The History of Fashion and Hollywood Glamour through Paperdolls

As my birthday grows nearer, I start thinking about all those great childhood moments that led me to blogging about of all things, beauty. One of the most fascinating brushes with fashion and beauty came to me in a strange way. In grade school, my teacher met with my mother and discussed the fact that I am left handed. This "disability" (yeah, right) was causing me to struggle to learn to cut. I'm not sure the teacher ever considered the fact that her left handed scissors were crap! But anyway, I was falling behind in that critical area of cut and paste. I'm not sure who suggested it, the teacher or my mother, but one of them decided that I should practice cutting out paper dolls. These are not the standard punch out ones, but detailed, printed on card stock paper dolls. So my mother went to one of the book stores in town and bought me the most beautiful paper doll book that even to this day I have seen. The title? Not sure...it's been so long ago but the author was Tom Tierney. The dolls? Victorian women with their detailed dresses full of ruffles, bows, bustles, buttons, and every manner of detail. Mom handed me her best pair of nail scissors and away I went. I learned to be precise and detailed in cutting. It could take me days to cut out one dress. But what I really learned was the incredible world of fashion. Cutting out these dolls became a passion with me. I went on to Glamour of the Thirties, the world of Hollywood costume design, Gone with the Wind costumes, and the wedding of Charles and Diana where I painstakingly cut out the wedding gown in the most delicate procedure, worried every moment that I would rip it. Mr. Tierney avidly researches the history of the eras, actors and actresses, and designers involved in the fashions that he recreates. He has educated himself (and me by default!) in the area of dance, Hollywood, costume design, advertising, and history.

I won't reprint Mr. Tierney's designs here but he has such an incredible love of paper dolls that he has created sets of reproducible, permission for use designs on CD. What I really wanted to say to Mr. Tierney is this; My love and education about fashion started from you...not from some magazine. It is a long standing passion from Chanel to Schiaparelli. It encompasses Vivien Leigh, Diana, Rudolph Valentino, and nameless but beautiful Victorian women. I learned about the fashion of dance, the lives and tragedies of stars like Greta Garbo and Joan Crawford. Later, I even watched the movies and reveled in how gorgeous the costumes were on screen. I look for the tiny details that I've seen while carefully cutting. I no longer cut out my paper dolls but don't think I don't look at every spectacular detail, the cut of a blouse, the ruffle, the detailed pin on the shoulder! This childhood passion has become a secret (or not so secret now that it's on a blog) indulgence. I have been known to put the latest Tom Tierney find on my Amazon list. And just the other day, I stood in Borders and drooled over the President Obama dolls.

Thank you. And if any of you mothers are looking to capture the hearts of your daughters about fashion, romance, and teach them a useful skill (lol), check out Mr. Tierney's gorgeous, smart paper dolls. Also, thanks to Dover publishing for bringing so many of his books to a store near me. My favorites or on my want list right now?

1. Great Fashion Designs of the Victorian Era - it takes me back.
2. Art Deco Fashions -I have not seen this one yet and am eagerly looking forward to it.