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Accessories

from A to Z

Accessories! “Those little nothings that do everything!” as Princess Bibesco said (and we know she was SO right!) have been playing a major part in Mdvanii’s wardrobe. Right from the beginning she was presented with a great variety of accessories. Enjoy from A to Z, the alphabet of Mdvanii & Family accessories. (Also look on the French part, the images are not all the same!)

A

Alexandre de Paris

Mdvanii's early years wigs were created in collaboration with Alexandre de Paris, the world famous hairdresser of the Gotha, stars and socialites. The Alexandre label drawn by Jean Cocteau was placed on each Mdvanii box and his own label inside each wig. The ONLY Mdvanii wigs are those made especially for the Mdvanii bearing the label of Alexandre de Paris. These wigs have been plagiarized and counterfeited by unscrupulous people in the past, so be wary of unlabeled wigs on a Mdvanii doll.

Anatomically correct

Mdvanii's was a revolutionary fashion doll in many aspects. One of them was that she was anatomically correct, as well as each member, male of female of her family. Her stance is asymmetric, with one foot in front of the other, like the poses of model Bettina in 40s fashion magazines in Paris. This was copied by commercial doll manufacturers, notably Mattel.

Antiques

Mdvanii has often been photographed with antique doll's house furniture from the collection of BillyBoy*.

Artists

One-of-a-kind Mdvanii dolls came along with a miniature original BillyBoy* “Goon” theme, BillyBoy*’s logo. Lala also made comics named "Glamorous Living" featuring BillyBoy*.

Other artists work of art for Mdvanii include the watercolours by French artist Skall for Galerie d’art d’avant-garde (1989), in a limited edition of 200 pieces, all one-of-a-kind, numbered and signed, in a original metal frame by Skall.

An edition of 10 hand-painted renditions of Man Ray painting “A l’heure de l’Observatoire, les amoureux” painted by Lala came with the Hommage à Schiaparelli Deluxe Edition Giftset for Mdvanii.

Other paintings and sculptures from French artist Fabrice Janosik were executed for Rhogit-Rhogit’s studio and used for props in several fashion photos featuring Mdvanii.

French painter Eric Raspaut made Mdvanii’s portrait inspired by her Discipline Mdvanii ensemble.

Other artworks include photography by BillyBoy*, Studio Harcourt, Antoine Giacomoni, Pierre Rutschi, Christine Spengler, and of course, the splendid Mdvanii signature portrait by René Gruau, as well as the superb drawings by Clyde Smith.

Recent works of art include the miniature paintings specially made by French painter, Jean Marc Dallanegra for Mdvanii, and BillyBoy* and Lala photgraphic artworks putting Mdvanii in context with artworks by Swiss artists Sylvie Fleury, Vincent Kohler, Jean Philippe Decrauzat, Caroline Vitelli, Romain Crelier and other artists such as Christopher Stribley (Australia), Philippe Gronon (France).

Atomiser

Most Mdvanii dolls came with an atomiser, with pearl or glass bead and gilt metal decorative top. An essential part of the generic Mdvanii look (sorry, no perfume).

A for Alexandre de Paris

A for Anatomically correct

A for Antiques

A for Artists

B

Bags

A must for Mdvanii. The earliest bags were in stitched leather or fabrics matching the outfits, with different types of original metal handles in black, gold or silver. Other bags include Chanel-style chain bags, purses (which open or not), vanity cases in metal or in leather, straw baskets, travel bags , tennis bags, rucksacs for Edie and the male dolls, bandoulière bags, fashion satchels (sorry no attaché-case), sailor’s bags, golf bag with golf clubs. All types of bags were always labelled with the Mdvanii, Dheei, Edie oval tags. Sorayas bags bore the Mdvanii tags.

Bases

Mdvanii has many different types of bases to be displayed as a sculpture in plaster, metal, wood, stone and recently in marble with the incrustation of the big oval Mdvanii tag on it (Kit Kat).

Beehive

Long before Amy Winehouse's revival of the beehive, Mdvanii has brought it back in high fashion. He renditions of it are as numerous as varied, in every aspect: shape, height and colours. This has become a fetish style, due to Mdvanii's influence, amongst doll collectors. (See more on Mdvanii's Hairstyles).

