Connie Lowe traces her love for costume design to her mother. “When I was young, my mother would make my dresses for the school dances. We did not have a lot of money, but she always made me something special. Something that nobody else had. It was not till recently that I realized she set a precedent for me to always want to be different, unique in my designs.” Connie drew and painted when she was young, but did not gravitate to sewing until much later. She majored in art in college, but specialized in watercolor painting. A few years later, Connie made some OOAK cloth dolls and sold them. Soon after, she married, had a child, and drifted away from art.

Connie developed a renewed interest in art and in dolls through antique dolls. “I found a love for antique dolls through estate sales, and out of necessity I started making them clothing. This became a full time job quickly. I would make costumes for antique doll dealers in exchange for dolls. I began setting up at shows and was doing up to 17 shows a year at one point.” She met her husband, an antiques dealer, through the shows, and together they now run an antique doll business. Her interest in more modern dolls stemmed from her decision to form a collection for her daughter. “When we adopted our first daughter, I decided to collect modern dolls for her. I quickly had a large collection of  Ann Estelles by Robert Tonner, and Annette Himstedts. Of course, once I started buying modern dolls, I found them enchanting myself and started my own collection.” One day, a fellow collector offered to trade a BJD for a Himstedt doll. Connie was not immediately smitten. “Curious Alien creatures, I thought. No way, I thought. However my curiosity got the better of me. I had to see what all the fuss was about. I said yes and received my first BJD in the spring of 2007.”  The new doll was a Volks Carol. “She did not thrill me. I sat her on a shelf and thought I was done.” Connie tried to ignore it, but something about the doll drew her in despite herself. ” I studied her and realized she was much like the antique dolls that had been a part of my life for so long. She was jointed much the same, you could change the wig and eyes…just like with antique dolls. I pulled out a box of antique doll clothes and tried them on her. That was it…the bridge to what I was already doing! I soon bought another and then two more. I was hooked.”

The first vintage-inspired dress was made for a Hypermaniac Choyanbe. “Once I started collecting I joined forums. I researched and read and looked at photos. I found Dollstown Dolls out of Korea and was in love. They spoke to me above any others. They became my passion…I have every sculpt they make. My favorites, at the moment are Seola, Ganga, Elysia and Bandi. Their look is timeless and works well with the antique designs as well as modern.”

Connie created her doll costume business which she called Marbled Halls after a favorite song.  She describes her approach to BJD costume design as ‘blended fashions’. “I am trying to create a bridge between my antique doll work and my BJD doll work. Using what I call blended fashions…a mix of the old with the new. I think this is creating a whole new way to look at BJDs. I find this exciting.” Her inspiration can come from anything. “Sometimes it is a song such as a line from the song “Doll Parts”…I want to be the girl with the most cake, inspired a costume and display recently. A movie, Amadeus inspired the costume “Let them eat cake” with it’s fully rigged ships hat. When I get an idea I research it. Although I don’t usually do anything but OOAKs, a recent edition of twenty works called ‘Degas Girl at 14′ was inspired by the famous Degas statue of a young ballerina.” Inspiration can come not just from music, movies, art, or videos, but also the materials used for the outfits. “Sometimes  a special piece of fabric or ribbon will determine the whole look of the costume. I keep a sketch pad by my bed and in my work room. I often travel with one. I never know when something might spark an idea.”

Connie not only creates intriguing outfits, but also evocative photographs and displays of dolls wearing them. “I draw upon my antique collection of props to create the settings for my photos and displays. To me it is a very important part of the design. I like to create a world around my costumes that people can be drawn into. Just as important to me is the use of photography and backdrops. The right ‘look’ means everything!”

Connie sells her work through doll forums and displays her work on the Marbled Halls website. “I have been selling my items on forums such as Zone of Zen and  Den of Angels . I post an announcement the week before a release and start a count-down as I work towards completion. I announce the general time of day the night before, and giving a 30 minute warning before I list. I usually have about 6 costumes available and they thus far have sold out in minutes.”

Recently, the doll fashions of Marbled Halls were displayed at IDEX. “I did my first show offering my costumes and full-sets (complete doll, painted and dressed) at Idex this past January. It was a great success and has me busy with some new directions. I’m also designing OOAk costumes for other artists and doing some OOAK work in conjunction with other artists for charity..” This year, Connie also plans to expose her new love for BJDs to a new crowd at the UFDC (United Federation of Doll Dealers) Convention. My husband Jay is very supportive of me and my endeavors, (and he) has agreed that this year we will use half our booth for my BJD fashions. I am excited to see the response from my fellow antique dealers. I am sure it will be mixed at first. I do hope to add a couple more BJD-related shows this coming year…My goal is to help bring antique and modern collectors together to appreciate dolls in a whole new light.”

While creating her elaborate fashions is already time-consuming enough, Connie has now started experimenting with making dolls of her own.  ”As if all this were not enough on my plate, I have decided to create my own doll in paperclay. I have started the sculpt and it is slowly coming along. I love working in the paperclay, but if it works out and I like the sculpt enough, I may consider casting in resin. If only there were more hours in the day!”

Marbled Halls Website
Marbled Halls Gallery Album ~ Photographs

Life/AfterLife

Tired Ballerinas in outfits from the Tattered Ballerina Series