2017 Fashion Royalty Collection Revealed

Five Fashion Royalty dolls were revealed on Saturday, June 24, via a webinar for the members of the W Club. I tried to watch on my phone from Chicago but had little success in seeing photos. There was a good deal of talking and I was attending a workshop. Just a case of bad timing...
However, every member was emailed a full description with gorgeous photos of the dolls.
Nu Face dolls were also revealed but I'll deal with them in another post.
English translation of doll names is in brackets after each name.

Vivacité [vivacity]

Eugenia Perrin-Frost™ Dressed Doll

La Femme

The 2017 Fashion Royalty® Collection

Edition Size: 1025

Estimated Delivery: Fall/Winter 2017

Retail Price: $145.00 US

Body: FR 6.0

Foot Sculpt: High-heeled

Eugenia channels her inner French girl with this soft and ultra-feminine look that just is just too adorable and sophisticated for words! Dressed in a pair of perfectly fitted capri pants and a sensuous off-the-shoulder blouse (with an extra-long bow detail on the back), Eugenia is ready for an afternoon stroll amongst the stalls of her favorite florists, where she picked up a most delicate bouquet of fresh roses.

Coquette [flirt]

Jordan Duval™ Dressed Doll

La Femme

The 2017 Fashion Royalty® Collection

Edition Size: 725

Estimated Delivery: September 2017

Retail Price: $145.00 US

Body: FR 6.0

Foot Sculpt: High-heeled

For her "recon" mission on the Riviera, Jordan opted for a re-invented version of the classic hostess outfit with a floor length, detachable turquoise satin skirt over delicately striped satin capri pants, topped by a faux-leather bustier that gives this sunny look an ultra-modern, yet soft and sophisticated edge. Jordan also opted to complete the look with colorful accessories that truly make her perfect cocoa skin tone stand out and shine!

Sophistiquée [sophisticated]

Vanessa Perrin™ Dressed Doll

Head Sculpt: Vanessa Perrin 3.0

La Femme

The 2017 Fashion Royalty® Collection

Edition Size: 825

Estimated Delivery: Fall/Winter 2017

Retail Price: $145.00 US

Body: FR 6.0

Foot Sculpt: High-heeled

Dressed to accompany Adèle Makéda and her cousin Eugenia on a trip to the French Riviera, Vanessa wears an ultra-modern look, composed of an intricately detailed blouse with long criss-cross ties on the sleeves and a sheer black lace skirt. Since it can get chilly at night, she took along her favorite faux-fur shoulder wrap, which incidentally happens to be one of her favorite fashion pieces!

Séduisante [seductive]

Elyse Jolie™ Close-Up Doll

La Femme

The 2017 Fashion Royalty® Collection

Edition Size: 825

Estimated Delivery: Fall/Winter 2017

Retail Price: $120.00 US

Body: FR 6.0

Foot Sculpt: High-heeled and Flat Feet (One Pair of Each Included)

Seen here for the first time in the Light Honey skin tone, this wonderful addition to the Fashion Royalty collection marks the debut of the new interchangeable lower leg feature and includes two sets of lower legs, one with the traditional high-heeled feet and another with flat, removable feet, as well as corresponding shoes to fit each. Elyse also comes with her own faux-leather beach bag, jewelry and glamorous wide-frame sunglasses.

This doll will be sold via a W Club right-to-buy lottery later this year. It is not available through dealers. 

Exquise  [exquisite]

Adèle Makéda® Dressed Doll - Head Sculpt: Adèle Makéda 2.0

La Femme

The 2017 Fashion Royalty® Collection

Edition Size: 725

Estimated Delivery: Fall/Winter 2017

Suggested Retail Price: $145.00 US

Body: FR 6.0

Foot Sculpt: High-heeled

For her trek down to the South of France, Adèle opted for an impeccably tailored, red-hot pant suit that features a sophisticated removable cape that transforms the jacket into a vest and allows her to wear this look in multiple ways. She then added a custom-printed head scarf (to protect her finger wave hairstyle), faux-leather gloves and a fashionable hat to complete her look. This lady definitely knows how to travel in style!

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To me the obvious winner of this quintet is Adele. Adele 2.0 is the collector favorite of all the sculpts used for her. This fashion is stunning. Everything works beautifully with this doll. I pre-ordered her immediately upon seeing the photos. I hope she looks exactly as pictured above. 

