1972 Sindy Outfits and Separates
1972 was another fantastic year for Sindy dolls and outfits. In the 1972 Pedigree trade catalogue and the new Sindy style booklet the Centreparts were replaced by a new doll. She was slightly smaller, with a new head with a very pretty face with a tanned complexion which now fitted onto a new moulded neck and torso.
One of her new outfits was called ‘Trendy Girl’, and it was this doll and outfit which was featured on the front cover of the style booklet. This name was thus forever associated with the doll and from which comes the collectors’ name for them, “Trendy Girl” or “Trendys”. And, what is it that we say?
The 1972 Pedigree catalogue shows two types of Sindy dolls:
- Lovely Lively Sindy in the paisley pattern jumpsuit (Ref 12LS) (see 1971 Sindy)
- Lovely Lively Sindys in new outfits
- All the rest of the Sindys are Trendys.
So this year is dominated by the Trendys and the Gauntlets – no wonder so many collectors love it.
All the boxed dolls still came with the golden bracelet with the Sindy medallion, although it was now made of plastic. However as Sindy’s friends had now been dropped all references to the charms that could be collected for it were omitted.
It should be noted that there are more outfits listed in the Sindy style booklet than there are in the Pedigree trade catalogue, and we cannot be sure as to whether the catalogue and booklet were published at the same time. We do not know why the booklet has more outfits. We will show them all here under 1972 and we will point out those that were just shown in the style booklet. We also have another boxed Trendy doll outfit to show you which was issued in 1972 but which was not shown in the trade catalogue or style booklet.
This year saw some great outfits produced for Sindy which were completely authentic to the fashions of the time. These beautiful outfits are always highly sought after and can command extremely high prices. In keeping with the era, more outfits were made of synthetic fabrics.
All the boxed Trendys came wearing either a red, pink, yellow or blue rubber elastic headband depending on their outfit.
We also see a new type of shoe – the Trendy shoe, rounded toes, thick heels, moulded laces and a high tongue – very stylish at the time. We have seen three types of Trendy shoe. The first is made of a hard brittle opaque plastic and these are often found (but not exclusively) on the boxed dolls (see the purple pair above). The second type is made of a hard quite rigid plastic (see the blue pair above), and the third type is made of a softer, quite rubbery plastic (see the red pair above). These two types are usually found with the outfits.
The labels are still made of paper with green printing apart from the Trendy ‘Sleep Tight’ nightie and the Lovely Lively Sindy ‘Party Time’ dress which have paper labels with “Made in Hong Kong” printed in red (see above). The fastenings continue to be a mixture – large white plastic poppers (mainly found on boxed dolls), dome-shaped painted metal poppers and a lot more sewn-on metal snap fasteners.
From the previous year, the following outfits and separates were still available:
- ’Sweet Dreams’
- ‘Disco Party’
- ’Shiny Shopper’ – now shown with the more well-known red Trendy boots
- ‘Bridesmaid’ – depicted in the actual material that can be found and decorated with blue ribbon
- ’Skater’ – now with boots without coloured blades, and with the red, white & blue hat, mittens and scarf
- ’Look Warm’ – in the green fabric
- ’Winter Sports’
- ‘Midi Winter’ – in the red fabric with black fur trim and white Trendy boots
- ’Queen of the Ball’
- ‘Tights’
- ‘Flower Frillies’ – now in shown in a pattern we have not seen and accompanied with white kitten heel court shoes rather than red
- ‘Summer Dress’ – formerly called ‘Trendsetter’
- ‘Catsuit’
- ’Day Dress’ – now in shown in a pattern we have not seen
- ’Jodhpurs and Sweater’ – now shown as can be found today and with black boots (although the word “Jodhpurs” was mis-spelt in both the trade catalogue and the style booklet as “Jodphurs”)
- ‘Casual Cords’
- ’Blouse and belt’ – shown with the updated name to include the belt, the new reference 12S107 and in a pattern which can be found today
- ’Tangerine Dress’ – now with the scarf that can be found today
- ’Poncho’.
In addition, the following outfits were updated in some way:
- ’College Girl’
- ’Weekend’
- ’Bedtime Beauty’
- ‘Floral Dress’
these are shown below updated accordingly.
