Even More Cheap Thrills with Barbie Basics

I don't know what got into me these past few months but I have purchased a bunch of Pink Label Barbie dolls. I keep them in my studio and yesterday they got lucky in front of the camera.  Angelica's hair is typical Barbie quality - uneven, shaggy ends and no style. The Hispanic (?) Barbie has lovely hair but she has glitter glued under her brows. The red Target Barbie is adorable. Her hair will never get messed up as every strand is glued down. She needs a pivotal body and lashes to make her into a useful doll that can pose.

The last vinyl Barbie I will buy this year is Tokidoki. I swear.

Monster High: Lagoona Blue and Spectra Vondergeist

More cheap thrills come your way via the silly and strange Monster High dolls.

Don't expect high quality for in the $20. range as these are fragile dolls, albeit very clever.   I don't know what their hair is made from but it's difficult to keep tamed and their limbs often take on a life of their own. But they do snap back together.
Lagoona Blue, on the left, comes with the funniest 3 eyed frog. She is depicted as being in the school science lab. She also comes with a locker and an extra fashion. Spectra Vondergeist is mostly translucent - as a ghost ought to be. Even her pet, which is unidentifiable, is kind of see-through.
I picked up Lagoona at my Target store and got Spectra directly from Mattel. I recommend both of them for play value and adorable-ness.

Not Your Mother's Bergdorf Goodman

Jason Wu Designs a Line of Clothing for Target: A few press excerpts.

Mr Wu today said: 'My collection for Target embodies my signature aesthetic of feminine sophistication, with a mischievous nod to the 1960s.'

And, according to Target's Twitter feed, the creations are, somewhat eccentrically, influenced by a cat named Milu.
Mr Wu told WWD: 'This partnership offers an exciting opportunity for me to interpret my aesthetic into a collection made for a broader market.
'It was very interesting for me to translate my signature touches into a more affordable collection without compromising quality, design and sophistication'
It 'features clothes and accessories that are easily convertible from day to evening — sophisticated, feminine dresses, mix-and-match separates and playful accessories all with a bit of charm and dressed-up attitude.'

The collections will focus on apparel and accessories only, differing from the Missoni range, for example, which saw fervour over a vast 400 pieces crash the retail site. That line sold out within 24 hours of its much-lauded launch.
Rather than creating 'just an item for the season,' Mr Wu has before said that he 'strive[s] to create clothes that can be worn for a lifetime.'
Target, not known for its high-end quality, makes a change from Mr Wu's usual territory.
The line will range from $19.99 to $59.99 and will be available at many Target stores and online.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2044736/Jason-Wu-Target-Michelle-Obamas-favourite-designer-announces-collaboration.html#ixzz1ZpOoTt97

 It will certainly not be the first time a trendy designer, including McQueen, Missoni, Gaultier, Schouler, Thakoon, Temperley, has partnered with Target. I can't wait to see the results!

Target Night Out doll needs a new sculpt.

Another of Jason Wu's Sculpts Bites the Dust

It was recently announced that the sculpt of one of IT's flagship characters, Adele, is now retired and will be replaced in the giftset from the convention collection. The outgoing sculpt is the second incarnation of Adele and is quite a beauty.


The original sculpt.

Screening removed and lips repainted by me.

The outgoing sculpt.

Is Integrity being forced to change their most popular sculpts? Do the copyrights of these sculpts, Vanessa, Veronique and Adele belong to Jason Wu solely? Is he asking too much money for renewal of the license or is he just not permitting his sculpts to be used any longer? It's too much of a coincidence that three of the oldest sculpts would be replaced within months of each other at the ten year mark of the company.
Did Jason come equipped with the brilliant foresight to license his sculpts for a limited period of time when he was hired by Integrity Toys? Is Kyori next?  Who shot JR?

 In a little over one year there have been 6 new Fashion Royalty female sculpts: Kesenia, Vanessa, Korrine, Veronique, Rayna and Anja. The prior year saw Natalia turn white and Dania came on the scene. There have been several new characters introduced into the NuFace line as well including several males. Let's not forget the four new FR2 sculpts.  Who is actually creating the new sculpts and why do some of them look alike?

 

 The FR2 Faces: