The Fashion Doll Chronicles

Integrity Toys at IDEX part VI: Nu Fantasy and the IDEX exclusive doll

2012-01-28T13:10:00.000-08:00

Nu Fantasy is a way for Integrity Toys designers to re-interpret fairy tale characters into modern fashion, much like Tonner Dolls does with Re-Imagination (usually with much better results). This time around Hansel and Gretel are the dolls for Nu Fantasy.

They look edgy (yes, this is edgy) and hip, ready for a night out in New York more than the woods. Do the faces look familiar?

Hansel has the Pierre sculpt. He has rooted and flocked hair, facial hair (painted) and a bit of a make up too. His outfit has a gorgeous jacket, hideous cropped pants (always hate that length in men or women) and a short sleeved shirt. But his accessories are the best: patent leather boots, matching back pack, watch, earring and hipster glasses. I want these accessories!

Gretel has the twins sculpt (Eden & Lilith). Her dress reminds me a lot of the Versace Fall/Winter 1992 collection (the top) and the skirt has some lovely detail. Great boots and jewellery. Stud earrings complete the look (aaargh). Her hairdo is not to my liking but seems to be popular with collectors. If I am not mistaken, this is the first doll to become sold out at pre-orders from the IDEX preview.

Most doll companies offer an exclusive doll at trade shows - Integrity always does. For IDEX 2012, the exclusive doll is Luminous Ayumi. The new sculpt of this character is not as good as the old one in my opinion. She looks like a failed attempt for a new Kyori (would not be surprised if this is the case, as sculpts cost a fortune to make and using a failed one from one character for another makes business sense). Here she is offered with an FR2 body (she used to be a Nu Face model). The great part of the doll is the outfit - it is a Jason Wu original miniature outfit, taken from his spring 2012 collection. The shoes are great and the cuff too. The sunglasses have been used before but look good. Earrings? Studs. Again. On an exclusive US$160 doll. WHY?

This concludes the Integrity Toys preview posts from IDEX 2012. A very strong start for the year, with some gorgeous dolls. Let's see what will the main lines show.

Integrity Toys at IDEX part V: Poppy Parker Fashion Teen 16"

2012-01-28T12:38:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, Poppy Parker must be the most popular Integrity Toys doll now. So it comes as no surprise that they decided to introduce a 16" version of her to capitalize on that popularity. This line will be called Poppy Parker Fashion Teen to distinguish it from the 12" line. It has a different body from the FR16 dolls but will be able to share shoes with them (not outfits). The style and look of this line is similar to the smaller Poppy dolls. The sculpt reminds me of Poppy but is more harsh.

Spring Morning Poppy Parker Fashion Teen has a gorgeous outfit: tweed slim coat over a pale yellow dress with matching short sleeved jacket, bag and shoes. This is the way to handle yellow, unlike the FR16 yellow gown. The copper hair of the doll though is not a good match for it in my opinion. Can we get this outfit in 12" size please?

Shop Around Poppy Parker Fashion Teen is the second doll. I don't like her braid but the hounds-tooth Capri pants look amazing. Lovely sunglasses too, a new design! She has a tote bag, lace top with sequins, shoes, necklace, bracelets and hoop earrings. She seems to be the most popular with collectors so far.

Love Letters Poppy Parker Fashion Teen is the second most popular doll of this collection. She is wearing a nice lilac dress with a fur caplet and has a silver clutch, shoes to match the bag and pearl necklace and stud earrings. White gloves are a must - and they are elbow length. The dress looks amazing and I love the details on it's décolletage and skirt. The doll looks like a popular Greek fashion model called Vicky Kaya.

Precious Love Poppy Parker Fashion Teen is the last doll of the collection. A bride doll. The dress is like a simplified version of Grace Kelly's wedding dress - in this scale, it should have been a bit more detailed. The veil is plain - some lace detail at the hem would have been nice. I will not comment on that head piece. A lovely white rose bouquet, white kitten heels, drop earrings and a ring finish the ensemble perfectly. But no gloves? That's something that was probably a staple for brides back then.

You can see above some comparison shots: the first one shows the Poppy Parker Fashion Teen next to a FR16 doll and the second one shows the same doll next to her 12" counterpart.

I am not a fan of this collection, although I am collecting Poppy dolls in the smaller scale. I can see the appeal of the doll and surely it is a good business move for Integrity. It needs some fine tuning but no one gets it perfect from the start.

Integrity Toys at IDEX part IV: Poppy Parker as Sabrina

2012-01-28T11:45:00.000-08:00

"Isn't It Romantic?" - who has not watched Sabrina, with the incandescent Audrey Hepburn, and did not fall in love with the feisty, romantic heroine that transforms into a chic, independent woman. Not only did the film secure the rising star of Hepburn, it made an indelible mark in fashion and marked the beginning of one of fashion's most enduring relationships: the one between Givenchy and Audrey. It also gave us the definite little black dress, a staple of women's closets ever since, in a myriad of incarnations.

Although Edith Head won the Oscar for Best Costumes for the film, most of Hepburn's outfits (if not all) were created by Hubert de Givenchy and chosen personally by Audrey. Edith Head refused to share a credit with Givenchy, so only she was given credit for the costumes - Parisian designers were not powerful brand names back then and Givenchy was still fresh and young. I am certain though that the Academy's votes were for Hepburn's attire. The film began the life-long association between Givenchy and Hepburn that gave us so many wonderful outfits. There's also a rumour that Givenchy, when Audrey first booked an appointment at his atelier, thought he was seeing Katharine Hepburn, was disappointed to find out otherwise and told her he had very little time for her, so she picked the stuff out of his collection.

Integrity Toys, after their first foray into film territory last year with Breakfast at Tiffany's, now presents us with Poppy Parker™ as Sabrina®. Four dolls (two dressed dolls and two gift sets) are included in this collection and already it seems to be the hit of the year.

Miss Fairchild Poppy Parker™ as Sabrina® is the dressed doll with the famous Little Black Dress (and white petticoat underneath). She looks lovely in it and the make up is exactly like Audrey's. I love the red insteps of her kitten heel shoes and she even has a daiquiri just like in the film! Brocade clutch bag, gloves and beaded knit cap included. Can you spell perfection?

Isn't It Romantic Poppy Parker™ as Sabrina® is the second dressed doll of the series. She is wearing the big white ball gown from the film, with the black embroidery and huge train. I already have this one in the larger scale from Madame Alexander and have always wanted it for my smaller dolls. I wonder if the train will be detachable like in Madame Alexander's outfit. Gorgeous doll with perfect hair and make up. Drop earrings, black kitten heels and white gloves complete the look.

The tour de force of the collection is the Most Sophisticated Poppy Parker™ as Sabrina® gift set. It includes three distinct looks from the film, plus a myriad of accessories. The main outfit is the elegant Parisian suit she arrives at the train station in. Of course she has a lovely black bag, a white pleated satin turban, a suitcase, a beauty case, black kitten heels, gloves, hoop earrings and her poodle dog (with a diamanté collar!). And if this was not already enough, two more looks as well. First she has the shirt and shorts look from the scene at the boat and then the beatnik outfit with a long coat, black scarf, black cigarette pants and black blouse. Two more pairs of shoes are included for these looks. One of the best gift sets to be released ever.

The Chauffeur's DaughterPoppy Parker™ as Sabrina® is the second gift set of the collection. In contrast to the previous one, this looks dull and plain. Here are the two outfits Sabrina is wearing before her transformation as well as a beige coat. Simple flat shoes (two pairs) and pearl stud earrings complete the set. The doll also has longer hair (in a pony tail) than the other three dolls of the collection. I am willing to bet this one is the least popular of all.

A stunning collection from Integrity - I love the fact that they use Poppy instead of that dreadful Holly sculpt from last year. With the right make up and hair style she even looks more like Audrey. The outfits are amazing, the accessories incredible. Simply irresistible.

Integrity Toys at IDEX part III: Poppy Parker

2012-01-28T10:53:00.000-08:00

It is no secret that Poppy Parker is probably the best selling series of Integrity Toys dolls. And of course they would have some new dolls to show at IDEX. The big news here is Poppy's boyfriend, Chip, who is making his first appearance, after a small sneak preview back in October and Integrity's convention.

Chips is presented as a gift set with his beloved Poppy. The set is called Baby It's You and Chip's full name is Chip Farnsworth III (so he's probably rich) and they're both in evening attire as they are attending a college dance. Chip looks very cute and will make a smashing couple with Poppy. Love his pompadour hair and his tuxedo. He is wearing suspenders!

Poppy Parker looks gorgeous too - even in such a puffy prom dress. Her shoes are to die for and so is her make up. If I see another stud earring I will scream. I like the price - US$150 for a two doll gift set is fine.

Moonlight and Kisses Darla Daley makes her appearance in an elegant long baby blue gown with matching shoes and clutch bag, a bracelet, studs (aaaargh!) and her very own microphone!The blue eye shadow is not to my taste but she looks beautiful. And the new Darla sculpt is not cartoon-y as the old one was.

"What, only three dolls?" you may ask. Well, not exactly. Check out the following post for the surprise new endeavour that Poppy Parker finds herself into.

Integrity Toys at IDEX part II: FR 16

2012-01-28T10:27:00.000-08:00

Up until now, Avantguards were the 16" dolls of Integrity. They were very coveted at the beginning, later becoming increasingly repetitive and finally were neglected even by their makers. Now they have a totally new body, with different articulation, more sculpts (compared with only one on their previous incarnation) and additional skin tones! And they are called FR16 now. They were first unveiled at the Integrity convention back in October and they have a storyline that connects them with their smaller scale counterparts. So how are they this time around?

