Comments on: Theatre de la Mode

By: Carla Gielens

Carla Gielens — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:26:24 +0000

I will wait untill there is a chance to go to Paris or Washington State to see the dolls. We must have little dreams, don’t we?
Meanwhile I have taken a look in the book of Theatre de la Mode of Edmonde Charles-Roux. The photographs are small and not always very clear. But the couturiers have used their fantasy and creativity very well. You can see thát from a distance. The settings/scenes are very inspiring, and not only for fashion. If you use your imagination you could tell or write stories, fairytales and novels. The Port of nowhere, The enchanted grotto or I married a witch………… always nice items to fantasize about. Before I had the book of Charles-Roux in my hands I was planning on writing a little book about Theatre de la Mode in the Dutch language. Now I am thinking of something completely different. Maybe I will do both. Please do write more of your informal reports on what you have seen of Theatre de la Mode. Inspire me!

Question: are there still reproductions of the dolls you can buy and what do they cost? I will try not to be upset by the height of the price.

Greetings from Holland and have a nice day!

By: Kathleen

Kathleen — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:43:21 +0000

Carla, lucky for us, the dolls are not in Paris. The Syndicale donated them to the Mary Hill museum in Washington State. It's in the middle of nowhere, 100 miles east of Portland. The museum is too small to display all of them at once, the collection is rotated. In short, research before you make plans to go.

By: Carla Gielens

Carla Gielens — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:29:29 +0000

I really hope to see Theatre de La Mode once; live. I’m not really able to travel to Paris to see the dolls. As I understand well the dolls were not only telling that haute couture still had a leading position. They gave a little smile to the watching people who just lived in times of war. They could see their lives could be different then only being ruled by war. The scenes of Theatre de la Mode were all friendly and had a radiation of safety and freedom. I think that ’s an important issue. Or am I too naive?

Do I understand it well that the dolls can be borrowed from ‘Paris’, for instance by Holland? I hope someone can tell me if that is possible. Maybe it is nice to see for children, for people interested in fashion and for adults who actually still are children but are not able to travel far away.

Thank you for your attention.

By: alina novak

alina novak — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:07:29 +0000

If you look on ebay under Theatre de la Mode, there is a vhs cassette on sale for $9.99.

By: Karen C

Karen C — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:54:38 +0000

I would love to view this video, but can’t seem to locate a copy. Any help would be appreciated. Can’t seem to locate Mr. Bell’s email address.

By: Thomas Ball

Thomas Ball — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 03:01:27 +0000

I directed the film mentioned above and one of the other posts above is the correct answer to the Fashion is Feudal mystery. The narrator (in a French accent) was indeed saying Fashion is futile. The veiled YSL reference was indeed what Stanley Garfinkel, who was the producer and writer of the film, was referencing. Glad to see this project is still an inspiration to those who love fashion; not to mention the enduring interest in its “futility.” Stanley was interested in it because of its unique window into history. He did not look at it as something futile at all.

By: Marsha

Marsha — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 07:27:56 +0000

I have had the pleasure of many visits to Maryhill to see the collection. The sets are wonderful and the detail on the garments is amazing. Before they were sent back to Paris in 1987 to be restored, I was lucky enough to be a part of one fund raising event. In Portland, OR, our Prof Assoc of Custom Clothiers group was asked to dress dolls to be auctioned off at a fund raising dinner. We were given a silk scarf donated by Saks that said “Theatre de la Mode” on the patterned print. We each dressed a doll that consisted of a stick body with a ceramic head. We were required to incorporate the scarf in some manor. I padded up a body shape and basically draped the dress using the scarf and some silk crepe. It was wonderful to see the dolls and how unique each one turned out. They became the table center pieces and were auctioned raising between $200 and $600 each for the restoration. It’s always made me happy knowing I played a tiny part in sending the manniquins back to Paris for their restoration. Some of the same craftsman worked on them in Paris over 40 years after their original creation.

By: ashley

ashley — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 19:36:35 +0000

The recent history of TDLM is interesting (to me) as well. The dolls and sets were thought lost. (The sets were designed by artists of the day — they, too, are incredible!)
Boxes were found in San Francisco, but no one knew what they were. They thought they were just an interesting collection of nice dolls and old clothes. But a few people noticed that these were not just ordinary, they were extraordinary. Finally, a series of connections were made: ‘So and so really should give this person a call, because I think they may be interested…’ and on and on until eventually, the folks with the dolls were put in touch with someone who knew about TDLM and Voila! The incredible sets and dolls and clothes and shoes and handbags, once thought lost, were found!
One of my friends here, Judy Barlup (a tailoring teacher), was involved in the conversations a bit. When she tells the story, she is so passionate that tears come to her eyes (and mine).
I’m still not sure if the board of directors at Maryhill museum *really* understand the value of what they have. (The curators do.)
The detail is incredible! The stitching on the *shoes* is perfect, perfect, perfect! Even more incredible when you realize that the shoes are so tiny! I got to see them up here in Seattle at the Museum of History and Industry. (A group of us went and oohed and ahhed and worked hard not to reach out to touch them — so tempting!)
The workers (can’t think of the right term) became energized working on them, and competition developed. It became not just about the designs and outfits, but then also about the *underwear* and details that no one would ever see (like wallets inside the purses). Power would be on in one building in one part of the city and everyone would gather everything and run over there to take advantage of it. Then the power would go off there and they’d go to another part where it was rumored that power was on. Imagine what that means on so many levels…
Here’s a nice summary that was in our local paper when the exhibition was here:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/262556_haute13.html

It’s incredible to see these in person, not just because of the workmanship and beauty, but also because of the stories behind it all. I’m glad you got to see them, Kathleen, and delighted that you’ve shared it with everyone.
We’ve shown the video at some of our neighborhood groups here in our local ASG chapter. If you don’t have the chance to ever see the dolls, it’s worth seeing the video.
Kai — how lucky you are to be able to see the dolls many times!

By: Trish

Trish — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 02:11:25 +0000

Kathleen, so great to see your post on Theatre de la Mode. I appreciate you coming to enjoy with us.

I was fortunate to see thirteen of the TDLM mannequins in Denver at a United Federation of Doll Club national convention. I felt like I was in church while I was in that room… I truly love the whole concept and I am pleased that I own all of the reproductions that Robert Tonner created (I think there are 18 or 19) because even though they cannot compare to the originals (remember that had to be sellable at a price affordable to doll collectors) they make me feel like I have a piece of the incredible history of the couture.

Thanks again for including us in your beyond fabulous web log!!!

The book, the video and ten of the Tonner dolls are still available at the Maryhill Museum store online. The book is $29.95 but Amazon has a few copies for $19.99 (so link on through this blog and spend that cash!!!!)

By: Anir

Anir — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:33:40 +0000

I’d love to know the context of the saying because there is a saying “fashion is futile.” Perhaps that’s what the guy said? To wit: Yves Saint Laurent said,
“Les modes passent, le modèle est éternel. La mode est futile, le modèle pas.”
Roughly “Fashions pass, style is eternal.
Fashion is futile, style is not.”