Kingdom Doll Savile

Savile is the most recently issued doll from KD. She was a large edition at 60 pieces. Many who had never gotten the opportunity to own a KD, finally scored.

Savile Row is a street in Mayfair, central London. Known principally for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men, the street has had a varied history that had included accommodating the headquarters of the Royal Geographical Society at 1 Savile Row, where significant British explorations to Africa and the South Pole were planned; and more recently, the Apple office of the Beatles at 3 Savile Row, where the band's final live performance was held on the roof of the building.  [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savile_Row] 

Here is a photo by Alexandra Forbes that shows Savile in her full outfit and original wig.
She is one put together gal! Her jewelry is of copper metal with turquoise accents. Her shoes are copper colored and her Birkin is turquoise.

Her pin striped suit is the nod to men's tailoring. The construction is superb.

Kingdom Doll Savile by Alexandra Forbes

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BTW: You can buy the same Birkin in human size for about $15,000. Seriously, who would spend that much just for a leather bag besides a brand name whore? I'll take this black one.

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My doll had a chill so I put a bodysuit on her. It's from an Avantguard doll. Wearing it, she can open her jacket without it all hanging out.

I've seen Savile in many styles and colors of wigs and she looks gorgeous in all of them. The sculpt is fabulous and I'm so happy to have her.

New Dresses from Antonio Realli and Kingdom Doll Brunel

I have two new gowns from Antonio. Both are classic designs using wonderful fabrics and the addition of a bit of bling. I love dressing my dolls this way.

First is "Flawless" Elise in a flowing chiffon confection with metallic silver abstract shapes 'painted' on.  The belt is adorned with rhinestones. Jewelry Integrity Toys "True Royalty."

This model is Monogram "Dreamscape."
This gown has a lacy overlay that is embellished with sequins.  More sparkle is provided by the belt which is a mix of tiny metallic balls and rhinestones.
Jewelry by Joy.

Brunel was in my studio at the same time and wanted to get in on the fun.
She is wearing a Tonner outfit called "Impressionist Chic" and KD shoes. The Tonner fashions for Tyler fit the KD dolls fairly well. I pin the bust and torso to make them smaller. I lament not keeping many of the Tonner gowns I sold now that I see how beautiful my KD's look wearing them. I've been hunting bargains on these older fashions which are few and far between.
The different scale dolls look so strange together.  Elise looks terrified. I should have spent some time posing her better.

Here is Brunel showing off her great legs.

Walking the Runway with Kingdom Doll Star and Jamieshow Zita

Every year at this time, collectors get a doll or two ready for the Oscars. This year I have chosen Kingdom Doll Star and Jamieshow Zita as my two representatives to the event.

Star is wearing a gorgeous Tonner fashion, "Venus Rising," a wig by Ilaria (that I wish I had in multiple colors) and silver Sybarite shoes.
The flowing chiffon cape-sleeves of this outfit are separate pieces and have floral embellishments at the shoulder. Unfortunately, Tonner designers thought it would be a good idea to sprinkle glitter (YES, GLITTER) on these flowers, thereby taking the classy level down to 0. In spite of that, it looks beautiful in pictures.
I had to do some temporary stitching to take in the bust and torso area for Star. It takes a little longer than pinning but it's neater and I don't stick myself every time I hold the doll. 
Part of the popular "Gowns by Anne Harper" line, the outfit included rhinestone earrings, bracelet and dark green pumps, retailed for $114.99 and was a limited edition of 100 pieces.

Original Tonner promo photo:

Whoever designed this line and the Hollywood Legends/Glamour Collection through 2009-2011, needs to come back. Overall the fashions were beautifully designed and executed.

See for yourself: http://www.tonnercollectibles.com/aharper.htm

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Jamieshow Zita greets her fans. She is wearing Ashton Drake's "Love in Bloom," designed for Gene Marshall by Regina Ganem in 2001 as a dressed doll.  The retail price was $195.
Opera length gloves and matching clutch purse were included but not shown in my photo.
I adore the ribbon embroidery on the sheath and on the removable train. 
The jewelry is Franklin Mint, shoes are IT Gene and wig is Jamieshow.

 Original Ashton Drake promo photo:

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Waiting to be interviewed:

Kingdom Doll Star and Turn on Your Lights

The third in a series of three Kingdom Doll "Angel" dolls, Star, arrived last week and I am very happy with her.

She is super photogenic. Here's a shot taken with my iPhone.

She is wearing her own lingerie and wig. Her necklace had opened which escaped my eye during the picture taking.

Her beautiful silver shoes zip up the back. I have a vague memory of being told these are her 'signature' shoes. They are the same style that Liberty came with and the pink suit from the Liberty event also used this style.

 I never leave my gals dressed in lingerie and Star's first redress was into this beautiful, slinky dress from one of Sandra's conventions. It's a favorite of mine and looks great on many of my girls.
The wonderful, curly wig is a Cheryl Wood creation. You may recognize Tonner's Snow Leopard from his Golden Compass line.

 The whole scene is very jungle-tropical. I really didn't plan it this way. These days most of my studio photos use very simple backdrops and props. I'm too lazy to do elaborate dioramas.  But I do have a bunch of different artificial greens and in this case, I just pinned a few to the huge bulletin board I have in back of my shooting table. There were some empty spaces and I Photoshopped that away. I also used PS to darken the background because I thought it competed too much with the foreground. I kept the focus on the doll's face to draw the viewer's eye there.

I see loads of indoor photos in which there is barely any light on the dolls' faces. So many people with beautiful dolls don't know how to light their photos. I just want to scream, "Turn on the damn lights!" You don't need professional equipment.

