Deconstruction Sight Eugenia 2009 W Club Doll #1

Eugenia has a gorgeous sculpt. This doll is beautiful. The makeup is just right. The hair, although rock hard, works for her.

The dress is pretty. I see a very similar shape to the fashion worn by Statuesque, the Colette exclusive doll. The dark stripe down the front of the bodice, from a distance, presents the same color scheme as the white jacket over the black dress. Perhaps this is the RTW version? ;-)
The jewelry is heavy and although I like it, I think it would look better with something else. Note the large metal neckpiece on Jason's runway model in the previous post!

The shoes had to go. I'm not a fan of the heavy shoe, strappy gladiator look with a light feminine dress. Again, the same profile as Statuesque is seen here. It draws the eye to the foot and artistically that makes no sense IMO. I couldn't bear to take a serious photograph of her with these shoes and the black painted hands. It spoke costume, not fashion.

The problem with back of the shoe not allowing the leg to be straight is a serious issue because it has been happening over and over again for a year and is not being addressed. In this case it's a combination of a heel that is too high and incorrectly shaped back of ankle area.

If you love Eugenia, this doll is a must have. Because it was a club doll, it is not available from regular dealers unless they are selling it as an aftermarket item.

Do you see any stylistic similarity?

Image Property of Integrity Toys

FR Monogram Collection - #2 Doll "Statuesque"

The model on the right is wearing Jason Wu and so is the doll on the left. She is the second entry in the new Fashion Royalty Monogram Collection which is intended to showcase select works from Jason's fashion runway.
A limited number of dolls were made available to the public at Colette, a Parisian boutique, and online on their web site. They are sold  out now but members of the W Club may have a chance to obtain one at a future date.
In this picture she looks like Valia but in other pictures I've seen, she has a strong resemblance to the Avantguard doll, Goldmine.

The image below is from the website.

The retail price of this beautiful doll is (was) approximately $250. without VAT, depending upon the exchange rates of the moment. Shipping to the US would have brought the price up to about $300. I had her in the shopping cart and at the last minute I controlled myself. I would like to have her though. I like her much better than Lifeball.

This is what is says on her box:
"Statuesque"
Desc: Exclusive au magasin Colette, Paris
FR: Monogram par Jason Wu New York
# 93010

Parisienne Pretty Barbie Doll

The latest Silkstone addition to my collection is wearing a lovely reproduction of the 1959 vintage Gay Parisienne fashion. With her navy blue & white polka dot taffeta bubble style dress and tulle hat Barbie wears long white gloves, navy ribbon pumps, navy pantyhose, a silver clutch with rhinestone clasp, pearl and rhinestone earrings, a rhinestone brooch and a rhinestone bracelet.

Parisienne Pretty is part of the "Since 1959" collection which commemorates famed vintage Barbie fashions re-invented for a new era. She was designed by Robert Best. The doll is available at select retailers. The prices I've seen range from a low of $99. to a high of $129.99. I recommend this doll as a beautiful addition to any Silkstone Barbie collection but shop around for your best price!

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In 2003, Mattel issued a Gay Parisienne reproduction as part of the collector's request series.

Here is the promotional text that went along with this item:

Sixth in the Collectors' Request™ Series, this Barbie® doll is a vinyl reproduction wearing a re-creation of the original 1959 fashion Gay Parisienne®. Barbie® looks chic in her classic dark blue bubble dress with tiny white polka-dots. Around her shoulders is a fabulous faux fur stole, and sitting atop her head is a sophisticated veiled headband hat. Accessories include a faux pearl necklace, golden velvety clutch, and navy open-toe shoes. Barbie® doll's demure vintage look is captured with lovely side-glancing eyes, red lipstick, painted finger and toenails, and a brunette ponytail with curled bangs.

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The original Barbie Outfit Gay Parisienne #964, issued in 1959 is pictured here (NRFB!!!) in a photograph by copyrighted by Denise Van Patten.

