Showing posts with label Dasha. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dasha. Show all posts

7/04/2019

Summer Project Part VI - The Triple Crown of Vanessa Dolls

July 4, 2019

The Triple Crown of Vanessa Dolls

This post varies from the format of my other Summer Project posts as I've gone into a bit more detail about these three dolls.



I've always considered these three Vanessa dolls as my favorite of the sculpt.

Vanessa "A Fashionable Life" Raven 2005 FAO Schwarz Giftset Exclusive
Wearing Dominique Makeda "Grand Gesture"

The lighting in this photo is messed up. Sometimes I just can't get it right.


Here's a FAUX outdoor photo to try and make up for it.



Promo Photos



Vanessa "A Fashionable Life" Platinum 2005. W Club Exclusive
Wearing Elise Jolie "Midnight Star"

This version of AFL was produced in a more limited amount than raven and therefore was much harder to get. She came with the same exact outfits in the same beautiful case, one of which I still keep to store my original story cards.




Vanessa "Flame Bleu" 2010. W Club.
Wearing her original fashion. I have never redressed her. She did come with gloves.





The style of her gown and her name pay homage to Veronique "Flame Rouge" 2003 as can be seen in these promotional photos.



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July 3, 2019

Vanessa "In Bloom" Hair re-styled. 2007
Wearing Tatyana Alexandrova "Perfect Reign"



Vanessa "Evermore"  2011. Hair re-styled.
Wearing Dasha Amboise  "Always Polished"



Actual Fashion Color

10/17/2016

Integrity Toys Convention 2016 Luncheon and Banquet

 'The evening started with the introduction of the final centerpiece of the weekend, the ultra-sophisticated Dania Zarr, which was followed by dinner, the announcement of this year's competition winner, Salvador Lopez Arriaga, the highly-anticipated raffle of the designer OOAK dolls and finally, an interview with top designer Jason Wu where he announced the plans for the celebration of his company's 10th anniversary in 2017 and the introduction of new features in the Fashion Royalty line, starting with the "Velvet Touch" skin finish! Jason then announced that as a thank you for everyone who opted to attend convention this year ONLY, a special pre-order offer would be included with the convention doll to pre-order the very first Elyse doll that features the "Velvet Touch" skin finish.Finally, the moment everyone was waiting for came and this year's convention doll was unveiled, the ultra-glamorous Dasha, which came with not one, but two complete outfits to match the other girls in the convention collection! What a trip!'

The W Club Member's Luncheon featured a Nu Face Doll as the centerpiece and the gift. There weren't 400 motorcycles and they were a separate purchase. Someone posted that they were $20. I don't know if that is verifiable.

Full Speed
Erin S.™ / NU. Face Dressed Doll
W Club Luncheon Exclusive Table Centerpiece
Limited Edition of 400 Centerpieces


Very cute.



Checking In
Colette D.™ / NU. Face Dressed Doll
W Club Luncheon Exclusive Giveaway Doll
Limited Edition of 400 Dolls Only
New Sculpt!


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Tweed Couture
Dania Zarr™ Dressed Doll
Saturday Night Dinner Table Centerpiece
Limited Edition of 350 Centerpieces Only

This was inspired by a John Galliano Couture Fashion for Christian Dior Fall/Winter '97-'98. Quite stunning!



Diva
Dasha™ Dressed Doll
Official Convention Doll
Limited Edition of 500 Dolls Only


This gown was inspired by a Christian Lacroix fashion from 1995 as seen in this image from Vogue. They did a great copy!


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La Vie en Bleu
Elyse Jolie™ Dressed Doll
Designed By Jason Wu Collection
Limited Edition: TBD
Additional 2016 Supermodel Convention Attendee Exclusive
 


I believed, at first, that they had changed the sculpt. I examined her face closely and now I am convinced it's the same Elise sculpt but painted very differently.  I don't care for this interpretation as it washes out her beautiful features. Her lips look tiny and her eyes are squinty. 


But the toned-down make-up and styling of the doll is in line with the human model from Jason's pre-fall 2016 collection. She looks taken aback and ragged.



It was announced that next year's convention will be held in Orlando.  

9/12/2016

Cyborg Dasha Redressed

I ordered "Cyborg Night Out" from Culte de Paris on Etsy. It took a month to get here from California, but the wait was worth it. It's well made and fits perfectly. The jewelry she's wearing was not included but was made by Culte de Paris, too.