Press Magnate Saskia Tate is the first doll. I think this sculpt is the old Avantguard one. She has a Caucasian skin tone, rooted hair and a brown/caramel make up - sporting eyelashes too. A white blouse and a black leather skirt complete her look. Her accessories include a red clutch, bracelet, stud earrings, black shoes and a black fur scarf. She's nice but not the kind of doll I would expect from the successor line of Avantguards.

Fit To Print Anais McNight is the dark skin tone doll of this collection. Saran rooted raven hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail, smoky tones in her make up and probably the same sculpt as Spring Kissed Avantguard that was the premium bonus doll for W Club members last year. Probably the most sophisticated one of the bunch. White sleeveless blouse with black cigarette pants, an envelope leather bag, strappy heels (without platforms, finally), fur capelet, bracelet, stud earrings (no budget for big gorgeously detailed earrings at this scale is a shame). They call the outfit edgy in the company email but actually it is what any career woman would wear at the office (minus the capelet). Christopher Cane is edgy, not this.

Main Feature Elsa Lin has a new Eurasian sculpt and skin tone. She does not look very Asian to me but she's the most interesting face of the bunch. Probably this is the reason they gave her the worst outfit. Yellow? Come on, it is not even fashionable! It is channelling Adrian and his 30s gowns but fails to capture the magic. No indication of what shoes she will have. Her glued back short hair probably make her ideal for wigs. Love the bag, this is what Monogram Allure should have had too.

Perfect Layout Freja Mossimo is the Latina of the bunch. She has the old Avantguard sculpt but with a very different make up than Saskia. Her outfit is very plain for her - the blouse is boring (colour blocking is out out out) and the draping of this skirt looks bad even at the prototype stage. Her accessories are great though - the bag, shoes and bracelets are gorgeous. She will probably look better redressed.

So what is the verdict? No more fashion forward looks from the 16" Integrity dolls - they became just blown up versions of the FR2 line. I do not see the attention to detail that the larger scale needs and also at this price range, the earrings should have been more than simple studs. I love the make up most of them have but it still needs fine tuning. The new body does not fit the old Avantguard fashions easily - it is slightly larger at the hips, so be careful with that.

Integrity Toys at IDEX part I: Monogram dolls

2012-01-28T09:38:00.000-08:00

Of course Integrity Toys would not miss IDEX - they had a stand there and previewed quite a few dolls and lines as well - 22 new dolls in total! In this post I will write about the Monogram line. It had the most doll unveiled (five) and got quite a remarkable response from collectors as it seems that couture elegance and glamour has returned to these dolls - this was supposed to be the line's raison d'être, non? Let's see the line up.

Echelon is the first Monogram of this collection. She is wearing a plaid suit with a bubble skirt, has a white leather bag, three-tone shoes and a black blouse. The one thing that bugs me here is the skirt - it looks more suitable for a teeny bopper than an elegant model. A pencil or tulip skirt would have been so much better. Her lips are also a bit off.

Inspiration was previewed to the W Club back in December and her photo also made an appearance as an advertisement in DOLLS magazine a while ago. Elegant in her tiered embroidered gown with a black belt, matching shoes with a modern no-heel look, a clutch bag, bracelet, hair pin and drop earrings, she is an echo of the elegant late 50s-early 60s couture creations. Her make up is also gorgeous.

Exaggeration almost lives up to her name. She has that Christian Lacroix Parisian couture flare and would be perfect if she had a different hair accessory (flower AND feathers? Where's Stephen Jones when you need him?) and hair colour (she'd look great with that silvery grey streaked style Daphne Guinness or Marie Seznec, Lacroix's muse, carry to perfection). The two-tone dress and darker jacket look very French and the accessories (bag, shoes, gloves, pin, earrings) are to die for. Lime! Love that lime!

Admiration is probably the second best doll of this bunch. She oozes elegance and sophistication. White bouclé suite with red polka dot blouse and red accessories to match. That hat! That bag! The white and red shoes! Her skin tone and the flower in her hat hint a bit at Billie Holiday. Fantastic.

For me the hit of the collection is Allure. She hearkens back to the 50s Hollywood glamour, reminding me of the Gene Marshall doll. Many see Marilyn in her, I see Lisa Fonssagrives, Marella Agnelli and Carmen Dell'Orefice. Aisha in the W Club forum pointed out that the inspiration is from the original Fire & Ice Revlon campaign: spot on! Her brilliant red opera coat over that white column of a dress is so glamorous and sophisticated. The only thing missing is a clutch bag ( a red or silver beaded "egg" would have been amazing) and gloves. Her make up in silver and red is also great.

The dolls are each on a 350 piece edition, so you'd better hurry up if you want one. This time the Monogram collection is one of the best ever, on a par or even better than the début regular collection back in 2010. Well done!

Tonner Dolls at IDEX 2012: more dolls

2012-01-27T06:21:00.000-08:00

Nu Mood is not the only line of dolls previewed by Tonner at IDEX 2012. More lines got additional dolls and outfits and I include here the fashion dolls and some facourite picks from the other lines (films and superheroes).Remember this is just a preview, and the balance of the Mainline Release will be revealed in late February/early March (dates TBA). It will include DeeAnna Denton™ on a brand new body, Cami & Jon™, Antoinette™, and the brand new fashion line known as Precarious!

The Freedom for Fashion line is the Asian themed/styled fashion doll line from Tonner. It got two new rreleases, Akemi and Neo Tokyo. Both are dressed dolls, Asian sculpts and very fashion forward. I love Asian dolls but these two are not my cup of tea, mainly for two reasons: Akemi's too funky outfit and boring ponytail (last year's was much better) and the eyes are painted with a very upwards slant that looks weird. particularly on Akemi. Maybe a future release will fix that, unless it's a promo doll only thing. Gorgeous shoes.

Cami is another Tonner fashion doll line that has new entries at IDEX: a doll and one outfit. She looks great, as usual. To my mind, Antoinette is the high fashion doll and Cami is the pret-a-porter one.

Just Right Cami

Just Right Cami close up

Soho Jaunt outfit

The Antoinette line has another basic doll, the Goth Antoinette released, plus two outfits. Goth looks amazing, one of the best Antoinette dolls released so far.

Goth Antoinette

Starshine outfit.

Radical Red outfit (if this is a Cami one, please correct me). Not radical enough but looks lovely.

Apart from the fashion dolls, new additions came for one of my favourite Tonner lines, the Gone With The Wind franchise. Two new dolls (although I would much rather have the outfits only, how many Scarlett dolls can one collection have?).

This is the wedding dress from Scarlett's first marriage in the film. It was her mother's, hence it is supposed to look a bit big on her. I think it does look as it should but her hair do is wrong. It should have looked fuller at the bottom and sides, with a more pronounced centre part as shown in the movie still. Also notice the "pannier" look of the skirt in the original, instead of the fuller A line on the doll.

This is the Heartbroken doll, with the blue velvet rob trimmed with fur and the night gown underneath. The fur was darker in the original, probably black or dark blue/grey as one can see in the photo of the original robe. It is a gorgeous outfit and would love to have it.

In their super hero series, Tonner releases Elektra, one of my favourite Marvel ladies. She looks stunning and I already pre-ordered her.

Another stunning doll is the Corpse Bride, from Tim Burton's film. I recall that there was one Bride doll released alongside the film, in 16" or 17" size that was a perfect copy but too expensive. This one is rather an interpretation of it, still impressive, with a gown to die for. I do not like the Monica Merill sculpt - too doll like for my taste. But the doll looks incredible. She has the curvaceous body.

The fun doll in this release is definitely the Ms. Beetlejuice doll - a female version of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice! She shares the same body and sculpt of Corpse Bride. The outfit is again incredible.

With so many lovely dolls previewed, I cannot wait for the rest of the mainline Tonner release, later in the year, it promises to be exciting!

All photos courtesy of Tonner Dolls. Please note: Any design element, including but not limited to fabrics, face painting styles, body styles and/or hair colors may be subject to change during production.

Tonner at IDEX 2012: Nu Mood in the air

2012-01-27T04:40:00.000-08:00

Most doll collectors are eagerly anticipating the IDEX Fair at Orlando, FL this weekend, as it is the place where most doll makers present their collections for 2012. Tonner Dolls is no exception of course. They even organize an event: “It’s a Whole Nu Mood™!” , the Tonner Collectors BreakfastJanuary 29, 2012 from 8 - 10:00amIDEX, Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld®. Robert Tonner will introduce highlights of the 2012 collection. Attendees will have the opportunity to win fabulous door prizes and will receive a special, limited-edition 16” souvenir doll from the debut Nu Mood™ collection. We do have a sneak preview of the new collections and, as the blog is fashion doll related, we are mostly sticking to that part of them but not only. So let's see what's on offer. Check with your dealer or directly at the Tonner website for pre-orders and availability.

The big news is the new fashion line and doll body. Nu Mood is the name (reminding me of Nu Face by Integrity) and what the dolls featured in this one share is the many options that their body offers. There are three basic bodies: dance, curvaceous and fashion. All three can have their hands and feet changed into three different types. The feet are dance, flat and fashion (for high heels) and the hands are holding, fist and graceful. The dolls come with only one set of both but there are separate sets of hands or feet available to accommodate all. There are two skin tones, the Tyler (Caucasian) and the Spice (African American) skin tone. Furthermore, some of them are rooted, some with wigs. The line is completed with lots of fashions, accessories and wigs to dress and redress your dolls ad infinitum.

The dance body dolls are three, from left to right: Jess (Cinderella sculpt), Parker (Friday sculpt) and Carrie (Carrie sculpt). Dance body and feet, rooted hair.

The fashion body dolls are the mainstays of the Tonner fashion world, Tyler and Sydney. They have saran wigs.

The curvaceous body dolls are also two: Paige (spicy skin tone) and Betty (Tyler skin tone) share the body as well as the sculpt (Pin Up). They are wigged dolls and come with their saran wig.

