Seeking a Non-Collector to Attend the FR Convention in my Place

If you or a friend or spouse wish to attend the Fashion Royalty convention to participate in the 4 meals and other activities but you do not collect the dolls, I will pay for your convention fee. In return you will gather all the gifts and souvenirs and ship them to me at the end of the convention. Shipping will, of course, be paid for by me.

I would also ask you to buy the convention collection (or part of it) and any centerpiece dolls you can get and have them shipped. This will also be paid for by me.

The registration would be in the name of the attendee (you, spouse, friend) and that person can go to the workshops and everything else available.

Please email me with any questions and/or to arrange something.You can find my email address by checking on the right hand side of this page for my profile and clicking there.

Integrity Toys Releases Preliminary Registration Package for Convention

The Integrity Toys/Wu convention will be held in Schaumburg, Illinois on October 6—8, 2011 at the Schaumburg Renaissance Hotel.  This is the weekend of  Yom Kippur.



The theme is Jet Set.

There were a few notable things in the announcement such as the fact that the convention collection will be more limited to ensure it's value on the secondary market. Does that mean there will be less characters or fewer dolls? There has to be at least one doll per attendee so I'm guessing that the collection will be smaller - less characters. Either way wouldn't be a bad idea.

There will also be dolls offered at the convention that are not part of the collection. Grab bags will be limited to one per person. They were supposed to be limited to one per person last year, too.

Apparently, the disappointment of so many who were not able to get a good assortment of products in the Design-A-Doll Studio will be taken into consideration and they are going to try a new format. Would that format be having-enough-for-everyone? What a concept! If I sound a little snarky about that one, I am. I was one of the attendees who was scheduled for a late Saturday appointment in the studio. I thought it was nice until I saw the outfits that earlier attendees were able to choose. They were much better than what was available during my time slot.

The oddest change (I couldn't think of an appropriate adjective for this one) is that workshop attendance will be by lottery. This is very (insert appropriate adjective) because the lotteries are not held publicly and there is definitely hanky panky that goes on behind the scenes. Is that an accusation? Ahem. I said it last year, too. Think what you like but when the one person who loves to be loved is in charge of the outcome of contests, table host positions, stage games, treasure hunts and more, the opportunity for favoritism is rank.

Many comments were made last year about the requirement to put names on raffle tickets and the fact that they were drawn privately. I certainly hope that this practice which has the appearance of impropriety is stopped for the benefit of those who spend their money on the tickets.

The cost per person if staying at the hotel is $380. That includes four meals, lots of souvenirs and the convention doll.  In a later post I will go over how to calculate what attending might actually cost. 

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As you probably remember, Jason designed a line of dolls in the style of the famous illustrator called Monsieur Z. All of his work was ultra modern jet-set themed 1960's style. Everyone was rich, shapely, had a pool and a penthouse, flew everywhere and spent a lot of time in airports. The stewardesses were sexy, and everything had a forward movement - nothing static here.

Just for fun!
After the announcement the other day, many on the W board were speculating about the theme and I did a search for "jet set dolls." This is what I came up with.

Barbie Glam Jet

Takara's 2002 Kisara Calendar Girl and jason Wu's 2005 Monsieur Z Girl

Assorted Doll Luggage

Westjet Flight Attendant doll with Luggage - Brunette by Daron

Diane Von Furstenberg Barbie Doll-Mattel

 

Jet Set Jaunt - Tonner Tyler Outfit

Grace Kelly - Jet Set Chic - Mattel

Continental Holiday Silkstone Doll - Mattel

Yom Kippur is one of the holiest days of the year for the Jewish people.

This post is not doll related although is was sparked by the realization that the Fashion Royalty/Integrity Toys convention is scheduled for the same weekend upon which Yom Kippur falls this year. I'm in a state of shock and agitation. For all their worldly behavior and pretense, the staff in charge of scheduling this event has no clue that other religious backgrounds besides their own may exist. Carol Roth is Jewish.

Many secular Jews do not observe other holidays or traditions through the year (just like people of other religions. )BUT:
Wikipedia says it best:
As one of the most culturally significant Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur is observed by many secular Jews who may not observe other holidays. Many secular Jews attend synagogue on Yom Kippur—for many secular Jews the High Holidays are the only recurring times of the year in which they attend synagogue,—causing synagogue attendance to soar—and almost four-fifths fast.

It's difficult for me to believe that you can live in this country and not be aware of Yom Kippur.

There's a site that I visit sometimes that states "because if we don't say something they might think we don't care." 

I care.