B for Beehive

Belts

In leather with different types of her custom-made metal buckles, silk with overlapping bow effect, chain belts, mixing leather and fabric. Most of the time they are labelled, with the oval tag glued on or hanging from it.

Books

Miniature books on different topics such as classic French literature, pensées and poems, philosophy but also cookbooks, newspapers, fashion magazines (including a reduction in Mdvanii’s size of the first Mdvanii catalogue!) came along with one-of-a-kind dolls. There were many Françoise Sagan books made for Mdvanii!

Boots

Mdvanii and Dheei have worn boots of different styles.

C

Candy

Both real, from Fauchon in Paris (specially made for the 25 Exclusive Framboise et Chocolat (1993) and miniature ones, sometimes placed in pockets. Valentine’s Day candies in romantic heart-shaped boxes

Cakes

Mdvanii and her friends had quite a few good cakes: Birthday Party for Muio-Bix, Enfant gâtée for Edie, along with diverse snacks and coupe faim with little sandwiches, etc..

Candelabra

Mdvanii’s early Deluxe Edition Giftset boxes included variations of gilt metal candelabras.

Chippendale

Mdvanii had a set of Chippendale furniture made for her (a four poster bed, a console, a set of armchairs) which have been used as props for her photography and occasionally custom-ordered and sold.

Camera

Two types of cameras exist in Mdvanii’s world, used by both female and male dolls. One is a Hasselblad, the other a Carl Zeiss.

Cigarettes

Mdvanii had her own human-sized cigarettes, made as an artistic concept by BillyBoy* & Lala in 2008. It was glamorous and short-lived.

Clyde Smith

Clyde Smith witty sketches and drawings are an essential part of Mdvanii's early years. They truly express the chic of Parisian chic and high fashion. Invited expressly by BillyBoy* to Paris who remembered his early sketches for Barbie, Clyde Smith is also a renowned portraitist.

Condoms

Coming along with each BB* male and teenager boy doll, they are a reminder of BB*’s dolls endorsement of safe-sex.

Cuff bracelets

Mdvanii is certainly the first and only fashion doll to have cuff bracelets in gilt or silvered metal, sometimes studded with rhinestones: a mythic touch to the Mdvanii glamorous style (see on D for Dress form below) evoking the Fulco Di Verdura cuff bracelets made for Chanel in the 1930s.

Cushions

A lovely cushion always comes in handy and they have been used here and there for female dolls mostly. The exotic looks of the Indian and Arabian boy dolls sometimes also have come with big, embroidered pillows for those “casual” moments in a tent or perhaps Taj Mahal. Some of these cushions are made from genuine 17th, 18th and 19th-century French or Italian fabrics.

Cupid

An original cupid on a column was specially made for Mdvanii and came in metal, mostly old bronze or gold, as a decorative and symbolic device.

D

Doll and pattern

Some early accessory packs (1989-90) came along with a miniature plastic doll and her own pattern for a dress. Mdvanii also likes dolls to be appropriately dressed.

Dress form

Dating from 1989, it is made out of a white resin. Its metal stand came in gold, silver or gun metal. Fits any BillyBoy* female doll dress. A must to display Mdvanii fashions. Recently copied line for line for a commercial fashion doll.

Drinks

Champagne, Champagne, Champagne...! But also Bordeaux wine, white wine for seafood, and occasionally a little sip of brandy from her custom-made Second-Empire-style cave à liqueurs (the old-fashion thing!) These miniature bottles can be found in diverse editions of female and male dolls boxes. Teenage dolls came with soft drinks or eventually, since some are 18-years-old, beer cans.

E

Eat Me

That's the title of Dheei’s cookbook: a best-seller amongst the imaginary world of glamorous dolls!

Erotica

Some photos of Mdvanii and other members of her friends and family include very erotic pictures, by BillyBoy*, BB* and Lala, Antoine Giacomoni, Pierre Rutschi.

Eyewear

Mdvanii had cat-eye glasses, in painted or gold metal with movable hands in various coloured shades. Very fragile and extremely rare.

F

Fakes

Mdvanii is against all copies. Buy only genuine Mdvanii artworks, clothes and accessories.

