Fantasy for Dolls - Issue 3 The Tale of Red Riding Hood and the Making of her Outfit

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was loved by all who knew her, but especially by her grandmother.

Grandmother had given the girl a red hood, and the little girl loved it so much that she would never wear anything else. 

And so she got the nickname Red Riding Hood.

One day her mother said to her, "Little Red Riding Hood, take this bread and apples to Grandmother.  She is not feeling well, and they will do her good.

But promise me you won't stray from the path.  Walk straight to Grandmother's and be sure to say good morning when you get there.  

Little Red Riding Hood promised and set out with her basket.

Behind the Scenes

For those of you who like the look of the bread in this basket, it was made using a tutorial I followed from Always Dolls on YouTube.  

As part of this collaboration, Heather from Bbeauty Dolls made the Red Riding Hood outfit featured in the photos.  

"As an avid fairytale designer, I am always looking to be true to a character's design but add my own twists on it.  I like incorporating elements that have thought behind it.  If you google Red Riding Hood, you get many different images, from Red Riding Hood as a child to as a costumed adult. 

Common looks for Red Riding Hood include a red gingham dress, apron, and short red cape.  Capes were common in travel and kept them warm.  I wanted to do something dramatic, but a long cape would hide the dress and boots, so I decided on a high low cape.  Even as a high low option, she could still wrap plenty of fabric around her to keep warm and have clearance to walk without tripping on the front hem.  I thought it would also be fun to do a print lining as something interesting to view from the front but stay true to the red cape from the back. The cape is also not just a solid, it has a print with a "cracked or crackle" effect that is very subtle.  It reminded me of the crackle of tree bark and I felt it would add a little bit of the woods into the design. The interior print is a cream with a deep red rose.  Flowers often grow wild in the forest and I liked the idea that it would be on the inside of her cape keeping things very natural and matching the exterior red.  The ruffle at the sides and over the hood adds some body and femininity.  

For the dress, I wanted to keep it simple to keep emphasis on the cloak.  I drew a lot upon storybook peasant dresses for the look. As we move through the story and get closer to the dress, more details will unveil.  Red Riding Hood is also wearing cream tights and our Edwardian Cut out Boots in Burgundy Red.

As a tribute to the red gingham so often used for Red Riding Hood's dress, I made a basket liner from that material." - Heather Rosales

Red Riding Hood Grand Prize

We have so many great prizes as part of this series, and this beautiful ensemble plus extra goodies will be given away as a Grand Prize at the end of October to a selected winner from the photo contest.

To Enter:

1. Photograph your doll in a costume or dress up scene

2. Post on Instagram using the hashtag #fantasyfordolls and tag #bbeautydesigns in the caption.

   
   

Good luck to all participants, we will be watching for your photos!  Stay tuned for the next issue of Red Riding Hood's story.