There are eight saran wigs to choose from, short, medium and long, sold separately, to change your dolls look. My favourite is the short jagged red one, here shown on Sydney.

Lots of fashions are sold as separates: tops, skirts, pants, all in various colours and styles to add pizazz to your dolls. The colours are black, red, pink and champagne. Below are two combinations I liked, in black (note that all items are sold separately, not as a complete outfit).

The accessories are varied as well, so I picked up my favourite from each category: a bag, a flat shoe, a high heeled shoe and a tiara-and-pointe-shoes set.

I love the interchangeability of the hands and feet but what I miss is better articulation for feet and torso. I would love the dolls to be able to sit or take poses like a fashion model and the hip and knee joints need a bit more work to do that. But the sheer quantity and choice is amazing. And I imagine there are lots more to come, plus most of older Tonner fashions fit, except maybe for the curvaceous body. In my next post, some of the other dolls previewed in IDEX.

All photos courtesy of Tonner Dolls. Please note: Any design element, including but not limited to fabrics, face painting styles, body styles and/or hair colors may be subject to change during production.

My best wishes to everyone! Happy Holidays!

2011-12-24T08:58:00.000-08:00

Tribute to Loulou De La Falaise, a fashion icon

2011-11-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

Sad day for fashion today: Loulou De La Falaise, one of the most elegant women in the world died, age 63. A long time friend and collaborator of Yves Saint-Laurent, she has always been a huge inspiration for me. Her sense of style and fashion was always impeccable and she was a formidable person as well.

I wanted to capture her sense of style and elegance with a doll. I do not have one that looks remotely like her, so I picked one of my Monograms, Magnetism, for her French allure and feel. Picking the outfit, to resemble one of Loulou's iconic photos, was a bit easier. Of course it would not be complete without jewellery: Loulou was a jewellery designer herself, so she always wore lots of them. I tried to get the essence of her style, rather than copycat the photo. You can be the judge of the result. I did a back & white photo, added one in colour (Loulou was incredible in her colour mixes) and the original inspiration below. If you want to read more about Loulou, I wrote a tribute to her in my design blog.

Integrity Jet Set Convention Part IV: Convention Collection

2011-10-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

Integrity has finally released the photos of the Jet Set convention collection dolls. These are the dolls available to all attendees to either pre-order or buy directly when attending the convention. Let us see what was in the lot this year.

Vivid Impact Agnes Von Weiss - defined as an event doll, Agnes always makes her appearance at the conventions. This year was no exception. Wearing a purple gown with matching make up and red hair, she is vivid indeed - but no impact whatsoever. I like her bracelet and brooch and that's it. Maybe as Giselle, her colouring would have been more fitting. Her hair is a small mess. Agnes should look poised and super elegant, this one looks like a trophy wife of a new-money eastern European oil czar.

Style Counsel Adèle Makéda and Véronique Perrin Dressed Dolls Gift Set - this gift set was much talked about not only because Adel and Vero are the original FR ladies, but also because Adele had a change of sculpt - for the 3rd time in her life. Each one of her sculpts was different from the others. Seeing this one, I think my favourite is her previous one. Before, she looked very glamorous, the kind of girl who could be a Hollywood star or a pop music icon (Beyonce and Grace Jones) or a super model (Naomi), Now she looks more like Dominique - and I do not mean this as a compliment. She looks more latina than black to me. Maybe it is the screening and hair. I will wait for her next versions to see how she evolves. And her outfit reminds me of Spotted In The Park Gene. Veronique is boring here. Cute, beautiful but boring. And chains for belts? How un-fashionable right now.

Mission Control Imogen - she looks like Poppy Parker's older cousin. Her outfit looks like a half-baked flight attendant's uniform. Too many colours in one outfit for my taste - colour blocking is a tricky thing to accomplish. The doll is cute though.

High Toned Rayna - she was one of the most anticipated dolls of the convention, since her first incarnation as a post-modern Dorothy from Oz was first presented a while ago. There is nothing in this doll I really like but her sculpt - and that is ruined by her dreadful make up. I never liked pink on eyelids and here is the reason why. Worst part: the boots.

Brightness Calls Isha - this could have been a lovely version of Isha. Her hair does look great, her outfit could have been gorgeous (minus the embroidery and a bit of skirt length). But then they slap her with that hideous make up. Why? Poor Bollywood star. Why don't they look to any contemporary Bollywood lady for inspiration?

Simply Simpatico Poppy Parker and Darla Daley giftset - Poppy is very popular, and paired with Darla they make for a smashing duo. Darla has a new sculpt - the old one was accidentally destroyed a the production factory so they had to make her a new one. She looks less cartoon-y now, which is good. I love her styling here, the men style looks good on her, although it hints more to the early 70s than late 60s. Poppy is cute like a school girl in her uniform. I love her face here.

FR2 Most Wanted Elise Jolie - I think her name fits her like a glove. The doll looks gorgeous (even though her sculpt is not a favourite with me), her gown is glamorous (still it could have been better draped) and her accessories fantastic. Elise along with Agnes are the only ones looking like they justify the term Jet Set.

Overall this collection disappointed me. I was expecting more glam, more elements to fit the Jet Set concept: dolls looking like a million bucks ready to travel, with luggage, scarves and sunglasses and bags and hats and a dog for the day outfits, glamorous satin and silk frothy gowns for the evening outfits. If I was attending the convention, I would have gladly bought Elize and the Poppy/Darla giftset and maybe Imogen (giving the outfit away).

Photos are copyright of Integrity Toys, Inc.

Tokidoki Barbie upsets parents in the US!

2011-10-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

Matell released a few days ago a Collector's Barbie named Tokidoki. She is designed by Simone Legno of Tokidoki, a "liefstyle" company from Italy (funded by the Hard Candy make up brand owners from USA), with obvious Japanese influences. She is wearing a pink miniskirt, logo leggings and black top with signature skull heart and bones, carries a large bag from the brand, and accessorized with bracelets, a belt, and sky-high sparkly silvery shoes. The doll features trendy tattoos on her body (non-removable save using acetone) and a pink bob. She is also accompanied by her cactus friend, Bastardino (mongrel in Italian). Considered very trendy (bleh), she was a favourite of Barbie collectors everywhere.

You must have noticed that I rarely write about Barbie doll releases, unless they are something special (like the Pantone Barbie in the previous post). So why this one, since I do not even like her styling? Because she managed, in just a week, to become the bane of many parents in the US, even though she is not a toy. Mattel clearly sells her as a collector's doll, she's a Gold Label doll with no more than 7.400 dolls produced. She even has a price tag of US$50, which makes her unavailable to most children. Still, many news outlets, from doll blogs, fashion blogs, twitter and even major fashion publications like Allure and news outfits like L.A. Times and CNN keep on reporting about parent's supposedly irate reactions to the doll.

The give-me-a-scandal-any-day UK newspaper Daily Mail even gets it all wrong as they mention that the doll is marketed to children. Sorry guys, get your facts right. Barbie Collector Dolls are for adult collectors and are not to be sold to anyone under 14 (written on the back of all Barbie Collector boxes). But who reads the fine print when they want to create controversy? Of course the doll is not only sold out (more are to be released in mid November from what I read) but her price in the secondary market has quadrupled.

Barbie Pink in Pantone - the graphic designer's doll?

2011-10-21T08:06:00.000-07:00

Mattel is releasing the Pink in Pantone Barbie doll around December (she's available for pre-order from various on-line doll sellers). Pantone, for those outside the creative community, is a colour system that has set a very big standard for graphic designers, architects, photographers, anyone pretty much using colour in any way in his profession. For years now, pink 219 from Pantone was designeted as the Barbie pink. And Mattel finally decided to cement that with a doll dressed head to toe in it!

She is wearing a dress with a faux leather bustier that has a skirt made up of the famous Pantone colour chips, used as samples (see photo below). A flower on her lapel is made in the same way, while her shoes have the 219C code written on the side and their soles are coloured Pink 219!

This Barbie could be an ideal gift for graphic designers this Christmas! Now they surely must release the Barbie as Graphic Designer, complete with iMac and Pantone swatch book.

Most unforgettable fashion dolls

2011-10-18T14:18:00.000-07:00

When I started buying fashion magazines back in the late 80's, there was one particular line of print ads that stood out from the rest: Revlon's Unforgettable series. Starting in 1987, featuring photography by Richard Avedon and some of the world's most beautiful models, they set a very high standard for make up advertising that is difficult to achieve even to this very day.

One such example is the photo above, from 1987 - my favourite model Christy Turlington (so young!) featured alongside Kersti Bowser, a very young Cindy Crawford and Paulina Poriskova, then on her heyday. I was toying around with the idea of re-creating the style of these photos with my fashion dolls for quite a long time, so finally I decided to just try and see how it goes.

And here they are! I was inspired by W Cosmetics as well, the fictional company owned by the Perrin family in the Fashion Royalty world - so of course their girls had to pose for the photo. From left we have Vanessa Perrin, model, Veronique Perrin, CEO of W Cosmetics, Jordan, model and Eugenia Perrin Frost, cousin of Vero and Vanessa and working for the company as well. Their clothing is all Integrity Fashion Royalty as well as their jewellery. I hope you like them - I intend to do some more group shots like this.

Photography (C) Stratos Bacalis (bottom photo only), FR is a property of Integrity Toys and its logo and indicia is being used without permission. This is a fan project and cannot be resold or used in a profit generating manner of any kind.

Integrity Toys Jet Set Convention Part III

2011-10-16T00:27:00.000-07:00

Last day of the Jet Set convention was Saturday. The day started with workshops, raffle room, Design-A-Doll studio, museum and the Souvenir Shop. The W Club luncheon was the afternoon's event, with a centrepiece doll of the new Tatyana Alexandrovna sculpt - now in the FR2 line. She looks quite different than her previous incarnation (better I might say). She is wearing a yellow dress with a straw hat, black strappy sandals and a beige bag. I am still on the fence about the fashion.

