Autumn Style

It’s looking like it’s going to be a chilly and rainy week, but Gus is staying warm in his fisherman’s sweater, and wide leg khakis. 🌧🍁🍂

Gus is also joining @barbiezamzam’s autumn celebration, marking 3 years on #dollstagram! Thank you for sharing your beautiful dioramas and photos here! They are a real treat to see!! 😊📸🍁🍂

Sinatra the Bag Dog

Gus is no rebel without a cause. This boy’s too busy smuggling his beagle into places where beagles haven’t been invited. 🤪🐶💼

Today Gus’ in a leather jacket, and Sinatra is in a Lanvin inspired tote, for the #monday4dolls theme: Leather.

Vacation Mode

Gus isn’t on vacation, but in this ‘fit, he can bring resort vibes with him, wherever he goes.
😎🍹🌴🐬🌊

Srike a Pose

Gus just got this absolutely awesome chair, designed and 3D printed by the brilliant @stovallthedoll! It came carefully packaged, with the seat all ready for upholstery. I added a red mahogany finish, and a black faux leather seat. There are so many neat ways to model with a chair, and Gus is excited to try them all! 🪑📸✨

Carhaart from the Heart

 Now where on earth is Gus’ phone? It’s ringing, somewhere... in the bag? In a pocket? Maybe Sinatra the beagle can find it. 📱😂

Today Gus got a very lovely call from the wonderful @stovallthedoll, thanking Gus, Lucian, and myself - their tailor, for the birthday gift we all sent over.

I’m overjoyed to see that Stovall is enjoying it, and that it’s a good fit. I hope he has lots of fun wearing it on adventures with his GIANT. ☺️🥾🚜🐎❄️

A Model Out and About

Today, Gus’ modeling career has brought him to a junkyard. He’s caffeinated and ready, for a day’s work changing ‘attire.’ 😁🛻⚙️🍁

Today’s pic is inspired by @bella_belladoll ‘s #monday4dolls photo theme “Autumn Love.”

Leaf Peeping

Gus is leaf peeping around old New England ski towns, with his wiggly buddy, Sinatra. Gus is enjoying the beautiful views, and Sinatra is here for the aromatic woodland.

Gus the At-home Tourist

Ever pack a bag with your favorite snacks, bring along a refreshing beverage, and go pretend to be a tourist around your own home town? You never know what cool shops and historic architecture you might discover, down a random side street, or around the next cornfield. Gus goes hunting for farmstands, inspired by the #monday4dolls instagram photo theme: Travel 

An Hermes Ensemble

Ever since I saw this look, sauntering down the Hermès runway, for their Summer of 2019 collection, I’ve wanted to recreate it for Gus!! I’ve got a soft spot for the @hermes company, because they began in the 19th century as award-winning horse harness makers, and eventually evolved into the stylish clothing brand we see today. This shirt, featuring a beautiful snaffle bit (a communication tool for relaying directions to your horse, when you’re riding, or driving carriages) stays true to their roots. I’m so excited to finally be able to photograph something like it in miniature!! I’ve made Gus’ version a French-link snaffle, with two joints in the middle, instead of one, because, in real life, that’s my favorite style of bit for driving. Thanks to all of you who voted, last week, and picked the sides of the bit, to help me make this bucket-list look!! 

 

Warm in Wintery White

Yesterday was dazzlingly bright and sunny, so today, Gus remembered to wear his shades. He didn’t check the weather, though, and now it looks like snow. 

Bespoke Bogey Bags

I‘m so excited to have completed another big project: Three bespoke bags, fully lined, with brass hardware! The two on the left are @lanvinofficial inspired Bogey bags, and the one on the right is a @coach inspired Musette bag. These guys have been a long time in the making. Many thanks to @xenobia219 for requesting these fun designs!

Here’s another view of the three bespoke bags I’ve been working on, and the designer inspiration! Both the brown bags that I made have a blue and yellow plaid lining, and the black bag has a navy and white geometric print lining.  

Lucian’s First Editorial

Gus’ cousin, Lucian, is full of excitement this morning, and has been sending him a bunch of enthusiastic and slightly incoherent messages! After a little patient prying, Gus learns that Lucian has been signed on to model alongside him in the upcoming issue of #dollslifemagazine! His cousin has never done an editorial shoot before, and doesn’t know whether to be nervous or thrilled! “Congrats man! You’re gonna be great!” Gus reassures him. “The Dollslife Magazine photo shoots are always a lot of fun!”

Here are Gus and Lucian, headed off to work, on the day of the Dollslife Magazine photo shoot. Their looks are inspired by the comfy, casual, model street-style at fashion weeks.

Getting ready for their editorial photo shoot, Gus is being a big help, making sure Lucian won’t have a shiny nose in any of his pictures! To see there photos, check out the September issue here.

And they're off! Gus and Lucian at a Derby Party

Today is the Kentucky Derby! Gus and his cousin, Lucian are are hatted, gloved, and wearing red roses, like the ones that will be in the winner's garland! Because of the changes in schedule, this racing season, Gus and Lucian are putting a festive Autumn twist on classic Kentucky Derby style! They are still debating their favorite horses. There are so many strong runners in the lineup! Gus and Lucian are completely thrilled to be attending #wowasderbyparty on instagram, created by the very gracious miniature hostess, @happilybarbie. I decided to put a little money on Authentic, and he came in 1st! An incredible race, day, and party! 

