8/09/2013

Mattel's New Barbie Releases

Five more (yes, five!) new dolls were revealed yesterday. 
Captions and photos of the five dolls are all from the Barbie Collector site.
This first-ever Silkstone® Audrey Hepburn as Sabrina portrait doll is beautifully sculpted in the actress’ likeness. She wears a re-creation of the famed black and white embroidered long gown Sabrina wears upon her entrance into Long Island society. White opera gloves, faux pearl drop earrings and black stiletto pumps complete the elegant ensemble.  $100.   
Inspired by Barbie®, imagined by The Blonds, the Blond Gold Barbie® doll glows in fashion riches. Incredible chain detail adorns her golden corset and metallic-woven cape and inspires her long earrings and golden armbands. Her unique doll stand is inspired by bars of bullion and creates the perfect pedestal for this golden diva. $150.

This lovely Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday portrait doll is exquisitely sculpted in the actress’ likeness. She is dressed in a re-creation of Princess Ann’s costume: a beige A-line skirt worn with a crisp white blouse and finished with a wide buckled belt. A pretty printed scarf and brown laced sandals are her stylish accessories.  $34.95
The Wizard of Oz Fantasy Glamour Dorothy doll wears a strapless gown reinterpreted from her classic blue-and-white gingham dress. The frothy tulle overskirt is trimmed in satin ribbon and sparkly sequins. The bows from her braids are now drop earrings, while the famed ruby slippers are reimagined as striking red stilettos. Also included is a silvery clutch and bracelet.  $100.
So beautiful and glorious, her name is the Basque word for “miracle.” Stephen Burrows Alazne Barbie® doll wears a breathtaking floor-length coral gown adorned in countless, shimmering paillettes. The striking collar and fingerless opera gloves create an elegant, yet modern look. A towering headpiece and golden hoop earrings frame her gorgeous face. $100.

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I would like to add the Silkstone Audrey Hepburn to my collection. The sculpt is lovely. Hopefully she looks like the promo - especially the hair.  I still think it's overpriced as are all the rest of the dolls except for the vinyl Roman Holiday Audrey which is pretty cute.
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The Blonds Blond Gold Barbie is pretty spectacular. But $150.?  This is the type of doll that stays in her box. The only other doll I have that I've wanted to debox but didn't is the Blond's Diamond Barbie. I'm sure I wouldn't like her once she was out of the box. You can't do anything with these dolls except look at them.
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Is it not time for the Wizard of Oz dolls to go away? This ridiculously overpriced vinyl, unarticulated, no eyelash doll is $100. Seriously? She has nice hair but I wonder what it will look like IRL. 
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From Wikipedia:
Fashion critic Suzy Menkes of “The International Herald Tribune” praised Burrows as “the Master of matte jersey and colour combinations!” In addition to “Stephen Burrows World”, Burrows expanded his company to include a number of labels drawn from various points of inspiration. “S by Burrows” was created for a venture with Home Shopping Europe (HSN) in Munich, Germany, while “Everyday Girl” was inspired by Anna Cleveland, daughter to muse and model Pat Cleveland, and “SB73,” a cut and sew knit line that was developed based on Burrows’ hallmark, color-blocked creations of the seventies.
First Lady Michelle Obama's choose to wear a Burrows Jersey pantsuit to a Washington DC event. Remarking on the significance, Vogue Magazine wrote, "It was a wonderful acknowledgement of Burrows, one of the great African-American designers and a Harlem resident known for his inventive cuts and bias technique."

The Alazne Barbie was designed by Linda Kyaw but the Facial Sculpt is called Stephen Burrows. I don't know enough about this reference to understand or explain and I'm hoping my Barbie knowledgeable readers will comment. The fashion is not the type of work Burrows is known for which would have made a lot of sense.  BTW, Alazne also means "she knows."
I'd like this for a doll:

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12 comments:

  1. Saw real life photos of Silkstone Sabrina on a dealer's website. Unfortunately she looks nothing like the promo. Roman Holiday looks close enough but I'm getting her (shipped already) for the outfit only.

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  2. May have to pre-order the Audrey Hepburns. Both are lovely. And the Blond Gold Barbie is pretty hot, I must say!!!

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  3. Stratos, still vastly better than Integrity's AH Sabrina- at least I know the body won't decay in a few years. Done deal here for both!

    But I loved Mattel's AH and redressed all my Barbie as Eliza in My Fair Lady with Pink Princess AHs, when they went on sale.

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  4. I've seen the Audrey doll here at NBCC, and my feelings were mixed. I thought her hair needed a little help, but the sculpt was pretty decent. I should state, I mean Sabrina.

    Also, did you see The Blonds doll is the same dress as the one Kyle Minogue has worn in one of her videos? My bet is that she will probably sell out, despite of her price and articulation. :)

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    Replies
    1. She is pretty spectacular-looking. I think she will sell out, too.
      About the Sabrina: I just saw a production doll and the hair is awful. That ruined it for me immediately. She will not be joining the tribe.

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  5. I ordered both dolls and should they not meet the promotional pictures standards, back they will go.

    Unlike other online dealers (here comes the pet peeve...), Mattel accepts doll returns thus I ordered through the website rather than through
    dealers.

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  6. Steve C., none of my Poppys has decayed and I have some from the very first year they came out. They are all in top condition. Plus the Sabrina Poppy was not made as an Audrey look-alike, it was simply wearing the clothes from the movie. The dress on that doll looks to be in much lower quality then the IT one, simply check the frill finish of the hem.

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  7. I believe the Alazne Barbie's sculpt is being referred to as the Stephen Burrows sculpt because it is a new sculpt first used on last year's Pazette (not sure if I spelled that correctly) Barbie which was also designed by him.

    ~Kurt~
    (DivaLuvv)

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  8. the gold one is another figurine more from Mattel plastic and plastic you can't do anything with it.

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  9. Stephen Vermandois12/5/15, 9:18 AM

    I thought I'd never see the day that Mattel made a better gown than Integrity Toys, but they did with the Sabrina ballgown. I still can't understand why Integrity Toys went to the trouble of reproducing the embroidery pattern of the Givenchy design but did not bother about getting the cut and fabric right.

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