As intriguing as the newly re-sculpted Tatyana was, she quickly got upstaged by none other than Evermore Vanessa. The original sculpt on a FR2 body, wearing a red glamorous gown with black lace and deigned as the Official FR 10th Anniversary Celebration Doll. She was available to every attendee of the luncheon for buying. It was also announced that a similar version of Veronique would be offered via lottery to W Club members later in the year.

The event closing the convention was in the great ballroom of the hotel. The guests arrived to find a Monogram doll as the centrepiece. Beyond The Still Monogram doll is a very glamorous looking girl, reminding me of Mad Men a lot. She could fit with Poppy too (her aunt?). It looks like a new sculpt.

It was now time to find out what was the gift set doll - and it was Eugenia Perrin Frost - Point Of Departure. She was clad in a salmon rose bikini, contrasting perfectly with her other outfits, given to attendees in the previous days. Here are photos of her in all of them:

After dinner, Jason Wu himself unveiled the convention doll, a spot deservedly given to Veronique, who was absent for so many years from the collections throughout. Air Apparent Veronique looks very glamorous in her asymmetrical black skirt and white embroidered top, with her waist accented by a coral belt. Her shoes though leave much to be desired as they are simple plastic pumps with a fabric ribbon as a buckle at the front. With a skirt like that, leaving the shoes exposed, one would think that shoes would have to be much much better. Her silvery grey eye-brows might look weird but they make her stand apart and not look too cute, which is something I like.

I hope to be able to give you photos of the convention collection dolls in an upcoming post. The next Integrity Toys convention will be held in Orlando, FL, in fall 2012.

Integrity Toys Jet Set Convention 2011 Part II

2011-10-08T05:12:00.000-07:00

Friday was a day dedicated to the Poppy Parker line (for the luncheon) and the Color Infusion line (dinner party). The final instalment of Design-A-Doll studio was also open, giving a chance to attendees to make their own doll. At the Poppy Parker luncheon, the centrepiece doll was a Poppy called Ready! Steady! Go! - a mod Poppy with long blonde hair. If she had a pixie haircut, she would have been so Twiggy.

But there was also a Poppy Parker doll handed out as a gift to all attendees: In The Air Poppy is a Basic dressed doll and looks lovely. She reminds me so much of my god-daughter!

But that was not the only gift - a second fashion for their gift-set box (Thursday night an embroidered bustier with pants was given as well) was handed out to all participants. And it looks great. From the fashion styling, I am guessing it might be a Les Shilouettes doll. Both outfits look 50s to me. People actually attending say that the plastic torso underneath feels FR body size. A sneak peek of an upcoming Dynamite Girls collection was also shown. It will be available soon for pre-orders.

The dinner on Friday night was Pucci-themed. Pucci is a venerable Italian fashion brand, famous for their extravagant and bold prints, so it made sense to have the Color Infusion line event inspired by it - and it fits the mod mood of the whole day too. Guests were encouraged to dress mod and prizes were given to the best dressed attendees! The table's centrepiece was Erin as Psychedelic Splash.

Of course there was also a gift for the attendees: another doll, Ayumi (her third incarnation so far) as Sunset Rave. Not my cup of tea but lots of people love this kind of doll so there is something for everyone here.

During the event, Vaughn unveiled a holiday season Monogram line that will be available for pre-order very soon. Three dolls in three different evening gowns, in basic colours (red, blue, green), ready to attend any glamorous party of the upcoming holiday season.

From the top we have: Fascination (red & fuchsia), Illumination (blue) and Jubilation (green). I love the green one (surprise, surprise) and think she will make a great contrasting match with my Monogram Magnetism doll. I hope I can get her. They are all on editions of 300 pieces and will be shipped late October. Tomorrow you will read about the convention collection and doll from the final day of the event.

All photos courtesy of Integrity Toys.

Integrity Toys Jet Set Convention 2011 - part I

2011-10-08T04:39:00.000-07:00

Every year Integrity Toys hosts a convention in October for their fans, presenting their new lines, taking feedback from their die-hard customers and giving all an opportunity to get to know each other better. This year, marking Fashion Royalty's 10th anniversary, they named the convention Jet Set. Let us see what dolls are being presented there,either as exclusives or new lines (tomorrow there will be another post with the convention collection and convention doll).

At registration, each guest received a welcome swag bag that contained the ever popular "empty" surprise convention gift set box, a travel backpack suitable to stow all necessary gear for the weekend, a convention emergency survival pack (that has everything you need to survive at a convention, including doll shoes!), and a goody donated by Azone. There was a room available for viewing called the Museum, displaying several prototype dolls that have never seen before - this one must have been a big treat! The theme for the first evening's event was "Living the Jet Set Life" and mistress of mayhem Kyori Sato was the table cenetrpiece doll as "No Reservations". A very glamorous one I might say. This is probably the last Kyori in the original sculpt (my guess) since all the rest of the original dolls have been given a face lift. The late 50s-early 60s styling is great, although she should have had a bag and a pair of gloves to complete the nice outfit, which consists of a dress and a jacket.

There was also a gift doll for all attendees at their tables: Business Class Anja, wearing a lovely print sheath. She looks gorgeous - each new Anja looks better than the previous one! I am fond of green so the matching accessories look great to me.

One of the big surprises of the evening, was the unveiling of a new ultra limited edition IT Direct Exclusive Collection at the convention, including the debut of a new line, "Les Silhouettes". In an onstage interview with host Alain Tremblay, IT designer Chris Stoeckel unveiled the details of the mini-collection which consists of two introduction collectibles, Victoire Roux, the main character, and a fashion.

People are still talking about who's sculpt is this. Most agree that it is the old Jasper sculpt. I think she looks great, love the outfits and styling but have a question: why another line that comes too close to the Monograms? Maybe this should have been part of that line. She is supposedly a 50s Parisian Haute Couture model, discovered by a couturier that has his atelier on Avenue Montaigne, but her name is Faubourg Saint Honore - the thing is both are streets of Paris that have most of the Couture and Pret-a-Porter big names boutiques and Houses but Avenue Montaigne was not a hip spot for couture in the 50s when this is supposedly going on. It became the hot spot for fashion in the 80s. The stand-alone fashion is called Avenue Montaigne and looks great. From what I can tell, the fit should be good for FR bodies, as Integrity mentioned that the fashions should fit most fashion dolls.

Integrity says that the IT Direct collection is meant to be a fun way to add dolls and costumes to your collection at a reasonable price, direct from the manufacturer. This introductory collection is done in low numbers, however the goal is to eventually adjust quantities based on demand and popularity to reach a maximum of collectors. Future editions will only be available directly from IT Direct online and at the conventions. The rest of the dolls presented in this collection were two basic underwear dolls, one dressed Basic doll and an Homme doll. The Bare Essentials basic dolls and "City Girl" feature the IT body (first seen on the Brides of Dracula Collection), removable hands for easy dressing, rooted hair and applied eyelashes, while "Backstage Ambition" features the "Homme" body.

The raven doll is called Bare Essentials Night, while the blonde is Day. Night is Dania's sculpt, while Day has Natalia's old sculpt.

City Girl is Imogen with IT body. I do not like the outfit but the doll looks nice.

And here is the man of the collection, Backstage Ambition. He has the Count Dracula sculpt and I think it shows. I did not like it even for Dracula, let alone this one.

So this was the first night's dolls, on the next post I will feature the dolls presented on Friday.

Photos courtesy of Integrity Toys.

It's shaking! Youthquake Poppy Parker rocks the house!

2011-10-05T14:10:00.000-07:00

As you might have gathered from previous posts, I adore the Poppy Parker doll line from Integrity Toys. The doll reminds me of Jean Shrimpton, the famous 60's model and it gives me an opportunity to revisit that era's style and glamour, while having a slight connection to the Mad Men alluring ladies as well. When I first saw Youthquake Poppy Parker at the on-line presentation of Integrity doll lines, I knew she was the one doll from that line coming home.

Being in Greece means that I get my dolls much later than most of the other collectors do, so I see actual photos of the dolls on other blogs and forums before they arrive to me. Imagine my surprise seeing that the actual Youthquake production doll's hair do had nothing to do with how she was presented to us way back in February.

As you can see in my photos, the Poppy that arrived to collectors had her hair gather snugly at the back, curled up, with a transparent elastic band keeping it in place. I do like this hairdo but it is not the doll I saw and fell in love with earlier this year. Beautiful, yes. But different. Should I sent her back? I think one would have been entitled to do so, and ask for their money back too - it is not a slightly different hairdo (and hair colour) but something else all together. Even so, giving her back would mean no Youthquake Poppy for me as there was not a replacement. I let the doll on my desk for quite a while, until I made up my mind.

Seeing the doll, I kept telling myself "she reminds me of someone" but I could not quite put my finger on it. The prototype was pure Shrimpton for me but this one was someone else. And then it hit me: "A young Joan Holloway!" (for those who do not watch TV, she's a character from Mad Men played by Christina Hendricks). Minus the breasts though. And that was it - I decided to keep her.

The doll is actually very beautiful and she is the first red head Poppy I own (the others are blonde, raven, brunette) and her make up compliments her hair colour quite nicely. I must say that this red is actually better than the prototype doll's colour, which was a lighter shade. Pale pink lips and a touch of yellow eye shadow (the actual colour on her eyelids is much paler than it photographs) with a nice blush on her cheeks fit her to a T.

Her outfit is quite funky: she is wearing a knit turtle-neck under a one-strap jumper dress that fastens around the neck. The black and camel colour combination looks great. The dress is not perfectly made though - there are some problems with the sewing on the strap and also at the back closure of the skirt. Fishnet tights compliment the outfit, along with a pair of ballet flats with bows.

