At 16 inches tall, Milou is the same size as other fashion dolls such as Gene and Tyler, but the similarities stop there. Based on the famous wire mannequins made for the 1945 Theatre de la Mode exhibition, Milou is on a different level to the mass produced vinyl dolls collectors have become used to. Her body is wire, with jointed arms and legs enabling her to pose, whilst her face, hands and feet are hand painted papier mache. Although she was originally designed with the fashions of the 1940s in mind, her beautifully stylised face and hair are very reminiscent of 1920s or 30s fashion illustrations.
Milou's creator, Wendy Roper, became interested in fashion dolls as a child, avidly collecting outfits for her Pedigree Little Miss Vogue doll. Her interest in fashion led her to collect fashion dolls as an adult, when, like many collectors, she concentrated on vintage and retro style dolls. "When I was growing up in the 50s and early sixties I was very much looking forward to dressing in elegant grown-up clothes like my doll wore, but when I came of age the fashions had changed - it was all jeans and hippy fringing. So in a way I felt cheated". She explains. "Collecting retro fashion doll clothing is a way of giving myself the clothes I always wanted but could no longer find in the shops." The decision to make the move from doll lover to manufacturer came when she realised the market was entirely dominated by American-made dolls.
Starting out with plans to make a conventional vinyl fashion doll, Wendy was forced to consider alternatives when she realised that her budget would not stretch to covering the costs involved in having this type of doll manufactured. She discovered the perfect solution to this problem when she came across a picture of the Theatre de la Mode mannequins. Due to the severe shortages in materials in post war Paris, these mannequins had been made from recycled wire. "The wire figures were so appealing and endearing, and it satisfied my desire to have something European in origin."
The Theatre de la Mode concept provided Wendy with a more realistic method of production for her doll, but there was still a great deal to learn before the concept which "sprang almost fully formed into my mind at the start", could be turned into a finished doll. "(It) took much longer than I had anticipated. This is because I had had no experience before - I had no foreknowledge of what the problems and obstacles were going to be. And there were plenty!"
Despite these problems, Wendy persevered, introducing the first, hand made, batch of dolls this Spring. The body for this doll was created by two highly skilled wire workers, Michael Ball, who made the prototype, producing "the beautiful arrangement and construction of wires that make up the body", and Roddy Khumalo, who developed the articulation, and went on to produce the first run of hand made production bodies. Wendy stresses that although wire working may appear easy, it is actually extremely difficult, and "at this level of skill, there are very few people who can achieve such neatness and control".
Milou's head, hands and feet are made from papier mache. Wendy wanted the doll to have "a fresh-looking, stylised face with closed eyes", and this vision was realised by Desmond Lingard, who did the sculpting, and Charles Fegen, who was responsible for the paint work.
Because Milou is such an unusual doll, the responses she has evoked amongst collectors have been mixed. Some collectors have expressed distaste at the wire body (one posting on a doll board likened her to a "bird cage"!), whilst others have accused the doll of being "a mannequin, not a fashion doll". "To be honest, I cannot see the difference", Wendy says in response to these criticisms. "To me (Milou) is both. I know some collectors would not find her tactile enough to play with but I love holding her and dressing her. And she does have a subtle personality - she grows on you imperceptibly. You can use her just for display or imagine her, as I do, as a top couture house mannequin".
As a collector who has as much interest in clothing and fashion history as the dolls themselves, what appeals to me about Milou is the very fact that she is NOT a 'realistic' looking plastic fashion doll - she really looks like a mannequin from the era she is meant to represent. Although she is a new doll, she has a vintage feel and quality about her that I don't think is matched by other retro dolls currently on the market.
Wendy hopes that the sales from this initial run will help her to realise her true goal, that of producing a manufactured Milou doll. She is currently looking for suppliers, after the company that was supposed to be producing the samples for this doll informed her they would not be able to continue work on the project. In the meantime, she is also working on another, hand made Milou, this time in a larger, 27" size (1/3 scale, the same as the original Theatre de la Mode mannequins), who will be made to order.
There are also plans to create clothes for Milou. "She will have a special collection of clothes. Needless to say, they will be the type of retro clothes I would love to wear myself!"
If you would like to find out more about Milou, you can visit Wendy's website at: mdlm.co.uk
To read more about the Theatre de la Mode exhibition, click here.