Showing posts with label Mad Men. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mad Men. Show all posts

4/03/2011

Out of The Box: Ekaterina and Roger Sterling

Buying Ekaterina was a mistake. It was the red hair and excellent promotional photos that threw me. I love my redhaired Silkies. I did see her in another fashion last week and she will be redressed.
I knew it the minute I opened the box that her hair was going to be a problem. It may look good in the picture because I used Photoshop to push pixels around.  She has more hair than my dog and it's a lot harder to comb.
The hat was sewn on in a strange way so that removing it also removed the stitches that were holding back part of her hair. Seen here, I have replaced the hat towards the back of her head and used a pin to hold it on. When I have an hour and nothing else to do ha she needs a trim.

I am planning to sell off her fashion as it looks like and reminds me too much of Je Ne Sais Quoi seen below.
Here are her boots which aren't bad but I could definitely live without. I think they'd look better without the golden tassles.


How many Silkstones came with this exact bracelet or a variation? Tiring. 


No one forced me to buy her and in a weak and needy moment I deboxed. There is a pleasure in deboxing: untying ribbons, snipping threads, lifting the freed doll from her cardboard prison. Ahhhh.
The same needy time period saw Roger Sterling come out.
I bought him because the suit looked really good and because I have no other Silkstone male dolls. His suit is excellent! I was impressed.
If he looks weird in this photo it's because of the awkward bend in his arm. They should have given him straight arms.
If I saw a man whose shirt collar was too short to come into contact with his chest when he was wearing a tie, I'd say he wasn't well groomed. This is a problem. I'm thinking (when I have time) to use a needle and thread to create the look of a tiebar to hold the points of the collar down. It would make a huge difference. That neck joint is awful.
 There are several terrific details like Roger's initials on his shirt sleeve. The suit is well constructed with tiny faux buttons to camouflage the fact that the closure is with snaps. Very well done!
 The hat is a squishy plastic that fits well and stays on.

The stand he comes with is a waist gripper type which must be used under his jacket.  He does stand on his own but I wouldn't leave him for long without support.

8/06/2010

Television's "MadMen" Roger Sterling Silkstone Doll

 It was pretty cool getting a Silkstone doll box that looked like this:
 


 Inside was Roger Sterling. I knew from the promo pictures that Mattel still has not figured out how to make a man's suit that fits and sits properly on a doll but I wanted this doll anyway.

He's staying in the box. I have no other male Silkstones as Ken does not appeal to me. Honestly, this one doesn't either but it's unique so it's here.

8/03/2010

"...the dolls and the show turn back the hands of time, but they can’t handle a real-life hourglass figure!"

In a piece written by Stephanie Finnegan in Dolls Magazine, the author tells us that many men who identify with the era of anti-feminism and steno pools are collecting these dolls and adore the show. But...the real life Jayne Mansfield hips, thighs and chest of several of the actresses are not appreciated. These "men" want the good old days of women in shirtwaists pushing a carpet cleaner around the living room in the Levittown ranch home. However they are fixated on the current trend of skinny girls being the idealized figure for a woman.

Don Draper et al. remind me of my father, his brother and their 5th Avenue office. The hairstyles, the skinny ties, the suits, the drinking and the smoking are over-the-top accurate. It's painful to watch.  I do, however, appreciate how well the show is done and the look of it is amazing. I guess that's why it is able to tap into the memories for me.

"“Mad Men” takes place back in the days when “men were men,” and a combo of chauvinism and arrogance were the necessary ingredients for a young executive’s rise at the workplace. (Women on the show, by and large, are left to languish in the stenographer pool, hoping that a well-turned leg and a nice neckline will land them a hubby and a happy home in the suburbs.)"



 Here is the link to the rest of the article.  It's a great read as she ties the dolls in with social issues of the past and current. I recommend it.

3/21/2010

Picture of the Week Award ~ March 21, 2010

I came across this picture on the W Club board and I thought it was so well done that it deserved to be featured this week. The photographer is Parisuthi Wasanasomsithi aka Paris W. The theme of the photo was the result of a challenge in a Flickr group called "Mad Men's Season Finale Wrap Party."

I sent several questions to Paris. Here are her responses:

Describe the photo.
- It was the final challenge for the "Fashion Royalty International Jetset Diva" contest on that Flickr group. The challenge is "Mad Men's season finale wrap party".
Explain how you did it briefly.
- Found this portrait of Don Draper that I thought I could work with (he's alone in the pic). - Then took a pic of my Diva (I chose Mini Livewire for this contest). - Then took a pic of Agnes with tissue in her hand. - Combined those three in Photoshop. Made them Duotone mode and added background and other elements (sparkles, wine glass, cigarette smoke, etc.)
Did you make changes to the original doll?
- Adding a running mascara on Agnes in Photoshop only.
What is she/he wearing? Wig?
- Mini Livewire is wearing "Kelly Girl" by Randall Craig, with jewelry from "Mon Cheri" by Dressmaker Details, and wig from Vero's Urban Antoinette. - Agnes is wearing "Together Again" by Randall Craig. Setting?
- I took pics of them with just plain white background and combined them all in a Photoshop.
Camera equipment and set-up used?
- Canon Ixus 80 IS and a table lamp. I don't have a studio/fancy equipments so have to make do with what I got.
Suggestions to other doll photographers?
- Mmmmm I'd say find your strength, work with what you got, and follow your imagination...
____
The images were combined seamlessly into one photo. I'd say that Paris has definitely found her strength!

If you would like to see more of her work, click here for her Flickr photostream.

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

3/10/2010

Barbie and Ken as "Mad Men" Characters

Mattel announced that there will be four dolls released that represent characters from the AMC series called "Mad Men." They are part of the 2010 Barbie Fashion Model Collection otherwise known as Silkstones.
For more information click on this link to the NY Times article.