Sadly, Vanessa is the least attractive of all the dolls. Her fashion is a hot mess with the only saving grace being the shoes and handbag. The skirt is nice on it's own but the 'oxford' blue blouse and the faux fur are just mistakes.

Now let's talk about Elise. We are back to spelling her name Elyse. I adore this sculpt and thought she was excellent even with the color change about which I have heard complaints. I wonder what other dolls have 'light honey' skin tone.  I will be entering the lottery and I hope to be able to purchase her. I don't care about the flat feet. It raises the price a bit and I have no flat shoes for my 12" dolls anyway.  The bathing suit will look better on a less articulated doll.  Let's hope that those who run the lottery don't decide to pick only their favorite people.
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UPDATES: Elise is not going to be a lottery. They've discovered there is enough fabric to make as many as people order. Clever.
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As one collector pointed out, Agnes was included in this collection as the event doll. Any collector who wanted one could order one per membership.

Merveilleuse Agnes Von Weiss $150.

Integrity Toys Supermodel Convention 2016

FASHION ROYALTY

The core characters of Fashion Royalty channel everyone's favorite Supermodels of the early 90s! Each of four dolls (above) comes with two complete outfits and is exclusive to the 2016 Integrity Toys Convention!
Cover Girl
Véronique Perrin® Dressed Doll
Convention Collection Exclusive
Head Sculpt: Véronique Perrin 2.0
Body Type: FR2013 
Skin Tone: FR White

Glamazon

Adèle Makéda® Dressed Doll
Convention Collection Exclusive
Head Sculpt: Adèle Makéda 2.0
Body Type: FR2013
Skin Tone: FR Black

Chameleon

Vanessa Perrin™ Dressed Doll
Convention Collection Exclusive
Head Sculpt: Vanessa Perrin 1.0
Body Type: FR2013

Fashionista

Eugenia Perrin-Frost™ Dressed Doll
Convention Collection Exclusive
Head Sculpt: Eugenia Perrin-Frost
Body Type: FR2013
Skin Tone: FR White

Kiss You in Paris

Mademoiselle Jolie™ Dressed Doll Gift Set

Sales Room Exclusive

Head Sculpt: Isha / Mademoiselle Jolie
Body Type: FR2013
Skin Tone: Cream

Editorial Edge
Lilith™ / NU. Face Dressed Doll
Convention Collection Exclusive
Head Sculpt: Lilith / Eden
Body Type: NU. Face 2.0
Skin Tone: Japan

Fashion Force
Imogen™ / NU. Face Dressed Doll
Convention Collection Exclusive
Head Sculpt: Imogen
Body Type: NU. Face 2.0
Skin Tone: FR White

Model Living

Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll

Convention Collection Exclusive

Head Sculpt: Poppy Parker

Body Type: Poppy Parker

Skin Tone: FR White

Just My Style

Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll

IT Direct Salesroom Exclusive

Head Sculpt: Poppy Parker

Body Type: Poppy Parker

Skin Tone: FR Black

 

My favorites:
Eugenia's Black Gown.  I want this gown.
Imogen's Outfit. Very cute.

Least favorite:

Lilith looks like a pinata. 

 

 
 

  

Integrity Toys' Response to Questions Regarding the Use of Decals

W Club members received a carefully worded statement about the use of decals in an email yesterday. It is more notable for the information that has been left out than for what has been included. 
All I had to do was Google "water slide decal" and the information was right there. The following is from Wikipedia:

 Water slide decals (or slip decals) are water-mounted decals generally printed face up and rely on the dextrose corn sugar residue from the decal paper to bond the decal transfer to a surface. A water-based adhesive layer can be added to the decal to create a stronger bond or may be placed between layers of lacquer to create a durable decal transfer. The paper also has a layer of glucose film added prior to the dextrose layer which give it the adhesion properties, the Dextrose layer give the decal (lubricity) the ability to slide off the paper and onto the substrate.

Water slide decals are thinner than many other decorative techniques (such as vinyl stickers) and as they are printed, they can be produced to a very high level of detail. As such, they are popular in craft areas such as scale modeling, as well as for labeling DIY electronics devices, such as guitar pedals.
Until recently, water slide decals were professionally printed and only available in supplied designs, but with the advent of printable decal paper for colour inkjet and laser printers, custom decals can now be produced by the hobbyist or small business.

 Source: Wikipedia Water slide Decal.

There are plenty of instructional videos on Youtube for making and applying your own.
 