Fans

Mdvanii had her own fan in gilt metal, often hand-painted with floral motifs in the 18th-century or Atelier Martine-style Paul Poiret’s school of decorative arts. These fans are usually labeled with the usual fabric labels applied on the back.

Flowers

Often used on Mdvanii’s hats, but also as neckline decoration, or simply as bouquets accesorizing an outfit.

Food

Occasionally, little snacks have been added here or there in the female doll boxes: Samedi Salon du Jouet Tzulli has a little sandwich with paper napkin, Petite faim au café de Flore presents Edie with an assiette de crudités and a little glass of wine, which is a very parisian snack. Male dolls just have pizza (Sailor Pizza Party) or other goods from the market....

Furniture

Mdvanii was often photographed in sets which included her own custom-made furniture, mixed with appropriate antique furniture and bibelots. She also had custom-made Chinese Chippendale furniture (armchairs, chest, four-poster bed) made by leading British artisans and specialists. She also had designer chairs from Thailand’s leading designers and architects, featured in the fashion magazine IMAGE (1993).

Fur

Mdvanii usually does not endorse fur coats but when world famous Revillon Fourrures of Paris designed three coats for her and Dheei (as well as two others for the Petite fille modèle), what could she possibly say? “Thank you but no thanks” ? You must be kidding! Josephus Timister of Balenciaga also designed her a real Somalian leopard fur coat.

G

Gay Pride

One of the early porcelain Rhogit-Rhogit series was named Gay Pride. Another ensemble of Muio Bix porcelain dolls was named Swiss Gay Pride.

Gloves

Another must for Mdvanii, who re-invented glove wear in the fashion doll world. They came in various versions short, long, embroidered, with a lavish variety of colours, matching or contrasting. Another Mdvanii innovation was the "manches gigot" (lambshop sleeves) which come up the shoulder with a bouffant effect. These stunning fashion gloves, an invention of Schiaparelli from the 1930’s) were made in raw silk or taffeta and beautifully hand-embroidered with beads and gold thread. Mdvanii usually wears her big gold cuffs on her long gloves.

Girdle

The classic Mdvanii girdle is in black or white stretch and unveils the breast. It also exists in lame , fur and raffia...

Go-Go

Go-go boy dance accessories included long paisley scarfs, studded jockstraps and wild techno jewellery for the teenage boys. They came in a box filled with confetti and a bucket of ice with soft and energy drinks, as well as condoms.

H

Hangers

Mdvanii has her own metal hanger with Mdvanii tag. In gold, silver or gun metal, it came with mostly every female boxed doll, roughly until 1994.

Hats and hair ornaments

Mdvanii’s hat collection is simply breathtaking. A lot of them were made in the same workshop who make the high fashion headwear for Paris grands couturiers: the successful Balenciaga-style big white straw hat (Corolle), Notre Dame). The Studio Harcourt, in matching Bianchini-Férier Dufy-design fabric with flower ornament, other straw hats with lace ornaments (black polka-dotted lace on a fushia pink straw hat, for example).

Many hats were in felt, like the Schiaparelli-inspired shoe hat for Hommage à Schiaparelli, the groovy Biba-style hats for Edie, in purple, white, orange, with felt flower decoration), the Dim Dam Dom eccentric sombreros for Tzulli. In silk were the essential black pillbox hat with veil of Charles était trop généreux and Enchanté for Dheei, in green silk and veil. Other hats included feathers , sombreros, such as the sumptuous black feather hat of Ailes d’Hermès , as well as the stylish toque of Flame in red jersey, red feather and beaded decoration,the 1900-style wide brim hat of Europa and the superb one-of-a-kind Cabourg which combined silk, lace and feathers. Different types of berets, bibis toques, bicornes and cloche hats have been successfully created for Mdvanii’s fashions, sometimes combined with fur-like brims like Coquetelle à l’Orangerie, a toque matching the suit with bright orange fur-like brim.

Another classic for Mdvanii, Dheei and Soraya: the turban. In endless variations, they sometimes were lavishly beaded or even stencilled. Last but not least, one of a fashion doll’s musts: scarves matching the outfit, sometimes in simply drop-dead chic chiffon and in assorted shades, they were even worn on beehives, tied in the front and attached in the back of the neck. The whole Silvana Mangano look!.

