Collecting Fashion Dolls by Terri Gold

Picture of the Week Award ~ December 27, 2009

2009-12-27T14:00:00.002-05:00

We are wrapping up the POW Awards this year with a gorgeous repaint of a Sybarite Seville by Idrusa. It's obvious that there's a lot of talent here! The repaint and the photograph are beautiful.

If you would like to see more of Idrusa's work, here is the link to her flickr photostream.

Congratulations on the Picture of the Week Award, Idrusa.

Black Lace: The Third Mini-Gene Doll and Silver Zinger

2009-12-24T17:35:00.001-05:00

Black Lace arrived yesterday and I couldn't wait to rip open the shipper to see if this one was as wonderful as the first two. I was not disappointed. Of course I don't see how this one should be the same price as the others because she doesn't really have an outfit...but...the lingerie she is wearing is very nicely made. The sheer peignoir drapes nicely. The teddy underneath fits beautifully. Her hair is neat, not frizzy, and well done.
The only thing I was wondering about was the beige bow in her hair. Did they run out of pink ribbon to match the ribbon trim on the fashion? Very strange.
I'm happy to have the three of them.

My good friend Ovaz sent me Silver Zinger's outfit as a Christmas gift. Doll collectors are a great bunch of people! I changed the belt and altered the earrings which were too long. It's a great outfit. Aren't the shoes terrific? These shoes have the opposite issue from the usual issue. The platform is too high for the heels. So we're still looking for the shoe that will stand on it's own thereby enabling the doll to pose in a natural way.

Picture of the Week Award ~ December 20, 2009

2009-12-20T14:54:00.001-05:00

This week's Picture of the Week Award goes to Stacy Leigh for her "frankendollied" Violett Decora.
Violet is one of Doug James' creations and the body is the new 16" Joe Tai replacement body.

Stacy posted several pictures of this doll and I chose this one as the focus is on the doll's face without distracting elements. The composition is excellent. Stacy uses ordinary clip-on lights purchased from Home Depot. Wig is synthetic mohair from Monique. Outfit is Ficon Doll.

If you would like to see more of Stacy's fashion doll photos, click here.

Stacy informed me that her images contain some 'naughty' photos that some may not be comfortable with. Don't say you weren't warned.

Congratulations, Stacy, on the Picture of the Week Award!

Follow Up to post "Are There Any Jewish Dolls?"

2009-12-18T20:29:00.002-05:00

I wanted to add that I am aware that Night Warrior is supposed to represent Anna Valerious, a vampire hunter from the movie Van Helsing.
Her cross was not a fashion statement but rather form of protection. According to Bob Bankard "the Christian cross - which represented the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - was an anathema to those who have experienced demonic resurrection."
Sideshow Toys made a similarly sized 12" doll that sold for $40. Someone on Amazon is trying to sell it for $250. You can find different sized ones scattered about but this one is the best - that is until Vanessa came along.

____________________

"jesus called he said he liked my nails"
Image by Audrey Kitching

Mini Genes: Blue Caprice and Red Desire

2009-12-17T21:56:00.000-05:00

Blue Caprice is as close to perfect as any Integrity doll I've ever purchased. In these pictures she is standing without support. I snipped a few stray hairs and threads and that's it. Whatever they told the workers to do should be reinforced. The quality is excellent. It's very difficult to serge chiffon but it was done successfully without the edge being excessively perforated. Her hair could have been a gelled nightmare like we've seen for the past year but it's curled carefully and there's barely any visible fixative. What happened? Did she come out of a different factory? Hello! Is anyone at Integrity reading this? Please keep it up. OK...there's one thing - the earrings are overscaled. But I'll take that any day. I love this doll.

Red Desire is another well executed doll. Luckily the design of the original gown was made into a comprehensible whole as opposed to the odd styling of the original. Red has a sad look on her face that didn't show up in the promotional photos. She seems to be pleading for something. Her beautiful mahogany colored hair was done very well. The gown is made nicely except for the closure as you can see in the third picture below. I do not like papery flowers on my doll clothes but they're on the original so there was a reason for them to be there. The feather boa wrap doesn't shed as much as it might. Just shake it out after removing it from the box. The earrings are the same over-sized ones only these have red rhinestones.

I adore her tiny red shoes. I've been told that she has the Misaki size body with fashion feet (as opposed to articulated ankles.)

