stylefaerie interview: XIOMARA'S GIRLS

Tell us about your girls.
My dolls are called Blythes. They’re highly collectible dolls that a company in Japan called CWC and Takara manufactures every month with different styles and themes.

What's your girls' signature style?
I really gravitate to the woodsy-woodland type look. I always imagine them to be mushroom gatherers rather than urbanite divas. I also like doing whimsy Tim Burton-ish type of clothing but I really have to smoke corset making.

I am most fascinated with your Twin Outfits project. Are they becoming you or you becoming them?Definitely not the latter. Haha! I have favorite outfits that I wish I could wear everyday so I copy them or get inspiration from them for Blythe dresses. The girls can then wear them till I get tired looking a the same ol’ outfit.

Do you prefer shopping or creating for their clothes?
A little bit of shopping but I want to try as much as I can to make them. It’s an artists’ pride thing. If there are clothes out there that I think I can’t make with my amateur seamstress hands and they really wow me over, I’d buy them as long as they’re not over $30. If they’re worth more than that then I try to inspire myself to make an outfit that would be worth more than my imposed Blythe wardrobe budget. I buy shoes though because I can’t make those. I actually have more Blythe shoes than dresses!

What's the biggest challenge in customizing their outfit?
For me everything looks good on a sketch because my sketches are pretty detailed but when the design is interpreted on fabric, it doesn’t look as stellar. I don’t know how I manage to do that every time. It gets debased as a finished product. Also, puff sleeves, I’ve been doing them forever and I still can’t perfect them!

Who's your favorite girl?

(don't worry, they won't be reading this blog)
Ooooh this is almost like a sacrilegious query. Haha. Let’s just say that the ones that were not my favorite were the ones I adopted out. If I was asked this question at gunpoint I would have to say my petrol haired Princess a la Mode Blythe. She just seems mermaidish to me, you know me and my fascination with scaly maidens...

I heard they're insanely expensive. How does your purse feel about that?
My purse or my husband? Hehe. They are somewhat pricey but it kind of helps to know that they have excellent resale value. I have a doll worth $ in the secondary market. It’s pretty much like owning jewelry, you own them for the prestige of owning something that has an excellent value. I am justifying. If I ever quit this Blythe mania, I can always sell them and not lose any money. Also, I make and sell dresses, I’ve bought girls with the money I make from my guerilla dress shop.

Do you plan to buy more dolls? Who's next in line?
I choose my girls according to hair color. The stock clothes come in second but not really a priority since stock clothes don’t stay on the girls for too long. I let go of a bright yellow haired Blythe to get the shocking pink haired one that I’ve always wanted. I want a blonde and a mossy green haired Blythe. Still waiting for CWC/Takara to come up with her.

So is it an addiction or a kind of lifestyle?
I would say it is more of an addiction than a lifestyle. My life doesn’t really revolve around my Blythes since I collect other things as well but Blythes fuel my creativity when I’m at home. With my other vintage toys, they’re just shelf denizens.

Lastly, why blythe dolls? and not barbie dolls or ball jointed dolls?
Blythes seems to have an ambiguity when it comes to age. Unlike Barbies or Momokos which look like adult women, Blythes can get away wearing childish frocks or lavish ballgowns. And then there’s that whole big head big eyes Japanime fascination that never seems to leave my psyche.

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Xiomara has been a graphic artist since she was 4 years old.