Now that I'm in love with this body, what am I supposed to do with my other dolls?

I hate to start off a blog post with the word CRAP but I'm in love with the FR2 body. This is a problem and a puzzlement. There's no way to replace even a fraction of my collection with the new body. Should I retire them? Seriously, this body is amazing - the best 12" body ever. The only problem is that we can't get replacement ones and the feet are too long. A rational doll collector (are there any?) would say to just keep the collections separate. That's kind of impossible. My dolls are begging for new bodies now. CRAP.

Anyway...how gorgeous is this? Vanessa is wearing a little dress from a much earlier doll. Many of the clothes fit beautifully. It's the shoes that are hit and miss (mostly miss.)

And this:

The doll is Aerodynamic Vanessa re-rooted by Susan Korba, (the Magnificent.) She is borrowing a Dasha body and wearing a Dasha gown and shoes. Sitting, reclining and standing are all done beautifully with this body. Can it get better? Yes. Sell us bodies!

Picture of the Week ~ Veronica Hage

This week's featured photo was taken by Veronica Hage who posts on Doll Divas and the W Club. The doll was originally an Aerodynamic Vanessa Fashion Royalty. She is dressed in the fashion from Bewitching Luchia.

Click on the picture to see it full-sized.

The re-root and styling is by Marina. Veronica enhanced the eyes and eyebrows and repainted the lips.

I asked Veronica how she set up the photo and about the camera she uses. This is her reply:

"I used a black velvet background made from an old skirt. I have to keep props to a minimum for quick cleanup as I don't have a lot of time with three young kids. I use two lights for my setup. One at each side. My camera is a Canon Rebel XSi. This is my first SLR and I took a short evening class on the basics at my local community college. I've been using it for about six months now and love it."

Her suggestions for other collectors regarding doll photography:

Look at the doll carefully before shooting. Look for stray hairs, little bits of fuzz, hand position, hair position. Look from the level at which you're going to take the photo. If you see something distracting remove it or fix it. Look again to double-check. Most of one's time taking pictures is setting up.

You can see more of Veronica's collection and photography on Flickr  and on her website.

Three New Fashions from Randall Craig's RTW Line

First up is "Style Icon" It's an adorable and updated classic shirtwaist with satin trim at the hemline and a satin bowed belt. Included are a delightful little tulle embellished straw cap, a turquoise clutch bag, pearl drops, black pumps and a petticoat.

The fit of the dress is perfection. It's made very well. I love the hat with it's sequins and tulle. The black pumps and the pearl drops are not as stylish so I didn't use them. The clutch had issues. I removed the velcro closure because it created too much bulk and the purse didn't close well. Last season's purses had the same issues.

Heat Seeker Natalia above is wearing jewelry by Joy. The shoes are from Integrity Toys.

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Next is Curacao. This is a stunning satin turquoise sheath with gathered pleats on one side. It's made extremely well and has a loose fit. The scarf is the perfect touch for the fashion. The black espadrille wedges are OK but I choose not to use them. We have the pearl drops again. The straw hat shown is not how the hat actually appears. It's very tall in the crown and sticks up so high that it looks like a Mexican sombrero. In his photo, Craig has pushed the hat in at the top to deal with this issue.

Aerodynamic Vanessa is seen here carrying a replica Louis Vuitton handbag and matching shoes from La Boutique POM. She has on IT sunglasses.

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My third outfit is Chica Chica. Again the construction is flawless. The pretty and feminine white blouse has a very loose fit which causes a problem. The high waist of the pants is slim-fitting as it should be and there is too much fabric from the blouse to make it easy to put on and have the pants fit properly. It keeps the pants from being pulled up as high as they could be. The wedges appear again as do the ubiquitous pearl earrings. The straw hat has the same issues at described above. I don't like that the photos don't show the hats as they really are.

My version is wearing Integrity sunglasses and earrings. Her handbag is a replica Hermes Birken from La Boutique POM.

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All fashions shown are $58. at most dealers with free shipping included. Each is limited to 100 pieces.
You can find more pictures of Randall's excellent doll clothing lines, past and present, at his website:
http://www.randallcraigrtw.com/fashions.html
The photos that have the rtw logo in the background are property of Randall Craig.

I take back everything I said about this doll and her lips.

 

The transformation is complete.

"Aerodynamic Vanessa" and "Heat Seeker Natalia"

"Aerodynamic" and "Heat Seeker" are two of the four new basic Fashion Royalty dolls for this season. They arrived yesterday and had their photo shoot. I have not liked the new Natalia dolls until this one. Perhaps it's the simple styling of her hair. She's a keeper.

As for Vanessa, if she's going to sport black lips, she needs the rest of the look to go along with it.

According to Kamola Navo www.thefashiontime.com (August, 2008)
"Black lips, reminiscent of the dark 90s, emerged at the YSL, Giles, and Luella Fall/Winter ‘09 fashion shows. Black lipstick showcases the magic power of decadent Goth aesthetics, along with the potential to be elegant and sophisticated, when applied correctly.

The general opinion of bloggers is that black lipstick is for Halloween or the runway. Maybe Vanessa will keep her black lips, for now, and get a suitably fashionable hairstyle to go along with the look.

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There are two quality control issues with the dolls. I have brought this up previously and apparently it is not being addressed. The heels of the boots are too high and the doll cannot stand straight when the heel and sole are placed on a horizontal surface. What is so difficult about making heels the correct height? People do not walk around with their knees bent. The boots could have been the coolest part of the basic fashions on these dolls.
Be careful not to pull too tightly as the laces will tear their way right through the boots as there are no grommets. You can see the holes beginning to tear and this was the first time I put them on. They will not last long at this rate.

The hairline rooting pattern is uneven at the forehead. Each of the four dolls has the problem to a greater or lesser degree.

Retail price $79. Available at all Integrity dealers who carry Fashion Royalty.