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.

Update on "A Woman of Means" Adrian Fashion

I changed the doll wearing the fashion to a full bust Tonner body Mera. She looks much better in this ensemble than Gene did several posts below. The waist of the skirt is still on the loose side, however. Mera looks gorgeous - even with her sea green nails.

Welcome Puki Puki Madeleine!

A new girl has joined the tribe. She is a FairyLand tiny (11cm) BJD. This particular one is called Madeleine. I wanted Lily but I couldn't wait to get one from Korea so I ordered an 'in stock' doll from Denver Doll Emporium.
I was in love the minute I opened her box. The articulation is fantastic and she is very easy to pose. There are fourteen different faces available and they're all precious.

One has a cat face and is called Pukisha.

This is PongPong:

Here's Sugar:

These dolls are 4.4 inches tall and wear a 3.5-4 size wig. Their feet are really tiny at .59 inch but most of the Mattel Kelly shoes fit well.

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Here's my girl:

The chest Madeleine is perched upon is from a Re-ment "Bringing up Baby" set of miniatures. This particular set is scaled perfectly for the Pukis.

In the above photo, the doll is wearing a cute wig that I had purchased for my Orientdoll So. Right now it's the only wig I have that fits well. The two smaller poodles are 1/6 scale fuzzy minis purchased on eBay and the larger poodle is a custom-made needle felted item.


Madeleine is checking out the toys in the wagon. I snatched these items from a 1/6 scale room box I made about 30 years ago. I think that room will be her new home.


The dress is a bit of lace pinned in the back and the flower is on a wire stem wrapped around her neck. The original colors of these items were beige but I Photoshopped them.

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Denver Doll Emporium deserves very high recommendations on their customer service. They answer emails quickly and ship the same day depending upon the time you pay for your order. They do not overcharge for postage. What else can you ask for from a dealer? They have a limited supply of in-stock items from FairyLand. Most items are pre-order and take about 6-8 weeks to arrive. A deposit of about 30% is required. When you think about the amount of money you save by buying from a company in the US (if you live in the US) it's so worth it to order from them. There appears to be a larger selection from FairyLand but I haven't asked them if everything on the FairyLand website can be ordered even if it's not on the DDE site.

Photo of the Week Award ~ September 6, 2009

Sin in the City is the name of a Situation Comedy thought up by the talented Amber Park. Not only is she a gifted photographer, she makes all the jewelry and styles the dolls uber-fashionably. This image is one of several from the latest release:
Season 2: Episode 15 - Sin in the City - A Safe Place to Belong.

 

Pictured are Erin, Yuri and Kumi, Nu.Face and Nu.Fantasy dolls respectively, from Integrity Toys.

I hope Amber puts all of these stories together in a book one day. In addition to the pictures being enjoyable to look at, the text is funny and well written.

If you would like to see the past episodes of Sin in the City click here.

Congratulations, Amber!

Twilight's Bad Guys (and a Girl)

Three new Twilight character figures were announced today by the Tonner Doll Co. If you haven't read the series, these three are a small nomadic group of vampires who provide most of the plot of Twilight. Victoria is a major bitch.You may or you may not be wondering what happened to her shoes. This trio of phlebotomists goes shoeless. What? Did you think they forgot shoes for the dolls? Victoria actually comes with flat and high-heel feet so she can run around on her toes. Doesn't everyone?

Laurent doesn't play much of a role in the books, but this doll is the best of the three IMO. I love the faux leather jacket and the tight cords. He's even got the tops of his boxer shorts sticking up from above his belt.James is a serious predator. His outfit makes more sense to me. I don't understand why they describe him as "devilishly handsome." This doll is the only one out of all of Tonner's vampires that actually has a sickly pallor and could be a vampire.

Pictures above: Tonner Doll and Me! Mine is the second one of each pair of shots.

