Cissy's Underwear

After some discussion regarding a name for my Cissy doll, hubby and I have thought seriously about the name Rita, but in the end Cissy kept her name. Looking at her hair and pretty dark brown eyes, she reminded us so much of a young Rita Hayworth. Although Rita's hair wasn't naturally red and her eyes were actually hazel-brown, we still felt there was a resemblance. Can you see it?

For the benefit of my younger readers, who may never have heard of her, she was an extremely beautiful American actress and dancer who achieved fame during the 1940's as one of the era's top stars, appearing in 61 films over 37 years. She was also the first actress to be partnered with both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.

Thinking about Rita and the beautiful costumes she wore in those early movies, I am inspired to make clothes for my gal along the similar lines.

However, Rita's clothes were not always slinky like the one above, in private she preferred more casual attire, and for her wedding to Prince Ali Khan in 1949, she wore a dress with sun-ray pleats, which like her pants, are once again fashionable.

Before beginning her outer wardrobe, I made Cissy her undergarments.

Using a translucent cotton batiste to make her cami knickers, fitted waist length camisole and ballerina length half slip, I trimmed them with lace and ribbon roses. After adding the finishing touches to the camisole, I thought the lace looked too heavy for an undergarment, so I shall put it aside for now and make a shorter, more delicate version in keeping with the cami-knickers and slip.

I'm still waiting on dolls to arrive, though they should be here soon. Kitty and Sindy finally made it to Perth on the 24th, and are currently in Sydney.

Cissy's Arrival and Review

Cissy arrived safely on Monday (23rd June) and I immediately stripped her of her clothing so I could see what her body was like and was mostly happy with what I found.

She is jointed at the neck, shoulders, waist, hips and knees. Her head can turn to look up and down as well as side to side, and all of her other joints are sound, so she poses quite well and can stand in her boots unaided.

Her face is beautifully painted with not too much blush and her deep brown sleep eyes open and close smoothly. She has painted eyelashes top and bottom with additional lashes inserted into the lid of the sleep eye.

Cissy's head and arms are vinyl, and the head has a  matte finish like her hard plastic torso and legs. Her arms are a little shiny and feel slightly oily to touch, but I shall give her a spa treatment later to hopefully resolve that issue.

Her hair is extremely fine and felt like it had been sprayed with hairspray, but after several minutes of brushing it was much smoother and free from the occasional knot. Though I must admit this hair could quite easily become entangled, so once I have settled on a style, I'll keep it that way.

I love her glistening stockings and lovely silver grey faux suede boots, though the pants (which are attached to the stockings) are a little loose and tend to slip down just below her waist. So before I begin on her outer garments, I'll be making her some new underwear.

The clothes that came with her were well made, but a little grubby so I have removed the silk flowers and soaked the clothes to see how they'll come up.

A little more information came to light when I opened her tag ~ her Style # is 27005, she was introduced in 2000 and retired in December that same year. My Romantic Dreams Cissy was part of The Couture Collection which also featured Cairo Cissy, Evening of Romance, Hollywood Cissy, Ivana Trump, New York Cissy, Rome Cissy, Shanghi Cissy and Vienna Cissy. She also had her price tag from Nordstrom (with the logo which was used from 1991–2019), the store where she was initially purchased from.

Over all I am happy with my purchase and am looking forward to sewing her complete wardrobe.

Madame Alexander Cissy

Until recently I knew very little about Cissy dolls, I had heard of them of course, but had never seen one in person, nor had I ever been bothered to research them.

I found this photo of an original Cissy that was made somewhere between 1955 and 1959 on the Doll Reference website. However, although I admire this Cissy, I am not, nor have I ever been, keen on owning antique or genuine vintage dolls.

1955-1959 Alexander 21" Cissy Doll Face in Hard Plastic

Then quite by chance I found a couple of Cissy's for sale that were in Australia. At 21 inches tall they were not a size that I would usually be drawn to, but there was something about these dolls (and it wasn't the price) that made me look at them more closely.

When I saw the doll below, I thought she maybe the right Madame Alexander doll for me. After all she wasn't plastic and although she looked a little similar, she was not quite the same. She did, however have a gracefulness about her, that special something that is not always easy to put your finger on, but whatever you may like to call it, she had me hook line and sinker!

