More Versailles Finery: 18th century wigs by Kathleen Marie

Dear Friends,

I have 2 more wigs to share this evening...! ( Maybe I should change my name to Leonard?
Was that not the name of Marie Antoinette's wig-maker and hair-styliste?)

The first Blonde Confection is another House of Bourbon style. She is going to Denmark and will be featured with this lovely Polonaise dress By Bjarne Drews.




Polonaise Gown Image courtesy of Mr. Drews.
What a gorgeous combination! I am so excited to be a part of such a beautiful orchestration! Thank you Mr. Drews!







The second Violet Confection is a new style... La Falonne, the exquisiteness of Versailles Courtier Style! My newest Rococo Dandy inspired wig, and my absolute favourite!
I think it would be a good androgenyous style also,
George Sand anyone?
This style comes in all colours, but I chose a lovely pale violet with white powder.
This wig is now available in my etsy store.

Much more work to do, ( including the Wonderland dolls, and more wig orders..)
Off to drink some tea...

Fleurishes!
KM

Inspiration of the Week

Dear Friends,

I am a bit late on my Sunday evening post..( alas, it is now Tuesday!)
I wanted to share a bit about a book I just bought, and find exceedingly amazing!

It is By artist James Gurney and it is called
"Imaginative Realism; How to Paint What Doesn't Exist."
I am very much inspired by his commitment and dedication
to his subject matter. It is such a breath of fresh air!

He is not only a master painter, but an excellent draughtsman, sculptor, etc.
He is truly a living Master and I highly recommend his book.

I have been doing research on the classical drawing ateliers here in NYC,
and also painting classes at the Art Students League, because I feel there is
more I need to express visually, and photography itself is not
the correct medium.
I need something with a history and weight and substance to it.

I am doing better at piecing together my personal artist plan, and if you are struggling
to find your correct medium and voice, perhaps this book will help you also.

Link to Mr. Gurney's book HERE.


Inspiration of the day..( One of my all time favourite artists!)
Above Very Top:
The Captive by William-Adolphe Bouguereau
( She is holding a little butterfly!)
To the Left:
Elegy by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Introducing the Queen of Hearts! Pictures in progress!

Dear Friends,

These are the pictures of my Queen of Hearts doll.. Inspired by the forthcoming Tim Burton recreation of Alice in Wonderland.. I decided to do my own rendition of the lovely tale.

The first doll for pre-sale is the Queen of Hearts.

I will soon list her for pre-sale on etsy. I will have a new store there for dolls and
darker themed artwork called HerDarkHeart. This also goes along with the website of the same name.www.HerDarkHeart.com

I should have an introduction page up for HerDarkHeart.com soon.

Queen of Hearts Description:

She is 18” tall, and made with vintage porcelain doll parts that have been totally renovated!
All porcelain parts have been airbrushed and sealed with varnish.
All facial features are hand painted, shaded and sealed with varnish.
I use only the highest artist quality paints and mediums in the process.

She has applied real hair eyelashes, and handmade black mohair 18th century style
wig.

I am currently working on her 18th century corset.. ( The pink one she has on is
from another doll, she is just trying it on for size!)
Here is her corset in the works, it is so CUTE in miniature!




Her body is made of natural cotton muslin with a higher thread count.
She has several layers of polyester polyfil, cotton batting and silk tape, covering a plastic armature that makes her
both flexible and poseable. ( and able to stay posed).





Her outfit will consist of red/ black striped bloomers, red 18th century corset,
Black striped stockings, custom made 18th century style court shoes from Atelier GiGi., Red taffeta panniers, and Grande Croquet Gala Gown.
She comes complete with her custom jeweled throne., and heart staff ,
and miniature crown.

Price approximate: $2,000.00- 2,500.00

Please note, each doll is in process of being made. THESE ARE ONE OF A KIND PIECES, and cannot be duplicated.
If you pre-order a doll, expect 8-10 weeks for delivery.

( Depending on my production schedule, which reads like this)

February- Queen of Hearts ( with jeweled velvet throne)
March-Alice 1 ( drink me with ornate bottle )
April-Mad Hattress ( with tea set)
May-Alice 2 (with ornate Victorian Chair)

Please contact me to order. I require a %50 deposit for holding and %50 upon completion to ship. International buyers welcome.

Looking forward to seeing this project complete! It will be beautiful!

Viva La Reine!

KM

The 'Orlando' Photo Shoot.. plus work on Wonderland Dolls.!

