Nadja "The Illusionist"

Her story card says her full name is Nadja Rhymes; Age 19; Height 5' 11"; Chest 30"; Waist 26; Shoe 7.
Position: Freelance Model; Location: Los Angeles.
In this incarnation I'd like to think of her as an African princess. I love the fashion, her hair and her jewelry.

I wish Integrity could come up with a better matte finish for her skin which shows every tiny defect and seam in an extremely exaggerated fashion due to the color of the vinyl. At this price, it's a good idea to make the doll as perfect as possible. The other issue which still irks me is the way the heels of the boots are too high for the doll to stand correctly. I'm definitely going to write to Integrity on this one because it's been going on too long.

The hefty price of $169.99 plus shipping ($12.10) directly from Integrity Toys may have kept quite a few collectors from purchasing this doll. Although I don't collect Nadja, I couldn't pass up this unique one.

My recommendations: if you love Nadja, you are probably getting one anyway. I think the price of this one might come down as there are 500 of them and many are being more careful with their dolly dollars these days. There are already four of them listed on eBay that are very close to retail price. In fact it looks to me like two of the sellers will not make a dime and one will even lose money on the sale.

In Honor of Black History Month

Fashion Royalty's Adele "The Muse" is the my favorite Adele to-date. Here are some new pictures of her in a recently received gown by Parawatee of Thailand.

Earrings are Adele's own. Chain necklace is from another Fashion Royalty ensemble.

A note about the gown. The construction is absolutely coutourier fabulous. The problem is that it took six weeks to get here and I had to file a Paypal claim before it was shipped. I am waiting on another gown for which I have paid. While I adore these gowns, it's not an easy transaction with this seller. Apparently their prior eBay ID was TD Fashion as a label with that name is sewn into the gowns.

More is Never Enough

Sometimes I feel that I'm drowning in a sea of dolls. I look to the left of me, to the right of me, behind me and all around and all I see are dolls and doll stuff. Today it feels overwhelming.
Will I continue to collect the 16" dolls? Will I keep the Avantguard from the W Event? Why have I begun to buy Madame Alexander Cissettes? It must be cabin fever. I have never seen more snow in one winter in my adult life. Mountains of white surround my house and it's cold out there.
Moving along to good stuff and ignoring how I feel seems like a good idea right now. So far, from Tonner's new offerings, these are my favorites:

This is "Torch Song Goddess" from the Dick Tracy line.

She has the Breathless sculpt. LE 200. Price $179.99

This is "Heartthrob." Sculpt is Tess. LE 200. Retail Price $189.99

I don't need them. I don't need them. I don't need them. I don't need them. I don't need them.

Photographs courtesy of the Tonner Doll Company.

Miss Piggy - A Tonner Fashion Doll! *SQUEAL*

Miss Piggy has arrived. She is making an appearance on the websites of doll dealers everywhere as one of the new dolls from the Tonner Doll Company. There will be a basic doll whose picture has not yet been released, two dressed dolls, two separate fashions and two wigs available as accessories.
Text that follows is from the Tonner site:

"Fashion doll creator and aficionado Robert Tonner, crosses new boundaries with his multi-jointed all strung vinyl inspired fashion diva, Miss Piggy. Our beloved piggy stands app. 16" tall with custom-made, changeable wigs and painted facial features. Miss Piggy cannot (and will not) share clothing with other pigs."

Here they are in this order: 

Piggy Takes Manhattan, 

My Fair Piggy, 

Divine Swine (fashion), 

Tango With Kermie (fashion), 

Pretty Piggy (wig), 

Goddess Piggy (wig.)

All photography property of Tonner Doll Company.

Madame Alexander Cissette

January can be a dangerous month. There's a lull between the holidays and Toy Fair during which one has time to browse the offerings of the doll manufacturers not normally part of one's collection. One might just need a dolly fix.
This year, Madame Alexander's 10" Cissette caught my eye and my fancy. It all started when one of the doll dealers posted a picture of A Fashionable Life Cissy, a 21" MA doll whose retail price is close to $600.

Some of the more limited or more elaborate ones cost much more. For example, this 85th Anniversary Cissy is priced at $1699.95 at Angelic Dreamz.

Although the doll has a childlike face, the fashions are anything but childlike. I started browsing; however, I restricted my browsing to new Cissettes as she is affordable, adorable and has more articulation than MA's previously issued 10" dolls.

Widely available at wildly different prices, each doll requires a thorough search for the best price. I ordered two from an eBay dealer whose prices were the best I could find.

The first shown here is Belle Enchantress from The Definitive Collection - The Ingenues. LE 500.

 

"She is part of a new limited edition collection featuring 10" ball jointed dolls with unique expressive hand-painted eyes and exquisite design. The collection is inspired by classic haute couture from years past. She is fully articulated with 10 points of articulation at the neck, waist, hips, knees, shoulders and elbows."

I paid $59. plus shipping for this little gem. She goes for over $100. on many retail sites. The Doll Market has her for $69.97 today.



My second is the Boutique Shadow Cissette Couture Series Doll - Closet Full of Couture. LE 300.
"For daytime elegance, Cissette wears a silver suit trimmed in fur and accented by a fuchsia bow, black handbag and strap heels. For nighttime drama, a second outfit features a beige chiffon dress, a multicolored fur wrap and a magenta wig."
The word "shadow" refers to the fact that each outfit is a recreation of haute couture fashions created for the limited edition Cissy Boutique series.
This Cissette has 'sleep eyes.' I haven't had a doll with sleep eyes since I was 5 years old! No, she does not say Mama.

In the photo below, Belle of the Prom Tiny Kitty is wearing the second outfit. The fit is excellent.

Cissette is the perfect little dolly fix for me as she fits right in with my Tiny Kitty collection as far as size goes. They can share each other's clothes for the most part. Tiny Kitty is a little taller.
There are also wonderful Cissette Trunk sets but the Cissettes with those sets don't have bending arms. The trunks are wonderful, though.

This Boutique Shadow set cost me $89.99 plus shipping. I have seen it being sold at retail for $199. Shop around!

The "Evolution" of Foreign Affair Veronique

Impulse control? I don't have it and if you think that re-working a doll is a way to save money in a tight economy, give it up.

It all started out with a lovely Foreign Affair Veronique, the doll from a Fashion Royalty 2005 gift set.

After having this doll for a few years, I decided to change her hairstyle. What was I thinking? Needless to say, it didn't work out well. I sent the doll to Susan Korba to have her hair re-rooted. The results were stunning.

She remained in this gorgeous condition for about a year until I had the bright idea to fix her eyelashes. That wasn't too destructive but then I decided to do a little enhancing around the lashes. That fed the flames. I went on to change her lip color and it was all downhill from there.
Before quitting for the night, I had removed all her face paint and the new lashes in disgust.


Since I had already invested in the reroot, I couldn't just leave her in my studio with no face, could I?
Off she went to Ohio, to be repainted by Jon Copeland. Here are the results.