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...AND WHAT'S SHE WEARING? Welcome to the Fashions Home Page

I will admit to becoming more and more obsessed with identifying second-market clothing for miniature fashion dolls. Also known as "knock-offs", the companies that made these fashions often made them cheaply, and in great quantities. Sometimes the line of clothing was tied to a knock-off (or "clone") doll, but more often than not they were sold separately, and marked with words to the effect of "Fits all 6-1/2" fashion dolls such as Dawn, Dale, Glori, Tutti, Rockflowers and others." On auction websites, at doll shows, estate sales, or in a trunk in someone's closet, it is very common to find knock-off clothing. But they may not all belong to Dawn and her friends, or the RockFlowers, or Dizzy Girl. Some of the fashions were named, but most were not. Hopefully this site will help you identify the outfits, as well as the dolls. Please note that very often, toy companies would manufacture the same fashion under different names. Many of "Debbie Wardrobe" fashions show up under the Baravelli name.  Both "Tiny Teen" and "Debbie Teen" fashions were made by the same company that made "Lisa Fashions". M & S Shillman made both "The Swingin' Scene" and "Mini-Fashions". In addition, with the collapse and liquidation of Topper Toys in 1973, signaling the end of the Dawn doll line, many Topper fashions showed up in other packaging, such as the line of Diana dolls, "Barbara's Fashions" and Baravelli dolls.

TOPPER DAWN FASHION BOOKLETS

SHOE COMPARISON

TOPPER DAWN FASHIONS

DEPARTMENT STORE FASHIONS JC Penney, Montgomery Ward, Alden's

DEBBIE TEEN and TINY TEEN FASHIONS

CHECKERBOARD DAWN FASHIONS

DIANA FASHIONS

CINDI JOY FASHIONS

LIL DISCO DOLL, LIL FASHION DOLL, MINI FASHION DOLL & JA-RU

DIZZY GIRL FASHIONS

I DREAM OF JEANNIE FASHIONS

LISA FASHIONS

FASHION WORLD

LITTLE MISS DOLLIKIN & TRIKI MIKI FASHIONS

MOD MISS FASHIONS

MISS ANGIE FASHIONS

M & S SHILLMAN FASHIONS

ROCKFLOWER FASHIONS

PETITE FASHIONS

PREMIER FASHIONS

PEGGY ANN FASHIONS

I should point out the difference between a factory-made "knock-off" fashion, and the myriad number of custom fashions. Some customs are so well-made as to be indistinguishable from factory-made fashions. The difference will be shown mainly in the type of fabric used (modern vs. vintage). Many times a customizer will gather up old vintage clothing and use them for the fabric in making fashions for miniature dolls, but a close examination of the construction will show the care taken in putting an outfit together; care that was not used in the mass-produced factory-made fashions. Fasteners will be newer; seams will be tighter; fabric will generally not have the faded, distressed look of vintage fabrics, unless an old dress or shirt was cut up for the construction. The other type of "custom" fashion, which is much easier to spot, is what I've come to call the "mommy-made" fashions. They look like the kind of outfit a mother may have made for her daughter's dolls: simple design, uncomplicated, not a lot of intricacy.. Overall the quality varies. Some are very nice, others are poorly made. The difference between a "mommy-made" and a customizer's fashion is the quantity. "Mommy-made" are the original One Of A Kind fashion. Mom was probably so happy to finish it she swore she'd never make another. Although some customizers specialize in OOAK fashions, many more make a dozen or more of the same fashion for the purpose of selling them. This is not meant to detract from the outfits made by mothers and grandmothers everywhere across the last three or four decades. Quality and quantity cannot replace the love with which that oufit was made and given.