Skelita is proud of her new hat

¡Ole!

Sophie's been thinking of opening a boutique, but she's worried that rents in the Scottsdale Arts District will be too high. So she's checking out the neighborhood on a gray Friday afternoon. Skelita is along -- and is potentially the first employee -- because Sophie's heard that the fashionable women are all social skeletons.

Day of the Dresses

It was finally New Dress Weekend for a Sophie, Pippa, Miss Hanzo, and (unexpectedly) Stacie.

Whose little sister is she?
None of us has a little sister, right?
I'm going to freak out if somebody claims she's always been here.

Be careful what doors you open at the spa

When Miss Hanzo shows off an important new project, Akilah Nichelle takes it in stride, but Sophie is appalled.

A group portrait for National Doll Day

In honor National Doll Day, the girls gathered for a group portrait. Of course, getting everybody looking the same direction, with their eyes open, was virtually impossible.

There is no consensus on head size in this civilization.

Below the fold, there are smaller group portraits by doll type, along with a FAQ so that new visitors know what's going on here, other than, say, utter madness.

Sophie goes to the hairdresser

Sophie looks askance at her hair, which persisted in having that thrift-shop frizz.

Her hair is not on her head because in Liv World, "snatch you bald" is not a figure of speech. Sophie's not quite bald -- she has a cute pixie cut -- but she's more than ready to have her hair boil-washed. ("I need that like I need a hole in the head" also has different meaning to the Liv girls, since the wig has a spike that goes in the hole in the head.)

Move to Phoenix, get dresses!

Sophie wanted her dress to be an homage to the prevailing Mid-Century Flintstones architecture of CenPho, but the results may be a bit more sauvage than she'd intended.

The same skirt that looked appealingly pouffy in person turns very Pebbles Flintstone-auditions-for-Survivor on camera. This dress is from the no-sew circle method, same as Draculaura's, but this time, I put a slit at the back of the neck to help it over the head. The fabric is from my favorite thrift-store skirt of 2013, which I wore until the fabric gave way at the seams -- and it lives on! The patterned top layer -- yes, this is lined, same as the skirt was -- is slippery and deceptive. You think you've cut a straight line, but no, whoops! there's a notch missing.

There's also the difficulty that this dress causes Sophie to fade into the upholstery. Not her favorite look, unless the fashion design is just a cover for a career with the FBI or CIA.

Sophie is more satisfied with Alexis' dress for networking cocktail events. The restrained menswear pattern says business, while the dramatic neckline says glamor.

This is from the same no-sew pattern as Katie, Hayden's, and Cleo's dresses. The fabric is a scrap from Nasco. Alexis and Sophie were, of course, wearing perfectly nice Barbie clothes, but apparently the rule is: move to Phoenix, get dresses!

The tight skirt isn't the best for sprawling on a bed, but it's a relief to have a talk with Katie away from the young 'uns.

Katie and Hayden get permanent house guests

Katie is thrilled to see her friend Alexis and is showing her where in the kitchen to find the herb tea.

Career opportunities looked better for Katie and Hayden's best friends, Alexis and Sophie, here in the big city than in my parents' smaller town. Alexis is going to get her real estate license. Sophie is excited about Phoenix's burgeoning fashion scene.

Here, Hayden is attempting to persuade Sophie to take off those high heels. Sophie looks a bit frazzled from her first encounter with Phoenix's summer heat.

But wait... what...

Also joining the household are Draculaura and Cleo De Nile, recently graduated from Monster High and seeking summer jobs before starting their freshman year at Arizona State University. Both girls are a little overwhelmed with their new surroundings, especially after Hayden hinted that, even in Phoenix's casual environment, they might be somewhat casually dressed for job hunting. Draculaura figures she'll get a job with tips at Nami or Green, while Cleo hasn't thought beyond the party scene.

Having sworn up and down that there would be no more houses until at least 2016, I have figured out how to add two bedrooms to Katie and Hayden's abode by moving the smaller houses around the existing shelves. The six of them will have to use the single bathroom in shifts.

More, more, more!

• There are other people who have Liv World dolls!
• Monster High is so complicated, it has a wiki.