Isn't the photo of the comparison scary? Gene looks like an Amazon. The shoes shown on the Gene body did not come with the original dress but the scrunchy thing around her shoulders did.
I can't wait to get the third Mini Gene, Midnight Lace. I hope she's as well made as these two gals.
Attention to detail is one of the most important things in my evaluation of a doll. These two score very, very high in that department.

Osvaldo Vasquez, Dolly Dress Designer

2009-12-17T14:30:00.001-05:00

Twice a year, Osvaldo Vasquez, aka Ovaz, debuts a new line of breathtaking gowns for 1/6 scale dolls. His creations are, for the most part, not for the faint-of-heart. Sequins, beads, lace, skin tight and sheer fabrics are his palette. Here are two from his latest collection. I want them!

Photos above by Ovaz

I interviewed Ovaz a few days ago. Here are the questions and his answers:

1. How you make the dresses?

All my dresses start in a scrap of paper. Sometimes I see a couple of dresses in a store and I vision a couple if each dress details into One design. That's how the process start..then the selection of the fabrics .. Living in NY that's very easy. lol

But one of the most important thing during the fabric selection is the size of the sequins and crystals.. They have to be at the scale of the doll..so it look natural...I don't create Doll clothes. I create woman clothes for a doll.I think that's what I want to accomplish .

2. What types of fabrics are used? Where do you buy your fabrics?

I use alot of different fabric... Chiffon,strecth, anything with sequins.

Most from NYC stores... I even sometimes go to macys or bloomingdale to the clearance racks and buy gowns just for the fabrics..

3. How long you've been doing this?

I been designing for about 15 years

4. How long does it take to make most dresses?
It take me about 3 days to finish a dress with alot of sequins..(beaded by hand,no glue. With the glue technique about 1 day.. But when it come to a whole collection it take me about 3 months to complete the collection

5. How many collections per year you make?

I try to do 2 regular collections (fashion shows) and 1 Holiday collection

6. Do you do OOAK commissions?

Sometimes I do commissions, but not a lot. It's hard for me to follow direction or visions of somebody else.. Lol

7. What is your art background or your background in general?

My background has nothing to do with Fashion.. My background is in the travel & Hotel industry ..all this started when I wanted to come to the USA to study... I needed 3 credits to graduate from High School before the regular end of school year and the only class available was sewing 24 student and I was the only guy. But I learned the basis of sewing.. And look now...

8. What dolls do you collect?

Fashion Royalty - but not all of them because sooner or later they end up in somebody's home with one of my designs. The only dolls I love are my repaints by Pink Man. They love it when I dress them, but they don't leave my house....lol

9. What designers do you admire - real or doll sized?

Hmm...I love Bob Mackie and Versace, also Valentino. Fellow artist I admire are Pink Man, Gin-O, Tula, Randall C., Matisse. And when it come to blog or Photo if the week....You, Terri.

I have several Ovaz gowns in my own collection and the girls are always fighting over them. Here are some of them. One can never have enough Ovaz!

If you would like to see more of Ovaz' work, here is the link to his website: www.ovazdesigns.com

Mini Genes Arrived

2009-12-17T01:23:00.000-05:00

This was one of those great dolly weeks during which the dolls and doll goodies kept arriving. The two so-called Mini Genes arrived. They're just out of the box and I love them. Petite and delicate-looking, these may be Jason's prettiest dolls yet! The quality of the hair styling is excellent. YAY. The bodies aren't wobbly. I don't know which body type they have but it's quite small. I couldn't take my eyes off of Blue Caprice. I'm hoping to have time to photograph them on Thursday.

I entered the lottery for the lingerie version Mini Gene but was not chosen. Another collector has graciously allowed me to spend my money and take over their spot.

I purchased three Antoinette outfits from Lynn's sale. They were each reduced from $99.00 to $49.00. There seem to be plenty of the expensive dressed Antoinettes remaining at dealers all over the country. When dolls I paid nearly retail price for go on sale less than 6 months later, I cringe. That's the way it is with most Tonner dolls.

Other goodies this week: Gene's light up dressing table and stool. That's going to be a fun prop. First I have to fix it as the mirror surround broke away from the dressing table's surface probably due to the extreme cold during the ride here in the UPS truck.

Simon Chase finally arrived looking fabulous in his tuxedo. It fits him beautifullly and I'm pleased with the doll although I think I like Jeremy Voss' looks better.

Two FDA outfits arrived from Paris. They ship so fast that I get my order in under 7 days from sending payment!

Are There Any Jewish Dolls?