Dear Friends,

Sunday nights seem ideal for my blog updates; I have rested and relaxed enough to report on the weeks' activities. ( With the help of a little French Rose' wine..

Firstly, I would like to present the gorgeous shoot I directed and shot with
model Falon.

Falon is not only one of my best friends, but also somewhat of a legend in NYC nightclub circles. She is well known for her gorgeous androgenyous model-esque appearance, elaborate costuming, (which I have the pleasure to help with),and method go-go performances. She is also an amazing web designer and graphic artist.
Her site is here...F A L O N . C O M
We had a lovely time together, and produced some sincerely beautiful shots.


I wanted to showcase some of my 18th century wigs on a real human instead
of my 'Antoinette' mannequin head.

So I decide to wear all the hats! MUA, wardrobe stylist/ designer, hair/wig stylist, lighting designer.. and...

The shoot turned out quite lovely! I wield a camera nicely!, and
I am currently studying some photography books on how to make my photographs even better ( including buying a digital slr with Uncle Sam's tax kickback this year).

Of course, my little assistant Pooh B. ( Pookie Bear officially) was nearby to assist
with the styling! ( see photo below)

I have picked back up on the Alice in Wonderland dolls after a little 'Haute Couture doll' break. I will be completely documenting the costume process of the Queen of Hearts doll starting this week..

I look forward to another week of creative costuming, and working on my Haute Couture Wonderland.

Fleurishes,
K. Marie

Light Pink Marie Antoinette style wigs? Yes, I make those too!

Dear Friends,

Maybe because Valentine's day coming up,
my pink "La Reine' style wig has been receiving quite a bit of attention!

From blogs to etsy treasury's..!

The lovely buyer of the Original Pink La Reine Wig ( yes, with the glitter peacock)
is a Vintage Styled Fashion Label,
called "Boudoir Queen"..!
They remake/re-use vintage fabrics and dress remnants into "altered" couture,
and interesting accoutrements.
The following pictures are courtesy of Miss Dawn's store on Etsy
which you can visit here:
www.BoudoirQueen.etsy.com
The styling in the photos is lovely!
Wish I had been there to help a little with addressing the wig,
but the disheveled look is SO complimentary to the 'boudoir' photos!






Thank You Dawn for your patronage!

I have also made another custom Pink La Reine Wig for a client in Germany;
(see the first set of photos on the 'Antoinette' Mannequin).
It is now my current style of "La Reine" wigs,..It has a bit more hair in the
pony tail, double curled sides, and is coated with lacquer instead
of just hairspray for more hold and staying power!

And my 'House Of Bourbon' wig is being featured on a french blog about Marie Antoinette...

Whew! I am almost done with the wig styling cap.. Wishing for more time
to work on the dolls....

Gene, A Fashion Doll Make-Over Part One

Dear Friends,

I have finally gotten to the re-rooting process of replacing
the hair on two of the Gene Marshall dolls I repainted over Christmas.
Although they are not done being repainted, I just wanted to start the hair process,
because it is said to be time consuming.

One doll ( see above, blonde/pink) I have re-rooted using Saran hair ( which I don't like AT ALL because it is oily and shiny. It comes in really amazing colours though!).
Her hair has been nicely curled.



The second , I have rerooted with kanekelon ( spelling is so wrong there), which looks better ( less shiny) a bit less expensive, but thicker and a bit stiffer.( see below "white" hair). I have yet to curl her hair, the test roller came out frizzy.
I hope to have her visit the salon soon, though.

On re-rooting.. It takes forever! I am better at it now, having done it twice, but it takes a LONG time. The end result is very much worth it, as it becomes more customized.

Let's let the pictures talk.. Miss-Lawrence-Welk-Hair-Doll needs her eyelashes. her profile is too flat. Otherwise.. They are looking pretty good for my first attempts.

*I am in no way affiliated with Gene Marshall Dolls or Ashton Drake Galleries,
I am on a journey to create my unique vision in more mediums!*

ps I can't wait for my tax returns, I am buying a new digital camera!

Yet another 18th century wig on ebay! One of A Kind and the best one yet!

Dear Friends,


My newest creation...I have released to auction on ebay.
The auction ends January 23 ( Saturday).

Here is the auction..

This is one of the best wigs yet.. as the base is
very high quality synthetic hair that looks amazingly real.
This was a special purchase, and we will never offer this colour
again, so be sure to bid!


Have a lovely weekend!

KM