9/08/2010

New 13" Wonder Woman Sculpt

Tonner introduced a new sculpt size for his Wonder Woman character figure. I have composited the original 16" WW and the new one into one photograph for a comparison. My first impression is that the head on the new one is too large and she is not nearly as attractive as any Wonder Woman I've ever seen whether in a comic book, in a cartoon on tv or as a doll.  She looks like a female impersonator.


Her jaw and chin are too big.

The suggested retail price is $139.99. LE1000

9/04/2010

Two Silkstone Dolls I'd Like to Have...But

I do love to add an occasional beautiful Silkie to my small collection. I liked Palm Beach Coral the minute I saw her. I did not like her price of $139.99. They have got to be kidding, right? I pay that much for fully articulated Fashion Royalty dolls - not that they're worth it either.

This is my other favorite this year. Not only is the doll and gown beautiful but the photograph is superb. I love the setting. It's so well done. She is the 10th Anniversary Silkstone (Tribute Barbie) and will be sold for $145. when she hits the stores in November of this year.
10th Anniversary Silkstone Barbie
     
 I'll just have to be content to look at the pictures.

9/03/2010

New Michelle Obama Doll "Sophisticated Style" from Ashton-Drake Galleries

It looks like Ashton-Drake may have a winner here. After the debacle of the Danbury Mint Michelle Obama doll that looked nothing like the First Lady and had multitudes of unhappy buyers, collectors may be pleased to know that A-D has produced a doll that looks more like the first lady (hopefully.) The 16" tall vinyl doll has 14 points of articulation and comes with a story card with information about her ensemble.

I can't tell if this is an artist's rendering of the doll or a touched-up photograph of the doll. You will remember that the Danbury Mint advertisement was a complete sham that used a photograph of Michelle's face in lieu of the actual doll.  It's only recently that they added a disclaimer to the promotional image.

If I were going to order the doll, I'd call and ask about that. This picture makes me wonder because it looks like a painting rather than a photo of a real doll.


This is the first doll in a series of additional Michelle Obama dolls to come. It looks really lovely.
If anyone out there has her already, I'd like a review from you. If you have photos of the actual doll, I'd be happy to post them for my other readers.

The price of the doll is $129.99 with a shipping and handling charge of an additional $14.99 for a total of $144.98. You can also choose to pay in 5 installments of $26. each. 


The Ashton-Drake Galleries

Tyler Wentworth Ready-To-Wear Boutique Collection is Back




  



I have always admired the fact that the Tonner Doll Company provides plenty of wardrobe options separately from the dolls. I don't think there is a single other company that produces such a quantity and variety of outfits. Yes, one comes upon an ill-fitting or poorly finished piece occasionally but for the most part, the clothes are excellent, attractive and long wearing. The separates hold their resale value longer than the dressed dolls and their outfits.
 My favorites for 2010 are right here in this photo provided on the Tonner site.


Left
Frayed Denim Jacket $49.99
Sequined Denim Bustier  $29.99
Frayed Denim Skirt $39.99
Center
Ruffled Evening Top $44.99
Lace Evening Skirt $59.99
Seated
Distressed Skinny Jeans $34.99
Classic Lace Blouse $39.99
Ruffled Cotton Coat $49.99

That's not all! There are three packs of shoes at $39.99 for each pack of two or three pair:




 two dresses and a sweater:


Uptown Dress $59.99
Soho Dress $69.99



http://www.tonnerdoll.com/2010TonnerSiteFH/Tyler/impressionistsweater.jpg
Impressionist Sweater $ 39
an adorable black "swirled skirt" @   ($44.99),


several sparkly, metallic jackets:

The Love Jacket  $54.99

The Downtown Jacket $49.99

The Chelsea Hoodie $59.99
Most dealers sell Tonner items at a discount off these MSRP prices.
See more of Tonner's 2010 Tyler line by clicking here. 

9/02/2010

Reunited and It Feels So Good

Those who attended the Nashville convention know that I lost my precious iPhone at Creekwood on Thursday night. Unfortunately it could not be found and I ordered a new one which was delivered today.
Easy, right? Wrong.
I plugged my new phone into my computer to sync it with iTunes and I was informed that I needed the latest OS software installed on my Mac. As if having missed this information wasn't embarrassing enough, I've actually had the new software in its little package since December (2009) and just kept procrastinating installing it. UGH.
I hate installing a new operating system. It takes so long and one never knows if the old programs will work. It took more than 4 hours to get everything set up. My old programs do work but it sure would be a good idea to upgrade some of them.
We're up and running and all is well.