2009-12-14T19:57:00.019-05:00

After writing my last post about the American Girl doll Rebecca, and the Chanukah and Sabbath accessories that can be purchased for her, I did a search for Jewish Dolls on Google.
But before going there I want to share something I've wondered about on and off for the last few weeks. The Fashion Royalty doll called Night Warrior comes with a cross on a chain. It's not a crucifix but it is a cross. Jason Wu has created several pieces of jewelry for his dolls with crosses. One of the Homme dolls has a cross on a tiny bead chain. Several tiny rhinestone studded crosses have shown up on belts. I began to wonder - are his crosses fashion statements or are they religious jewelry? I wanted to post the question on my favorite doll boards but I envisioned the possibility of a crusade ensuing.
The necklace my Kaori is wearing is a Star of David. It is not a fashion statement.

Here's what I found when I did my search:
Gali Girls - Very similar to American Girl dolls but about half the price. Is Gali short for Galicia? Galicia
was a royal province of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire where many Jews lived. There was a great deal of "ethnic oppression." According to one source "the majority of Galician Jews perished in the holocaust. Most survivors immigrated to Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom or Australia." Interesting name for a group of dolls. Odd...she doesn't look Jewish. ;-O

Mini Mishpacha Doll Family
These dolls are for children under 3 years of age. The male dolls have yarmulkas and prayer shawls and the females are modestly dressed and frumpy-looking. I'm sure that any 2 year old would tear the clothes off as soon as they figured out how to do it. I'm sure these are not widely distributed.
Here's a quote from the site:
"Modest - Lady and girl dolls have subtly feminine features (not l ike the immodest "fashion" dolls) Hmmm...do you think they're talking about Barbie? Duh. So I guess it means these dolls don't have breasts because that would make them immodest and god forbid a 2 year-old knew that women have breasts, vaginas and stuff like that.
The grandpa doll:
The Ellis Island Collection Dolls Series
This is a wonderful collection of "turn-of-the-century replica dolls with beautifully featured porcelain faces. These dolls are dressed in historically accurate, detailed clothing. Each exquisitely detailed porcelain doll comes with its own stand. Fully dressed in clothing reminiscent of the late 1800's to early 1900's immigrants. Complete with accouterments as pictured. Includes certificate of authenticity."
I am impressed! They're beautiful dolls. I love the costumes. Priced at $59.99, they're certainly within reach of collectors. I might actually get one of the 18 different characters. This is Sadie:
You can buy the entire collection for $899.99. They're almost as tall as Cissy. I'm guessing that they have soft bodies although the description does not specify.
By the way, these are not the same dolls as those from the company that goes by the name ellisislanddolls.com. Their dolls are beautiful as well.

That pretty much concludes what I'd call Jewish dolls. I did find Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud beanbags, stereotypical caricatures of elder Jewish men, biblical figures such as Moses and adult gag gifts like Harvey Magila who is a sound activated thing that dances and plays Hava Nagila. (Batteries included. $18.00) Tongue-in-cheek. I came across this interesting blog post that ties in with this post although in a political way. Gollywogs and Jewish Dolls.
By this time you may be asking yourself what all this has to do with dolls wearing crosses. Why not come up with an answer yourself and post it here. Or not. At least I put it out there.

Holiday Accessories for Dolls Celebrating Chanukah

2009-12-14T17:33:00.009-05:00

American Girl is just about the only company I have discovered to date that acknowledges the existence of holidays other than Christmas. I applaud them for being inclusive when it comes to different ethnicities and beliefs in the creation of their dolls and background stories. Their dolls are widely available and are not charicatures of children of various ethnic backgrounds, they are just children who happen to be different from eachother.
Although most adult fashion doll collectors do not include American Girl dolls in their collections, some of the accessories can be worked in. In my photo of Kaori, two posts back, I used an American Girl menorah and dreidel. This year AG has another menorah available and it's beautiful. It comes in a set called Rebecca's Hanukkah Set, [Item#F9723] and retails for $22.

Here are the photos from their website:

The description: "Rebecca can't wait to light the menorah and celebrate Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights! This set features: A beautiful menorah and nine pretend candles A dreidel Rebecca and her cousins spin to play games Three shiny coins, called gelt."

The price is right and can bring your gals into the multi-cultural world!

