A Little Glamour
Or a lot of glamour depending on your definition. I received a treasure trove of new outfits from the talented designer Hoang Anh Khoi on Etsy. I showcased one of them in a recent blog post with NuFace Totally Betty Ayumi. Today, a favorite FR2 Elise is wearing the fashion. The day before yesterday, I gave a sneak peak of my mood board for this shoot.
I also shared a couple of images along the way in this shoot on my Instagram story. If you are interested in seeing some of the process as I shoot these, feel free to sign up for my Instagram feed. The link for this is to the right on the sidebar of this page.
Model: FR2 Midnight Star Elise by Integrity Toys
Dress: Hoang Anh Khoi on Etsy
Fur: Dimitha on Ebay
Shoes: FR2
Hat: Bogue’s Vogues on Etsy
Gloves: Mattel
Purse: Lovetones Bonjour Baby Lena
Set: Clock was purchased from little gift shop on Rue du Rivoli in Paris. Bombe chest was a repaint by friend and artist Carolyn Grentz.
-Rebecca
The Art of the Vignette
Thank you so much for the response to my last post “The Fashion Doll Vignette”. I have been toying around with doing a regular segment on the blog for a while that is devoted specifically to the small sets or dioramas that I use in my photos or displays. In particular, I want to share some diorama items and furniture that I have obtained over my years of collecting. I look forward to sharing these “vignette” or “diorama” posts on a more regular basis in the future.
The word Vignette has multiple meanings. In photography, to vignette is a verb meaning to darken or lighten the corners and edges of a photo in a way to highlight a part of the photo. I use this technique on many of my photos. It helps to bring the focal point to a part in the picture that you want everyone’s eye to travel to…typically the center. Vignette used as a noun can also mean a small pleasing grouping or portrait. When I photograph things, many times I like to use a small diorama with it. Sometimes it is elaborate and sometimes it is just a small piece or two. For this set of photos, I used a number of pieces.
First and foremost, I used another Carolyn Grentz exquisitely painted OOAK bombe chest in 1/6 scale. Still in talks with her to see if she has room in her commission books for more.
The two side chairs were found on Ebay. I was able to get them marked down and even at that price, in retrospect, they were kind of pricey. If they came down to say, $65, they would be a better purchase I think. The floral arrangement was made by me and I used various artificial flowers that fit with the scale. Many of the flowers are scrapbooking elements of some kind or picks you can find in the boutonniere making section of your local craft store. The purse is slightly big for 1/6 scale but it works as say an over night bag or oversized bag for the playscale girls. It is a Kate Spade keychain/coin purse.
Model: Victoire Roux workshop doll from The Premiere Convention
Dress and coat: Bellissima Couture
Shoes: Mattel
Hat: Floral Scrapbook element
The coat of this beautiful ensemble is out of fabric that is a map of Paris. Too cute!!
Here are some more photos of that fabulous bombé chest.
The Fashion Doll Vignette
I think you can tell by now that I love collecting fashion dolls. I also love photographing my collection and sharing those photos with you all. Another thing I really enjoy doing is displaying my collection. Some of the most popular images I share either here or on my flickr page involve some kind of diorama. To me, it is infinitely more interesting to share a scene rather than just a fashion image of a doll and outfit. One is editorial, the other shares a story. The second you add items and accessories, it becomes a scene and scenes have stories. Do I have a story when I set a scene? Sometimes, yes, sometimes, no.
This vignette started with the following youtube video. This is where I imagine all of my Silkstones live LOL!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETxufpX8yFc&list=UUonF9muPaQugKknkbQfQ2iw
In this diorama there are a number of amazing pieces. First and foremost, there is this exquisite suit, hat and gloves from Matisse. It is worn by Ballgown Silkstone.
The other treasures in this diorama are the 1/6 terrarium, 1/6 garden cloche and the OOAK painted 1/6 bombe chest. The plants are all miniature scale plants found on Amazon. The picture above the chest was a find on an antiquing trip to a local shop.
I don’t know if these little terrariums are available anymore but they are too adorable.
The miniature cloches can be found in most fairy garden supply stores. I have added a link for some at Amazon. Just click on cloches.
Let’s talk about this amazing bombe chest for a moment. It started life as a plastic jewelry chest. I have dear friend ,Carolyn Grentz, who is an amazing artist and she transformed this plastic jewelry chest into a 1/6 French baroque treasure. I am trying to talk her into doing a few more to sell at Barbie Convention.
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 