Lana Turner "Portrait of an Era" Giftset

I was on the fence about this FAO giftset featuring Integrity Toys' Hollywood Royalty Lana Turner until I had it in my hot little hands and started taking pictures. This is the prettiest of all the Lana dolls so far. Her hair flatters her face and is well done. She comes dressed in a tight pink sweater and black A-line skirt. I added the necklace.

At first the suit appears to be a copy of the suit from the Haute Doll exclusive Lana doll in a different color. That suit was somewhat ill fitting. This suit was a surprise. It fits nicely and has distinctive styling like the high waisted skirt. The necklace which is not shown is the same as the previously mentioned set which is a mistake on Integrity's part. Why would a collector want the same necklace twice?
The jewelry isn't really worth mentioning further as it is plain and not memorable. The shoes are too large and are unusable. Those are the only two items that miss the mark. The suit is lined in a similar pink to the sweater. The hat is really more like a headband and goes on easily and stays on! I like the faux fur stole. The entire appearance is very elegant. There is a sleeveless, v-neck mauve shell for the doll to wear under the jacket or she can wear the pink sweater.
The details on the suit are classic Fashion Royalty and that's really good to see.

The third outfit is a hostess fashion which consists of a strapless jumpsuit and a sweeping robe. I couldn't close the robe over the jumpsuit so I just tied it shut. The shoes are cute little silver pumps. The necklace was added by me.

The jewelry should have been more interesting and the ill-fitting shoes are very surprising. The drawbacks are minor but annoying in a set priced at $225. We were given a code to use for free shipping. However, one W Club member found a 20% off offer which was accepted. Those of us living in a state where FAO does business in Macy's, also have to pay tax.

I do recommend this set because of the beauty of the doll and the well-constructed, classic fashions. Of course, each collector will have to weigh the high price against the contents in making the decision to purchase or not.

Integrity Toys' Dynamite Girls New Additions

It was announced yesterday that three new additions to Integrity Toys' Dynamite Girls line were about to be issued.
First, the R&D Exclusive Susie is making a reapparance with updated facial features and an adorable "layered" outfit.

Second, a Canadian exclusive called "Feelin' Fierce Dani" will be available from Maddie's Dolls & More, My Favourite Doll and Vogue Collectibles, Inc.

The third doll, Jett, wearing a hot silver jacket and looking all spy-like behind big sunglasses is also expected to be released at the end of June. She will be available from all Dynamite Girl dealers.

The dolls will retail for approximately $40 US. except Susie whose price is $45.
No information has been released regarding the edition size of the dolls but Maddie's sent out an email that she will have plenty. I ordered one. Any doll that has a little poodle-like dog is worth a shot. Don't you think?

Picture of the Week Award ~ May 17, 2009

Yatabazah! It's a great name for a creative and talented photographer-collector. This photograph is called Arrive´ and it is the Picture of the Week. The doll is an Indo-European porcelain with molded hair called Soraya, edition "Ballade" # 9 of 25.
She is dressed in the Mdvanii Notre Dame sheath, shoes, handbag, gold cuffs and Edie's earrings. The artist made the necklace and wig. He also created the backdrop!
Yatabazah lives in Greece and collects Mdvanii, Blythe, Lilli, Mooqla and various random vintage dolls.
He's been collecting and photographing for 10 years. You can find his photostream on flickr at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yatabazah/.

Ils Ont Change´ Ma Poupee

Some of you may recognize the source of my title for today's post. It's from a song originally called Ils On Change Ma Chanson, Ma (Look What They've Done to my Song, Ma) . The words seem appropriate for Cruise Control Vanessa. Vanessa is (was?) my favorite Fashion Royalty sculpt. Although there have been too many of her released in the last two years, I still looked forward to each and every one.
What ever happened to the days when one could debox a nearly perfect doll?
Prior to the Josephine Baker dolls, I never had the thought of re-rooting a doll right out of the box. Since October 2008, there has been one doll after another with serious hair defects. Every one of these defects is factory worker caused and not a machine malfunction.
We've had clumps of hair glue, dried net marks and frizz and it's nauseating. I am really through with writing to customer care and sending pictures and getting form letters and being told that I have bad luck. I don't have bad luck; the dolls are badly done.
This is Barbie hair.

These are just like Barbie shoes with the bendy heel syndrome.

Regarding the outfit, the shorts are fabulous and the blouse is nice. It's a complicated piece and shows a great deal of effort in the construction.
The jewelry, which is not shown, consists of unadorned silver colored chains and what looks like straight pins for earrings. I kid you not.

Mid-Atlantic Gene Meet-up Registration Now Open

The event has been cancelled due to low registration.

Picture of the Week Award ~ May 10, 2009

I discovered this fabulous photograph on Flickr. The composition, lighting and excellent use of depth of field all contributed to choosing it as my Picture of the Week.
The photographer is Sassy Strawberry and the title of the image is "La Belle Dame sans Merci."

 

Here is the link to Sassy Strawberry's photostream.   http://www.flickr.com/photos/sassystrawberry/