8/04/2008

Fashion Royalty W Club Exclusive Moods Collection

To our surprise we have been offered a choice of not one but two dolls and several fashions and accessories! The dolls will have the last of the original Veronique face mold. That's sad because I don't think she can be improved upon. These re-do's should be named as new dolls and just let the retired gals rest in peace.
Anyhoo....here are official Integrity pictures of the options. (Used with permission from IT.)

"Body Double" - (Tan Brunette Veronique)
She is gorgeous.


"Blond Ambition" Veronique Perrin (Platinum Blonde)
Reminds me of Flirtatious Vero.


"Starry Night" Moods Wardrobe Fashion


"French Dressing" Deluxe Accessory Pack


Luxe Finish Accessory Set


I will be ordering everything except the platinum Veronique. I don't care for her hair. The prices are reasonable and it seems that everyone in the club is happy. That's a first!

OT
Right now I have 10 Veros in my collection and all of them are older issues. I have them all on tall bodies but originally most of them were on straight arm bodies. My goal with them is to get them all eye-lashed! I love eyelashes. I will have to do a post honoring the soon to be retired Veronique. For many, she was the first Fashion Royalty doll they ever saw and the one that got them started with these dolls.

8/03/2008

Natalia Back to Black - IFDC Convention Fashion Royalty Doll


It's Natalia appropriately named Back to Black. The convention theme was Woodstock '69, rock 'n roll, hippies, etc. So here we have Natalia with a huge Afro-styled 'do fronted by a brass Wonder Woman headband. She is wearing a Wonder Woman cuff bracelet as well. Her eyemakeup is reminiscent of La Liz' in Cleopatra. Actually, I like it but not the hair. The gown is a revealing, snug-fitting, sparkly thing. I love the beaded chain belt. From other photos, it looks like the shoes are gold. There is also a wrap or something that appears to be a wrap. Can't tell cuz it's wrapped.
Official Integrity image posted here with permission.

There are a great deal of mixed reviews and reactions about Back to Black. Much of it is negative and/or neutral. Mixed in is a lot of relief at not liking the doll because it saves money. LOL
I find it odd that 800 of these dolls were produced when usually a convention doll is limited to 400 or less. The higher number makes her less valuable in the eyes of many. Convention dolls usually sell for $375 & up right after a convention. This doll is available for as low as $220 and it's only 2 days old. (Added on August 14: Price of doll has dropped to $5. above retail.)

Because there was no companion doll produced for IFDC this year, attendees were able to purchase several of these dolls for $150 each. I'm hoping to get the fashion only - but I'll wait because there will be a glut of these dolls and as seen recently, there are big price drops happening with recently issued FR dolls.

It's my opinion that Integrity should withdraw Fashion Royalty dolls altogether from any convention other than those they put on themselves. It's hard to accept that Jason didn't have time to produce a companion doll. The IFDC organizer said, "You roll with the punches." I'd like to know what he really thought.

I wish them all well.

7/30/2008

Secrets Abound in the Fashion Royalty World!

We just found out whose face mold is being retired but I can't tell until tomorrow. LOL. The W Club police would surely find out and I'd be in lots of trouble. Soooo...tune in on July 31 after 12 noon for the BIG announcement.

On the other hand, the Wu Convention packet that is coming in 2 months has finally been put on-line. They did the same thing last year and when the printed packet arrived, I never even opened it. There was no point. I think that the Toronto convention packet, perhaps because it was my first, was the nicest. I have already faxed in my class choices and my registration for the Avant Garde event. I have to sign up Bob as well for the AG event.
These are the opportunities at that event:
"Those who purchased the deluxe upgrade registration package will receive an Integrity convention store credit for the Royal Kitchen lunch included in that package The opportunity to win each centerpiece doll will be drawn at random during the event. The designation of the rights for the LiveWire and Eclectic dolls will be drawn at random during the event; all attendees will be granted, by random selection, rights for only one of either the LiveWire or Eclectic dolls as described above. Rights are not transferable and are only available to the paid attendee. Centerpieces will be paid for and taken home directly after the luncheon; the LiveWire and Eclectic dolls will be purchased from Integrity Toys later this fall."

