Other IDEX Highlights and Reviews

DRESSMAKER DETAILS

On Saturday, before the doors were open to the public, I was chatting with Steven Fraser of Dressmaker Details. As you may know, DD now has two lines of fashions. The new line is called Pink Label Paks. They are simply designed and less expensive than the regular fashions. Take a look at this and tell me which line you think it belongs in.

Strolling Along $45.

Believe it or not, it's a Pink Label Pak. I want one. The style is a timeless sheath with a matching swing coat. The fabric looks like silk but isn't. I do want to see how the coat fits over the dress collar. That could be a problem but the sheath by itself with the gold lining and gold shoes are winners! The sheath is available in mauve without a coat for $25.

Here is a fashion from the regular fashion line.

Mon Cheri $85

A doll can never have too many red dresses or too many sparkly rhinestone bracelets!

Steven showed me his wonderful sketchbook. What a treat it was to chat with him about his work.

How about this fabulous black evening coat? Perfect for the opera, isn't it?

Swing Coat $25.

Two poorly behaved gals are seen here fighting over dresses.

For more information about Dressmaker Details, check out their website.

MADAME ALEXANDER CISSY

My Cissy collection consists of five dolls and a few extra outfits. They're all modern Cissy dolls. I mention this because I don't have a connection to the look of vintage Cissy dolls that so many do. I've been a lurking member of the most active Cissy group, however, and from what I've read, 90% of the collectors are very disappointed in the face paint of the new Cissy dolls. The beautifully designed Jason Wu fashions on these dolls were well received but the eye makeup was not. The combination of babyish body and face shape does not do well with runway makeup. I sure would love the clothes!

Envy Cissy 21" LE 200 $349.95

Jason is debuting new Cissy collections this year. In additional to wonderful designs with a 50’s flair and an exquisite make-up palette, Jason has provided these, the 21” Cissys, with newly engineered jointing which includes a concealed shoulder joint, an elbow joint with a 45 degree bend and the most inspired touch of all – adding ball jointed wrists with removable hands which bend and are removable for endless dressing possibilities.

You’ll be green with ENVY when you see this new design by Jason Wu. It, a navy taffeta swing coat with a shawl collar and black belt, is worn over a short-sleeved emerald green, silk dupioni, sheath with a peg skirt. It looks marvelous on 21” Cissy with her black bun and blue eyes. Her face paint looks perfect beneath her fox ‘fur’, pom pom hat that has an attached black net veil which covers the forehead and adds drama to the eyes. A rhinestone necklace, silver, bow shaped earrings and black gloves that reach her elbow, add accents and additional style. As does Envy’s black, platform heels with a black crisscrossed ribbon detail and nude pantyhose. She comes with a martini glass, which you’ll Envy too.

Vice Cissy 21" LE 200 $349.95

21 inch tall Vice Cissy is made of vinyl and shows off her hourglass silhouette wearing a cobalt blue wiggle dress with 3-quarter length sleeves and a black belt. She also wears black matinee gloves, a straw hat and golden jewelry. Fishnet stockings, peep-toe shoes and sunglasses are the finishing touches to her fashionable ensemble. Wearing a jeweled collar is her little black dog, kept close by her side on a golden leash. Vice Cissy is a 2010 edition from Madame Alexander's Couture Collection.

NEO CISSY DOLLS 16"

L'Enfant Terrible LE 200 $134.99

This new fashion doll, as designed by Jason, features a nostalgic Elise sculpt, re-interpreted with a brand new, fully ball jointed body with endless posing possibilities. There are 15 joints in all including neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, bust, hips, knees, ankles, and waist.16” L’Enfant Terrible, a NeoCissy with green eyes, bright red hair in a side-parted ponytail and black nails, has an incredibly daring look. She is presented here in an ensemble that combines a bra-top bodice that has a black fishnet neckline and sleeves with a short black taffeta mini-skirt which is trimmed with black horsehair. Adding additional drama and finishing L’Enfant Terrible’s look is silver rhinestone earrings, black undies with attached garters and black stockings, bright green open-toed booties that have platform heels and a black feathered eye patch that is trimmed with jet caviar beads.

