Dolls' Eye View: Paris Spring '18 Couture

It was hard, but after looking at all of the mayhem on the Paris couture catwalk, the girls were able to get their hands on a few beautiful gems. What you will notice with these spring 18 looks....lots of one-shouldered effects, luxury fabrics (satin, silk), novelty lace, and in some cases, silhouettes with lots of volume and movement.

Fancy Pants

It starts with daywear into early evening with a few very smart pants ensembles. We loved the simple elegance of Armani's classic blazers, teamed with silk and satin trousers. But where we were really blown away....Jean Paul Gaultier's trompe-l'oeil striped pant suit.

Making this pant suit for Nadja was no small feat. I started with a basic bodice and literally created a jigsaw puzzle of pattern pieces which had to be reassembled. It's worn with a small shrug which I made with a lined rectangle.

Scarf Tricks

We were also intrigued by Armani's dresses that resembled silk scarves wrapped around the body or suspended from the shoulders.

So....with another lined rectangle of silk, Angelina's dress was constructed by simply wrapping it around her body and pleated in the front. I pinched in darts at both sides of the dress so that it softly conforms to her silhouette.

So Sixties

Just because it's couture doesn't mean the couturiers can have a little fun. Many of these looks recall both the innocence of a Jackie Kennedy style suit and the crazy black and white op-Art theme of 1960's. Again, the work of Jean Paul Gaultier comes to mind. We liked the op-art print, the tent dress as well as the simple white gown with bold plates of aluminum spots.

Flight of Fancy

Look for feathers to jazz things up.

Here, we took a white flared evening gown and added "wings" to Joan's shoulders. In reality, these aren't feathers, but rather--shaggy fabric which gives the illusion of feathers scaled to the doll.

Snow Angels

Unpretentious, modest.....nothing better says summer then a cloud of soft white fabric. The silhouettes are quite simple, cut using generous proportions and choir girl lines.

Sparkle & Shine

Star that you are.....Fabrics that sparkle, shine...silhouettes that play up the glamour of your diva...these are all classic but very powerful looks for next summer. Look out for clear sequins, metallic satin (if you can find it), sheers with "jewels" or sparkles.

Waris wears a gown we made by draping liquid silver lame over a matching foundation. This is fabric usually reserved for theatrical curtains and extremely hard to sew. But the results was more than worth my sore fingertips!

Color Revolution

Typically we don't see a lot of color on couture catwalks. And what we do see, usually doesn't work all that well. But there were a few gems.....in jewel tone colors: amethyst, tourmaline, topaz and ruby. What we also love here are the generous proportions and fabrics that move (chiffon) and detailing (flocked sheers) that pump up the glamour of the look.

Midnight at Maxim's

It's the year of the shoulder. Look for lots of one shoulder tops and dresses, bare shouldered gowns...even tops that crisscross around the neck. These are head turning, dramatic looks carved out of classic black evening materials.

What could be more dramatic than a diagonally cut top and full skirt accented with black ribbons! Vanessa's dolly version was quite simple. The one shoulder top was draped over a constructed one-shouldered foundation and tied at the shoulder. The skirt is a full circle skirt with an opening at the side front.

Glam Tram

 Again, this theme makes the case for old fashioned glamour. The girls love the lushness of these dresses. These are girly-girl dresses complete with frilly fabric, feathers, embroidery and even a fancy draped sleeve.

But the dress, my girls fought over is this Ralph & Russo pink, asymmetrical, satin gown enhanced with streams of tassels. We love how the shoulder "falls off" the shoulder. But we simply love the tassel trim over one arm and diagonally across the hem of the skirt. Because there are no tassels in the size and scale I needed...I had to make them by knotting together a few strands of fine cord.

Follow us on Twitter: @FashDollStylist
Like us on Facebook: @FashDollStylist
We're also on Pinterest: @FashDollStylist
And of course, we are on Instagram: @fashiondollstylist

All photos and text property of Fashion Doll Stylist. 2018. Please do not reproduce without prior permission. Thank you.