The convention collection will consist of five individual dolls and one two-doll giftset.
There will be a new male, Takeo Mizutani. I am assuming he is the Asian male many have wanted.
Adele Makeda as The Muse, Luchia as Hopelessly Captivating, Giselle as Masterpiece Theatre and Agnes as Drama Behind the Drama. The giftset called Elements of Surprise will consist of two new Nu.Face characters named Lillith and Eden. I am excited about that set and the Giselle.

My guess for the convention doll is Eugenia. Perhaps I am hoping.

7/27/2008

Purse of the Month Feature Article in FDQ

This article was one of my first and at the time the most ambitious one I had undertaken. I had already collected many of the POM's that had been issued but I was missing the equivalent of almost an entire year's worth. I put out the request to buy or borrow from the collectors out there and three trusting and generous souls mailed me several handbags so I could photograph them.
Clicking on each picture will enlarge it somewhat.





Joy Jarred: My FDQ Feature Article

This group of images is from the FDQ feature article I did for the theme entitled Accessories. I interviewed Joy Jarred and photographed her creations on my dolls. Joy is a doll herself and gave me the jewelry as a gift after the shoot.
Clicking on each image will enlarge the image but the text will not be large enough for most people to read. I will place the article text at the bottom of this post soon.



7/23/2008

7-23-08 More Valia Adore







The mirrored boxes are from Pier One and the photo studio miniatures were given to those attending the Barbie Convention this year (2008). Butter yellow silk beaded bustier was custom made for me by Mio.

7/20/2008

7-20-08 Valia Adore




Two little production problems I found were lots of fly-away hairs everywhere and the ribbons that tie the shoes are too short. I took the ribbons out of the slots at the back of the ankle and just tied them around her ankles. The shoes look great without the ribbons. Her hair may tame a bit with a little gel or spray.
Warning - don't crease the dress. It's very hard to get the creases out. There is a faint line visible on the front of the dress above the knee. I was working on the shoes and folded the dress back to get it out of the way. MISTAKE. I had to remove the dress and attempted to steam press the crease. It's a little better.
I do believe that the biggest problem this doll has is her arms. They are too long from the elbow to the fingertips and the articulation, besides being non-existent at the wrists, is not very flexible.
The doll is beautiful and there's no doubt that she is the best of the three. The ensemble is delightful and fits beautifully. My hat box had a little scratch on it's face under the plastic straps that hold it into the box. It doesn't bother me. The jewelry is very pretty. It was attached to cardboard backing by a fiend and had to be snipped in many places to remove it.
If you are on the fence about her, I recommend her. I'm looking forward to redressing her and posing her in different ways.

7-20-08 My Favorite Furry Doll

7/19/2008

7-19-08 Valia Adore Arrives

The mailman just delivered Valia Adore. Of course I immediately ripped into the packaging and opened Valia's 'luxury doll' box and I am pleased. She's quite pretty as a brunette in her deep rose and black dress. I was undecided before about whether or not I'd debox but I will take her out. I'd love to know why the coat is wrapped like a bouquet. The original Valia had her lingerie wrapped similarly and I thought it was so the lingerie would not destroy the minds of young children, God forbid they saw a doll with lingerie in the same box they would all become sinners or worse, but now I don't think that was the reason. Anyone have an idea? Perhaps it was to make opening the package more fun. The act of pulling open a bow could cause waves of pleasure to course through your body.

7/15/2008

ORGANIZATIONAL NOTE

All the posts prior to this one were transferred from my previous blog. There is no way I know of to edit the Blog Archive to show different dates so they all appear to have been created in June or July of 2008. The actual dates of writing each entry is in most of the titles.....just in case you were wondering.

7/13/2008

6-20-08 Giselle



This dress came very close to being shortened until Giselle tried it on. She looks fabulous in green.
I think this is just about the prettiest and most delicate-looking of all the dolls issued by Integrity in the past two years. She is supposed to be Agnes' sister and the resemblance is easy to see. However, this one is much softer looking.


6-19-08 Most Desired Eugenia


Many dolls have shipped since my last entry. I will begin with Most Desired Eugenia because IMO she is the most perfect Eugenia to date. She is even better now than she appeared to be at FAO in February!



