Thank You, Designers

If you've watched Project Runway, you have certainly seen Tim Gunn go into the workroom to chat with the contestants. Before he leaves he often says, "Thank you, designers."  Of course he's known for many other expressions but today I want to focus on the 'thank you.'

If you're a member of the W Club, you have read the same expression every single time a new doll is revealed. It could also be "Thank you, design team." Some liaison is thanking the people who work for Integrity Toys for designing a doll to sell.

Let me ask you a question. When you're about to leave the supermarket, do you go up to the manager and say thank you for selling milk. Perhaps you like the packaging of a box of donuts. Will you write to the company thanking them for the pretty designs? Do you thank the post office for designing beautiful stamps every year? I think not. They want you to spend money on their products. You thank them by spending your money.

Why would a company thank itself for designing a product to sell to you? You're not going to buy it if you don't like it, are you? Do they do it to convince you that it's worthwhile?

We hope that everyone is as excited about these two dolls as we are! We would also like to thank XXX and the entire Integrity Design Team for the XXX Collection; this year has been simply outstanding for XXX!

The company should be thanking the buyers not their employees. 

There are endless reasons to say thank you to people. Here are a few that resonate with me.

So, this is my advice:

Gorgeous Gene Marshall Holiday Themed Photos by Tom Logan

One of my favorites and a top notch photographer, Tom Logan (CA) posted these photos today on Studio Commissary.  This is delicious eye candy!

JAMIEshow introduces Mel Odom's Trent Osborn in a Double Life

I can hear the cheering from Gene collectors all over the world as they realize that their beloved male character, Trent Osborne, is now a resin BJD.  As handsome as Trent is in vinyl, his body is seriously stiff and unposable. Now collectors can pose Trent in all of his original clothes and shoes thanks to a smooth transition by Jamieshow.

The description from the website says:

Mr. Osborn, wearing boxer shorts, tank top and paisley slippers, comes with two molded hair caps, blonde and  brunette.  These icy blond and smoldering brunette identities are the focus of his 1943 noir "A Double LIfe", where he played not quite identical twins.  A large trunk was notably featured in this film.

In this life, Trent is packed in a stylish trunk for travel and clothing.  The trunk strikingly bears the Trent Osborn logo and is lined in brown velvet with ‘gold’ hardware and comes with 3 hanging rods.

Trent is made in JAMIEshow Smooth-J Resin in the same skin tone as Alejandro.  He has 15 points of articulation.  Trent has a new BJD body and can wear all of his previously produced wardrobe, as well as JAMIEshow Men's clothing and shoes. He will also come with a bald head-cap so he can wear a size 5 wig.  

Limited Edition of 100 Worldwide
The doll is priced at $475.

Pre Order item Shipping End of January/February

The trunk is pretty cool but I would have preferred the doll be dressed in something other than paisley boxers and matching slippers. Paisley was most popular in the US at the end of the 1960's. Although the design has been around for about 2000 years, I'm surprised to see an American actor wearing it...unless it is  bespoke man lingerie. Who knows what these actors did in their budoirs?

The resemblance to the original Trent is pretty much perfect right down to the molded hair. It was a good idea to include the molded hair head cap in two colors.

Jamieshow Dolls 


Here are a few of my own favorite vinyl Trent looks:

I have only two remaining Trents in my collection. My favorite is "Skiing or Sheing" see above, (redressed) lower right. The other is Dreamy Trent from the last Gene convention. They are very frustrating dolls to pose as they don't move and their knees are always collapsing. However, they make nice arm candy for the Gene dolls. Trent never changed - until now.

So...does the new Trent float your boat?

2014 Integrity's Surprisingly Great FR16 Dolls

To be sure, there are various interpretations of the word great.  In this case, I'm calling them great as compared to other 16" modern vinyl dolls. For example, Tonner dolls generally retail in the range of $99.-$250 for a dressed doll these days.  The less expensive ones will be dressed in more basic styles. The FR16 SRP was $175. That price has dropped a good deal for some of the newer ones.
The fashions are beautifully made and come with excellent accessories.
As far as articulation goes, the FR16 win the vinyl race, their only drawback being their awful articulated toes and awkward feet. Neither the ankle nor the toe joint add anything to the doll and should be eliminated in favor of a sleek fashion foot.