July Editorial

Miniature photographer, @adrian.dollslife, has created a virtual doll magazine, that he is publishing on instagram! It includes interviews with various miniature craftspeople, artists and photographers on the platform, as well as travel articles, and interviews from their dolls. He asked me to create a short piece on menswear trends for his debut issue! What an honor! I feel like a very lucky doll tailor! Here is Gus' (and my) first real, published, fashion editorial for a magazine! Creating it was so exciting! I kept it short and simple, with large text for easy reading on a phone. You can see the whole virtual publication here. 

What's in Gus' Bag?

Another fun "challenge" has been circulating instagram! This time, the #dollwhatsinyourbag challenge asks participants to share the contents of their dolls' bags and purses. It's been awesome to see all the tiny necessities and odds and ends that people have been crafting for their doll bags, everything from little key-rings to minuscule crumpled receipts. 

I decided to jump on board, and create the contents of Gus' modeling bag. Personally, I don't often carry much with me. I have even been known to just jam my wallet into a rolled up shirts-sleeve (like a 50s greaser with a pack of cigarettes) and go about my day. So, it was a little challenging, and a whole lot of fun, to brainstorm what a fashion model, like Gus, would need to bring with him for a day on the job. 

Lets have a look at what Gus keeps in his Lanvin Fall/Winter 2020 inspired bag! I have laid everything out below. From the upper left: Gus has his headphones and phone, laid on top of his modeling portfolio. He has his knitting project, incase he has to sit and wait during a photo shoot. In the next row, there are a couple of delicious locally made energy bars, hand sanitizer, and Gus' wallet. Next is his MMUK MAN contour palette and guy-liner (for touch-ups on the job), Dr Bronner's lip balm, a water bottle, extra socks and underwear (just incase a photoshoot calls for them), a notebook, a comb, and his trusty Swiss Army knife! Tucked under his socks is a US penny for scale

Twinning for the Win!

Gus and Lucian have each other's back in matching business casual. Gus rocks the suit jacket pattern that I just added to the Tiny Apparel Etsy Shop. 

Shopping for Decor: Gus' Finds

Gus found the perfect wall art, bought another painting for a friend, and oh! Are those artisanal leather bracelets for sale over there? For a boy who loves to shop, Gus is in his element.

Welcome to my newly decorated mini tailoring workshop! I think Gus' selection of textile prints for the walls fits right in! On the table, I've got a tiny pincushion, scissors, thread, a cup of tea, and some mini swatch books. Behind the table is a mood board of some of my summer projects. This is going to be a really fun space to photograph my works in progress. 

Shopping for Decor: Gus at the Gallery

Gus is in the artsy part of town, and he's on a mission! I'm overhauling the decor in my mini tailoring workshop, and Gus is on a quest to find some artwork that will compliment the space

He wanders the galleries, and a collection of abstract textile designs have caught his eye! They could be just the thing to brighten up the walls of the workshop. 

After browsing the galleries, Gus has dropped by an art studio for an on-location photo shoot. It's time for a quick change, but that's business as usual for Gus. When you're a model, the world is your dressing room!

To see what Gus will be wearing next, click here.

A Virtual Editorial

Miniature instagramer, @adrian.dollslife , recently made a pretend magazine cover, featuring Adrian as the cover boy. As a clever touch, he included a bunch of other Instagram accounts in the headlines on the cover, including mine. I was pleasantly surprised to find a headline teasing an article on menswear trends by "@tiny_apparel_and_gus", so I decided to deliver! Here is Gus' first bit of editorial work. It may be a pretend editorial for a pretend magazine, but it was a ton of fun to put together!  

"Gus shows us a few of the biggest trends from the runways for this spring/summer season! A popular look pairs shorts, ending anywhere above the knee, with relaxed oversized tops and rugged sandals. This season, menswear designers are crafting casual comfort with lux textiles and accessories; experimenting with satins, muted florals, and artisanal tie dye. Roomy cargo pockets are being added to a variety of garments, and the adorable bucket hat hasn't lost an ounce of its charm! Continued on page 25."

Gus Starts a New Hobby

Gus has been staying safe in his doll studio, and with many of the other fashion dolls on instagram being photographed in extremely casual attire, I wanted to show Gus' personal spin on a look en déshabillé. Here he is, lounging around in Derek Rose-inspired boxer shorts and Versace-inspired fuzzy slippers. 
 

A close-up of Gus' fuzzy slippers, and the Versace men's slippers that inspired them.  

Relaxing indoor hobbies are great ways to keep busy and de-stress at the same time. Gus is leading by example, here, and has taken up the timeless craft of knitting. I made the tiny knitting needles from paper cue-tip sticks, sharpened in a pencil sharpener, and painted with acrylic.

 

Who knows? with a little perseverance, Gus' miniature knitting project may become a scarf! I think his Lanvin-inspired bag makes a great knitting tote.