Blu Belle Cissy LE 200 $134.99

16” Blu Belle, a NeoCissy with blue eyes, a large, side-parted, blue Afro and black nails, wears a very chic black taffeta, dropped waist, mini dress. The bodice has a peach ribbon detail stitched to look like a corset and an overlay of ruched, black net with white, flocked, mini polka dots. A strap of the netting extends over one shoulder and the pleated, mini- skirt of the dress has a matching overlay of the same net. Blu Belle’s "‘je ne sais quoi" look is finished by nude pantyhose, orange vinyl, platform sandals, that are accented by orange suede rosettes on the middle strap, silver rhinestone stud earrings and a lacy black eye mask that comes with sticky dots to adhere the mask to the face.

Let the images speak for themselves. I thought the Neo Cissy dolls looked far worse in person than they look in the pictures.

IDEX - Brides of Dracula Dolls

I had seen promo pictures of the the three Brides of Dracula dolls before seeing them in person and decided that I wouldn't be getting them. The last set of vampires that attracted me were from the pen and mind of Anne Rice. I have a vampire slayer in my collection and she's staying. I can't imagine the violence that would occur in my showcases should these 'ladies' arrive on the scene.
But...when I saw the dolls in person, I liked the fashions on two of them enough to consider purchasing them just for the clothing. They look better in person than in the photos.
I don't think these dolls go far enough toward representing vampires. They're just pretty dolls with fangs in gothy fashions. At a price of $149.99, one really needs to like fanged dolls with red or yellow eyes.
The dolls are manufactured by Integrity Toys and distributed by Ashton-Drake Galleries. However, some individual dealers are selling them. They have the 12" Fashion Royalty body. I will find out if these are limited editions.

The blurbs about each doll are very strange. Very, very strange. Some excerpts: "This is one lady that you will never see wearing a crucifix." "...the perfect fashion for feasting on human flesh." "...do we see some dried up blood in the creases of her lips?" Who wrote this garbage? By the way, vampires do not eat flesh.

Why can't a female vampire have several male vampires for husbands? Is this the vampire version of Big Love?

IDEX - Tonner Breakfast - Sunday, February, 2010

I love Robert Tonner's sense of humor. He was presenting the new lines and when he got to the Sinister Circus line he said, "I don't know what you people are doing with these. I don't know what you're smoking." I agreed with him. These dolls are truly freaky...well, they are freaks. As a special treat, we were gifted with the first copy of the Sinister Circus comic book!

The Bearded Lady

I think they are brilliant and bravo to a company that is not afraid to take risks. No, they will not find their way into my collection but I enjoy looking at them.

This doll is really scary-looking. She is called "Painted Lady."

This is two views of the same doll called "Shehee."

The table centerpiece was the beautiful Evocative Antoinette in red velvet. Marcia Friend was lucky enough to win her.

At each place setting was a set of two pair of Antoinette shoes. The room was packed full! Raffle tickets were sold and the line-up of possible winning items was excellent. I almost fell off my chair when my number was called for a doll I had wanted since I saw her, Antoinette Extravagant! How lucky I felt. I can't wait to get back home to play with my new dolls. (I'm still in Florida.)

The food was excellent and beautifully served. Nothing was skimped on. Our souvenir doll was the new blonde Cami from the Cami & Jon line. I'm in love with these dolls. From their curly hair to their Antoinette bodies, they suit me just fine. We were permitted to purchase an extra souvenir by lottery. My extra is already promised to an Australian collector.

Another highlight of this breakfast event was that I sat next to Denise Van Patten, the woman who writes about dolls for About.com. I had seen her name over the years but when I saw it on her ID tag, I couldn't place it. We introduced ourselves to each other and the lightbulbs went off. We hit it off famously. I came away from that event with beautiful dolls and a new friend! What could be better?

IDEX ~ 1/30/10 ~ New Tonner Dolls - Cami and Jon

At 11:30 AM I was scheduled to view the new products in a private Tonner showroom. I knew I would be seeing Cami and Jon but I had no idea what else to expect. I figured they'd just let me roam around and look. Instead I had a one to one product introduction with Jack Kralik. It was the one of the three high points of my entire weekend. The concepts behind each line were explained to me and all my questions were answered. I loved the concept behind the Cami and Jon line. It's apparent to me that the TDC listens to it's customer base as this line was developed to consist of basic dolls and separate fashions. There will be no dressed dolls. I've heard collectors clamoring for this all over the place for years.

Not only is the concept excellent and "accessible" the dolls are adorable and their fashions are very today. These pictures are from the Tonner web site. I want everything!!!!

NOTE THE FOLLOWING MEANS THAT YOU HAVE TO ORDER NOW IF YOU WANT THE ITEMS.