Peaches and Herb: Reunited

Facet's Annual Doll Barbeque September 19, 2010

No, we do not barbeque dolls at this event. We talk dolls, look at dolls, buy and sell dolls, eat and run around a loooong table filled with free stuff. We also get to see one of the most impressive doll collections ever - Marcia Friend's.

If you're traveling down the NYS Thruway and want to meet up at the Kingston exit, let me know.

Here is the info from Marcia which contains all the facts and contact details you will need. I hope to see you there.


I can't believe it's September already!
I wanted to remind you that my 8th Annual Summer Doll BBQ and Party is coming up in less than 3 weeks - Sunday September 19th, starting around noon.  It's at my house in Matawan, NJ and I've already started cleaning... trying to get an early start!
Matawan is in central NJ, near exit 117a of the Garden State Parkway. It is easily accessible by NJ Transit trains from NYC or Newark.  We will have a train station pickup and drop off for those who need it, so let me know if you do so we can make sure we have enough cars available for that.

It will be like the previous BBQ's with lots of people, food, dolls, sales, and more!  I'll provide all of the food, and there is a cover charge of $12 per person.  You may PayPal this in advance or pay when you get here.  However, if you're going to do PayPal, I'd appreciate your waiting until a week or two before the BBQ so I have less chance of losing track of it :-)
I'll have a sales area set up in my basement - space is on a first come basis.  Facets will be open, of course (and hopefully a little more cleaned up than in the past - LOL!) :-)  We'll have door prizes, the infamous "free table", and lots of dolls to look at.  
The "free table" is a table of doll related items that are extras, slightly used, unwanted, etc... It's a good way to get rid of those items that you think someone might want and you don't feel like putting on EBay.  If you have some things you'd like to put in, bring them.  However, if no one takes them, you have to take them back or throw them out - they can't stay here!   If you want to mail donations, LMK and I'll give you the address.  I have already gotten some fantastic donations mailed in.

Feel free to bring a doll for display.  I don't have a theme - bring a favorite, a new acquisition, something you want to show off, whatever. 
Contributions to the door prizes are appreciated.
If you need a place to stay in this area, I recommend the Woodbridge Hilton.  It's about 20 minutes north of here and is more reasonably priced and nicer than the few hotels in the immediate area.   If you are looking for travel mates or roommates, LMK and I'll try to help. 


I hope you can make it to the party - it's a day of great fun, great dolls and great people :-)  Email me to RSVP or ask questions.  When you email me, I would appreciate it if you could put "BBQ" somewhere in the subject so I can sort out those emails.

Hope to see you on the 19th!
Marcia
P.S.   If you know someone who might like to come to the BBQ and that hasn't gotten an invitation, please let me know and I'll invite them.  

Superdoll Chalk White



Dearest Patrons, Collectors and Fans….
Well, as we reach the very end of our marvellous S/S 2010 season and wave a fond farewell to an awesome summer here in London, it is with great pleasure that we extend a welcoming invitation to YOU!

The A/W 2010 Salon season will be launching with the introduction of Ventriloquet_003 (a darkly kept secret), Salon exclusive outfits and more delectability than should be legal!

Our 2010 Autumn Winter collection entitled: Inner Society™ will be shown and sold from our London Salon.

The Chalk White collection PREVIEW & SALE commences on 09 October 2010 at 18h00 with a champagne reception.
 This exhibition is open to all who would like to witness, view and experience the gloriousness of a Chalk White collection in it’s entirety. All we request is that you RSVP in a timely manner enough for us to prepare for your company!
Please see flyer attached for further details or do not hesitate to contact us by email or phone if you have any queries.

http://www.superfrock.com/dmg/innersocietyflyer.jpg
(please paste this above link into your browser)

Our very best from everyone here at SDHQ London….
Till later
C&D

9/01/2010

Links to all My Nashville Event Photos

Will be slightly updated during the next few days.