I have some Barbie Fashion Model Collection outfits (for Silkstone dolls) for years and most of them still in their boxes. I wanted to put Poppy into one for quite a while and this time I decided to just go ahead and do it. The one I picked is True Brit: trench-coat, scarf, boots, hat, sunglasses, umbrella, bag, newspaper, passport, wallet and a Yorkie (Miss Honey) on a leash with her own food bowl! I thought her complexion and hair colour would compliment the outfit perfectly.

I think she looks great in it. I know I should have fastened her belt tighter but I was afraid I would destroy the lovely tied knot at the front (and my big fingers are no use for this kind of work). I left her own turtle-neck and tights on to give her a beatnik edge. Miss Honey was really happy too!

Here she is without the glasses. The boots slid one quite easily - her ankles are articulated so they adopted to the Silkstone shoes quite nicely. They are slit at the back so they were easy to put on.

She looks ready to step out in the rain! I love how the hat looks on her with this hairdo and hair colour - the green tartan contrasts the red hair so nicely!

I finally decided to let her hair down, remove the elastic band and comb it out. A transformation I did not expect! I like the fact that they can be styled in may different ways but it will probably take some time and lots of styling spray! She's definitely a keeper!

The chair shown is Integrity Toys from The Dynamite Girls collection.

How Discreet can a Monogram be?

2011-09-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

This is one of the Monogram dolls that was announced at the beginning of the year, along with Magnificent and an accessory set. She was so beautiful (plus a skin-tone I did not have in the Monogram sculpt) so I decided to get her. It has been a while since this photo shoot but I just now managed to write the post about her. I present to you, without further ado, Monogram Discreet.

She is considered a basic doll in the Monogram line. That is the reason her outfit is minimal. As a sister doll to Disclosure (out in 2010), a very popular Monogram, she has the same belted bodysuit, only now in tan instead of black. It is one that probably can be worn under a skirt or pants and look like a ruffled top. It comes along with stockings that give the doll a sultry, screen siren look.

Her hair is long, gathered in a tight low ponytail. There is a side-part, with a shorter section of the hair framing her face. Her make up is very good: golden tan eye-shadow, pronounced eye-liner, warm lips and a blush that gives her a glowing look. Pity her head vinyl colour does not match her body vinyl colour perfectly, a problem that many dolls have, even in more expensive lines.

The fishnet stockings are worn with suspenders and a pair of high-heeled strappy sandals with a criss-cross at the front, very classic and used style, looking good nonetheless. Her earrings are simple black studs on "golden" posts.

I put her in another outfit, one that you probably have seen before in this blog, as it is a favourite - a Silkstone Happy Go Lightly Barbie short, 60's style dress. She fits it to a T (her breasts being smaller than the normal Fashion Royalty dolls) and I am definitely doing another shoot with her in more sultry evening gowns as soon as I can. I am very happy with this doll!

Barbie now has an architect designed dream house

2011-08-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

If you are frequent readers of this blog, you probably remember back in May when the AIA Barbie® Dream House™ Design Competition challenged AIA members to design a dream house for this worldwide but oh so American icon. Well, the results came out this month: from only 30 submissions, a panel of jurors selected five finalists with input from Mattel’s own team of Barbie® experts. They then invited the public to choose their favorite design. Almost 9,000 people, children, but also those still feeling like children at heart, voted. The result: Barbie’s dream house is the quintessential Malibu beach house; it is modern, functional, spacious, fun and most of all sustainable. The design submitted by Ting Li, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP and Maja Paklar, Assoc. AIA, received the most public votes, out of the 8,470 votes registered.

The press release from Mattel tells us how Architect Barbie designed her house:

Naturally the newly minted Architect Barbie took on the task of designing her own dream house. She is creative, fashionable, busy and powerful. She has gone through years of training to become a leading figure in her field. She is LEED AP and a member of the AIA. Although she is an internationally renowned globe trotter, when not travelling she loves to look smart, entertain her potential clients, and come up with innovative ideas in her high-tech, low energy consumption home.

The concept of this house reflects exactly who Barbie is in her new profession. She has pledged to build an environmentally sustainable home using the principals set forth by USGBC as well as to stay true to all the needs of a classic California girl! The house is situated on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The entrance faces north-west and the main body of the building has a panoramic view of the ocean. Distinct building programs are specific to each floor, connected by a center core of spiral stairs.

The stairs rise around a hollow tube , which becomes Barbie’s tower closet. Since Barbie is the original fashionista, she inevitabily accumulated a large volume of enviable designer labels. This computer controlled closet allows for the clothes to be displayed and visible from every angle of the house. It also makes dressing easy: she can select her outfit, push a button, and the outfit is delivered to her bedroom via the double helix moving rack.

The house features 1,500 sq.f. of entertaining space and chef’s open kitchen on the first floor. A Steven Jobs approved office / library / meeting space as well as 500 sq.f. of terrace on the second floor. The third and fourth floors are Barbie’s private enclave, her bedroom and her inspiration room respectively. The roof has a green house and a landscaped garden for her domestic pets.

The design elements include solar panels, landscaped rooftop and irrigation system, operable shading devices, bamboo flooring, low flow toilet and sink fixtures, and locally sourced and manufactured materials and furnishings.

A joint statement from Ms. Li and Ms. Paklar stated, “We are very honored to have been chosen by AIA and Mattel as a finalist and as the public favourite - Barbie was both of ours’ favorite doll growing up in China and Croatia. We appreciate the versatility of our profession which allows us to express ourselves in a myriad of ways - from entirely built city environments to a Barbie Dream House. We hope to encourage more young female architects to flex their design muscles and just to have fun with architecture.”

“The intent of the partnership with Mattel to promote the launch of Architect Barbie was to engage and inspire young girls to experience the world of architecture and the range of possibilities that design thinking offers,” said AIA President, Clark Manus, FAIA. “We are thrilled that this initiative was so well received by the public and congratulations to the finalists and especially the winners of the design competition, Ms. Li and Ms. Paklar. Their submissions did an excellent job of showcasing the innovative approaches that architects reflect in the design of projects of all types.”

The bad news is that the architects’ submissions including the winning design, will not be produced by Mattel. The good news is that the creators of the winning design will have a $1000 donation made in their name to CHAD, a charter high school in Philadelphia focused on architecture and design. Bit AIA does not write if they or Mattel are making the donation.

Most text and info through The American Institute of Architects

BARBIE and associated trademarks and trade dress are owned by Mattel, Inc. ©2011 Mattel, Inc. All Rights, Reserved. Photos courtesy of Mattel, Inc.

Breakfast at Tiffany's : 50 years anniversary of a legendary film

2011-08-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

Audrey Hepburn has always been a fashion icon, even from her first forays into acting. She always attracted attention not only for her good looks and gamine figure but also her impeccable sense of style and pick of outfits. The fashion doll world could not stay away from her, although only one company managed to secure the rights for a doll in her likeness: Mattel. They did a gorgeous two doll - two outfits series about her as she appeared in the Breakfast at Tiffany's film back in 1998, which I was lucky enough to obtain some years ago. Now Integrity secured a deal with Paramount, celebrating the film's 50th anniversary, to release a series of dolls (not in the star's likeness). I was inspired by this and got one of my Audrey's out (the other is wearing a My Fair Lady costume) along with the film's outfits to make a shoot. Immediately I thought that I could show them on other dolls to make it more interesting. So here is my homage to Breakfast At Tiffany's 50th anniversary!

First of all is the original Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly doll from Mattel. This was one of two dolls released in her likeness. She was wearing the black long column dress from the opening scene of Audrey in front of Tiffany's. Here she dons the famous little black dress that came as a separate outfit set. It came with all the accessories pictured. Of course all her outfits in this film were designed by Givenchy.

The doll is a very good likeness of the actress. The clothes are very well made too, although not reaching the quality Integrity has gotten us used to. They are not cheap play-line Barbie either though and I can say that for their 13 years they have aged pretty well - the doll too.

The unfortunate thing is that the doll is not very poseable. Little articulation (the Mattel bane) in shoulders, waist, hips and the infamous click knees does little to help show off Audrey as she was in the film. I have seen one transfer of this head to an articulated body and it looked nice - I might try one but do not trust myself to do it yet.

As I mentioned earlier, this doll came originally with the black column dress. I had put that on Camera Lights Action Veronique Perrin from Fashion Royalty dolls for another shoot and it stayed there. She looks a natural for an Audrey substitute with her piled up hair and cute smile so here she is.

I used a Silkstone brooch as a tiara substitute for her hair. The necklace, earrings and shoes are Fashion Royalty, the bracelet you see in some of her photos is a Dressmaker Details Couture necklace while the dress, gloves, glasses and stole are all Mattel. This set had the coffee cup and bagel paper bag included.

She looks a bit like Angelina Jolie as well at the photo above! As the FR dolls are taller than Barbies, the dress looks a bit short for her long, lean legs. Not bad though.

She is a natural for Audrey! I think even her new sculpt, with the right hairdo would look great in these outfits.

Of course the articulated body helps a lot. My Veronique's body has started to yellow though so it is good that this outfit has long opera length gloves and the stole to help cover it up.

This is the back of the dress with the scalloped details. I wish I had a better styled necklace (or like the one of the film) to match though.

Now it was Poppy's turn to show if she could pass as an Audrey. The Holly Golightly Integrity doll has the Poppy body (without the articulated ankles) so I was optimistic about it. Here she is sporting the Cat Mask outfit from the Mattel line (released as an outfit separate set). All accessories are from the original set, even the pantyhose.