American Girl has also provided Rebecca with a Sabbath Set.
This beautiful set comes with:
"A Russian samovar and tray for heating water and serving tea
A tea canister and a ceramic teapot
Two glasses, pretend hallah bread and a scalloped cloth
A pair of [pretend] Sabbath candles that the women in Rebecca's family "light" before sundown
Two blue candlesticks that were a gift to Rebecca from Mr. Rossi"

The Sabbath set is back-ordered until March 2010. The retail price is $68.

Tea? My grandpa drank a shot of schnapps on Shabbos. I guess we can't give little girls bottles of Schnapps and shot glasses, can we?
In addition, hallah is spelled challah and hanukkah is spelled Chanukah. I'm just sayin'

Picture of the Week Award ~ December 13, 2009

2009-12-13T11:42:00.000-05:00

I've seen the name La Pierle many times connected with beautiful and trendy doll fashions. What I didn't know was that this same person is an accomplished photographer and Photoshop user. Her real name is Valerie Humbert-Deshayes and she is a free-lance textile designer. Her photography and fashion design demonstrate and echo her passion for textures and fabrics.

Valerie's native language is French but her English is excellent compared to my French. She described the image and fashion to me and gave me permission to reword her description. The part in quotes are her words.

Valerie obtained the embroidered tulle with irridescent beads and mother of pearl sequins from her Indian textile supplier. She wanted something transparent and light even though the fabric is quite heavy due to the beading. Once she had the fabric the style of the dress came easily.
The idea behind the image's mood is "inspired by the magic of Christmas. Salvation is the concept that other higher power, as part of Divine Providence, saves Humanity from spiritual death or eternal damnation by providing for them an eternal life."

Post processing was done in Photoshop through the use of multiple layers and lots of skill!

You can see more of La Pierle's work at Etsy and Flickr.

Congratulations, Valerie, on the Picture of the Week Award.

Happy Chanukah to Everyone

2009-12-11T18:22:00.002-05:00

May your days shine brightly and may your hearts be filled with warmth.

Can I just get the shoes?

2009-12-10T12:51:00.000-05:00

There are many who will spend $150 for a non-articulated doll dressed in a black catsuit with painted black hands and four pair of shoes. They are probably the very same people who bought my Platinum Cher doll for $500. I can't put you down because I take a look at my dolly spreadsheet from time to time and cringe when I see what I spend on doll clothes. It's obscene. But at least my dolls can sit, bend their arms and are fully articulated.

Anyway, I keep seeing these images of the Christian Louboutin Cat Burglar doll. The packaging is very nice. I wonder if the shoes are plastic? The doll is limited to 7700 worldwide. That seems like a huge amount to me when I collect dolls that are variously limited from less than 100 to about 1000. The range of retail prices I've seen is from a low of $149.99 to a high of $299.99. Unreal.

"Here is a brief description: Christian Louboutin has collaborated with Barbie to create this limited edition 'Cat Burglar' doll. In a black catsuit and Differa sandals, she is the perfect gift for fashion lovers. She comes with a collection of 4 red-soled Louboutins, each with their own shoe box and bag. "

I love the last picture. Definitely a hottie!

Mattel outdid themselves this year and their rising prices reflected the extra effort.

Jamie Show for Angelic Dreamz

2009-12-07T16:01:00.001-05:00

Recently Angelic Dreamz began shipping the Jamieshow dolls that they helped to develop. I have been reading the reviews on Prego and it sounds like the dolls are winners in almost every aspect.
There are four characters, Mayumi, Kyra, Jamie and RuYi. Each comes as a basic doll dressed in lingerie or as a dressed doll in a beautiful ensemble.

The dolls are wigged with painted features although Mayumi, Kyra and Jamie can be optionally had with drilled eye sockets for an additional charge.

Pictured below: Jamie, Kyra, Mayumi and RuYi.

The dressed dolls:

Prices range from $249.95 for the basic dolls to $345.95 RuYi dressed, $375.95 for Jamie (red gown)
to $425.95 for Mayumi and Kyra.

There are four additional gorgeous gowns available at $124.95 each.

In addition, a collector may choose to purchase an optional hand set, jewelry and doll stand. I've heard that this stand is one of the best ever for 16" dolls! The only negative information that has come from collectors is that the eyes and wigs aren't the quality they expected and Kyra's finish should be more matte. But the weight of the body is excellent and the posing is superior - even without a stand.

For more pictures and information visit Angelic Dreamz.

Picture of the Week Award ~ December 6, 2007

2009-12-06T16:33:00.006-05:00

This week's featured photograph is as much about the doll as the photography. They both deserve the spotlight.
Alexandra Forbes is a well known photographer in the fashion doll world. Not only is she the Creative Editor for FDQ, she is a regular participant on the doll board Prego and that is where she posted this amazing photograph of the Ficon doll, ME IN.

