Tag Archives: inspiration

Diorama Inspiration

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I’ve been sewing clothes for my dolls again recently – I’ll show you when something is done. There’s a lot of handwork on this particular couturier gown! – and went looking for a video I watched a long while ago. I found a trove of videos made by Mattel for Silkstone Barbies which show fantastic dioramas.

This one from 2012 is called Behind the Scenes of the Atelier. It features the five new dolls, but also a really terrific diorama. It’s like a visit to a Paris couturier in the 1950’s. This is a longer video with some behind-the-scenes commentary from the designer, Robert Best.

The 2015 video – again showcasing five new dolls – takes us to a runway show at a Paris couturier. There’s also a quick visit to the atelier again. I love the colour choices, how the backgrounds are all black and cream (hello, Coco Chanel) so that the dolls really contrast.

There are six dolls showcased in the 2013 video (there was a new Ken that year plus five Barbies) on a ship similar to the Titanic. This one has a fashion editor voiceover and is sepia-toned.

The 2011 video showcases five dolls, and the diorama setting is a train station – the train being the Trans Siberian Express. it reminds me of the opening scenes of the movie Murder on the Orient Express, the one with Michael York.

This video from 2014 spotlights one doll (Fiorella) in an Italian town. I like how it starts in black-and-white then changes to colour.

And this is the one I was looking for in the first place! It’s from 2016 and is the reason my girls now have a Vespa. (Who knew such a thing existed in 1/6 scale?) Again, there are five new dolls, photographed this time in a photographer’s loft – but check out the Paris streetscape! That’s a diorama. I would love the opportunity to explore it more closely.

I went hunting about information about the artist(s) who built the dioramas or any sites that show the dioramas in more detail. There is this video showing the artists building the Russian train diarama, which is huge!

There is also a suite of posts on this blog about the 2012 convention, where the atelier diorama was displayed. I can’t imagine having the chance to look closely at that beautiful diorama! The blogger mentioned a panel at that conference with the Mattel team, including set designer Lars Auvinen. Ha! We have a name! Here are some of the Barbie sets on his website.

I also discovered that the Silkstone Barbie Fashion Model Collection is coming back, according to Robert Best, which is awesome news. I can’t wait to see what he designs for the girls next.

There were four dolls in 2019, of which I bought only Best in Black, and three in 2020. I bought Best to a Tea. The Gala’s Best is usually listed as the last Silkstone Barbie, but she won’t be any longer. These two are also the only two articulated Silkstones in my collection – this body sculpt is thinner than the original Silkstone doll.

2019 Silkstone Barbie Best in Black
2019 Barbie Silkstone Best in Black
2020 Silkstone Barbie Best to a Tea
2020 Barbie Silkstone Best to a Tea
The Gala's Best, 2020 Silkstone Barbie
2020 Barbie Silkstone The Gala’s Best

Here’s a reference website showing an inventory of all Barbies. FYI, clicking on the images takes you to eBay instead of a larger version of the image. Here’s the Silkstone page.

I should have a finished ball gown to show you soon. 🙂

Salley Mavor

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It’s Miniature Monday and time to share some inspiration. Today, we’ll have a peek at the work of artist Salley Mavor.

I first learned about Salley when a friend shared the video of her work creating the illustrations for the children’s book My Bed. They’re not really illustrations – they’re fibre art sculptures which were photographed for the book.

Here’s that video, which also talks about her process.

On Salley’s website, you can check out a lot of her work, along with links to videos. My favorite tab is Polly Doll, who has been photographed in many places. Here she is in Ireland, in this pic from Salley’s website. (If you click on it, you’ll be taken to the Polly Doll tab.) Look at that fabulous little sweater!

Polly Doll in Ireland ©Salley Mavor

Salley also has a book, Felt Wee Folk, about creating your own miniature figures. You can probably guess that I’ve ordered a copy. 🙂 Here’s the info about it on her website.

Here’s Salley’s website, Wee Folk Studio, where you’ll find lots of other inspiration.

The Nutshell Studies

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I’ve been discovering a lot of interesting miniatures. so will start sharing them on Miniature Mondays. These displays are creative and inspiring – and sometimes surprising.

The Nutshell Studies were created by Frances Glessner Lee in the 1940’s. They’re dioramas of crime scenes, intended to help train detectives to solve homicides. Lee (1878-1962) was America’s first female police captain and a pioneer in developing forensic sciences. She worked with the Department of Legal Sciences at Harvard and created these miniatures to teach police investigators what to look for at a crime scene.

The Red Room Nutshell Study by Frances Glessner Lee

Here’s an article about an exhibit of the 19 dioramas at the Smithsonian a few years ago. The image above is from that article and clicking on it will take you there, too.

This article at the Smithsonian magazine has a slide show of images and more information about Lee (who sounds like a very interesting woman.)

Here’s the Wiki.