A Doll Rarely Played With

I'm usually so occupied with hunting and gathering dolls that I have many that are rarely played with. Colette is one of them. When the formerly-known-as Model Behavior dolls came out I was all over them. They have such perfect little bodies and they're so pretty. Their category name has been changed to Nu.Face Dolls with this incarnation. This is Colette Duranger, "Lost Angel," from the last group of these dolls. I actually adore her outfit, her hair and her lavender eyes.

When she arrived, I took her picture and stuck her in one of the showcases. And there she has been until yesterday.

A marvelously talented collector named Marguerite whose board name is MarC, made these pants. I just can't believe how perfectly they fit and how beautiful they look. Colette needed an immediate photo shoot.

The background is from a roll of textured wallpaper I found in a bin at Loew's. It has a great stucco texture and when I use armature wire to support dolls it provides a non-slip surface. The black grid is a frame which I can also use in front of posters to make it appear to be a large window. The chair is a jewelry box that a Canadian collector picked up for me. The table is a candle support with a mirror placed on top to give it a flat surface. The candlesticks are Fashion Royalty decor items. And the little poodles are little Rudy replicas. They appear in many of my photos.

If I get another pair of MarC's slacks perhaps Erin S., "Clash Control" will get to be redressed.

If They Make It, Will We Buy It?

The entire lot of them including Ayumi, came with either an ill fitting jacket or coat. Erin came with a ridiculous hat as well. Even the individually sold fashion had it's pleather problem. One could not lower the doll's arms due to the bulk of the fabric. Don't they try these things out before having them manufactured or does someone say, "Make it; they'll buy it?" The dropping re-sale prices are proof that has stopped working.

My fitting solution with the "Smoke Signals" Gear Up fashion was to open the seams under the arms and have the doll pray for better fitting clothing in the future.
TG

The Final Dolls From Integrity Toys X Magia 2000

Celebrating 23 years in the doll world, Magia 2000, the artistic duo formed by fashion designer, Mario Paglino and graphic art director, Gianni Grossi, playfully began in 1999. After a few months, playing became collecting, which was soon followed by artistic passion. Their elegant, rich, fully detailed style, which takes a lot of inspiration from Italian couture, has been their distinguishing mark from the start.

Through the years, they attended almost 100 doll conventions around the world, traveling everywhere from Japan, the US, and all over Europe, promoting their brand and passion for doll customization, while generously donating several of their unique creations, which helped raise over $200,000.00 for various charities!

Magia 2000 was the first international design team to attend an Integrity Toys convention back in 2004 and won Judge’s and People’s choice awards at several design competitions afterward. In 2018, they were the first and only to host a Poppy Parker event outside of the US, welcoming designer David Buttry for the unveiling of the exclusive “Ciao!” Poppy Parker convention exclusive doll. Today, Mario and Gianni collaborate with various celebrities and brands and have been featured in multiple media outlets.

About The Final Dolls In This Series



“For the final two dolls of our capsule collection, we wanted to continue with the concept of “day-to-night” fun!
We know how much IT collectors love to play with their dolls, undress them and switch accessories and clothing pieces, therefore, we opted to embrace this facet of collecting as much as possible. We were given the chance to design for two NU. Face characters and we couldn’t be more excited at the opportunity to challenge ourselves by creating extravagant looks for this highly prized, modern, and younger doll collection.

We also jumped at the chance to have Colette and Karolin appear in never-used-before skin tones/hair color combos and incorporate details inspired by the last two cities of the Italian tour, Milan and Rome!"

-Mario & Gianni, Magia 2000

For me, Colette "Runway in Milan" fills the requirements of being different and attractive enough to add to my collection. The two fashions she's shown wearing are very stylish and edgy. I would have liked to see different makeup, but it's supposed to be runway so it makes sense. 

Look at these very early versions of Colette. I like 1.0 better.

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At first glance, Karolin, "Grand Gala in Rome," looks dramatic and appealing. Then I looked at a close-up of her face. She's not for me. Her hair is beautifully styled. The gown has a WOW factor. The mini skirt and high boots are adorable but I'm not a fan of the sculpt. 