I asked Alexandra to tell us about the doll and how she made the photograph.

The doll featured in the photograph is produced by Ficon doll http://www.ficondoll.com/

Her name is "ME IN." This is a traditional Korean name meaning "Beautiful Woman." ME IN, herself, is a high quality resin 16 inch fashion doll and part of a new gift set that has just been released by the doll manufacturer, Ficon Doll. Her beautiful wig, tights, shoes and the gown are all part of this amazing gift set. The image you see featured on her gown is one of the original (ME IN) based in Korean history, which adds a very special touch to this Versace inspired gown.

My photograph was taken in a black lighting cube tent with a highly polished black veneered surface as the floor. The doll reclines on a simple plastic riser. Keeping everything monochrome and simple helped to lend high drama and keep the focus on this exquisite doll.

With gorgeous photography and dolls like this, the dolls will be very hard to get! That's what makes it worth it to many in the doll collecting hobby.

Congratulations, Alex, on the Picture of the Week Award!

You can see more of Alexandra's beautiful photography at her website: Alex's Attic.

Flocking Tutorial from RestoreDoll.com

2009-12-03T21:34:00.003-05:00

Kathy at RestoreDoll.com sent out this excellent tutorial on flocking doll heads. I have done some editing for clarity and present it to you here.

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An easy and inexpensive change for your dolls is to use flocking. White flocking looks good on guy dolls, elves, fairies and avant guard models. Pink and light colors also look great and take little effort. Think of doing a take-off on the fifties elves that were done with flocking and glitter for a magical effect...add some to wings and it gives a magical look. My favorite vintage 1950’s ornaments have flocked hair, i.e. angels and choirboys. I still display these. Do you remember flocked Santas?

Reflocking Hair:

Before you get started let’s cover issues that need taken care of before flocking. First make sure your doll is clean. I use KatSilk KatScrub Cleaner or 409 for Vinyl Dolls for regular dirt. If your doll has ink spots or discoloration, I recommend using Remove-Zit from Twin Pines. You want to start out with a clean doll with other restorations already done. You can reflock any doll head.

Supplies: Paper plate, toothpicks, kitchen strainer (the kind with screening in it), a clean blusher brush (the kind you use to put blush on your face), clean white paper and some water.

Work in a well-lit area and take your time.

Take time to study your doll head. Ask yourself, do I want to re-flock the entire head or just spots? Look at the hairline or get some good pictures to follow out of your books or magazines if you can no longer see the hairline.

Unless there is a reason I re-flock over the original flocking. You can mix black with the brown or charcoal if your doll looks darker or glitter.

Put a small amount of glue on your paper plate and use your small brush to add a little water to it. You are looking for a thin consistency that will brush on but will not run.

We are doing the front of the doll first. Start with the small brush forming a hairline as you paint. Outline the front of doll’s hairline up over the ears. If you get some glue on an area that you do not want, take the toothpick and carefully scrape away the unwanted glue. Fill in the rest of the front of the head with the larger brush. You are going to need to add glue and water to your paint mixture (watered down glue) until you have the front side finished.

Pour flocking into the strainer. Put doll head over the paper and shake the strainer over the glued surface. If there are any missed areas or I see that I could use a little more I pick up some flocking with my blusher brush and softly add the flocking to the area.
When satisfied with the look, use the dry blushing brush to gently press the flocking into the glue or pat with a finger. (If any glue gets on your blushing brush, remove it with a dry towel.)
If you see the hairline does not look straight use your toothpick to scrape away any unwanted flocking.
Take your time and don’t be in a hurry
Brush the excess off any area that looks too thick. Also, brush off any flocking that has gotten on to the unglued area.
Turn the doll over and repeat this process on the back of the head. I like to let the doll dry in a sitting up position so none of the flocking is touching any surface as it dries.
If you don’t like the way it looks you can always wash off the flocking and glue with warm and start over.

Happy Holidays,

Kathy at RestoreDoll.com

Haute Doll Exclusive ~ Fashion Doll Agency Kaori - Almost Mine

2009-12-03T20:41:00.001-05:00

Since receiving Marcella from FDA recently, I have become a fan of these dolls. I bought three separate outfits and a few days ago I ordered the Haute Doll Kaori which was the premier doll put out by Fashion Doll Agency about two years ago. The price was $149.99 and for a dressed FDA doll, that is very good.