The doll's irreverent pose, above, suits her "resting bitch" facial expression and the fashion. I love the whole look. I think she'll be wearing this for a very long time.



8/17/2016

Integrity Toys Summer 2016 Reveal

This past Saturday, IT held a webinar for members of the W Club during which Fashion Royalty, ITBE-16 and <3MLP dolls were revealed.

Fashion Royalty 

"Contrasting Proposition"  Natalia Fatalé™ Dressed Doll
Body Type: FR2013
Head Sculpt: Natalia Fatalé 2.0
Limited Edition Size: 700
Suggested Retail Price: $135.00


Emerging Rebel Kyori Sato™ Dressed Doll 
This doll features our new hybrid eye screening method.
Limited Edition Size: 700
Suggested Retail Price: $135.00
Body Type: FR2013
Head Sculpt: Kyori Sato™ 2.0
Suggested Retail Price: $135.00


Daytime Impact Dasha™ Dressed Doll
This doll features our new hybrid eye screening method.
Limited Edition Size: 700
Suggested Retail Price: $135.00
Body Type: FR2013
Head Sculpt: Dasha™




Fresh and Delightful: Véronique Perrin® Dressed Close-Up Doll
This doll features our new hybrid eye screening method.
Limited Edition Size: 700
Suggested Retail Price: $89.00 + Shipping and Handling
IMPORTANT! THIS DOLL WILL BE OFFERED DIRECTLY FROM IT DIRECT VIA A RIGHT-TO-BUY LOTTERY. NOTE: THIS DOLL WILL NOT BE OFFERED VIA DEALERS.
Body Type: FR2013
Head Sculpt: Veronique 2.0 


Fabulous Fields   Luchia Z.™ Dressed Doll
This doll features our new hybrid eye screening method. 
Limited Edition Size: 600
Suggested Retail Price: $135.00
Body Type: FR2013
Head Sculpt: Luchia Z.™ 2.0




Ruffles and Blooms: Eugenia Perrin-Frost™ Dressed Doll
Limited Edition Size: 800
Suggested Retail Price: $150.00
Body Type: FR2013
Head Sculpt: Eugenia Perrin-Frost™


Key Pieces:  Elyse Jolie™ Dressed Doll Gift Set
Limited Edition Size: 800
Suggested Retail Price: $199.00
Body Type: FR2013
Head Sculpt: Elyse Jolie™ 




My thoughts on the FR collection.
My favorite is Natalia because of the fashion. If you noticed, several dolls have a 2.0 after their sculpt names.  When the company "updated" these sculpts (along with Vanessa and a few others,) they watered down and de-ethnicized the faces. Everyone got pouty lips and narrow noses. Adele, whose very popular 2.0 sculpt was changed drastically became less popular. Natalia was originally a Latina character. She didn't need a new face or white skin.
Many collectors are displeased at the lack of skin color diversity in this release.  They're surprised that a company whose goal was to produce dolls of ethnic diversity has come to this.
The year isn't over yet. We'll see what is to come.
As to the Elyse Jolie gift set...Elyse is my favorite sculpt but this one does nothing for me. Her palette makes her mouth disappear. The outfits are not calling me either.
I think Eugenia is a beautiful doll but that yellow gown is blinding. With all that's going on with the color and the (lovely) embroidery, the sculptural details and the frills above the bustline are distractions rather than attractive elements. This could have been a beautiful strapless ball gown.  Perhaps that upper part can be removed without damaging the gown. Unfortunately, the points would be difficult to remove. It's a shame.
I thought about ordering Kyori because I like the embroidered sheath but then I read further and it's vinyl. I don't like the way the shoes or the bag look with the dress either.
If Dasha were being sold as a nude doll or in a different fashion, I'd consider her. I love the neck piece.
Veronique...meh for the dress. The shoes and necklace are pieces I'd want.
Luchia is OK. I don't like the way the lower part of the dress drapes.

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Integrity Toys + My Little Pony = <3 MLP

This is IT's new line designed by Jessy Ayala. Although they are not dolls I will collect I think he did a wonderful job. They are very cute and supremely colorful and fun. 




