The "Evolution" of Foreign Affair Veronique

Impulse control? I don't have it and if you think that re-working a doll is a way to save money in a tight economy, give it up.

It all started out with a lovely Foreign Affair Veronique, the doll from a Fashion Royalty 2005 gift set.

After having this doll for a few years, I decided to change her hairstyle. What was I thinking? Needless to say, it didn't work out well. I sent the doll to Susan Korba to have her hair re-rooted. The results were stunning.

She remained in this gorgeous condition for about a year until I had the bright idea to fix her eyelashes. That wasn't too destructive but then I decided to do a little enhancing around the lashes. That fed the flames. I went on to change her lip color and it was all downhill from there.
Before quitting for the night, I had removed all her face paint and the new lashes in disgust.


Since I had already invested in the reroot, I couldn't just leave her in my studio with no face, could I?
Off she went to Ohio, to be repainted by Jon Copeland. Here are the results.

Star Entrance Gene

I didn't start collecting Gene dolls until a year ago and in some ways I am playing catch up. Recently Maddie's dolls in Canada had an amazing sale and I was able to buy the Star Entrance Gene giftset at a fabulous price.

 I had already purchased the nude doll months ago and her silver coat. That doll has gone on to another home now. I wanted the fabulous ensemble. That bag and those shoes made me go gaga!

This doll is so stunning it's difficult to stop looking at her.

The construction and quality of every part of the outfit is superb! I love it all and I'm very happy to have finally gotten the whole thing. If you like Gene, this is a must-have set. Original retail price was $224.99. EEK! I paid only $95. plus shipping. Quite a difference.

Swept By The Moods of Paris: Tatyana Alexandrova

"I left Moscow with one goal in mind: to conquer Paris and break it with my iron will. I was wrong, one does not conquer the City of Lights; Paris conquers the heart at first sight."

Above is the text from the story card that accompanies the Paris J'Adore Tatyana Gift Set. This is only the second Tatyana. The first was the 2008 Wu Convention doll about whom I wrote previously:
terrigoldphoto.blogspot.com/2008/10/tatyana-new-fashion-royalty-character.html

This fabulous set comes with the doll, a long lace gown, a long brocade coat embellished with rhinestones, faux fur and a tiny frog closure, a short brocade dress embellished with beads and a faux fur hem, a head piece, earrings, ring, bracelet, necklace, panties, hosiery, shoes and boots. If you like the sculpt you will like this set. The fabrics are very rich and the clothing is elegant and finely constructed. There are many pieces of great jewelry (I love that) and varied looks can be created from these wardrobe items and the coming Moods W Club collection.

The one defect that has popped up several times this past year is the uneven sole/heel combination of the shoes and boots. The heels are too high and the doll cannot stand with her heel and ball of foot planted on the ground. Apparently they tried to remedy this problem on the shoes by adding an extra piece of sole.

It is not enough. If the doll were to stand in the shoes or boots with the sole and heel touching the ground, she would tilt forward. So...please, Mr. Newsum, tell the factory to get on this and re-engineer the height of the heels. We don't want our dolls falling on their faces, do we?

Jason must love this character to have elevated her so fast - first a convention doll and then an FAO exclusive giftset!

Many collectors were surprised and others dismayed at the length of Tatyana's hair. I think it would serve well used as an extension if one were to cut it off.

The doll modeling the short dress is She Means Business Veronique whose hair was restyled by Parawatee of Thailand. The fur stole is not part of this set.

Still available at FAO Schwarz website for $250. Limited Edition of 300. Item #: 916556.
Right now shipping is free on orders over $120. Last week there was a site wide sale of 20% off which brought the price down to $200. Don't forget that FAO now charges tax in many states than they previously did due to the fact that they have boutiques in Macys stores. As far as giftsets go, this is a decent price for what you get. It's still a lot of money to spend right before the holidays. But if you can swing it and you like Tatyana, I recommend this purchase.

On the CDCMHS (Compulsive Doll Collector Must-Have Scale) this scores a 7—8.

Nu.Fantasy Wild Wolf Kumi Giftset

This has been an overwhelmingly abundant month for dolls arriving at my door. One of the most eagerly awaited ones, the Japanese Exclusive "Wild Wolf" Kumi Doll, arrived yesterday. Although this delightful little thing has a Misaki body, she is not part of the Misaki line. This is a new line called Nu.Fantasy.

The giftset consists of the doll, a dress, a skirt, a cape with a removable harness-type thing, two handbags, tall boots, heels, gloves, fishnet tights, and doll stand. I don't know if the fur on the cape is real. If it's not, it's a very good fake. Everything in the set works together except for the handbag with the two buckles. It doesn't have any fantasy about it at all. I would have preferred some far out jewelry to another ordinary black bag. The other bag is adorable. It's a little cube with metallic embellishments including a lock. I love it. I haven't tried the pumps on her so I don't know how that's going to work as she has the Misaki flat foot. She will be able to wear all of Azone's 1/6 scale shoes and boots.

The packaging was kind of nice so I photographed it. The inner box was encased in a semi transparent sleeve which was printed with a forest graphic. I used it as a backdrop for some of Kumi's initial shots.

Kumi is currently drying after undergoing a bit of a trim and boil straightening of her hair. I found that her bangs were too long and a bit uneven and her eyelashes (rooted) were hiding her eyes from view. So....I thinned the very edges of the bangs and shortened the eyelashes and tomorrow she will get back into her wonderful outfit for more pictures.

Yuri arrived today as well. She, too, has been altered although much more drastically. Her hair is now short all around, not just on the sides.

My recommendation: start saving now. The price is going up. The W Club sold a few to lucky lottery winners for $275 plus shipping. I got this one for $300. plus shipping from Canada. They're selling now on eBay for more than $350. They are irresistible and the clothes are delightful. On the CDCMHS (Compulsive Doll Collector Must-Have Scale) they score a (High) 5 out of 5.

10-26-07 Agnes, Kyori, Vanessa

The picture posted above is Agnes in A Brighter Side Kyori's peignoir and lingerie. The FAO Kyori giftset is IMHO the best gift set ever. The doll is beautiful; the clothes are gorgeous.

Below, Kyori is seen in her pale yellow gown which is embellished with sequins and feathers.

In Bloom Vanessa is wearing the sheath and coat from the giftset. Not shown is an amazing metallic gold handbag embellished with faceted stones all around.