Also see Tonner Dolls Theatre De La Mode Collection
Introducing Milou
"Radiating
an irresistible charm, Milou the Mannequin invites you to share her
vintage Parisian world of elegance, beauty and privilege where
well-groomed chic and flawless taste are eternal.
It is early spring, 1945. In
Paris the soft wind of peace and hope is blowing through the streets and
over the rooftops. Exiles are returning.
The city is once more buzzing
with excitement and anticipation as the legendary House of Mornay
re-opens its salon de couture in the Place Vendome for the first time
since 1939.
Milou is the premiere house mannequin. With her aristocratic lineage,
her haughty demeanour, her poise and sang-froid, she is the perfect
expression of the 'simplicite de luxe' ethos for which the House of
Mornay is famous.
She is a true Parisian
Elegante. Or as the French might say, "Milou est formidable!"
And now, with all Paris
Society seated expectantly, a hushed silence descends. A new collection
is about to be shown and Milou is about to make her debut.
This is just the beginning
. . . . "
Milou
is 16 inches tall and made of vinyl. She is strikingly different in
appearance; a new type of retro doll that collectors will find exciting!
There are two special things to mention about her:
The first is about her 'Look'. Although Milou is a glamorous doll, it is
not the overt glamour of Hollywood i.e. of frills, frothiness and
sparkly excess. Instead it is a pared-down glamour that more accurately
reflects
the period 1945-1965, namely: sophisticated, classic and
grown-up She is therefore closer in spirit to the golden age of haute
couture than other retro dolls. Her exquisite fashions have been
designed by couturier Gary Alston who is Milou's exclusive costume
designer. The emphasis will be on authentic fabrics, unusual or subtle
colours and understated, tailored chic.
Secondly, is Milou a mannequin or a doll? Well, she is not a 'realistic'
doll with a personality and a detailed storyline of the sort that has
become familiar to collectors. Essentially, she is a stylised version of
a fashion doll. She has a properly sculpted doll's body with
articulation at the head, shoulders and hips. The correct description of
Milou, therefore, is a 'Mannequin Doll' - something new in the doll
industry. Her storyline is simple which allows for collectors to fill in
with their own make-believe.
A Limited Edition
of only 500 Dolls
PREMIERE MILOU Milou is the premiere house mannequin.
With her aristocratic lineage. Her haughty demeanour, her poise
and sang-froid, she is the perfect expression of the 'Simplicite de Luxe'
ethos for which the hosue of Mornay is famous. She is a true
Parisian Elegante.
Or as the French might say,
"Milou est formidable!"
Milou's exquisite costumes are designed by couturier Gary Alston
of the House of Retro. Milou's launch costume is entitled "Vent
Doux" The dress is real silk taffeta (colour - antique gold or old
gold), and the jacket is black grosgrain, lined in the dress fabric. Her
petticoat is made up of layers of black net with a layer of grey-green
silk underneath the net, the black layers of net are trimmed with gold
satin ribbon.. Her camiknickers are made up of the same
grey-green silk trimmed with black lace. Her shoes are black, heeled
peep-toe. The decoration on her jacket is a made up of copper sequins
with a deep yellow spotted feather.
Milou is a16" Vinyl Fashion Doll
In
Stock
Includes Free Ground Shipping
In USA and Canada via UPS. Click on add to cart to check availability.
Price $295.00
There will be a further two costumes to
complete the spring
1945 L'Ouverture Collection later in 2007.
Milou can ware clothes made for any 16" doll such as Gene or Tonner
16" Dolls like Tyler Wentworth!
Because this doll may not ship until March of 2007 you will only be
charged a $50.00 deposit which is not refundable, the balance will be
charged 15 days prior to arrival of the doll.
If you would like to buy and pay for the doll in installments we can
make arrangements to pay for the doll in a maximum of 3 payments of
$83.50, please call us at 800-860-9934 to make arrangements.
We can ship this doll anywhere in the world! Shipping in the
Continental USA is FREE!
About Creator Wendy Roper: By Chloe Gambell for
HighHeelsNewsletter.com
Milou's creator, Wendy Roper, became interested in
fashion dolls as a child, avidly collecting outfits for her Pedigree
Little Miss Vogue doll. Her interest in fashion led her to collect
fashion dolls as an adult, when, like many collectors, she concentrated
on vintage and retro style dolls. "When I was growing up in the 50s and
early sixties I was very much looking forward to dressing in elegant
grown-up clothes like my doll wore, but when I came of age the fashions
had changed - it was all jeans and hippy fringing. So in a way I felt
cheated". She explains. "Collecting retro fashion doll clothing is a way
of giving myself the clothes I always wanted but could no longer find in
the shops." The decision to make the move from doll lover to
manufacturer came when she realized the market was entirely dominated by
American-made dolls. There are also plans
to create clothes for Milou. "She will have a special collection of
clothes. Needless to say, they will be the type of retro clothes I
would love to wear myself!"
ABOUT THEATRE DE LA MODE Featuring 1/3 Scale Wire Mannequins
wearing perfect miniature haute couture and posed amongst dramatic,
surrealist designed sets Le Theatre de la Mode
is, unsurprisingly, a popular source of inspiration for doll collectors
and manufacturers.
By Chloe Gambell for HighHeelsNewsleter.com
An original 1940s photograph of the
'Theatre Life' set
A collaboration between the Chambre Syndicale de
la Couture Parisienne, the body in charge of Paris couture, and Entraide
Francaise, a war relief organisation, the Theatre de la Mode first
appeared at the Louvre museum in Paris on March 25th 1945. Put together
to raise funds for the charity, the exhibit, which showcased the work of
Parisian couturiers on miniature wire mannequins, posed in dramatic,
artist designed sets, was also seen as a chance to revive the fashion
industry after more than four years of German occupation.