There is also a rarer variation of this outfit and it has occurred to us that this could a reuse the outfit shown as ‘Sweater and Mini’ in the 1971 style booklet. The mini-skirt was made a yellow and brown check cotton. The skirt was nicely tailored, it had four sewn-in darts, one each side of her waist and two at the front which shaped a front panel. The skirt fastened at the back of the waist with one big white plastic popper. The top was made of a yellow very fine ribbed knitted cotton but it was still styled with half-length sleeves, a turtle neck and fastened at the back with two big white plastic poppers at the neck and at the waist (see photo on the right).
Her extra outfit was a cotton coat dress very similar to the standard floral version but it had a black background decorated with light pink and dark pink flowers with green stems and leaves. It had three-quarter length sleeves, a pink sewn-on collar and it fastened with two big white plastic poppers. We have also noted that this coat dress is sewn with nylon thread. We believe this outfit also came with extra shoes but that they were purple kitten heel court shoes.
Walking Sindy (Ref 12WS1) (Boxed doll outfit)
The Sindy Walker shown in 1972 was a Trendy walker wearing the yellow and green houndstooth skirt, yellow sweater and knee-high yellow plastic boots. (see 1970 Sindy for a complete description of this outfit). She was shown wearing a blue rubber elastic headband and instead of a pair of purple kitten heel court shoes to match her extra outfit she was given a pair of purple trendy shoes (shown at the top of this page).
We have also found different variation sweater (shown left) which is similar in style but it is made of a fine knitted nylon and it has longer sleeves. We believe this sweater to be genuine but we would be interested in other collectors’ opinion of it.
Lovely Lively Sindy 'Hearts Delight' (Ref 12LSC) (Boxed doll outfit)
An all-in-one long-sleeved jumpsuit with a turtle neck made of a shiny woven nylon. On the chest was a large heart shaped emblem made of felt in a contrasting colour. It fastened at the back with two white plastic poppers. The shoes were a pair of white Trendy shoes and she was shown wearing a blue rubber elastic headband.
However, the jumpsuit shown in the trade catalogue and style booklet is white with a red emblem and we have never seen this. The version that we have is bright orange with a purple emblem.
The description for this doll said “Sindy relaxes in her comfortable armchair to watch TV” and this outfit came with a scenesetter of its own. A moulded black vinyl chair stylised to look like a soft upholstered armchair. On the box there was cut-out cardboard TV which displayed a “colour picture” of Sindy riding Peanuts and Patch leading Pixie. It came with a cut-out cardboard stand that slotted into the bottom of the TV but unfortunately ours is missing (see photo left). By the early 1970s colour televisions were becoming very popular in the UK and were beginning to outsell black and white ones. It is not surprising therefore that Sindy’s telly was colour.
Lovely Lively Sindy 'Party Time' (Ref 12LS1) (Boxed doll outfit)
A pretty party dress designed to show off her legs, this simple red dress was made of a silky polyester nylon trimmed with a contrasting white sewn-on collar with a long pointed lapels, white cuffs and sewn-on half belt decorated with a gold coloured buckle. It fastened at the back with two sewn-on metal snap fasteners. Our version of this dress has a red printed “Made in Hong Kong” label rather than the more usual green version. The shoes were a pair of white Trendy shoes and she is shown wearing a red rubber elastic headband.
This dress is hard to find in good condition because the red fabric has a tendency to run often staining the white trim.
Fun Furs (Ref 12GSS10) (Boxed doll outfit)
As noted in 1971 Sindy, the boxy-shaped fake fur coat and matching cossack hat was still available, but in 1972 the outfit was shown in cream fur with the little pink nylon dress showing at her knee. Sindy was shown wearing, and was boxed, wearing white calf-length shortie boots. As a boxed doll this Trendy would have been wearing a rubber elastic headband but we have seen a mint boxed doll and she does not have this hairband.
Surprisingly in both the trade catalogue and style booklet this outfit is shown on a Lovely Lively but given the Lovely Livelys had their own distinct references, we know this outfit came on a Trendy and that is what we are showing here. If you have this outfit boxed with a Lovely Lively please let us know.
Please see 1971 Sindy for a complete description of this outfit 1971 Sindy Outfits and Separates
Miss Sindy (Ref 12GSS11) (Boxed doll outfit)
This pretty long dress was also still available (see 1971 Sindy for a complete description of this outfit). In the brochure Sindy was shown wearing a red rubber elastic headband and white kitten heel court shoes.
