashion Doll Guide
• Vintage Skipper Fashions 1964-1970
• Vintage Skipper Fashions 1971-1979