Tonner's Louise Devereaux

She is not a classically pretty doll. Her face is unattractive and the dark makeup under her eyes contributes to the gaunt look. Not being able to decide to keep her or not, I attempted to re-dress Louise last night. Unfortunately that did not work out for me or Louise and she's gotta go. I will keep one of the two I purchased just because it's the first of the new line.

I did photograph her a few days ago and those pictures are posted here.

Juicy Couture Beverly Hills G&P Barbie® Dolls by Mattel

Why do I even try? Again and again I am reminded that Mattel's products are inferior yet they look so cute in the pictures. Now I know why so many Barbie collectors keep everything in the boxes. Once you take it out, the stuff looks like crap.

This episode of "Nightmare on Mattel Street" stars the Juicy Couture Beverly Hills G&P Barbie doll set.
The dolls are tiny replicas of Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor, the designers and co-founders of the Juicy Couture fashion empire. List price is $110. I used one of my coupons and got free shipping so I thought I did OK because it was less expensive than I could find anywhere else. I wanted the dresses for my Fashion Royalty or Model Behavior dolls. I knew in advance that they were sewn on.
I pre-ordered and approximately 2 months later a crushed UPS box arrives. I am not exaggerating when I say that every single side - that's 6 sides - was bashed and/or punctured to a degree. The box actually looked as if it had been put in a compressor. The tape had begun to pop and the contents were visible!

There was no protective padding around the doll box and so it echoed the damage.

Upon writing to customer service I received a RA from Mattel with a return shipping label. Then several weeks went by and I didn't get my new dolls. I wrote to Mattel and as if they had been waiting for my letter, I was told that they received my return and would ship out the new dolls to me.
The new set arrived in a pristine box and it still looked really pretty.

The first doll I undressed was the blonde. There was cello-wrap around her body to keep the black dress from contacting the vinyl. Unfortunately they didn't wrap her arms and they are seriously stained. I was going to sell the dolls but instead she has Oxy 10 all over her arms right now. Her hair has so much product on it that it looks like chunky straw. The brunette, who is much prettier, had no staining at all.

One improvement to note is that all the jewelry was removable and replaceable. The rings and earrings popped right out. The bracelets had hook fasteners as did the necklaces. The shoes are very cute. The packaging is very attractive and the set comes with a miniature perfume bottle. As usual, one needs a hacksaw to get the dolls out of the packaging. I'd love to watch the assembly of these items for sale.

I do not recommend this set unless you intend to keep the dolls in the box.

What's up with the low prices in the Fashion Royalty secondary market?

When I got in to collecting Fashion Royalty dolls, secondary market prices were always at least 50% higher than retail. Now many dolls are selling for less than retail. Even Vanessa, one of the most sought after characters, is dropping in price! There were three issued in less than a year. Certain so-called holy grail dolls are still holding steady at many times retail.

I posted a question on one of the doll boards concerning the drop in secondary market prices and here are some of the responses.

—Just supply and demand. So many dolls, I'm just making room. Still love the girls and will enjoy what I keep. Just be more selective in the future.

—I agree with you, I paid $169.99 + tax & sh. for MD Eugenia and there is one on ebay for $150.

— I think it is just plain FR doll overload. Integrity are releasing way way too many dolls now and people are feeling overwhelmed. Plus the quality has dropped from what it used to be and the economy is not so great right now thus people are not quite as prepared to pay such high prices for dolls.

—Too high editions? Too much competition? Bad economy ?

—Too many dolls in few time, too many exclusives, the change of the bodies that even if more poseable they seems cheaper ( and maybe they are! ), higher prices, ebay scalpers, FAO exclusives almost impossible for Europeans. I do believe that all these reasons annoyed collectors. (Well, these are the reasons that annoyed me! And I was a great FR collectors!)

—The market is glutted with too many dolls from all the manufacturers...sad 'cause there are so many fantastic dollies and it seems we just get to be in awe of one for about 10 minutes and the next NEW best thing is coming out and pushing that last one aside...
We need a bit more of a break in between exclusives/collections and everything!

—I think Greed is the reason. Too many people buy to resell only... and that drives the numbers up. Higher numbers.. = gluttony.
Look at the uber "limited" WClub dolls.. they have to cover all memberships.. that includes multi-membership households.
Greed has killed these dolls.. it also gave IT the ideas that we are willing to pay anything.
And.. with that in mind.. "let's make a few more dolls, and make more money"
I am not willing to pay more.
These are only dolls.

