Miss Gene Marshall And Friends

Shirley Temple Project Update

2026-03-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

On March 14, 1935, six-year-old Shirley Temple joined other screen legends by writing her name in cement at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Six years ago, I wrote about the sleuthing process that uncovered the dress Shirley wore underneath her blue coat that evening. Designed by René Hubert, it was one of the many adorable costumes he created for the film, “Our Little Girl” (1935). It has since become known as the Pom Pom dress.

Here is the dress in living color, as it looked when it was auctioned off in 2015 by Theriault’s:

A publicity shot from the film:

Shirley worked with the Danbury Mint to release a doll that recreated the 1935 Grauman’s event:

How the doll looked out of the box:

…and the dress that was chosen for the doll to wear underneath:

Definitely not the Pom Pom dress, but rather the Hubert designed outfit that she wore to the Oscars in 1935:

From the 2015 auction:

I’m a stickler when it comes to detail, so I knew that my Shirley Makes Her Mark set needed to be “fixed.” Below is the doll with a replaced mohair wig (those synthetic doll wigs are awful), replaced glass eyes (the acrylic ones that Danbury used often have turned to pink, green, and purple; not very appealing!), and leather shoes by Kristen Hopkins to more closely match the cute little cutout shoes that Shirley wore at Grauman’s. You might also notice the tiny bit of dress peaking out from underneath the coat.

Thanks to my doll “angel,” I now have a custom-made Pom Pom dress, beautifully tailored to match the original. I did need to replace the original porcelain doll arms with those from another doll, since the original arms only had porcelain barely above the wrists. That doesn’t work very well with a short-sleeved outfit.

That’s probably why the Oscar dress that Danbury created had long sleeves; my doll angel also corrected that slight and added the little flange detail on the shoulder. The bolero top was also dyed a light pink to match the original Hubert outfit. She fits the Danbury Mint antique porcelain replica doll beautifully, which of course also needed a mohair wig replacement! I also swapped the Danbury shoes for a pair of R. John Wright Shirley Temple shoes.

This cutie is definitely Oscar-worthy!

I’m sure if she could Shirley would type a letter of thanks to my doll angel for adjusting the Danbury Mint’s errors!

See more Shirley Temple doll photos at my website.

Evolution of The Little Colonel

2026-02-03T04:25:00.000-08:00

In 1935, Shirley Temple starred in one of her most popular movies, “The Little Colonel.” Set in the post-Civil War south, Shirley had the opportunity to wear a number of period costumes, most notably the southern belle outfit shown above. Thanks to her mother’s careful storage, the delicate costume made of silk taffetta survived in Shirley’s possession until she passed in 2014. I had the privilege of seeing it in person at the Santa Monica History Museum just before it was auctioned off in 2015.

The Ideal Toy Company created a special Shirley composition doll, wearing a replica of the very same outfit. Many different sizes were produced, including this large one that Shirley is holding for a promotional photo:

Shirley owned the 27" tall doll shown below, and it was auctioned off in 2015 for a whopping $5,500! This particular one also used a taffetta fabric. An original bonnet is coveted and very hard to come by, even if this particular one is a bit limp!

The 13" version shown below did not come with a bonnet, and was made with a pink organdy fabric. Unlike the regular Shirley Temple dolls of the 1930s, the Little Colonel dolls came with lace-trimmed pantalets.

The 1950s saw a line of Ideal vinyl Shirley Temple dolls, but for some reason, a Little Colonel doll was not part of the lineup. In 1974, Ideal released a Little Colonel outfit that kids could put on their 1972/1973 vinyl Shirley Temple doll. It was cheaply designed and obviously not produced with the care or attention to detail that the 1930s version boasted. The boxed outfit consisted of a lace trimmed dress and a hairbow. The red plastic shoes that came with the doll were meant to be used with the Colonel outfit. C-H-E-A-P!

Ten years later, another line of vinyl Shirley Temple dolls was released, and this group produced some never-before-leased outfits as well as some interesting interpretations of the old favorites. At center in the picture below you can see Ideal’s version of the Little Colonel, which is neither accurate in color or concept. Still, it’s much prettier than the 1970s version.

Shirley herself licensed The Danbury Mint to produce high quality porcelain dolls next, and naturally, the Little Colonel southern belle outfit was one of the first. To say it was garish would be an understatement. The all-too bright colors and cheap fabric choices lacked the charm of the 1930s original. Don’t even get me started on the oddly shaped body, with arms that looked like they could reach out and strangle you.

Finally, the Danbury Mint righted all the previous wrongs by releasing a porcelain replica of the 1930s doll, which used one of the organdy dolls for its inspiration. Standing at approximately 14", this doll also included the pantalets AND a nice bonnet! What it didn’t have was a decent wig or a sleep-eye mechanism with sable lashes. This helped Danbury cut corners by using a synthetic wig instead of a quality mohair wig like the 1930s dolls. Regardless of the changes, it is still a very cute doll.

Recently, I was able to acquire a 20" version of the 1930s doll. I could not believe my good fortune in stumbling upon one that also included a bonnet!

You can see why these dolls were so popular, even back in the Depression-era!

And for the all-important question that burns on all Shirley doll collectors minds: “Is it tagged?”

You bet your sweet bippy it is!

See more Shirley Temple doll photos at my website.