The pictures attached to this post show her redressed in a little white dress from SL Doll Fashion. Her lips, her hair and everything else about her put her at the top of my "I love that doll" list.




MD comes dressed in a big blue gown that is embellished with tubular beads of the same color. It's a stunning gown but could be worn by a pregnant doll. It's got pockets - here we go again with the pockets. All in all, it's magnificent but would be hard to wear in reality. She came with panties and a garter belt and stockings and the strangest shoes. They're not bad for a suit or other outfit but they are clunky and so not formal I wonder who made the decision to pair them with this doll and gown. Haute couture my foot. I will have to enclose a picture eventually.

The quality control on this issue was excellent. I did break an earring removing it from the card upon which it was sewn to last a lifetime. I was able to crazy glue it back together. Her hair is a fine quality and styled neatly. Her eyes are not wonky. Her lips are magnificent. I love her!

And if you're looking for one, I've got an extra NRFB! (Not any more as of 7/19/08)






High Tide Vanessa























This is odd. As Integrity raises the prices on their dolls every few months, the secondary market for older Fashion Royalty dolls gets larger with lower prices. Hmmm. If one doesn't mind being a year behind or in some cases, 3 months, one can amass a very nice collection at lower than retail. It sure wasn't like that when I started. High Tide Vanessa, a gorgeous doll, is selling for $80 NRFB! Oh well. At least the AFL's are holding their own. Really, that is the only Vanessa that is being treated as a discard.

These images show High Tide Vanessa dressed in the gown from the recently released FAO Natalia giftset. The snood was made by Marguerite (MarC).


7/11/2008

6-18-08 Theatre de la Mode




Quickie pic of one of the TDLMs in the temporary showcase. I'm working on getting the outfits matched up with the best dolls.

7/10/2008

6-10-08 Ovaz Gown; Theatre de la Mode Collection; Chic Escape


I don't like the red background. I'm going to have to shoot this again. Too much competition with the doll and the dress. Premiere Lana Turner doll from Fashion Royalty. Fabulous black ruffled gown by Ovaz.



Here is Chic Escape wearing the same gown. Chic has been rerooted and for now will have straight hair. This gal has such an extreme side glance that it dictates how she must be photographed.


____________________________________________

My collection of Theatre de la Mode dolls is growing by leaps and bounds. I have all the ones I really want except for two. One I may win on eBay in a day or two. The other remains elusive but she will come. The 4 separate outfits I purchased from Jim are now being worn by other more appropriate dolls than the ones they would have come on. I have not photographed them yet. I am working on settings in my mind and they're not ready.

Of all the ones I have only the UFDC's C'est la Fete was disappointing because the doll is rather unattractive. I put the outfit on a faceless AA Tonner doll and it looks so much better!

Longchamp Fleuri is now on Ghost of Christmas Past and is wildly amazing. Le Petit Noir is on Gene "Hello Hollywood" who has been given an articulated body. She is a gorgeous doll and looks amazing in black. The construction of the gown called C'est Parfait is poor. I have to secure a few beads and press it out. It was cut slightly off grain and twists to one side. I used to find defects like this in so many of Tonner's outfits. This was disappointing. But the doll herself looks good and I love the netted hat.

The Crimson gown is a wonderful fabric and drapes beautifully. The headdress is very, very odd. I love Fleurs de Mal. So chic and simple - but not the wild feather tall hat. That is so cool. I adore Framboise and it's glamorous tailored embellished fabulousness. My favorite is Reflet d'Argent.

The color, the sparkling embellishment, the hair, the jewelry...it's a keeper.
This is the second time I have Ensemble Sport. I appreciate her so much more now than the first time around. My tastes have changed so much.


4-21-08 Luchia


The girls are cringing in their showcases. I have pulled 8 Fashion Royalty dolls to sell! Addicted Luchia & Dress Me Luchia. I am not in love with that sculpt. I tried but it's not working. Behind Velvet Ropes Natalia. I like her but it's time she moves on. Flirtatious Veronique. That was a tough decision. She is so gorgeous but I'm overloaded with the early Veros and I have enough of them. Redhead Close-Up Veronique from the original dolls. This is my third one. Talking Drama Adele and Bodacious Adele. Both gorgeous as well but I have to make room for the new dolls. And....Miami Vice Kyori. If she doesn't sell, I won't be upset. Two are sold. We'll see about the rest.