Denise writes: "Gay Parisienne was produced for one year only. This iconic vintage Barbie outfit consists of a bubble dress in blue with white dots and two bows (front and back), brown clutch, rabbit fur stone with white satin lining (if the lining is pink it is not from this set), veiled headband hat in tulle, long white gloves and deep blue open toe pumps,plus a strand of graduated pearls."

Announcements from Integrity Toys

Life Ball dolls and Integrity raise nearly $50,000 for the Life Ball Organisation!
That's a great donation for the cause of HIV/AIDS research and prevention. I was doing the math and the results are worth pondering (or maybe not.) This assumes that all were sold at the retail price.
The 2009 Official Life Ball doll was limited to 250 dolls worldwide and retailed for $270.
250 dolls @ $270. = $67,500.
$67,500 less the net proceeds of $50,000 = $17,500.
$17,500 divided by # of dolls produced = $70.
Does that mean that the cost of producing the dolls was $70 each?
_________
There is no specific date yet for the arrival of the Poppy Parker line. Hopefully the long wait will have been worth it when they finally do arrive.
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There is now a new European dealership, Laure Belle Couture of Belgium! Laurence is a doll herself and that is great news to those in Europe who have a difficult time getting their needs met by the existing dealers in Europe.

Picture of the Week Award ~ July 3, 2009

This week's award goes to Veronica Haage also known as Eight O'clock Designs - Repaints by Veronica.
On her website, Veronica explains how the name of her business came about.
"With two boys painting doesn't get done during their waking hours. As you can imagine, that would be a big mess. So everything I do is done after their 8 PM bedtime. Hence Eight O'clock Designs."
It was very difficult to choose a favorite from amongst many beautifully photographed dolls. I chose this one for several reasons. The lighting and soft quality of the focus makes it look like a painting. It appears that the doll is looking far away into the light. I love it. This was "In Full Regalia" Eugenia Frost.

Congratulations, Veronica!

A Little Dose of Antoinette

It's been a hectic week with deadlines, appliance repairs and constant rainstorms. I have never experienced so much rain so many days in a row in my life. This has to be some kind of record and as the weather gets more and more erratic and extreme, I fear that the climate is beyond repair.
And now for some lighter fare...here are two of my lovelies. On the left we have Treasured Antoinette in her convention gown which has been altered. I removed the three rows of fringe and the entire bottom tier in order to create a simple cocktail dress. Her shoulder bows were trashed as well. I took a few stitches in the bodice to define the bust area. I had thoughts of creating a shrug from the remaining fabric but I couldn't figure out how to do it. I'm going to have to get directions.
Ms. Treasured is standing next to Idyllic Antoinette. I've removed all the tchotchkes from her hair. It was no easy job. The thread holding the flowers and the topknot in place was actually rooted! I was worried about what I'd find under all that but her hair is rooted nicely and evenly. I boiled it to straighten it out and trimmed it evenly. I will probably trim it even shorter. She is wearing the fashion entitled "Influential." I have replaced the multi-strand of beads with which the outfit came because they did not lay right and looked very messy. The jewelry she's now wearing is from a Fashion Royalty outfit. I may replace the black tights with black stockings and take off the semi-sheer black top. The dress itself is covered in micro sequins and will be lovely as a cocktail dress.

So far I am quite pleased with this line. I do have a problem with the stands but all of Tonner's stands suck pretty much so nothing is new.
I'm still waiting for two more fashions and I desperately want to order Hypnotic. The fashions I'm expecting are Brilliant and Posh. They've gone past their expected arrival date.

Amid all the fabulous fashions and pretty dolls, there is one thing I don't understand. How did they let this outfit out of the gate? Someone dropped the ball on these pants. If the price drops low, I will buy it and turn the pants into a skirt. The jacket and the bag are pretty and it looks like there's a nice tank top under there.

This image is the property of Tonner Doll Company.

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.

Picture of the Week Award ~ June 28, 2009

Instantly recognizable to Fashion Royalty collectors, these dolls and their fashion are so-called holy grails to many. Captured together by Angel in California, the pair creates a striking reminder of the earlier days of Fashion Royalty that so many remember fondly.

