3/13/2014

Wearing of the Green

Three of the photos I created for FDQ over the past few years.

 Kermit figurine with Galadriel dressed in Ghost of Christmas Past. All by Tonner.

Sybarite Lawn. Horsman sunglasses. Sandra Stillwell deck chair.

Integrity Toys Aerodynamic Vanessa. Gown by Ovaz.
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Shouldn't that say shamrocks?


3/11/2014

The Lammily Doll

A new fashion doll has been created by Nickolay Lamm which is being touted as the "world's first normal sized doll."
Lammily, created by Nickolay Lamm
It is believed by many that the unrealistic proportions of today's Barbie dolls feeds the negative body image young girls have of themselves.  In my opinion, the media (Hollywood, television, fashion designers) is way more responsible for promoting stick-thinness as the standard to achieve.

In my early years of doll collecting I happened to purchase some of Tonner's Emme dolls and her fashions. However, I liked Tyler's proportions much better and soon sold the Emme items.

I'm not an overweight person but I grew up with the "you can't be too thin" mentality. Diets were a way of life along with diet pills in college and afterwards. I learned it from my mother. She didn't have Barbie dolls. Her generation of dolls were 'chubby-looking' things.
Madame Alexander (Composition) "McGuffey Anna" 1935
In the high fashion industry designers such as Jason Wu, for example, use half-dead, emaciated models to display their clothing.


Gianfranco Ferre model:
Hollow-eyed and gaunt, the skeletal model stalked down the runway at the Gianfranco Ferré fashion show in Milan last night wearing a dress cut in a deep V that revealed her protruding clavicle and flat chest.
A flurry of flashbulbs popped as photographers vied to get the best shot and the line of fashion editors sitting front row scribbled furiously on their notepads.
If ever there were a case of Emperor's New Clothes at fashion week, it was here.
Did any one of the assembled crowd really think this model - bony cleavage, dark circled eyes - looked good? Could they genuinely say that this image was aspirational? And ultimately, would the model do what must be her main purpose here: sell these clothes to other women?
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2042345/Gaunt-model-shocks-Gianfranco-Ferr-Milan-fashion-show.html#ixzz2vgtPriWs

These designers have been known to claim that the clothes 'hang better' on stick figures. Seriously? I'm not saying that the clothes aren't gorgeous but when I see Mrs. Obama wearing a Jason Wu that was shown on a runway by a stick figure woman, Mrs. Obama and the fashion don't look as good.  Of course she's had the dress custom altered to suit her because FLOTUS has a normal body. She would look ridiculous (and inappropriate) in the dress on the right.  So why do I want to look like the model on the right? Sigh.

We are exposed to these bodies as the height of beauty and fashion when they are nothing but starving reflections of women.

I'm always amazed at how most models and movie stars looked in the 1940's through the 1960's. They had thighs and waists and arms.
Women Cast Members from the TV series Mad Men
We're not talking Botticelli babes here, just normal healthy women.
The Three Graces by Sandro Botticelli
Would I buy a Lammily Doll? Maybe, for a little cousin of mine, but not for my collection. It wouldn't fit in. Would you?

Read more: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/normal-barbie-doll-with-average-female-body-is-coming-to-life/284212/

3/10/2014

Collecting Guy Dolls and Clothing Them

I've mentioned before that I'm now more into having male dolls in my collection than I was previously. Some of Tonner's recent males are either super heroes, too young-looking or just plain weird and they don't fill my needs.
However, Tonner Doll has created the best looking and largest variety of vinyl male dolls of any other company in history.
For example, Aragorn.

In his new Chewin fashion - looking hot.

Chewin sells on eBay. The quality and fit of his garments are superior to most other male doll clothing out there. Just look at how this plaid shirt fits my doll. It's amazing. His placement of closures is such that barely any bulk is created. Every detail is thought out and executed well.
This particular ensemble included the chinos, belt, shirt and fabulous sport jacket and was well under $100. For this type of work, that's a great price.

My 12" gals needed one more man and I kept looking at Riot Llewellyn from Integrity Toys' Jem collection.
However, not being a fan or even familiar with the Jem series, the big hair and the costume did nothing for me. I saw him nude with his hair tamed and changed my mind. I was able to get a nude on eBay from the PA seller who probably has 100 of him and is selling splits.
In real life he arrives with a rubber band controlling his mane. It is a huge mess of hair similar to the back of the hair of most Barbies with big hair. He is on the pale side but pretty decent looking.
In my photo of him, he's dressed in Rio Pacheco's outfit which is beautifully made. Look at that cute pocket on the arm of his faux leather bomber jacket. It actually has a tiny zipper on it!
I still want to tame his hair but for now, this is how he looks.