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A Bow to Holidays Past
A touch of holiday whimsy but keeping it simple - This is also my theme for living 2022. This season, dolledition.com reflects the holiday with a bow to holidays past. Often the doll chosen as the...
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The Doll Podcast - Bruce A. deArmond with Louisa Maxwell
Dior has used the idea of developing and refining couture with the miniature "maquette" as part of their creative process. The history and evolution of the fashion doll are on a wave of development...
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VALENTINE'S DAY 2011 - REVISITED
Revisiting this 2011 Valentine Card (updated for 2022) is the classic 1955 Madame Alexander “Cissy” No. 2095. This doll would have taken your breath away the first time she appeared in the stores that...
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SCHIAPARELLI & CHANEL - INNOVATING ART AND INDUSTRY
While so different in so many ways, Elsa Schiaparelli was apparently impressed enough by the personal decor style of Coco Chanel to emulate her look for herself. Chanel’s third-floor apartment at 31...
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WALLIS SIMPSON - THE DUCHESS IN 1950s NEW YORK CITY
From Baltimore, Maryland, Wallis Simpson would morph into the Duchess of Windsor. Part of her complex legacy was her personal style and fashion. A surprising amount of time was spent in New York City,...
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Bridal Fashion, Traditions and the Madame Alexander Bride Doll - Part I
The idea of love as a primary reason for marriage began to spread in the late 18th century and early 19th century, partly due to the French and American revolutions. Enlightenment thinkers in this era...
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GRACE of MONACO: PRINCESS in DIOR- Hillwood Museum
GRACE of M0NACO - PRINCESS in DIOR runs at Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, owned by Marjorie Merriweather Post, in Washington, DC, the newest exhibit that runs from June 11, 2022 through...
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QUEEN ELIZABETH and THE QUEEN OF DOLLS
"Cissy" - 21-inch, No. 2281 (1958) as Queen Elizabeth ll. This doll is the most elaborately produced "Cissy"/Queen Elizabeth from the company's annual introduction between 1955-1962. "Cissy's" gold...
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Marjorie Merriweather Post at Home - Part 1
Marjorie Merriweather Post: Life was so big that it spanned countries, husbands, fashion, jewelry, world-class collections, and multiple homes. In Part 1 - Looking at this fascinating American who...
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Gems, Jewels and Hillwood — Marjorie Merriweather Post / Part 2
Hillwood Dining Room: The Dining Room at Hillwood, with its 2022 holiday tree, gets a festive and bejeweled touch to this grand entertaining space. hillwoodmuseum.org One of the most striking aspects...
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Valentines Day 2013 - Revisiting
“Cissy” by Madame Alexander, 1960, No. 2184 “Belle of the Ball.” Ten years ago - Valentine's Day, 2013, this gracefully gowned 1960 "Cissy" was featured for dolledition.com with a video. Now, it's...
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CISSY, FASHION, and, HER EASTER BONNET
(1958) "Cissy" No. 2230 in a sheer shirtwaist dress accented with rows of Val lace. Her glorious Italian straw hat with pale pink tulle and pink roses frames her face perfectly. Rhinestone buttons and...
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The Business of Beauty: HELENA RUBINSTEIN and ELIZABETH ARDEN - Part 1 of 2
Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden took different roads to achieve businesses in a barely defined concept of products for beauty. The 1920s would establish the platform each built a multi-layered...
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The Business of Beauty: HELENA RUBINSTEIN and ELIZABETH ARDEN - Part 2 of 2
The competition between Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden in the beauty industry is more interesting by their contrasting approaches to their personal image. Rubinstein frequently used her own...
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The Romance of a June Bride - Revisited
"Godey Bride" by Madame Alexander: Medici-style coronet with pearl edging and lace-edged veil, an original bridal bouquet with lace edging to match the gown. This 1949 early hard plastic doll designed...
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MADAME ALEXANDER DOLL COMPANY - AN EVOLUTION Part 1
Madame Alexander and her company underwent an evolution of change from 1923 to 1988, from establishing a company with a $1,600 bank loan to selling the company but remaining the executive design...
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MADAME ALEXANDER DOLL COMPANY - AN EVOLUTION Part 2
During the 1950s, Madame Alexander and the Alexander Doll Company achieved significant success in what is now known as their "Golden Era" of doll-making. Department stores and retailers throughout the...
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THE DOLL PODCAST WITH LOUISA MAXWELL & BRUCE deARMOND
The early dolls produced by Madame Alexander and her Alexander Doll Company were made of cloth and composition materials moving into hard plastic. https://www.dollpodcast.com/podcast-archive I'm...
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MTSTERY DOLLS OF THE VALENTINE MUSEUM
The iconic photo of Portrait Dolls by Madame Alexander, featuring a Christmas tree, is now a part of the Valentine Museum collection in Richmond, VA. The picture was taken right after the dolls were...
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SIGNING OFF DOLLEDITION.COM - 2024
I created dolledition.com in 2010, where I worked to create various stories, articles, and photographs based on the dolls and events of Madame Alexander, her company, and others. Research also...
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