Sandra's Prototype Doll Fashions
Scenes of Downtown Nashville
Table - Centerpiece Dolls
Formal Centerpiece Photo Shoot

These links were posted in my first Nashville blog post on 8/31/2010
Crawford Manor Tea
Manuel the Rhinestone Cowboy
Sandra Stillwell's Display Dolls
Cheekwood
Ryman Auditorium 
Country Music Hall of Fame
Frist Center for the Visual Arts

Original post describing the Golden Age of Couture Event

Fashion Royalty Convention Packet Released

Internet Photo
Included in the release is the notice that there will be a new Fashion Royalty spin-off brand. I don't know why the news doesn't excite me. I like Madame Alexander's Cissy doll but I wouldn't go to a Madame Alexander convention because I don't care for the other dolls that are included in their conventions.  From the point of view of a collector, I don't know that a convention is the place to celebrate a brand new line. We certainly can't say Integrity is boring because we never know what to expect.

The line is entitled FR2 and pronounced FR Squared. I think I'll always call it FR Two (I hated math.)  When something is squared you multiply the original by itself and you get more of the original. The title can lead to a great deal of speculation as evidenced by the 3 page thread on the W Club board.

Note: An email from the W Club just arrived. It says:
"...spin off brand called FR2... This new line will have a brand new body, new characters and a renewed couture style by Jason Wu. "
Haute couture (French for "high sewing" or "high dressmaking"; pronounced [ot kutyʁ] OHT-koo-TOOR) refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finish by the most experienced and capable seamstresses, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques. Couture is a common abbreviation of Haute Couture, which refers to the same thing in spirit.[1]
It originally referred to Englishman Charles Frederick Worth's work, produced in Paris in the mid-nineteenth century.[2] In modern France, haute couture is a "protected name" that can be used only by firms that meet certain well-defined standards. However, the term is also used loosely to describe all high-fashion custom-fitted clothing, whether it is produced in Paris or in other fashion capitals such as Milan, London, New York, Tokyo and Madrid.
The term couture style is being misused.

Integrity Toys' Logo
The Registration Package
The 30 page long layout is very artistic thanks to Alain's design skills.  Spooky castles and dark patterns infuse the package with a sense of Halloween and scariness.
The forms are interactive - there's nothing to print out and mail or fax. It's very tree friendly.

 The Workshops
All except one of the workshops is being held on Friday.  It's all very organized. I am registered for the first four workshops below.  The hubster will have to amuse himself.
  1. Poppy Ponies Up! - Rob “Uriah” Redden
  2. Thinking Out of the Box - Vaughn Sawyers
  3. Mini-Masterpieces - Steven Fraser
  4. Baby Light-Up my Fire! - Alain Tremblay
  5. FR Do’s, FR Don’ts - Francisco Garcia
  6. Recycle Those Doll Boxes - Ava Plummer
The workshops are free. Some of them will offer optional kits to use during the session. At the last Gene convention, the Madra head sold for the hairstyling class was a highly sought after item after the convention was over.

The Convention Collection

  1. “Always Polished” Dasha FR2 Dressed Doll (New Character!)
  2. “Night Vision” Count Adrian Von Lamberg™ Figure (New Character!) 
  3. “Fine Romance” Eugenia Perrin Frost™ Dressed Doll
  4. “Scarlet Woman” Adèle Makéda® Dressed Doll
  5. “Out of the Blue” Kyori Sato® Dressed Doll 
  6. “Wild at Heart” Lillith and Eden™ Gift Set
  7. “Ask Any Girl” Poppy Parker Gift Set
Seven items with a total of nine dolls. I wonder if Dasha is Tatyana reworked.  It's been a long time since Kyori appeared at a convention and many have been asking for her. The Lillith and Eden giftsets were very popular in 2008. (A friend notes that this wasn't really a popular giftset. I suppose it's a matter of perception.)

Missing from the above are Agnes, Vanessa, Veronique, Elise Jolie, Dania, Natalia, Jordan, Luchia, Tatyana, Isha, the Hommes, the rest of the Nu.Face characters, the Monogram dolls and the Avantguard dolls.

My guesses for centerpieces are Agnes (that's a given), Veronique, Vanessa and Elise. Perhaps those are my wishes as well.