Temple Tuesday: Wee Willie Winkie Dolls

2025-12-16T17:03:00.000-08:00

In 1937, Shirley Temple starred in “Wee Willie Winkie” with Victor McLaglen (typically found in a John Ford movie). In the scene shown above, Shirley wears a Scottish Regimental costume. Below is the outfit and how it looked in 2015 when I photographed it at the Santa Monica History Museum, as part of the Love, Shirley Temple auction by Theriault’s. From their catalog description:

The costume includes plaid woolen kilt, twill jacket with ornate brass buttons with royal crest design of the Black Watch, Third Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland, white leather belt with emblem "Dieu et mon droit" (God and my right), sporran, argyle plaid wool leggings, woven spats with buttons, and cap with Latin motto emblem of the Royal Stuart dynasty of Scotland (translated "no one attacks me with impunity"). Excellent condition. The young star Shirley Temple, named Priscilla Williams in the 1937 film, wore this uniform in multiple scenes alongside co-star Sergeant MacDuff (Victor McLaglen) as he trains Priscilla in the proper discipline of a Scottish soldier. The costume designer for the film was Gwen Wakeling. In later years, Shirley Temple declared that "Wee Willie Winkie", which had been directed by John Ford, was her favorite film of all that she made. Sold for $14,000.

The spats that Shirley wore in the film were in a framed display:

When the film wrapped, the cast gathered around a cake with a custom-made Shirley Temple doll in the center of it. Director John Ford holds the knife with Shirley next to him, Shirley’s stand-in, Mary Lou Isleib can be seen seated, and co-stars McLaglen and June Lang are at right:

A closer view of the cake:

This doll was put together for Shirley by the wardrobe department, who used scraps of fabric from the actual costume for the miniature outfit:

It was also part of the Theriault’s auction in 2015. Edited from the catalog description:

Composition Doll as Shirley Temple in Scottish Costume from the Film "Wee Willie Winkie"13". Composition doll with socket head, hazel sleep eyes, human hair lashes, open smiling mouth, teeth, impressed dimples, blonde mohair ringlet-curled hair, jointing at shoulders and hips, marked "Shirley Temple 13". The doll is wearing plaid wool kilt, sporran, twill jacket and matching spats, belt, argyle leggings, black wool cap with emblem, and original Ideal undergarment. Generally excellent, few minute age lines. Included is a vintage photograph. The doll is by Ideal, circa 1935. The costume was created in the Fox Studios, according to Shirley Temple's memoirs; it was the habit of the seamstresses to save scraps of fabric from Shirley's costumes and fashion them into a like costume on a Shirley Temple doll, a veritable one-of-a-kind. Sold for $8,500

The Ideal Toy Company also sold their own version of the “Wee Willie Winkie” doll in the 1930s. Below is an 18" sample that recently sold at auction. These dolls are rare and usually sell for well over $1000. Variations abound, as Shirley Temple dolls were sold in different sizes and the outfits were sometimes sewn by different seamstresses across the country using different fabrics.

In the 1950s, when “The Shirley Temple Storybook” anthology series was on television, Ideal brought out a vinyl version of the “Winkie” doll. While not as detailed as the 1930s doll, it is still very cute. Below is a veritable pristine version from the collection of my friend, Lori Breen. She was kind enough to send this photo:

Shirley appeared on “Good Morning America” in February 1983, along with former costar Buddy Ebsen (“Captain January,” 1936):

Shirley posed for pictures with a 1930s Ideal “Winkie” doll from the collection of Temple expert supreme, Rita Dubas:

At about the same time, Shirley partnered with Ideal again to release another series of Temple dolls wearing outfits inspired by her childhood movies. Below is their 12" “Winkie” doll in its original box:

I can’t say I was a fan of this version. The eyes are creepy and the sculpt gives Shirley’s face a very hard edge. The costumes seemed to be of an even lesser quality than the 1950s versions. These are fairly easy to find on eBay for cheap.

When Shirley partnered with the Danbury Mint in 1987, the quality level shot up. Their dolls were much more faithful to the actual movie costumes, like this 14" version which was part of the Silver Screen series:

Danbury also released a series of dress-up outfits that could be paired with their 16" vinyl dress-up doll. I chose to use the 1973 Ideal vinyl doll as the model, since I prefer the look of that doll to the Danbury version! The outfit is fairly similar to the one created for the porcelain version, but when looking closer, you can see that in order to cut costs, there was a bit of skimping done in the construction and choice of materials used. I can’t really blame them, as the purpose of the line of dolls and outfits was for kids to play with them, not to just put on the shelf to collect dust.

Recently, a collector’s miracle happened. I stumbled upon an original 1930s “Winkie” doll for sale on eBay for under $100 in a buy-it-now auction! I looked at it carefully, thinking it was too good to be true.

I went ahead and purchased it, as I knew it would not last long once others viewed it.

I was very glad that I did, as when it arrived, I was able to confirm that other than the belt, it appeared to be all original. It was also on a coveted Shirley Temple make-up doll, with perfect curls and the paint in fabulous shape (other than a small missing piece on the leg which was easily covered).

Inside the jacket is the original Ideal label. What a find!

All these years later, collector grails can still be found!

See more Shirley Temple doll photos at my website.

Temple Tuesday: How Can I Thank You?

2025-11-18T11:01:00.000-08:00

In the 1938 musical, “Little Miss Broadway,” Shirley Temple sings “How Can I Thank You” to her friends and family when they throw her a surprise birthday party. Below is a screenshot from that scene:

This photo with Donald Meek gives you a better look at Shirley’s outfit, which consists of a blouse and embroidered jumper. Deceptively simple, when translated to an outfit for a doll, it could really rack up the costs on skilled labor. Pleating, embroidery, and of course the ability to translate the outfit into doll size ranging from 13" to 27".

The embroidered detail:

The Press Book from the film (courtesy of Melissa, aka “The Colonel”) gives a wealth of information about “Little Miss Broadway”…

Including the doll that was created to commemorate that scene.

The ad copy is a bit suspect, as the “exact facsimile” has painted cross-stitch instead of embroidery. From the below photo I found online of an original 13" boxed version, it’s still a cute doll and includes the pleating seen in the original costume. The faux embroidery was ditched for the blouse.

Many years later, the Danbury Mint did their version of this outfit for the 16" Shirley Temple dress-up doll. While much more authentic to the original movie version, be very careful if you have one of these as all the embroidered details are merely glued on.