H for Hats and Hair ornaments

I

Interiors

Mdvanii and her family have often been photographed in miniature interior sets specially created for her, and used in Poiret-style show cases in BillyBoy* Toys boutique on rue du Cherche-Midi in Paris in 1992-1993. One of the sets was an exact reproduction of one of the rooms in BB*’s own apartment in Paris. Rhogit-Rhogit also had his own artist studio, which was a realistic chambre de bonne, a room under the roof, with a view of the Eiffel Tower. His room was mostly rather messy, with paint cans and brushes, Mdvanii portraits and other artist works.

Also extensively used for the very early Mdvanii photo shootings, the reproduction of Yves Saint Laurent’s haute couture fashion salon made by decorator Jacques Grange, in Christian Bérard-style for Billyboy*'s famous and historic Barbie Tour.

Ivory

Mdvanii does not endorse ivory-made jewellery.

J like Jazz

J

Jazz

A one of a kind porcelain Rhogit Rhogit with a beat generation look , red hair and a goatie was called "Jazz". Mdvanii love the 1960s French Jazz band Double Six: so cool!

Jewellery

An essential part of Mdvanii fashions. All female dolls have earrings, mostly hanging, which combine all kind of beads: pearls, garnets, glass beads. Her necklaces include typical Mdvanii-style ones, such as the three strand pearl or bead choker, very baroque Indian-style necklaces combining pearl and gold (notably for Soraya), Constructivist necklaces, chains with sophisticated hanging devices such as lion medallions, crosses, BillyBoy*’s famous “Goon” pendants, all in gold or silver. Her generic gold or silver cuff-bracelets have been thoroughly used through the years, along with other stylish original Mdvanii bracelets, some including rhinestones. Some jewellery used parts of real Chanel jewels and real 24K gold chain on one-of-a-kind dolls.

Jewellery also was created for the male dolls (who mostly have pierced ears), specially in the form of beaded necklaces and sometimes a gold or silver chain with Mdvanii, Dheei or Edie tags as medallions, as well as a sailor's anchor.

Recently, a serie of sterling silver Mdvanii shoe pendants and earrings were created by BillyBoy* & Lala, some with diamond inserts.

K

k.d. Lang

Lala's ultimate favorite female singer with Ella Fitzgerald. He named a Tzulli doll after Miss Chatelaine, a song from k.d Lang's masterpiece Ingenue album.

Keys

A one-of-a-kind Porcelain Tzulli (Dheei’s younger sister) was called Les clefs du château (Keys of the Castle) and came with a chatelaine set of keys.

Knit

Mdvanii had many outfits in knit, including dressed, jackets, sweaters.

L

Lamé

A must in Mdvanii’s wardrobe, it has been used in all kinds of patterns in many different outfits for cocktail and evening ensemble but even daywear!

Liberty's

Mdvanii was officially launched at Liberty's of London on Valentine's Day in February, 1989. The series created especially for Liberty used the famous Liberty prints. Mdvanii was shown in the windows as well as in her own Boutique along with BillyBoy* Surreal Bijoux.

Lingerie

Mdvanii’s early lingerie included the generic black girdle (it later came in white and gold), which did not cover the breasts, a luscious negligée in black silk crepe and black stockings (also made in turquoise or orange). Variations of them have been made throughout the years, the girdle having a corsage in crepe part, which turned it into a bathing suit or foundation garment. It covered the breasts and tied in different ways around neck and waist and came in many colours including orange, purple, green and yellow. An unscrupulous Mdvanii doll fan tried to make copies in colours never used for them.

Mdvanii and other female dolls had different types of culottes, mostly in lace, sometimes with embroidery appliqués, as well as bras. However, under her tight-fitting clothes, such as tight sheath dresses, Mdvanii doesn’t wear her corset or girdle, a fashion statement which has often been obscurely referred to by collectors as being “very French” (whatever that means!). For reasons of scale and proportion, it is obvious the decision was made to avoid an unnecessary thickness under the clothing. Many elaborate ball gowns (worn with petticoats) had matching panties in Chantilly lace. Some had matching stockings as well.

