Her sculpt is that of Vanessa 1.0 which was verified today as yesterday they told us she was 3.0.
Her price is $130 plus s&h. Members can use their $20. coupon only towards the final payment, not the deposit.
She's called "Black-Tie Ball" and the edition number will be equal to the amount of club members ordering her which means it will probably be somewhere over 1,000. There are 1,978 memberships. Not particularly exclusive, but I get it.
Here is the text describing her:
Vanessa Perrin has been invited to be the official Master of Ceremonies of one of Europe's most talked about events and she's absolutely thrilled about it! Ready to be the perfect stage host, Vanessa will surely steal the spotlight from the firmament of stars in attendance!
Vanessa is a 12.5-inch fully articulated vinyl fashion doll with beautiful platinum hair that is gorgeously styled, yet perfect if you wish to create your own looks! Her gown is intricately detailed with elaborate corset detailing and shows just enough leg to drive Vanessa's admirers wild! Complete with shoes, a lovely jewelry set and a doll stand. For adult collectors ages 15 and up.
While I'm a lover of the original Vanessa sculpt, this gal does nothing for me. I do not like her makeup and the dress looks pedestrian and ill-fitting in the bodice and bust area. I do not see "elaborate corset detailing" as they say exists. The horizontal seam looks like it goes right across the fullest part of the bust. Something is off.
These earlier Fashion Royalty items do have elaborate corset detail:
This new dress does not have it.
I detest phony hype from any company. Collectors are not blind. However, many are driven by the collective crowd mentality and the belief that a W Club exclusive is special.
She's pretty and there is nothing special about her which is sad because club members should be offered the best of the best.
I must add that these Integrity Toys photographs are of the prototype and "final production colors and textures may vary slightly."
I was wondering what you'd make of the new Vanessa 1.0 :)
ReplyDeleteI think you summed up my thoughts -- she is "pretty" but not amazing. I like a well-done nude palette as well as anything, but somehow it's not working here. And the dress.... :S It does seem to fit poorly, which makes the faux-cutout look even more, well, faux. :(
Still, for the price, I'll order her and see what I end up with.
If I weren't thinning my collection, I might reconsider but I'd sell the dress immediately. The best thing about her is that her hair color is lovely and the hair style is no muss, no fuss. I like that.
DeleteI actually like her, and the more I look at her the more I like her, she has screening very similar to Blue Flame and Fashionable Life and I do not have either one. What I like the most is the color of her lips, its not orange but more pale pink, it makes them very sensual. She could have more elaborate hair style, but guess I will have to deal with that :) Love the necklace, it can be used for both suits and dresses. The sandals are classic, they will look good on pants.
ReplyDelete*sigh* I dont know what to say anymore. A lot of people are unhappy that it is again another Vanessa, that it is again a platinum haired doll and that she is wearing black. There are so many sculpts IT could have chosen from, sculpts people have been yearning for, and somehow for club members (i.e. non convention goers) they keep selecting the same faces again. And then the unimaginative fashion on this. I don't understand. Why couldnt they have made a drop dead gorgeous doll with a highly sought after and demanded sculpt like Eden/Lilith, or Rayna? The overall reaction to this doll, despite the 1.0 face, has been a long meh.
ReplyDeleteA really ugly fight broke out on the W club over the ITBE cocktail welcome doll being a Kumi sculpt and apparently a gorgeous one at that, looking like the Wild at Heart Twins. People got curios, they wanted to know what she looked liked, others were posting to buy her. It has created a lot of bad blood and contempt on both sides: on the one side among convention goers who feel entitled to get a special doll for having paid early and are bitter that she was being discussed among those who didnt pay early, and on the other side among collectors who feel left out, wondering why IT could not have made that Kumi a Club Doll since so many people had asked for that face.
So, intended or not (I assume unintended) vastly differing treatment of club members has resulted in a lot of resentment and bitterness. People are frustrated, and rightly so, that the effort to bring knock out and gorgeous dolls is apparently only made for a few select attendees to coveted events while the rest of the club has to do with the meat and potatoes. I personally feel there could have been a way for IT to give early bird attendees something special while also being sensitive to the demands of the general club members who are not convention goers or who did not pay early bird. But the way they did it just stung and so close to the convention has created the kind of tension and negativity I dont like to see.
IT sometimes, and often in the past few years, takes exclusivity to a level that creates animosity as some said on the aforementioned thread. That this doll ended not being a coveted sculpt did not help.
Thank you for your comments about the goings-on over there.
DeleteTerri
Hmm, I see your point, I collect only one or two dolls per sculpt (if new one comes, the other one goes), but Vanessa 1.0 is not a sculpt we see too often, the last time we saw her is the last year's Convention, and when before before that? The AA one? And that's it. We haven't seen her for years (I have short memory ... might be more... hehhehhh :))) I think that makes her pretty exclusive.
DeleteWe just had Lillith/Kumi/Eden - and what other name - sculpt at the convention, nobody is complaining why one more now at the convention, weird! Ohhh and the workshop doll is Lillith as well .... even more weird :)))
Thank you for commenting.