Don’t be surprised if you find a few on the floor after handling this outfit.

Flash forward to a few months ago, and I saw this blouse for sale on eBay. An original Ideal Shirley Temple piece from the 1930s, sans jumper. I bought it for a song and hoped that maybe lightning would strike twice and I’d eventually find a lonely jumper for sale!

It fit great on my 13" Shirley, but she felt a little odd without a jumper to cover her vintage onesie.

Reaching out to my good friend from the doll world, Madame X (she prefers anonymity!), I asked if she’d be interested in taking a stab at this. Next thing I knew, we were talking fabrics, doing fittings, and deciding all kinds of other important details. The original doll had grosgrain straps. The color was not a perfect match to the jumper, and I can’t say I was a fan of them. I also didn’t really understand the faux embroidery, but have to assume it was a cost-saving issue for production. Shirley expert supreme Rita D. surmised they were done through a silkscreen processs. In the end, rather than be a stickler for authenticity, I wanted the jumper to look good. Madame X showed me a sample of the belt with both painted X’s and embroidered ones. I chose the embroidery.

Next thing you know, little Shirley was bare-no-more! The jumper turned out great and I couldn’t be happier!

What does Shirley have to say about this?

“How can I thank you? How do I start?” Shirley fans know the rest…

See more Shirley Temple doll photos at my website.

Temple Tuesday: Lucky Penny Doll

2025-08-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

While not one of her bigger hits, “Just Around the Corner” is certainly an enjoyable Shirley Temple film. Released in 1938, I enjoyed this movie as a kid, especially the cute little caricature of Shirley featured in the opening and closing credits. As an adult, I had to convert it into digital art!

In the film, Shirley wears this cute little dress most likely designed by Gwen Wakeling:

Even if you’ve never heard of Gwen Wakeling, surely you’re familiar with one of the most iconic costumes in TV history that she designed. Yes, the “I Dream of Jeannie” harem outfit worn by Barbara Eden!

But I digress. Want to see Shirley’s dress in color?

In this hand-tinted promotional lobby photo, Shirley wears the same dress in this scene with Charles Farrell, who plays her father:

Apparently the artist was not tipped off to the real color of the dress…or they didn’t care.

In this publicity shot, Shirley is in her dressing room trailer, playing with a scale model of the set which shows her character’s apartment and the dog salon featured in the film. From Liberty Magazine, November 26, 1938 issue:

One of the elaborate scenes shows a super dog lounge with some forty pooches. These were hired from the See-Are Kennels in Hollywood, owned by Comedian Charlie Ruggles. The canines were valued at $30,000. Doing a comedy dance on this set, Joan Davis tripped over a prop fire hydrant and gashed her head. Nothing serious, however.

A closeup of Shirley’s outfit, including the adorable beanie. Unfortunately, neither one of these items appeared in the Love, Shirley Temple auction held by Theriault’s. Note the Dictionary for Boys and Girls in the magazine rack:

For Thanksgiving, Shirley wore the dress again as she carved a turkey:

One of the promotional items released to coincide with the film was called a Lucky Penny doll (Shirley’s character in the film was Penny Hale, and the original title of the film was “Lucky Penny”). The Ideal Toy Company updated the famous composition Shirley Temple doll with a slightly different hairdo to match Shirley’s new ’do of the time and added a bit of makeup (eye shadow and more rouge), which is why these later dolls are referred to as “makeup dolls.”

Very few of these dolls were made and it is extremely difficult to find one, let alone in good condition. Here’s one I found on the net awhile back, looking minty fresh.

Recently, I was able to acquire one for my own collection. A before shot:

…and the after. I added a red silk ribbon as the dolls originally came with one, as seen in the photos of the boxed doll above. I cleaned up the compo a bit and touched up her lips and eyes. She is ready for her debut!

A shot of the back of the doll, which features the looser hairstyle with curls at the bottom:

A closeup of the face:

Besides the composition doll, you could get a paper version of the outfit, as seen in this page from one of the Saalfield Publishing Company’s Shirley Temple paper doll sets:

See more Shirley Temple doll photos at my website.

Gene: Spring in Central Park

2025-04-05T12:28:00.000-07:00

This FAO Schwarz exclusive was released in 2002 in an edition of 1000. Designed by Tim Kennedy, “Spring in Central Park” is the perfect ensemble for this time of year…especially in New York’s Central Park! I combined my photos of Gene with shots of Central Park that I snapped back in 2016.

Even Super Models get tired and need to rest!

Manhattan Holiday is one of my favorite Integrity Genes; I believe she is just about the loveliest. She is also modeling “Spring in Central Park.”

While she’s a beauty, the Ashton Drake Genes have a certain versatile retro-beauty that the Integrity Genes do not.

See more Gene Marshall fashion doll photos at my website.

Gone with the Wind tribute

2024-12-15T08:40:00.000-08:00

In honor of the 85th anniversary of the premiere of “Gone with the Wind” Atlanta, Georgia, I will be doing a series of posts telling the story of the film using varioius dolls from my collection. The opening image shows heroine Scarlett O’Hara (played by Vivien Leigh) on the steps of her home, Tara. I used a Tonner doll and squeezed her into the Franklin Mint version of the white ruffled dress also viewed in the scene below where she chases after her father to find out if the rumor is true that her beloved, Ashley Wilkes, is going to marry his cousin, Melanie.

Gerald confirms it, so Scarlett prays that evening that once Ashley learns that SHE loves him, that he’ll break off his engagement and marry her instead. Gene Marshall models the white ruffle/evening prayer outfit:

See more “Gone with the Wind” fashion doll photos at my website.

Lone Star Soirée

2024-09-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

Lone Star Soiree was the name of this Gene Marshall doll from the 2006 Lone Star Doll Convention, released in an edition of 350. There was a blonde helper version, edition of 55. While I do like the outfit and its bold splash of red, the hairstyle is not one of Gene’s best looks.