She was delivered today by UPS. To my surprise and dismay the doll box was inside a larger box with no cushioning to take up the extra room allowing the doll box to shake, rattle and roll. The exterior plastic box sleeve had to be wiped off as it was quite dusty and soiled. OK...so it was stored for a while.

Something was moving around inside the box and I held my breath as I lifted off the cover lest I see a loose body part. What I saw was not a broken doll but she looked as if she had been hit by a car. There wasn't a straight limb in the box. It had been her handbag moving around. Kaori was not tied into the box properly and was all twisted and turned. Her shoes had one heel bent. One cheek had two good-sized rub marks under the eye; her hair was fly-away. This doll appeared to have been taken out of the box at some point.

I called Haute Doll and left a message. Then I sent an email to FDA and cc'd HD.

Shortly after sending the email I got a call back from HD. The caller acknowledged that they did have one return of that doll and perhaps that is the one that was sent to me. Perhaps? They never imagined (or checked to see) that the doll might have been deboxed.

They are sending me a different doll - which is their last one. Although when I return this one...she will be their last.

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This is the partial text of the email I sent to FDA:

I have a question for you regarding the Haute Doll exclusive Kaori which I received from them today. I have a newer FDA doll who comes with a stand that supports the doll perfectly. This doll came with a different type of stand, is that correct?
The reason I am asking is that I received the doll very poorly secured in the box. Even the base of the stand was loose! One heel on one of the shoes is twisted....The doll I received from you was perfectly packaged.......
I am thinking that this doll had already been taken out of the box for some reason and that is the one they sold to me...or perhaps she was a return from someone.
___
I got the nicest reply from Nunzio & Jayro which follows here in it's entirety.

Bonsoir, dear Terri!
We are very happy you choose Kaori HauteDoll, she's a very sweet girl, even if she was the very first production, that's why unfortunately some details may not seem perfect.
In fact she comes without protection paper rolled around her and her stand is just the first type. But you have a very special doll indeed, 'cause her face mold is not in production anymore and she's the one who open the way to all others FashionDollAgency Girls!
About the high hill shoe, there is metal inside the leather, so it should be quite easy to have it back in the right position; we don't have those shoes anymore, but we might be able to send you another different pair! ;-)
We do hope our answer satisfy you, please, just write again for any other question whenever you need or want to.
take care!
xxx
nunzio & jayro
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It was a pleasure and a treat to get a response from an international company that was so friendly and open. These gentlemen have moved right to the top of my list when it comes to providing customer service.

Now if only all my Tonner 16" fashions would fit these dolls........I can dream.

Fashion Royalty: Night Warrior Vanessa arrives from Japan

2009-11-29T10:46:00.008-05:00

Number 20 Vanessa joins the tribe. While worthy of the name, she is quite different from her 19 sisters in that she represents a fictional character who wields a sword and might very well have jumped off the pages of a comic book. [Correction: I have been reminded that this doll was created to resemble the character who was played by Kate Beckinsale in the Van Helsing movie.]
Speaking of series, here is the series of Vanessa dolls From the first one in 2004, Shock Bonbon. through the latest, Night Warrior, they have all been ultra-feminine with the exception, perhaps, of Aerodynamic. She carries a chair instead of a sword. Could she be the pre-cursor of a line of weapon-carrying Fashion Royalty dolls? I would prefer the use of different sculpts for warrior dolls. But that's just me. All of the images below are the property of Integrity Toys unless otherwise noted.

Shock Bonbon

Fashionable Life Platinum

Fashionable Life Raven

Poésie Sans Couleur

Runway Right Away

Intoxicating Mix

(Unknown Photographer)

True Royalty

Obsidian Society

Miami Glow

In Bloom

(Photo by Natasha Powers)

Pale Fire

Going Places

(Photo by Natasha Powers)

High Tide

Color Therapy

Metal Maven

Shirred Not Shaken

Cruise Control

Aerodynamic

Luxe Life

Night Warrior

Be very careful when zipping up her boots! They are rather tight and the pants might get caught in the teeth of the zipper. I taped the lower leg right down to her ankle to create a smooth surface and it was still difficult to move the slider.

Picture of the Week Award ~ November 28, 2009

2009-11-29T10:05:00.005-05:00

The picture of the week is of Asher by Paul Pham. The photographer is Karine from Fleurdelys Shop in France.

