Paying more for your Doll's clothing than your own....

In total, I spend more money on doll clothes than for myself. But I have several dolls, and only one of me to clothe, so I do spend more on them. But I think that the clothing I buy cost just as much and sometimes maybe even more than their doll clothing counterparts. I try not to buy too many things for myself, since I used to buy clothes that I would eventually never wear and my closet is now too full. Im trimming down my wardrobe and focusing on just a few outfits I will repeatedly wear. I realize I should just spend the necessary money on one or two items that are both high in quality and fashion...like a pair of D&G sunglasses that Ive had my eye on. Living in Southern California, Ive recently realized that I need to own a good pair of sunglasses, and its ridiculous that I dont even have one.

I think Ive spent a lot of money on doll clothes recently since I am a newer member, and Volks has suddenly started releasing so many gorgeous wallet-breaking apparel.

 

I think it may have something to do with the fact that they are so tiny....I guess it would take a fair amount of skill to make a quality item that small. Also, they are somewhat small runs, like specialty clothes.

 

I generally spend more on doll clothing than clothes for myself. It's worth the investment to me. Dolls don't gain weight or grow like myself or my kids. They also don't get as dirty as my real life kids so the clothing lasts longer. They cost more because they are tiny. All the findings on good clothes should be to scale, if not you may be overpaying. Also the outfits I get are more elaborate than anything I'd wear so it may not really be that expensive when put in that light.

Price comparison to human clothing:

A smocked dress for a little girl
$45-$80

Same style for a doll
$35-65

A kimono for an adult
$500

A kimono for a doll
$120-$160


A whole outfit for an adult:undiesm dress, hat, bag, boots,
A few hundred dollars


A volks whole outfit: mitten, hat, dress, boots, panties, and bag
$65

 

I've noticed that too(which is why my dolls are going to be wearing toga's for a while) It's hard for me to justify spending more on their clothes than mine, and right now all my money is getting swallowed up on art supplies for school(spent 85$ just today and still need some other supplies) Although I can understand the reason for it. The manufactuers are designing their own and creating their own patterns, plus the added difficulty in making such small clothes, and I would hope that they're not being made in some sweatshop like many full human sized clothing is, the cost just adds up.

 

I spend more on myself than my dolls. Yes I have spent $300 on a doll outfit and $60 for a pair of doll pants, and 60 for a pair of doll shoes but my clothes cost more. Thats the problem with Gothic Lolita clothing. To buy something nice it costs a ton. Maybe thats why myself and my dolls have so few articals of clothing.

 

I easily spend more on my dolls than on myself. That's because they wear things like CheeryDoll outfits, and I wear Kmart jeans, t-shirts and cheap sneakers from Payless. It doesn't bug me, though. I know that if I wanted to wear nicer stuff myself and spend less on them or make clothes for them myself, I could. It's a personal choice for me, so I'm okay with it. =D

 

well, i mostly wear cheap 15 dollar jeans from Ross, and those weird guy t-shirts at walmart, ya know, the ones with funny little sayings on them, and they only cost like 9 to 10 dollars. I spend more on my dolls than myself because i don't really care about clothes really, lol.

 

I make alot of my own clothes and clothes for my dolls, but I do spend more money on shoes for them than I do on myself -.-

I find that it can take just as long sometimes to make clothes for dolls as it does for humans.

 

i spend more on my boys clothing than my own ^^; i find most of my clothes at thrift stores or on clearance or for really good price ^^; but when it comes to them i go all crazy and spend lots on them XDDDD

 

My doll's clothes not only cost much more than mine but they also have a much larger wardrobe. I'm basically a jeans/sweats/denim shirts/tees kind of person & mostly shop clearance sales. (Got a $48 shirt for $5) Unfortunately, other than a few bargains on the boards, doll clothes don't go on sale.

