Have you ever sought original outfits for your dolls?

New My first doll (Crobi YS Daydream) was just the doll itself secondhand off of Mandarake, but was a limited fullset.
There have been several runs with different outfits for this specific doll, but there's one that I really like the most that was apparently from some collaboration with DOLK. It's not the most intricate costume compared to some other absolutely wild fullsets out there, but I think it's quite elegant.

I've been quite lucky to find the original coat and pants of this set on Dollyteria by complete accident, actually, as at that time I found them, I was looking for something completely different! I'm missing parts of the clothing of the fullset, still, but I found that the coat was so delicate, I didn't want to disturb it more than I needed to, and ironically I haven't really used it at all. Given my intention was not to complete the doll this way, I don't find myself minding too much, though I'm still pleased to have them as options.

I think at the end of the day, though there are some dolls that I would like to keep intact as their fullsets (IE: I have one that's meant to be a specific character from a game, and I'd only think about alternate outfits in the form of other costumes he wears in other games of the series,) I find a bit more satisfaction of dressing them up in a different way, even if I definitely don't have as much of an eye for design and fashion as the original intentions!

 

New I'm "lucky" in that while I often appreciate the overall look of fullsets, there are usually details in them that I don't like.

For example - That Victorian style suilt would be so much better if the trousers came up to the actual waist, the waistcoat was long enough not show any of the shirt (or the trouser waistband) at the bottom... or... That dress would be so much better if it came to below the knees instead of above them, or if the sleeves were remotely in the style of the period the rest of the outfit is aiming at.

So, I usually don't want to spend my money on fullset outfits with details that would niggle at me. I tend to make my own, or commission them from others (although the latter can be fraught with problems if you think the person you commissioned fromm understands what you want and then find they had made assumptions without checking with you before going ahead and acting on them). I don't like making menswear nerarly as much as I do women's so my boys are very much the Poor -relations in terms of clothing options. I've commissioned a few pieces for them, while I make a lot for the girls.

There have, howeverm, been outfits I've sought out for my dolls - not necessary full set outfits but outfits I've become aware of long after they were sold-out from the company and it's been a matter of keep ing my eye open on the Marketplace here on DoA (and other forums), searching places like eBay and Mandarake, AND checking what people have put into the swaps-and-sales at in-person meetups. |Plus, puttiing word out among your friends in the doll community that you're lookign for a particular outfit (I've had a number of them come home to me because of an email or DM from a friend saying, "Are you still looking for such-and-such outfit, because so-and-so is thinking of selling theirs." or "I just saw one of those listed on..."

Teddy

 

New Since I never really done fantasy or unique looks for most of my dolls. I pretty much do causal clothes with exception to my latest two girls who are brand new designs by Dollstown. While around the same height as the elf body by Dollstown these girls are much slimmer and I have yet to do research in how their bodies compare to say other companies designs. So I have to order custom made clothes from Moonlightdollstudio5 on Etsy. Luckily they seem to have a sale when I can afford to get more clothes. But the clothes are the style I generally go for with my dolls. Once I can manage meet ups again I can see what I can find for them in maybe MSD or fashion sized dolls clothes.

 

New Although I have full set clothing for some of my dolls, I haven't yet purposefully ordered one. If that makes sense at all. I ended up purchasing full set dolls because either the doll was the last of its kind and only the full set was available, or they were in stock and I liked the doll and didn't see the need to wait and purchase the doll without the full set.

A lot of times the full set is too elaborate for what I would normally have my dolls wear. I prefer casual clothing for the most part on my dolls. There are also the times that I put the outfit on the doll, and it doesn't no matter what I do look as great as the company pictures.

I have gotten a few lucky finds. My Lance ( Aimerai - Oscar Diggs - The Great & Terrible Magician.) Looks absolutely amazing in his fullset. It form fits him beautifully. I was so impressed when I dressed him. The quality is so high, and beyond what I could sew.

Sometimes I find I can use pieces of the full set, but not the whole assemble. I don't like to break up the full sets if I can help it, but one second hand doll came with a badly damaged full set outfit, so I only kept pieces of it. What I usually do, is carefully fold up the full sets clothing and safely put them away as they don't fit my more casual dress style for my dolls.

I do end up making my own clothing for my dolls most of the time. I make my own patterns as well. But, my dolls dress in simple everyday clothing. It's rare for me to keep my dolls elaborately dressed.