Italian Doll Convention 2011

 

On May 28 & 29, Milan, Italy will be the site of the Italian Doll Convention. The theme is the "Italian Way." One of the events invites participants to dress as their favorite Barbie and walk the catwalk.  My favorite rule says you are not allowed to  "think anything like I am too short/fat/shy/old to dress like a Barbie to do this." That sounds like so much fun. I hope someone videotapes it.

As part of the convention, twelve uber-talented doll artists have donated beautiful work to be auctioned off on eBay on May 15, 2011 with 100% of the proceeds going to the Fondazione Blu Onlus. They are (from left to right: Matt Sutton, Paul Pham-Numina Dolls, Ovaz,  Parrucca di Ilaria Mazzoni - Time of Dolls, ?, Parrucca di Ilaria Mazzoni - Time of Dolls, Matt Trujillo, Melissa Windham for Grant a Wish, Magia2000, Ninimomo, Fashion Doll Agency, Patrick Kon.

Click here to go to site.

Reinterpreted Runway Fashion from Superfrock

Thanks to George Gonzalez for pointing out this reinterpretation of a McQueen by Superfrock.

Alexander McQueen: Paris Fashion Week RTW 2009

Black Bird Society Fashion

 Birds do it, bees do it 

even Superfrock does it.

New Ellowyne Released "Timid Tan" with Free Shipping Now

Today Wilde Imagination released a new dressed Ellowyne doll called Timid Tan.  At first glance I thought she was a Basic Doll. She's quite ordinary compared to many dressed dolls. Her retail price is $135.00.

 To take advantage of the current promo for free shipping enter the code: SMILE13 for domestic orders and SMILE13INT for international orders.

She reminds me so much of "A Bon Voyage" who was a Hollywood Ahoy Convention (2009) doll. I like ABV better. Still available for $129.

Wilde Imagination  http://www.wildeimagination.com/c-2-dressed-dolls.aspx

In Search Of Sinister Circus "Back Stabber"

As if I need another doll....and yet I do. She is the Sinister Circus "Back Stabber"- LE 150.  She was the 2009 Modern Doll Collectors Convention (MDCC) Souvenir doll at the Tonner breakout event held in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

Someone must have one they don't want anymore. 

She has my favorite Supergirl sculpt and there is definitely a place for her in my collection.

Poop On ebay?

The seller prefaces all of his/her listings with the following disclaimer:

ALL ITEMS COME FROM GARAGE SALES, THRIFT STORES OR AUCTIONS. MY HOME IS SMOKE FREE AND PET FRIENDLY BUT I CANNOT SPEAK FOR WHERE THESE ITEM HAVE BEEN BEFORE. I TRY TO DESCRIBE ITEMS TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY BUT AM NOT AN EXPERT AND CONDITION IS SOMETIMES A MATTER OF OPINION. ANY ISSUES NOTICED WILL BE NOTED IN THE DESCRIPTION. I TEST ALL TOYS WITH BATTERY'S TO MAKE SURE THEY WORK SATISFACTORILY. BATTERIES ARE NOT ALWAYS INCLUDED. EVERYTHING SOLD IN AS IS CONDITION. PLEASE ASK QUESTIONS. 

Would you buy from this seller? She doesn't know where the stuff has been?
"Condition is sometimes a matter of opinion." Duh! So why bother asking questions when her opinion is going to be different because she's not an expert and knows nothing.  
I have seen this type of disclaimer quite often. One doll I purchased was yellowed either from age or cigarette smoke or a combination of both. The seller told me she didn't know if the previous owner was a smoker. I suppose her sense of smell and eyesight weren't working the day she described the doll as excellent condition.

If is looks like shit, smells like shit, chances are it's been somewhere specific. 

I have to say that the majority of eBay sellers are honest people. I've had 95% success with sellers and products.
You just have to be very careful, ask specific questions and be prepared to NOT bid if the response is not satisfactory. It's your money. Hang on to it.

Runway Fashion Reinterpreted for Your Pleasure

From Christian LaCroix Spring/Summer 2008:

From the team at Integrity Toys 2011:

The redesign is missing all the subtlety and artistry of the original. In the LaCroix, the flow of color from bottom of the hot pink of the skirt up to the orange/red at the waist is perfection. The shoulder rose picks up the pastel of the tights. The tights themselves seem to be darker at the foot end and lighter as they go up. The hair ornament has all the colors seen in the gown. It all makes sense. The one splash of chartreuse is softened by the drape of the fabric used for the bow and it's placed to appear so that the bow is gathering the fabric instead of just stuck on top of the fabric.