Luggage

Antique fabric used for carpet bags, embroidered luggage and bags, carpet holders, steamer trunks bound in leather, suitcases with travel stickers, travel cases, vanity cases, all real and working and made in leather.

M

Masks

Used on several occasions for female dolls, notably the luxurious gold mask with rhinestones on a filagree metal wand for early Deluxe Edition Giftset Mdvanii’s fancy dress and African tribal masks coming along with Dheei or the teenage girl dolls. For Cyber Sexual Mdvanii there came gilded and jeweled Venetian masks of her own face on long slim poles.

Mirror

Like the hanger and atomiser, a generic accessory of the early Mdvanii and female dolls. This dainty 19th-century style hand mirror came in gold, silver or old silver and was discontinued after 1995. Other existing mirrors include a baroque gold metal antique wall mirror, used for Deluxe Edition Giftset dolls.

Miscellaneous

In the one-of-a-kind Plein Soleil porcelain Mdvanii set (1995), a summery polka-dotted dress in pink and black cotton with turquoise bodice and huge pockets, a little Kewpie, made by BillyBoy* Toys, was hiding inside the left-handed pocket. Some real miniature glass dice or yummy-looking candies were put in some male doll’s pockets, without mentioning it .

Mourning

Mdvanii had a couple of mourning outfits: the famous "Charles était trop généreux" (Charles was too generous) from the 1992 catalogues and "The Widow Wore White".

Musical instruments

Musical instruments were regularly incorporated for both female and male characters: classic guitar, mandolin, cello, violin, electric guitar (for Edie and Muio-Bix), trumpet (Jazz Rhogit-Rhogit), harmonica, flute, African tom-tom.

N

Nipples

Mdvanii and all other BillyBoy* dolls have realistically-painted nipples, occasionaly painted gold. Some teenage boy dolls have a piercing in their nipples (Techno Rave and Techno D.J)

Nurse

Mdvanii never had a nurse outfit but recently, BillyBoy* made a sketch for an orbital psychiatric nurse, for the Mdvanii, Memories from Earth exhibition in Switzerland, which is quite something else. This has not been turned into a real outfit though, but you never know!

P

Pets

On some rare occasions, Mdvanii traveled with her own pets. They included a lion by Steiff or a panther. These were only used a few times. Male dolls came along with different dogs as well as a beautiful hand-made African leather horse (Laurence d’Arabie Zhdrick).

Picket signs

Mdvanii, who was once unfairly accused to be unaware of social realities riposted by marching (on the runway) with real doll-size picket signs (the Groovy Chick 25 example exclusive series). She was marching for her rights.....to be glamorous, of course! These slogans were: “A sexy girl is no bimbo”, “Men! What do they know?”, “High fashion is for dolls” (two of these signs exist), “Down with unlined clothes!”, “I protest but I don’t care”, “Shop but think”, “Luxe! Luxe! Luxe!”, “Refuse ill-fitted clothes!”, “Nylon lace? No thanks!“ (two of these signs exist), “Dolls just wanna have fun!”, “Ban sequin overdose!”, “Jump out of lace!”, “Industrial clothes are for humans!”, “Fluo is bad for your skin”, “Sneakers? No way!!!”, “Dolls, fight for your rights”, “Accessories kill me!”, “Down with cheap pink gowns!”,”Barbie, please don’t talk!” and the indisputable “Cheap earrings are a girl’s worst friends”. These picket signs were individually hand-painted and only 25 of them exist in the world.

Picnic

Mdvanii, who had a picnic outfic called A la campagne (in pink or pale blue Vichy cotton) in the first catalogue, had several types of picnic baskets and picnic table blankets in cotton. She also had an exquisite little leather and straw picnic suitcase with everything you need in it: grès plates, silverwear, food, all hand-made for her. (Extremely rare).

Pipe

Some male dolls outfits included a pipe. The boxed one-of-a-kind Mdvanii La Casati has a pipe studded with rhinestones and cabochons.

Q

Quartz

Mdvanii had a few quartz obelisks, it’s so 18th-century!

R

Raft

Mdvanii has a raft in the artwork Flying Dutchman in which she is represented as a pirate, with her parrot named Captain Blye (he's wearing the same red coat and tricorn that her), along with treasure chest and message in a bottle.

