All Dolled Up: Frimousses de Créateurs 2010 (Paris, France)

Below: Overview of the exhibition space.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you might have noticed that designer collaborations are everywhere these days. After having just witnessed the latest H&M/Lanvin one, I had a first real-life (puzzled) look at the Valentino for GAP selection last week - and while ruffled khaki cargo pants really aren't my thing and never will be, who can blame yet another designer and high street retailer for joining forces? After all, they're just companies... and companies need to make money. Most of my friends refuse to buy into this whole marketing scheme, claiming it's a waste of money, yet others will happily unload a lot of hard-earned cash for such 'designer' gear. I still have mixed feelings about some of these collaborations, but one of the current joint-ventures does make perfect sense to me - and deserves to have a lot of money thrown at it...

'Frimousses de Créateurs' is a collaboration I already posted about last year. In an annual event and exhibition which began in 2003, big names in fashion, art and design (to name a few) each create a unique doll in partnership with UNICEF, which then gets auctioned off. All monies collected go towards financing vaccinations to aid children in Darfur. Donations in the past have allowed over 260,000 children in Africa to be vaccinated (annually) with last year's donations reaching a total of 285,300 EUR. Of course depending on which doll you want, you might not just need a big heart but an even bigger wallet. But even then, I'm sure those who have spent a bit of money on this, value the fact they've not only purchased a unique designer item (which is actually handmade), but also saved children's lives. This year's collaboration was dedicated to the world of cinema and included not only designers' interpretations of the silver screen, but also had a few stars themselves take a shot at creating a doll.

Marion Cotillard designed herself as a doll, while her partner, actor & director Guillaime Canet, was designed by Dior Homme (center). Other dolls pictured include legendary vintage expert Didier Ludot (left) and 'Baby Gaga' by Tilmann Grawe, the man responsible for many of Lady Gaga's stage outfits.

All dolls went on display last week at the Petit Palais and will be auctioned off tomorrow (Dec 7). A few select dolls can even be purchased online here. While dolls in general sometimes still creep me out, I did love looking at these little creations and wish I could take more than one home. This year, my favorites were Chanel's 'La Petite Coco' and Giorgio Armani's 'Marlène Dietrich'. Which one would you bid on, if you had the funds?

Big-name luxury and contemporary designers

'Tulip' by Dior (left). Louis Vuitton's doll (right) looks like a mini Christy Turlington.

'Sixtine' by Lanvin (left). 'La Petite Coco' by Chanel (right).

'Marlène Dietrich' by Giorgio Armani (left). 'Monica' by Dolce & Gabbana.

Stefano Pilati for Yves Saint Laurent (left). 'Skye' by Chloé (right).

'Elvia' by Gucci (left). Missoni (right).

'Sophie' by Prada (left). 'Barbara' by Miu Miu (right).

Double-sided doll 'Pralin et Praline' by Sonia Rykiel (left). 'Gilda' by Paule Ka (right).

Oscar de la Renta (left). 'Grace' by Elie Saab (right).

'Puccinella' by Pucci (left). 'Ava' by Loewe (right).

Carolina Herrera (left). 'Divina' by Narciso Rodriguez (right).

'Clara' by Emmanuel Ungaro (left). 'Daisy' by BCBG MAXAZRIA.

French Couture and Local Designers

Top row: 'Natsué' by Leonard, 'Yamima Benguigui' by Georges Chakra, Eliza Doolittle by Maison Lesage, 'Rebecca Dark' by Jerome L'Huillier.
Bottom row: 'Mono' by Torrente, 'Sarah' by Jean-Claude Jitrois, 'Clémentine' by Max Chaoul.

French contemporary designers and premium high street

Top row: 'Dolores' by Lolita Lempicka, Les Petites, Comptoir des Cotonniers, 'Liza' by Anne Fontaine.
Bottom row: Antik Batik,' Charlotte l'effrontée' by Petit Bateau, 'Forever Godard' by Agnes B.

