There's something about the return of September, bringing with it, as it does, a new school year and in turn, even if it's been an age and a half since you last saddled up to a desk with a fresh pack of number two pencils in hand, memories of one's own youth. I always, without fail, feel a powerful sense of nostalgia in September. It's not so much that yearn to a child again (though that could be fun for a day or two!), but rather that I enjoy looking back with a deeply rooted fondness on many of the elements of my early youth that went hand-in-hand with those formative school years.
Part of me wants to pretend its the 1980s or 90s again. To eat Fruit Roll-Ups and Cool Ranch Doritos, drink a Capri Sun, watch a VHS (okay, who forgot to rewind it?!) on a chunky, boxy silver and black hued TV, open up a closet twinkling with neons and synthetic fabrics, tease my bangs, and bust out all those toys - and there was no shortage of them, I will always consider my youth to be one of the most prolific times the world has ever known on the toy industry new release front - that I enjoyed playing with when life was, at least to some extents, a simpler time.
Like many of the era, I had my fair share of modern playthings, but I also enjoyed simpler, classic toys as well, very much including paper dolls. I wouldn't say I had a massive collection, but I can very fondly recall three books in particular: one was a winter carnival ice princess themed collection that came my way very early in life, another featured The Quints (a toy line aimed at young girls which featured a family of quintuplet babies), and the third was - not surprisingly in the slightest for the era - Barbie themed.
Just as scores of little girls have for ages now, I also enjoyed making my own paper dolls. Drawing on and cutting rudimentary figures and their wardrobes out of lined, white, wrapping or construction paper. The homemade ones never seemed to last quite as long as the store bought versions, but both were every bit as much fun and in an age fuelled by modernity, talking teddy bears, plastic action figures as far as the eye could see, dolls that claimed to be born in a cabbage patch, and the birth, for all intents, of the video game generation, there was something downright peaceful and thoroughly pleasant about paper dolls.
Their use (assuming one cut up or punched them out of their respective books) called on a child's imagination and creativity. They weren't as "3D" as Barbie, Gem, My Little Pony, or any of the other scores of dress up/hair brushing (toy companies were borderline obsessed with having little girls brush their toy's hair in the 80s and early 90s) that plastered the marketplace and pages of the Sears Wish Book catalogs each winter, but they could provide every bit as much fun and I don't remember a friend or female classmate who didn't jump at the chance to play paper dolls (and for that matter, plenty of little boys enjoyed them as well, even if they wouldn't admit as much in front of their peers, with whom they'd no doubt be talking about He Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Garbage Pail Kids, Transformers, or GI Joe).
Paper dolls certainly weren't invented in the days of my youth however, not by a long shot. Their history dates back at least to 18th century France (with earlier versions, though not always indented as children's playthings, appearing centuries before then still), with the first commercial versions, according to this terrific article on the history of paper dolls, appearing in 1810 in London, England. Dolls featuring celebrities, from dancers to royal family members, actresses to historical figures soon followed in the decades to come and the popularity of paper dolls would continue to skyrocket for the next few generations (reaching its zenith in the 1930s through to the 1960s).
It has never died out entirely though, thankfully, and many people - men and women alike - adore collecting (and in some cases, still playing with) - paper dolls. How could they not? There is nothing, even with all the toys that have followed in the last two to three centuries, quite like paper dolls out there, and I doubt there ever will be. It's possible that one day youngsters will 3D print their own toys, and paper dolls will fall into the realm of merely being quaint, charming collectibles still treasured by a handful of classic toy fans. For now though, thankfully, one can still readily buy and enjoy all manner of beautiful paper dolls, whether they're a serious collector, a nostalgic fan like me, or shopping for the youngsters or fashion loving folks in their lives.
Unquestionably one of the most appealing and important aspects of paper dolls has been their ability to so perfectly capture the fashions, hairstyles and other important historical elements of the era (or, sometimes, an earlier one) that they date from. In more recent decades in particular, there has been a surge in modern paper dolls that are historically themed and today, in honour of that fact and that such books are such to appeal to scores of my vintage (and historical costume) loving readers, I wanted to shine the spotlight on ten seriously delightful paper doll sets from Dover Publications, one of Chronically Vintage's newest blog sponsors this year.
Long (decades!) before I had the great pleasure of partnering with Dover in such a capacity, I'd been a huge fan of their paper dolls (and other kinds of publications, very much including their wide range of excellent, informative books devoted to historical fashions and costumes, many of which I've enjoyed studying with gusto and intensity over the years). However it is paper dolls upon which I'd like to shine the spotlight at the moment with a selection of different books (amongst the dozens that this company produces) that would have appealed every bit as much to my six year old self as they do to me, a vintage and history loving 30 year old lady, now today.