Today the NuFace gals arrived along with the fashion. I have already sold Ayumi as I don't like her at all. Erin and Colette are just adorable. They have lots of play potential. This Erin is very pretty and very hard-looking at the same time. I like it.
Au revoir, Luchia.







4-17-08 Haute Doll Photoshoot

I just received the latest issue of Haute Doll Magazine, (June 2008). I was pleasantly surprised to see my photographs of the Jennifer Sue clothing line on several pages along with Shuang's promotional text. Shuang provided me with the poses she wanted and of course the clothes.

Picture overload this month as the FDQ Summer Glamour issue also carries an article and photography I created.

This blog entry contains several pictures which can be seen in HD.
























My take on the clothes: trendy, fun, inexpensively priced and somewhat irregular (Mattel) quality. I loved the belts, hats, knit leggings and high socks. The knit dresses and off shoulder tops are very useful and slip right on. The silver and gold "Mary Jane" platform shoes are way too large and must be worn with socks or they would fall right off. I found the quality of the boots to be poor. The zippers were irregularly placed and the finishing was not nice. The corset-belts are cute but there is too much string on the front and some should be cut off for it to look better. The same goes for the ties on the boots that have ties. I prefer these clothes on the Model Behavior dolls as opposed to the Fashion Royalty dolls although the fit would be the same except for the bustline.

I do recommend purchasing the knit pieces , pleated skirts and belts. Oh yes...I love the berets. They are just adorable!
______________________
...The following is an email I received from Shuang Huang on 7-23-08:

"Hi Terri,
How are you? I happend to see your blog, and surprised to find the following lines:

I found the quality of the boots to be poor. The zippers were irregularly placed and the finishing was not nice. The corset-belts are cute but there is too much string on the front and some should be cut off for it to look better

I'd like to tell you, that's not true. I have told you the boots I sent to you just for photography purpose(I ran out of boots at that moment, and I had to meet the magazine deadline, boots were the bad choice under the condition of no choice), I got a few defective products and I didn't sell them. Also, the boots you got are the first time the manufactuer used zippers for 12 inch girl boots, and I found the problems and have discussed this with the factory. The second time released zipper boots become very high quality, you don't find the same problem anymore. The zipper boots I am selling to customers now got no complains at all, I have sold many boots and shoes, if there are problems, I would get many bad feedback and returning. As matter of fact, many of my customers are comeback customers. I don't know how many people read your blog, but it's quite misleading, and I hope you can correst these comments.
By the way, you are saying my clothings are mattle quality, you mean playline Barbie dolls, I think that's misleading again. I have brought some Barbie, the fabric they are using is polyester or not 100% cotton. My cotton fabric are all 100% cotton and brought from an local fabric store near my home (more than $10 per yard), and mailed to manufacturers.
Thanks. Again, thank you for your nice photos.
Shuang"

4-16-08 Lana


Lana Turner as seen through the eyes of Jason Wu. At first I didn't like her. She came with her hair very tightly rolled in an awkward style. Once I relaxed it, she took on a very glamorous air.


4-12-08 Starring Agnes


This year the OZ Convention in Australia featured two Agnes dolls. The convention doll High Gloss is pictured here. The companion doll, Firefly Agnes, has not had the pleasure of meeting my camera yet.


This doll arrives in an outfit that Captain Kirk would have liked. It is definitely spacey, sparkly and over-the-top. Although it made quite a dramatic appearance at first, I sold it ASAP. I would have liked to keep the jewelry but the buyer wanted it.

I dressed Agnes in Mio's custom made corset and IFR Eugenia's extra skirt. I had a wonderful time posing her with high gloss items - mirrored boxes, gold columns and a big gold metal shell. The reflection from the mirrored box added interest to the background - a fortuitous happening that I like alot.



This doll is definitely not for the faint of heart. Her eye makeup is very heavy-handed. However there is less of the misery about her in this version and so she is the second Agnes I am keeping in my collection. Firefly is the third and you will see why in my next post.
Here's High Gloss!