I don't know whether or not it's a good thing that the current IT designer keeps bringing back altered versions of Jason Wu's designs. In one way it speaks volumes about his creativity and on the other hand, Jason's beautiful fashions always work.

Except for Afterhours Hanne, I purchased the dolls and fashions separately. Once I found that I liked them, they started showing up.

For this post I show the original Jason Wu doll promo photo, a photo of my own 1/6 scale original and the new 16" version.

Red Blooded Woman Kyori has grown to become Hot Blooded Woman.
By the time I decided that I loved the outfit, I couldn't get Elsa Lin at a reasonable price. I will continue to look for her. Modeling the FR16 fashion is  "On Edge." Avantguard. She is wearing her own shoes as the FR16 shoes do not fit. The wig is by Ilaria.
Pretty gorgeous!

Cosmetic Takeover Natalia is now Cosmetic Surrender. This Natalia was the first Natalia ever produced. She was on a straight arm body. Mine became so brittle that even though I was very careful, her neck cracked when I first gave her a new tall body. (Not shown.)  My model for the FR16 fashion is Platinum Society Hanne whose outfit follows.

Silver Society Veronique's big sister is Platinum Society. Silver Society was also a straight arm doll. Mine is now on an FR2 body and I still love her as much as the day I first got her.
My model for Platinum Society's fashion is a Tyler head on a Tulabelle body. The head switch was easy and the body is perfect for the FR16 outfits. The feet, like those of the FR16 dolls are unnecessarily articulated. She looks like she has tumors of the ankle (whatever that is.) Do not click here for a Google search on ankle tumors. You will be sorry.
I love Tyler and I always will. She needs a body like this to bring her into the 21st Century.
Anyway, this outfit is a thin pleather-like fabric with wonderful embellishment. I like everything about the fashion and I'd rather have a ring instead of doll gloves any day!
The last picture shows how I've 'repurposed' my FR outfits from the early days to adorn Silkstone dolls. The fit is perfection-even the shoes.

Purple Factor Adele has grown up to become Amethyst Factor. Again, we have a straight arm, early Jason design. This was an amazingly detailed and sexy sheath with ruching, princess seams and a lace inset at the top of the bodice. The fur had beads between the stole and the tails. Everything about it was beautifully designed and executed. My model for Amethyst Factor is Afterhours Hanne Erikson. Her hair was a frizzy mess and still needs work.

Obsidian Society Vanessa's FR16 version is Obsidian Culture.  This was a wildly popular Vanessa; they all were until they started multiplying like rabbits. Vanessa's black suit looks nothing like the new Culture version; it is so much more stylish. My model is the brunette Obsidian Culture in the "Bijou" Avantguard gown.  It's nice to know that the Avantguard, FR16 and Tulabelle bodies can share fashions.

Barely...

This is, in my opinion, the prettiest of all the Obsidian Hannes. Unfortunately, her hair was an overdone, frizzy mess. I have one side pinned back to hide the crimped, frizzed ends. Such a shame. I'll fix it one of these days. The fur is from the Hot Blooded outfit and the earrings and bracelet are from other sources.

Surprisingly great? Yes! Look back at the original 4 FR16 dolls. Three out of the four fashions are uninspired. One of the dolls looks like a corpse and another looks terrified.

____________

I have the blond Obsidian Culture NRFB doll for sale at a very good price on the Show & Sell pages.
While you are there, take a look at my other listings. You should definitely buy something!

Theriault's Marquis Antique Doll Auction

I have no antique dolls in my collection but I do love to look at them. I adore the beautiful fabrics, the delicate facial painting and expression and the accessories. My favorite of all are the tiny, all bisque Mignonettes of about 5 inches. They do come is various sizes and were often called pocket dolls. Although most were created in Germany, they were made for a French market and thus showcased French fashion of the time. Many of these dolls came with complete wardrobes and all the necessary toilet items a young lady would need in the later 19th century and early 20th century.
This is a reproduction presentation celluloid budoir box designed by Jackie Chimpky.

Getting back to Theriault's upcoming Antique Doll Auction, the catalog is a delight to browse and an education in and of itself. Hundreds of gorgeous photos with descriptions and estimated valuations.

The World's First Elderly Doll?