Rival

Mdvanii is an artwork, she cannot possibly consider other commercially-made fashion dolls as rivals.

Recommandation

Because Mdvanii is a work of art, BillyBoy* reminds collectors not to undress their Mdvanii and Family dolls, not to create their own fashions for her, nor to change their accessories. By doing such things, they not only decrease considerably the value of their Mdvanii dolls but they also prove that they do not understand what Mdvanii is really about. There are a lot of commercialy-made fashion dolls out there for this purpose. If your Mdvanii doll requires an outfit, only look for an authentic BillyBoy* creation, and wait as long as it takes to find it!

S

Scarves

See Hats

Separates

A wonderful 1950s concept adapted to the world of Mdvanii. All about it in Mdvanii's High Fashion Wardrobe.

Sex toys

For Mdvanii and Dheei’s outfits Kit Kat and Discipline, which were featured in an exhibition of erotic art in Paris sponsored by the French Union Francaise des Experts (U.F.E.), sex toys such as whips, hand cuffs, chains and cords were included. Is the Doll world Ready For a Little Discipline?. Mdvanii, with her wip in her leather-gloved seems pretty ready.

Stalkers

Mdvanii has her regular stalkers, mostly early fans turned sour who hate BillyBoy* and Lala for not letting them fuck around freely with Mdvanii by making their own business of fakes and copies. Why don't you really invent your own stuff, guys?

Stoles

An important fashion theme in Mdvanii’s, Dheei’s and Soraya’s fashions. They are either floor-length in silk chiffon or silk, in matching or contrasting colours, or short, as a shoulder wrap, in which case they are mostly taffeta, fur-like fabrics, or real fur (very rare). These are important fashion themes in Mdvanii’s, Dheei’s and Soraya’s fashions. They are either floor-length in silk chiffon or silk, in matching or contrasting colours, or short, as a shoulder wrap, in which case they are mostly taffeta, fur-like fabrics, or real fur (very rare).

Shoes

Mdvanii is the only 11 Inches fashion doll in the world known to have a left foot and a right foot,and that goes also naturally for her shoes. Her early shoes were stilettos (in a number of different shapes) in metal and came in gold, silver or gunmetal. These were also lacquered to match the outfits. Open-toe pumps were also made with the same options. By 1992, the same shoes were made in resin and systematically painted to match the outfits. Forties-style pumps were made at the same period and lacquered in contrasting colours. The early dolls came with their shoes in tortoise shell-like plastic boxes. Later, the shoes were generally attached on the dolls feet with a matching cotton thread.

Shoes for the teenage female dolls include leather Courrèges-style boots, platform shoes, Mary Jane shiny black shoes, as well as other flat shoes with buckles or flower motifs. Shoes for the male dolls include leather city shoes, sandals, suede boots, for Rhogit-Thogit and friends there was a Beatle boot made from cast rubber and it was a unique design made just for there, leather boots, ski boots, strapped boots (Go-Go Boy) as well as mountain shoes in stitched leather.

Society game

Mdvanii had her own society boardgame named MDVANII SOCIETY: a hilarious and witty game to play amongs friends (for 6 players plus a banker), in which you discover that before entering the inner circle of Mdvanii you will be expected to have nothing less than: a personality, a soulmate, a nice outfit, 10 sex points and 10 mundanity points! It was made in 1000 examples only, signed and numbered. Oops, sorry, in French only. Ultra rare of course.

Stands

Only one stand was ever made for Mdvanii, in metal wire. It holds the doll from under the arms. They came mostly in turquoise but sometimes in black or white. Plexiglas stands for Mdvanii were also supplied by SW Japan.

Studio Harcourt

Mdvanii was the first doll after Bleuette in the mid-1940s to be photographed at renowned Studios Harcourt in Paris, where all the stars and celebrities were photographed for decades. One of her early limited series was even named Studio Harcourt.

Stockings

Mdvanii and all female dolls had their own style of stockings. They were hand-sewn seamed stockings, either in organza (the early ones), in lycra or lace. They all have a matching garter in lace. Some opaque stockings include wild colours or prints such as shocking pink, bright orange or yellow.