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Dolls are available by lottery first. A portion has been set aside for the public. 

Great Pretender Lillith and Perk Colette Nu-Face Dolls

I was sure that I wasn't going to purchase more NuFace dolls; My intention was to concentrate on the more sophisticated dolls and fashions but when I saw these two, I ordered. I am very, very pleased with them and their garments.
My introduction to Lillith was with the convention set of the twins Lillith and Eden. I didn't like her at the time. This one knocks my socks off with her adorable face and coloration.Her hair needs a little trim but temporarily will stay in a pony tail. I added a Fashion Royalty handbag to finish the look. There's a lot of attention to detail, even in the shoes. She's a winner.
Perk Colette is a surprise mix of well designed and executed fashion pieces that work together. I love being able to say that. Believe me, I wish every single doll in my collection could be described that way upon their arrival. I added the handbag. Colette's face is gorgeous. Her hair is pulled back into a low pony tail which is crimped. The blue jewelry is like an exclamation mark on the black, white and grey fashion. It's a wonderful doll.

Both dolls retail for $99. and are available from regular dealers. Get them now before they sell out. I think they just might once everyone sees how cute they are.

New Monogram Doll, Blue Chip, celebrates Jeffrey's 10th Anniversary

I admit that I didn't know the store called Jeffrey until Jason's Amanda LePore dolls were released. Guessing that I'm not the only challenged fashionista who collects fashion dolls, I will tell a little about Jeffrey's here. First of all it is located on the west side of Manhattan at 44 W. 14th St. near the Hudson River in what is known as the Meatpacking District. In 1900, Gansevoort Market, as it was called, was home to 250 slaughterhouses and packing plants.
Prior to the 1990's, the area contained an unsavory mix of sex clubs, drug dealers and prostitution. Many of the clubs are said to have been Mafia run.
Beginning in the late 1990's the Meatpacking District went through a transformation. High-end boutiques such as Diane von Furstenberg, Christian Louboutin, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Rubin Chapelle, Scoop, Theory, Ed Hardy, Puma Black Store, Moschino, ADAM by Adam Lippes, Jeffrey New York, the Apple Store, and CALYPSO by Christiane Celle, custom home furnishing boutiques such as Establishment, restaurants such as Pastis and Buddha Bar, and nightclubs such as Tenjune, One, G-Spa, Cielo, APT, Level V, and Kiss and Fly, all have recently opened in order to cater to young professionals and hipsters. In 2004, New York magazine called the Meatpacking District "New York’s most fashionable neighborhood".[Wikipedia] In other words - trendy and very expensive.

Jeffrey's is celebrating it's 10th year in business. Here is a link to an article about the origins of the store and some information about Jeffrey Kalinsky himself:
Article from The New York Observer, April 4, 1999

Kalinsky recently sponsored a "fashion-in-miniature" project in which more than 50 designers participated. The dolls used were the Monogram sculpt. They were dressed by the designers and went on display last August. Bidding is going on until September 17th and the proceeds will go to charity.

Patriciann aka The Cottage Couturier, posted this picture of the doll she purchased at Jeffrey's on 9/11. It's a Jason Wu Monogram doll wearing a version of one of his designs. The doll is called Blue Chip.

It seems that the doll's dress could have used better detail in the area of the waistline. At $175 per doll...one expects details like that to be included. To date I think the only Monogram doll that nearly pulls off Jason's 'fashion from the runway look' is the first one that was done for Colette in Paris. http://terrigoldphoto.blogspot.com/search?q=colette.

I have to admit that I ordered this one in spite of my initial feeling to let it go. I'm weak and easily enabled. Now you know.

Ayumi's New Look and Adele's Incarnations

Ayumi Nakamura is a character who was introduced to the NuFace (originally called Model Behavior) collection in 2007. That doll was called Miracle Child. If I remember correctly, the Model Behavior dolls were quite popular. Ayumi wasn't as popular as Erin, Colette and Giselle.