When I saw these dolls at the reveal at the Tonner store last month I wondered why one would want the bad vampire dolls. Then again, why would anyone want vampire dolls in the first place? Logic does not belong in this discussion.
I understand the attraction to Edward as he is highly romanticized in the book. I have to admit that I read them all...at least I think I read them. They're like Chinese food. You're hungry again shortly after reading them. They are quick reading, not frightening (unless you know good literature) and possibly entertaining if you want to know what the teeny boppers are screaming about.
All I want from this trio is the clothes.

The suggested retail price for each doll is $179.00. Apparently between August and now, the price was raised by $20 per doll. Did the economy suddenly get better when I wasn't looking? You may be able to see the price on the cards of my photos. It says $159. These vampires exact quite a price, don't they?
Production is 1000 of each and they are due to arrive from the beginning of October through December.
Pre-Order at Cherished Friends for $153.

What did I do with that garlic necklace?

Aren't they cute?

Adrian "A Woman of Means" Fashion ~ Hollywood Ahoy Convention

I did not know anything about Adrian previously. When I saw photographs of "A Woman of Means" I knew I had to have the fashion. Now that I have it, I'm thrilled that I can dress a doll in such a stylish and beautifully made outfit. Here is a brief bio and photo of Adrian which I have snatched from the internet:

Adrian, Gilbert, 1903–59, popularly known simply as Adrian, fashion designer, b. Naugatuk, Conn.

Educated in New York City, he created designs for Broadway shows until 1925, when he moved to Hollywood. As studio designer at MGM studios (1928–41), he created glamorous clothing for such stars as Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Jean Harlow, and Katharine Hepburn, his opulent designs influencing haute couture throughout the 1930s and 40s. Adrian was known for his extravagant, draped evening gowns; hooded dresses; embroidered, padded evening jackets; and elegant suits. He was creative director for MGM's Wizard of Oz (1939), one of his most acclaimed productions; the same year he married actress Janet Gaynor. From 1942 to 1952 he ran a fashionable Beverly Hills salon.

The suit: there was been a great deal of discussion on one doll board regarding where this suit was manufactured. No definitive answer came about as a result of those queries. I didn't see it as relevant in any event.

None of these are meant to be seen as artistic images. They are for showing the style and details of the garments and accessories.

The outfit came with lots of pieces: jacket, skirt, sleeveless shell, handbag, shoes, gloves, earrings, bracelet, hat and faux fur. It was packaged almost identically to the way Ashton Drake packaged the Gene line fashions. There was a lovely ribbon tied around the box with a tag.

I had heard that although the fashion was created for Robert Tonner's Joan Crawford doll that it would fit other 16 in dolls as well. Heavenly Gene needed a change of clothes so she got lucky. Did it fit? The waist and hips of the skirt are visibly large. The bottom of the shell hangs loosely but overall the suit looks very good. It is easy to put on - no struggling with hooks or ill fitting shoes.

The inside of the jacket looks almost as good as the outside. The lining is a royal purple - I love that. The label is a replica of Adrian's original label! The stole is wired for shaping when placing it on the doll. That's a great detail. My stole needs to be aired out as it has a weird odor as if it's been stored too long in a basement in China. Not that I'd know what a Chinese basement would smell like...

The gorgeous metal and rhinestone embellishments truly make the suit. The one at the waist is not laying properly. If it really bothered me, I would make a temporary tack with three stitches to get it to lay flat. It's making a slight right turn as it is now.

The bling, in addition to that which is sewn on to the suit, consists of a multi-strand rhinestone bracelet and dangling rhinestone earrings.

The large zippered handbag and open toed pumps are black patent leather. There is something a little off about the tops of the shoes at the opening. They are too long - unless this is a style of which I am not aware.

The hat...I really didn't know what to do with it. I put it on and turned it this way and that and still couldn't find a pleasing way for her to wear it.

This outfit cost $129. and was available as an optional purchase at the Hollywood Ahoy Convention which just took place in Long Beach, California in August. There are a few still available. Buy one! You will not be disappointed.

Here is the link to purchase Hollywood Ahoy souvenirs that may still be available:

http://sandrastillwell.com/2009/
Tell Sandra I sent you!