—I'm glad! It means.... That I should no longer have to panic and buy a doll the minute she's released. I can wait to see what comes out and then pick and choose!

—For me it's just too many dolls. I am out of space and I really don't like selling the dolls I have. I love the older ones especially. Every time I think about clearing some out, I just can't find anyone I want to let go. Soooo...I am not buying too many new ones. I think IT has just released too much at the same time for the past couple of years. PLUS, I think the retail prices have just gotten way out of line. I didn't even order either one of the club dolls...I just didn't get that "must have" feeling. And I have always gotten the club doll in the past.

Joe Tai's "After Party" Ensemble for Silkstone Dolls

I don't buy outfits for my Silkstone Dolls. They wear most Fashion Royalty clothes easily. This was an accident. After I bid on it, I realized that it actually said Silkstone in the title. Maybe one day I will learn to read carefully.

It is Savadoll eBay store exclusive from Joe Tai in a limited edition of 60. I paid $53.89 plus shipping. He currently has it listed at $59.88.

The ensemble consists of the dress, gloves, boots, shoes, necklace, earrings, bracelet, beaded headband and purse. That's a lot of stuff. For a Joe Tai, this is conservatively designed.

The fit of the dress and boots is excellent. I didn't even attempt more than 30 seconds on the gloves as I could tell it would have been hopeless. I would have preferred the shoes with this outfit but the buckles were so tiny and I didn't have the patience. The necklace and bracelet were extremely difficult to secure.

Below the pink belt, there are several layers of thread fringes. I used a comb to straighten them. I would have liked to see shiny rayon thread for the fringe. This is probably a matte poly/cotton blend.
I recommend the outfit to re-dressers with patience. Be on the cautious side with Joe Tai clothes as they stain if left on a doll for extended periods.

Ryan at Savadoll is wonderful to deal with. Although located in Canada, his shipping is very reasonable to the USA. He responds to email quickly and has excellent feedback.

La Vie en Rose by Robert Tonner for the Devereaux Sister Dolls

La Vie en Rose is one of two outfits that were available at the store event this past weekend. At first glance it looks fabulous. At second glance, it came out of it's box. The third glance, after I finished dressing a doll, said FRUMPY.
Let's start with the hat. What were they thinking? It reminded me of a bonnet from Little House on the Prairie. I tried it pushed up, pushed down, net down, net up and nothing made it look as good as when it was off the doll. The trim is cheap looking. One word describes this accessory - UGH.
We'll continue with the handbag. What size doll was this made for? A Kish Riley, perhaps. Someone made a big mistake with these accessories.
By itself the coat is gorgeous. The fabric is a beautifully rose-colored woven fiber with faux fur. The top 'button' is silvery balls. The dress is a simple georgette sheath with a gathered v-neck bust-line and a ruffled hem. It looks nice on the doll but nothing special or new. The hosiery and the gloves appear to be the same fabric - there's no problem there. The shoes are a little clunky-looking but I suppose they go with the period the outfit is meant to represent. Put it all together and WTF? Where is she going? Open school night and then to the corner bar? This outfit is just horrendous. If it makes Rose Rogue look like a well-dressed bag lady, then something is seriously wrong.
I do not recommend this ensemble unless you are willing to use the pieces to mix and match with other items in your dolls' wardrobe. Retail price $89.99.

'Cacao Noir' A Devereaux Sister's Outfit

I was informed that the Devereaux dolls have a smaller bust size than the standard Tyler doll. Since I was not going to keep the dolls but I loved the look of the clothes, I decided to debox and try to fit them on one of my 16" dolls anyway. I was thrilled that the Cacao Noir fit very nicely. The model is Ghost of Christmas past whose hair has been restyled. I think this is a very beautiful doll. She has the same smoky eyes as the sisters do.
The gloves were fairly easy to put on which was a big plus. I did take Ghost's hands off in order to insert them more easily into the sleeves of the dress. It was snug but fit like a dream. The hat is perfect for the period and the outfit. And I guess the shoes are, too, but I don't like them and switched them to black pumps for display.
I recommend this ensemble to all. The big problem is the hefty price tag of $89.99.
Cacao Noir is a limited edition of 250 and is available from the Tonner Store directly.