In honor of the Neo Blythe International Beauty Contest, I am interviewing some of the participants who are involved in the contest, and just so happened to make it to the top 50 semi-finalists! If this is the first post in the series that you’re reading, I encourage you to start with this post and then read the previous interview.
Leading up to August 23rd (when the top 25 finalists of the Neo Blythe Beauty International Contest will be announced), I’ve interviewed 6 participants who entered their original designed Blythe doll in the contest. I can’t believe we’re halfway through this series! I have two interviews scheduled to drop each week in August, so you will be getting a lot of extra posts from me this month! I’m beyond excited for this interview series so that you all can get to know the amazingly creative minds behind these stunning Blythe dolls!
“Trompe L’Elle” was a collaboration between Prince (@theseventh_prince) and Silvia (@ahcor_lab). Prince was the creative mind that imagined “Trompe L’Elle” concept, customized the doll, and created the accessories. Whereas Silvia designed, illustrated, and constructed the garments. Today, I have the pleasure of introducing you to one half of the duo that helped bring “Trompe L’Elle” to fruition, Prince!
In the interview, Prince discusses the how ballroom, and runway played a role in creating “Trompe L’Elle” unique design, the importance of diversity and representation in the doll community, behind-the-scenes stories, challenges, and more. Please enjoy this interview with one half of the team behind the Blythe doll “Trompe L’Elle”, Prince!
1. Introduce yourself (e.g., how you became a doll lover, how many Blythe dolls you have, other dolls you love, other hobbies, etc)
Prince: My name is The Seventh Prince. I’m a multidisciplinary ballroom kid, and my category in that world is Runway.
For anyone who doesn’t know ballroom: it’s a Black and Latino LGBTQ+ scene where people compete at events called balls, in categories, in front of a panel of judges. Some categories are for dance, some for face, some for realness. The fashion categories are the ones where the garment is the point, and that’s where I live. Runway judges you on the walk itself plus your fashion sense, and it splits into two styles: European, which is exaggerated and feminine (think Naomi Campbell), and All American, which has swag and a masculine walk (think Alton Mason). I walk All American. So my whole practice is: build a look, then go walk it in front of judges.
I’ve always loved dolls, but the first doll I owned as an adult was a RuPaul doll. I own 9 Blythes, and every single one of them is stock. Before I started my Blythe family, I was collecting Dunnys and Superplastic figures.
2. How did you discover Blythe?
Prince: It was a while back, but the first time I ever saw a Blythe (specifically a custom Blythe) was on Instagram, by an artist who happens to be in this contest too, Caramelaw. So I’m kinda geeked and a little excited that we’re in the same bracket.
3. Your first Blythe doll?
Prince: #LOVE♡JAYLAH — and she’s the one I entered. She was my first, so it had to be her.
4. What inspired you to enter the Neo Blythe Beauty contest?
Prince: Diversity!! At first I wasn’t going to enter. I saw the announcement and thought “how cool”... until I saw there was a rare chance your doll could actually get produced if you’re selected. As of me writing this in 2026, there have only been two Choco-skinned Blythes produced in the entire history of Blythe: 20 Years of Love and #LOVE♡JAYLAH. I think it’s important to feel represented, and you never know when this opportunity is coming again. So this was the moment. I decided not to walk any balls this year and put the money I would’ve spent on a ballroom effect — the outfit and the whole production around it — into my entry instead. It was a huge gamble, because I did not know if I would make the top 50.
5. Tell us about your doll entry (explain the concept, name, the Blythe you used, the techniques you used, etc)
Prince: Her name is Trompe L’Elle. It’s a play on trompe l’oeil, that art trick where something painted flat fools your eye into thinking it’s real, and “elle” is “her” in French.
The concept is Paper Couture and how we could translate that at 1:6 scale. She had to be vintage but with a modern element. So taking something vintage like a paper doll and giving it a silhouette you could wear today, made with tools that didn’t exist when paper dolls did, was the direction I led the entry in.
The Blythe I used for my entry was #LOVE♡JAYLAH.
The doll side is me. I lead the creative world she lives in, and it also happens to be a tiny part of the inspiration for a short film I wrote about a 3D character in a 2D space. I used a Good Smile “Bijou Brilliant” scalp dyed with Rit DyeMore in chocolate brown, then styled the flipped bob (see question 8 for how that went lol). I left the factory face almost completely alone because I think that mold is beautiful as is. The only thing I painted was the beauty mark, by hand with Liquitex and a tiny brush. I liked the idea of it also reading as an ink dot from the printing. Then I designed and 3D printed the scissor earrings and the matching charm, primed them with Vallejo, sprayed them metallic gold, and gloss varnished them. The heels are customized Dolly Days heels.
The garments are Silvia. She hand-illustrated both looks from scratch in Procreate, then took them into Illustrator for the linework and typography. The front of the dress is the illustration, and the BACK is the uncut sheet, dashed lines and all, with “CUT HERE” printed around her silhouette. Then she converted the digital files into actual printed fabric, color matched it, sized it, and sewed it. When I saw the illustration at the table, I knew she needed a moment, so I brought up the “CUT HERE” and the lines — that’s what was needed to give her life.