Lingerie & Jewelry designers

Top row: 'Ella' by Princesse Tam Tam, 'Susan' by Fifi Chachnil, 'Vénus' by Vanina Vesperini.
Bottom row: 'Mademoiselle Poiray' by Poiray, 'Shirley' by Chantal Thomass, 'Super Ame' by Lorenz Baumer, 'C'est Toi La Star' by Mauboussin.

And the slightly wackier dolls...

Left: 'Popée' by Moritz Rogogsky, 'Mlle Blanche' by Moulin Rouge. Center: Skeleton made out of several dolls - Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, 'Tamara' by Petrossian. Right: 'Carrément chocolat' by macaron master Pierre Herme, Jay Ahr.

More of the over 80 dolls can also be viewed at the official Frimousses de Créateurs homepage.

Frimousses de Créateurs (Paris, France)

Fashion tends to have a reputation of being somewhat superficial and shallow, especially if you ask those who have absolutely no interest in it. But even the haters will have a hard time saying a bad word about a lovely project called "frimousses de créateurs" ('frimousses' supposedly means doll-face), which was launched in 2003 by Laeticia Halliday and Delphine Arnault-Gancia for UNICEF France. The idea was to ask some of the world's leading fashion designers and artists to create or dress a doll to their liking, which would be presented over the course of a week, then auctioned off the following week. The proceeds benefit various causes and this year all donations will go towards vaccinations to aid the children in Darfur. Last year's event allowed over 260,000 children to be vaccinated in Africa. As this year's tag line states: Une poupée adoptée, c’est une vie sauvée - A doll adopted, is a life saved…

Overview of the exhibition. A small area had leaflets and videos providing more details of the cause.

Now, dolls aren't necessarily the most covetable thing in an adult's life... in some cases it might even come across as creepy if you are a collector (anyone remember the SATC episode where Stanford's crush turns out to be a collector of Victorian dolls? Scary...). But having your favorite designers take a swing at creating mini-outfits and revamping small puppets puts a very different spin on the traditional Barbie or old-fashioned porcelain number. The costumes themselves were quite adorable and if I were very rich, I'd probably participate in the auction, which took place yesterday (the exhibition itself ran last week), but I think I'll just have to stick to the regular donation route for now.

I loved everything I saw... some ideas were more original than others. I took pictures of every figurine, but I won't show them all since there were well over a hundred dolls on display. Most of them were presented on a wall surrounded by a real or painted frame - others were placed on large tables towards the end of the hall. The venue itself in the Petit Palais, was a magnificent setting. I'd probably have to say Christian Dior, Lanvin (I'm biased) and Chantal Thomass created some of my favorites. Although anyone who participated in this, deserves an acknowledgement. Which ones would you have bought?

Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior's "Saskia".

Dolce & Gabbana, Emanuel Ungaro

Damian Hirst (top left) and Dries van Noten (lower left), as well as Jeff Koons and Gucci (lower right) chose to embroider and paint their dolls. Jean-Charles de Castelbajac decided to create a giant skull (center) and Kenzo grouped several floral patterned ones (top right).

Christian Lacroix, Oscar de la Renta

The queens of lingerie design: Princesse Tam Tam, Chantal Thomass, Fifi Chachnil.

Missoni, Jean-Paul Gaultier

Top row: Franck Sorbier Couture, Jean Claude Jitrois, Jay Ahr. Lower row: Cartier's Panther, couture house Maison Lesage, Gilles Dufour.

Prada, Miu Miu

Top: Pucci. Bottom: Sonia Rykiel's three-headed doll.

Top: Loewe, Corinne Cobson, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, Esmod. Bottom: a Miss Audrey doll, dolls attached to a golden heart by Jean-Michel Othoniel, Paco Rabanne.

Chloé, Yves Saint Laurent

From the French high street... top row: Antik Batik, Faith Connexion, Zapa. Bottom: Agnès B., Comptoir des Cotonniers, Cacharel.