Please see 1971 Sindy for a complete description of this outfit 1971 Sindy Outfits and Separates
Midi Look (Ref 12GSS13) (Boxed doll outfit)
The long-sleeved floral midi-dress. However we believe the Trendy versions had different patterns, were made of nylon, and were sewn with nylon thread. Please see 1971 Sindy for a complete description of this outfit 1971 Sindy Outfits and Separates
In both the trade catalogue and style booklet Sindy is shown wearing a blue rubber elastic headband and white kitten heel court shoes, however we have a complete mint outfit from an original owner and it came with a red rubber elastic headband and purple Trendy shoes which were hard, opaque plastic (see photo left). This leads us to think that they were actually sold with Trendy shoes and a co-ordinating headband.
Fashion Girl (Ref 12GSS16) (Boxed doll outfit)
This outfit was originally introduced in 1971 however whilst the “New” description had been dropped from the title in 1972, the product reference was updated and the doll wearing the outfit was described as “new” in the trade brochure, but essentially the design for the ‘Fashion Girl’ all-in-one mini-dress was the same as 1971. The patterns and colours had been updated and as noted previously we think the 1972 versions were sewn with nylon thread. In the brochure Sindy is shown wearing a red rubber elastic headband and white Trendy shoes.
Please see 1971 Sindy for a complete description of this outfit 1971 Sindy Outfits and Separates
Trendy Girl (Ref 12GSS17) (Boxed doll outfit)
Our outfit is slightly different to the one shown in the trade catalogue and style booklet which is shown as a red and yellow striped sweater with co-ordinating long sleeves and a round-neck in yellow made of what looks like knitted cotton.
This was a glorious new outfit of a red and yellow striped sweater with long sleeves and a turtle-neck made of knitted nylon which had a piece of cotton tape on the inside to bind the bottom hem. It fastened at the back with two big white plastic poppers. The sweater was worn with red cotton trousers which we think fastened at the back with one big white plastic popper as there were two darts to shape the back of the trousers. The sweater and trousers were sewn with the nylon thread.
For her head she had a pretty red and white cotton braided headband flecked with silver thread worn on top of her hair (see above for a detailed photo) which is now very hard to find.
We have shown Sindy wearing red Trendy shoes and many of the publicity photos show her wearing red boots. But we have spotted her boxed wearing yellow Sindy Walker boots and we have been told she was found boxed wearing white hard Trendy shoes.
Day Girl (Ref 12GSS18) (Boxed doll outfit)
This outfit was described as “new” in the trade brochure and had a new reference. It would appear to be an updated version of the 1971 Centrepart dress (1971 Sindy Outfits and Separates ). This was another simple sleeveless short dress which was now made of orange seersucker cotton with a contrasting cotton trim down the front of the dress and around the neck. This dress opened down the back and fastened at the back with the usual large white plastic popper. She wore a blue rubber elastic headband and white Trendy shoes.
There are a number of variations to the trim on this outfit as can be seen from the photos below. If you have any other variations we would be pleased to hear from you.
Sleep Tight (Ref 12GSS19) (Boxed Doll outfit)
This outfit is called ‘Sleep Tight’ and it is very similar to the Lovely Lively Sindy ‘Party Time’ boxed dress in that it also has a white paper label with red printing which says “Made in HONG KONG’ (see photo at the top of the page). This outfit reminds us of ‘Bedtime Beauty’ in that it was also a front fastening sleeveless babydoll nightie with matching knickers. It was made of a pink, burgundy and white floral crimplene with a cotton lace trim round the neck and hem. It fastened at the neck with a short white satin ribbon tied in a bow and it had a sewn-on metal snap fastener at the waist. The matching pants had an elasticated waist. We think white Trendy shoes came with this outfit. As a boxed doll this Trendy came wearing a rubber elastic headband.
We think there are at least two colourways, a pale carnation pink and a darker candy pink. The patterns are very similar but they do have slight differences. The one that we have seen most often is the candy pink version.
It should also be noted that the ribbon tie is very fragile. Originally it was just the right length to tie in a pretty bow under the neck however these ribbons have not fared well over the years and you often find it in a very poor condition, fraying and now far too short to tie in a nice bow. The ribbon in the photo above has been replaced.
