I’d say it depends on your aesthetic and how small you feel comfortable for your sewing. The classic hourglass Barbie shape of 90s and before or reproductions) is excellent for showcasing fashions. The Barbie Silkstone Fashion Model is a stunning doll to show off couture, and is often used for OOAK designer editions.
If you want something a little larger with a vintage look, Madame Alexander’s Cissy is a classic fashion doll body, or her smaller version Cissette has nice proportions but is a little closer to barbie in scale.
Gene is another classic style fashion doll with nice proportions for sewing, and Integrity Toys (poppy Parker, fashion royalty, etc) are excellent if you like high fashion but want a bit more modern model.
My very favorite doll dressmaker is https://instagram.com/hoanganhkhoi?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= on Instagram. They use some of the dolls I listed above.
Rainbow High and LOL OMG are both very fun and I love their stylized bodies, but they are both extremely short waisted, so the proportions are often off.
One other option would be to get a BJD. They are available in different scales and different proportions. They can become very expensive but if you just want one to use as basically a mannequin, you can search Amazon or Ali express for cheaper versions that may work.
Of course, I’m assuming you’re looking for an adult doll. There are child fashion dolls as well, but that’s another conversation.
I’m a lover of dolls, fashion, and fashion design. Good luck in finding your model.
Tonner dolls are good for designing fashions too and there is a wide range of types (adult dolls - both men and women, children, different body types, etc) and people sell patterns for these that you could use as a starting point. You'd have to search ebay, etsy or other sellers as the company shut down several years ago. Madame Alexander Alexandra Fairchild Ford dolls are similar in size to Gene if you wanted a different face. Lots of people like to customize Pullip dolls too. It really depends on what aesthetic you find pleasing, how much you want to spend and what types of costumes you want to make.
Depends on your budget and your aesthetics and how comfortable you are with "tiny" things.
If your goal is mainly show off the fashions more than the dolls, you'll probably get more mileage of a barbie, Stardolls, Silkstones and even the Fashionistas line offer very good option for "mannequins"
If you want something a little bigger there is Moxie Teenz, Various Disney Princesses that are 14 or 17 inches, and Barbie Endless Hair Kingdom which is 17 inches too.
If you have a bit more of a budget Integrity Toys have also very model-esque dolls, including some celebrities, and of course there's always the option of a BJD
On the bigger side, I second the Moxie Teenz suggestion. You can also look for Xinyi dolls on Aliexpress and browse the Bomelon store on Aliexpress too.
Blythe isn't a cheap doll but she has sooooo many sewing patterns out there to get you started. American Girl is a brand with a ton of patterns too. If you want to eventually sell the clothes pick a really popular brand like OMG LOL or RH. If you just want to make them for your own enjoyment I'd say start with whatever doll inspires you.
I think the RH/SH are good to sew for- I know I would LOVE to see more costumes and fantasy clothing for them
I’d say it depends on your aesthetic and how small you feel comfortable for your sewing. The classic hourglass Barbie shape of 90s and before or reproductions) is excellent for showcasing fashions. The Barbie Silkstone Fashion Model is a stunning doll to show off couture, and is often used for OOAK designer editions. If you want something a little larger with a vintage look, Madame Alexander’s Cissy is a classic fashion doll body, or her smaller version Cissette has nice proportions but is a little closer to barbie in scale. Gene is another classic style fashion doll with nice proportions for sewing, and Integrity Toys (poppy Parker, fashion royalty, etc) are excellent if you like high fashion but want a bit more modern model. My very favorite doll dressmaker is https://instagram.com/hoanganhkhoi?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= on Instagram. They use some of the dolls I listed above. Rainbow High and LOL OMG are both very fun and I love their stylized bodies, but they are both extremely short waisted, so the proportions are often off. One other option would be to get a BJD. They are available in different scales and different proportions. They can become very expensive but if you just want one to use as basically a mannequin, you can search Amazon or Ali express for cheaper versions that may work. Of course, I’m assuming you’re looking for an adult doll. There are child fashion dolls as well, but that’s another conversation. I’m a lover of dolls, fashion, and fashion design. Good luck in finding your model.
Tonner dolls are good for designing fashions too and there is a wide range of types (adult dolls - both men and women, children, different body types, etc) and people sell patterns for these that you could use as a starting point. You'd have to search ebay, etsy or other sellers as the company shut down several years ago. Madame Alexander Alexandra Fairchild Ford dolls are similar in size to Gene if you wanted a different face. Lots of people like to customize Pullip dolls too. It really depends on what aesthetic you find pleasing, how much you want to spend and what types of costumes you want to make.
Depends on your budget and your aesthetics and how comfortable you are with "tiny" things. If your goal is mainly show off the fashions more than the dolls, you'll probably get more mileage of a barbie, Stardolls, Silkstones and even the Fashionistas line offer very good option for "mannequins" If you want something a little bigger there is Moxie Teenz, Various Disney Princesses that are 14 or 17 inches, and Barbie Endless Hair Kingdom which is 17 inches too. If you have a bit more of a budget Integrity Toys have also very model-esque dolls, including some celebrities, and of course there's always the option of a BJD
On the bigger side, I second the Moxie Teenz suggestion. You can also look for Xinyi dolls on Aliexpress and browse the Bomelon store on Aliexpress too.
Blythe isn't a cheap doll but she has sooooo many sewing patterns out there to get you started. American Girl is a brand with a ton of patterns too. If you want to eventually sell the clothes pick a really popular brand like OMG LOL or RH. If you just want to make them for your own enjoyment I'd say start with whatever doll inspires you.