The outfit consists of a halter neck tweed dress (the Integrity version has the top made of a different fabric but in the film it is like Mattel's version shown here) worn under an orange coat. A fur hat, leather bag, gloves, shoes, glasses and a cat mask are the rest of the accessories. The original dolls sported non-removable pearl stud earrings, not faithful to the drop earrings Audrey is wearing in the film.

Teetering on the narrow and high Mattel heels, Poppy looks great in the Givenchy designed outfits - it is her era after all, early 60s. Of course her small bust cannot fill the dress.

The Poppy shown here is As Tears Go By Poppy, from Integrity's last year convention. With her raven hair in an up-do she gets really close to being Holly - much better IMHO than the Holly sculpt.

As I really liked Poppy in these outfits, I kept her for the last one too. Pink Princess was released as a dressed doll - exactly the same doll as the original Audrey but with a pink tiara. As I did not have one, I used a brooch from a Gene Marshall Integrity outfit as a substitute - without any pink on it.

This ensemble consists of a pink dress with transparent crystals embroidered on it, worn under a satin pink coat, a matching clutch, white gloves and pink shoes (the ones in the photo shoot are from another outfit as the originals did not want to stay on Poppy's larger feet).

The Integrity dress looks more faithful and detailed than the Mattel one here, especially regarding the embroidery and the clutch, which is small and white in the film. The top layer of the skirt also is too puffed out from the underskirt - they should have looked more like one layer.

Poppy looks like having fun - and so did I! Doing this project was a nice way to re-discover some things from my collection I had not seen in ages and also remind myself of why I do not need to buy these again in their new incarnations (although I must make a couple of cigarette holders for my dolls!). I hope you enjoyed it too and please let me know how are the Integrity Holly dolls if you get any. Here's to another 50 years for Breakfast At Tiffany's and the enduring appeal of Holly Golightly and Audrey Hepburn.

Magnificent Monogram - a doll with a most appropriate name

2011-07-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

Monograms are the Integrity Toys couture fashion dolls, wearing often designs of Jason Wu translated from his catwalk or inspired by them. Other times they are dressed with brilliant sartorial creations that reflect a higher, more unique aesthetic than that of the other doll lines of the company. Magnificent is no exception to the rule; in fact, she probably encompasses all that the line stands for: elegance, quality, uniqueness, brilliance.

I had written about this doll when the company sent out the e-mails informing us about their release, the previous photos making me drool with anticipation. It is good to find out that the doll actually is better than what you expected. Magnificent truly lives up to her name. And in her limited edition of 300 she is bound to be highly coveted.

Her face is the classic Monogram sculpt, with a brilliant make up palette of light-handed smoky lids on her eyes (which are almost violet!) and red fiery lips. Her beauty spot enhances her glamour, while her hair is swept away from her face into a very imposing up-do, framed with a plait like a halo. It reminds me a lot of similar hairdos from the late 60s and early 70s, popular with the couture-wearing ladies.

Her gown is a dream. A Magnificent dream. Spun like a Dior or Charles James couture gown, it folds around her body in a soufflé of drapes and folds and tucks, the two colours making a distinct separation of front and back, while the top of the gown finishes of in a knot on her chest. Dramatic and elegant, it is a dress that does not pass unnoticed and was a favourite with many collectors, especially after seeing for the first time, in another incarnation, on the Smouldering Monogram doll in the Integrity convention in 2010.

The back of the gown is as good as the front. The two points of the black fabric are supposed to connect at the back with the appropriately placed hook but I started the photo shoot without it for added drama.

Above is the gown unhooked at the back.

And here (above) you can see it hooked. Haute.

Her jewellery suite is a perfect compliment to her outfit: flower shaped earrings and a matching necklace set with crystals enhance her beauty and match the gown perfectly. A ring or bracelet would have been a welcome addition. A small clutch or egg-shaped bag would have been great too.

Her shoes are strappy high-heel patent "leather" sandals, great looking but a bit harsh for a gown of this style. Classic silk pumps with flower decorations at the heel and/or an open toe would have been much better IMHO. But the fact remains that Magnificent is truly a doll that lives up to her name. She will make a great addition to most fashion doll collections.

The incredible Renegade Dasha - my first FR2 doll

2011-07-07T13:18:00.000-07:00

Integrity Toys launched the FR2 line of dolls to offer a higher quality doll to their clients and "showcase their designers' absolute dedication to detail and refinement". One of the dolls in the line was offered only as a W Club exclusive through a lottery. As the price of the dolls was a bit high for me, I decided to opt only for the chance to win the right to purchase the club doll. During the wait for that, some of the line's dolls arrived and the comments about their quality were worrying, especially considering the price of the dolls. I won the doll and breathlessly waited for her to arrive, discovering in the process that, as the people receiving her stated in their blogs and on forums, her hairdo was problematic. And then she arrived.

She looks gorgeous even while still strapped in her box - which is a very couture box too, from matt carton, with white paper inlay, like a box containing a couture gown from one of the famous french houses. How can you keep her inside then? Off with her ties! Getting her out of the box I discovered that the FR2 dolls, having a different body than the main Fashion Royalty line, also have a different type of stand: it supports the doll under the arms, much like the FR Homme stand:

She is breathtaking. I love the contours of her face (a new sculpt just for the FR2 line, unlike the other two dolls that comprise it), greatly accented by the make up - smoky eyes and bright red lips to match her gown. Her hair, the cause of much consternation to the people that bought her, are side parted and pony-tailed, gorgeously blonde (what you see is actually a mix of shades). Although the prototype images from Integrity seemed to indicate a sleek ponytail (and her description both on Integrity's e-mail and the company website say the same) , JennFL2 posted on-line a photo of the actual doll from the IDEX stand of Integrity, showing the back of her and the hairdo completely different: a bun made of the underneath part of her pulled back hair with the rest of the hair tucked under the bun at the back. How did she arrive?

The hair is nothing like the original photo from IT nor the prototype shown at IDEX back in January (although it is really close to that). It is nothing that cannot be fixed (and people have been really creative throughout the boards and club) but when you pay that much money for a doll, these things are supposed to be non-existent. If the company itself has defined this line of dolls to be a paragon of quality and detail, then something is really wrong here and I do hope it gets fixed.

Let's move on to the rest of the doll now. Dasha looks very elegant and haute in her red gown, which is tiered with minute fringed "ruffles" from the waist to her toe-tips, while her short sleeves are ruched as is her neckline. It all reminds one of Haute Couture gowns, especially Valentino - I can very well imagine something like this coming out on one of his Alta Moda shows in Rome or Paris. The whole thing is accented with a black slim belt at the waist that has a small bow at the back. The gown zips up the back and is lined - unfortunately in red, which may cause some staining in the future. This is one of the most beautiful gowns Integrity has ever produced.

Of course the new body type helps her pose in a much better way than the regular FR ladies. More detailed articulation and a streamlined body help to achieve nice posing with the doll. She has a second pair of hands to use as well.

Her jewellery consists of a big single square stone ring (ruby red) that was very hard to put on her finger all the way up, a lovely big "silver" cuff and a pair of red drop earrings shaped like daisies. Beautiful set.

Her open-toed shoes are also incredibly detailed: red fabric with crystal embroidery and lovely red ties to finish them off. What is missing from the set is a red clutch bag. And for this price level it should have been there.

Dasha is indeed a great doll, minus that hair thing (and some members also reported a broken arm stub when they tried to remove her left arm to put on her cuff - I put mine on the right which came off easily). Quality control is very important in collectibles and more so in pricey ones. I must say that compared to their cheaper doll lines, FR2 dolls have had the most quality control problems of all. Not a good way to start a new expensive doll line. But most of it is sold out. So what now?

The return of a legend: Modern comeback Veronique Perrin

2011-06-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

It has been two years since Integrity Toys decided to withdraw the original face sculpt of Veronique Perrin, the first Fashion Royalty doll and the "matriarch" not only of the doll line but of the Perrin family in the "saga" that the doll story cards used to tell. There was much speculation about the final outcome, we even saw some of the reject dolls appear as other characters in the Integrity doll lines. At last it was announced that the first Veronique dolls would be sold through a lottery to the W Club members: a blonde and a raven version of the doll were released to the club members, so the cat was out of the box.

I was lucky to get a chance to purchase the raven doll. She arrived in a tight corset, garters, slip, stockings and a pair of strappy heels. Sexy to the hilt. So how does the new sculpt look?

Actually she looks gorgeous. I was never a fan of the original, smiling sculpt and had only one Veronique with it, Camera, Lights, Action. I never warmed up to her and wanted to wipe that out of her face. Guess what? Integrity did just that. To me she looks like it is Veronique indeed but not smiling, just pouting a bit. Sexy and sweet at the same time. I love the pink/mauve tones of her make up - it is subdued enough to look great with many different coloured outfits. Her raven long wavy hair are fabulously shiny and hold their curl tight enough to look great without much of a fuss. Major playability factor here.

Her lace corset is great - it buttons up the front with hooks and is really tight. I like that the stockings have a wider finish band than the prototype showed but I would prefer that it had the same lace as a garnish, it would add that touch of high class fitting to a Perrin lady.

The only jewellery she is wearing is a pair of black stud earrings. The whole styling is that of a basic series doll but the quality of the corset is a bit above that compared with other similar outfits from years past. Here are a couple of shots with Veronique in a sultry mood.

So how does she look dressed? I picked for her the purple suit that was part of the gift set Festive Decadence Agnes. The jacket has puffed sleeves with great detail, the pencil skirt has a big rosette at the side and the sleeveless blouse is two-toned. There was a bag in the gift set and she borrowed Agnes' shoes as well (she must be fuming!).

This particular outfit was picked because of the colouring - it matches Vero's make up. I love how she looks chic and elegant in it. Classy.

