Clothing designer shrinks creations

COLTON — Wearable-art designer Mary Gwyneth Holland is creating miniatures of her high-end custom clothing for collectors of a doll as fashionable as her creations.

"There's a real market out there. It's not huge," Ms. Holland said. "These are beautiful dolls. They look like people. These are basically dolls for adults."

The Tonner doll serves a different purpose for Ms. Holland.

"For me, it is a mannequin for my clothes," she said. "I got my husband to buy me dolls for Christmas."

Ms. Holland makes exclusive custom-fit clothing and started a line of accessories in 2010, which she has started selling on etsy.com, an Internet marketplace for handmade items, under the name marygwyneth.

Miniaturizing her haute couture gowns was the suggestion of Ruby J. Sprowls, senior business development officer for Northern Adirondack Trading Cooperative, which helps rural entrepreneurs market their products globally.

The miniature version of Ms. Holland's clothes might appeal to doll collectors not interested in the designs for themselves.

The Tonner American models are fully articulated, easily poseable and often made up as characters from movies, such as the Mad Hatter from "Alice in Wonderland" or Hermione Granger from the Harry Potter series. A basic doll sells for $99, but dressed dolls can go for hundreds of dollars.

Ms. Holland's made-to-order doll suit of lined, cream-colored silk crepe de chine, decorated with red roses and embroidery, sells for $598. It is not the most expensive outfit for dolls on etsy, although it is on the upper end. The rose suit is also available for humans.

Ms. Holland, who was a NICHE awards finalist in 2010, has sold her accessories locally and a short jacket on etsy.

"Having an online shop is almost as much work as a retail shop. You have to market it," she said. "I'd like things to move a little faster, but I have to sleep."