"Start at the very beginning, a very good place to start." from Sound of Music
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I had a small wood/cardboard suitcase like this for my Muffy/Ginny dolls, so figure since 1953-4. I got my first Barbie in 1960, and of course she needed that suitcase for all her clothes...I sewed.
But, now Barbara M Roberts of BMR Ltd, (my first Barbie) is in my doll stories. And that poor case, has long since disintegrated, so the whole doll room has become HER's and all her friends' Closets.
My very first 'new' contemporary Barbie doll, I found in a thrift store to play with the Grandgirl, who named her Richelle and a jointed Ryan doll, named Kurt. Richelle always wears shades of violet and purple. Pickings were pretty slim back in those day, 2013-4...so I sewed and scrounged purple/lavender clothing aside for Richelle. That's when I decided she needed her own closet instead of a go-fish situation in the enlarging piles of dollclothes.
Here's the many faces of Richelle.
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She first lived in the HFIM house, then a basement apartment with Ryan, and now in the Grandgirl's house (we built and got back when she turned 12) which is in the doll room now. She married Ryan and they share the house with Midge(repro) and really cute Allan,(Ryan doll) who have an apartment in the lower level of the house.
Allan and Midge have only one room and a full bathroom and a dressing area, needed a separate closet, with use of the upstairs livingroom and kitchen. Most of my doll closets are cobbled redo's...or wooden/plastic silverware trays, or of course, cast off Mattel closets from thrift stores, which I have redone
Ryan and Midge have this closet, which was one of those jewelry cases with a drawer and two spinning hooks. I removed the hooks and inserted a dowel rod for hanging clothes. This works perfect for a wardrobe. Painting it brown for the original 'mancave' when this was my Grand's dollhouse.
The house was built around the furniture i found, that's the window above that was designed for this particular piece of furniture. This dressing area holds the wardrobe with a drawer, a bench trunk, perfect for putting on and storing shoes.
Their bed's mounted on an altered jewelry box and has two drawers for clothes...perfect for a new couple.
Hanging pieces and sports equipment can be stored under the stairs. (Behind the TV shelf below.)
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