Here’s the mermaid-style gown without the dramatic cape and collar:

Oh that hair…

Using Jamieshow Phoenix instead with a wig cap styled by Kathy Johnson, I am much happier with the result!

She prefers the collar down!

Giving the blondes a chance, I let Ashton Drake’s Fit For A Queen doll have her turn.

The inspiration for this outfit came from the fashion show sequence in “Lucy Gallant” (1955). The story involves a dressmaker who is forced to choose between love and a career. Does she get both? You’ll have to watch the movie. Jane Wyman played the title character (a role originally envisioned for Joan Crawford) and Charlton Heston as Casey Cole, her love interest. Costume designs were by Edith Head.

Jane looks stylish in her simplistic little black dress.

Here, Edith Head herself attempts to style the gown for the model. A perfect “caption this” opportunity!

See more Gene Marshall fashion doll photos at my website.

DeeAnna in the Easter Parade

2024-03-31T10:02:00.000-07:00

DeeAnna Denton is modeling a few choices of “bonnets” for the Easter Parade. Sadly, the Tonner hats just do not look right on our beautiful gal. I spent a lot of time in Photoshop trying to get the “Spot On” hat to look normal in the first shot. Below, DeeAnna gives up and just takes it off.

“Favorite to Win” is a cute outfit, but once again, the execution of the hat is not up to the level that DeeAnna deserves.

Trying to artfully disguise the hat:

Once again, DeeAnna gives up and takes it off. Much better!

See more DeeAnna Denton doll photos at my website.

35th Anniversary Barbie

2024-02-07T15:49:00.000-08:00

After seeing the “Barbie” movie, I was inspired to look at some of the original dolls that brought this pop culture icon to fame. While the original 1959 doll is out of my financial ballpark, some of the later replicas are much closer! The 35th Anniversary Barbie, released in 1994, is shown here in all its pristine boxed glory. As you can see the hairdo is a bit different when compared with the original release (pictured on the back of the box below). I prefer the 1994 version, which is more flattering on the 12" doll.

When I unboxed her, I noticed that the 30-year-old rubber bands that held her classic ponytails in place had all disintegrated. Before I could photograph the de-boxed Barbie, I had to fix her hairdo. My dental bands were too small, so for a temporary fix, I used gold thread and wrapped/tied it around the base of the ponytail.

Photographing Barbie reminded me while I focus on the 16" gals vs. the 12" ones. First, Barbie cannot stand on her own. Without a stand, she will fall over. I’m not sure how much harder it would have been to design the feet/shoes to be able to stand on their own, but for photographs, it’s a pain in the a$$. For the shot below, I had to use Photoshop to remove the stand and place Barbie on the beach of Santa Monica. I also took the liberty of removing her seams.

Here is Barbie with Malibu behind her.

Barbie Land from the movie is the background here:

The sunglasses look great on Barbie, but they are EXTREMELY tight. Getting them properly placed on her face was quite a process, and caused her hair to unravel. “But Dave,” you say, “her hair looks good here!” Of course it does; I spent a lot of time digitally cleaning it up!

On the plus side: I love the retro face and classic styling of this replica Barbie. The sculpt of the contemporary Barbies is just too bland for my taste. For a cool retro toy to fill up your display cabinet, Barbie is great.

On the con side: For playtime, dressing/redressing, and posing…this is a very frustrating doll. Since this is a mass-market doll, the tailoring (and clothing quality) for Barbie outfits at this size is not all that great. I can easily understand where “Weird Barbie” came from. The hair and clothing can easily become ratty. When it comes to posing, this Barbie is extremely limited; the elbows, wrists, and knees do not bend; the head spins around, but it doesn’t tilt up and down. For little tots who want to play with Barbie, these are probably non-issues. A toy that retails for approximately $15-25 can only be expected to do so much!

See more doll/action figure photos at my website.

Red Parasol in Park Avenue Prowl

2024-01-04T17:50:00.000-08:00

Park Avenue Prowl was an FAO Schwarz exclusive limited edition gift set of 300, released in 2007. This is one of those sets that at first glance I thought, “Wow! So many options!” Once unboxed and put on the doll, the quantity of what was in the box gave way to the actual functionality/look of what the pieces were. The leopard coat trimmed with fox is interesting, but quite bulky on the doll. This is one of the main difficulties in designing for a 16" doll; the scale and drape of the fabric don’t hang the way that they would at a larger size. This is why most fashion dolls look so painfully thin. If these dolls were designed with normal sized proportions, any kind of clothing on top of the vinyl would make these poor little ladies look like the Michelin man. I was not crazy about the doll itself, either. For this shoot, I used Red Parasol instead. Her facial paint and hairdo are much more accessible.

Sequins are rarely a good choice on a vinyl fashion doll unless they are micro-sized. These aren’t awful, but once again, the size of the sequin make it difficult to achieve a form-fitting drape. The shoes look decent, but sparkle atop a faux leather strap do not equal fun playtime. By the time human sized fingers can get the straps in place, the shoes begin the splitting/disintegration process.

This set also comes with a very va-va-voom lingerie set. Other than the plastic clips for the hose, I really do like this look on Gene. It still amazes me how Gene can go from good girl to vamp in the blink of an eye, depending upon the outfit and pose. Mel Odom sure knew how to create a versatile character.

The last photo from this session shows our girl giving a little sass, wishing that the sequins had been smaller. Oh well, what’s a girl to do?

See more Gene Marshall fashion doll photos at my website.

Mardi Gras with Gene

2023-02-20T23:22:00.001-08:00

The saying “You never forget your first time” is so true…when it comes to Sandra Stillwell Conventions! My first was 2016’s Belle of New Orleans, held in (where else?) that fabled Louisiana city where Mardi Gras is celebrated annually. I hope you enjoy my parade of fashions that Sandra unveiled for her guests almost seven years ago. First up is Magic Season, which is probably my very favorite outfit from the convention) and its blue alternative, Merci Beaucoup:

The convention’s namesake outfit in silver and gray was what every girl would want to wear to the Mardi Gras Ball:

With the tiara, fur wrap, and scepter, it’s a total knockout! Sandra pluses her ensembles with the perfect accessories.

