Vintage Cissy's Wig Styles & Colors

The dressed dolls most often seen with the Binnie/ Winnie wig caps are #2083 pictured below in the red pinafore and red and white striped blouse and #2091 in the black taffeta cocktail dress with narrow lace stole and delicate formed hat of net and pink flowers.

1955 restyled rooted wig cap

1955 Auburn Rooted Wig Cap

1955 Winnie Rooted Wig Cap

Auburn rooted wig cap

Early wig showing stitching

1955 restyled rooted wig cap

Vintage Wig Replacement

CISSY’S WIG COLORS & STYLES

Binnie & Winnie Wigs Used on 1955 Cissy; Waste Not, Want Not Forever and always frugal and given to parsimonious ways, Beatrice Alexander used available parts and pieces. The first 1955 Cissys sometimes had Binnie or Winnie wigs with fabric wig caps and a half rooted rubber section on top of the fabric. They are easily recognized by the thick wispy bangs. The wig is generally more dense, less manageable and sits further back on the head than the wigs produced for Cissy. This wig came in blonde and auburn. I cannot remember seeing a brunette example but that’s not to say one was not produced. Another trait of a casually styled Cissy wig is that the stitching cannot be seen; i.e., the center part is combed over the main stitching line. The blonde pictured here may be another example of an earlier wig designed for another large doll but used on Cissy. Also pictured is a frequently seen vintage wig replacement.

2097 from 1955

1958 Queen

1955-57 Casual Style

’55 & ’56 Queens had the same hairstyles & crowns

1955 Queen

Trudy Nestor’s ’56 Queen

1957 Queen

Bruce deArmond’s ’59 Queen

CISSY’S WIG COLORS & STYLES Tosca

A name given in parts of South America, especially near the mouth of the La Plata river, and in the region of the pampas generally, to a soft concretionary limestone, having about the consistence of slightly baked clay, and of a dark-brown color. It underlies the so-called Pampean formation. In color therapy, it’s a complimentary color, including soft tosca, that’s added to a primary color and touted to lead to more intense relaxation and deep sleep. No where am I able to find a swatch that could be related to a hair color; only more drab elements of primary and tertiary colors. Therefore, I am calling it a drab blonde or lighter brown describing a Cissy color condition. All queens had tosca colored wigs & there was a casually styled “down” hairdo for the early painted dolls & the #2097, 1955 Cissy in Blue Satin Gown. The tosca color is not seen in the shorter, tightly curled casually styled wigs belonging on infused dolls.

1955 & 1956 back view of hairstyle.

Trudy Nestor Collection.

1955 & 1956 Queens with no bangs and side pull backs. Hair styles, crowns and dresses were identical except for the brocade patterns.

1958 Queen

1959 Queen

1957 Queen with side part wig.

1961 Queen

Sharon William’s 1962 Queen.

Hair color appears red because of flash

CISSY’S WIG COLORS & STYLES Royalty’s Tosca Colored Wig Styles

All the Queen dolls had tosca colored wigs but all tosca colored wigs did not belong to Queens. There are two other tosca wig styles that I can think of. The 1955 and 1956 queens had the same severely styled wig with pull backs that gathered at the nape of the neck in a bun-like style. The 1957 Queen is the only doll with a side-part wig and one spit curl bang. The 1958 Queen had a center part, pull backs cascading into curls and two spit curls on her forehead. The other Queens following her through the final year of production in 1962 had the same hairstyles. The brocade gowns were similarly styled except for the fabric pattern. The 1962 Queen had a Star of the Bath sash with a red stripe instead of the solid blue Star of the Garter. FAO Schwarz sold a Queen in 1960 which is probably the same one that Madame Alexander advertised in her 1961 catalog. I believe the 1962 queen had a metal crown instead of the one shown above, bottom right, but that needs verification.

How the basic #2100 or #2200 Cissy was dressed.

Cissy in a variety of chemises, corsets and corselettes. The lace teddys were the only ones that came on a basic doll.

