Paper Dolls

When I was a little girl, one of my favorite activities was to make clothes for my paper dolls. I would lay my doll on a piece of "typing paper," then carefully draw the outline of a dress around her shape. Using crayons or colored pencils (this was in the days before watercolor markers) I would draw in the fashion details, add tabs, cut it out and - voila! A new dress. One of the the most thoughtful gifts I ever received was a folder of 8-1/2 x 11 inch papers printed to look like different fabrics and trims, which were designed to be used with paper dolls. Quite the thing in the mid-60s.

Today I played paper dolls again, with the help of my croquis, Polly. She was a good sport, and tried on as many skirts as I asked and helpfully offered her opinion on the best length for me.



For those of you who read my earlier introduction to Polly, it may come as no surprise when I say that my first instinct when choosing a dress or skirt would be to select the longest possible length, like the skirt on the far right. Looking at the skirt on Polly, however, I can see that it's actually a little too long. Probably 2 to three inches shorter would be more flattering.

Looking at the next two skirts, I think it's fairly clear that mid-calf length is out, but looking at the fuller skirt, I can see that if it were just a touch shorter, just below knee length, it might be okay.

But the most surprising to me are the three short skirts. It would never have occurred to me that a short skirt could be at all flattering, but of all the looks included in the picture, the short a-line and pencil skirts are my favorites.

The paper doll exercise is part of my preparation for the PatternReview Mini-wardrobe Contest. I don't intend, at this point, to toss out the pattern selections I've already made, but I will definitely take a second look at the lengths I've chosen. A trip to the mall for some snoop shopping may be in order.