DeleteStorm - no WE did not just have a Lillith/Kumi/Eden, there is no WE - only a select few people at the convention going to the early bird will have her and even then, most people who were part of that group were not able to get her as she sold out within minutes. There is no WE here in this equation, only THOSE FEW. We, US club members never had a shot at her unless WE were in that sub group of collectors. And that is my point, a popular doll should like this should have maybe been offered to more than 100 people.
Delete@poppy: I know, as I said, I get you! I just think you are too hyped up for this sculpt and I wanted to make you feel better. Most of the dolls in my collection are from conventions, but with time, I realized that with continuous production repetitiveness is unavoidable, sooner or later you will have similar doll offered at regular price. I doubt I will ever again be ready to pay more than regular price for any doll. Just wait, the doll you like will find its way to you :)
Delete@Terri: I am sorry for this digression.
No apology necessary.
DeleteAs always thanks for the review and love the blog.
ReplyDeleteI prefer the FR16s but I would love to have a Vanessa (1.0), just not I think this one.
I have been a member of the "Club" for several uninspired years and I'm surprised to hear there are that many members. Particularly given the poor selections this last few years.
Will C.
There are many people who have multiple memberships. I used to, back when it was worth it and when I was going to their conventions with my husband. Uninspired is a very good word for this particular doll.
DeleteT
@Will C.: One thing to keep in mind is that some (many?) club members are new; I'm part of that set in my first year in the club and only second year collecting IT dolls. We (I) don't really have a reference point to judge that these are substandard dolls. I love reading the stories of more experienced members/collectors to help understand other perspectives, but I've been really happy with recent Club dolls like Dania, Techrat, Ollie, and Mood Changers Poppy. Give me another few years and we'll see what happens. ;-)
DeleteUninspired years - that's it, perfect word to describe what's going on. IT dolls are "fashion" dolls, I like pretty faces, but fashion is important too. I rarely see any wow fashion from the IT dolls for long time. I don't see why it's so hard, a lot of times they just copy from runway fashion, why not pick something more interesting? Maybe their budget doesn't allow, or bad taste?? I don't know.
ReplyDeleteCarol
She's really pretty (like her hair) but I wish I hadn't seen your photos Terri of the bodice detailing from prior years because it cemented my decision NOT to get her (or maybe I am grateful?) The bodice just doesn't look very nice, especially when compared to the gorgeous detailing the bodices of prior years. Given the anniversary year- I am disappointed she was not something more special. I hope that this does not provide an omen of what to expect at the convention (although I fear that it does).
ReplyDeleteBTW are you going to the KD event? I hope so!
She's really pretty (like her hair) but I wish I hadn't seen your photos Terri of the bodice detailing from prior years because it cemented my decision NOT to get her (or maybe I am grateful?) The bodice just doesn't look very nice, especially when compared to the gorgeous detailing the bodices of prior years. Given the anniversary year- I am disappointed she was not something more special. I hope that this does not provide an omen of what to expect at the convention (although I fear that it does).
ReplyDeleteBTW are you going to the KD event? I hope so!
Yes, I'll be there! Looking forward to meeting you.
DeleteOr maybe we've met. I have CRS (can't remember shit.)
Meh...I like her platinum blonde hair color, but it has no real style, I usually love a LBD, but this one doesn't really look like anything we haven't seen a zillion times before. I also find her makeup blah, especially the pale lip color. I'm honestly regretting having even joined the WClub this year. I've had technical issues that prevented me from participating in the Club, and the 12 inch size dolls just aren't the focus of my collection. Oh well, live and learn. ;) More of this Vanessa who love her, I'm content with my singular High Tide Vanessa.
ReplyDeleteHigh Tide is a wonderful example of the 'golden age' of Fashion Royalty. I love mine.
DeleteT
I ordered her, but I'm not not 100 percent thrilled with what I see. I'm part of the why-does-it-need-to-be-another-black-dress crowd; I'd really like to see some reds, blues, and greens. Normally I also prefer brunettes or redheads and thought I had my fill with a few platinum blonde dolls, but for some reason this one captured my attention. The hairstyle (I like your description of "no muss, no fuss") and look are different enough from other dolls to be at least interesting. It's difficult to tell from promo pictures, so the final test is always when you're holding the doll in your own hands. There are several dolls I wasn't sure about but absolutely loved when they arrived and shed their boxes.
ReplyDeleteI hope she is wonderful!
DeleteI think the whole is less than the sum of the parts. I like the dress, but not on her. I like the face, but with the hair. My first thought on seeing her was, "I could change the hair and put her in one of the more recent white sheath dresses and make her into the prototype Vanessa with the refresh and renew trunk"...not exactly, but close enough for me.
ReplyDeleteI think the dress would look great on clear dress form. I may print one. I do tire of black. Even a midnight blue would have engaged me more.
I'd love to see the printed dress if you make one.
DeleteT
I tried to like her and I LOVE VANESSA.
ReplyDeleteBut so dissappointed that this is the 3rd Club Doll which is blond. Also the dress, I really don't get the lined illusion netting under the lace - Integrity have done key wholes and sheer panels before without the need of this and lets be honest, its not like this doll need to worry about her underboob showing.
The shoes are uninspired... Really miss the days which Integrity does beautiful runway inspired platforms in dolly size