Queen of the Carnival was one of the highly coveted centerpiece fashions:

Oona wanted her chance to model this gown, too:

If ball gowns aren’t your thing, My Years and Seasons is a very elegant alternative:

For Under Her Spell, Gene dons the attire of a voodoo priestess:

A Mardi Gras post wouldn’t be complete without this non-Sandra outfit from Ashton Drake, appropriately named Mardi Gras Magic (modeled by Ivy Jordan):

Happy Mardi Gras! I think I’m going to see if I can find a good beignet nearby. Any suggestions?

See more Sandra Stillwell Gene Marshall Belle of New Orleans fashion doll photos at my website.

Ambassador’s Ball for Valentine's Day

2023-02-11T08:17:00.004-08:00

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Gene dons Ambassador’s Ball, from the 2021 Sandra Stillwell Ambassador of Fashion convention. Inspired by the Jacques Griffe design shown below:

I agree with the ad copy: 100!

See more Sandra Stillwell Gene Marshall fashion doll photos at my website.

Shirley and The Red Cross

2023-01-24T22:23:00.002-08:00

The Danbury Mint released a 17" tall porcelain doll commemorating Shirley Temple’s 1936 public service announcement for the American Red Cross.

Shirley’s hand has one finger pointing heavenward to signify the requested one dollar donation.

Officially authorized by the American Red Cross, the doll boasts plenty of beautifully crafted details, such as the one dollar donation bucket:

The lace tie-up shoes and stockings:

Who could deny this sweet little face one dollar?!?

Since I am not a fan of the synthetic wigs that Danbury used on Shirley, I replaced it with a softer mohair version:

Want to see the PSA for yourself? Here you go!

See more Shirley Temple doll photos at my main website.

Dangerous Curves

2022-07-27T11:40:00.003-07:00

“Dangerous Curves” was a fashion for Gene Marshall released in 2007 by Integrity Toys as part of the Rare Deal Convention (an FAO Schwarz exclusive). Inspired by a 1951 Ben Reig design in rayon crêpe, it fit in perfectly with the film noir theme of the convention. Here’s the Harper’s Bazaar vintage ad, with photo by Francesco Scavullo, modeled by Sunny Harnett:

Who better to model this outfit than JAMIEshow’s own Marlena?

With or without the chapeau, she looks incredible.

See more Gene Marshall Integrity fashion doll photos at my website.

An Ingenue in New Orleans

2022-07-19T19:57:00.004-07:00

In 2016, I attended my first Sandra Stillwell Convention which was held in New Orleans. One of the highlights was getting an inside peak at the Louisiana State Museum Archives. We were able to see a Ball dress from 1955, designed by James Galanos, who was known for designing clothing for America’s social elite, including Nancy Reagan, Marilyn Monroe, and Elizabeth Taylor. From the exhibition catalog:

Silk faille with woven stripe. While the eye is immediately engaged by the flamboyantly striped, especially woven fabric of the skirt, in typical GALANOS fashion, the focus is quickly shifted to the beautifully cut and fitted bodice. Back and shoulders bared by the halter neckline with its faux surplice front closure, the woman emerges from the gorgeous billow of skirt like the figurehead of a sailing ship. The gloves were made to be sold with the dress.

The dress itself, all these years later:

Like the rest of us, it has some age spots:

In 2019, Sandra released this doll-sized version of the Galanos gown and titled it, “Ingenue.”

With the emotional appeal of having seen the original in person, I knew I had to have this one.

When I pulled it out of the bag and finally put it on a few of my Genes, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed. Without being perfectly steamed or ironed, the doll-sized version does not hang as well as its inspiration. Few collectors realize the challenges of “shrinking” a design down to scale and the choices that must be made in order to do so effectively. The weight and drape of the fabric play a large part, as do the placement of buttons or hooks that can add unwanted bulk. Most want their doll outfits lined to help prevent staining, but that can also add to the issue of a gown now hanging on the doll correctly.

See more Gene Marshall Sandra Stillwell fashion doll photos at my website.

Gene Marshall: Ooh La La!

2021-12-09T04:58:00.001-08:00

“Ooh-La-La!” was a limited edition of 300 released by Integrity Toys in 2007. One of the harder dolls to find on the secondary market, this Gene Marshall dressed doll is a stunner.

According to one of the Gene fan pages, the release was originally intended to be a Violet Waters doll, but ended up being cut from the line in 2002. This was when Ashton Drake was the manufacturer of the Gene and friends dolls.

The inspiration for this outfit was Vogue Paris Original pattern #1057 by Jeanne Paquin, released in 1949.

One-piece dress. Horizontal tucks release fullness in the bodice and drapery at each side of skirt front. Back of the skirt is bias; front crosswise. Skirt joins bodice at waist-line. Deep collarless neck-line. Short sleeves cut in one with bodice.

Here’s the Vogue Pattern Book cover from April/May 1949.

A photo by Clifford Coffin shows a “live” model wearing this Paquin creation:

Interestingly enough, it appears the fabric was intended to be wool:

This will probably be considered heresy, but while I like the outfit, I was never crazy about the face of the doll. Some of the Integrity Genes have a piggish look; not sure if it’s the nose or the overpainted lips, but I definitely prefer Red Parasol’s modeling of this fashion:

See more Gene Marshall fashion doll photos at my website.

Yves and Trapeze

2020-12-28T06:09:00.003-08:00

At the 2017 Sandra Stillwell Eternal Style Convention in Richmond, I was able to see the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit at the VFMA (Virginia Museum of Fine Arts). Called “The Perfection of Style,” it was my first real introduction to the famed designer’s work. This post focuses on the dress called "L'Eléphant Blanc," which he created in 1958.