While I can sew, even the fabrics I use are expensive, pure silks, wools, linens, imported cottons. If I'm going to put the time into designing I want the best fabric for it so the end result is worthwhile. Thank goodnes that with careful shopping, I've been able to get some great buys on fabric. I don't sew for humans since they aren't available for 2am fittings & scream if you prick them with a pin.

I justify the expense of doll clothing by realising that the dolls won't grow out of it, get it stained or dirty & look much better in clothes than I do. For myself comfort matters, for the dolls it's all about style.

 

Nah, my clothes are more expensive, whish I could buy a nice pair of skinny jeans for only 25$!

 

My outfit is always jean, hoodie, t-shirt. So I just get new jeans and a hoodie every so often and t-shrits often come as presents or are happened upon and unresistable ( I totally needed that FFXII one @__@ ) and... while my boy's wardrobes are tiny they cost more. XDD

 

My main hobby/lifestyle is still streetwear and shoes so my clothes are still a bit more pricy compared to my boys. I think they even out in the end.

 

Although I can sometimes justify 50 dollar doll jeans...

My parents can't XD and their feeding me, so I'm willing to make my own for now.

 

Yeah... I think about 100% of BJD owners realize this.

 

You mean they make clothes for humans?? XD

Yeah, my dolls have a much better, more expensive wardrobe than I ever will. Several nice outfits for them equals about what I spend on myself almost per year :P I'm not much a of clothes horse . . . my boys on the other hand XD They own more shoes than me too LOL!

 

Well, I shop at good will and thrift shops, so normaly I spend $7-$12 on a piece of my own clothing, but my price limit for doll clothes pieces/outfits is $40 (including shipping), because I could concievably pay that much for something in my size. As someone said, I used to buy clothes that I'd never wear, especially in houston, where it's too hot for jackets and pants ect. so it just seems to make more sense to buy it in their size! Also, I've recently gained wait and so now I'm trying to cover up, so my wardrobe was greatly narrowed again, it seems pointless to buy extra clothes for me.

 

Human clothes are massed produced - when the show "How It's Made" was featuring a jeans manufacturing plant, they said that jeans take approximately 12 minutes from cutting out the pieces (many at one time) to finished product. I am certain that even if the doll jeans are not being made one at a time by hand they are not being made in the same scale with the same kind of machinery, and thus are not subject to the same economies of scale when it comes to cost and pricing.

I sew for both humans and dolls. Sewing for humans may take more fabric, but it is a LOT easier because the pieces are so big and being off by just a little bit simply isn't noticeable. Fabric isn't the first order force in pricing clothing - labor is.

Marcia.

 

Nah, it doesn't come as a shock--all the little details on the tiny clothes are going to push up the price. And there's plenty of human clothes that are that expensive, I just never buy expensive clothes for myself. I tend to shop at thrift stores so I can have more money to spend on dolls : D

 

seems to me like it would be really hard to make an ultra detailed doll outfit though, just as hard if not harder than making a people sized outfit, also... finding appropriately small buttons, etc, is harder too. Often they are not made in huge production numbers either like clothes for humans in say, Walmart, might be. (so it costs more there )

I sure wish they cost less... but I guess I can understand why they dont. to be fair though, for example... the Baby the Stars Shine Bright limited outfit sets... they actually cost less than the human sized clothes (even though they are still expensive) by a large degree, because:
human BTSSB clothes:
purse: $100+
shoes: $100+
outfit: $100+
you get the idea...

I'm not really a clotheshorse either... my job is very casual so I mostly wear tshirt and jeans. also I'm super tall, so I can't wear everything. so I probably naturally tend to spend less on my own clothes than some other people might.

 

When I buy doll clothes, yes, they cost alot more then my clothes!

I don't wear really cheap clothes, but I buy off the clearence rack like a maniac!
I'll buy 12 pieces of sales clothes at a department store for around 130$. Rarely do you find doll clothes that are 80% off, haha XD
I'm speaking of "business casual" clothing, that's what I usually wear.

