No, this isn't Kansas.
Warner Brothers and Tonner Dolls have combined forces with 20 fashion
designers to create one-of-a-kind dolls to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of
the Wizard of Oz movie. Designers like Reem Acra, Betsey Johnson,
Chris Benz, Byron Lars, Donna Karan, Jenny Packham and Colleen Atwood to name a few, sketched
and created couture ensembles for the collectible Tonner Dolls.
Above are a few preview sketches from different
designers. They were tasked with
re-imagining the characters of Glinda the Good Witch, The Wicked Witch and of
course, Dorothy herself. Byron Lars
re-imagined a post-apocalyptic Dorothy who has been hardened by the loss of her
dog and fighting it out against the world. Yours truly contributed the graphic designs
for the tattoo and t-shirt to this doll.
Reem Acra re-designed
Dorothy's classic gingham ensemble as an elegant ballgown. Carmen Marc Valvo gave Glinda a modern red
carpet makeover. Betsey Johnson interpreted Glenda as a punk godmother, eerily
similar to herself. Lyn Paolo (top) saw
the Wicked Width as a vintage vamp.
Douglas Hannant saw the sorceress as sexy screen siren in fur. Watching the process, I can tell you that
Tonner Dolls handpainted the facial features onto each doll (they definitely
don't mass manufacture the fierce attitude I saw on the Byron Lars doll!) Each designer was responsible for making the
unique outfit that the doll wore.
The actual dolls will be unveiled at the Fashion Institute
of Technology to coincide with NY Fashion Week.
The dolls will be up for auction to benefit Habit for Humanity as part
of their "There's No Place Like Home" campaign. Habitat for Humanity
is an organization whose mission is to build decent, affordable homes for low
income families around the world.
I know I personally fantasized about Dorothy's flared blue
gingham dress and the big pink pile of organza that was Glinda's ballgown when
I watched the movie as a child. You can
see it inspired plenty of other fashion creators like myself. The fact that it brought so many of them
together for a great cause is that much more beautiful. I can only hope they present them on a giant
yellow brick runway...
