Wonderful Things from Tim Walker

Posted on 29/02/2020 by Mimi Berlin Amsterdam

Wonderful Things

We, Mimi Blogger Team, visited the Tim Walker exhibition ‘Wonderful Things’ at the V&A museum in London the other day (the exhibition ran from 21 September 2019 to 22 March 2020). We are fans of the photographer Tim Walker, so we simply had to come to London all the way from Amsterdam.
As always, we took pictures for you, who couldn’t be there.

Glossy

The first room, at the start of the exhibition, is filled with work made for fashion magazines. Hence the dripping ‘gloss’ from the ceiling we guess.

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The Bouvier Sisters at the Debutante Ball 1951 Mirrored

Posted on 23/07/2019 by Mimi Berlin Amsterdam

The Bouvier Sisters

The Bouvier sisters are; Jacky Kennedy-Onassis and Lee Rafdziwill, they are both deceased. In their lifetime they really were top-notch socialites. The photo below is made by Sir Cecil Beaton in 1951, captured for Vogue Magazine. It marks the start of their adult ‘career’ in high society. The picture is taken before (during, or at) their Debutante Ball. A Debutante ball is an official party were boys and girls from royal, aristocratic or upper-class families are introduced as marriage material, at around age sixteen to eighteen.

(Jacqueline with her sister at a debutante ball in 1951 photo Cecil Beaton/Vogue/Condé Nast. Mirrored by Mimi Berlin)

Cher Playsets

Posted on 10/03/2019 by Mimi Berlin Amsterdam

Cher Vintage 1970s Playsets

Playing with Cher dolls. The singer, the actress, the muse. We, Rex Dieter and Mimi Berlin, gathered some fine examples of toys and playsets made in plastic during the heyday of Sonny and Cher in the 1970s. That’s all, Have a nice day! xoxo Mimi Berlin

The Cher makeup center is our favorite Cher-Toy in this list: those bedroom eyes, that scary look on the child’s face tho…… (image via i.collector).Cher’s Dressing Room Playset, with a very ugly doll resembling the singer. (1976) Includes: Black Full Length Leotard, Wardrobe with Hangers, Coffee Table, Couch, Magic Mirror, & 4 Double-Sided Magic Mirror Cards. Features: Make-Up Mirror, Dressing Table, Wardrobe w/Hangers, American Indian Motif Labels, Couch, Magic Mirror, Coffee Table, Rotation Lever, Rotating Pedestal Stand, & comes with an Easy To Carry Detachable Strap Handle (buy via) Sonny and Cher returned to television in 1976 with a new show called The Sonny & Cher Show. Mego Toys created dolls and a doll house to coincide with the show. (image and knowledge via webdebris.com)

Happy Birthday Dear Barbie Doll

Posted on 09/03/2019 by Mimi Berlin Amsterdam

Barbie has her birthday today, congratulations to you, dear plastic doll.

We, at Mimi Berlin can’t believe that you are 60 years old as of today. You don’t look a day over 18, in our opinion.

Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel

The famous 3-D doll was created by Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel, in 1959. She named Barbie after her daughter Barbara.

(all images including desciptions of the dolls via mattel.com)

skepticism

Just like the first years, Barbie is still received with skepticism by both the toy-industry, as well as some feminists all over the world nowadays. Women who hate Barbie do so because she is the stereotype of the so-called ‘perfect woman’ especially her body-measurements, which are out-of-this-world, are preceived to be sexist. But you must know that Barbie has about 180 careers, from registered nurse to astronaut to babysitter. Also, she was created to offer choices to girls and give them “endless storytelling possibilities”. That was of course in the 1960s when women weren’t seen as equal to men as today. Anyhow, we, at Mimi Berlin, love Barbies.

no one-trick pony

The Barbie of today is nothing like the first doll, she’s not the one-trick pony anymore. Modern Barbie comes in all kinds of bodytypes and skincolors. Mattel even produces famous Barbie look-a-likes, like for instance, an X-files agent Dana Scully doll or a Frida Kahlo doll (from the inspiring women collection). Below more examples of which type you can buy, if you are really interested, we suggest you visit the Mattel site to view the whole range of toys for kids and adults.