 

Absolutely! It is a good deal easier to sew a dress for myself than it is to sew one for one of my dolls - especially my 1/6 girls! Since I sew most of the clothing for my dolls, I really don't run into a problem of spending more on clothing for them than for me. My issue comes when I have to buy shoes for them! Their shoes cost more than any pair I've ever owned! *laughs*

 

Nope, I'm one of the few that spends more on myself than my doll. I think there are a lot of reasons. 1) I'm a fashion hoe, lol. 2) It's far more accessible for me to shop for myself, especially since I live in a huge city. 3) It's more fun to shop for myself! Going out and shopping beats sitting behind a computer screen anyday. 4) My doll can wear the same clothes everyday and I'm fine with it. I can't do that to myself XD;; 5) I can sew for my doll (at least, some things I can), whereas I'd never wear anything I sewed for myself, save for cosplay. There are probably a bunch of other reasons, but I'm feeling lazy right now, haha.

 

I still spend more money to clothe me. There are so many cute outfits online, but I prefer to try to make my own for them.

 

I'm begining to do that. *sighs* =( Not good at all. But I also noticed some clothes costs more than human clothes! O.o;

 

I dunno...I still have difficulty justifying $27 for a doll skirt. I cringe spending that much for myself. I'm a happy jeans and t-shirt kinda girl, though I do usually have to pay extra to have my jeans hemmed (is a shorty). But there are so many cute doll outfits out there! Which is why I'm trying to learn to sew...it'll be so much easier on my poor wallet.

 

Yes, I've realized that doll clothes can be just as expensive, if not more expensive than my own. I definitely spend more on myself though, since because of that fact I'm learning to sew all my own doll clothes - I'm not in a financial situation where it's affordable yet.

 

The fact that I spend more on my dolls than myself influences me to try to dress better. =3 One day, it hit me how funny it is that I'm spending more time choosing and more money on dressing up inanimate objects more nicely than myself, so I went out to buy myself something nice to wear for a change. It wasn't a significant change, but it certainly surprised my non-doll friends. ^^;

 

It's always gonna happen, so I've learned to reconcile myself with it ^^ and keep in mind that the fashion industry and the doll clothes industry are NOT the same. I actually do tend to spend more than the average on my own clothes, but doll clothes usually have me beat!

Still, they'll never have to be replaced, and being a clothing designer/maker myself, I always remember that when the clothes are handmade, there is an actual person/people sitting there giving up their evenings to buy materials and do labor for you (even more so if it's a commission) - I think about that more than the actual clothes, so I'm never like, "this is just a skirt that could fit around my wrist, why doesn't it cost $5??" Unless it actually looks like it's not that great a job or no thought went into it (which also happens a lot). I won't say it's always harder to sew for dolls or it takes more time, but for some specific cuts it is harder or even impossible, and sometimes it just takes more careful planning. When the clothes are factory made, they're usually either full sets with stunning hand made details I can appreciate, or when they're separates, either the details bear them out or they're not actually that expensive.

Plus, I tend to like innovative, well-designed and distinct pieces for both me and my dolls. Often I can estimate that a doll outfit that cost me $150 would probably cost me $400+ if I were to find it in human size. And gowns?? (luckily, I don't have much occasion to wear gowns. :P ) but I can see the disparity getting bigger for people who don't like to dress up or always bargain shop or people who are still living with their parents and don't buy their whole wardrobe.

In the case where they do seem expensive for what they are, I don't buy them. Either someone else will think it's worth buying, or the seller will realize the price is too high and lower it. Also, it's a lot easier to resell doll clothes in pristine condition, since they don't move or secrete anything. ^^

 

Luckily for me, I make my own doll clothes. And fabric is cheap when you're sewing for a Mini! The only reason I charge as much as I do for my doll clothes is the time and effort I put into them. I design my own patterns and I hand-sew everything. A lot of love and hours go into my work! That being said, I'm never shocked by the price of doll clothes since I know exactly where the creator is coming from when they charge the same as or more than people clothes.

