This was a highly anticipated doll which debuted at the recent Tonner convention.
A promo blurb on the Tonner Direct website says:
Carmen Dell'Orefice
Fashion icon Carmen Dell’Orefice is the longest working super model in the business, honored in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest career as a catwalk model. Carmen has graced the cover of Vogue Magazine, walked the runway for all the greats and has been a staple in the fashion community for 70 years. Now, Carmen again makes history as the inspiration for the FIRST EVER fashion doll representing mature beauty.
I am quite the fan of Carmen and I had a proxy get the doll for me. I also received a personalized, signed photo.
I believe the fashion was inspired by this runway ensemble.
The line will continue and I'm anticipating more glamour. Perhaps we'll see fashions like these:
I want to see some wild hair framing that gorgeous face.
What do you think of this doll?
Carmen is beautiful and the doll is pretty.I think the forehead is a bit too low and the jaw too pronounced which throws it off.Sculpting actual humans into doll anatomy is tricky and sometimes if they are sculpted a bit stylized,certain features tweaked,or sculpted with a bit of an expression it captures the person better.Or it is made from a specific photograph where you were capturing that moment not the actual person.You know how people can see a celebrity irl and be stunned they dont look like their photos.If that makes sense.Its a nice doll and I think customizers will have fun with her!
ReplyDeleteI think part of that is because celebrity and model photos are often retouched so in person the do not look as good.
DeleteYa exactly.We know these people mostly through still photography and for doll making purposes even an exact copy of a person may not be a great doll.Carmen exudes that classy regalness in her photos in her long career.Thats what you need to capture for me anyway.Its doll making you can make her Carmen to the 10th power if you want like some of her recent shoots. jmho
DeleteThey could have used the Evangeline body - long neck, long hands & long head. I agree there is only a passing likeness but the doll is really nice.
ReplyDeleteLauraLA
Possibly with different hands but EG is too tall to fit in with Tonner's other fashion dolls.
DeleteThe doll is pretty and the idea is GREAT, but the doll doesn't look like The fashion Icon that is Carmen, a lot of people will tell you that it is difficult to sculpt a doll from a real human, but that is a load of BS, if you see what really good and talented sculptors do with Action figures, those dolls look EXACTLY like the celebrities portraying the Action heroes, Scarlet Johnson's doll couldn't look more like Scarlet herself...thenif they can do it, Tonner should be able to do it too, and the only reason they don't (create better likeness to the celebrities they are basing some of their dolls on) is cos either don't really care to do a better job or cos they simply can't due to the limitations of their talents.... that excuse that some Fashon dolls collectors have created that it is damn near impossible to make a doll look like it should is really OLD and trully BS
ReplyDeleteOf course they want to make a lookalike but I think the technology or hiring a great sculptor is too expensive.
DeleteI agree. The face is too broad, the nose not narrow enough and the makeup is too subdued. I still think it is an attractive doll, but it doesn't have enough "Carmen". It reminded me of another Tonner sculpt, which I cannot recall right now.
ReplyDeleteI am waiting for more dramatic fashions. I am sure I will have her repainted, too.
Regina?
DeleteI'm sure she may be Dremeled into shape and we'll see some great repaints, too. She would make a great addition to my Aunt Regina 1.0 and 2.0!!! As for technology and reproduction of faces, as long as Tonner has a stock body, may be worth it. Sideshow set the bar REALLY high with their 12 inch action figures. Only those in the field could make an accurate comment on the subject. Looking forward to the fashions!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree that Sideshow is fantastic with accurate reproductions.
DeleteI do see the resemblance to Carmen, but agree the face is too wide. I'm wondering if the doll might have looked "odd" with a face as narrow as Carmen's.
ReplyDeleteI'm a fan of Carmen and I bought the doll from Tonner Direct. She hasn't arrived yet. I too, think she could look more like the real person. Perhaps with different make up - something more dramatic? Brighter, wider lips, bigger lashes!
ReplyDeleteWell- she doesn't look much like Carmen, but I bet a talented re-paint could fix that.
ReplyDeleteThe 'new' Carmen doll looks like a re-designed Tonner Fairy Godmother - do not care for the pinched in mouth - nose area - makes her look kind of 'witchy' in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteYour comparison to the fairy godmother is totally off. In reality, Carmen does have a pinched in nose which does not come through on the sculpt. She does not have full lips either. Take a look at the model and the doll and really see what the differences are.
DeleteMy comparison is not totally off - you need to look at the fairy godmother facial sculpt and Carmen side by side and you will see the similarity.
DeleteI think the doll is beautiful. She needs her hair wildly up styled or thinner at the temples with the curl at the back.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see her repainted.
I agree!
Deleteyou can scan a human head and make a mesh using a free app and your phone. getting a dead-on likeness is possible, BUT fashion dolls are stylized. Tonner is a good businessman, and I think rather than put alot of money into something outside of his norm, he found an existing sculpt and reworked it and did a cost analysis on how much time he should spend on it based on being able to sell X number of dolls. the Marilyn doll was a worse likeness than this, and it still sold....so he did the right thing.
ReplyDeleteI started collection Tonner is 2005 after seeing the Witches of OZ collection at TOY FAIR, over the last 8 yrs I have had hundreds of Tonner dolls come in and go out of my collection and honestly just started getting bored with the companies offerings over the last few years. Carmen however really got me excited after hearing about her upcoming release last year. I had admired this woman for the last few years and could not wait to see Robert bring her into the doll world. I received my doll last week and was not disappointed, yes she needs a bit of styling and no the likeness is not spot on BUT she is a very quality doll with a beautiful "mature" sculpt that was missing in the doll world. With a bit of styling and I think I was able to bring out more of the actual beauty that is Carmen. I have high hopes for the upcoming collection and if the two OOAK auction dolls we saw were a small glimpse of what is to come then I for one will be very happy :)
ReplyDeleteI'm right there with you looking forward to more beautiful dolls.
DeleteTerri
I think the doll looks very much like Carmen, but not today's Carmen. I think it looks very much like some of Carmen's younger and especially teen photos. That leads me to wonder if Carmen requested a younger likeness be used, or if she provided photos from earlier days as reference.
ReplyDelete