Chapter 23: How to Dress like a Blythe Doll

Investigating the undying influence and fashion history of Blythe Dolls.

Buckle up, because we’re in the midst of a Blythe doll renaissance. For the uninitiated, Blythe is the creepy cute doll with a wardrobe of wonders, eyes as big as saucers and a multiverse of candy colored, highly stylized hair. She was a Bratz doll before there were Bratz dolls, she is the cooler version of Barbie, she is often imitated, but always an original. She is all over TikTok. Is there any other doll that inspired Alexander McQueen to do a whole campaign? Has there been any other doll that fuels the masses with bows, big eyes, little dresses and DIY kawaii-centric outfits?

photos via http://blythehappy.blogspot.com/

I have a theory that Blythe dolls circle back into fashion every ten years. But Blythe’s undying fashion influence dates back to the 1970s, when she was first created with a cartoonishly creepy, cute oversize head and eyes that changed to four different color options with the pull of a string. If you can find one of the originals from 1972—they’re worth a lot, because the toy company, Kenner (later purchased by Hasbro), only sold them for one year. Blythe is different than other dolls in that she wasn’t conformist or designed to look normal. In fact, rather the opposite. Allison Katzman, creator of Blythe, was inspired to design the doll after her daughter came home wearing contact lenses that were dyed wrong, resulting in a surreal, unnatural look. That’s why you’ll often see them with orange or purple eyes.

1972 Blythe by Kenner. The pink wig!!!

Released with four standard hair colors (different variations of brunette and blond) Blythe came with brightly colored (pink!!!) wigs as well. Despite the lack of permanence, Blythe later gained a cult following with New York based photographer Gina Garan at the helm. She took hundreds of photos of a 1972 Kenner Blythe doll dressed up in different outfits in various locations, which led to the her first book of Blythe photography, This is Blythe, in 2000. When Alexander McQueen released his McQ x Target collaboration in 2009, the campaign featured the clothing styled on Blythe dolls, shot by Garan.

Target x McQ x Blythe

In 2000, Japanese toy company Takara started producing new editions of Blythe dolls. This is where the fashion story of the historic doll starts, as Blythe now came in a world of iconic hair colors that flowed waist-length and beyond (sometimes all the way to the floor). The collector craze in Japan began, and Blythe’s aesthetic deeply reflected early kawaii, lolita and even gothic subcultures pulled from the streets of Tokyo. From 2001 to 2012, the Blythe Anniversary Charity Event and exhibition took place annually, in which designers including Issey Miyake designed custom Blythe dolls to be auctioned for charity.

Blythe Anniversary Charity Event dolls via https://www.blythedoll.com/

Blythe’s fashion influence today would be nothing without its fan culture. The intrepid DIY approach of its biggest devotees carefully crafting one-off outfits, wigs, and styles is so particular to Blythe. The ultra long hair, big eyes and distinct hair colors feel intrinsically linked to our current times. On TikTok, the dolls you see may not be original Blythes (most of them are copies, since the real deal is still relatively expensive and harder to come by) but the expressive fashion is there and it’s powerfully potent.

Photos via http://blythehappy.blogspot.com/

One could browse the pages and pages and pages of custom Blythe outfits on Etsy for hours. Or, you could just dress up like Blythe yourself.

6 ways to dress like a Blythe Doll IRL »»»»»»

Handmade, rainbow knits

Part of the reason why Blythe doll fashion is so interesting is because many of the hardcore collectors create their own outfits for the dolls. Naturally, that leads to lots of handmade knits that have ‘70s and ‘90s qualities to them. Knitted pants, dresses, and long cardigan dresses are key—and it’s really important that they have a handmade, artsy feel. That means more texture and imperfections. If you can knit or crochet yourself, I recommend this, but if not, you can find colorful pieces with a handmade feel. Look for bright rainbows and punchy pastels.

I recently discovered a brand that’s making these incredible hand knit dresses covered in feathers and bows.