I'm always really tempted to buy pretty doll clothes (Mio... ), but I'd honestly rather buy clothes for myself! So I make my own doll clothes.

 

I had a realization (as some have mentioned earlier in this thread) when I was bemoaning to my friend that my SD sized BtSSB Red Riding Hood outfit was gonna cost more than her human sized BtSSB Red Riding Hood outfit and she said "Doesn't it come with shoes?" And I realized that yes, the outfit SET costs more than the human outfit, but it came with socks, undies, underskirt, hair ornaments, shoes and handbag, all of which would be sold separately for the human one.
So, for loli wear at any rate, it's a pretty good deal. I guess.
H

 

Well,I'd like to spend money on my dolls clothes,but then I always end up thinking I'd rather save that money for another doll (naked one :P). I've managed to find some nice fabrics from a bargain bin at our local sewing shop. Those will make many outfits for the boys.

For myself I would like to be able to buy from Metamorphose but cant.So to the sales I go,always looking through the bargains for myself too. Oh,and second hand shops are great! You can find all sorts of things there.

 

I'd have to say that I'm willing to buy a ridiculously expensive outfit for a doll for one reason.

There really is *very* little wear and tear. You don't have to wash the clothes, they aren't going to get wear spots in a year, they won't get stains or rips or other ailments of human clothing (unless there's a horrible accident or you're not careful with doll clothes!)... so these expensive outfits are going to last for years and years... and you can be sure the doll will never grow out of them, or put on a couple of pounds and need new pants :P

Overall, I still spend more on my own clothes... but it's really just because of wear and tear and replacement. I don't think I could justify buying a $220 outfit for myself... because for me, it's not practical XD

 

I've gotten to the point that I seem to have no problem justifying outfits and clothing sets that cost 150 and up for my dolls, or shoes that cost 70+ for them yet I can't even justify that for myself.

Went in to buy myself some ah... [bras -haha] and got annoyed that the cheapest I could find was 15 some dollars and refused to buy more than 2 of them because 30 + tax was way too much, yet I turned around and spent 100 on materials for an outfit I was making Fuan without blinking O_o

Jenova has a few pairs of 70 some dollars boots and I don't seem to have any problem with that in my head, yet I need some new shoes and I couldn't let myself spend more than 30 on them.

Even the jewelry they wear costs more than most of my stuff now

Sometimes I wonder about my mentality when this stuff goes through my head... [and yet I keep doing it, ah dollfies, how you own me. Then again, I get more enjoyment from looking at them in nice clothing than I do myself, so all is good -heh]

 

You remind me of all my penny-pinching ways just to pay for my dolls. I used to save about 80% of my monthly allowances on dolls. I also brought sandwiches to work everyday so I wouldn't have to buy lunch. I would also have limits on my own clothing, like up to $50 or something. The list goes on. Curiously, as most of you pointed out, I had no problem spending five to ten times that of my limit for myself on my dolls, especially if it was an ooak outfit by a well known designer. Isn't it curious?

 

I am not a brain loyalty person and since my mother always shop the clothes for me, I spend little on my own clothes and use my money on other things for sure.
I do admit that not only the doll clothes but also all doll related stuffs are more expensive.
My price value on dolls stuffs change forever.


A pair of boots for myself over $40 is "expensive", but a pair of boots at $30~40 for my doll is "all right"
The doll shoes are normally expensive.

 

*shrugs* I do pay more per item for clothing for my dolls than clothing for myself, on average. But it doesn't shock or bother me. In large part, it's due to the fact that I don't really give a darn what I'm wearing most of the time. As long as it's comfortable and my breasts aren't hanging out somewhere unusual, I'm content. But I like my dolls in certain things, and I expect to pay for those things. ^_~

 

Yea, Vespa has a pair of jeans and a sweater which is quite expensive. . .
More expensive than my own clothes!!

