3/05/2011

Even More Reinterpreted Runway Fashions!

Posted on Dolly Daily by cocoklein who is a wonderful detective:


    Dior Couture 1997            Mauve Absolue Veronique 2003

Dior Couture 1997                 Fierce Subject Kyori 2005


Here's one posted by Nevraforever on the W Club Board. The image in the center is from Jason's RTW collection.  I don't see the facial resemblance between Dominique and the model.


Dominique FR2 2011    Jason Wu RTW 2011   Adele Makeda 2011

3/04/2011

Modern Sensibility Dasha and Only Natural Fashion FR2

Dasha looks exactly like her promotional photo! Yay.

I took a bunch of pictures from all angles so inquiring collectors can see everything. I had a pleasant deja vu feeling when I detached her handbag from the box. It felt like the olden days when lovely accessories were packaged with the dolls. Unfortunately one arm of the sunglasses broke off as I opened them. The jacket fabric looks like silk. The green blouse feels like silk crepe and will need a little pressing. The shorts fit perfectly.

I love, love, love her shoes. They are fragile, however, and both heels are detaching. I will use a drop of crazy glue to get them attached again. The FR2 have not only a larger foot but their instep is much higher. If you put their shoes on a standard FR doll, she will be leaning forward.

_______

The "Only Natural" Dasha fashion came in a doll-sized box.

The jury is still out on the hat which might look better on a flat hairstyle.

I didn't have a nekkid FR2 ready to be redressed so I put this fashion on my Mini LiveWire clone doll. The dress would not fit on a Fashion Royalty body at the bustline. It was too tight. The shoes are totally unsuitable for any foot but the FR2 because of the instep as I mentioned above.

The fabric appears to be a (synthetic?) silk crepe and is perfect for this scale. The appearance of a drape was created with gathering at the waist and the serging of the hemline. It is done very well. The finishing of the back of the garment, not so well.
The loose stitch on the back of the sweater can be pulled through to the inside.
The only jewelry the outfit comes with are dual rhinestone studs. I would certainly add something around the neck.

In the picture below, Live Wire is not wearing the shoes from the outfit. Those are her own.

 Two dressed dolls (Dasha and Elise) and one fashion with shipping came to $464.93. That's ridiculous and yet I jumped at the chance to order them. And now I'm asking myself if I would do it over.  That hurts.

Elise? Not Exactly Flawless

FR 2 Bad?  I hope for the sake of others (and myself) that this doll is the only one whose hair is like this.
These shots were taken of Elise who is still in her box - thus the awful color background. I have combed her bangs smooth. She has a depression line across the top of her head from the hairnet. The bun is lopsided - severely. I bought this doll precisely because I loved her hairstyle! See the promotional picture and the picture I took at the convention.
Reminder: You can click on the pictures to see them larger.



Integrity Promotional Image
Taken at the 2010 Convention
 I was so excited yesterday when Elise, Dasha and the fashion Only Natural were delivered. Elise's was the first box I opened and I was disappointed. I put it aside and opened Dasha's box and I was pleased. The fashion looked great but I was surprised at the fact that it came in a box the same size as the dolls' boxes.

I took a few quickie pictures and posted them on one of the doll board and posted a link on the W Club.

At that point I had decided that I didn't like Elise enough to keep her so I put her on my Show & Sell pages with two of the pictures I took of her - one was a closeup that showed her bangs looking awful.

The pictures caused quite a stir and some collectors sounded almost panicky which caused me to reexamine my doll. They were not imagining what they saw. The bangs are choppy and the hair is not the same as the promo. I have written to "Patient Care" and we'll see what happens.

3/03/2011

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.

Silkstone Ekaterina Arrives


So how did Integrity's Black Wednesday go for you? Did you get everything you wanted on pre-order? With 36 dolls to choose from, there must have been something for everyone. Problem is, most everyone wanted the same thing. From what I've heard, the boy dolls disappeared faster than all the rest.

Ekaterina arrived today. She is the Barbie Fan Club first doll for 2011. I thought she was overpriced but that is the direction the Silkstone dolls have taken in the last year. I don't know if I will debox her because I wasn't overwhelmed with joy when I looked inside the box.


Silly me. I was expecting the doll to look like the promo.
I suppose if I take her out and arrange her curls, she will look good. I do love redheads. I was surprised at how much she reminds me of Je Ne Sais Quoi who is actually better looking in person that her promo (and has lots of nice jewelry and a handbag and was more than $20 less.)

Strangely enough I don't have a picture of JNSQ in her own outfit. I do have this one. She's wearing a suit that came on Brilliance Monogram doll. This was the worst piece of sewing ever. Look at the white stitching across the bustline. Ugh. I have since gone over that stitching with indelible black laundry marker.