There is a false belief that using a flash is anathema. Seriously? Have you ever been to a professional studio? We're not aiming for Annie Leibovitz here; we just want to see your dolls!

As I stated, the top photo on this page (and the shoe shot) were made with my iPhone - using it's built in flash. In many cases, the phone's flash doesn't do what I want it to, but there's a way to make it work. Admittedly, it was daylight in room - actually it's in the bedroom. I opened the shades and the room was pretty bright but I knew I'd need some highlights and the only way to do that was with some direct light. I didn't hold the camera directly aiming at the doll, instead I angled it a little off to one side.

Here's a shot that did not work:

 The angle is all wrong. Her hair is too bright. It's a discard.

The beauty of digital photography is that you can keep going until you are satisfied. You get instant feedback. In my studio, I constantly move the lights and change their power and/or the settings on the camera until I'm happy (or until I'm so tired I can't go on.) You can take multiple shots with your phone as well. But do us all a favor, don't post all of them. Pick out the three best,  then toss two of those.  I look back at the last 15 years of my own doll photography and really should toss 80% of the images but I'm keeping them as a record of what I've had in my collection. Of course there are days when I can't take a decent picture no matter what.

EDIT, EDIT, EDIT.

There are websites, books, ezines and loads of information out there. The problem is, you may not even know you need one.

A great all around source of tips and tricks:  http://www.digital-photography-tips.net/

Brunel: A Most Versatile Kingdom Doll

Brunel is the most photographed Kingdom Doll in my collection. The first photo presents her as she was originally dressed.
Photos show her dressed in fashions by Ficon, Integrity Toys, Tonner, Superdoll and, of course, Kingdom Doll. There is one dress in there by a collector. Wigs by Cheryl Wood and Ilaria.

You can click on individual photos to enlarge them. 
 

Star and Kingdom Doll News for 2016

Here's a beautiful way to begin the New Year. Star is a limited edition of 50 and retails for $610 plus shipping.
She uses the Selgovae head sculpt and her resin color is called Devonshire Cream. Sounds good enough to eat. She'll be dressed in lovely blue lingerie and silver heels.  Her wig is a two-tone blended Nordic blonde hard cap and she sports a delicate silver Angel feather tag bracelet.

KD is trying out a different way to sell Star. The first 50 emails received from collectors after 5PM (British time) on Sunday the 10th of January, 2016 will be able to pre-order Star. You must write Star on your email header and send your email to kingdomdoll@yahoo.co.uk.

    •    Only the first 50 emails for the purchase of Star will be responded to.
    •    You will be required to pay a 50 percent deposit at that time.
    •    If you do not receive a response from us in a timely fashion then please assume that you were not one of the 50.
    •    Any emails received before the stated day and time will not be taken into account for the purchase of Star.

The planned release date is January 31st, the Kingdom Doll Birthday!

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More good news.

Coming soon:

"Strike a Pose" hand and foot sets are back in Devonshire cream (Eira, Orbit, Liberty and Star's) resin shade.

In February the hand-sculpted resin shoe packs and new exclusive fashions will be released.

Additionally, Spring 2016 will see another British Tribe added to the many faces of Kingdom Doll, the "Trinovantes."

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Time Zones

For those of us in the continental United States, UK's time is 5 hours ahead. For example, if you are in New York at noon, it is already 5 PM in London. 

You can find time zone conversion tables on the internet to plan in advance when to send in your order. Here is one: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

Good Luck!

Kinsman Doll Booth

 
Booth arrived and, as you can see above, I did the unpacking ceremony in front of a camera. The packaging was secure and perfect and the doll arrived in pristine condition - no surprise there.

My new man arrived with a pair of briefs, his wig and a stand. I had no problem at all having him stand unsupported. His joints are excellent. There's no kickiness or looseness. Although his body shading may have looked heavy in some early promotional photos, in person the contouring is just right.

He's wearing Trent's sweater. I've got to try some other stretchy man doll clothing on him.

Real men love little dogs!

Jamieshow's Alejandro and Marlena "On Michigan Avenue" Dolls

At the end of May, 2015, the new "On Michigan Ave" Jamieshow dolls debuted. I ordered Alejandro and Marlena at the convention in Chicago. They arrived three days ago.

This Alejandro differs from my other one in that he has facial hair screening. I know they're supposed to have the same sculpt but I see a difference in the nose. My new one appears to have a narrower, longer nose. I guess it's possible that the casting changed a bit. His eyes look different as well. I like them both.
Here are closeups side by side. The new one is on the right. Both are wearing Chewin wigs.

The pink jacket, blue shirt and ripped jeans are all Jamieshow products which were available separately a while back. The quality of these items are far superior to what he came dressed in. Someone reminded me that he is only a basic doll and one can't expect much. What I do expect with a $400. doll is a stand. George Gonzalez, an owner of Jamieshow Dolls, says that the reason the male dolls don't come with stands is because they're anatomically correct. That is not a good reason as far as I'm concerned. All my dolls are on stands unless they're sitting down. I'd never display a resin doll without a stand. His junk doesn't keep the stand from working in any way especially when he's dressed.

Marlena has an unusual look with her very pale resin and sharp features. When I started playing with different wigs, I saw more possibilities. In these photos, she is wearing a Chewin wig meant for Sybarite dolls. Her fashion is a Superdoll outfit called "D-I-V-O-R-C-E."  It fits pretty well except in the bust area. Marlena has a smaller cup size.

She has a look that can kill. With those piercing blue eyes and thin, mean lips she is not a doll for the faint of heart. I enjoyed putting a flowered hat on her. It's so opposite from the vibe she gives off.

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.