Karine says that this Asher is beautiful, very versatile and that her body is one of the most realistic of the 16" dolls. She loves taking pictures. She believes that Paul Pham's dolls and the Sybarites are the very best of this hobby. They pose easily and lend themselves well to all types of photography.

This image is perfection in every way. The lighting is soft and flattering; the composition draws the viewer gently to the doll's eyes. The fact that the doll is drop dead gorgeous can't be denied.

If you would like to see more of Karine's work, here are several links for you:
Doll Shop
Gallery
Blog

Congratulations, Karine, on the Picture of the Week Award.

Dollystyle Convention Featured Souvenir Dolls

2009-11-25T12:30:00.006-05:00

The Dollystyle Convention just took place in Tokyo on November 21-22. Attendees were presented with a stunning Amelie (Misaki's friend) dressed all in pink. Her fashion is a a throw back to the first Misaki doll who was dressed similarly but all in black. Amelie is called "Tokyo A Go Go." The original Misaki was called "Tokyo Here We Go!"
There was also an uber-limited Tokyo Here We Go - Marui Misaki released when the Nippon line began. I wanted this doll for such a long time and then I stopped collecting Misaki. She was dressed all in white and only 100 were ever made. I still admire this doll.

The other doll took me by surprise and until I was able to secure one I was on pins and needles. She is called "Night Warrior" and has the Vanessa sculpt.
Registrants also received the following items. This partial list was posted by Robsdolls.

DollyStyle Tote Bag(The 1st two were great!)
DollyStyle Tumbler
DollyStyle Pen
ECO Cute Bag-gift from Bar-B
Mini Cosmetic bag-gift from PB Factory
Momoko Doll-Gift from Sekiguchi
Doll Stockings-Gift from Azone
Mini Doll or Blythe items-Gift from Toms Toys & Goods

The convention was sponsored by BIC Co., Ltd. owned by the wonderful Kazue.

Fashion Doll Agency Marcella "Double Mousseline"

2009-11-24T22:22:00.004-05:00

The newest girl in my collection is Marcella. This young lady arrived directly from Paris and the Fashion Doll Agency created by Nunzio Carbone and Jayro Bustamante. The team has created five dolls so far: Petra, Pola, Kaori, Manon and Marcella. Each has her own back story.
Marcella is purported to be an Italian student who was discovered during a student trip to Paris. I don't follow doll stories but they're there for those who enjoy that kind of thing.
The doll is 16 inches tall with blue eyes and brunette hair. Mousseline is the type of fabric from which her outfit is made. It's a very filmy, fairly transparent cloth which is shapeless and quite fragile. I am not pleased with the edge finishing on those two pieces. Her sandals are fabulous and made from real leather.
The earrings and bracelets are substantial and made from metal. Her purse is pink - probably vinyl - and she can hold it due to the shape of her right hand. Wonderful!
This doll is surprisingly weighty. I wasn't expecting that. And...here's a treat...her stand actually is the correct height and supports her without any problem. That's a first. But because she is so heavy, I couldn't pose her without any support. I can live with that for now.
With the aid of one small straight pin, Marcella can wear Attention's dress. It fits her better than it fits the Avantguard doll!

Poppy Parker

2009-11-24T22:19:00.002-05:00

This past week I had the opportunity to photograph two Poppy Parker dolls, Reluctant Debutante and Holiday in the Hamptons. My one word review is 'cute.' I'm not a fan of the Misaki body with it's flat feet and articulated ankles but many are. Both of these dolls were highly sought after and sold out quickly.

Reluctant Debutante is a brunette who comes dressed in a lovely pastel colored modern shirtwaist dress, kitten heels and a fuzzy white coat. The cuteness just oozes out of her yellow hair bow and white gloves.

The face is quite sophisticated and has molded eyelash ridges. She is a pretty doll. This doll was available through retailers for $89.

"Holiday in the Hamptons" Poppy Parker Gift Set contains three outfits and a doll. That Poppy has auburn hair which is pulled back into a severe, low pony tail. I think she is the least pretty of all the Poppys.

The playsuit is adorable and the sneakers fit perfectly. The laces do not have to be opened! The center outfit is OK but doesn't fit in with Poppy's ultra neat appearance. I would have liked a different blouse - although the blouse is very well made and has many fine tailoring details. Her 'little black dress' suits her very well. The shoes are too large and they gap at the sides. I have heard that this problem occurs with the other Poppy dolls' shoes as well. I can't imagine what the designers were thinking when they created the over-scaled bouquet of roses. Each rose is larger than one of her hands. Look at one of your hands and picture a bouquet of eight roses that size. Yikes!
This gift set and all the Poppy dolls are packaged in attractive window boxes with nice satin ribbon ties. Retail price on this set was $150.