 

Due to how expensive dolls clothing is i have a very very small selection but i dont mind paying it because i understand the effort and time it took to make. On my own clothes i generally spend more though

 

Ummm. I love fashion, but I'm mostly a bargain-hunter/flea market kinda girl.

With regards to my dolls, I only buy what I absolutely have to (like shoes, wigs & eyes), or if I find a good 2nd-hand bargain. I find that there is a severe lack of range for casual clothes, I see more 'costumes' up, and my dolls won't wear it unless for a special shoot or event so I don't really see the point >.<

I just can't justify spending that much money on tiny clothes for them, especially when the prices are in USD. A normal t-shirt for them costs more than it would for me! ...which is why I've started to improve my sewing skills.

I guess at the end of the day, I definitely have spend more on myself, if purely because I just have a larger wardrobe accumulated over the years xD

 

I have finlly stopped trying to justify the cost of my doll's clothes. If I am really driven to get a specific item, I throw caution to the wind and buy it - it does have to be special, at least to me.

 

I don't have any resin dolls, but I can certainly say that if I did, I probably would spend more on their clothes than my own non-cosplay clothes. Hell, I'm in the process of spending more on a pair of 1/6 chainmail shirts that I'm making, and have spent more on those two so far than any non-cosplay clothes I've bought this year. My clothes don't cost much, since either I get them through discount means (sales, thrift, eBay), or they didn't cost more than $15 per item to begin with. Some of my bought-new clothes have been as low as $3. Mass-produced Hawaiian shirts don't go for much if you don't go to the brand-name stores, especially if you catch them on sale. Hell, I object to spending more than $25 or so on shoes for myself, and am content to wear a single pair of sandals for an entire year (with heavy knit socks in winter). I do have a few articles of sort-of non-cosplay clothes that were "pricey" ($40), but I consider them my formal wear (Renaissance shirts).

1/4 (and 1/3) doll clothes, on the other hand, aren't mass produced to the same extent as my clothes. They're also higher quality and more heavily detailed. Therefore, I expect them to cost more by default.
Also, I can't make little shoes that look good, as far as I know, and little shoes can be difficult to find. I understand how they are a more difficult to make, and thusly understand the price more. Also, they won't be absolute shreds in three months' time like the ONE pair of Nikes I bought were. I don't have to worry about horrible breakage, and since they aren't intended for actual use, if they should happen to break, I may be able to fix it effectively.

 

I hate spending more for my dolls clothes than my own. >.< I usually only buy what I really have to (shoes, wigs, and eyes). Though the other day I ordered two outfits from DollHeart...I've wanted them for a REALLY long time though, and while I'm good at sewing those are some complicated outfits that are far out of my skill range....T-T

And while I don't expect these clothes to be cheap, they're still too expensive. In my opinion anyway. I could understand maybe $50 or $60 (USD) for most of the outfits that are about $80 and up...some/most prices are just rediculous; like $40 for a pair of pants/jeans...I could make that for less than $5...~_~

 

There are lots of reasons for this... but I'm like most people, I'm fine with paying more for my doll's clothes if it's quality stuff.

1. Just to get into the hobby, you need to be willing to drop some sizable cash. It attracts hobbyists who don't mind paying lots for good quality product and keeps away the Wal Mart crew. Companies know this and it sets a certain level of expectations and pricing.

2. Buying in bulk comes out cheaper per unit, so if you buy x meters of fabric for 200 pairs of jeans, the jeans will cost less, not just because they're smaller but because doll jeans are usually produced in small amounts, requiring even less fabric.

3. Being made by small companies, the clothing is probably put together by one person per piece, as opposed to a big company where one worker does the overlock stitching, another puts the pieces together, another does the zippers, etc. The rate of production is much slower and therefore less cost effective.

