New Deja Vu Dolls

Tonner's new release in their Deja Vu line consists of six dressed dolls and three outfits. One of the outfits was not ready for showing at the time of the debut. 
Deja Vu dolls are sold directly by Tonner, not through their dealers.*

Judy's Grand Entrance

$179.99

• Painted blue eyes with applied black eyelashes
• Summer Blonde rooted saran hair
• Red and black brocade dress with faux flower decoration
• Black gloves
• Black bead bracelet
• Black bead earrings
• Nude pantyhose
• Black elastic shoes
• Black faux fur shawl

Lady Arabella - Garden Walk - Expected to arrive 4/3/15

$199.99

• Cameo skin tone
• Painted violet eyes with applied black eyelashes
• Chestnut rooted saran hair with black snood
• Black and gold dress with crinkle velvet skirt with sequins and beaded flower decoration, ribbon trim, and embroidered organza collar
• Nude pantyhose
• Black faux leather shoes
• Black and gold earrings

Emma Jean's Icy Lace

$199.99

• Cameo skin tone
• Painted green eyes with applied black eyelashes
• Medium Brown rooted saran hair
• Ice blue/silver sequin lace dress
• Ice blue gloves
• Bead necklace
• Nude pantyhose
• Silver faux leather shoes
• Bead earrings

Soirées d’or - Expected to arrive 4/3/15

$189.99

• Cameo skin tone
• Painted green eyes with applied black eyelashes
• Mink rooted saran hair
• Gold brocade dress with white faux fur collar and gold trim
• White petticoat
• Nude pantyhose with attached panties
• Gold earrings
• White faux fur neck muff
• Gold matching shoes
• Gold matching hat with ribbon trim
• Gold earrings

Emma Jean's Perfect Ensemble

$174.99

• Purple knit coat with grey faux fur trim
• Purple knit long sleeve dress
• Grey hat with ribbon trim
• Grey faux pearl necklace
• Grey knit gauntlets
• Grey tights
• Grey faux suede shoes 

Emma Jean's Extravagant Night Out

$179.99

• 16" Déjà vu™ body  
• Cameo skin tone
• Painted green eyes with applied black eyelashes
• Pale blonde rooted saran hair
• Black with silver and purple print velveteen dress with a rhinestone brooch and attached silver bead necklace
• Black knit gauntlets
• Silver and rhinestone cuffs
• Black tights
• Black ribbon headband with rhinestone and feather decoration
• Black faux leather shoes

Emma Jean's Dramatic Entrance - Outfit Only

$99.99

• Black knit dress
• Black bead necklace
• Black tights
• Black hat with rhinestone decoration
• Black faux leather shoes

I am partial to the Roaring 20's era and the styling of Emma Jean's fashions. The "Dramatic Entrance" outfit above is stunning and it looks as if it would fit other 16" dolls as well.

Judy on Stage - Outfit Only

$94.99

• Pink net dress with rhinestone embroidered decoration
• Pink gloves
• White petticoat
• Rhinestone necklace
• Rhinestone bracelets
• Pink satin shoes

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*Cherished Friends has a beautiful Emma Jean dressed doll "Sterling Night" on sale for $159.99 and a basic "Judy's Ready to Wear" doll on sale for $99.99.

Clearance Sale at Cherished Friends

Cherished Friends is holding a three day clearance sale June 9th through the 11th. The prices for the dolls (all Tonner products) are excellent.

For example, the 22" American Model Constance Dressed Doll, original retail $449.99 is now $179.99!

Also on sale are several other 22" dolls, Tiny Kitty, Tonner Ballet, Cami & Jon, Marilyn Monroe, Antoinette, Precarious, Re-Imagination, Theatre de la Mode, Tyler Wentworth, DeeAnna Denton, James Dean, Evangeline and Ellowyne.

CHERISHED FRIENDS

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 The sister store is also running a great sale including items such as Wonder Woman 22",  Harley Quinn 22", Patsy, Warm Bodies, Wizard of Oz, Momoko, Harry Potter and more.

Luciana Silkstone Barbie is Revealed

The latest Silkstone has been revealed by Mattel. She is Luciana Barbie, a doll shop and Barbie Collector Exclusive.  Retail price is $99.

She is not to my personal taste as I don't care for the huge forehead (or any other part of it.)  The suit with it's peplum jacket and flounced skirt is, once again, overly designed. Add in the boots, the lace gloves, the patterned fabric on top of all that and there's just too much going on. Did I mention the rhinestone buttons on the jacket, the big cuffs and giant pocket flaps, the buttoned up peter pan collar or the gathered shoulders? OMG.
Good designers don't put everything they possibly can into one ensemble and call it fashion...
unless it's in Gone With The Wind.