From her introduction, Poppy reminded me of Tiny Kitty by Tonner. She still does. However, my attraction to this doll is that her pretty dresses fit my Mdvanii clone, Persia.

Isn't she lovely? I haven't had her long and she takes some getting used to but I'm enjoying how very different she is. In these photos Persia is wearing Reluctant Debutante's dress, a pair of Barbie heels, a Fashion Royalty necklace and she is carrying a NuFace handbag. Although this resin doll has very little articulation, I enjoy posing her because she is so unusual-looking. I would like to add another one of these lovelies to my collection one day. She is hand-made by Darrell Wallace and is a clone of the very rare and exclusive Mdvanii doll.

Picture of the Week Award ~ November 22, 2009

2009-11-22T14:00:00.001-05:00

I am happy to feature the work of France Briere today. France aka Bijou Doll is an uber-talented repaint artist. I have not seen one doll she has worked on that I wouldn't add to my collection. I met her at a Fashion Royalty convention and she is as delightful and as beautful in person as her work!
Here is a repaint of Ellowyne she posted today:

See more by clicking on this link: Bijou Doll
Congratulations, France, on your Picture of the Week Award!

Barbie Basics - Collection #001

2009-11-19T18:43:00.008-05:00

This is a very attractive, clever and fun-looking collection! Barbie Basics Collection #001 consists of twelve different dolls dressed in a different little black dresses. Each doll's description includes the name of the sculpt that the doll has such: Mackie, Lara, Steffie, Goddess, Kayla/Lea, Carnaval, Aphrodite, Mbili, Diva, Deidre, Teresa and Tango. The prices are right at $19.95 each. The entire set of twelve dolls would cost $239.40. There's lots of play possibility here unless the dresses are sewn on and I wouldn't put it past Mattel to do that.

There are four accessory packs, called "Looks," which contain scarves, purses, shoes, jewelry, and props. These are priced at $14.95. I would have to have one of each which would add up to $59.80.

If you are going to buy the entire kit and kaboodle, be prepared for a total of $299.20 and don't kid yourself that you will only open one a month. LOL
I'd have to rip those puppies out of their boxes in one shot, get them all set up and start playing. I can see it now. Announcing the "Little Black Dress Fashion Show." Get your runways up, ladies.

Go to the Barbie Collector site:
http://www.barbiecollector.com/shop/shelf.aspx?shelfid=0
to see larger images of the dolls and accessories.

The collection is designed by Bill Greening and is going to be available on December 7, 2009. You know you want it.

Buyer Frenzy ~ Poppy Parker Giftset

2009-11-18T23:35:00.002-05:00

One week ago it was announced to members of the W Club that the Poppy Parker Giftset (described in the preceding post) would go on sale - first come, first served - on November 18 at 10AM CST. Within two minutes the site had slowed to an imperceptible crawl. I logged in at the precise time the link went active and it took a full 20 minutes to get my order confirmed. After I did it three times during the first few minutes, I took the advice of one of the liaisons and did not hit refresh again. I don't think I breathed as my order slowly advanced forward to the end. I have never in my life had such an experience ordering something. It was like walking a tightrope.
At 11:22 AM the link was shut down. An announcement was made that the remaining sets would be distributed via lottery to be held from that time until late that night. People had dolls in their carts when the lights went out on them. The stories some collectors posted about what they did to be able to have computer access at that time approached what many would call "willing to go to any lengths."
There's no blame to be placed here. Collectors are wild about these dolls. It reminded me of the horrific event on Black Friday at a Walmart store last year. A crowd of shoppers whose buying impulses had been fueled by the scent of great sales stormed the doors at the moment of opening and actually killed an employee in the mad rush.

Poppy Parker Giftset "Holiday in the Hamptons"

2009-11-18T11:00:00.005-05:00

This is the soon-to-be released Poppy Parker Giftset called Holiday in the Hamptons. One lovely red-head Poppy doll and three fashions for day, play and evening wear make up the contents of the set. Only one pair of shoes is included for all three outfits! There could have been a pair of sandals thrown in there instead of the roses. I really like the black dress and the polka-dotted playsuit.

Price of the set is $150. which seems about right.

Date of availability: TBA