THE FRENCH FASHION DOLL -- REVIVED, RECREATED AND RAVISHING by Pam North If the term "fashion doll" immediately brings to mind visions of Barbie, Gene and Tyler, a twist in thinking is needed to envision another type: the French fashion doll. Circa the last half of the 19th century, she is the antique predecessor of the contemporary American version. Beautiful with her pale bisque, domed glass eyes, outlined rosy lips and elaborately coiffed hair, this gorgeous darling is coveted but pricey (easily in the thousands of dollars), and those who lust to possess her may also face a bankrupt budget. Luckily, an affordable substitute has been created by talented Florida doll artist, Alice Leverett. The $695 price tag of her exquisite re-creation is not as formidable as that of her vintage cousin, so it falls into the realm of possibility to actually own and play with these 12-inch beauties, dressing and accessorizing them instead of worshiping them from afar as valuable and untouchable objects. When Alice made her first reproduction French fashion doll in the mid-1980s, she persuaded her mother, who shared Alice's fascination for the fluid posability inherent in articulated doll bodies, to craft a jointed wood body for it. The collaborative effort won a rosette for Best in Category in a Seeley international competition that Alice entered, and garnered a Golden Bell award for Best in Show in a subsequent ceramics competition. The success of her project inspired Alice to make the transition to her own original articulated bodies. Sculpting in clay, Alice made molds for porcelain body components. Her first dolls were called "Forever Children", which debuted at the 1990 Toy Fair, and completely sold out. More dolls, similar in design, were made over the next five years, and a Victorian lady in a limited edition of five, called "Reflections in Time", followed in 1992. In 1995 Alice realized that she had found her focus and niche in her love for lady dolls, and in the late 1990s she also discovered the ideal material for her jointed bodies; resin lent itself perfectly to this purpose, as it was far less breakable than porcelain. As she experimented with this product, she eventually came to prefer the more expensive variety called Porcelite, which she refers to as "the Cadillac of resins". It was ideally suited to the increasing complexity in articulation that Alice was building into her dolls, and its durability ensured that her dolls could be manipulated while being handled and dressed. "From My Victorian Garden" was her first resin-bodied doll project. "Petite Portraits" followed; these were portraits of famous ladies: Baby Doe Tabor, Victoria Woodhull, Marie Antoinette, Baroness de Pontalba, La Dona Tules and Ranavalona III. During this time Alice was also working for the Franklin Mint, making the clothing prototypes for many of the company's dolls, such as Jackie Kennedy, Princess Di, Miss Piggy, and Titanic's fictional Rose. It was during this period of high pressure and hard work that Alice realized she preferred making her dolls, despite the ongoing obstacles of small profits, continued reinvestment to keep going, and the constant reinvention of her own creativity. In July 2003, Alice attended a Theriault auction at the New Orleans UFDC convention, which afforded her the opportunity to become acquainted with a doll that would have great impact on her artistry. A very rare Phenix, originally designed and patented by Benoit Louis Martin in 1863. was exhibited and ultimately sold for $17,000. Alice examined in awe the beautifully-made jointed wood body, moving it gently, her mind memorizing its construction. It became the launching point for her own interpretation of the beautiful Phenix doll. Alice returned to her studio, and by December, 2003, she had designed her "Ultimate Fashion Doll". This prototype, initially anticipated by Alice to be relatively simple to create, proved to be a much more formidable project than she had supposed, due to complex issues associated with future production. The 12-inch "Ultimate Fashion Doll" featured a 16-piece Porcelite body with a porcelain head in one of six types (FG, Bru, Barrois, Rohmer and two different Jumeau faces). The head molds were pulled from dolls from the collections of her mother's and a friend's. The dolls had painted eyes, handmade wigs, and retailed for $595. Alice believes that the true definition of a doll is that it can be played with, and her goal with her newly created doll was to present it only in an undressed form, encouraging its owner to sew clothing (using patterns Alice created), and make accessories for it. This involvement by the owner of the doll was integral in Alice's purpose for creating it. She wanted her dolls to be lovingly handled rather than relegated to a shelf as art objects. Once her new doll was completed, she introduced it via the May 2004 issue of Doll Costuming magazine. The article highlighted not only Alice's new doll, but also some of her past work, and featured a pattern that she had designed specifically for the occasion. The article created interest and demand for the "Ultimate Fashion Doll", and the enthusiastic response encouraged Alice to display her dolls in the sales room of the late-summer 2004 UFDC convention in Kansas City. Collectors of antique dolls embraced the "Ultimate Fashion Doll" as readily as those interested in contemporary dolls. Alice continued to explore new frontiers, and her "Ultimate Fashion Doll" has now evolved even further. Another rare doll entered Alice's sphere, this time a possession of a friend, Louise Hedrick. This doll, known as Lily, was a 17 1/2-inch articulated wood-bodied French Fashion doll. Lily had been the signature doll for La Poupee de Nuremburg, a boutique owned by Madame Lavallee-Peronne in the mid-1860s. Madame Lavallee-Peronne published a periodical, "La Poupee Modele", which targeted collectors and also served as an instructional primer for girls to play with their dolls by sewing and embroidering clothes and accessories. Louise had managed to purchase several issues of this periodical; her main interest was historic doll costuming and teaching classes on how to reproduce doll costumes of the past. Louise has been given exclusive rights to produce some of Alice's "Ultimate Fashion Doll" patterns in exchange for allowing Alice to obtain and exclusively use head molds from the original Lily and a few other French Fashion dolls owned by Louise. Acquiring access to the Lily doll gave Alice the opportunity to add a new type of articulated body to her offerings (the Phenix body is swivel-jointed, and the Lily body is tenon-jointed). Blown-glass eyes are now featured in the dolls (the painted-eyed versions are being phased out), giving the dolls additional beauty and dimension, and the dolls are still priced affordably. There are ten different heads to choose from, covering a spectrum of vintage looks such as Bru, Jumeau, Barrois, Gauthier, Rohmer and the original Lily herself. Alice plans to add to her presentations by offering crocheted shawls, playing cards, fans, embroidered handkerchiefs, walking sticks, opera glasses, shoes, boots, purses, fans and stationery, all scaled to her diminuitive 12-inch new "Ultimate Fashion Doll". An unexpected perk has come from her work. Alice has enjoyed the privilege of having her customers share with her their pleasure in owning her dolls. She has found a special satisfaction that her creations have enriched the lives of many, becoming a focus in their lives, expanding their imagination, curiosity and experiences. The dolls have fueled interest in historic fashions and customs, sewing, antique toys, doll construction, fabrics and trims, jewelry and accessories, and have brought about new friendships. And in her own life, Alice has turned the tables on the age-old practice of mothers creating dolls for their children by crafting a doll her mother especially enjoys. Contact information for Alice Leverett: Address: 8201 Shady Grove Road; Jacksonville, FL 32256 Telephone: (904) 928-0427 Email: alice@justalice.com website: www,justalice.com