The shoes are gorgeous (I love the red insole) and the chain-handled bag is nice and stylish. I should have borrowed Agnes' jewellery set as well but she looked at me with THAT look and I decided to leave her alone. Here is a closer shot of the shoes.

Without the jacket the outfit becomes more relaxed and summery and Veronique truly shines in it like the star that she is. I really like her new incarnation and hope to see her getting better in her future releases!

Regal Solstice Anja

2011-06-12T15:46:00.000-07:00

Anja was an FR doll that premièred at last year's Integrity Toys convention. Based on the Simi sculpt, it is only natural that her face reminds people of Veronique. She was also the second W Club doll for 2010, although she arrived in 2011 to those that ordered her. So here is my Regal Solstice Anja, an edition of 700 pieces, according to her certificate. Below you can see how she arrived to me, in a new type FR box (without the ribbon) with the accessories and extra hands in a a nice holder securing the doll inside.

This doll was much discussed in the forums and blogs for her eccentric outfit as well as her totally different look than her first incarnation. The dress is inspired (or copied, what do you think?) from a Dolce & Cabbana gown from their Spring/Summer 2008 collection, as a reader of Terri's blog found out. The major difference is that Anja's dress is embroidered while the real gown has a printed fabric (with hand painted or appliquéd flowers). The silhouette and hairdo remind me of the ones Claude Montana used when he did Lanvin Couture.

So how is the actual doll coming out of the box? A real beauty! Her face is gorgeous - the sculpt does remind me a lot of Veronique and now that I have the new Ms Perrin doll in my hands I am more convinced that Anja's sculpt was one of the rejects for the part. I love her face paint: the combination of nude lips with intense eyes (but thankfully not overdone) is almost always a winner. Her red hair is parted on the side and gathered at the back and their flame red colour reminds me of Linda Evangelista back in her heyday in early 90s when she changed hair colour almost every three months.

Her jewellery is incredible - a jet black Victorian-style necklace that covers her entire décolletage without looking too much (cannot think of anything else save something transparent that could survive this dress) for her outfit. It is complemented by dangling earrings in the same style - mine are asymmetrical but the dolls I have seen on other sites have same length earrings (the longer one is the proper length). I think a ring should have been included to balance it our. Check out her French manicure, it is impeccable.

Her dress is a multi layered gown with the top layer in a moire lime green fabric with embroidered pink and lilac flowers in a scattering pattern. Beyond the obvious comparisons, it captures the spirit of one of the Indian couture outfits I shot for Grazia years ago. The bodice is double - the green embroidered top that protrudes to the front (crump catcher is a way I have seen this style described) is over a dark blue corset-like top with straps - check it out below.

The back of the top leaves the dark blue to come out.

The skirt is asymmetrical - the front is shorter than the back, which ends in a small train. There are three layers here: the lime green with the embroidery, a soft dark blue tulle with ruching at the hem under the green and below this one, another tulle layer, this one stiff, dark blue again and short, worn like a petticoat to make the gown puff out better. You can see the three layers below:

The construction looks good, especially considering the layers of fabric and the various textures and lengths - what could have looked like a pile up turns out to be a light and feathery confection that looks definitely like it came out of a couture salon.

So now we come to the last part of the outfit, the one that finishes off the ensemble and makes he final statement: the shoes. Although the pink and blue colour scheme, the straps and the platform heel looked like a good idea, the result is disastrous. The shoes are not well proportioned to the leg, they are not cut well at the sole and heel, leaving the doll balancing precariously on them, with their points looking up instead of front. I still have not found a way to make them look presentable enough. Would have preferred a strappy heeled sandal for this.

So what we have here is a very good doll, with a gorgeous dress, a bad pair of shoes and a ring that should have been included to make this one a more rounded offering. I do not know what the possibilities for re-dressing this doll are but I bet she will look good in suits too. We will find out, promise!

Barbie and Ken split over rain-forest destruction

2011-06-08T02:38:00.000-07:00

Barbie has a nasty deforestation habit - she is trashing rainforests in Indonesia, including areas that are home to some of the last tiger, orang-utans and elephants, just so she can wrap herself in pretty packaging.

Mattel, the manufacturer of Barbie, is feeding this nasty habit by using paper packaging for the world's most famous toy from Indonesia's most notorious rainforest destroyer Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). Critical wildlife habitat and carbon-rich rainforests and peatlands are being wrecked for cheap, throw-away toy packaging.

Creating the future of play, shouldn't mean no future for rainforests.

Tell Mattel to stop destroying rainforests for toy packaging.

Nokia's pink N8 phone gets promoted by fashion dolls

2011-05-31T12:45:00.000-07:00

In support of Nokia’s new pink N8, a music video was created that brings hand-made fashion dolls to life! Stop-motion animation was used to create this one of a kind video featuring an exclusive Sugababes track. Enjoy!

And there is a great making of video as well:

Design Barbie's dream home competition

2011-05-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

For more than 50 years, Barbie has empowered girls to dream big and explore a world without limits. This year, Barbie unveils I Can Be … Architect, encouraging a new generation of girls to pursue a career in architecture.

Along with introduction of the newest Barbie, the American Institute of Architects and Mattel announce the Architect Barbie Dream House Design Competition. It’s an opportunity for architects to design a home for Barbie that meets her guidelines, which include sustainable design principles, room for an office, open living and dining areas and plenty of room for her five pets, including her giraffe.

Competition outline

• Any AIA member is eligible to compete.

• The contest is open for submission on May 16, 2011 at the web address you’re on right now.

• You can fill out this form to register now for your submission.

• The deadline for submissions ends on June 27, 2011.

• The AIA and Mattel will announce five finalists on July 12, 2011 and the public will be able to vote for their favorites between July 12 and August 1, 2011.

• The winner will be announced by the AIA on August 2, 2011.

• You should read and understand the requirements for submission available by clicking here (PDF).

Of course, the Dream House will be home to Architect Barbie (PDF). Designed to ensure she captured the spirit and style of young architects, Barbie designers consulted with two members of the AIA (PDF) - Despina Stratigakos, Professor of Architectural History at the University at Buffalo and Kelly Hayes McAlonie, Associate Director of the Capital Planning Group at the University at Buffalo and the 2011 President Elect for AIA New York State.

''For more than a century, women have chosen to become architects to express and give form to new ways of living. Yet some still consider architecture an unusual profession for a woman. Architect Barbie salutes the many generations of women architects and encourages young girls to imagine a better world they can design and build,'' says Stratigakos.

Despina Stratigakos, (left) Assoc. AIA, and Kelly Hayes McAlonie, AIA, LEED AP.

There was also another initiative from AIA. The American Institute of Architects partnered with Mattel to launch the “Barbie I Can Be...Architect” during AIA’s national convention, May 12−14, in New Orleans, Louisiana. They invited local organizations to sign up groups of 25-30 girls, ages 7 – 9 years, to have the opportunity to interact with an architect during the AIA/Barbie Workshops.

Girls had the unique opportunity to learn from a real architect about what it takes to become one in a fun and educational environment on location at the AIA 2011 National Convention (May 12-14). Girls also learned about the first female architect recognized by the AIA over 125 years ago and got to ‘create’ their very own Dream House. All participants in the workshop left with a gift bag including their own Architect Barbie and a special poster.

All images courtesy of Mattel

Tatiana's Doll House: Club diorama

2011-05-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

The latest diorama talented Tatiana has created is a place for her dolls to relax and hang out - The Fashion Royalty Club. This display was inspired by a pink plastic piano that she repainted black last summer. That project was very long and challenging for her as she aimed for a thick glossy finish. One month and two cans of paint later she finally felt happy of how it turned out. She used a high gloss black lacquer by Rust-Oleum and applied it in multiple layers.

The round tables are from a Gloria play set, their bases painted silver. Tablecloths are made from polyester table napkins and curtains are faux silk dupioni napkins attached with double sided tape. The buffet table is a wooden shadow-box frame that was cut with a miter saw. Cake, pastries, trays and cutlery are re-ment, small white plates came with a no-name play set.

Tatiana made the wall scone lights by splitting a Mattel purple chandelier in quarters and gluing them to wooden pendants from a dollar store. After that she spray-painted everything with black acryllic paint and attached them to the wall using double sided tape.

The chandelier is an accessory from a Barbie playset that she painted black and attached with a polyester thread to a mini square gel tile. Gel tiles come with a sticky back, so it is very easy to attach them without any damage to the surface.

The tabletop candle holders are Gloria minis that Tatiana painted with acrylic paint using a brush. The wonderful black chairs are from the Pivotal Jazz dolls by Mattel. She loves the scale, the style and the quality of them. I must say that they look great - I own some of them! The swan vase on the piano is a wedding favour from a craft store and in it are white roses from buttonier flowers.

Deconstruction Sight Eugenia is dressed in Guaranteed Chic outfit, restyled by Tatiana. Former Face Time Eugenia was re-rooted in raven by the very talented Susan K. She is wearing the Soir De Paris dress. All photos by Tatiana.

Valley Of The Fashion Dolls

2011-04-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

A Greek fashion magazine, LOOK (it circulates every three months and is free) had a page dedicated to my doll collecting passion with one of my photos of Dania. You can even see me at the bottom of the page holding lovely Poppy Parker in my hand. The page is below and after that you can read the article in English (written by lovely and patient Vagia Matzaroglou from Thessaloniki).

VALLEY OF FASHION DOLLS

Versace, Givenchy and Alexander McQueen in miniature? They do exist. They made Vogue covers and score a global digital fashion hype. Find out about the culture and history of fashion dolls and enter their world through collector Stratos Bacalis and his blog, fashiondollchronicles.blogspot.com

by Vagia Matzaroglou

He dressed Michelle Obama at her husbands inaugural ball but still plays with dolls! And he is not alone! Apart from the enfante terrible Jason Wu, brands like Versace, Badgley Mischka, Givenchy, Lecoanet Hemant, Manish Arora design clothes for dolls. Italian Vogue joined the club by photographing exclusively Barbie in fashion editorials but also fashion houses that create unique doll outfits that are then auctioned for charities.