1. With styles spanning evening attire to walking suits, Victorian Fashion Paper Dolls from Harper's Bazaar, 1867-1898, is chocked full of timelessly beautiful mid to late Victorian ensembles that first appeared in one of the world's foremost ladies fashion magazines and which capture the sartorial spirit of the era sublimely.
2. One of the most tony, moneyed, and stylish corners of America for generations now, Newport, Rhode Island was a fashionistas dream getaway destination in the early days of the 1900s, a point which the sweepingly lovely Newport Fashions of the Gilded Age Paper Dolls book page homage to with a look at outfits worn by such elite clans as the Vanderbilts, Astors, and Belmonts.
3. You'll want to drape yourself in silk, pearls and cloche hats rafter you flip through Art the book Deco Fashions Paper Dolls, which points the glittering limelight on some of the most beguiling, innovative and appealing lovely art deco clothing styles of the roaring twenties.
4. Always wanted to own an original haute couture vintage garment from France but couldn't afford it? (You're not alone!) Fear not, you can call 32 such innovative, breathtakingly beautiful looks your own in paper form via French Fashion Designers Paper Dolls: 1900-1950, which includes styles by such illustrious fashion designers as Worth, Diro, Lelong, Patou, Lanvin, Poriret, Chanel and many others.
5. Let your inner vintage screen siren shine via the book Glamorous Stars of the Forties Paper Dolls. It's teaming with fabulously lovely classic Hollywood stars like Hedy Lammar, Rita Hayworth, Veronica Lake, and Gene Tierney sporting endlessly stylish fashions by the likes of such prestigious designers as Vera West, Jean Louise, Adrian, and Oleg Cassini, who dressed and influenced Tinsel Town in countless ways during the mid-twentieth century.
6. Continuing in the same vein, Award-Winning Fashions of Edith Head Paper Dolls puts the work of this incredibly talented, tastemaker of a famously bespectacled Hollywood costume designer at the forefront with twenty-nine of her most enchanting, stylish looks ever.
7. And for a more French take on designer fashions, we turn to a book bursting with looks by none other than one of the biggest powerhouses of her time in this field, Gabrielle "Coco" Channel in Chanel Fashion Review Paper Dolls, which sure to having you pining even more for one of her sophisticated, understatedly gorgeous creations.
8. Designer of my all-time favourite style movement of the late 1940s/early 1950s, the New Look, Dior's work graces the pages of Classic Fashions of Christian Dior: Re-created in Paper Dolls, which is pretty much my dream vintage couture wardrobe sandwiched between the covers of one fabulous book of paper dolls.
9. In Great Fashion Designs of the Fifties Paper Dolls: 30 Haute Couture Costumes by Dior, Balenciaga and Others, we're treated to some of the most prestigious, enchantingly beautiful designer fashions of the era, as dreamed up by some of the leading lights in the industry during the exciting post-war years of the fabulous fifties.
10. And for a more everyday, yet equally marvelous set of mid-century fashions, be sure to check out American Family of the 1950s Paper Dolls, which highlights some of the most iconic looks that ladies and gents of all ages sported throughout that decade.
{All images via Dover Publications. Please click on an image of the link in the text below
it to be taken to its respective page where it can be purchased, if desired, directly from Dover.}
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Much as I would love to sometimes, I can't turn back the hands of time. The 1980s and 90s, and all the decades the proceeded them, are long gone, but thankfully some of the best and most endearing toys and collectibles from them are still with us, very much including paper dolls. It’s heartwarmingly fantastic to know that there are still some really terrific companies out there, such as Dover, who still produce new paper doll books, including many like the selection of ten highlighted in today's post that are sure to find extra special favour with vintage fans the world over.
Which of these paper doll books from Dover call your name? Do you collect paper dolls yourself? Remember playing them with great fondness, too? What would be your dream set of paper dolls?
Universally beloved, paper dolls are sweet, fun and charming. Modern versions such as this don't break the bank in the slightest, offer countless hours of playtime fun for the young and young at heart alike, and can be educational all in the same go.
Little me would have gone utterly weak in the knees for any of Dover's fantastic historical paper doll sets and, you know, grown up me would (and does) still as well - only now, instead of cutting them out and inviting my friends over to play, I'd spend my time admiring and daydreaming about owning many of the fantastic outfits featured in them.