The good thing is that I learned that Monogram clothing fits Silkies.


Every time I go to the BFC site and see the Tribute Barbie Doll I am reminded that I want her badly.

She will be mine one day!
Sometimes throwing away money on dolls like Twilight Jane and a few Lalaloopsy pieces of junk adds up and could easily buy a doll like Tribute. It's pretty difficult to delay gratification when there are so many adorable dolls just asking to come live here.

This was a waste of $5. but it was irresistible.



One more thing arrived today...a cute folder which contained my BFC membership card and a key chain with a folding picture holder. It's cute. I think it could make a good luggage tag.

3/01/2011

Letter From Mary T's Doll House About Pre-Ordering

Just got this email from Mary T's Dollhouse. I might be freaking out if this were my regular dealer. Chances are that her well-established customers will have their needs met. 
That's just my guess. Mary is terrific and she should make her business comfortable for herself.

March 1, 2011

Dear Terri,

As many of you know, Integrity Toys has unveiled their new lines for 2011.  After much thought and discussion with my family (the peeps who help me behind the scenes with shipping/mailing), I have decided that I will NOT be accepting preorders for the new lines.  We will be selling items as they arrive in stock, on our website.  

Over the past few weeks, we have been working on rebuilding the entire website...this includes moving the site to a new host and rolling out a new shopping cart system.  I do not feel comfortable enough to open up preorders with a cart system I am still learning.  I realize people are anxious and will not be happy that they cannot secure a preorder and for that I apologize if this decision upsets you.  

When the time comes to sell the new items as regular in stock orders, we will send out an email blast so you know what has come in, the prices (we do sell at suggested retail) and my main rule I will enforce is 1 of each item per person/address/order. 

I am hoping that as the year goes on, that people will like our new website and shopping cart.  We have tried to address problems we have had in the past so that customers have a good shopping experience with little frustration.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. 

_____________


 BLACK WEDNESDAY APPROACHES  
WEAR ARMOR



Will the Real Vanessa Please Stand Up?

The movement is afoot to get Integrity Toys to stop production of the redesigned Vanessa head mold. Hopefully the designers will listen and make collectors happy.

I have decided to join with those petitioning IT. Vanessa is my favorite mold after all and although I didn't see that much difference, I'd rather no changes at all.

There have been 22 versions of Vanessa manufactured since the beginning.  There have been 15 Agnes dolls. Does that mean that Agnes will also get restyled soon? She's wildly popular among collectors as Vanessa has always been.

Restyling a product that is loved 
is not good business. 

All a doll needs is different facial screening, different hair styling and a great outfit to change her appearance.  Make light, medium and dark versions. Discontinue or reduce her production.
You don't change an icon's appearance.  Who is making these decisions?
These are all Vanessa. Most are IT's own promotional photos. Of these, five were not terribly popular but sold out fast nevertheless. All except Aerodynamic are hunted by collectors. The prices for these dolls can be extraordinarily high.
I ought to just dig up my protests against the restyling of Veronique or my comments about the restyling of Natalia. That was ridiculous. It stopped being Natalia. I am quite sure that sales have not improved as a result of these changes. Isn't that why IT is in business? Is someone with an out-of-control ego loose in the boardroom? 

When In Bloom Vanessa, the W Club doll from 2007 was shown there was a very negative reaction to her appearance and it was changed because of that. 

While most unhappy collectors are busy protesting on the W Board and other boards, I have suggested they write directly to the designers at Integrity Toys. At the last convention, Vaughn said he wanted to hear what collectors think. Is he paying attention? Is anyone?

2/28/2011

Twilight Jane from Mattel

Every now and then I give in to my 'dark' side and buy a Pink Box item from Mattel.  I liked Jane's cloak. The price was right as I used my $20. coupon.  She doesn't look quite evil enough. I still like her.




Her cloak is sewn shut at the front seam. It will be quite easy to rip the thread open and put in hooks and eyes. What I didn't expect was sewn on gloves! Weird.

Silvery Rose Ingrid LE50 by Joe Tai

All the discussion last week about the face on the Hayworth doll looking like Joe Tai's Ingrid got me looking at Joe's dolls and thinking that I really would like to have one.  When I came across Silvery Rose Ingrid, a 12" doll, I bought it and I am very happy with my purchase.
Ingrid's box is very pretty with it's floral design. The ties are elastic. She wasn't all that easy to remove from the box but when I did get her out, she was in excellent condition with no damage from having been packaged for about two years.
 She arrives unwigged.
It's a wonderful saran wig and like all of Joe's wigs, it's a hard cap which makes it extremely easy to put on and remove. This one is an extravagant collection of dips and braids.