8/31/2010

Sandra Stillwell's Golden Age of Couture — Nashville, August, 2010

The first thing I want to say is that I will probably go to every event that Sandra organizes in the future. This talented lady wove an amazingly detailed tapestry by combining the best of the location with a fabulous event. She organized visits to top Nashville locations that related to our purpose. Presentations at meals were relevant and interesting. The fashions Sandra had created for the centerpiece dolls and for our event souvenirs are beautiful and so abundant I can hardly believe it.
I shot more than 400 pictures, many of them not so impressive. It takes alot time to go through them and post. Interior shots at Cheekwood and the Frist were not permitted


Cheekwood
 The Cheekwood mansion was huge and we were told that just one small family of four lived there in it's day. There was a Chihuly installation out-of-doors. I think if I hadn't seen a mind-blowing Chihuly installation in Pittsburgh a few years ago, I would have been more impressed with this one.


Ryman Auditorium 
The history of the Ryman Auditorium and the Grand Old Opry is fascinating and I recommend going to their websites to read about it. I do not follow country music but I certainly learned a great deal of interesting facts. 

Country Music Hall of Fame

Frist Center for the Visual Arts
The Frist Center is housed in an Art Deco United States Post Office with spectacular marble work, wrought iron gratings, doors and moldings. This is truly an impressive building aside from the exhibit. The Golden Age of Couture exhibit at the Frist Center was very special. I finally got to see four of the Theatre de la Mode mannequins in person. Madame Lachasse was beyond belief. Her teensy leather gloves were handsewn and still in perfect condition. She had tiny silk stockings and a cigarette case with pastel colored cigarettes! The miniatures created to go along with her wardrobe fascinated me. 










Display Dolls
Imagine walking into a ballroom filled with nearly 200 Genes, Madras, and assorted other dolls from the Ashton-Drake and Integrity Gene Marshall lines! Impressive, right?



Chez Manuel More about Manuel can be found on the internet. He has a long history of designing bling-y fashions for country western stars and other well-known personalities and performers.



Crawford Manor  Cheryl Crawford debuts her Crawford Manor collection of 16" resin dolls.

8/28/2010

W Club Exclusive Doll Avantguard BIJOUX

Bijoux is a French word meaning a small, dainty ornamental piece of delicate work or, as the adjective bijou, it describes something delicate, elegant or highly prized. That's a nice name for a doll.
This new Avantguard doll is described by Integrity as follows:
The Exclusive W Club Bijoux AvantGuards Doll wears a dark fuchsia satin gown with black contrasting embroidery, orange chiffon inserted accent panels and striking black netting. A dramatic sprinkle of gold on her eyes makes this doll the shimmering bijoux that she is. The fabulous tapered black bob wig delicately shapes her face. The jewelry that accents this fashion consists of a necklace with three black roses and matching earrings. To complete the ensemble, Bijoux wears black platform skyscraper shoes.


The price is $185. which is $40 less than prior releases. What happened? Is the price seeking the correct level at last?


8/25/2010

Integrity Announces New Monogram Doll and Fashion

By the time this post is published (it's on automatic) I will be in Nashville, Tennessee for the Golden Age of Doll Couture event.  Members of the W Club get these announcements and are asked to wait until a specific time and day before sharing the information. So, this is being written on Tuesday evening and publication is on time delay.
The dressed doll is called "Extravagance." It is a limited edition of 300 with a SRP of $150.




The fashion is called "Escapade." LE 300. SRP $99.


I'm looking at it like a gift set. One doll and two complete outfits with a wig, nice accessories and very pretty clothes for $249. A little lingerie would have been a bonus but when I see it as a gift set, the price becomes more reasonable.

8/21/2010

A Day of Ennui with Robert Tonner and Ellowyne...sigh.

