AP PHOTOS: The dolly wears Prada

The Associated Press

Prada, Chanel and Christian Dior are among dozens of fashion houses taking a momentary pause from the red-carpet elite to design a series of dolls for charity.

The miniature figurines, that sport bejeweled skirt-suits and satin full skirts, will go under the hammer in Paris on Dec. 2 in an auction organized by the UN's children's agency, UNICEF.

Proceeds from the initiative entitled "Designers' Little Faces" will be used to fund vaccinations for an estimated 300,000 infants in Sudan's Darfur region against polio and diphtheria.

"In the 10 years this has been running we've saved over 3 million lives. It's a chain of happiness," says Michele Barzach, president of UNICEF-France.

The dolls are expected to fetch more than $200,000.

Here's a gallery of images of the dolls, which are being exhibited in Paris' Petit Palais until Dec. 1.

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