Dressing your dolls - realism or ease of access?

I really don't have a preference for either, although I usually make dresses and tops with back closures and sweaters/hoodies/sweatshirts as pullovers that require me to remove the head to put them on.

 

Due to the genius that is one touch system, I do not care if I have to remove hands to put a shirt on. I could add snaps to the back of shirts to avoid head removal, but it's not that big of a deal to me and I'd rather not sew more snaps. As for buying clothes, if I were to buy clothes again, I would prefer no visible accessibility helpers.

 

For my 60cm+ dolls, I prefer realism since there's space for all that detail and it's not like they are gonna have 1mm buttons. Like I prefer real button holes instead of nonfunctioning buttons and metal snaps underneath. I was a bit put-off by an overbearingceo outfit I got where the coat does have shoulder tabs, but zero attachment mechanisms for the epaulettes so they basically fall off constantly! I don't mind being complicated to put on since I don't change my big boys' outfits very often since they are heavy and it gets tiring. My Dollmore Dell hasn't changed clothes for like three years since he is so heavy.

For my smaller dolls, I'm more willing to tolerate stuff like velcro and fake layers and etc. A mature tiny is gonna hit an overly bulky look very easily so I would rather sacrifice some realism for aesthetic since I don't take a ton of pictures of my dolls from the back anyway. I play with them in a much more Barbie-ish way, so I would prefer clothing that is easier to change. Might be a chicken and the egg sort of thing. Cheap tiny clothes means they have way more and thus I have more outfits to change around compared to how my 70cm boys outfits are either a big money splurge or a big giant project so they don't get new outfits as often.

 

I have some dolls that are sewn into their clothes, so changing them is pretty much impossible. For casual clothes additional closures are fine but I like realism for more detailed clothes.

 

As much as I love more realistic clothes, I loathe button holes on clothes this small (I only have two SD+ sculpts, so most of the clothes I buy are for 1/4 and under). For me it's less of an accessibility issue and more that because of the size of clothes, the threads around the button holes are very finicky and can get looped around the button as it's being removed. I'd much rather have button-downs sewn to look realistic with snaps or velcro on the back.

 

I'm definitely team realism, even at the cost of my sanity
I don't mind taking the heads off the dolls for dressing and undressing at all, it's the sewing that causes me a lot of pain. I think sewing small clothes (1/5 and smaller) would probably be easier if I went with velcro instead of realistic neckholes for example (my goodness, the neckholes give me so much grief) but it's a battle I'm willing to fight in the name of realism.

 

Honestly, I'm probably gonna have to go with realism just because it usually fits the vision I have for my dolls better, even if it ends up being more frustrating. I also tend not to cycle out clothes too often (i don't even own a lot of doll clothes atm) so that also helps with the choice for more realistic clothes.

 

I don't mind if I have to take the head off of the doll if that guarantees the neckline and the shirt will look more realistic, but I really hate taking off the hands so I will avoid any shirts that force me to do that as the plague xD
Overall, realism is better for me, even if I have to sweat a bit on the process both sewing and dressing the doll.

 

This. This is exactly how I feel as well lol

Even at the 1/6th scale, and with my longer nails, I definitely prefer as close to realism as possible, no matter how frustrating.

 

I prefer realism but some ease is nice, especially if it doesn't interfere with the overall look.

I have a couple of corset dresses for SD, one has hooks so I don't have to undo the ties once I have it fitted. The other I have to lace up every time I put it on her or take it off. So tedious. I'd be ok with the easier version for both dresses since the overall look is pretty much the same.

 

I'm very much in this realm of things as well. When they're larger dolls, they have space for the things that semi-realism allows on their bodies. With MSDs and smaller, you begin to hit a point where it impedes the look and function of the doll. It brings a Maggie Simpson in her little snow suit sort of vibe, to me.

 

For me, it depends on where on the garment the compromise is, and why it's a compromise.

I abhor removing heads and hands, so if I'd have to deconstruct my doll to put a garment on them, it's not happening. The only exception is pieces made for the doll or two I have with magnetic hands, or the ones I have with small heads and faceplates. Since I can pop those off and on again without completely undoing any hooks, I'll make/purchase clothes for them that require removing those bits. My dolls with s-hooks in the hands, or bigger heads that don't fit through neckholes even if I remove faceplates? I'll cut the cuff wider, or put a snap in, and put snaps in the back on the shirt if it doesn't open in the front already.

For things like working buttonholes versus snaps, I'm fine either way, but I agree that I prefer actual buttonholes and other closures for "nice" garments! In-scale buttons are nice, but not necessary for me, so long as they don't look downright silly. I don't have a ton of access to stores where I can see and buy buttons in person, so finding tiny buttons is just a bonus.

And that's all for sewing, mostly. For my knitting, I try to avoid having to make fit compromises, though I use whatever the heck weight of yarn I have on hand and whatever size buttons work, still. Why sew in snaps when I can make the neck hole stretchy enough to accommodate a big noggin, after all?

 

You are not alone ;-) I also catch myself making the mistake... Despite enough experience, getting into the clothing becomes too narrow. Velcro is horrible - bad for lovely dolls' hair. My favorites are zippers and snap fasteners. And if I'm really into the BJD, sometimes a nerve-wracking lacing ;-)
When I buy clothes, I try to find out in advance whether the clothes are easy to put on.
So definitely yes to additional fasteners in the back, although this is not the case with sweaters and t-shirts in the real world.

 

I kind of like both? I do not make my own doll clothes (yet) so I do a lot of buying. I do get annoyed with having to remove heads or hands but I will do it for the look. For my SDs and MSDs, I don't mind snaps/buttons/laces/hook and eyes. But for my smaller 1/6 dolls (like Soom Minigem) - I don't mind the velcro because they own so many off topic clothes as opposed to clothes made by BJD companies. But even at that size, I'll do snaps and ties, I just gotta be patient with myself hahaha.

 

I'm indifferent to either. Except i hate functioning buttons. I like the look of real buttons, but i hate having to button them. ><) when i buy something with them, i deal with it, but sewing my own I'll avoid buttons and fake the look if i need them

 

I've definitely talked this over with friends before, and I've always been on the side who wants easy dressing options please and thank you! Real small buttons are the bane of my existence for some reason and I despise them. Oh sure, they look very nice...but my fingers seem to forget how to function whenever I go to dress/undress my dolls with buttons and I'm scared I'm going to rip something. And I cannot sew.

That said, it's not a deal breaker when it comes to buying doll clothing. I'm happy as long as the overall quality is good. But easy access clothing is a bonus for me!

 

I totally prefer easy dressing options too and it can be a deal breaker for me. Snaps, hooks and eyes, zippers or not too tiny laces are my preference. I don't always mind removing the head on smaller dolls, but on larger dolls I need to ask for help and I don't like that. Most of my dolls have the S hook rest for hands, but not all of them, but I do have everyone alternate hands and usually one can fit in the sleeve, so that has not been an issue for me yet. In any case I don't want to feel frustrated when dressing my dolls and any clothe that gives me that impression is not getting used here.