College Girl (Ref 12S37) (Updated)
The outfit shown in the trade brochure and style booklet is actually the 1970 Centrepart dress and hat, however the Trendy version is shorter and made of nylon so the colours of the stripes are therefore brighter. It still consisted of a short-sleeved turtle-neck mini-dress and matching beanie hat. The stripes were pink, airforce blue, lime green and dark blue. The dress fastened at the back with one dome-shaped white painted metal popper. There was a dark blue vinyl waistcoat and a matching wide belt with a gold buckle. For her legs Sindy had a pair of blue knee-high socks and she carried a little green suedette satchel trimmed with black stitching, gold buckle and black suedette buckle-strap.The little handle was affixed to the bag with two gold rings. In the Trendy version this outfit came with blue Trendy shoes which were hard, opaque plastic.
We have also seen a variation of the dress and hat in the same colours but to us it looks like the outfit was made up with the material in reverse i.e. inside out.
Weekend (Ref 12S42) (Updated)
This version is slightly smaller than the Centrepart version, and it was made of a rose pink polyester nylon fabric. It consisted of a pair of trousers, a wraparound skirt, a long maxi-waistcoat and a floral shirt. The trousers had sewn-in front creases and fastened at the back with a dome-shaped white painted metal popper. The wraparound skirt had two sewn-in seams to give the impression of the three panels and it fastened with one dome-shaped white painted metal popper at the waist. The matching long maxi-waistcoat was sleeveless with two patch hand pockets. There was a co-ordinating short-sleeved cotton shirt. It had a sewn-on rounded collar with double stitching detail on the end of each sleeve and down the edges of the front of the shirt. It fastened at the front with two dome-shaped white painted metal poppers. There was a large navy blue vinyl holdall shoulder bag with a front patch pocket and front flap which fastened with a piece of velcro. The bag was decorated with two pink faux buckle-straps each adorned with a gold buckle. The 1972 brochure shows the outfit worn with white Trendy girl shoes.
In the style leaflet, the Trendy version of this outfit also showed a skirt unlike its 1971 counterpart (see 1971 Sindy).
We still have questions about Sindy’s floral shirt but we think this is the right shirt for the 1972 outfit. Do let is know what you think.
Red Hot (Ref 12S48)
A coat and dress ensemble. The simple sleeveless round-necked red cotton dress had a high waist and a slightly flared skirt with two front darts. It had a co-ordinating red and white dogtooth check waistband and it fastened at the back by two dome-shaped white painted metal poppers. There was a matching long-sleeved coat made of the same red and white dog tooth cotton fabric as the waistband of the dress. It had a sewn-on red collar and large reverse lapels lined in the same red dress fabric. It fastened at the front by one dome-shaped white painted metal popper. It also had a red plastic wide belt with a wide gold coloured buckle (the same buckle as was used for ‘Mod Suit’ see below), it was attached to the coat by one row of diagonal stitching through the middle of the belt and coat at the back. There was a matching red vinyl square-shaped shoulder bag trimmed with white saddle stitching and with a diagonal flap which fastened with one dome-shaped white painted metal popper. For her feet there was a pair of white plastic knee high Trendy boots.
Blazer Way (Ref 12S49)
A fashionable trouser suit with a matching hat. The tailored fitted jacket was a long-sleeved, double-breasted sunshine yellow crimplene with a contrasting navy blue stitching around the edges. It had a sewn-on collar, reversed folded-back lapels and two waist height darts at the back. There were four dome-shaped blue painted metal poppers, two of which actually worked to fasten the front. We have found some coats with navy blue and and others with airforce blue painted poppers. The trousers were made of a complimentary cotton check. Similar to the ‘Weekend’ trousers they had sewn-in front creases stitched in a contrasting but complimentary cotton thread and fastened at the back with a dome-shaped white painted metal popper. They also had faux turn-ups again stitched with the thread and the same stitching was used around the waist. Depending on the colour of the cotton check we have found green, pink and yellow stitching. There was a matching cotton check floppy cloche-type hat with a wide brim. The brim was trimmed with yellow nylon binding and was flipped up and stitched to the hat. There was a navy blue saddle-shaped shoulder bag made of the same textured vinyl as the ‘Weekend’ bag and it fastened with one dome-shaped white painted metal popper. For her feet she had a pair of yellow plastic calf-length ankle boots.