Basic Cissy in White Chemise

Basic Cissy in Black Chemise

One of the basic hairstyles

Basic Doll

Basic Doll

CISSY’S WIG COLORS & STYLES

Basic Cissy in Lace Chemise #2100 (‘55-’56) & #2200 (#’57-’59) The basic Cissy in lace chemise, either black or white, with corresponding colored mules sold for $13.95 in 1955. The price was reduced by $1.00 the following year. A wardrobe of boxed separates was available to fill her closet or trunk. The scantily clad Cissy had either a pulled back hairstyle with top knot curls and straight bangs or pulled back hairstyle with curled bangs. The style usually went straight back to the top knot and did not have the second dog leg tie in the pulled back section. Curls were usually caught in the back with a silk ribbon; a light pink bow came with a doll dressed in a white teddy and the darker pink on a doll dressed in black. Wig colors were blonde, auburn and brunette. Half of the dolls were blonde while the remaining number were split evenly between auburn and brunette. The doll was usually shown in catalogs wearing a negligee but the robe was sold separately ($3.50 to $4. depending on year). Censors were governing how a woman dressed in public in the 1950s, even what an adult-figured doll could wear.

#2098, 1955 Trudy Nestor’s Collection

Long chignon styled blonde wig on Trudy Nestor’s #2098 from 1955

#2094, 1955

#2160 Garden Party Gown

Long chignon #2094, 1955

#2146, 1957

#2146, 1957

CISSY’S WIG COLORS & STYLES The severe formal long chignon on early dolls

This wig was similar to the tosca haired Queens of 1955 & 1956 except the pullbacks were longer and did not form a topknot element. #2098, 1955, gold taffeta gown with embroidered short cape had the blonde wig pulled back and caught at the crown by a spanner bar. The bottom was turned under with the back hour glassed at the neck. #2094, Cissy in yellow slipper satin, had the same wig in auburn. #2036 from 1956, the shell pink torso gown, had Cissy’s hair styled in a blonde shade but it’s believed this outfit and its corresponding boxed and sold-separately gowns of red and rose colors could be worn by any hairstyle or hair color. Garden Party gown #2160 from 1957, the dotted nylon net over pink taffeta, also used the long chignon wig in blonde and auburn. Cissy in navy blue cocktail dress and organdy stole with ruffled net hat, #2146 from 1957, was the only dressed doll in street length attire to wear the long chignon hairstyle.

Back view of formal UP ‘do

Formal “UP” Style for lack of a better term

Same style on painted doll

Dog Leg Pull Backs on Up ‘do

view from the top

CISSY’S WIG COLORS & STYLES

Formal style with pull backs gathered into curls on crown & nape of neck A very popular style for both street length day- and afternoon dresses as well as more formally designed floor-length gowns, this wig was easy to style and maintain. It is reasonable to assume all the wig styles of this type had curls bundled at the nape of the neck but somewhere along the line were released, either by the owner’s manipulations or simply because of broken twine, to hang loosely at the shoulders. The side pull backs were caught with a second set of sutures and then anchored to the crown with a couple of well placed stitches in the wig cap to hold the configuration at its almost 90-degree dogleg angle. This wig style was seen primarily on painted dolls.

Curls on Crown

1956 Straight Bang Style

CISSY’S WIG COLORS & STYLES Formal Wig Variation with Straight Bangs

to be correct, this doll should have straight bangs

This wig style brings to mind the basic doll in chemise, the #2025 from 1956 in ballerina length dancing dress and Cissy in the satin sheath with overskirt, also #2025 from 1956 according to Beatrice Alexander’s catalog. Maybe we’ve stumbled onto something with the catalog number representing a wig style instead of a dress. I’ve seen the back section caught at the nape or hanging loosely in shoulder length curls.

MA’s own 1956 catalog shows the wig in loose curls. A specialty hairdo with either straight or curled bangs appeared on the 1958 Matinee Sheath Cissy (#2231). The pullbacks were tied at mid length and caught by a spanner bar on the crown.