The next Ayumi incarnations were London by Night in 2008 and Sunset Rave in 2011. By that time, the Model Behavior line was called NuFace and many new characters had been added. Ayumi seemed to have faded away along with Nadja and Colette.

Surprisingly, Ayumi popped up in the FR2 line as Luminous in 2011 (below, left)  and Opium in 2012. Luminous was not a popular doll and although her dress was quite pretty, her face was not.  I'm not sure what sculpt Opium uses. She has grown on me and in a close-up is very beautiful. Of all the aforementioned Ayumis, she has remained in my collection. She was a change from the first Ayumi sculpt. At that time, the IT designers were mixing up the sculpts like crazy. I don't have a clue as to whether or not Opium's sculpt is a mix from other dolls or a new sculpt entirely. 

The third sculpt is totally new. She looks beautiful. The screening is lovely. Her youthful and glamorous hairstyle and the sequined qi pao made her a keeper in my collection!

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"Le Smoking" Adele received rave reviews by collectors. She's been compared to The Muse Adele, (2008), widely held to be the most beautiful Adele ever produced. For this version of Adele, they went back to the Adele 2.0 sculpt. Hopefully, they will keep it there as 3.0 is dour. 

Via Venetto Adele (2004) from the amazing Voyages Collection was my first ever Fashion Royalty doll. I have a fondness for that sculpt but I do like 2.0 more. In the photo below, she is not wearing her original fashion. 

Graphic Language Adele (Graphic Flirtation, 2004) used a new sculpt. This doll is still very popular albeit not on her original body. 

The Muse (2008) It doesn't get better.

In 2011, Adele 3.0 was introduced at a convention as part of a two doll gift set called Style Counsel along with Veronique. What a hot mess these two turned out to be. Veronique needed a different hairstyle and Adele needed her old face back. 

In 2013, Adele was released as an ITBE doll. She appears to be using the 2.0 sculpt. This image is by Julia Leroy who restyled the hair and designed the jewelry.

I call this 2014 FR2 version What Were They Thinking? It is really named Vivid Encounter.

FR Monogram Collection - #2 Doll "Statuesque"

The model on the right is wearing Jason Wu and so is the doll on the left. She is the second entry in the new Fashion Royalty Monogram Collection which is intended to showcase select works from Jason's fashion runway.
A limited number of dolls were made available to the public at Colette, a Parisian boutique, and online on their web site. They are sold  out now but members of the W Club may have a chance to obtain one at a future date.
In this picture she looks like Valia but in other pictures I've seen, she has a strong resemblance to the Avantguard doll, Goldmine.

The image below is from the website.

The retail price of this beautiful doll is (was) approximately $250. without VAT, depending upon the exchange rates of the moment. Shipping to the US would have brought the price up to about $300. I had her in the shopping cart and at the last minute I controlled myself. I would like to have her though. I like her much better than Lifeball.

This is what is says on her box:
"Statuesque"
Desc: Exclusive au magasin Colette, Paris
FR: Monogram par Jason Wu New York
# 93010

2010 Integrity Toys Debut Line of Dolls

At 5 PM EST last night approximately 400 W Club members from all over the world logged on to a webinar held by Integrity Toys for the purpose of seeing the new dolls for 2010. Carol Roth ran the event. Percy Newsome, Jason Wu, Vaughn Sawyers, David Buttry and Alain Tremblay took part.
I expected a live event with live pictures rather than just live voices and pictures. It was over after about one hour. About 6 questions were taken from attendees. The event was scheduled for two hours so I wonder what was missing.
One by one each grouping was shown. I compliment the size and quality of the images. For the first time we have been shown images that didn't try to be artsy but rather intended to display the dolls and fashions with appropriate lighting and focus.