This collection will be presented to retailers at IDEX and online. Retailers will have the opportunity to place their orders, and production will ONLY be based on orders received in one production run.

The Basic Dolls:

Cami Basic Brunette, Blonde and Redhead come dressed in lingerie with shoes and a display stand.
Retail $79.99. Cami's sculpt is that of Cinderella.

Jonquil Basic (Jon) has the Jac sculpt and skintone.

The Fashions:

80 Degrees $79.99

Hitting Midnight $99.99

Escapade $89.99

The Romantic $79.99

Fanfare $89.99

Starlight $99.99

With a Twist $89.99

Mood

An accessory pack called Next to Nothings ($19.99) is available but photos are not yet published.

I recommend a visit to Tonnerdoll.com to see all of the new releases. There are many more goodies for Tonner Doll collectors and hopefuls.

IDEX - Day 2 - Saturday, January 30, 2010

The Rosen Shingle Creek hotel is vast. Picture Grand Central Station on steroids. Seriously. When you go somewhere it's a commitment. You don't want to make a mistake and go down the wrong cavern accidentally. You may never be heard from again. Somewhere there must be a note of the square mileage of that place. (I'd say square footage but that would be ridiculous.) But it's not just huge, it's beautiful and comfortable as well. Take your walking shoes because you're going to need them.
The showroom floor opened at 10AM on Saturday morning to exhibitors, press and industry related persons. I got in there before the doors opened to the public in order to shoot more pictures. I'm not quite sure how it happened but a few gals convinced me to sign up for the Madame Alexander luncheon which was to begin at 12:30. Luckily the registration desk sent me in the right direction in order to sign up. Surprisingly there were only about 30 people at the luncheon! The centerpiece was a Cissy dressed in a beautiful bronze/apricot/lemon bathing suit with similarly warm colored accessories. She was lying on a towel under a foil palm tree. Under her towel was sand and real shells and a large blue cloth.
We got down to the business of eating our lunch pretty much right away. We were served beautifully by well-trained staff first with chicken noodle soup and warm rolls and butter. Then came a large salad made of all sorts of delicious ingredients including avocado, beans, bacon, tomatoes and lots of other crispy goodies. Iced tea had already been poured at each setting and sodas were offered. Dessert was a delicious tart and coffee.
We played a few silly games and I won an 8" Eloise.
Then the centerpiece was lotteried off and I got lucky enough to win the opportunity to spend lots of money to buy "Beach Blanket Party Cissy" - which I did. This picture does her no justice at all. I will have to shoot better ones when I get her back home.

The souvenir doll was an adorable 10" Cissette dressed in bathing beauty gear. She is my prettiest Cissette to date. I haven't taken a picture of her yet. This image is from the IDEX event announcement.I am so happy I attended the MA event. It was classy, organized and the swag was great.

IDEX - Day 1 - Friday, January 29, 2010

The 6 AM wake up call I had requested came in on the stroke of the hour. I had to be ready for my 8 AM face-up class with Michele Hardy and Berdine Creedy.

I managed to arrive at that ungodly hour to a well organized display of materials to which we were summarily introduced. Michele explained step by step to us what to do and then let us loose. It was lots of fun and the results were satisfying for this first timer. Included in the supplies was a resin Creedy head from a 10" doll. Purchasing the body, outfit and wig were optional but I think everyone did. I was proud of my creation. We put the eyelashes on and inserted the eyes as well! I learned much due to the simple techniques that were presented.

I plan to do her face over as I made her too old-looking but it was my first time. Michele made the outfit. I would definitely take another class with Michele as she is a good teacher and I have much to learn.

I was convinced to attend the Berdine Creedy Tea later that afternoon at 3PM. Berdine presented a lovely slide show whose theme was hair. Odd? Not really. It was about the decision she made that even though she always had thin hair, she wouldn't let any physical issue deter her from her goals or from being happy. It was an excellent message.
I didn't particularly care for the little plate of strange-tasting chocolate-laden pastries or the single cup of tea we were given and I would not attend this event again were it offered at an IDEX in the future.
Our souvenir doll was an 8" resin Daisy. She is seen below with my other doll. She came with an outfit and a wig but not the outfit she is wearing in the picture. I don't know if I'm going to keep this doll as she is not the type of doll I collect.

