A Look At Madame Alexander's Cissy

There are just two Cissy dolls remaining in my collection and although I think they're beautiful, I'm preparing to sell them. It gets even more difficult to part with a doll after handling her and photographing her anew.

This is Vice, one of three Cissy dolls designed by Jason Wu.

The other two were Lust and Envy.  Their names remind me of the dolls from the Kingdom Doll convention, Sinful. Left: Lust in pink jacket and (Right) Envy with a martini.

They were radically different from the sweet, baby faced Cissy dolls that had been around forever.


Sometimes it feels like a curse. I just want them. There's really no "good" reason to have more dolls. (Yeah, yeah, I know I don't need a reason so don't offer lectures.) I can barely play with a fraction of my collection. I want to sell off most of my non-BJD resin dolls but then I look at them and see their beauty and their lovely fashions and I put them back in their showcase and that's that.

My other remaining Cissy is Riviera Posh. She is so unlike the dolls I collect now it's like day and night. I love them all.

She is a sweet, baby-faced Cissy in a lovely two piece dress. The skirt opens up to reveal black sequin tap pants!

Above, an older photo when I still had her short, curly wig. So cute.

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Here are a few other Cissy Dolls.  I don't have these girls anymore.

Couture Noir accompanied by a reproduction Ginny and the same doll in her gown and 2nd wig.  The red wig is made from feathers! She was pretty amazing.

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Southwestern Style Cissy's is wearing something I'd wear. The fashions were of a very high quality as were the wigs and shoes.

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I call this IDEX Cissy. She was one of 6 centerpieces at the Madame Alexander 2010 event I attended in Orlando.

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This doll is called "Velvet Deco Dream." I never had her original outfit but the one she is wearing was beyond gorgeous. It was embellished with hand beading. The shawl was extremely heavy due to the weight of the beads.

Goodbye, Cissy!

Kingdom Dolls

I rarely post here these days. Much water has passed under the proverbial bridge. Today I thought I'd just show off more recent photos of some of my beautiful Kingdom Dolls.  All of the wigs shown are by Ilaria except where noted. Furniture is a mixture of Ashton Drake for Gene Marshall and Horsman.


In this photo, Eira is wearing items from Seren's giftset.

Guinevere in the foreground wearing Superdoll and Liberty in the background wearing Tonner.

Helen in her original fashion and wig.

Liberty wearing Tonner.

Marconi wearing Seren's dress.

Morgana in an Ilaria Wig.

Seren dressed in her own fashions from "Weekend in Bath."

More Seren wearing Antonio Realli gown and "The Queen's Necklace" from Facets.

Star Wearing Viola's Fashion.

Vanbrugh in her original fashion with a wig change.

Chaucer wearing one of Seren's dresses. Wig by Cheryl Wood.

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Note: These are my dolls and are not for sale.

If you are looking to buy Kingdom Dolls, you can sign up to be on their mailing list by going to their website and filling in the appropriate spot.

https://www.kingdomdoll.co.uk

or

http://kingdomdoll.us3.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=46e3f2935f55fa1d469d0778b&id=ba8eb3477b

Occasionally, a Kingdom Doll can be found on eBay.

Kingdom Doll Nimue

I just found this post in my 'Drafts' folder. It's strange that I never published it.

Nimue is wearing a gown by Antonio Realli. Her gold wing shrug came from Guinevere earrings from Facets.

Another Kingdom Doll shot:

Viola in Antonio Realli, Ilaria Wig, Facets Earrings

Outlander Claire Fraser Costumes

Since seeing Tonner's Claire Fraser dressed in the big gorgeous red dress she wore to attend the French Court in the eighteenth century. I've been obsessed with trying to find photos of Claire's actual costume including her shoes. There are hundreds of images to be found on the internet but none better than these that show the entire shape of the gown with detail.

In these photos, one can see that the voluminous drape of the skirt is not created with pleats but with insanely full and tight gathering of fabric which would be nearly impossible to recreate in a small scale. The waist drops to a V in the front and the bodice is very low cut. 

There is no opening in the fabric at the front of the skirt as there seems to be on Tonner's gown. 

Here is Tonner's gown with the two areas of concern. In order to create the fullness of panniers, their pattern maker created a seam with pleats. I think it looks awful. The other area is the flap at the front of the gown. 

I realize that production must take into mind costs of construction and the scale but I would have preferred some other solution. 

Do you think the photographer was inspired by the photograph below to have the doll holding her skirts up?

 The actual shoe worn by the actress:

For more information on Outlander's costume designer, Terry Dresbach and Season 2's inspiration, read this article from Vanity Fair:

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2016/04/outlander-season-2-costumes

Robert Tonner Presents Claire Fraser

Claire Fraser   16" vinyl  Edition Size 300     Price $235.

Happily Ever After sent out notification of the arrival of this long anticipated doll. Sadly, one still cannot see her face. Neither does the gown show well. What is going on with the pleating? It looks like one side is pleated and the other is mildly pleated.
I hope this is just the photographer's blunder and not the actual gown. This is a promotional photo after all and not the actual doll.
I did not order the doll. I'm waiting for Jamie.

Reproduction 1962 Barbie Dream House with Doll

I may have mentioned about a thousand times that I have never been a Barbie collector. (IMO Silkstones don't count.) Deciding to buy this reproduction Dream House was all about finding out what the big deal was.

Mine came directly from Mattel although they somehow lost my order and screwed up in a few other ways. This was a big box weighing about 10 pounds.

Like a child without supervision, I snapped all the pieces out of the five heavy coated cardboard sheets before reading directions or planning.

In any event, I managed to make it through the furniture except for the lamp. I couldn't get the lamp right and I think I lost or tossed two plastic comb-like pieces that hold the sides in place. The rest was all very easy to do and came out surprisingly sturdy.

A few other Mattel dolls were thrown in along with the furniture and here are the pictures.

So now that I have this gigantic thing, what am I going to do with it?

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If you plan to purchase one, you can get if for various prices other than list. Check your local Walmart, Target and other large stores. eBay has many for sale. Some are offering free shipping as does Mattel on orders of $39. plus.
http://barbie.mattel.com/shop/en-us/ba/barbie-dream-house-1962-reproduction-fnd44

Séduisante Elise W Club Exclusive

Approximately 7 months ago (July, 2017), members of the W Club were told that there would be a lottery for this 'basic' Elise who would have the interchangeable fashion to flat feet. Within a few days, we were told that there would be enough for all members to order - no lottery necessary.

Séduisante Elise has a simple palette with gold eyeshadow being the only highlight.
Her hair is straight with a center part.

She comes with her no-frills, cut-to-there bathing suit, a striped tote, sunglasses, earrings and a bracelet. To adorn her two sets of feet we have white sandals and blue strappy wedges.

Those of you who were around years ago, will recognize the coin-like jewelry from basic bathing beauties of the past. It's funny but I still have all that jewelry!

 I tried to pull one leg off and it finally came off after much careful tugging. Then I plugged in my heating pad and warmed the legs for about 10 minutes which made removal and replacement much easier.

I hope that many will have used that method or hot water instead of forcing the parts apart which would likely loosen or break the tabs.
Notice the placement of the connecting tab which is quite different from hand replacements we're used to.
I'm not a big fan of the flat feet as most people's feet aren't literally flat and totally flat feet look strange. They need an arch for a bit of realism.

This "beta" leg changing version doll was priced at $140. plus postage. That's pretty pricey for a bathing suit basic doll.We are paying for the new feature. They should have done this with Poppy Parker years ago.

Now I must decide what she'll be wearing and how to style her hair.

The Final 2017 W Club Exclusive: "Fame & Fortune" Vanessa Perrin Gift Set

My word...someone finally woke up and realized that this is the WClub, not the Poppy Parker Club. It feels as if they've pulled out the BIG guns for the last couple of dolls. The final club exclusive doll is actually a Vanessa with her original sculpt.

The gift set consists of a lovely doll, two complete fashions, luggage, lingerie, specially made full glove/hands that are interchangeable with her own hands, jewelry, a purse, sunglasses and hair sticks.
The retail price is $250. plus postage and will arrive some time during the summer of 2018. A deposit of $35. is required no later than January 19, 2018.

Head Sculpt:	Vanessa Perrin 1.0
Body:	FR 6.0
Foot Sculpt:	High-heeled
Skin Tone:	FR White
Hair Color:	Soft Ebony
Eyelashes:	Yes, Hand-applied

Still "the" face of W Cosmetics after all these years, the eternally youthful Vanessa Perrin has brought much "Fame and Fortune" to her old sister and has always been there through thick or thin. Now more than ever, everyone's fashionista brings her own brand of gorgeousness to the table and shows everyone how it's done!
Vanessa Perrin is a 12.5-inch fully articulated fashion doll with luscious rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes. In this exquisite gift set, Vanessa Perrin redefines what it means to be a fashionista by including three complete looks that will take her from day-to-night faster than a roll of the dice! First, she starts her day in a lovely Asian inspired lingerie set that includes a custom printed kimono with high-contrast details, then she sets the tone as she runs to catch a train in a high-fashion two-piece ensemble composed of a sheer blouse, black pants and custom embroidered gloves that are sure to become an instant conversation starter as she travels to her next appearance. Then, she quickly switches to a soft, bright pink asymmetrical evening gown with delicate embroidery and beading details to attend one of the most highly-anticipated galas of the year! Vanessa comes complete with two pairs of shoes, a set of regular hands and a set of gloved hands, two jewelry sets, two fully functional (i.e. you can put her favorite accessories inside) monogrammed pieces of luggage, a clutch purse and sunglasses. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only. This doll cannot stand alone; a doll stand is included. A W Club members-only exclusive.

I was a little surprised by the pink dress as there was another pink Vanessa issued at Fashion Fairytale this past summer. 

I love pink gowns. I would love to have the one shown above but it's not going to happen. I do have this one.

 In fact, I have more than one shelf in one of my cabinets devoted to Vanessa dressed in some sort of pink fashion.

Regarding the black slacks, blouse and glove ensemble...the gloves are TDF and that was a no-brainer; however, now that we see how it's done, it shouldn't be difficult to reproduce in any color.
I like the tailored, fitted semi-sheer blouse. I'm not a fan of the way the hems look on the pants. They probably need to be ironed. We have seen the shoes previously. Meh.
Hopefully the luggage will be the same quality as it was in the past. I'm not a fan of the pink stripe down the front.