Even in this frilly dress, there's a control - it's all white. Can you imagine an overall flowery print and this dress? You would go blind.
But I digress. Apparently Robert Best is not at his best this year. Perhaps it's that his doppelganger doll has done so poorly with collectors.

But, if you like this doll - Cherished Friends, the best doll store on earth is carrying her and that's where you should buy it.
Tell Lynn that Terri sent you.

LINK to Cherished Friends

A Few Announcements

So Many Dolls; So Little Time

-3 Day Clearance Sale at Cherished Friends - Below wholesale prices. (Photo shows only a fraction of items on sale.)
http://cherishedfriends.com/WeeklySale1-13-14.html

-FDQ Interior Design Contest: 
http://www.fdqmedia.com/contest.html

-TonnerCon 2014 Registration Now Open
https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1328242

Happy Holidays Sale at Cherished Friends

 
Just in case you need more dolls, both the PA and NJ branches of Cherished Friends are having sales:

PA store sale:

http://www.cherishedfriends.com/WeeklySaleHappyHolidays.html

NJ store sale:

http://www.cherishedfriends.com/ClearanceSaleNJ.html

I Cannot Believe the Price of These Dolls on Sale

Cherished Friends New Jersey Store has put a few dolls on sale that are irresistible at these prices. I've been saved only because I'm packed and ready to move in a few days. I probably would get Lust to go with my Vice Cissy.

Lust by Jason Wu Cissy 21" Doll is now $99.99.

OMG

I feel for those who paid the full SRP of $349.95 although it probably wasn't that many people. 

"L'Enfant Terrible" Neo Cissy and "Blu Belle" Neo Cissy are both on sale for $39.99.

This only serves to reinforce the fact that Cissy Doll lovers will not be swayed to go freaky when it comes to their dolls. 

The shop has a nice selection of dolls at decent prices so if you are one of the few that has any money at this time...go on over there and buy, buy, buy!
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In other news on the homefront: Domina arrived on Friday and I haven't even looked in the box yet. I feel like what's the point?  I won't be able to take her out and play because I don't have time.  I want to savor the experience of a new Sybarite as fully as possible and under these circumstances that's impossible. I'm just dying to open the box, though.

Clearance Sale at NJ Cherished Friends

If these Jason Wu designed 21" Cissy dolls get any cheaper, they will be paying us to take them away. Cherished Friends, NJ has Envy, Vice and Lust on sale for $139.99. I have never seen anything like this before. Apparently very few wanted these dolls. I bought Vice more than a year ago and I think she is spectacular. Of the three, I recommend her but that's just my taste. I would get Envy if I had extra bucks to throw around right now.  

http://cherishedfriends.com/ClearanceItems.html

Lust

Envy

Vice

Clearance Sale at Cherished Friends New Jersey Store

The Cherished Friends New Jersey store is not just about baby dolls! Check it out for yourself and see the wide variety of fashion and character dolls they carry. I was surprised myself! I regularly check the main PA store for sales/clearance. Today I happened to click on the NJ store and the first things that caught my eye were the Jason Wu Cissy dolls. I did get my Vice Cissy at a very good price a few months ago but $199.99 is extremely good. Envy and Vice are both being sold at that price. I get the feeling that Jason Wu and Madame Alexander will not be collaborating on dolls again anytime soon.

Envy   SRP...$349.95...Sale $199.99

The unattractive Alex Signature Collection dolls styled by Jason are also on sale for $99. each. Paris isn't as unattractive as Alex but there was no reason to alter their appearance in the first place. IMNSHO


The supremely ugly and ill-designed Vita Inferno is reduced from  SRP...$160...Sale Price...$79.99.
Don't debox if you buy one. Her odd-looking sister in turquoise, Vita Aqua Bella, is also reduced. 

Anyway...check out the sale. There might be something you want like Tonner's Strider, Ranger of the North. This is a pretty hot-looking male doll on the 17" Matt O'Neill body. I've seen him in person and I would add him to my collection. His outfit is detailed and very cool. I wish I could find The Tenth Dr. Who somewhere on sale. I'm waiting for him.

$149.99 - Sale Price $89.99

You know you want her.   SRP $149.99 . . . Sale Price $79.99

Jessica Rabbit  17" Athletic Body

Clearance Sale on Cami & Jon Fashions at Cherished Friends

If you have waited for some of the Cami & Jon fashions, they're now on sale at Cherished Friends. This is just a few of what's available.

Joe Tai's Doll 16 Inch Body

Joe Tai has created a body for 16" dolls that can be purchased as a replacement body for your dolls. I pre-ordered one from Manika and received it in January. I was so surprised at it's heft. It's at least 3 times as heavy as a Tonner or Gene body.