Today I attended a luncheon at the Wiltwyck Country Club which is only 13 miles from my home. I love that I live so close to the Tonner hub. Who knew when I moved to Woodstock that I would be collecting dolls? It's really a big coincidence...or is it?
Anyway...it was fun. Everyone looked great. There were the usual fantastic raffle prizes none of which came home with me. I consider the cost of my 80 tickets a donation. There were competition dolls and all of them looked like winners to me.
Upon arrival we were greeted with a cute canvas tote inside of  which was an Ellowyne item of clothing or outfit, a book of Ellowyne poetry, some postcards and a catalog.
There was a big bowl of lovely mood rings at the registration table. Mine didn't change color until I put it inside my bra for a while. Hey, a table full of women usually gets a little raunchy.
Dessert was good and I would have been happy to have eaten just that. It was a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on a puff pastry shell drizzled with either chocolate sauce or strawberry sauce. And then the server brought a trough of whipped cream to the table. Heaven. I love whipped cream.
The centerpiece was Prudence:
The event souvenir was Ellowyne "A Day of Ennui" (of course):
The companion doll was Amber, "No Ennui, Just Me!" I didn't even know this character existed! I love her snooty face.
All the dolls have inset eyes and applied lashes. I think that makes them even more special. The additional dolls were $150. plus NYS tax which is 8%, give or take a fraction, bringing the total to $162.
After the event those who wished to purchase additional dolls did just that. There were plenty of dolls to buy. I'm guessing the extras will be offered through the Tonner Store so if you are interested, keep an eye out for announcements at the Tonner Direct website.
We were invited back to the store after lunch to have dolls signed and to spend more money. Everything in the store (except event dolls) was available to us for 20% off the current price. Dealers do not carry Wilde Imagination products so there is no discount unless they go on sale directly from WI.  I made up my mind before I left the luncheon that I would buy the Wilde Rose Vanity and Stool I have been eyeing for two years.
Image property of Wilde Imagination
Yes, I had controlled that impulse for so long (while ignoring others and letting them run rampant.) But I broke down and ordered it. After all it was a bargain at 20% off.  I wanted it-emphasis on the word wanted.
Do you notice how effectively I have stopped buying dolls larger than 12 inches tall? Now that I have Ellowyne dolls again, they need a little furniture, right?

8/19/2010

Fashion Night Out at Bergdorf Goodman accompanied by a Jason Wu doll!

It won't go on sale until Friday, September 10 but the W Club and Bergdorf's has released the information and pictures of a new doll inspired by Jason's Resort Collection.



The price of the doll is $150. Will you be ordering one or more?

Read about Fashion Night Out in the New York Times.

Disturbingly Low Prices on Dolls on Sale ;-)

Today Maddies Dolls (Canada) announced a sale on Gene Marshall, Fashion Royalty, Avantguard and some Mattel dolls. The  Avantguard doll, "No Exaggeration" is on sale for $140.  Is anyone else gagging?  It seems that everyone is trying to dump the last three Avantguard dolls. Perhaps the next release will take into consideration the desires of collectors. That would be nice.
I say 'disturbingly low' only because I paid full retail for some of these dolls and it wasn't even that long ago.
I'm used to this happening with Tonner dolls but not with Integrity dolls. Ugh.
It also seems that the ITBE line is so unpopular, they can barely give them away. That's what happens when you call an inexpensive doll an "entry level collectible." My Monster High dolls, at retail, cost less and come with cute accessories and trendy/funky clothes.
Here is the link for Maddies Dolls. They do ship internationally.

8/17/2010

Great Sale on Gene Marshall Items at Integrity Toys Direct

Madra Lord "The Jeweled Cat" is on sale for $139.99. That is a bargain at 1/2 of retail. Many, many more dolls and fashions at very good prices. Go!

Integrity Toys



Added on August 18th:
There are other items on sale, too. But as Uriah commented below, none of us was notified by email or announcement that there was going to be a sale. I think they're afraid we'll crash the server - we've done it. Hehe. More power to the collectors!

8/15/2010

Picture of the Week Award ~ Al Gudka

I came upon this stunning photograph of the new Mini Avantguard doll Androgyny on the W Club board.