In between the face-up class and the Creedy tea, I had several hours to browse the showroom. I came away from that first round with approximately 140 pictures and my head was practically exploding. Who knew? I had just seen hundreds of fake babies that looked real. In fact, throughout the 3 days, many attendees wandered the halls carrying babies in blankets or carriers. These reborn infants were so real-looking that you could swear they were breathing. Scary.

End of Part I.

IDEX 2010 Images

Here are over 200 images from my IDEX experience. I will write about the event and present a review of many of the dolls I saw.


http://www.goldphoto.com/IDEX_TWMA/index.htm

New Cissy: Be Afraid; Be Very Afraid.

Here is one of the new Cissy dolls from the 2010 Madame Alexander line. What is up with the terrifying-looking dolls this year? Is it a reaction to the economy and the weather or what? The gown is gorgeous. The stockings and shoes are to-die-for. But the face and the hair. OMG. This is the stuff nightmares are made of.
The names of three of them are laden with emotional overtones. Lust is one and sorry I don't remember the others but I will fill in the blanks later today.
From what I've been reading on the internet, the reaction to these dolls is very bad. It's another "What Were They Thinking?" event.

Fuggedaboudit Poppy Parker Trio

There's nothing new here, no unique design or hair style. She's little Miss Mary Tyler Moore.
Each color will be available in a quantity of 100 as follows:
Gigi's Dolls and Sherry's Teddy Bears-Blonde/lavender: The Doll Peddlar-Brunette/pink:and My Favourite Doll-Redhead/turquoise:
Price for each doll in Integrity's Forget Me Not collection is $80.

What happened? Did someone let the air out of the PP balloon? Did someone get bored?

What Were They Thinking? Part II

I let this image sink in for two days before I wrote this post. When I first received the email containing the pictures of this new Avant Guard doll, Hot Trot, I thought of the Inferno Vita doll with her fire orange streaked hair and black eyes. The more I looked at this doll, the worse she gets. I've said it before, these dolls have ugly knees. The shape of this gown accentuates her knees. It's just awful. I might like it better if the hem were the length of the front of the gown and even all around. It's an awkward, unbalanced design and it's not pretty. What happened to pretty? What's going on with the ties on the shoes? What is hidden behind the front leg?The other 2010 Avant Guard doll is called On Edge. She has the Goldmine sculpt which I like better than the closed mouth. I like the short black wig and I think she is very pretty. The feather cape is ... well I can't find the words. The bust of the dress looks like it doesn't fit properly but that could be the photo. The shoes are the same ones that came in the accessory set from last month! So it's just another AG with bright blue eyeshadow and red lips. I like the gloves if that makes a difference.
These dolls could have been called Feathers, Over and Under. Whatever. I will probably put my money somewhere else.
Both: Retail Price $220. Edition size 400.

If Barbie Dolls Were Articulated...

...would Mattel charge $150 for a doll like December Turquoise?

One year ago, Mattel introduced their Princess and the Frog doll.
Here are images from the Disney cartoon.
Integrity's interpretation of Tiana is very nice. She is a pretty doll. This version and another are going to be sold through Ashton-Drake Galleries only. The price is $149.99 and an edition size is not listed.

"What Were They Thinking?" Award - 2010 Urban Vita Dolls

Up first is "Inferno." Since when do black circles around the eyes and the fiery orange streaks in the hair qualify as design?

It looks like a child got a hold of a black Sharpie pen and traced around her eyes. The gray shredded thing around her shoulders looks like it came out of a trash bin. The gown is literally ugly. This doll should not have been let out of the gate.

The other offerings of Urban Vita dolls for 2010 aren't much better. I get the overall impression of a confused designer who doesn't know what direction in which to take these dolls.

For example, Aquabella:This doll's face was peeled from a cartoon page. I do like her hair even though it was done with a heavy hand.

Then there's Breeze. She appears to be in a trance-like state with her partially closed lids and requisite toussled white hair. The outfit and the face do not work together. One would think 'angelic' until one sees the silver hot pants and tall boots. Oy.


Finally, Terra, the best of the four but the strange face remains.
I'm hoping to be able to actually see and handle one in person at IDEX in a few days.
Will you pay $160. for one?

PS
The manufacturer ought to hire a professional photographer while they're at it. The lighting is amateurish and makes the dolls look even worse.

Life Before Dolls

My son was married on Saturday to a wonderful woman. We are extremely happy. I did not have the time to choose a Picture of the Week for this week. Next Sunday I will have attended IDEX so there may not be a winner for two weeks in a row. But, there will be plenty of words and pictures. Stay tuned, dear readers!