ORIGINAL OWNER PHOTO

She was described as being a 21 inch vinyl MA Romantic Dreams Cissy and came with her tag, gown, shoes, slightly messy hair, no hat, nor box (and boxes are only a pain in the butt to store anyway). To to me she was a doll I could "play" with.

ORIGINAL OWNER PHOTO

What's more, I thought she would be the perfect Cissy for me to re-style . . . I mean, I could already see her in my mind dressed a beautiful and luxurious 1950's gown. Perhaps in something designed by Dior, Balenciaga or Schiaparelli.

ORIGINAL OWNER PHOTOS

I didn't think her hair was that messy, and I'm sure with a little tender care it could be wonderful. I really wasn't that taken with the gown, but her little silver grey boots were a real treat, though I would like her to have a more elegant shoe to wear with the gown I shall make for her.

ORIGINAL OWNER PHOTO

Well that's it for me, I have lots to do today . . . I need to organise and tidy my studio so I can begin looking through my stash for fabrics for those suitable for what I have envisaged.  Have a great dolly week everyone!

P.S. Kitty and Sindy have finally finished their 12 day journey on tour from Pennsylvania to Kentucky then back to New York, to catch a plane from John F. Kennedy International Airport, HOPEFULLY this time to their final destination! 

Honestly, I thought Australia Post was bad enough, but this takes the cake! I'm darned if USPS's right hand, knows what it's left hand is doing lately, perhaps it's simply trying to keep US citizens in jobs???

P.P.S. Their next stop today (18th) was Hong Kong International Airport . . . looks like Kitty and Sindy are really enjoying an around the world trip!!

Another Tonner Doll

I thought it was about time I added a Sindy doll to my collection, and I was going to keep this as a surprise until she arrived. However, it's been over a week (almost two) since I last posted here and I am so excited I had to tell you, that thanks to Sally, I am bringing her home with Kitty.

I would have liked to find a genuine Pedigree Sindy, but alas I could find none who looked so elegant.

This beautiful Tonner eleven inch Sindy Bridal Bliss, wears a gorgeous glitter tulle dress over a white petticoat and undergarment pantyhose with attached panties. Rhinestone earrings and tiara with attached veil, faux flower bouquet and white elastic shoes complete her bridal ensemble.

TONNER STOCK PHOTO

Sindy has blue hand-painted side glancing eyes with applied eyelashes, brown rooted Saran hair and her skin tone head and body are made of fine quality vinyl and hard plastic.

I doubt very much if I will re-dress this doll, as she is so beautiful just as she is, and there's not a bride doll anywhere else among my collection. Now isn't that a sad state of affairs? I wonder if that means I should look for another. 😁

LINK: Current Sindy Website It doesn't appear to have any updates since 2018.

LINK: Identifying Sindy A helpful site with photos and info about Sindy from 1963-1988.

NOTE: I have also contacted Pedigree themselves, to see if these dolls are still being manufactured and if so, where they can be purchased.

Tonner Tiny Kitty Collier

Introducing my latest purchase. A 2004 Tiny Kitty Collier Basic Red Haired fashion doll. Made of hard plastic with a vinyl head, she is highly poseable, using her bending knees, swivel waist and rotational hip joint.

Tiny Kitty is 10 inches tall and comes wearing a sheer pink lingerie ensemble, comprising a bikini top and bottom, a short cover-up and a pair of co-ordinating sandals.

Her long flip hairdo is tied at the back with a pink ribbon. Her eyes are green and eyebrows match her hair colour. The 2004 Basic dolls have an updated face painted with beautiful full red lips and more sultry looking eyes. She also has painted fingernails and toenails which did not appear on the previous version.

I also purchased this beautiful outfit for her to wear. Now I have a long wait, as she is shipping from my friend Sally in Pennsylvania. However, since I have already waited years for the opportunity to acquire a Tonner Kitty, I am prepared to wait a little longer than normal for her arrival.

NOTES: The eagerly awaited Tiny Kitty Collier line was first introduced at Toy Fair in February 2003. The debut collection was comprised of three basic dolls (a brunette, a blonde and a redhead), each clad in lingerie, which retailed for US$40 each; four costumed dolls, which cost US$70-80; the “Bridal Bliss” hatbox set, which sold for US$140; six costumes, priced at US$35 each; and a wardrobe trunk, tagged at US$40. The basic Tiny Kitty dolls were annual editions; all other items were limited to editions of 2,000.