4. The used clothing market. Augh, my love, my bane! Goodwill it ain't; that's where I shop for myself, for pants costing $5 a pop. With second hand doll clothing, don't expect prices to drop much unless the workmanship is shoddy.

5. Also I am not taking photos of myself modeling for all the internet to see so my boys have to look good!

 

I spend about the same for both my dolls and for me. I'm slighty a brand whore for lolita clothing and so my dolls have to be brand whores also ^.^;;; I dont buy my dolls stuff a lot, they have their outfits and some extras but not a ton of clothes. I make some and make some (same with me)
I try and not think about how much I have spent on the SD Baby outfits >.<

 

I think we all want the best clothes we can afford for our dolls and sometimes if you want a particular outfit that has a lot of fabric and a lot of work gone into it, you just have to pay the price don't you? Unless of course you are great seamstresses and can make it yourself.
I plan to make a lot of outfits for my dolls, don't know how they will turn out though.
I must admit that i would'nt buy an outfit that costs as much as a new doll but that's just me, i have a long list of dolls i want to buy and i would prefer to have a new doll.

 

I've had trouble just justifying the price of a doll to the point where I can consider myself saving up for one. I can't justify dropping an extra hundred or two (or three) on clothing, no matter how nice it is. I'm compromising (at least for a while) by buying him some sandals when I'm closer to actually affording him (I love the Waraji at Featherfall!) and sewing him some clothes myself. I'm just going to consider myself lucky that I got a nice sewing machine for my birthday and have some fabric on hand.

Hard to sew though when the only fabric/craft store within forty-five minutes closed over two years ago, you have no car, and the new one is still being built.... The craft section at Wal-mart just isn't the same.

 

I spend more on doll clothes or their fabrics mainly because I rarely buy new clothes for myself. I spend something about $200 a year on clothes and shoes for myself, I guess that's not horribly much.

 

i dont spend more on their clothes.
i spend about equally much for my clothes too, that's why my financial is getting so tight that im starving myself from time to time ._.

 

I spend a lot more money on clothes for my dolls than myself - I have a pretty simple style and I stick to it, whereas with the dolls I can experiment a lot more. Besides, they can wear the clothes I'd never dare to wear, so it's far more fun to dress them up than to dress myself up.

And the clothes take a lot less space, too.

 

I have always spent way more on dolls stuff than I do on myself, next my daughter has all my spare cash and then hubby ~ poor me is always last LOL ~ I dred to think how old some of my clothes are ~ yet my dolls get new stuff almost daily

Addicted ~ I sure am !!!!

Carla x

 

My dolls are always getting new clothes, but I hardly ever buy myself new clothes or anything yip they are spoilt

 

Personally I would never pay more for a doll's clothes than my own. I can sew, so I plan on making most of their clothing myself.

 

I do pay more for my dolls clothes because I don't enjoy dressing myself up but I do enjoy dressing my dolls up. I guess it's just a lifestyle choice for me. I'm quite happy spending &#163;12.99 on a pair of jeans and &#163;3.99 on a shirt from a 2nd hand shop for me and then buying a leather outfit for my doll for &#163;25. I would rather look at my pretty dolls in pretty clothes that stare at ugly me in pretty clothes in the mirror.

 

Hehehehe, I just got a rather pricey order in from Musedoll, but TOTALLY WORTH IT. I woulda smacked the crap outta myself in August (when I really started getting into this hobby) for spending so much on just clothes. But all I can sew at the moment are boardshorts/boxers.

Plus I figure, I don't spend much on clothes/shoes/etc for myself. So it's nice that they have at least one really nice set of clothing (i.e. I didn't make it >.>;;;;; ). I don't plan on spending so much again but you never know.

 

Well I am a rather frumpy-dumpy middle-aged lady of rather ordinary looks. I think I'd look silly in very fashionable clothing and shoes... and Lolita? Ha!

But seriously. In a way, when I buy doll clothes it's like for "another myself". Heh... one that's not a lumpy size 12. ^_~


Raven