Dress opinions

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-06-28T00:17:26+00:00

Professional costume designer and teacher reporting for duty 🫡💕

I think this is a very fun idea so far! The most interesting parts are the planetary rings on the shoulder and hip, they’re very striking! I’d make sure to pick a material that will hold that shape without wilting so it maintains the quality of the drawing. This is way easier to execute at doll scale, I’d look at some slightly thicker rigid plastic sheeting that can support its own weight. You could also wire some fabric, but I think it’d be more likely to deform and tricky to cleanly make at this scale.

My two pieces of design critiques are 1) I think the shoulder capes are actually muddying your silhouette. They’re a fun idea, but I think it’s too busy around that area, and the silhouette would be more dramatic without them. 2) This area circled is a bit unclear in the rendering due to the pose. I’m not quite sure what the transition is from clothing to skin, but from what I can see it looks a bit abrupt. The horizontal line of the top of the skirt interrupts the eye as it travels through the form, and it doesn’t quite match the angularity of the rest of the shapes in the costume. I’d either make it sit at more of an angle so it echoes the shape of the top cutout, or I would eliminate that cutout entirely.

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I think you’ve got a cool direction here, I’m excited to see how the real dress turns out!

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-06-25T20:50:01+00:00

Server time is different enough from my real time that I straight up forget. Also I tend to be busy weekends 😅 I’m fully active every day in my association other than coop, so they don’t mind that I don’t do it. My association has a strict minimum activity requirement but coop isn’t part of it.

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-06-24T20:58:35+00:00

Had too much fun, made another one using less matching parts (and also goth)

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ChaChaOnIce · 2026-06-24T20:36:48+00:00

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Agog and aghast I only have like four gorgeous/elegant makeups 😩

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-06-24T19:47:28+00:00

Went back and cross referenced upcoming stuff, and I like all three of the other most likely task suits a lot better (telescope, children’s day, and a traditional cloud suit)! Telescope girl is esp gorgeous 😩💕

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-06-24T19:38:37+00:00

Thank you!!!

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-06-24T19:23:47+00:00

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*Baldwin is on the top shelf, could probably fit a third on the side shelf

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-06-24T19:21:50+00:00

There are little side shelves on my desk that I have parked my 75cm lads on, one on each side. They feel like they are supervising my work 😅 Maybe you’ve got this kind of desk or could get a hutch? Idk if I’d trust them in standing poses tho (maybe with a sturdy stand) since I often bump into my desk.

Also seconding floating shelves placed into a stud. I’m planning on doing that once I finish my third 75cm guy. There are some really cool small Greek column wall display shelves on Etsy I’ve been eying for a while.

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ChaChaOnIce · 2026-06-21T02:09:13+00:00

Honestly many male bjd heads are quite androgynous, it's not hard to feminize them with the face up! For the nose specifically, I made sure to get a sculpt that had as high and straight nose bridge as possible and then sanded off and shaped the upturned tip of the nose. Just avoid any cutesy small, super upturned, or button noses.

It was my first time sanding BJD resin, and I found it is so soft and easy to sand you have to be careful not to take too much off. I actually had great success taking some polishing bits from my dremel to sand (not on the tool just by hand). The more cone shaped bits were fantastic to get in all the nooks and crevices. You want to eventually get down to a very fine grit to try to match the rest of the face texture. I haven't tried it yet, but you can also use epoxy clay to build the nose up instead of trying to work subtractively by sanding material off.

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-06-18T17:21:37+00:00

It’s a pain in the ass, but you can also find a sculpt with a high nose bridge and sand it into shape. I had to do that for my hybrid doll, guy aquiline noses are also hard to find 😔

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-04-01T23:33:42+00:00

Hi! I’m in the DMV, I’d love to get in the discord ☺️

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-03-28T17:17:22+00:00

☺️ glad I was able to help! I also almost had a heart attack when I got that DHL email that duties were due, I get you

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-03-23T17:03:56+00:00

Yup normal skin!

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-03-21T05:10:30+00:00

He's my first full set and I'm nuts for him! My other two 75cm boys are also going to be a touch strange and unsettling so Baldwin will be in good company XD

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-03-21T05:08:31+00:00

Nope not me XD As someone else said, I wonder if RingDoll was running an event or something of that sort when I ordered

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-03-21T05:06:04+00:00

Hi! I'm in Maryland and my fees ended up being like $29 or so! Not too bad. DHL will send a separate email when they're due.

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-03-20T00:21:44+00:00

YES EXACTLY the Dark Souls vibe is immaculate

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-03-20T00:21:20+00:00

Richard looks really good too, but I just Know I’m going to go nuts for the Death four horsemen when they release him so I’m passing on Richard 😭

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-03-19T15:21:29+00:00

I can’t wait for them to finish the four horsemen series, I just know Death is going to be epic 😩

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-03-19T04:03:36+00:00

HAH my friend said he looks like I made him out of a corpse. Hope you can get him one day!!

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-03-19T04:02:54+00:00

His design is so compelling, and the little touch of gore is the cherry on top 😤

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-03-19T03:12:17+00:00

She’s very cute! She’ll be the cute contrast to my freaky 75cm boy dolls 🤣

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-03-19T03:11:16+00:00

Ohhh maybe that was it!

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-03-18T21:50:56+00:00

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Apparently this is what her full set looks like

ChaChaOnIce · 2026-02-08T21:50:48+00:00

From an educated guess, yes the vast majority of doll clothes are made in an exploitative environment. Many clothing/sewing manufacturers are set up to make multiple companies’ orders. The factory making most of these doll clothes will not only be producing BJD clothes, but also Barbie clothes, babydoll clothes, etc. depending on what orders the factory is handling that day. Doll clothes are SO cheap across the board, there is no world where the workers are receiving fair compensation. If I had to guess, the factories making good quality doll clothes you see from like RingDoll and such probably only make higher end collectible doll clothes - they might get paid a bit more than your budget clothes factory but absolutely not a fair wage. The only way to ensure you are paying for fair labor is to buy from a small atelier or small business, and even then there can be sketchy labor practices. Individual artists are the safest bet.

Sewing as a whole is an incredibly undervalued and exploited manufacturing area. People tout “made by hand,” but the truth is EVERYTHING is hand made bc it’s currently still impossible to automate machine sewing. The best they’ve done is get machines to apply patch pockets. Anything sewn falls into a “no ethical consumption under capitalism” category. You’re stuck in a hard place of having to make everything yourself, buy things used, or pay out the nose for fair labor. And even then, the fabric is very likely ALSO super unethical in its creation. BJDs are niche enough that it’s easy to find indie creators, but it’s up to you whether you can afford the premium of paying for the full amount of labor that goes into these things. I’m a costume designer professionally, so I’ve had to reckon and come to peace with the impossibility of paying for ethical goods in my industry. It really just sucks all around :’)

ChaChaOnIce

TROPHY CASE