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Now, to be clear, there is a style of women’s clothing known as dollhouse dresses. This article, however, is about the miniature counterparts which are also labeled as dollhouse dresses and how this tiny clothing can be used to capture the mood and feel of a special time and place. Before setting up your display it is important to know how dollhouse dresses differ from dresses made for more popular play dolls. The primary difference with these dresses has to do with size. A standard doll favored by little girls is 11 ½ inches. However, dollhouse dresses used by hobbyists and collectors are based 1:12 scale or a 1:24 scale. Put another way…these doll dresses are 1 inch per 1 foot of an actual human height or ½ inch per human height. Therefore these dresses are half or one quarter the standard doll size. This special scale clothing is not as readily available as clothing for the more popular standard dolls. This is not necessarily a problem for the hobbyist since the miniature clothing can be easily made with a little creativity and a modicum of skill. In many cases pre-made dollhouse dresses are expensive and can range in price from $20 to $50 per item. However, there is a reason for the high cost since these clothes are normally made with great attention to period detail that is important to dollhouse collectors. If you are not adept at making your own patterns they can be found online. Making your own clothing is an excellent way to save money. Patterns range in cost from about $3 to $10. For additional savings conduct an online search for “used” patterns. Don’t forget to specify the correct size when hunting for a pattern. There are also a few helpful books and magazines on the subject. The 1:24 scale is harder to find than the 1:12 scale primarily due to the difficulty of working with the smaller scale. The assumption here is that you have already selected the dolls that will go with your dollhouse and you are now to find suitable clothing. Dollhouse clothes can be as fashionable as you want and specific to the era you are attempting to replicate. Starting with the 1700’s there are many different doll house clothes and styles available. For example you could dress your doll from a lady’s 1700’s dress pattern, men’s 1700’s suit, or an 1860’s scarlet dress and then accessorize with appropriate period pieces. You can also find beautiful night clothes for your dolls that are also period specific. In fact, your dollhouse setup can more effectively capture the imagination when you create scenes from real life experiences. How would people have dressed at a certain time and place in history when they were sitting around the fire, having a meal together, or reading a book? Without question there are many fashions for vintage scenes but there are also wonderful possibilities for modern types of doll house clothes that are well in line with the latest fashion trends. Modern doll house clothes include contemporary items like jackets, Capri pants, and jeans. For added interest add in a hooded fleece and fur jacket. Again, when setting the scene consider…is it summer, fall, winter, or spring? Recreating seasons of the year when you clothe your dolls further enhances the mood. The rising interest of adults embracing dollhouses, furniture, accessories, dolls, and dollhouse clothes should not come as a surprise. They have discovered how a well-appointed setup can stimulate the imagination and take them to places and times that transcend the problems and stresses of the real world in which they live. Richard Weirich has written numerous articles on all aspects of dollhouses and accessories. For more information on dollhouse dresses click here and you can also visit the author's website here.
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