Here is the description from the catalog when it was on exhibition at The Met in New York:

Creating the trapeze silhouette for Dior, Saint Laurent has a rigid understructure veiled under a fly-away cage. A boned corset anchors the dress but allows the delusion of a free swinging cone. Seeking a shape for independence, though still tethered, the “Eléphant Blanc” dress also employs a shimmering embroidery on net that requires a finishing flourish to the thread work on a transparent surface. Thus, in both surface decoration and in structure, Saint Laurent gained the effect of ethereal, bouyant freedom while retaining the structure of the couture. From the earliest works at the house of Dior through the designer's accomplishments in his own house, Saint Laurent has practiced and perfected this modernist wielding of couture construction and proficiency to seem wholly unfettered. Manufacturer: Rébè. Date: spring/summer 1958. Culture: French Medium: silk, metallic thread, glass, plastic.

In short, it was nothing short of an architectural masterpiece in addition to being a groundbreaking piece of fashion.

Sandra Stillwell took on the daunting challenge of recreating this piece in miniature, despite the many challenges, such as the intricate beading. Here’s the promotional photo I took for Sandra at the convention:

What she had her “elves” put together is definitely a miracle in miniature.

One of the most difficult things about creating miniature is getting the fashion to hang properly without looking too bulky. This one does as well as can be expected, considering the amount of layers (there is an undergarment) and of course the lining.

The wig that was sold to go with Trapeze (Sandra’s title for the dress) was the perfect choice, beautifully executed by the famed doll wigmaker Ilaria Mazzoni.

See more Sandra Stillwell doll fashion photos at my website.

Temple Tuesday: Little Miss Broadway

2020-12-15T04:23:00.172-08:00

In the finale of the 1938 film, “Little Miss Broadway,” Shirley Temple dances in one of the most elaborate musical numbers of her childhood career. An art deco courtroom magically transforms into a backdrop of New York City ablaze in neon as she and George Murphy leap and tap their way across the screen. It is truly one of the most surreal (yet entertaining) Shirley scenes. I had the privilege of seeing her well preserved costume (designed by Gwen Wakeling) when it was on tour for the “Love, Shirley Temple” auction in 2015.

Shirley’s mother had saved the tiara, dress, bolero cape, and the shoes. The costume is deceptively simple; upon closer inspection you can see the very detailed beadwork that went into each piece. Besides how it looked, it also had to be designed for Shirley’s dancing, so that it would flow perfectly with every twirl.

In short, Gwen Wakeling knew what she was doing.

Next to the costume was an 11" composition doll that the studio created for Shirley using some of the same fabrics from the original costume. Fox did this for many of Shirley’s films. I remember when I saw this noble effort, I thought it missed the mark on many levels. The skirt was too short and called attention to the doll’s extra long legs. By using the same size rhinestones as Shirley’s costume, it made the doll-sized version look out of scale and more like a home crafting project.

I do have to give Fox credit for the attempt; this is not an easy costume to duplicate successfully, which is why (to my knowledge), no doll company has attempted it. A detail I’d never noticed shows up in this publicity still of Joan Crawford and Shirley on set: she’s wearing a little ribbon around her wrist. Kudos to Fox for including this on their doll.

I have seen a number of attempts to replicate this costume for the composition doll. While some are better than others, they all missed the mark of scaling down the many pieces of the costume AND making the correct decision to edit out the elements that could bog it down once they were “shrunk” for a doll.

Once I learned that a replica of Shirley’s tiara (and a darned good one at that!) was available for purchase, the wheels started spinning. I realized that it looked best on a 27" Shirley; originally I had wanted it on a spare 25" composition Shirley, but it just looked too big for the doll’s head. Next, I found myself ordering a pair of custom-made doll shoes to match the ones Shirley wore. Of course the silver silk wrist ribbon was easy.

Here are the incredible custom-made shoes:

This photo of Shirley shows her waiting for someone to make the dress. The photo of the real actress covers the doll for the sake of modesty (thanks for the framed photo, Melissa!).

One doll-outfit-creating friend looked at the project and didn’t respond; that was not a good sign. The next one I contacted actually seemed piqued by the challenge. I told this person that if she would do the dress and the bolero, I would tackle the beading (what was I thinking?!?). She graciously agreed and before I knew it, Shirley was having her first fitting.

Based on my feedback and the photos I sent to my expert seamstress (who knew more than a thing or two about doll outfits as well as human-sized outfits), she created the second test outfit with a few samples of sequins and trim. I was already impressed with this version and knew she would do a great job. I sent her the video of the dance number so that she could study how the dress moved and view it from all angles. This was very helpful to her as far as deducing how the original was constructed. These are the behind-the-scenes things that most consumers never think about and why they question some of the pricing for custom couture work. There is much more going on in the construction of these gems than meets the eye!

Not only did my friend do an outstanding job of putting together the dress and bolero, she went above and beyond the scope of what I had requested by doing the beadwork on the bolero top, too. Did she imitate every swirl and bead from the original? No. Would that have been a hot mess if she had? Yes. In a case of less is much more, she perfectly captured the spirit of the original costume while making everything look appropriate for my 27" doll. Saying “thank you” was barely enough to show my gratitude.

I quickly ordered the matching sequins and glass beads I would need to hand-sew onto the skirt. Oh yes...and the thread, too. Once all my supplies arrived, the project sat…and sat…until I found the time (and the courage) to tackle the sewing part. This was nothing that could be done by machine or even with a hot glue gun. Thanks to a few youtube videos and expert advice from my friend, I finally got down to business and braved my first attempt at doing beadwork. I created a template looking at the original costume and scaling/spacing them out to appropriate doll size. I marked each panel of the skirt’s delicate fabric, realizing that this was not going to be something I could goof on. The material easily snagged and if not sewn properly, would bunch up and look like…well yes…a hot mess. Based on my template, I would end up sewing 252 sequin/bead combinations. Yikes! And here was the beginning:

In a few days of non-stop labor, I finally had the finished product!

