Fourth Annual Integrity Toys W Club "Toy Fair" Event

We arrived at the W Hotel in Manhattan shortly before the scheduled opening of the Integrity Toy's traveling store. I was expecting lots of deals and goodies however we were presented with very little in the way of variety or bargains. A few items from the Gene Marshall line were reduced. There were dolls that didn't sell well in the retail market for sale at retail. Phase I of the AvantGuard dolls were available in limited quantities. Eclectic sold out fast. I wanted her fashion so I purchased one and sold the nude doll to another collector. I also picked up the Josephine Baker event doll called "La Joie de Paris." This is a Limited Edition of 350 dolls. At $120. this gal was no bargain but she looked beautiful in her futuristic blue and silver gown with the silver gauntlets and I couldn't resist. I really like the packaging of the Hollywood Royalty dolls with their window boxes and the featured doll's signature on the front of the box.

Josephine Baker photo courtesy of Integrity Toys

We sat and chatted and greeted eachother in the lovely seating area outside of the main event room until it was time to go in to dinner. The space was very large with tables set for the meal on one side of the room and the displays featuring the new lines on the other side.

On each table there were two dolls dressed similarly with the same color hair. One was a Luchia and the other was a Zita. At each place setting there was a placecard and a gift of an AvantGuard wig and a pair of shoes.

The food was very good. We had the steak. The service was excellent. Everyone I asked said they'd love to have a convention right there in Manhattan.

Brief remarks were made by Carol Roth,


Mel Odom,Jason Wu and Percy Newsome. Jason began his greeting by saying, "A few things have happened since we last met." We all laughed.

We browsed the collections during dinner. My comments on the dolls will be in posts to follow.

Prior to dessert, those who had won the opportunity to purchase the centerpiece dolls were notified and asked to go to the salesroom to pay for and pick up their dolls.

From 9:00PM to 10:00 PM a free cocktail party was held in the same room as the displays. The area of the dining room was partially partitioned off so that those who lingered over coffee could hang out. There were many areas outside of the main room to gather, chat and sit comfortably.

Overall, it was a fun mini-convention. The atmosphere was 100% superior to that of the FAO events of the previous two years. And it did not snow!

Some of our tablemates:




Marg of MFD and Luanne:

Fashion Week Highlights from the New York Times

Click this URL in order to see and hear a very interesting and concise editorial regarding recent showings at New York Fashion Week. Jason Wu is mentioned.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/02/17/fashion/20090218-fashion-feature/index.html

Happy Valentine's Day to All

Vero wanted to stop by and wish you all a very Happy Valentine's Day.
This is Midnight in Monaco. She was the first Fashion Royalty convention doll ever and was presented to those attending the IFCD in 2003. She is an LE of 500. The fee for that convention was $125.
The dress she is wearing in this photo is from my favorite dress maker in Thailand who has now disappeared from eBay. It's odd because the seller whose label was sewn in to two of my dresses is now selling again after being out to lunch for months. Hmm....
Necklace from a Fashion Royalty outfit.

Here are several other photos I have taken of her.

In the first photo below, Veronique is wearing True Royalty's lingerie as she plays in bed with her tiny poodle.

The second photo has her wearing a Fashion Royalty outfit from the Baltimore convention. I dyed it lavender. I was originally white. Earrings are Dressmaker Details. The handbag is a La Boutique Purse of the Month "Fendi." That was the day I ran around the house looking for things I could dye lavender.

In the third photo, Vero is wearing a copy of Trannytale, an Amanda Lepore doll dress, made by Mio.

Fashion Royalty Graphic Language Adele

There is no doubt in my mind that this is the most beautiful of all the early Adeles. Graphic Language Adele was issued in 2004 as part of the Fall/Winter Graphic Flirtation Collection along with Girl of the Moment Veronique, Glam Slam Kyori, and the first Vanessa, Shock Bonbon. Her retail price was $59.99.
She came dressed in an argyle sweater and black tights and her accessory was an adorable pink patent leather hat box.

In my version above, Adele has been transferred to a tall articulated body and she is wearing another one of Ovaz' fabulous, sexy gowns.

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.