I also found out that I can print my own water slide decals on paper readily available for home printers. So all this language  "the test was sent to a new partner we have overseas who recreated the shapes for us in vector format and from that, tiny waterslide decals are generated. " just means it's made in China.

Here is the text from the IT email. 

Many of our astute fans have commented online that there was something different about the eyes of two of IT's recent dolls; Anika Luxottica and the W Club Upgrade Vanessa Perrin.  We can confirm that those observations are correct; we are using a new technique to improve eye consistency.

Based on the ongoing feedback that the team has received expressing concerns about sometimes subtle or pronounced balance issues with the screening on various dolls, IT is currently testing a new water slide application method for their doll eyes that will eventually eradicate this issue completely.

This relatively new method has been around for a little while now and is being used by more and more companies in the industry. The W Club Liaisons sat down with Alain Tremblay to ask about this new, promising method to address some of the concerns that we read online... read on!

W Club Liaisons: Alain, thank you for taking the time to get back to us. The Anika Luxottica doll that was unveiled at IFDC is a huge hit with fans and everyone was impressed with her, especially her edgy facial screening. Can you please elaborate a little more about the technique that was used to create this screening?

Alain T.: Thank you, I'm glad everyone loved this girl; I had a blast designing her! The new technique is actually really interesting! We decided to test it out on her first and then, Vanessa since Anika's eyes are so detailed and different than the other dolls that we've done in the last few years. To achieve this new look, Jessy Ayala and I collaborated to create her initial makeup look, then the test was sent to a new partner we have overseas who recreated the shapes for us in vector format and from that, tiny waterslide decals are generated.

WCL: Is the entire makeup on Anika and Vanessa applied using this technique?

AT: The technique we are developing could basically be called a "hybrid application method" if you'd like. Only the eyes (outline, white, iris, pupils and "catch light" dots") themselves are applied this way, since those are the most complicated/multi layered segments that are on any doll's face. The rest, i.e., the lips, eyebrows and eye-shadow layers are sprayed using the traditional mask and airbrush technique first, before the eyes and eyelashes are applied on top. This way, the eyes will be balanced, since generating these shapes in vector art is more precise than spraying the entire screening in multiple-layers the traditional way.

WCL: Is this new method durable? Will the eyes come off easily? Many are concerned about this.

AT: Once applied, the water slides are sealed with a topcoat, so yes, it is perfectly secured and should not be any different from the traditional mask layer doll eyes. Of course, it goes without saying that using alcohol, acetone or heavy scrubbing will damage the paint on any doll. Common sense applies.

...

WCL: What other IT dolls sport this new method?

AT: At the moment, only Anika Luxottica and the Upgrade Vanessa have it, but a few of the upcoming dolls in the 2016 FR Collection will also be created using this new, cutting-edge method.

WCL: Alain, thank you for taking the time to explain this to us and we look forward to what new exciting things the team will be able to create using this method!

Let's be clear, waterslide decals have been around for a very, very long time. It is not a "relatively new method." Decals are used in many other industries and are extremely durable.  I'm fairly certain that the tattoos used on a series of Sybarite Dolls are waterslide decals. (Gothica (not shown), Neurotica and Toxica.)

Tonner's Zombie Boy  - this had to be mostly applied decals. In this Tonner photo below, left, one can see the edge of the applied decal on the forehead.

Water slide decals are different from ordinary decals and stickers:

Different variations of decals include: water-slide or water-dip; and vinyl peel-and-stick. A water-slide (or water-dip) decal is screen-printed on a layer of water-soluble adhesive on a water-resistant paper, that must first be dipped in water prior to its application.
Upon contact with water, the glue is loosened and the decal can be removed from its backing; overlong exposure, however, dissolves the glue completely causing the decal to fail to adhere. A peel-and-stick decal is actually not a decal as described above, but a vinyl sticker with adhesive backing, that can be transferred by peeling off its base. The sign industry calls these peel-and-stick vinyl stickers vinyl-cut-decals.

Source: Wikipedia "Decal"

Source: eBay Auction

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IMO (as always) the bottom line is that decals, used appropriately and according to need on dolls, can result in excellent effects.  If used just to make it easier for a factory to get things right...well, that's another story.
Those of us who were Fashion Royalty collectors from the beginning know the difference. 
Here are a few early Adeles and Veroniques. No decals, no lashes, just nicely painted faces. Everything changes. Most of us hope that things will get better along the way. This is an expensive hobby. It's a luxury and the dolls must match up to the high standards collectors are paying for.