While I won’t be changing professions any time soon, I was happy with the work I did on the skirt, and thought it looked great with the professionally-done bolero top.

And now Little Miss Broadway has a special place in my Shirley doll room! Laugh department: while my friend was more than anxious to hear comments from the Shirley doll community, she did request anonymity as this was not a project she wanted to duplicate! After 252 sequin/bead sewing combinations, I can totally sympathize!

See more Shirley Temple doll photos at my main website.

DeeAnna Denton: Plum Royale

2020-08-12T19:40:00.005-07:00

Those with the collector gene (as in DNA/RNA and all that good stuff) understand the desire to have a particular doll in every different hair color, even if the sculpt is the same. Thus, my eventual acquisition of Miss DeeAnna Denton wearing Plum Royale with a gorgeous mane of raven hair.

The outfit seems like a lavender homage to Marilyn Monroe’s costume as she sang “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend.” Just not quite as memorable.

As with most Tonner dolls, the jewelry seems a bit cheap looking, like something put together from the sale bin at Michael’s Craft Store. Still, I was very happy to acquire this particular DeeAnna, even if her articulation (like the rest of the ones I own) is clunky at best.

Here’s a little teaser for my next DeeAnna post. No…this is not an outfit from Tonner.

Stay tuned for the full story.

See more DeeAnna Denton doll photos at my main website.

Shirley Projects, Pt. 4

2020-03-24T23:33:00.003-07:00

One of my very favorite Shirley Temple musical numbers is “Fifth Avenue” from the 1940 film “Young People.” Not surprisingly, I commissioned the talented Lolly Moran to recreate the tuxedo that Shirley wore in the film for one of my 18" Ideal composition dolls. Unfortunately, Lolly could not do the gloves, hat, or cane. She did however suggest Dollspart for the top hat, which I immediately ordered. Not sure which size to get, I bought the two sizes that I thought would be close. Sadly, it was a Goldilocks situation and I was missing the “just right” size. There was the too big one:

…and the too small version, which wasn’t even the right shape. It would have been better suited for an Abraham Lincoln doll.

I ended up putting a silk ribbon with bow around the larger one, as I figured at least it was the right shape, and by putting it on at an angle, I could (slightly) disguise the fact that it didn’t really fit. Fortunately, the 18" doll I had chosen to model the hat had a BIG head full of curls! The gloves were easy; I’d made many pairs before, so that went off the checklist immediately. The hardest part was the cane. Buying wooden dowels, I painted them first with black enamel, and then the tips in silver. Easy.

The glitter for the top of the cane came out messy and clumped. I had dipped the top in glue and then dipped it in the bottle of glitter. No control with that method and the glitter stuck haphazardly. Back to the drawing board.

After a few more unsuccessful tries, I finally hit paydirt. In putting the ensemble together, here’s how it came out:

The too-large hat still bothered me. No matter how jaunty the angle, it still didn’t look right. Then one day I tried the hat on a 20" Shirley. BINGO! Guess what happened next? Lolly was making a 20" version of the tux (this time with pockets to hold the miniature pocket chain, just like Shirley in the movie) and I was busy making a larger cane and gloves! To say I was pleased with the final result is an understatement. The outfit looked so much better in the larger size.

Still more Shirley craft project posts to come!

See more Shirley Temple doll photos at my main website.

Shirley Projects, Pt. 3

2020-03-03T18:50:00.001-08:00

In “Curly Top” (1935) when little orphan Elizabeth Blair (Shirley) sashays up the walk with her sister Mary (Rochelle Hudson) to her new ritzy beach home has to be one of the cutest scenes Shirley ever filmed as a child. It’s no surprise that I think the original Ideal composition doll dressed in the same “Duck Dress” is one of the cutest, too. I was able to acquire one, and this is how she looked in the online auction where I found her.

Since I prefer my Shirleys to be as screen accurate as possible, I switched out her white oilcloth shoes for the black Mary Jane variety.

You’ll also note that I added gloves (yup, sewed them myself!) and a purse. Not just any old purse, either. I did my best to match the one Shirley carried in the film.

Zooming into this vintage shot from my collection, I had a very good idea of what that looked like!

A detailed shot of the purse that I made. Not too bad for a first try!

See more Shirley Temple doll photos at my main website.

Shirley Projects, Pt. 2

2020-02-25T04:00:00.002-08:00

It’s common knowledge what Shirley wore to the Oscars in 1935, based on photographic evidence. It’s also well documented what coat and hat she wore when she planted her feet into the cement at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre the same year.

Yup...put her feet AND hands right here. Note Jane Withers, Shirley’s arch nemesis from “Bright Eyes,” in the upper left corner. It took Jane another four years after Shirley to get her block at Grauman’s!

What we DON’T know is what dress she wore under her coat at Grauman’s. So far, no photos have surfaced that would tell us that information. What we DO know is that when Shirley herself worked with the Danbury Mint many years ago to release a porcelain doll that commemorated that historic moment…

she chose to have the dress she wore to the Oscars as the one that came with the Grauman’s coat.

When it came up for auction in 2015, we learned what color it was. From the Theriault’s catalog:

A sleeveless peach silk crepe dress has narrow pleats falling fron the high waist and self-covered buttons down the yoke. Atop the sleeveless bodice is a pink pique jacket with diamond-point edging and puffed sleeves with matching trim. The dress is tagged "4757".

Danbury chose to make the entire ensemble the same color. Ho hum.

Recently, the R. John Wright company, known for their high-end felt dolls, announced their second Shirley Temple doll, titled “Hollywood Star.”