Sweaters

Mdvanii had hand-knit sweaters, mostly using the famous Schiaparelli trompe-l’oeil effect figuring a bow. They came in black/pale pink, black/white, black/fuchsia, and also in white or beige. Male dolls and teenage boy dolls also wear hand-made sweaters.

T

Table wear

Some of Mdvanii outfits came along with sophisticated tea services, hand-blown glasses, bottles (of wine, cognac, brandy and champagne).

Tartan

Was used for scarves, outfits, toys, handbags and even a teddy bear!

Telephone Handbag

Another BillyBoy*'s tribute to his muse Elsa Schiaparelli: the telephone handbag inspired by Salvador Dali has been made for Mdvanii and her friends: it is in black lacquered gilt metal and it is of course very recherché..

Tattoos

A set oforiginal decal tattoos were created especially for the male dolls. Some of them were designed by Fabrice Janosik, Antoine Giacomoni and some were traditional ones from the Légion Etrangère designed by Bruno de Paris, used with his authorisation.

Things

Things Mdvanii NEVER would have: exposed brick walls, framed contemporary posters, kitsch forties furniture, waist-length hair, aerobic outfits, unlined clothes, a sexless boyfriend, a Mdvanii doll convention, a “personal appearance“ and “body-signing” by BillyBoy*, nostalgia for the “good ol’ days”, Dream Houses and Dream Cars, disproportionate brassiere cups, a holiday in Malibu, the clothes of bogus fashion designers with exaggerated credentials, glitter make-up or shoes (on an on-line selling forum, a pair of electric blue glitter pumps were once sold, these are not original, clearly someone painted them this colour), a mike in her hand, ANYTHING truly outrageous or dripping in faux pearl.....

Tools

All sorts of tools, such as wrenches, hammers, chisels, screwdrivers, t-squares, boxes of nails all in wooden or metal toolboxes and even planks of lumber came with the male dolls.

U

Umbrellas

Mdvanii had two types of umbrellas. The earliest ones have an extra-long handle in gold or silver metal and a stitched leather sheath. The second generation of umbrellas have a traditional shape, with a wooden handle, called a Chamberlain and came in either red or black fabric (they did not open). Sometimes they had traditional tassles (dragonée).

Ukulele

Mdvanii never had one but she would love to!

V

Vichy fabric

Mdvanii had many ensemble using vichy fabric, in pink and white as well as blue and white, the most famous one being "A la campagne".

Vocabulary

Mdvanii is is an artwork which is "thought with the hands" and she has her own special vocabulary terms, custom-made for her: a mdvaniiist is a passionate collector who totally understands the glamour of Mdvanii and her artistic dimension, and who spread the good word around him; a mdvaniiista is a Mdvanii enthusiast who is not necessarily a collector of even a connoisseur in the field but who totally understands the glamour of it; mdvaniiian qualifies the spirit and style of something which evokes Mdvanii: a mdvaniiian interior, a mdvaniiian attitude or allure etc... Last but not least, a mdvaniiism - careful, three i's!- in a construction (artwork, concept, expression) which is related to the Mdvanii spirit without necessarily having her represented in it (more on this on this site!)

W

Watanabe Sumiko

Sumiko Watanabe aka SW Japan has represented Mdvanii as early as 1989 and had exclusivity in Japan. Mdvanii series as well as one-a-a-kind creations were made for her and had their own violet label "Mdvanii BillyBoy* SW Japan Exclusives". She published for many years the Mdvanii Society Club of Japan bulletins, which are now collector's items, filled with precious documentation and photos. She was also the author of the very sought for "Fly Sheets" in which every Mdvanii was featured as in a "catalogue raisonné", for collectors to choose. All these will be published on this site in the up-coming future. Sumiko Watanabe has played an essential part of Mdvanii's international success. Her blog is very active: Mdvanii Society of Japan

Whip

Mdvanii has several whips, used only on one-of-a-kind creations as seen for the amazing Discipline, for Soraya Maitresse, while Amazone has a riding crop.

Wig stand

Mdvanii has a wig stand which was included in all the Deluxe Giftset boxes. It is used also for hat. It exists in gilt or silvered metal and resin, with gold or silver oval Mdvanii tag. Later it was made entirely from resin and painted black or white.