Angel posted that the original Toast of Paris Dressed Doll was an elusive, much sought after doll missing from her collection. She already had the fashion and was going to have a different Veronique re-rooted and re-painted to resemble the original. Luckily a friend offered her the dressed doll and she didn't hesitate.

Congratulations to Angel for presenting a double dip of beauty in this Picture of the Week.

What to do when sad?

I was looking for a good stock picture of a Farrah Fawcett doll and I got caught up in looking at pictures of the real Farrah. I started to feel the tears come when I saw the gaunt face and pulled muscles on her face because it reminded me of my own mother's face in her last months. So I present not Farrah, but Michael, whose loss does not cause me emotional pain although it is a great loss to the music world. He was such an incredible talent and such a damaged person. It's all so sad.
What to do when sad? I began hunting for a fabulous 1/6 scale Michael figurine. There are a few around and their prices are rising fast. I'm not going to get it. However, not one to walk away empty-handed, I did find these little Michael figurines and ordered a set from Japan. Each represents a different song and there will be a 7th "secret" one.

Michael Jackson, King of Pop, Dead at 50

1/6 M Icon Michael Jackson Billie Jean/History Tour Version

"From Hot Toys comes this fantastically detailed 1/6-scale action doll of the one and only King of Pop! Depicted in his glory days of the History Tour, this figure of the legendary performer comes complete with his outfit (including his iconic sparkly glove), five extra hands, fedora, and microphone on stand. He's super-posable, so you can duplicate any of his amazing dance moves! A figure stand is included. Packaged in a deluxe collector box, this superstar is ready to take center stage in your collection today!"

The original issue price of this figurine was about $197. According to Hobby Link Japan, it has been discontinued although it was originally released in March, 2009. That was fast.

Picture of the Week Award ~ June 21, 2009

The Picture of the Week Award goes to Maria Papadimitriou, aka Habilis1966, of the W Club. She posted a series of photos called Tango. Here Darius is dipping Eugenia as they dance. I like the composition and the feeling of movement in the photo. What do you think?


This is the link to Maria's blog: http://www.habilisdolls.blogspot.com/
Here is the link to Maria's Flickr Photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/habilisdolls/

Congratulations, Maria!

An Angel with Black Wings

It's been a dolly overload week, beginning with following the events of the Tonner Convention and proceeding to the hunt for a well-priced convention Antoinette. I found out that I was one of the lucky winners of the Tonner virtual convention drawing. That was a surprise! Then Madra and Zita arrived. And on and on. More dolls, more stuff, endless. It was one of those weeks that led me to wonder if I had a life outside of dolls. Not good.
Of course the constant rain here in New York didn't help the situation. Even the dog didn't want to go out.

I shot hundreds of frames (as we used to call them) and I am presenting several here. In these images, my Aphrodisiac Avantguard is wearing Idyllic Antoinette's ensemble. The feathery things were in Toni's hair originally. I inserted them into the back of the gown and they look like wings to me.
These are my pictures of the week!

I thought it would be fun to post a picture of the set during her photoshoot. The background paper roll is on a stand made for that purpose. I'm using two Photogenic strobes which need to be replaced due to color shift. In the meantime, I am color correcting in Photoshop. I use a Canon EOS50D camera with a Canon 24-105 F4L lens.

Regarding Idyllic...she is a perfect doll! There's not a single defect. How refreshing. Cameo was the same. I have fallen for these little beauties. Here's the original Idyllic:

Who wears it better?

Electro POP Susie In The House

After a long wait, the popular Asian doll, Susie, has made her comeback. She is now being produced by Integrity Toys and sold exclusively by her original creator R & D Fashion Dolls.
If you are not familiar with the character Susie, visit the website and see photographs of Susie from the beginning. I find it interesting every time I browse. Fashions and dolls from earlier versions are also still available.
Susie has joined Integrity Toys' Dynamite Girls line of ElectroPop dolls. She comes with several cute fashion accessories and retails for $45.

