I came across this Steven Meisel image from Vogue Italia circa 2004…

It instantly reminded me of Blythe, circa 2000…

Blythe’s so cool…

Steven Meisel image from Vogue Italia 2004; Blythe image from This Is Blythe by Gina Garan.

McQ for Target ads shot by Gina Garan

I was born in the 1960’s. The late ’60’s, but still. Anyway, back in 2000 when the fabulous Gina Garan published her first Blythe-inspired book of photography (This is Blythe), I had never heard of Blythe. For those of you who don’t know who she is, Blythe is an odd (but utterly FABulous) doll that was produced for only one year — 1972 — and was lovingly resurrected by the brilliant and talented Gina Garan. Blythe has a body the size of a Barbie with a head proportionate to a much larger frame. She didn’t do well — I’m assuming due to her irregular proportions, not to mention the freaky (and awesome!) way that her eyes turn (thanks to a pull string on her back) from blue to green to pink to orange.  

When I discovered this fabulous book and realized that Blythe had been produced during a year when I was at prime doll age, I began to relentlessly interrogate my mother about whether or not I may have had a Blythe doll in my childhood and, if so, where it may be located. You should know that my search and inquiry were in no part related to Blythe’s newly found celebrity status, but instead had everything to do with my wanting to have my very own Blythe doll to dress up and play with (regardless of the fact that I was WAY past doll age).

My incredibly sweet, amazing and unforgettable mother swore she had never heard of, or seen, such a thing. I have to interject here and mention that my mom just passed away. She was my very best friend and my biggest cheerleader and I’m not sure yet how my life is going to work without her. In the days following her funeral, I began to seek solace in some of the normal activities of my day-to-day life. Along these lines, I finally began to look at all of my fashion mags. I opened Vogue and instantly came across an Alexander McQueen for Target ad featuring BLYTHE. I’ll tell you, I just about fell over.

I missed my mother more in that moment than I can possibly express. She would have been thoroughly prepared for, and supportive of, my immediate, unstoppable spiral into Blythe and McQueen obsession. She loved fashion — and loved my love of fashion — and we probably would’ve sat and talked and laughed about the impact that a quirky, misfit doll had on the world of fashion. So, for my mom, and for all you other Blythe fans out there, enjoy the beauty and brilliance of Gina Garan, Alexander McQueen and, of course, Blythe.

Photos courtesy of nitrolicious.com/blog.