V&A
White Cotton Doll Playsuit for Bleuette
1950s · 1950s · French
Production
handmade
Material
cotton
Culture
French
Movement
New Look / Post-War
Influences
1950s children's sportswear · post-war casual tailoring
A miniature white cotton playsuit designed for the French Bleuette doll, featuring a sleeveless vest-style top with vertical ribbed texture and matching shorts. The garment displays precise tailoring scaled down to doll proportions, with a self-fabric belt at the waist secured by small buttons. The vest has a high rounded neckline and armholes finished with narrow binding. The shorts appear to have a fitted waistband and likely side or back closure. The ribbed cotton fabric creates subtle vertical lines that enhance the garment's structured appearance. This represents the post-war trend toward casual children's wear, reflecting the era's emphasis on practical yet well-constructed clothing for active play.
jumpsuitstraightround neckabove-the-knee
Connected To
Movement·New Look / Post-War
LINEAGEsame era · cross-category→ directed
Lineage: “1950s children's sportswear”
These two pieces reveal how 1950s children's fashion worked as a complete ecosystem, from human to doll. The navy ensemble's crisp tailoring—that structured little jacket with its clean lapels and the matching shorts—mirrors exactly the white playsuit's miniature vest and shorts combination, both sharing the same post-war obsession with neat, sporty separates that could withstand serious play.
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