Until World War II, Paris was the undisputed centre of fashion,
attracting attention and custom from all over the world. Whilst this
brought prestige, it also meant that fashion became an essential part of
the French economy. A whole industry developed around (and relied upon)
the couture houses, creating many jobs in textile production, dyeing,
jewellery and accessory making, or in workrooms as pattern cutters,
seamstresses and embroiderers.
This all changed in June 1940, when Paris was
invaded. Many couture houses closed, or moved as designers fled to the
unoccupied zone, or to England and America. Some continued to trade,
employing only a skeleton staff, working for a mainly German clientele
now that it was too dangerous for foreign buyers and journalists to
travel to Paris. Cut off from the influence of Paris, foreign (American
and English in particular) designers were given their first real chance
to work independently and be taken seriously.
Curiosity about Paris design was still strong, however, and when the
city was liberated in August 1944, many publications rushed to report on
what Parisians were wearing (despite the fact that there must have been
many more serious things to write about...). The look that they found
was quite bizarre. Short, top heavy dresses and long jackets were worn
with massive, towering hats and turbans (or hair piled on top of the
head), and chunky, wooden platform heels. It has been suggested that
this look sprung from defiance, a joke at the expense of the designers'
German clientele, but it was adopted by French women, too, and continued
to be shown by designers as late as Spring 1945. Compared to the
fashion that was being turned out in America, where designers had far
less difficulties to combat, French fashion looked ridiculous and ugly,
and was desperately in need of help if it was too regain its former
position.
The idea for the Theatre de la Mode came from Robert Ricci, son of Nina,
and the then head of the Chambre Syndicale, which was enlisted by
Entraide Francaise to help raise funds for their work. Like the rest of
Europe, Paris was suffering from severe shortages, and fabric was
especially hard to come by. Rather than staging 'real life' fashion
shows, which would have been almost impossible in these circumstances,
the Chambre Syndicale decided to do everything in miniature, using
mannequins on a 1:3 scale. This harked back to the old practice of
sending dolls dressed in miniature versions of outfits to faraway
buyers.
Made from wire (a salvaged material), with white, unpainted plaster
heads, the mannequins were designed by Eliane Bonabel, an illustrator,
and Joan Rebull, a Spanish sculptor. Fifty three design houses,
including such well known names as Schiaparelli, Fath, Hermes, Ricci,
Balenciaga, Worth, Lelong, Carven and Madame Gres, were given the task
of creating up to five outfits each. The only difference between these
clothes and those made for real people, was in their size; they had
proper linings, closures, buttons and trimmings. Many were hand beaded,
and designers often provided miniature foundation garments to go
underneath. The couturiers were not the only artists who were
involved. The mannequins' wigs were all professionally made and styled,
and each one wore a pair of beautifully scaled down shoes. Jewellery,
little gloves, hats, purses, belts, and even little powder compacts had
to be made.
As impressive as the mannequins' miniature clothing and accessories were
the sets in which they were displayed. The artistic director, Christian
Berard commissioned graphic artists and set makers to create twelve of
these. Possibly the most famous, is Jean Cocteau's Ma Femme est une
Sorciere, inspired by the Rene Clair film, I Married a Witch (starring
Veronica Lake). This dramatic set featured a group of mannequins in a
badly destroyed room, in which half the roof and walls have been blown
off to reveal a backdrop of photographs of the city. Other sets were
less shocking, but equally striking, and included a theatre, street and
fantasy scenes.
After a successful run at the Louvre, the mannequins and their sets were
sent on a tour of Europe, and later to America. By early 1947, Christian
Dior had grasped the attention of the world's fashion buyers and
journalists with his 'New Look', and the Chambre Syndicale were
reluctant to pay for the return of a group of mannequins dressed in
outmoded designs. This was not the end of the Theatre de la Mode,
however. Forgotten for more than thirty years, the mannequins were
'rediscovered' in the late 1980s, on display at the Maryhill Museum of
Art, in Washington State, where they had been since 1952. Finally
appreciated for their beauty and ingenuity, the remaining mannequins
were sent back to Paris for restoration, whilst the sets, many of which
no longer existed, were recreated with the aid of old photographs and
descriptions.
Left: The Enchanted Grotto.
This is a reprint of an article which
originally appeared on the House of Retro Magazine page.
Also see Tonner Dolls Theatre De La Mode Collection
Angelic Dreamz, Inc.™
13 Niagara St.
Canandaigua, NY 14424
PHONE
Store: 585-394-5450
Toll Free 1-800-860-9934 Outside of New
York
Store
Business Hours
Opening July 4th Weekend
After Hours
TOLL FREE
1-800-860-9934
7 days a week 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Std. Time e-fax: 786-524-0998
EMAIL:
This site
makes use of dynamic HTML and is designed to display properly in
Internet Explorer 5.0 and Netscape 6.0. For Netscape 4.7 users, we
recommend upgrading to the most recent browser for optimal site viewing
and performance.
"Radiating
an irresistible charm, Milou the Mannequin invites you to share her
vintage Parisian world of elegance, beauty and privilege where
well-groomed chic and flawless taste are eternal.
the period 1945-1965, namely: sophisticated, classic and
grown-up She is therefore closer in spirit to the golden age of haute
couture than other retro dolls. Her exquisite fashions have been
designed by couturier Gary Alston who is Milou's exclusive costume
designer. The emphasis will be on authentic fabrics, unusual or subtle
colours and understated, tailored chic.
black layers of net are trimmed with gold
satin ribbon.. Her camiknickers are made up of the same
grey-green silk trimmed with black lace. Her shoes are black, heeled
peep-toe. The decoration on her jacket is a made up of copper sequins
with a deep yellow spotted feather.