1955, #2100 brunette in Mauve Torso Gown

1956 Cissy, #2040 in Gold Satin Theatre Outfit

auburn spit curl

1961 Renoir - Portrait Wig

There’s the spit curl on Renoir

CISSY’S WIG COLORS & STYLES Formal styles with side spit curls

The formally styled “up” hairdo with side spit curls is much sought after. In 1955 it is seen on #2100 wearing the formal mauve torso gown. (Please note that #2100 is also the number given to basic boxed doll in 1955 and 1956 & should not be confused with the chemise-clad dolls.) This dressed doll came as a brunette. In 1956 Cissy wearing in her #2020 gold (or bronze or pistachio) colored satin theatre coat and dress again sported the elusive spit curl wig, this time as a blonde. The fashionable #2025 from 1956 dressed in either a mauve satin or blue satin sheath with detachable overskirt came with straight bangs and a top knot that fit through her open crown hat. She also came with the top knot wig with curly bangs and side spit curls. I’ve never seen this dressed doll with spit curl wig as a brunette, only as a blonde or redhead. MA’s 1961 Renoir Portrait had a brunette wig with the side spit curls hidden beneath her hat’s black velvet ties.

Short Casually Styled Wig

Short Casually Styled Wig

This could be a long wig and the front section is tightly pinned.

There’s a lot of hair in the back.

medium length casual

Long Casual Wig

Long Casual Wig

Long Casual Wig

Short Casual Wig

CISSY’S WIG COLORS & STYLES Casually styled “down” wigs on painted dolls

There are two lengths--short and long. Both are styled the same way but one is thicker and fuller and longer. The dressed dolls in formal outfits tended to have a more sophisticated formally styled wig but that was not always the rule. #2095, 1955, dressed in white organdy trimmed with red, had a brunette casually styled wig. Three other catalogued dolls from 1955 in short dresses also wore casual styles. In 1956 three of the formally attired dolls including the Medici capped bride had casual hairdos as did five more of the six total featured in Madame Alexander’s catalog. Shorter sprigs around the face usually indicated a shorter version of the wig.

Back view of casual wig

Casually styled wig on infused dolls

Hidden stitching on this wig

Casually styled wig on infused doll

Back view of later casual style

Profile of casually styled wig

Stitching visible from the top

CISSY’S WIG COLORS & STYLES Short casually styled wig on infused dolls

An attractively styled wig with a casual bent similar to the early 1955 and 1956 Cissy’s “every day” look for informal outfits.

It’s pretty as a picture but an absolute horror to style! It first caught my attention on the “Cissy Takes A Trip” purple skirted doll from 1957. It’s lovely when she’s untouched but when it has been combed by a well meaning little (or big) girl, it goes in all directions. The bottom layer of curls are permanently corkscrewed while the long crown layer appears electrified and straight as a board. Any memory this top layer had for curl is long lost. The wig cap is also flimsy. This wig was introduced in 1957 on the infused doll and replaced the longer casual wig.

ample of ull back

Turned Under Style Short Pulled Back Wig

Short pulled back wig with bangs and styled in an “under” chignon style

Short Flipped

Short Flipped

Short Pulled Back Flipped

Short Turned Under

Short Flipped

CISSY’S WIG COLORS & STYLES

The short wig with side pull backs could be styled two ways. . .

The shorter wig with curled bangs and side pull backs held on the crown of the head with a spanner bar could be styled in either a more formal turned under chignon style or given soft curls in the back. As a wig stylist, this is my least favorite wig to work with because it generally has less hair in it and the turn under is difficult to hold in place and the flip curls usually fight to become straight, especially those originating from the pull backs. The stitching at the lower edge of the wig cap is often rotted and broken. The center part stitching behind the bangs is often weakened and rotted as well. These wigs came in blonde, red and brunette. This wig (turned under) superseded the long chignon.

Renoir braided & curled wig Ponytail Cissy

The incomparable Lady in Red

1961 Godey Portrait

Ponytail Cissy

Matinee Cissy

Godey 1961 Hairstyle

Lucy Bride

Matinee Sheath Cissy

Ponytail Cissy

CISSY’S WIG COLORS & STYLES A few examples of specialty wigs

From time to time Madame Alexander issued a doll considered to be more special than other Cissys. We know that’s an impossibility, but nonetheless, they required a wig that was slightly different in cut, color or styling. Pictured above are a few but not all of these special editions.