"Soon there’ll just be feathers and the quiet of the fall " (Icarus Wind)

I didn't think I'd be able to get a picture of No Exaggeration without using her stand. Difficulty with vertical posing is the quality I dislike the most about the Avantguard dolls. But I did manage to get her to balance using a piece of armature wire. I liked the look of the brick wall which I had originally intended to crop. She is wearing the new Avantguard separate outfit called "Fashion Fuel." The beautiful animal print shoes are a mile high. I put them on her feet before the dressing began to see how they fit. I would not have been able to get them on over the included tights easily and I like easy. I didn't want to risk damaging the fishnet tights or the shoes. Underneath the jacket is a LBD. The leatherette gloves are elbow length and go on easily. The suit is nicer in person than in the promo photos. Unfortunately the wig is awful. Integrity must give up making wigs that are not either stick straight or tightly styled and tied. The quality of the saran (I'm assuming it's saran) is over-worked. The wig arrived style-less and/or distorted from packaging. Trying to style it was unsuccessful. I was very careful with the wig and still the results were horrid. The wig she's wearing is not the one from the set.

Icarus On The Runway
I don't understand why one of the new AGs "On Edge" is also sporting a little black dress. Seriously, I do not get this outfit at all. The shoes are the same as the ones we got in the December 2009 wig and shoe set. And what's with the hot pink feather wings?

Image Property of Integrity Toys

How many little black dresses and gigantic black shoes do these dolls need? She reminds me of one of my 10" Cissettes - feathers - black/pink combo - over-the-top, etc.
I need subtle. Enough with the in-your-face stuff. Jason's recent runway collection was subtle and gorgeous. There was no black and pink and no feathers.

The Lament For Icarus, by Herbert James Draper

Wrapped In Decadence ~ W Club Exclusive Fashion

A Fashionable Life Vanessa is my model for the latest W Club exclusive fashion. Wrapped in Decadence is a winner in most every way. The look is beautiful and the fit is very good. It's easy to put on and the construction is excellent. I adore the coat which is completely covered in fabric 'rosettes.' Just take a look.
The only problems I encountered in construction is on the inside of the skirt part of the dress. It may be seen in the photo on the right hip, the seam bulges out in a triangular shape. I don't plan to open up the dress to fix it as she will be wearing the coat most of the time. Someone messed up the sizing on the shoes as they are way too long.
I recommend this fashion and I just happen to have an extra for sale.

I keep saying I don't collect Barbie dolls but...

...every now and then one comes along that is a keeper. This is a first wave Barbie Basic with the Nichelle sculpt. I added the jewelry.
She has the anorexic, twisty model body but I like her anyway.

Did you know that if you click on an image, it will open larger in another window? Try it.

The Bottom Line

Every doll manufacturer has their PR or marketing persons who know the collectors and expect praise 100% of the time. The intelligent and mature ones have learned to separate themselves from the commentary and just look at the bottom line. Collectors and bloggers may criticize certain aspects of the product but we spend our money on it just the same. We photograph and publicize it. I've been told over and over again that my photographs sell the product to those on the fence about a purchase.

So what's their problem?

*Separate yourself from the product. It's not about you. Face the fact that nothing is perfect and no one is 100% correct either. Move on.*

Agnes Von Weiss ~ Festive Decadence Mini Gift Set

On Tuesday I received a box of goodies from Integrity Toys. My first review will be of the Agnes W Club Mini Giftset which was priced at $145. and is an edition of 800. This was the second W Club doll for 2009.The contents were the doll, two skirts, belt, one jacket, two tops, one pair of shoes, bracelet, earrings, necklace, handbag, additional hands and doll stand. There was also a story card. As always, the presentation in the box was beautiful but it's so much fun to rip those puppies out (even though ripping is done carefully with a sharp scissors) and get them into my hot little hands.
Since Agnes came dressed in the black skirt and red top, she was first up to be photographed. I thought the shoes would be a nightmare due to the tiny straps but I didn't have to unbuckle them to get them on and although the strap sticks out, they fit well and the doll can stand flat on the ground which is a huge improvement over the past years.The big black skirt is an oddity. it did not sit well with that top which was too short to stay tucked in or the belt which wasn't wide enough to cover the waistband of the skirt and stay put. A big wide waistband on the skirt would have made it so much more useful and user friendly. Soooo, I put the purple jacket over the whole thing and it looked better but definitely not couture.
The red top is too large across the bust and shoulders. The hooks in the back could be moved for a better fit.
The handbag was a surprise because it was so mediocre compared to FR handbags in the past. I like the chain handle which is perfectly scaled to the doll.
I love the jewelry but I don't see it complementing this fashion at all. Additionally, they can keep those crappy little bracelets that never sit well on the wrist. I have bunches of them and never use them.
This is one of the prettier Agnes screenings. She doesn't look as dour as usual. I hate the painted lashes. They are cartoon-like. She does have applied lashes as well. I hope this isn't a trend for 2010. The hair....sigh.....what can I say? It's a puzzle to me-strange style, stiff glued curls...just completely weird. She could be so beautiful if her hair were just pulled back in a simple bun or pony tail. I don't think there has ever been a pony-tailed Agnes. Perhaps she's trying to channel Gene Marshall with the hair rolls.
For the second outfit, I chose True Royalty Vanessa as my model.
The purple skirt is adorable and the bi-colored top looks good with it. The purple jacket that matches the skirt looks cute, too. I added the jewelry.
The construction of this set is very, very high quality. There is great attention to detail. Here's a back view of the above fashion.The fit could have been a bit better on the sleeveless tops and the waist of the black skirt but otherwise, the set is very good.
This Agnes will not make it permanently into my collection but most of her clothing is staying.

Tonner's Doctor Who and Martha Jones Character Figures

There's been plenty of nay-saying about these new dolls and I'm wondering if the problem is really that followers of the series are sad to see David Tennant leave the show. He was a great Doctor. It's difficult to adjust to each new one!
I compared several real images of Tennant to the doll and I think Tonner did a very good job."Sculpted in the likeness of David Tennant as the tenth incarnation of the TIME LORD™ known as DOCTOR WHO™, this TONNER CHARACTER FIGURE™ wears a two-piece suit including shirt, tie, socks, shoes and SONIC SCREWDRIVER™."

I take issue with the size of the stripes on his suit because they are too large and they look like the zoot suit from Tonner's Razzle Dazzle Billy Flynn.

Image from the Doll Peddlar Website

His 'skin' needs a few more wrinkles but beyond that, he's pretty close to the Doctor.
The list price is $179.99. Look around for a lower price. Cherished Friends has him for $153.
The arrival date is undetermined.

I must admit I was devastated by Rose's and the Doctor's separation several seasons ago. The show was never the same for me after that. I was told that Billie Piper, the actress who played Rose, refused to have a doll made in her likeness. One of the Doctor's companions after Rose was Martha Jones played by Freema Agyeman.
This doll does nothing for me. Her coloring is off and without any contrast. Boring. I like her pants and that's about it. The list price on Martha Jones is $174.99. In about 4 months you will see a large price drop on her.
(Terri predicts.)