Rudi Teruel has provided these photos for us to see. She is really adorable!

Tonner Convention Banquet Doll - All That Glitters Antoinette

Often the highlight of a convention is the doll one receives at the Saturday night banquet. In looking over the dolls from this Tonner Convention, I'm guessing that Antoinette is having lots of competition for that top spot.
But this is a new sculpt and she is just gorgeous. See for yourself!

The hair and the makeup are perfection. I would love to own this doll. As far as the gown, well, I would remove the bottom tier and the fringes from the center tier.

When I saw this gown I immediately thought of the scene from Gone With the Wind in which Scarlett rips the draperies from the window in order to create a new gown. Antoinette's gown is an odd mix of elements that do not work together. The ruched fabric creates enough interest and detail for the whole gown. What were they thinking? I'm picturing the gown without any fringe at all and no bow. It would have been stunningly simple, glamorous and enough!

There aren't too many for sale (yet.) The current average rate is just under $300.

Picture of the Week Award ~ June 14, 2009

Going along with the theme this week on several doll boards, Vin Trapani, aka VARPTS, posted several pictures of this lovely Mackie sculpt Barbie doll wearing Maria Therese's gown. I like the appearance of depth created by the out of focus bouquet. Perhaps she's getting ready to toss the flowers over her shoulder.
Vin sent me the information that the head is the 2009 Scotland Barbie on a Jazz Baby Pivotal body. The 'diamond' engagement ring is by Linda of LVNVdolls.com and the rest of her jewelry is by Mattel.
Congratulations, Vin, on creating a memorable wedding photo!

2009 Tonner Convention in Lombard, Illinois

The Lombard, Illinois Tonner Convention is well underway. Those of us not in attendance can sort of follow along by logging in to the "Virtual Convention" blog at: http://tonner2009convention.blogspot.com/
There you will be able to see pictures of the goodies, hand-outs, people in attendance, table centerpieces and events. There are brief videos being posted. Check it out!

Life Ball Gets Better!

Today on the W Club, Baris Genc posted images of his re-rooted, eyelash-applied Life Ball doll. After seeing his images, I have decided to keep mine. Wouldn't you?

Just look at this!

And the good news is.....Life Ball's hands are removable!

A brave collector tugged and a hand came out. They are the Poppit-Bead hands I wished for. YAY.

If only Integrity would issue replacement shoes to quiet the masses of infuriated collectors who are pissed at the squishy-heeled, plastic, cheap shoes with which Life Ball came. That might encourage me to actually keep mine.

More Pictures of Cameo Antoinette

Can you tell that I'm enjoying this doll?

This is a fashion from a Tonner Sydney doll. It is way too large for Antoinette so I have it pinned tightly. It works for me. I have taken the band out of her hair and I like it much better this way.

In this photo, Cameo is wearing an Avantguard dress. It fits except at the hips where I could not close the snaps.
I am pleasantly surprised with this doll's ability to fit into my existing doll wardrobe to a good degree. The shoes came with her.

Robert Tonner's Cameo Antoinette Arrived

Today I received my first Antoinette, Cameo. She is the new line of 16" dolls from the Tonner Doll Company. Cameo is one of the four basic dolls dressed only in lingerie but accessorized with fabulous shoes. With a quick pull of two ribbons, she was freed from her box. She feels good and looks even better. In my opinion her proportions are perfect. Her hands are graceful. In fact they're downright beautiful doll hands!

Antoinette's ethnic-looking sculpt may not be for everyone but I'm predicting that this doll will be on the top of every re-painters list. They are being sold as blank faced mannequins as well as these basics and deluxe dressed dolls. There's also a large selection of separate fashions and shoe packs.
I've got her sitting on a little shelf over my computer and her knees don't splay out. She sits up straight without trouble or support. I'm thrilled with her. In fact I went and ordered two of the dressed dolls this morning!