We have four variations of the cotton check fabric used for this outfit (see photo left). We think there might even be more and we would love to hear from anyone who has one.
Bedtime Beauty (Ref 12S93) (Updated)
The 1972 version of this outfit was made of a completely different material with a different pattern. The material was a silky raspberry pink nylon decorated with very small white spots (we think the material is the same as was used for the skirt to the 1976 ‘Happydays’ dress). The nightie was fastened at the front with one dome-shaped chrome coloured popper under the neck. The neck and hemline were trimmed with the same fine white cotton lace which complimented the wider lace which run down the front edge of the nightie. There was a pair of matching pants and this version came with bright pink daisy sandals.
Floral Dress (Ref 12S100) (Updated)
As noted in 1971 (see 1971 Sindy) we think there were two versions of this pretty dress, the 1971 version was made of pink floral cotton (shown above in the centre of the photo on the right for comparison) and the 1972 versions were made of a nylon organza type of material and they are slightly shorter. The 1972 version shown in the catalogue was made in a yellow, orange, leaf green and sea green floral pattern (shown left) however, as you can also see from the photo below there are many beautiful variations of this dress.
It had long puff-sleeves and a gathered waist with a full skirt. It had elasticated wrists, and the neck, cuffs and hem were trimmed with white nylon lace. The nylon versions fastened at the back with two dome-shaped white painted metal poppers. Although the 1971 version invariably had two tiny buttons sewn onto the bodice just below the neckline, we have a found a number variations for the 1972 version. Some have two buttons, some have one, and some have none. It could be that the buttons have been lost over time, but in looking very carefully at our variations and given the very delicate nature of the material used, we think where sewn-on buttons were lost, it would have left tiny holes. On a number of the dresses we can’t see any traces and we think that this is how they were made. This dress is shown with white kitten heel court shoes in the 1972 catalogue.
Hot Pants (Ref 12S110)
The flowered shirt material used for this outfit appears to be ever so slightly different to the one shown in the trade catalogue and style booklet but this could simply have been as a result of the photography and/or subsequent printing.
Another all-in-one outfit designed to look like a two-piece. The turquoise velvet hot pants had a bib and two turquoise ribbon ‘straps’ which were sewn into the shoulders of the top. The short-sleeved turtle-neck top was made of a yellow, pink, turquoise and white floral printed cotton which complimented the hot pants perfectly. They fastened at the back with two dome-shaped white painted metal poppers. This outfit was shown with white Trendy boots but we do not know if they came with the outfit.
We think there may have been other variations to the floral cotton top but we don’t have any and we would be grateful if other collectors could check their versions to see if they have any that are different.
Dungarees (Ref 12S111)
A pair of pink denim cotton dungarees with a white cotton thread embroidery flower on the bib and two very pale pink nylon ribbon straps which crossed over at the back and fastened with two dome-shaped white painted metal poppers. The back of the trousers also fastened at the waist with one dome-shaped white painted metal popper. The dungarees also had two little darts at the back of the waist to give them a more feminine shape. There was a little pink and white cotton gingham short-sleeved shirt, which had a sewn-on rounded collar with double stitching detail on the end of each sleeve and down the front edge of the shirt. It fastened at the front with two dome-shaped white painted metal poppers. There was also a pair of white kitten heel court shoes.
There are variations shown below.
This version most closely resembles the 1972 Style Leaflet. The ribbon straps are pinker and have sewn-on metal snap fasteners. But the white embroidery flower on the bib is different. The shirt has a very distinctive check pattern and sewn-on metal snap fasteners and two decorative buttons.
Here is a Mint In Packet variation. This shirt has a different check pattern and has sewn-on metal snap fasteners and two decorative buttons. The dungarees also have sewn-on metal snap fasteners. The white embrodiery flower on this version is the same as the one in the main photo.