Click to enlarge.

2015 Cinematic Convention: Thursday Night Recap: Poppy Parker Luncheon, OOAK Auction Dolls, Sales Room Exclusives. Post #3

 While today was all about workshops and shopping, the day's highlight was the Poppy Parker Luncheon featuring star designer David Buttry!

Lucky conventioneers got the chance to purchase today's fabulous luncheon centerpiece doll. Then, as the event closed, everyone in attendance received an ultra cute Poppy Parker doll for free as a thank you gift for attending the luncheon. The air was electric all over again!

Here are images of the centerpiece and the complementary Poppy Parker doll available at the luncheon today!

Love and Let Love
Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll (Centerpiece) $150.

Paper Doll
Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll (Giveaway Souvenir)

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I'm curious as to what charity this auction benefits. Or is there no charity? A convention of this scale should include some charitable event.

A tradition that started a few years back continues this year with the introduction of four new OOAK (one of a kind) creations by the IT Design team, which convention guests can enter to win raffle style! In addition to these four exquisite, ultra rare birds of beauty, convention guests also get to participate for the first time in raffles for chances to win their favorite complete collection of 2015!

OOAK Agnes Von Weiss Doll by IT Designer Vaughn Sawyers

OOAK Vintage Inspired Doll by IT Designer Chris Stoeckel
 Gorgeous fashion.

OOAK Poppy Parker Doll by IT Designer David Buttry

OOAK Nu. Face Lilith Doll by IT Designer Jessy Ayala

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Sales Room Exclusives  $130. plus tax. (Yes, even more dolls.)

Idol Worship Kyori Sato™ Dressed Doll

First Blush Ayumi N.™ Dressed Doll

Evening Blossom Dominique Makéda

Traveling Incognito Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll

Come Live With Me Nigel North™ Dressed Doll

  

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Thursday Night Gala Event Souvenirs

Time and Again Adèle Makéda® Dressed Doll (Thursday Dinner Centerpiece) $150.

This is a lovely doll but not centerpiece quality.

Out of Sight Nadja R.™ Dressed Doll (Giveaway Souvenir) 

Have they changed Nadja's sculpt again?

 

Some New Photos ∞§∞ Some Old Dolls

I've been missing in action from my blog which is quite unusual for me.  The consignment job I took on at the end of June has kept me extremely busy. In addition, we're looking for another house.

I have taken some pictures with no particular theme.

This lovely Mini Live Wire Avantguard (2010) has been standing around waiting for attention. I don't remember from whom her black dress and shoes came. She is a wigged doll.

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The only Agnes I've kept out of all of them is Firefly.  I've thought about changing her outfit but this is just perfect for her. It came from "Sunset Rave" Ayumi who was a convention gift in 2011. A lot of my dolls are like that. I find the best outfit for them and that's that.

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Currently my only Adele, the classic "Graphic Language," is wearing the dress from Full Spectrum Veronique. I have managed to find an FR2 body to match her skin tone. She's gorgeous. Graphic Language originally (2004) came on a straight arm body and has the second Adele sculpt.

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Another earlier (2005) doll, "Foreign Affair" Veronique models an altered dress from the Katy Keene collection. I removed the big bow things from the hips. Still not loving the gown but Vero needed some attention. She's had an FR2 body swap.
 "Foreign Affair" Vero is from the Golden Age (that's what I call it) of Fashion Royalty which lasted for another five years.  Although the bodies were the first articulated type which was replaced by the original 'tall' body, the hair styling and the face paint were special. Screening had an airbrushed look and was not cartoonish or freaky as it often is now:

Kesenia Porcelain Beauty (not quite)

The dolls were gorgeous. That year saw the dolls sporting applied lashes for the first time.

FA wearing the "Lavish Thread" fashion.

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I tried to love her, really I did. I sold her two weeks ago. There was something about her hair  or maybe it was her brows. I don't know. She did not work for me.  She is Ayumi Nakamura "Opium" from 2012. 

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I've been gradually thinning my Fashion Royalty collection. For the most part, the newer dolls and pop culture lines don't interest me.  The newer tall and the hand swap bodies are turning color. It's very depressing to think that my once adored collection is deteriorating.  Even one of the newest dolls - still in her package - has noticeably different color hands from the rest of the body. That may be another issue altogether but the problem hasn't been solved and it's pushed me even farther away.