The Event dolls are a set of two mini Avantguards, Aphrodisiac (on the left) and Androgyny and will sell for $175. That's a fair price for the two. I would have rather gotten a Fashion Royalty doll but many are pleased with this choice. They are wigged as are the original full-sized versions and are dressed in the same fashions. It's a cute idea. I think it will be fun to photograph the two Aphrodisiacs together. I don't have Androgyny anymore. I wonder if there will be a mini Goldmine. She would definitely find a place in my collection!
The Fashion Royalty Monogram Collection, in my opinion, was the winner out of all the lines. Besides the doll Brilliance, which I have previously reviewed, there is a lingerie version , two fantastic dressed dolls and another dressed doll that I will pass on. Each one is $150 except for the lingerie version which is $120.

They are Enigmatic, Incandescent, Dreamscape and Disclosure.

Enigmatic and Incandescent

Dreamscape

Disclosure

I don't like the pink gown from the waist down and that's a shame. The fabric detail on the bodice and shoulder and the cute beaded hat are lovely. I like the look of the short wig as well. The structure of the skirt reminds me of the outrageous Biltmore Hotel Gene Marshall gown from years ago. The Biltmore gown was a work of art. I don't want to spend $150. for a Monogram doll whose outfit is useless to me.
I finally found a use for Brilliance's outfit...it fits a Silkstone doll perfectly!


But I digress. Back to the debut.

Next up are the Fashion Royalty dolls themselves. They were divided into two categories, Dazzle and Foundation....whatever. Foundation would be a good name for a line of lingerie dolls.

The Dazzle dolls have 60's hairstyles and Heidi Klum type sequined dresses. They are $79. except for the Kyori giftset which is $175.

Sorry to say that Mattel did the sequin thing better.
The Kyori giftset comes with a big red ruffled gown sporting a beige bow, a plaid suit with a blouse underneath, two pairs of shoes, earrings, bracelet, ring and black potholder gloves.

Let's talk about hair. It's depressing to see those gorgeous faces under the ridiculous hairstyles. They look rock hard and are so unattractive. Adele's Afro is not to my taste either. I'd really tone it down a few inches which would still give her an ethnic hairdo but keep her from looking like she belongs in a Mike Myers movie.

Overall, the theme of the collection is a little bit of this and a little bit of that as far as fashion eras. It's certainly not like Jason's runway collections which are cohesive and relate to eachother.

The Foundation Collection
Staying Power Darius Reid and Model Citizen Lukas M., two Hommes in ill-fitting suits carrying great man bags and wearing great shoes. $139.00 each. This is not a giftset with two dolls. I have combined them into one image to save space. One can only hope that the jackets do not actually fit the way they look in the pictures.
Fire Within Jordan $139.
Jordan is very pretty and I think her outfit is adorable. I'm hoping the construction lives up to my expectations as it looks complicated. I will get rid of the pot holders immediately. I love hats for my dolls.

Tricks of the Trade Eugenia Perrin Frost $139.00
Which "trade" is that? The outfit is cute, I think. Actually I don't know what to think about this doll. I'm afraid she'll open her mouth and the fangs will come out. I am ordering her because she is so strange that she's interesting.

Private Goddess Natalia Fatale $150.
Someone is going to have to rethink the color and the draping of the fabric on that dress. The bodice has possibilities. Did Natalia's fairy godmother use the nursery room draperies for the skirt? Was she in a hurry?
Winning Ensemble Luxury Wear Fashion $69
I want the doll that is modeling this outfit. It appears to be Vanessa before the LDS hairstyle was applied. The outfit is another mini bubble skirt type dress in spring colors, a 50's bow hat with tulle, and the ubiquitous black gladiator shoes. I'm undecided.


The Three NuFace dolls below are Perk Colette, The Great Pretender Lillith and Mais Oui! Giselle Diefendorf. Each is $99.
Giselle's outfit comes with a fitted black jacket that has an interesting peplum. I think they're all adorable. The clothes are edgy eye candy. Colette and Lillith have beautiful faces. They will be mine.


Flash Star Luxury Wear Fashion $69.
Poppy Parker, the Dynamite Girls and ITBE will be covered in the next post.