The necklace can be used to adorn the gown's bodice or to wear as jewelry. Ingrids hands can be removed to put on the bracelets and to make redressing easy.

The gown itself is two pieces consisting of a metallic silver bustier top and a fully sequined ball gown style skirt. It comes with a separate crinoline. A little surprise awaits under the skirt as Ingrid is wearing pink and white striped panties. Completing the fashion are black gloves, 4 bracelets, stockings, earrings and shoes.
The base of the doll stand is signed by hand and I'm guessing they were all signed. I'll have to ask the dealer.




I paid $118. plus shipping for Ingrid. I could not find a lower price for any of Joe's dolls. This doll is currently available at the Doll Peddlar although that is not where I bought mine. Doll Peddlar has several other Joe Tai dolls available including his 16" dolls Jo Kanaeva and Jo Bessonova.

Proper Use of Selective Focus

Every now and then I come across a photograph in which the shooter uses selective focus with a purpose that really works and isn't just being used to be cute.




Creatively MJ, aka Matty,  posted this image on Prego recently. The focus (and the composition) takes the viewer's eye directly to the bauble but leaves you aware of the fashion and the doll that is wearing it. I love this.

If your camera has the ability to do a closeup that allows the background to blur out (selective focus), ask yourself what your intent is. There is no right answer, of course, but if you are doing it just because you can, it can get tiring.

When I was doing wedding photography I often used a filter called a center spot. It had a clear center of about 1/3 of the total lens. The area around that was diffused. I used it most often for portraits of the bride in which I wanted her face sharp and the rest of the image to have a dreamy look.
I'm going off the topic here but I am really glad those days are over.

You can follow Matty on his blog at http://mynavyblue.blogspot.com/

2/27/2011

IT 2011 ~ Part IV of IV ~ Poppy Parker, Color Infusion, Monogram and The Event Exclusive

As usual, the new Poppy Parkers are delightful. I'm pleased they've got the more detailed eye painting back. Darla Daley is the welcome new friend of Poppy.

It's now 1964 and so many things have changed for Poppy Parker since she arrived in New York. She is now one of the most popular teenage models in New York. She has been on the cover of five fashion and teen magazines and recently scored a new gig as the face of McCalpin's Department Store for their Juniors' department.

Another new development is the arrival of Poppy's best friend, Darla Daley. They met in a record shop and now, they are inseparable. Darla is an upcoming young singer who just made her television debut on the Ted Mullivan show. Thanks to her appearance on the show, she now has her first hit single! 

The Ted Mullivan Show? LOL I wonder if many of the collectors of this line even know to whom that refers.
 
Foto Fab $119. Perfectly Purple $119. Youthquake $90.
 

Hit Single $119. Twist 'n Shout $90.





Color Infusion Collection
Amelie becomes a muse for a unique, richly hued and embellished capsule collection. The mood echoes exuberant city style through a vibrant mix of color and textures with trendsetting makeup, hair, jewelry and fashion.

Cosmic Love Amelie $125.
Rebel Spirit Amelie $125.
  What is there about being pigeon-toed that is cute?

 The Monogram Collection
Someone was asleep at the wheel with this trio.  It's the same dress in three colors and the same doll in three shades. That approach works on American Girl dolls but not here. They are called Bemused, Envied and Passionate. I call them Dark, Light and Medium.
Dark, Light and Medium. $125.
The 2011 Online Event-Exclusive Doll
Night Scape Giselle Diefendorf dressed in black shorts, black sweater and a kind of deflated puffer jacket with an over-scaled zipper for $110.
This doll is available only to W Club members until Monday February 29th at Noon.

IT 2011 ~ Part III of IV ~ FR2 and Nu.Fantasy

As part of the new FR2 line, we've been presented with two dolls, Dasha as The Minimalist and Dominique as Grand Gesture. Both dolls are $175. and their estimated delivery is the third quarter of 2011. (July, August, September).

The Minimalist Dasha

Grand Gesture Dominique
 Both dolls are stunning and so very different. Dasha is classy and casual. Dominique is spectacularly gowned and accessorized. I am curious about her hair!



 Nu. Fantasy

Malicious Nu.Fantasy $125.

Pure Nu.Fantasy $125.
These two went on my pre-order list immediately. Malicious is deliciously strange and she's wearing an amazing fashion. I hope her hair turns out as cool as it looks in the promo. Pure looks just like Erin and it's been a long time since we've had a gorgeous Erin.