Puffsleeves (ref 12S112)
A silky nylon mini-dress decorated with a pink, orange, mauve and aubergine abstract block pattern on a white background. It had a round neck, full skirt and long puffed sleeves with double-elasticated cuffs. This dress has been found with two sorts of fastenings. It fastened at the back with either two dome-shaped white metal poppers or with two sewn-on metal snap fasteners. We have only ever seen this dress packaged with blue Trendy shoes although we understand that some were package with white Trendy shoes instead
Blouse & Smock (Ref 12S118)
This is a very pretty outfit. The cotton short-sleeved smock dress had a high round neck and it fastened at the back with two dome-shaped white painted metal poppers. The printed pattern was of pink, blue and white ‘flowers’ on navy blue background. The long-sleeved blouse which was worn underneath the dress was made of a silky white nylon jersey fabric. It had double-elasticated cuffs and large slightly rounded pointed lapels. It was quite long and could be worn as mini-dress. The blouse fastened at the back with two dome-shaped white painted metal poppers. This blouse is very easy to confuse with the blouse to ‘Goucho’ from 1973, however this blouse was made of thicker smoother nylon, it was slightly longer and it did not have the gold button decoration at the neck. The ‘Goucho’ blouse was made of thinner, slightly textured white nylon, it had only one row of elastic at the cuffs, the lapels were smaller and it fastened at the back with two sewn-on metal snap fasteners. This outfit was shown in the style booklet with white shoes however our version came from an original owner, was never played with, and it had blue Trendy shoes which we are therefore showing.
This outfit was only shown in the Sindy style booklet and was not shown in the Pedigree trade catalogue in 1972.
Blazer (Ref 12S119)
We have never seen the version that was shown in the Sindy style booklet which appeared to be a long-sleeved dark blue and gold striped blazer which fastened at the front with one popper. The blazer normally attributed to this reference by Sindy collectors has a different floral pattern, but then we have never seen this one MIP (Mint in Packet), and so we cannot confirm or deny this assumption.
The jacket we have was made of a floral cotton weave (it is not a printed fabric). The colour of floral pattern beautifully complimented the background colour. It was unlined, had a sewn-on collar, reversed folded-back lapels, two darts at the back and fastened at the front with one white painted metal popper.
This outfit was only shown in the Sindy style booklet and was not shown in the Pedigree trade catalogue in 1972.
We know of three variations. The first version had a russet red background adorned with colourful flowers in pretty shades of yellow, green, lilac, orange, purple and white. The second version had a turquoise background adorned with colourful flowers in pretty shades of yellow, purple, green, pink and white. The third version had a dark blue background adorned with colourful flowers in pretty shades of yellow, green, light blue, orange and white.
Mod Suit (Ref 12S200)
A matching skirt and waistcoat ensemble in burnt orange polyester fabric with a co-ordinating patterned cotton blouse and scarf. The fashionable straight-cut midi-skirt had a dart at each side of the waist to provide shape and it had a sewn-on belt adorned with a wide gold coloured buckle (the same buckle as was used for ‘Red Hot’ see above). It fastened at the back of the waist with one dome-shaped white painted metal popper. The round-necked blouse had long puff-sleeves with elasticated cuffs. It was made of white cotton printed with an orange, gold, aubergine and lime green abstract wavy pattern and it fastened at the back with one dome-shaped white painted metal popper. On top of the blouse was worn a sleeveless maxi-waistcoat which matched the skirt. To complete the outfit there was a matching scarf made of the same material as the blouse (it was made like a man’s tie but the same width all along and hemmed straight at both edges), a pair of thick nylon aubergine coloured tights and a pair of square-toed white plastic shoes with a moulded buckle.
This outfit was only shown in the Sindy style booklet and was not shown in the Pedigree trade catalogue in 1972.
Collectors occasionally find the square-toed shoes with a moulded buckle in cobalt blue plastic and we have often wondered what outfit might they have come with? You should just be able to see in the photo above the holes where these shoes were originally stitched to the outfit card, indicating that they were indeed a packaged item, and interestingly, there is a visual reference for them.
These shoes can be seen with the ‘Mod Suit’ outfit on a 1970s display carousel (shown left). This photo shows a mock-up of how Sindys could be displayed in a store, and from the dolls and outfits it looks circa 1972/73. As you can see, these shoes are shown packaged with ‘Mod Suit’ bottom left. And if you look bottom right, you can see ‘Mod Suit” with white shoes. Truly a bold colour combination – orange suit, aubergine tights and cobalt blue shoes! We would not have been surprised if these shoes had accompanied, for example, 1973’s ‘Checker Decker’, but here they are.