The Grauman’s outfit was spot-on; top-quality fabrics and a real ermine fur capelet. The website said the dress underneath would be the Oscar dress; instead of showing the doll-sized dress, they posted a shot of the actual dress Shirley wore from the auction site. At a doll convention (before the doll had been released, but at a point they had already collected money for pre-orders), Wright showed their first Shirley release along with “Hollywood Star” in two different versions, with varying prices. One had the Oscar dress with no coat (but an Oscar), and the other with just the coat and who knows what underneath.

Then abruptly the price disappeared as did the miniature Oscar on the middle doll.

I noticed at the same time on the Wright website that although the Oscar dress was still being shown…

the ad copy had removed any mention of the Oscar dress and just stated this:

I contacted Wright, who told me that “the family” had forbidden them from using the Oscar dress so the substitution had been made. Very quietly. Because the coat is attached with the Wright pin and not easy to unbutton, most of the people who bought this doll would probably never know exactly what was underneath unless they attempted to struggle to remove the coat. I noticed that recently, Wright did put a shot of what the dress looks like. Nice pleated dress...but not as detailed or intricate as the Oscar dress.

At this point, I decided to “plus” my Danbury Mint doll. I preferred the porcelain face over the felt, so I was good on that. While the fur and coat weren’t of the same caliber as the Wright version, they were good enough for me. I did two little upgrades. One was to remove the Danbury synthetic wig and replace it with mohair. MUCH better!

…and I dyed the Danbury Oscar dress bolero top to match the real one. I was one happy customer...and saved a ton-o-money in the process!

The only thing I need now is a Claudette Colbert doll!

See more Shirley Temple doll photos at my main website.

Shirley Projects, Pt. 1

2020-02-02T10:20:00.001-08:00

In the final scene of Shirley Temple’s 1934 film “Bright Eyes,” she wears a cute cloche hat and coat set trimmed with foxtail tips. Ideal dolls manufactured this set for their 1930's composition doll in a corduroy fabric; the one I have is modeled by a 20" Shirley doll and I believe the trim is mink (or so I've been told by a fur expert!).

When this very outfit came up for auction in 2015, it was revealed that it was a peach/pink color. This made me like it even more! Here is the catalog description from Theriault’s:

Of a coral-rose wool, the coat has an unusual marble button and loop closure, cuffed sleeves, embroidery detail, and a stand-up collar with attached scarf having foxtail tips. Along with a matching cloche with foxtail tips trim. The coat has the label of "DeBetty Alden Shoppe Los Angeles". Generally excellent. The coat and hat were worn by Shirley Temple in the 1934 film "Bright Eyes".

I’m guessing the label actually says “Ye Betty Alden Shoppe,” as one can see the name of the shop in this vintage 1930 shot I found on the web:

Recently, a set for a 25" doll became available in an online auction without the fur trim. The price was very cheap and I said to Melissa (aka “The Colonel”) in one of our almost daily chats that it would be cool to attempt to dye it to match the screen-worn costume. A few days later, it arrived at my house! What a nice suprirse! Melissa LOVES projects (and so do I!), and this was one she wanted to see what I could do with it.

My first step was to attempt to even out the color of the garment by soaking it in Staintique. I would like to do that for the one I already have, but then I would need to remove the mink fur pieces, and I am not about to muck up the original stitching. Here was the result; much brighter!

Step 2 was dyeing the fabric. I picked Rit’s pink dye. Oops! I love pink, but this was definitely too deep.

A few weeks went by and I decided to try again, this time with Rit’s Rose Quartz color. SUCCESS!! I used RIT’s color remover powder; the deep pink coat barely touched the boiling bath with color remover and it was INSTANTLY white again! Cautiously, I dipped the garment into the Rose Quartz and voila! SUCCESS!

Dimitha on ebay sells doll-sized fur pieces, and I bought a set of ivory and brown mink for the trim. They worked PERFECTLY! I decided to go with the ivory set to more closely resemble Shirley’s screen-worn costume.

What do you think? Ready to give this a shot yourself?

See more Shirley Temple doll photos at my main website.

Falling For DeeAnna

2019-12-29T12:39:00.001-08:00

My latest obsession in the doll world is DeeAnna Denton. Not the 16" version, but the 17" sculpt. Amazing what a difference one inch can make! Of course Tonner is now defunct, but thanks to ebay, every now and then a DeeAnna comes up for sale. If only I had fallen for her while she was still being made! First up is Bye Bye Baby, which I am guessing was a not-so-veiled tribute to Marilyn. DeeAnna is standing in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, waving “Bye Bye” to her fans.

The second doll shown is known as Falling For Her. The outfit is so-so for me. The hat appears to have been made out of pillow foam. Seriously. I may attempt to mimic it, but use feathers instead. The purse is a faux gold leather that is already disintegrating. But DeeAnna herself...stunning with her curly auburn hair.

Cherry Cordial is my favorite DeeAnna so far; she looks great as a brunette. It has been suggested that her inspiration was Deanna Durbin, and this particular doll would highly support that theory. She is shown entering the Chateau Marmont just in time to see their Christmas decor.

This DeeAnna I believe is Vivaciously Vintage. I have dressed her in the Spot On outfit. Again, she is at her best as a brunette!

Here DeeAnna takes a well-deserved rest.

Overall critique on DeeAnna: LOVE the face sculpt and paint. Probably one of my favorite vintage-style fashion dolls of all time. The negatives: let's start with the hands. Good Lord they are huge. Even the gloves that come with the doll do not fit over the sprawl of fingers. The body is curvaceous which I very much like; but the articulation is extremely limited. However she has been put together, there is just not a lot of movement. One would think it would be easier to have a larger doll balance and stand on its own; not so with DeeAnna. Tonner did not take the time to engineer the shoes to make that possible. This doll is pretty much dependent on a stand if you want her to pose for photos. The verdict: she’s a winner in my book! Still looking for a raven DeeAnna to round out the collection!

See more Robert Tonner doll photos at my main website.