 Property of Al Gudka

Al's photography is  a favorite of mine. He's a master of composition. You will come across his posts not only on the W board but also on Doll Divas and BC.Com.
Here are the answers Al sent to my questionnaire:


-This gorgeous doll is the Mini-Clone Androgyny AvantGuards with her original wig
-No changes were made to the doll itself, but I did release the wig's ponytail
-She is wearing the Barbie by Jonathan Adler dress; corset and stockings from Aerodynamic Vanessa; shoes from last year's W Club Eugenia; jewelry from Flight Pattern Kyori
-The Hows:
  • The camera I used was a 15 megapixel Canon Powershot G10
  • For the backdrop I used a white foam-filled poster board; doll is leaning against it
  • The only prop was a little desk fan that doubled as a large industrial fan in 1/6th scale
  • For lighting I used a cluster of three 35 watt daylight florescent bulbs placed directly in front of, and slightly above the doll, at approx 6 ft away.  I hung a large sheet of tracing paper 2 feet in front of the lamps.  This diffused the light and made it look like natural light.
-My inspiration for this shot was some behind the scenes footage of model Gisele Bundchen during a photo shoot.
-The biggest suggestion I would give to budding photographers is to get acquainted with Photoshop.  It can transform a dull, lifeless photo into a brilliant, high contrast eye-catcher. It is also indispensible when it comes to white balancing your photos if your camera can't do it properly.  I see so many beautiful photos that have been unintentionally marred by green or yellow color casts. 
__________
Thanks for sharing your expertise with us, Al. 


8/14/2010

Instant Gratification Dolls

Every now and then you just need to have a new doll immediately. At 9:30 PM tonight I found myself in that situation and off to Walmart I went. I live in nowheresville and 9 miles away is a slightly larger nowheresville called Kingston, NY. We have dollar stores and CVS by the dozen. Our Walmart and Toys R Us are not mega stores so the pickings are usually quite slim. The Barbie fraction of an aisle was kind of barren as I expected. The aisle over had lots of big head Livs and Moxies and tiny pet thingies. But I spied some Monster High dolls and snatched up the two that I wanted. I almost ordered these several weeks ago but stopped at the last minute.

Four individual characters were there but I chose the two without fangs. They are Lagoona Blue , Daughter of the Sea Monster, and Frankie Stein, Daughter of Frankenstein (Duh.)

At under $38. for both (that includes NY tax), I got a kick out of them. They're more articulated than any Barbie doll ever made! Dressed in their platform heels, they measure 11". Add another 1/4 inch with the stand. Each girl has a pet. Lagoona Blue's pet is a piranha that goes inside her fishbowl handbag. So cute. Frankie Stein's pet is a dog who is stitched together, just like his owner. He also has angel wings. Does that mean he is dead and risen? 
The little details on their outfits are hilarious like the lightning bolt on Frankie's belt. Lagoona has webbed hands and lovely aqua streaks in her hair.
Their forearms are removable. These dolls are skinny with giant heads but it works and it's fun and now I want the Deuce Gorgon and Cleo de Nile gift set. It never ends.

Did I mention they're made by Mattel?

Integrity Toys Announces New Dynamite Girls for Fall/Winter

Three Dynamite Girls were announced yesterday. They are all LE 300 and the SRP is $54.99. The last wave of DG dolls were $40 each.


 From left to right they are:  Aria, Eltin, Neve,  Dressed in cute cold weather fashions they will be available at dealers late September/early October.  I wonder if the cute chair will be an item for sale. I like it.

It was also announced that there will be lower shipping rates. In their email Integrity says, "Integrity has been able to negotiate special online rates with both UPS and USPS, so you should see reduced shipping fees across the board on every order." I didn't know one could negotiate with the United States Postal Service.  I'm going to have to find out about that one. USPS and UPS have always had commercial rates.  What I think is more likely is that the service/handling charges have been added to the product prices so they won't show up in the shipping.

I ship cartons and packages all the time and I've shipped hundreds of items. I haven't negotiated lower rates.  When I weigh packages from Integrity they are always under the weight charged for. Last month (July) I received a carton containing 5 Gene Marshall replacement bodies. The carton weighed exactly 4.5 pounds although it said 6 pounds.  Via Priority Mail with $150. worth of insurance, the cost would be between $11.50 and $12.40 total. I was charged $23.95 for shipping.

Just to check, I logged into the Integrity store. The Gene Marshall (16") bodies are no longer available but the Fashion Royalty bodies are. Of course they weigh 25% less since they are for 12" dolls. I ordered 5 bodies and the USPS shipping came to $17.15. That's still way too high IMO.

However, it sounds like they are listening to the customers on this issue and it's a good sign that they are attempting to address the issue.