We do wonder if these shoes were packaged with any other outfits of the time. Do get in touch if you know of any others.
Summer Party (Ref 12S203)
A very pretty long-sleeved sparkly lilac maxi-dress made of sort of knitted polyester bouclé jersey. This empire-line shaped dress had deep round neckline and long puff sleeves with elasticated cuffs. The sleeves were gathered above the elbow and trimmed with silver rick rack. The same rick rack was used to create two rows of decorative trim about a half an inch above the hemline. The dress fastened at the back with two sewn-on metal snap fasteners at the back. There was a matching dolly bag made of the same lilac material with a silver thread braided over a cotton cord handle.
For her head there was a matching headband made of lilac taffeta ribbon normally decorated with a row of 14 large hexangonal-moulded silver sequins (see inset photo above right). For her feet there were white kitten heel court shoes.
This outfit was only shown in the Sindy style booklet and was not shown in the Pedigree trade catalogue in 1972. In addition the style booklet appears to show this outfit with a gold trim rather than silver but this could simply have been as a result of the photography and/or subsequent printing.
Sindy Super Show fashions
In 1972 Pedigree launched the Sindy Super Show, Sindy’s very own catwalk set so that now you could present fashion shows, pop concerts, historical pageants and “Miss Sindy” competitions. The set came with a ballerina outfit – the first such outfit made for Sindy, and we are showing this below with the other fashions. For more information on the Super Show itself, please see 1972 Scenesetters. Please also note that this scenesetter and the outfits shown below were only in the 1972 Sindy style booklet and were not shown in the Pedigree trade catalogue in 1972.
There were four Super Show outfits including the ballerina outfit that came with the scenesetter, although it should be noted that Frances Baird in “British Teenage Dolls 1956-1984” refers to a fifth outfit called ‘Pop Show’ Ref 12S204 which consisted of a pair of flares and a top. We have never seen this and it could be this outfit never existed. Alternatively could this outfit have been repurposed for the 1973 ‘Top Pop’ doll or has it been confused with it? We don’t know, this is just speculation on our part.
It was probably no coincidence that in the late 1960s and in 1970s both globally and in the UK, one of the most the most-watched television shows of the entire year was Miss World. Despite the controversy and feminist protests, Miss World captivated television audiences and in the UK Miss World 1970 was the single most-watched TV programme of the entire year. One wonders if the outfits that were specially designed to go with the Super Show might also have had the national costume and evening dress rounds in mind.
The three additional boxed outfits shown below are some of the most intricate and beautiful outfits ever created for Sindy and it is no wonder that they are so highly prized and adored by many.
We know of two variations to the lace overdress trim.
Ballet (Ref 12SA26) (Scenesetter outfit)
A beautiful long-sleeved ballet dress in pink satin with a lace overdress trim to the bodice and skirt. The lace trim was made of white nylon decorated with silver thread. The dress fastened at the back with two sewn-on metal snap fasteners. The outfit came with a pair of thick white nylon tights, a pair of white plastic ballet shoes with white silk cord ties, and a beautiful headdress adorned with flowers.
This outfit has been found with two different headdresses made of covered green wire decorated with flowers. One version has delicate lilac, cream and white cut-out fabric flowers with matching stamens (which was the same one that was used for Patch’s 1966 ‘Swan Lake’ outfit – a re-use?). The second type is decorated with blue, yellow, lilac & pink ribbon rosette flowers. which are similar to those used in the 1973 Bridesmaid (Ref S209) bouquet. Perhaps it is a later substitution.
We are not sure if there is any connection between the type of headdress and the dress pattern. We can say for certain the ribbon rosette flower version (shown right) was found in an original collection with a dress shown above left.
Startime (Ref 12S205)
A truly stunning long-sleeved maxi-dress. The material is hard to describe, it was made of a bright shocking pink thick cotton brocade material with a very, very fine thread of silver woven through it to make a shimmering pink background. Silver thread was woven in such a way as to provide on the front of the material decorative embossed flowers and other shapes which looked like crescent-shaped leaves. The dress had a high turtle-neck collar and a fish-tail frill around the bottom. It fastened at the back with two sewn-on metal snap fasteners. It came with white daisy sandals.