 

New I do have a fair few dolls who were created as fullsets from Volks, but I have little desire to collect missing outfits, as I have no attachment to the characters the fullsets were made for: my Nanjō Isao hasn't kept the character of a 2000s teenager, and my Claude hasn't kept the character of a fairytale prince.

Most fullsets or high-end small maker outfits aren't appealing to me because they're not what I want for my dolls. I'm the odd Volks enthusiast who isn't fond of frou-frou frills and lace, and I'd be too reluctant to take very expensive outfits outside for photos.
I'm happy to buy doll clothes that are beyond my skill level or not personally enjoyable to make, like shoes and highly tailored outfits. I enjoy sewing wasai (traditional Japanese garments) and modern casual outfits, and I like repurposing old human garments for fabric. The less "polished" construction of my own work suits most of my dolls better than "perfect" outfits I could buy, plus an over-abundance of detail and delicate parts in an outfit puts me off buying. I'd love a military uniform for my ID75 that doesn't look like a video game parade uniform covered in embroidery and medals or something fascists wore during WWII, but there's nothing available to buy that meets my requirements, so I'll have to go without until I'm skilled enough to make it myself.

The only outfits I'd potentially go hunting for are the Echoes of a Beautiful Banquet and Naval Academy outfits from Volks: I'd gladly pick up any kimono, hakama, haori, etc. from those series as I have several and know they're high quality. As I've learned the hard way, not all fullsets from all dollmakers match that quality.

 

New It depends, honestly, for me. My first 4 dolls - absolutely had to have everything they were advertised with. 2 of them I got off the marketplace here. The other two I ordered straight from the company. As time has gone on, the full set outfits either met my needs/desires for the doll, or not. If they didn't, I skipped buying them. If they did, I bought them. But fantasy outfits are a must for my Elf Army haha! So if it isn't fantasy enough for me, I skip it. Same with the wigs or eyes. For example, my Fairyland Nuia - gorgeous full set. Not what I wanted for her. So I skipped it!

I am still trying to find the original full set outfits for two dolls - my Mini Soom Azur's human outfit and my Crobidoll little guy's woodland elf outfit.

 

New I think I might have only bought a fullset once - a Dearmine Lorenz, as it was the only version available. The outfit was really cute, though it always bugged me that I wasn't putting my own spin on him. As much as I loved the sculpt, he's been rehomed with a family member. I was gifted a Dearmine Agrippa with his coffee outfit - its adorable, but I am itching to do something for him myself. I'll keep it for him, but I want to really make him my own. That's the thing about it - buying a fullset to me feels like adopting someone's else's creation and concept, and they don't truly belong to me.

Luckily, I love sewing and make my own patterns, so when I am able to make things for my dolls, it is a great feeling to bring MY character completely to life. And I can keep working on it until I am happy with it, instead of buying something which I think I will like, and it turns out not to be the right fit, which means that I am then I am stuck trying to resell it.

 

New Almost off topic, but I've looked for the OG wig of my Nanachan EVERYWHERE, and couldn't find it without buying the entire doll with it lol. Maybe one day !

 

New I went looking for a fullset just once, and it was for my very first BJD. This was Dream Of Doll Lahoo: his original fullset release was amazing, newbie me fell in love with that vision and dreamed of recreating it. I bought my Lahoo in 2009 - the clothes were long discontinued, but he still came with the exact wig and eyes from the fullset, and I also bought a pair of boots from Dream Of Doll that looked similar to his fullset footwear. So, all that was left was to find the fullset clothing, and I kept watch on the secondhand market. I eventually bought it off DoA Marketplace sometime in late 2009, so I recreated the original Lahoo "fullset". Here's my photoshoot of him. Later, I sold my Lahoo "fullset" to another DoA member who still has him and his outfit I'm really happy I had a chance to enjoy a "fullset" doll for a brief time.

Spoiler: Pic of my Lahoo

DoD Lahoo was the only time I went searching for an original fullset doll. For the most part, I'm not interested in them at all, most dolls in my collection weren't sold as fullsets anyway. I do draw inspiration and influence from their promo pics, but I end up developing my own vision. That being said, I love buying outfit sets, whether or not they were released as part of a fullset doll. Usually I discover them through owner or promo pics, and if it catches my eye and imagination I'll go searching for it. I typically look at all secondhand markets, in this order: Xianyu (China's secondhand market), Y!Japan Auctions, Mandarake, Dollyteria, Den of Angels Marketplace, other BJD social media sales groups (eg. Instagram), eBay. (I'm much less familiar with Vinted and Mercari.) I've found some elusive outfits and accessories by being patient and vigilant -- the longest I've looked was over a year.