6/26/2017

Jamieshow Convention "East Meets West"

I attended a fun, three day event in Chicago at the Jamieshow/Gene Convention this past weekend.
Although I don't actually collect JS or Gene any longer, I wanted to spend time with friends and go back to Chicago which I loved the first time I was there. 

I'll describe the worst part of the trip first.

You may agree that flying and airports are not fun anymore. The plane rides were smooth and thankfully uneventful. In spite of the size of the seat, it's enough room for me as I always get an aisle seat and pay for the extra inch or two of leg room up front when I buy my ticket. And I am small.
Philadelphia airport is not too bad. They seem to have done a lot of modernizing. But American Airlines does this thing called priority boarding. Either you have a first class ticket or you pay to board first. No to both. So I was in group 6 out of 9 in spite of the fact that my seat was in row 8. Everybody's in such a hurry to get on the plane to stuff up the overhead bins with items they're not supposed to put there. I saw child-sized carry-ons taking up the room of an adult sized carry-on. Those items are supposed to be placed under the seats. Luckily no one was dragged off the plane broken and bleeding.  
Chicago's O'Hare is a real nightmare. It reminds me of what the traffic pattern in India looks like. You can't see more than a few feet ahead of you when you're as short as I am. The human mass of which I was part, was directed to walk an alternative route to baggage claim. (I racked up a load of steps that day on my Fitbit.)  Some jerk left a vehicle unattended outside the terminal and officials shut down an entire area, diverting all traffic elsewhere. I had no idea how to get to the shuttle. While waiting for someone to tell me how to get there, the emergency was lifted and the shuttles were once again allowed to enter the area. Goody.
Returning to Philadelphia was a bucket of fun, too. For some reason the x-ray machine detected something in my left hip area. I have no implants, neither did I have coins or a metal belt on my person. So along comes a lady with her blue plastic feel-your-junk gloves. However, she was very professional and nice and I was not uncomfortable. 
To make up for that,  O'Hare is a gigantic food court. The choices are dizzying. I had the most tasty deep dish cheesy pizza ever. Score 1 point for Mr. Edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare.

I spent Thursday walking and shopping. My favorite shop in Chicago is the Museum of Contemporary Art Store. You MUST go there. I can spend 2 hours browsing, touching and deciding what to buy. Their products range from the sublime to the ridiculous and everywhere in between.  I have provided a link to their store but the shop has more than they have listed and is much more fun.

A cocktail party was held on Friday evening accompanied by a band with a collection preview afterward. 

On Saturday there was a buffet breakfast followed by two workshops - shoe making by Juli Riedel and wig cap styling by Joseph Novak. After a short break, Pat Henry gave a talk accompanied by a slide show on the basics of photography. She included tips on taking better iPhone photos along with suggestions for photo editing apps.
The salesroom opened at 2:00 PM. It was very busy with lines snaking through an adjoining room for several hours. The companion dolls such as Trent created quite a stir as did Madra. 
Saturday evening was the main dinner at which Mel Odom gave a talk. He is always entertaining. We were gifted with a set of flat feet for Jamieshow gals and some other little goodies.
Sunday morning was the farewell breakfast buffet. 

Here are my mostly unedited (iPhone) photos from the event. I will let them speak for themselves. You can click to enlarge.

The Dolls:


 Six New Basic Dolls. Everyone loved the Anna Wintour type. 
I want the wig cap Lee is wearing for my Alejandro.


 Ten New Fashions



Correction: There were 12 new outfits. Kay Stemnock sent the additional photo above, right.


 Gene


 Trent- San  (I added the San.)



Ling Lang


The gorgeous convention souvenir doll Luna Li.


 Madra





Also offered in the shop were loads of wig caps, posing hands, doll stands and a very few dolls from last year's convention. 

Attendees:













Workshop kibbitzers. This was the most fun of the weekend.












Out of the Hotel


Great architecture old and new and gazillions of shops.  I have to admit that I'm spoiled living in Pennsylvania. We have no sales tax on clothing and I live less than 30 minutes from the largest mall in the eastern US. As my real estate agent says, "Shopping is a sport here."


 Above: Outside the Lego and American Girl stores.

Old Firehouse

 The new American Girl hotel accessory, front and back.










Great view from my window looking north on Michigan Ave to the Lake.

The best part of the event for me was sharing with friends old and new. I enjoy conventions of this size as one can really talk to everyone. The dolls were so beautiful that I just had to buy one and that was Madra. She is waiting (patiently) for a photo shoot in my studio. 

17 comments:

  1. The Trent doll looks amazing, but I am sad that Gene doesn't look like Gene anymore. I'm glad you had a fun time.

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    1. I understand but she is still a lovely doll. I suppose 'old timers' can feel let down by the changes.

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    2. I agree with April. All the characters look like botoxed versions of their previous incarnations, and the females seem to have a tendency to resemble Gene so I have difficulty telling them apart at times. Also it seems there is little relation to the original 40s-50s Hollywood theme.

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  2. I love these dolls. I wish I had gone to this one....

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  3. Thanks for sharing your photos, Terri - so glad you got to go! One of these days we will attend a convention together!

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  4. What is your take on the Trent doll in the gray resin to match Lipstick Gene? I'd like to know what you thought about his look and skin tone.

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  5. Beautiful dolls- Madra is delicious. So glad you enjoyed Chicago- hard to do much in three days with a convention. Were there many new wig caps? Those of us who couldn't afford to go can change our current girls' look. Regret not getting Trent from last year, or It Happened on Fifth Avenue this year. Alas, Gene is now out of many collector's price range now. (which may be a good thing, LOL!)

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    1. I know for sure that someone bought 34 wig caps - all different.

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  6. Was the new clothing preorder or could you take them home from the Convention. I really want one of the dresses. PLMK. Thanks.

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    Replies
    1. Sorry to be so late to answer. I found your comment just now. Some of the outfits were pre-order. Go to Jamieshow.us.

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  7. Terri, what an interesting report ! I spent time reading and studying everything, and even ordered a bracelet from the Museum ! At first, I wasn't sure what I thought about Luna, but now I love her, having seen more pics of her, including yours. I saw her in a dark wig, and liked that even better, although her OF here is to die for ! As is the incredible gown on Ling Lang, who I also love. Her make-up is gorgeous. She looks a little similar to last year's convention Veronika. Do you think there is a similarity ? It's hard to tell sometimes from a photo. It sounds like a really fun event, and I hope to go next year myself. Thanks for a wonderfully interesting post !

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    Replies
    1. The museum is the first place I would go every time I visit Chicago.
      Terri

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  8. I always love your reviews, Huntress! It looks like a good time and some wonderful eye candy to be had. My favorite outfit was the Purple Rose. It's gorgeous! You look chic, as always! xo

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    Replies
    1. Hi Wenchie! I did have a good time. Thanks.
      Terri

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