Barbie® Ibtihaj Muhammad Doll

Designer: Kelley Lindberg Label: Black Label® Release Date: 07/30/2018 Body Type: Curvy Collector Facial sculpt:Ibtihaj Muhammad Fashion: Jacket, pants, bodysuit Fashion Sewn On?: No Accessories: Nike shoes, face mask, glove and sabre.

35th Anniversary Barbie® Doll

The reproduction of the original 1959 #1 Ponytail. The ”35th Anniversary Barbie® doll’ released in 1994 with a ‘vintage repro bodytype’

Barbie® 60th Anniversary Doll

Designer: Caroline DeMersseman Collection: Anniversary Dolls Label: Black Label® Release Date: 1/11/2019 Body Type: Model Muse Facial sculpt: Grace Collector: 55287 Fashion: Removable fashion with snap closures Eyelashes: Painted

Barbie® Busy Gal™ Doll

Label:Gold Label® Designer: Bill Greening Release Date: 3/6/2019 Body Type: Vintage with holes in feet Facial sculpt: Vintage Barbie Eyelashes: Painted Fashion: Top, jacket, skirt, heels Fashion Sewn On?: No Customization: Painted fingernails & toe polish Included with doll: Glasses, earrings, portfoio with 2 fashion sketches

Read and see more about Barbie and Haute-Couture here on this blog

American Marching Bands and Dancer Teams

Posted on 12/04/2018 by Mimi Berlin Amsterdam

Marching Bands

Mimi’s obsession this moment are Marching Bands and the Dancer Teams. In Europe marching bands are a thing of the past, at least in our environment. If you are born in the United States these bands must be ordinairy (we aren’t quite sure, please comment if this is the case or not), but for a European person who’s not into sports at all (like us: except for icedancing ofcourse) it’s a fascinating and visual delight!

Diagrammed example of marching band uniforms of the ‘Big Ten’ conference in the United States.

Dancers/Flag girls

“People come to games to see the dancers. They perform in the stands with the band; they dance and do stand routines; and they’re featured during the field show.”

These bands and girl dancers are SO in sync with each other; the music and timing is SO spot on. Besides wearing the same outfit they even sometimes have the same hairdo! Furthermore the performances of the, very lean, girls are sexy ànd tongue in cheek!

Fanfare

If you only have the time or concentration span to watch one video it should be the one above: The band is playing ‘Backstabbers’: the song sung by the O’Jays!

Charming

The fun part is that the performance itself is executed in a very proffesional way; but there is also an amateur vibe to the whole thing as well: for example, girls look around and touch their hair when they aren’t dancing. More of that vibe can be seen in the video’s below it’s super charming. Can’t get enough of it!

Southern University VS Jackson State Human Jukebox Marching Band and Dancing Dolls

Alabama State Stingettes, with the same hairdo, prancing around (or whatever it is they do) for half an hour.

(videocredits: click video’s to go to YouTube channels)

Mimi Berlin’s Cheerleaders Continue reading →

Dinnerplates by Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant

Posted on 04/04/2018 by Mimi Berlin Amsterdam

Dinnerplates by Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant

Look at these wonderful dinnerplates! They were handmade by Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, members of the English Bloomsbury Group. In 1932 they created “The Famous Women Dinner Service”, a series of fifty dinnerplates, painted with portraits of famous an fabulous women: 12 dancers and actresses, 12 writers, 12 beauties, and 12 queens. Below the image of the late Greta Garbo.

Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, The Famous Women Dinner Service, Greta Garbo (c. 1932–34). Photo courtesy Piano Nobile/Robert Travers Works of Art Limited.

Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, The Famous Women Dinner Service (c. 1932–34). Photo courtesy Piano Nobile/Robert Travers Works of Art Limited.

Art historian and director of the National Gallery Kenneth Clark and his wife Jane commisioned this applied art project. The fifty fabulous plates are on show at the Piano Nobile gallery in London through 28 April, 2018. Continue reading →