The other features of note are not hard to see. They're right out there - large breasts standing at attention. There is a great deal of body blushing all over including the palms of the hands. Joe doesn't design anything with an eye toward moderation. Joe may have gone overboard with the breasts but he got the articulation right. This body can pose like a dream.
I had such a good time posing her and taking pictures that I didn't even want to dress her. But here she is in a Tonner fashion created for Tyler's body. It fits perfectly. The ankle joints have a great range of movement and I'm guessing that Deva, Sybarite, Avantguard, Gene, Antoinette and pretty much any high heel shoe made for a 16" doll will fit.The skin tone matches the "Exceptional" Antoinette head perfectly.
The price of the body was high at $62 plus $10 for shipping. You probably won't be replacing all of your doll bodies at this price. Cherished Friends will be carrying them but I don't have a date or price.
Recommendation - get one just for the experience.

Is it the economy or are the dolls just unpopular?

It seems that I've been asking this question on and off for almost two years regarding the prices consumers are willing to pay for certain dolls. This week it's a buyers' market when it comes to Integrity's Gene Marshall line and several Fashion Royalty/NuFace dolls.
I have never, in my years of collecting Fashion Royalty dolls, seen an established dealer selling FR dolls at a discounted price. I'm not talking about the play line dolls from IT. I'm talking about Jason Wu's Fashion Royalty and NuFace Premium Dressed Dolls.
Starting tomorrow, Cherished Friends will be selling off a varied selection of IT 16" and 12" dolls. I've seen them and the prices are excellent. Mary T already has a sale on Gene dolls running. I'm guessing other dealers will follow suit. Marlbe has some FR dolls on sale.
As far as the playline ITBE dolls, MFD is dumping them for $15. each. Makes you wonder how much they cost to make in the first place.
They have also reduced the prices of dolls and fashions from the Gene Marshall line.
MFD's prices on these dolls is very good. You will have to go to the specific sites to see for yourself.

Some dealers are still hoping to get retail on these dolls. But you don't have to pay retail. Shop around. There are many other dealers other than the ones I mentioned above and more dolls on sale other than those pictured.

In my opinion, now is also the time to buy older Fashion Royalty dolls...especially Veronique. I just scored an original close-up blonde Vero fully dressed with shoes still in their package, mint box and shipper for $50 including shipping. That was a very good price. This is my third original Vero. They come and go but I will be keeping this one. I want to try putting eyelashes on her. I have several tall bodies and she will be getting one. Her straight arm body is in excellent condition! They're not all falling apart as some say they are. I think it depends on on the climate and environment where it is stored. The quality of the garment is so fine it makes me pine for the olden days. This doll was $29.99 when it was released in 2001-02 in an edition of 1000 along with a redhead version and an Adele.

Here is the most informative link and I go to this reference site all the time for my archival info on Integrity Toys and Fashion Royalty products. Collect the earlier dolls! Their faces are gorgeous and timeless. These early 2001-2003 dolls would make a great foundation in any Fashion Royalty collection either nude or in original clothing:
Véronique Perrin Silver Society
Véronique Perrin Lush Life
Adèle Makeda Close-Up
Véronique Perrin Close-Up Redhead or Blonde
Véronique Perrin Midnight in Monaco
Adèle Makeda Purple Factor
Véronique Perrin Mauve Absolue
Véronique Perrin Paradise
Véronique Perrin Chic Escape

I have re-bodied all of my dolls who were originally on straight arm or 1st generation articulated bodies. I was not worried about affecting the value as I debox everything anyway. For resale purposes, 99% of the people want the latest body type.

Oh well. Everything changes. Time to look ahead to good things and take care of precious old things. Time to weed out the mediocre and to make decisions not to buy unexceptional stuff. It's not easy because so much looks so good.

Shop-on!

2009 Gene Fan Appreciation Tour Announced

Information on this year's Gene Fan Appreciation Tour was released to the public today. Here is the information and the picture of the doll. She's a beauty and I adore the fashion. I would love to visit Cherished Friends but it's a 3+ hour drive each way and for such a brief event, I don't think I will be going. If someone was in my area of New York to share the ride with me....well, I would reconsider.

-Tour Stop One: W Club online event, August 8th

-Tour Stop Two: Hollywood Ahoy convention in California, managed by Joe Blitman, August 14th at the Gene Breakout Event Dinner
Hollywood Ahoy Website: http://sandrastillwell.com
Joe Blitman's Website: http://www.joeslist.com

-Tour Stop Three: Cherished Friends, Saturday September 12thCherished Friends' Website: www.cherishedfriends.com

-Tour Stop Four: Gigi's Dolls and Sherry's Teddy Bears, Saturday September 26thGigi's Dolls' Website: www.gigisdolls.com

The Marceline tour doll is done in a limited edition of 120 dolls and retails for $155.
45 dolls will be available at the W Club online event and 25 dolls at each additional tour stop. More details regarding the W Club online event will be released closer to the event.