Each doll is a LE of 500 with a retail price of $130.
The boys use the Homme Body and the girls use the new Industry body type. They all have applied lashes and rooted hair.

...not be sold through dealers, but will be available exclusively via IT Direct!
...will be released later this fall, in waves of 2.
Each doll will have a portion set aside for W Club members only via a first-come, first-served sale opportunity in the IT Direct shopping cart.
Priority pre-ordering details for W Club members for the first two dolls in the line, sonic_rainboom_92 and sparkling_stargazer, will be sent to all W Club members prior to the W Club first-come, first-served sale date of September 12th, 2016.
Once the W Club portion is sold out, you are welcome to purchase the dolls on the public release day of September 13th, 2016, while quantities last.
An email notice containing the full purchase details for the first two dolls will be sent to W Club members ahead of time, closer to their sale date.
The other dolls in the line will be released later this fall in a similar manner.

My favorite is rare_form_21 Rarity™ Inspired Dressed Fashion Figure
I like everything about him! 



IT designs the best male dolls and has been producing winners for years IMO.

This guy is pretty cool, too. The outfit rocks but the hat is too small. It should sit further down on his hair.

appleofmyeye: Applejack™ Inspired Dressed Fashion Figure


The issue for me as a collector of fashion dolls is that these <3MLP have an aura of Hello Kitty-ness if that's a thing.
I think these dolls will appeal to a rather slim portion of the population - like the Jem collection; however,  I hope it succeeds because these dolls are interesting to look at.

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ITBE 16 (Integrity Toys Boring Edition)

Two  16" dolls were offered, each @ $99.,  produced as an LE of 200.

Left :
"Higher"  Head Sculpt: AvantGuard (Closed Mouth)

Right:
"Glitterazi "   Head Sculpt: Anais 1.0
What a horrid, trashy looking dress. Ugh.



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The Event Doll 

"Love, Life and Lace" Agnes Von Weiss™ Dressed Doll
Special W Club Price: $140.00
Head Sculpt: Agnes Von Weiss™
Body Type: FR2013
 



Agnes seems to have been tamed. Her face doesn't look like she's angry anymore. What happened? 
She's a nice doll. Nothing exciting here. 
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Did you order something? 
Were you closed out of any particular doll? 
What is your opinion overall of the release?
Favorite, least favorite? 



7/29/2016

Decals For Eyes - The Big Fix?

Here's some news from Integrity Toys:
A person at the top responded to the query about the decal eyes from a collector. He said that the "new technique will ensure that the eye alignment is always correct."
Someone said, "What if the decals are misaligned?"  Hmmmm.

Yes, boys and girls, that was the answer.

Going forward, what do you think?
Will you spend more than $100 for a doll whose eyes are decals even if they are sealed?

I understand that velcro is in use as well.

I don't think I would have known that Dasha's eyes were decals unless I read about it.

It sounds like a decision that was made to cut production costs. I can understand that. They are in business to make money after all.

Did you know that you can buy a sheet of doll eye decals (there are hundreds of styles and sizes to choose from) for about $5.?



11/12/2013

Who Wears it Better?

I purchased the Victoire Roux Story of My Life dressed doll...sold the nude doll and gave the outfit to Fauxnessa first and Dasha second. The dress is adaptable to both bodies. The shoes fit the regular tall FR body but not Dasha. Forget about the gloves. I have no patience for gloves that do not stretch.

Who do you think will get to keep this fashion?

Update on Sybarite Cirque 
I received an apology from customer service for this happening to me, again. They are willing to refund completely if I want to return her. I've asked for a replacement hand. However, tomorrow, I will undress Cirque completely to make sure there is nothing else wrong with her. Also, I was surprised at the poor quality of her manicure. WTF? This is not a Barbie doll. What are they thinking by releasing dolls at this price with this type of poor detailing?
However, I thought I might want keep her when I was photographing her. She has a gorgeous sculpt that suits high contrast photography and her eyes are gorgeous. I'd like to try different wigs on her.
In this photo, she is still wrapped in cellophane - just in case you were thinking there are waves on her chest. I smoothed it out with PS.





12/31/2012

2012 - It was a very good year.

In this final 2012 post, I look back over the last 12 months to find what I've actually kept out of the hordes of dolls and doll items that I purchased.