Giorgio Armani, Lanvin

Top: Christophe Guillarmé used Beth Ditto's pic as a head, Jérôme L’Huillier. Bottom: Lolita Lempicka, jewelry designer Clémentine Mauboussin.

A few wedding inspired dolls, which were a firm favorite among a crowd of 10-year-old girls. The incredible dress to the left is by Elie Saab.

Antik Batik (Paris, France)

If you've always wanted to try out a bit of ethnic-chic, but didn't know how to achieve this without looking like a tourist who just got back from Thailand or someone left over from the Woodstock era, the answer is simple: Antik Batik. As the name suggests, this includes a fair amount of batik-print dresses and tops, but we're not talking about tacky tie-dye jobs here. Everything I've seen from this brand so far has been impeccably made and very wearable.

Two of the best boutiques to visit are the flagships in the Marais area - this time around I went to the store in the 4th arrondissement. The shop area is extremely spacious and the decor is an odd mix of Southeast-Asian wood tables used to display accessories, deer horns adorning the walls and a disco ball hanging from the ceiling. Somehow it works though and the dark floors make the beautiful colors of the clothes stand out even more.

The most popular Antik Batik items are kaftans, tunics and djellabas, available in a wide array of colors and patterns. Everything is hand-made using the ancient process of block-printing and dyeing, which was inspired by founder Gabriella Cortese's travels to Asia. The more summery clothes feature liberty-inspired floral prints or bold graphics. A number of garments are also intricately embroidered and beaded (using either sequins or pearls), resulting in some stunning pieces that won't need further accessorizing. Materials used range from silk chiffon to fine linen.

There are also more casual pieces to be found, such as basic slouchy jeans or simple blazer jackets. And if you wish to complete the hippy look, you'll find a good selection of boho leather bags and beaded sandals. You might also want to check out one of the bestsellers: the sarongs. There's usually a big selection of these hanging from a wall in various colors and styles. They can be worn either as scarves or tied around the waist if you do happen to be near a beach.

Of course anything that's hand-made (or even well-made) comes at a price, but the items are reasonable for what they are. Prices start at around 50 EUR for the sarongs and go up to 400 EUR for more embellished dresses. If you're not visiting a flagship anytime soon, you can also order via their website, Asos or Net-a-Porter.

(individual images: Antik Batik)

Address: 18 rue de Turenne, 75004 Paris
Opening Hrs: Mon-Sat: 10:30-19:30
Antik Batik Homepage

Printemps - Haussmann (Paris, France)

If you have enough time in the City of Lights, my favorite way to experience Parisian shopping is to go to the boutiques in the Marais, St. Germain or 8th arrondissement.

Now if you're in a hurry, are cursed with bad weather or just looking to find a good mix of mid-market as well as high-end designer labels under one roof, I'd suggest going to Printemps (Haussmann) or Le Bon Marche instead.

In the former you will find a large collection of popular French and international labels ranging from Lanvin and Alexander McQueen to Antik Batik and Vanessa Bruno.

The layout of the store makes it easy to navigate. Accessories, ready-to-wear and shoes are on different floors and grouped according to designer or brand... usually in a shop-in-shop style. The staff are friendly and helpful if you do have trouble finding what you want.

The biannual sales are worth checking out as well. I experienced the first days of sales this year, which were nowhere near as bad as what I saw in London. So if you've been eyeing something that will be reduced, you're basically guaranteed of getting it in your size without too much trouble. If you arrive a day before the sale, the staff will even set your item aside for your if you promise to show up by a certain time the next day.

The men's department and beauty section are fairly decent as well. For gourmet foods I would head across the river to Bon Marche instead.

Address: 64 boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris (FRA)

Opening Hrs: Mon-Sat: 9:35-20:00, late shopping on Thu: until 22:00

Printemps Official Homepage