For those in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s summertime! And yes, even those living up in Canada get to explore the wonders of fun in the sun. Albeit it’s not as warm as other places may be, it’s still summer time. Which means it’s time to talk about what’s hot and what’s not when it comes to Blythe summer fashion! My summer 2013 favourites include:

1. Bathing suits that look cute. Now, you may not be able to swim without damaging your eyelashes or having an eyechip potentially fall out, but that is not an excuse not to look fantastic by the pool. My personal favourites include the bikini top from Sunshine Holiday, but the Prima Dolly bathing suits are super cute as well.

2. A fetching pair of sunglasses helps to protect all four sets of your eyechips from the harmful UV rays! Your human should remember to wear a pair of sunglasses as well. You should get those that actually say UVA/UVB protection on them. And be sure to get big ones, like all the big movie superstars.

3. Sandals. Just don’t wear socks with them, because that is a very big fashion faux pas. Nobody wants to be the uncool one at the beach, but it’s also a good idea to get sandals that look cute with whatever bathing suit that you’re wearing. Neutral colours look great, but bright colours are always better!

4. Pool toys are great accessories, even if you have no intentions of getting into the pool. Why not look fabulous while you’re lounging about waiting for someone to come with your drinks complete with a little umbrella? Nobody ever said that look fabulous wasn’t hard work!

Last, but certainly not least, is the towel. You may not realize it, but the beach towel is the perfect summer accessory. Not only is it useful and functional, they come in some great colours and designs! Might as well look fantastic while drying off, yes?

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.

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’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

Sometimes all it takes is a little something to make an outfit fantastic, to bring it all together. My personal favourite thing to make an outfit perfect? The right pair of boots! Like many fashionable dolls, I adore both modern and vintage boots. There are plenty of stock boots that come with Blythe that are fantastic and there are some boots that were made for other dolls that fit my feet like Cinderella’s slipper to her own foot. What are some of my personal favourites? I’m so glad you asked!

All fashionable Blythes should own at least one pair of vintage laced boots. The reason that they’re so popular is because they’re rather classic, and the vintage style isn’t one that will go out of fashion any time soon! I’m quite fond of mine – I have cream and a few shades of brown. I’m led to believe that there are a pair of pink boots kicking around, but Eden never lets me wear them!

Other boots that I think are awesome are the always wonderful riding boots. They look great with tights and a short dress. Not too short though, you don’t want people thinking that you forgot to put on pair of pants or anything – but it’s always nice to have something that accentuates the legs and adds to your modelesque height.

My current favourites are these: gold boots. Who doesn’t need a pair of sparkly gold boots? The answer is that everyone needs a pair. Always. Full stop, no questions asked. I would recommended that you sneak into your owner’s Paypal and buy yourself a pair. But you didn’t hear that from me. *winkwink*

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.

Hello, my darling fashionistas! It’s time for more Love, Sophie – featuring me, the always adorable Sophie!

Today I wanted to talk to you all about a lovely accessory item that can make or break an outfit. Quite literally, hats are wonderful. That is, until they give you the dreaded “hat hair”. Please see Exhibit A:

All that flat hair, there’s no volume, no body to her hair. It’s positively dreadful without the dreads! No, what you must remember is that the hat should add something to your outfit, not be the center piece. The hat should be wonderful and make you look awesome without taking away from your outfit. What is the point if the hat steals the show? So I wanted to show off some of my favourite hats:

From top to bottom, left to right, we have: slouchy boho hat, famed kitty helmet, newsboy hat (cute!) and the ever-wonderful black helmet with accenting button. Who doesn’t love accenting buttons?

I think that hats are fantastic, but they can only do so much for you. If you were wearing a brown paper bag, I don’t think even the bestest of hats would be able to save your outfit – so it’s a good idea to make your entire outfit stellar at all times. And never, ever ever let your owner dress you without any input from yourself, or else you end up looking just awful!

So fashion fans, what are your favourite types of hats? I want to see them! Send me pics below in the comments so I can see what I should get Michelle to buy for me!

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.