My doll collecting has changed dramatically over the course of the last two years. I started adding Sybarites and other 16" resin BJDs to my collection and continued thinning my 12" doll army. I've focused more on adding more clothing for all my dolls and filled in a few Tonner dolls, outfits and props that I've wanted. I scored 7 Cholo Ayuyao gowns and dresses. I've switched many of my favorite 'older' dolls to new FR2 bodies.

The biggest mistake purchases were impulse buys consisting of mostly Mattel products, not including Silkstones, although I was disappointed with many of the 2012 Silkies. The Monster Highs and several dressed vinyl Barbies were momentary goodies which added nothing of substance to my collection. I wasted a little money on outfits made by other collectors which did not live up to my expectations.  Ultimately, I was surprised at how many dolls I purchased and didn't keep or traded for something else.

Moving was time consuming and very disorienting and I'm just now starting to see a tiny crack of light at the end of a long tunnel.

Instead of posting 'normal' photos of my favorites, I have made Instagram pictures of some of them. Why? Because they're cool, it's fun and I'm bored with normal pictures. 

Sybarites and their fashions played a large part in my collection this year.
Vapore:
Domina:

Neurotica: (Redressed/Rewigged) Actually, she's not dressed at all. She is holding the shrug from a gorgeous SybMonde exclusive fashion, Rosa Gloriosa. Wig by Cheryl Wood. I added several of her wigs this year.
Domina modeling Rosa Gloriosa
Fidele's Fashion. No doll :-( just the outfit-for now.

Venetian modeled by Toxica.

Speed modeled by Talc. It's an older fashion but new for me.

JamieShow
JamieShow Alejandro and the Jamieshow outfit from the Prohibition Event in Canandaigua. He is my first and only male resin BJD and definitely a keeper.
Image by George Gonzalez

Tonner
Tonner's new Precarious sculpt and fashions designed for her were big hits IMO. I purchased two of the dolls and several of the outfits.
Swing Time Fashion (This is not Precarious modeling. It is a TDLM doll)
 
Precarious "Party Girl"
Neo Tokyo from the Freedom For Fashion line
Simplicity Antoinette
Ghost of Christmas Past an older Tonner Re-Imagination doll.

Ficon
"Leonie" (Redressed)
That's it for the big dolls. It feels like there should be more because all of my Tonner's were the first dolls to be packed along with my Gene Marshall dolls. They were packed for almost one year by the time I was able to get them back out of their boxes and into showcases. Many seem new to me all over again. I can stare at the dolls and love each and every one of them. Unloved dolls find new homes.

Integrity Toys' Fashion Royalty, FR2
This is a little more complicated to show as I added very few complete dolls this year from IT's lineups. I kept more fashions than dolls. I even purchased an older Vanessa NRFB so I could have an unaltered version.
Pale Fire Vanessa
I may have mentioned previously that there seems to be a disconnect in the design team. By that I mean that someone in there is a really bad designer and that would be the person that designed most of the recent convention's outfits. That was the worst collection I've ever seen.  However, during the year there were some gorgeous fashions worthy of the name Fashion Royalty. 

I liked both of the convention's FR2 dolls but Dasha's outfit was less than stellar. Elise was totally gorgeous.
Escapism Elise
Infallible Dasha redressed in VJohn
Of the other three FR2 dolls released in 2012, it was mainly the fashions that interested me.
Tatyana's red dress.
Nouveau Regime Tatyana
I finally broke down (like that's difficult) and purchased Opium Ayumi. Her outfit looks better in person than in pictures.
Opium Ayumi
My favorite fashions all year were Main Attitude Adele Makeda's suit
Integrity Toys' Photo

Your Kind of Model Kesenia's outfit
Modeled by re-rooted True  Royalty
Monogram Admiration's suit
Integrity Toys' Photo
 My favorite dressed Monogram was Allure
Integrity Toys' Photo
From the Victoire Roux line, I kept only the outfit from Place Vendome. Vanesssa looks stunning in it.

These outfits are keepers. Now if I could find the perfect male doll to wear them. These four photos are all Integrity Toys' images.


Silkstone "Walking Suit" was my favorite new Silkie.

Favorite new prop is Byers' Choice Caroler Display Accessory.

There is more but you are probably snoring already.

Companies have to stop going backwards with the quality and appearance of their products. When this happens, the perceived value drops and collectors will search out other items.