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Click for Source

An Emperor who cares for nothing but his appearance and attire hires two tailors who promise him the finest suit of clothes from a fabric invisible to anyone who is unfit for his position or "just hopelessly stupid". The Emperor cannot see the cloth himself, but pretends that he can for fear of appearing unfit for his position or stupid; his ministers do the same. When the swindlers report that the suit is finished, they mime dressing him and the Emperor then marches in procession before his subjects, who play along with the pretense. Suddenly, a child in the crowd, too young to understand the desirability of keeping up the pretense, blurts out that the Emperor is wearing nothing at all and the cry is taken up by others. The Emperor cringes, suspecting the assertion is true, but holds himself up proudly and continues the procession.

Bild Lilly for Sale at Marl & B

This beautiful example of a Bild Lilly doll caught my eye today. I don't think I've seen one in such gorgeous condition. Marl is selling her for $4,200. I have no idea about the prices of these dolls but I do know that they are an important part of fashion doll history, particularly that of Barbie. 

Click on the picture to go to Marl & B Website

Excerpts from Wikipedia and miscellaneous sources about Bild Lilli and Barbie's origin follows. Clicking on any of the links will take you to Wikipedia.

The doll became so popular that she was exported to other countries, including the United States, where she was just called "Lilli". Some Lillis have been seen in original packaging dating from the 1950s for an English-speaking market labeled as "Lilli Marlene", after the famous song. Several toy companies (mainly in Hong Kong) started producing fashion dolls looking very similar to Lilli. These dolls are easy to distinguish because of their poor quality.But Lilli also inspired the production of another fashion doll of high quality who would soon outshine her: Barbie, produced by Mattel. Ruth Handler, one of the company's founders, bought some of the Lilli dolls when she was on a trip to Europe. Back home she reworked the design of the doll and re-named her Barbie, who debuted at the New York toy fair on March 9, 1959. Barbie had rooted hair and her shoes and earrings were not molded — apart from that she was a lookalike of Lilli. Barbie celebrated 50 years of continuous production in 2009.^[2]Louis Marx and Company acquired the rights to the Lilli doll from O&M Hausser and released it in America as the Miss Seventeen (doll) in 1961. Marx unsuccessfully attempted to sue Mattel for patent infringement.^[3]Also in Spain, Muñecas FEJ (Guillen y Vicedo) copied the moulds of Bild Lilli and made a very similar doll but with darker skin, white earrings and articulated waist. However, Spanish society was extremely conservative at that moment and were not ready for such "sexy" dolls. Mothers were not buying them for their daughters and the manufacturer had to retire them from the market.There are no books about the Lilli doll alone. 

Even though their whole Barbie success was based on this German original, Mattel's legal department made sure that using the name Bild Lilli as a book title or product name would infringe copyright laws. Mattel had discreetly bought up all and any patents and copyrights to Bild Lilli, while Marx Toys held some of them after the demise of this toy competitor. Unlike Barbie, Bild Lilli was produced for only eight years and never reached the importance of the American doll. By the time the creators and producers of the original Bild Lilli doll, O&M Hausser, realized that Mattel had duped them into selling off their intellectual property and distribution rights for ridiculously low lump sums, Barbie had already made Mattel such a successful and influential market leader that law suits were struck down in favor of the ever-growing American toy giant.

 Portraying the risqué misadventures of a tarty, sassy blonde "working girl" living life in the big city, Lilli was an oversexed fashionista who enjoyed keeping the company of rich men. While she did maintain a job as a secretary, she was definitely the type of girl who, like Holly Golightly in 1961's Breakfast at Tiffany's "got $50 to go to the powder room". Because of it's bawdy humor the cartoon was an immediate smash hit and became a weekly feature.

"I must insist that at least one of you stops following me!"

"Yes, I kissed him, but I didn't want him to get too serious so I stopped him after three."

To cash in on the success of the comic character, BILD released an 11 1/2" Lilli novelty doll in 1955, aimed at adult male readers and sold them in bars and smoke shops as an erotic gag gift. Since the dolls produced up until this point were babies or toddlers marketed to girls, a doll with a voluptuous figure sold to men as a sexualized plaything was quite titillating.

A smaller 7 1/2" version of Lilli was also produced and could be playfully dangled from the rear view mirror of a car, on a little included swing. Who needs a mudflap girl when you can have a three-dimensional "sex pet"?  The promotional material touted her lifestyle as "always discreet," and that her sexy wardrobe made her "the star of every bar"!

 

Not originally intended for children, little girls fell in love with the dolls.  A high quality wardrobe was produced featuring the fashions trends of the 50's such as tight sweaters, capri pants, pencil skirts, party outfits, cotton swing skirts, nightwear and traditional German dresses.

Although the design was tweaked, side by side Lilli and the original Barbie are nearly identical!