Miniatures - All Dress Up

Call it haute couture, but mini haute couture to be more exact. After WWII, miniature dolls dressed in the most extravangant outfits seem to be all the craze as Parisian couteriers seemed to have a fancy for putting their creations into minis. Their work is so striking in detail that it is worth looking at. The Museum of History and Industry in Seattle is hosting an exhibit called Théâtre de la Mode. This same exhibition featured the same dolls (kept and cared for permanently at the Maryhill Museum of Art) that were used back in 1945 - when they first debut at the Louvre. Because these were miniatures, fashion designers from Nina Ricci to Balenciaga embellished these gowns as if they were as real as their life size version such as their bridal gowns that actually had a floor length train. By miniaturizing the dolls, artists were able to capture the detail in greater level simply and much out of necessity because the lack of materials after the war made it challenge to create run-way ready dresses, so they made them the size of dolls. Of course, if you can't head out to Seattle, then you can at least order the book entitled "Théâtre de la Mode: Fashion Dolls: The Survival of Haute Couture" about the exhibition from Amazon, order it from your local bookstore, or borrow it(if you're lucky) from your library.