Honestly, this is not much of a departure from ballroom. You’re building an outfit that has to read from across the room the second you hit the floor, then survive judges looking at it up close, and hope you get your 10s - which she did.
6. What new skills did you learn throughout the doll-making process?
Prince: I picked up a love for 3D printing, and I’m excited to bring that into future outfits I do in ballroom.
I also worked with an airbrush for the first time. I airbrushed the scissor earrings, the charm, and the shoes, and it was a lot harder than I thought it would be.
7. What was the most difficult part in creating your Blythe?
Prince: DYEING HER HAIR WAS SCARY AS HELL!!!
I believe it was Silvia’s first time sewing an outfit that small for Blythe’s proportions. It was a challenge, but she overcame it and killed it.
I had also bought eyechips for Jaylah, but... I don’t know about y’all, I know these dolls aren’t real, but the idea of taking a hot glue stick and plucking the chip out of the socket is horrifying to me. And Blythes are expensive. If I messed up my one and only Jaylah experimenting for the first time, I would be heartbroken. There are plenty of fair-skin dolls where you can go, “Ok, I messed that one up, let me grab my other Dolly Days and try again” ... but there is only one Jaylah. I just could not take the risk. So I’m grateful this contest had a natural beauty route we could take with Junko’s Choice.
8. Any fun behind-the-scenes stories from creating your doll?
Prince: Yes. I’m Afro-Latino and I have 4C hair, so I need you all to picture me trying to style this girl with bone-straight hair, giving her a flipped bob, with curlers. Thank you to my team partner Silvia. It was giving very Leeloo with her multipass when I had her.
Fun fact: she started off as a crayon before she was a paper doll. I was going to do everything by myself, but there’s something about collaboration: when you find the right person and you’re both in the flow, magical things can happen.
I also started out making Blythe “B” earrings to go with my girl. Got pretty far into it, too. It wasn’t cheap to print them, and they were very hard to sand down because they were so thin — only for me to get scared they’d disqualify me over the trademark, since I don’t own it lol. So I scrapped those and designed and 3D printed the scissors instead... which actually ended up elevating the concept way more than I expected.
Attached is a photo of the prototype idea. I first began with Diahann Carroll from Dynasty as the base inspo. The issue I had to solve was the skin tone on the stockings. If I were to go the power suit and skirt route, the stock would only work for Jaylah. If the doll was going to be produced, it needed to be able to fit all of Blythe’s sisters’ beautiful skin tones. Silvia’s idea to make it so the bottom part of the dress had not been cut solved the issue.
9. Who’s your favorite doll from the top 50 semi-finalists?
Prince: This may be a very basic answer, but I really love the styling of Colette Ruban by Yoka.
10. How did you feel when you found out you made it to the top 50 semi-finalists?
Prince: To tell you the honest truth, Michelle, I did not think I would make the top 50. My entry, which I think is quite clever, is not very maximalist. When I saw that I made the 50, I was pacing back and forth in my living room like, wow, the first hurdle is over.... At the time I write this, July 29th, 2026, we have to wait another few weeks for the next hurdle, and it’s a bit nerve-racking. But I’m so happy this idea I had was received well enough by the CWC team to put us through.
I really want to shout out my team partner Silvia for believing in this project. Thank you, Silvia, for being my partner in this. I hope people get to see how talented and brilliant you are as a designer, seamstress, and illustrator. I couldn’t have done this without you.
When you put something out into the world, you have no idea how it will be perceived. So we give this art to you, world, and hope that in this moment while she’s in the 50, and when her photo is displayed at the exhibition, she brings you inspiration and joy.
11. Where can people find you? What type of content can we expect to see on your dollstagram?
Prince: Me, The Seventh Prince, and my team partner, Silvia.
All this is kinda new to me lol. I operate from my artist account, and I don’t have a doll account. One social media account is enough. I have a love-hate relationship with social media, so l only post on my feed when I have something substantial to say to the world. If you want to see the elaborate outfits I compete in, or me walking a runway, they’ll be there. Mostly, my stories are where I post the things that inspire me. Now that the contest has revealed that I collect Blythe dolls, you may see one pop up in my story every once in a while...
Silvia has her brand, Ahcor Lab, and we often work together on my looks for balls, so please follow her amazing work and check out her store website. What I like about working with her is that she not only understands fashion, she understands theater as well.
How Cool is Prince!? A huge thank you for letting me interview you! Prince is a fellow Substack subscriber, so when I saw their username listed on the Neo Blythe website as one of the top 50 semi-finalists, I was like, I recongize that name! They follow me on Substack! haha
Prince, we wish you, Silvia, and “Trompe L’Elle” a massive good luck in the Neo Blythe International Beauty Contest! I hope you all make it far in this competition! Make sure to check out Prince and Silvia's work online.