Tonner Doll Company Event 8/9/08

The preview of the Devereaux Sisters Doll line also saw the presentation of many other new dolls. This was eye candy! Clicking on the link will take you to a collection of images taken by me at the Tonner Store today. A review of the two available outfits, La Vie en Rose and Cacao Noir will follow later this week.
LINK: Tonner Event Images

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.

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.

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.

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.