Joe Tai's "After Party" Ensemble for Silkstone Dolls

I don't buy outfits for my Silkstone Dolls. They wear most Fashion Royalty clothes easily. This was an accident. After I bid on it, I realized that it actually said Silkstone in the title. Maybe one day I will learn to read carefully.

It is Savadoll eBay store exclusive from Joe Tai in a limited edition of 60. I paid $53.89 plus shipping. He currently has it listed at $59.88.

The ensemble consists of the dress, gloves, boots, shoes, necklace, earrings, bracelet, beaded headband and purse. That's a lot of stuff. For a Joe Tai, this is conservatively designed.

The fit of the dress and boots is excellent. I didn't even attempt more than 30 seconds on the gloves as I could tell it would have been hopeless. I would have preferred the shoes with this outfit but the buckles were so tiny and I didn't have the patience. The necklace and bracelet were extremely difficult to secure.

Below the pink belt, there are several layers of thread fringes. I used a comb to straighten them. I would have liked to see shiny rayon thread for the fringe. This is probably a matte poly/cotton blend.
I recommend the outfit to re-dressers with patience. Be on the cautious side with Joe Tai clothes as they stain if left on a doll for extended periods.

Ryan at Savadoll is wonderful to deal with. Although located in Canada, his shipping is very reasonable to the USA. He responds to email quickly and has excellent feedback.

La Vie en Rose by Robert Tonner for the Devereaux Sister Dolls

La Vie en Rose is one of two outfits that were available at the store event this past weekend. At first glance it looks fabulous. At second glance, it came out of it's box. The third glance, after I finished dressing a doll, said FRUMPY.
Let's start with the hat. What were they thinking? It reminded me of a bonnet from Little House on the Prairie. I tried it pushed up, pushed down, net down, net up and nothing made it look as good as when it was off the doll. The trim is cheap looking. One word describes this accessory - UGH.
We'll continue with the handbag. What size doll was this made for? A Kish Riley, perhaps. Someone made a big mistake with these accessories.
By itself the coat is gorgeous. The fabric is a beautifully rose-colored woven fiber with faux fur. The top 'button' is silvery balls. The dress is a simple georgette sheath with a gathered v-neck bust-line and a ruffled hem. It looks nice on the doll but nothing special or new. The hosiery and the gloves appear to be the same fabric - there's no problem there. The shoes are a little clunky-looking but I suppose they go with the period the outfit is meant to represent. Put it all together and WTF? Where is she going? Open school night and then to the corner bar? This outfit is just horrendous. If it makes Rose Rogue look like a well-dressed bag lady, then something is seriously wrong.
I do not recommend this ensemble unless you are willing to use the pieces to mix and match with other items in your dolls' wardrobe. Retail price $89.99.

'Cacao Noir' A Devereaux Sister's Outfit

I was informed that the Devereaux dolls have a smaller bust size than the standard Tyler doll. Since I was not going to keep the dolls but I loved the look of the clothes, I decided to debox and try to fit them on one of my 16" dolls anyway. I was thrilled that the Cacao Noir fit very nicely. The model is Ghost of Christmas past whose hair has been restyled. I think this is a very beautiful doll. She has the same smoky eyes as the sisters do.
The gloves were fairly easy to put on which was a big plus. I did take Ghost's hands off in order to insert them more easily into the sleeves of the dress. It was snug but fit like a dream. The hat is perfect for the period and the outfit. And I guess the shoes are, too, but I don't like them and switched them to black pumps for display.
I recommend this ensemble to all. The big problem is the hefty price tag of $89.99.
Cacao Noir is a limited edition of 250 and is available from the Tonner Store directly.

Back to Black Natalia's Outfit

The outfit from the IFDC convention doll, Natalia Back to Black, arrived the other day. I was so excited to get it but not very excited about the results. The fabric does not have a drape so the bottom has to be arranged and it's difficult to get it to appear natural. I actually thought it was a sequined fabric - not. The complicated belt took me more than 30 minutes using fine jewelry tools to get it on properly. I added the earrings and the black ring. The cuff bracelet falls off. Bracelets for FR dolls are so useless. There is a strange hook on the right shoulder onto which a flap of fabric attaches. There is something really odd about that appendage. However, the shoes are very nice.