There is a lot to unpick with the Startime accessories and similarly to ‘Super Show Ballet’, there appear to be variations to these accessories. .
For her head Sindy was given a silver elasticated headband decorated with sequins. This headband has usually been found with a ruby red hexagonal-moulded sequin alternated with a silver hexagonal-moulded sequin, but it has also been found decorated with pink & silver sequins (shown bottom left).
Around her neck she wore a pearl necklace made from chunky small pearl beads on a string, reaching down to the bustline. At the centre was a single bead of the same type, attached by a gold tone rod and below this bead attached to the rod was a large pearl bead decorated with gold coloured filagree caps (similar to the bead on the 1974 ‘Checkmate’ bag). The necklace fastened with a silver gilt box clasp.
Lastly, Sindy had a silver lamé shoulder bag with a silver flat-woven strap and a front flap with an elegant fastening. Again differences have been spotted, the usual type has the hexagonal-moulded red sequin topped with a diamanté jewel been replaced by a sequin topped with a silver bead (bottom row on the right).
Elizabethan (Ref 12S206)
A gorgeous Elizabethan dress. This dress was beautifully designed by someone who must have looked very carefully at the costumes so beloved by Elizabethan nobility.
The dress was made of red velvet and had three sections, the bodice, a stylised farthingale and a long full skirt. Stuck to the underside of the velvet farthingale and skirt was a stiff white cotton to support the dress and to give it the stand-out structure commonly associated with this style of costume. There was front inset panel to give the impression of the underdress or petticoat which was sometimes on show under this sort of dress. This panel was made of cotton with a delicate floral pattern on a navy blue background. The edges of the panel and the hem of the dress were edged with a white cotton embroidered trim. It fastened at the back with two sewn-on metal snap fasteners.
In keeping with the Elizabethan design, the dress had a large and complicated stylised ruff. The ruff was made of three layers. A white patterned nylon tulle embroidered with a fine rainbow coloured thread ran down each side of the inset panel to the waist and went right around the neck to the back of the dress forming a bottom frill. On top of this frill around the neck was a ruffle collar made of white edged nylon pleated into two layers with the uppermost layer being smaller in width.
The sleeves were also very Elizabethan in fashion, big at the shoulder and ending in a tight wrist decorated with a ruff of the same lace as the white nylon ruffle collar. To complete the look, the sleeves and around the front of the neck were bedecked with sewn-on pearls (white beads) so very fashionable in Elizabethan England if you were rich enough to be able to afford it.
We think this outfit came with white daisy sandals.
We believe the headband shown above is the correct one for this outfit. It is made of a stiff silver webbing threaded through with a silver foil-like ribbon and elasticated at the back. It is very beautiful and fits Sindy perfectly. As you can see from the picture above on the right the elastic at the back is exactly the same as the Startime headband. There has been some speculation that a plain silver headband might have been substituted at some point because there are certainly a lot more dresses than there are headdresses, or it could be that we just didn’t know what we were looking for. Obviously without seeing this outfit Mint in Box we cannot say for the certain this is the right headdress, but it does look and ‘feel’ right.
Miss Beautiful (Ref 12S207)
An extraordinary outfit consisting of a sparkling long dress, fur trimmed maxi-coat and glittering beauty queen regalia. The sleeveless dress was made of patterned silver brocade, it had a high turtle-neck collar and it fastened at the back with two sewn-on metal snap fasteners. Echoing coronation robes, the long-sleeved coat was made of scarlet coloured satin with all the edges trimmed with white faux fur. There was a white satin ribbon sash with the words “MISS BEAUTIFUL” printed in blue. For her head a silver plastic crown (the same as that previously used for ‘Miss Sindy’), and a plastic sceptre and orb covered with gold glitter for her to hold. This outfit is shown with gold daisy sandals in the 1972 style booklet and with white daisy sandals in the 1973 booklet.
This outfit uses the plastic version of the crown first seen with the 1968 and 1970 ‘Miss Sindy’ Outfits.
The sceptre was tipped with a cross which is typical of European royal regalia and the staff decorated with gold bands or rings which is a common adornment. The orb was also surmounted with a cross which is again very typical. The orb and sceptre were made of plastic and covered in gold glitter.
Sindy’s gorgeous silver brocade dress has also been found with different patterns.