For a while now, fashion dolls are a fetish for collectors and not a child's toy. They have class and style, charm and finesse, ideal proportions and guardarobes that moan under evening glam and eponymous signatures. Dressed in the latest fashion trends or in vintage masterpieces from specific style periods (see '50s), they "follow" the catwalks and fashion weeks around the planet. Sometimes they even copy the new outfits (in the past McQueen collections have been copied*)... Hairdos, make up and accessories are in the same brand wavelength. The most important doll catwalks are set up in Paris and London at the respective Doll Festivals there but also at the commercial Toy Fairs of the USA. Apart from regular fashion designers like Jason Wu who designs for FR Monogram and Versace and Badgley Mischka for Barbie, Mel Odom and Robert Tonner are considered big names, who take care of the doll's face (the sculpt) down to the most minute detail. The "Haute Couture" of dolls are Charles & Desmond Superfrock's Sybarite dolls.

Stratos Bacalis is a passionate doll collector and probably the only Greek blogger about fashion dolls. "I started out with the Olivia Newton John as Sandy from Grease Franklin Mint doll in 2000. From then on, it became a passion" he confesses. He already owns 120-150 dolls. "The most eponymous of them are my Versace Barbie, my Badgley Mischka Barbie, all my Jason Wu ones (half of my collection) and I would add the two Audrey Hepburn versions (a small by Mattel and a larger by Mme Alexander) for the Givenchy clothes they wear from "Breakfsast at Tiffany's" and "Sabrina". Oh and of course I should not forget Pincess Diana with her designer outfits and Jackie Onassis with her Oleg Cassini dresses".

From where does he get the dolls? "Always through the internet, either directly from the manufacturers (special editions) or from specialized e-shops. When there is a limited edition, if you are not quick enough to pre-order the dolls you want, you have to look for them on e-bay or the relevant forums, which usually means higher prices".

What are his criteria for buying them? "Almost always it is the combination of doll and outfit, although the garment definitely plays the most important part. But the doll has to "speak" to me".

He wants to get all the new releases. But "cost is always prohibitive. The prices depend on the edition size and how eccentric the outfit is. The material that the doll is made of also is a factor. They start from around US$45 and end up costin thousands of dollars for unique pieces auctioned for charity".

Stratos Bacalis' favourite hobby is photographing his collection: "I have a mini studio with a lightbox for the photo shoots. I have even done one for the Indian edition of Grazia magazine, with Indian designer outfits. It was a unique experience with the highlight being that one of the outfits was designed and made by Lecoanet Hemant, whose collections I used to admire in the Haute Couture fashion week in Paris". With studies in fashion design and pattern making, he intends to be a little more creatice with his collection. "There is a friend who is very talented in sewing and making accessories so we tried to start a fashion collection for dolls but stopped due to the financial crisis. I hope we can make it happen some time in the future".

Here is my portrait featured in the article, shot by Sakis Gioumpasis:

* It refers to mentions I did during the interview of many doll outfits being "inspired" by a lot of designers and especially Dior and McQueen designs.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T03:48:00.000-07:00

The First Annual Tonnies! Nominations Begin

2011-03-01T06:36:00.000-08:00

Tonner Dolls are presenting the Tonnies, awards for their dolls based on the people nominating them. Here is how it begins, the whole process taking place on their Facebook page:

Good Morning Friends!

Let the nominations begin! We're accepting nominations for the FIRST TWO CATEGORIES ONLY:

Best Dressed Male and Best Dressed Female!

Please submit your nominations below, in the comments section (meaning the Tonner FB page). You may nominate as many dressed dolls as you like! Nominations will be accepted through Sunday, March 6th until midnight. The nominations will be tallied by Team Tonner on Monday, March 7th, and the top three will go on to the next step, and be voted on beginning Tuesday, March 8th.

Note: Remember, you may nominate dressed dolls from the 2010 ONLY.

Keep it here for more Tonnie Fun!

Integrity 2011 : FR2 main collection

2011-02-27T11:40:00.000-08:00

I had the information much earlier in the year but I thought it would be best to post them alongside the complete collections from Integrity. It consists so far of two characters from FR (Elise and Dominique - with new sculpt) and a new one (Dasha, new sculpt) Integrity says about the line:

FR2™ (pronounced "Fashion Royalty Squared"), is the latest addition to the Fashion Royalty® family of products by Jason Wu and the Integrity Toys design team. Keeping in line with the concept of bringing Fashion Royalty® to the next level of quality and collectability, this luscious and luxurious new spin off series is designed to showcase our designers' absolute dedication to detail and refinement. FR2™ fashion dolls feature a brand new, totally re-sculpted body with refined proportions for even more pose-ability and display/play possibilities than ever before! FR2™ is composed of new characters as well as older fan favourites that are sure to delight everyone by their beauty and sheer force of character (pun intended!). Just so you know, all dolls have rooted hair, eyelashes and removable hands.

Modern Sensibility Dasha™ Dressed Doll
Limited Edition of 300 Dolls
Suggested Retail: $175.00
Estimated Delivery: Early March 2011

Renegade Dasha™ Dressed Doll
Limited Edition of 300 Dolls
IT Direct Exclusive (Will be offered through a lottery in the W Club, details TBA)
Suggested Retail: $175.00
Estimated Delivery: Details TBA, Spring 2011

Flawless Elise Jolie Dressed Doll

Limited Edition of 300 Dolls
Suggested Retail: $175.00
Estimated Delivery: Early March 2011

Engaging Elise Jolie Dressed Doll
Limited Edition of 300 Dolls
Suggested Retail: $175.00
Estimated Delivery: Spring 2011

Rare Appeal Dominique Makeda Dressed Doll

Limited Edition of 300 Dolls
Suggested Retail: $175.00
Estimated Delivery: Spring 2011

Impossibly Beautiful Dominique Makeda Dressed Doll
Limited Edition of 300 Dolls
Suggested Retail: $175.00
Estimated Delivery: Spring 2011

Only Natural FR2™ Fashion
Limited Edition of 300 Fashions
Suggested Retail: $100.00
Estimated Delivery: Early March 2011

Sheer Bliss FR2™ Fashion
Limited Edition of 300 Fashions
Suggested Retail: $100.00
Estimated Delivery: Early March 2011

Metropolitan FR2™ Fashion
Limited Edition of 300 Fashions
Suggested Retail: $100.00
Estimated Delivery: Spring 2011

My opinion: A gorgeous collection with great variety. amazing accessories and designs. I will try and secure Renegade Dasha in the lottery (hopefully) and maybe try and get Impossibly Beautiful Dominique Makeda later in the year because she is gorgeous but expensive. Their prices are way up and make them that much harder to get, not to mention their popularity. The Caucasian dolls sold out everywhere.

**All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2011**

Integrity 2011 online event: event doll

2011-02-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

In conjunction with the 2011 Toy Fair Online Unveiling Event, Integrity offers an exclusive doll. So the 2011 Online Event-Exclusive is Giselle Diefendorf as Night Scape. She has wine colored highlights in her long dark rooted hair and blue eyes. Her black "leather" ruffled jacket, close fitting knitted top and shorts fit with her matching black pump shoes. Simple black stud earrings complete the ensemble.

Night Scape Giselle Diefendorf™ Dressed Doll

Toy Fair 2011 Online Exclusive

Limited Edition: TBA

Estimated Arrival: Late June 2011

Suggested Retail: $110.00 US

After last year's two doll offering (and their gorgeous outfits) this one looks plain. I know Giselle is really popular with collectors but the two tone hair and plain outfit made me refuse her. I do love the jacket - the front is incredibly detailed. The shoes are nice too.

**All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2011**

Integrity 2011 online event: FR2

2011-02-27T10:57:00.000-08:00

The FR2 collection is the more expensive version of Fashion Royalty dolls, with a new taller body with better articulation and shape and more detailed and accessorized fashions. As a major collection, the main one for the year, was debuted earlier, on the online event there was two more dolls to complete the picture.

The Minimalist Dasha™ Dressed Doll
FR2 Collection
Limited Edition of 300 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $175.00 US
Estimated Delivery: Early Third Quarter 2011

Grand Gesture Dominique Makéda™ Dressed Doll

FR2 Collection
Limited Edition of 300 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $175.00 US
Estimated Delivery: Early Third Quarter 2011

Gorgeous dolls and outfits - and amazing accessories. My two major objections - the feathered eye brows of Dasha and the bad make up of Dominique. If the last one had a different, softer make up (with smoky grey blue eye shadow and purple red lips) I would get her in an instant.

**All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2011**

Integrity 2011 online event: FR monograms

2011-02-27T10:45:00.000-08:00

The Monograms this time were a major dissapointment for the fans. Having already received a mini collection of two gorgeous dolls and one accessory set earlier in the year, the expectations were great. So imagine everyone's reaction when they saw that only three dolls, each a variation on the same concept were presented:

Having in mind that the sculpt is only one, having the same doll and outfit in three different colour variations is a bit risky. And having in mind that Monograms are supposedly the couture edition of FR, this one comes as a let down. So let us consider them as basics. Gorgeous and expensive ones.

Passionate FR: Monogram^TMDressed Doll

Limited Edition of 350 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail Price: $125.00 US
Estimated Delivery: Third Quarter 2011

Envied FR: Monogram^TMDressed Doll

Limited Edition of 350 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail Price: $125.00 US
Estimated Delivery: Third Quarter 2011

Bemused FR: Monogram^TMDressed Doll

Limited Edition of 350 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail Price: $125.00 US
Estimated Delivery: Third Quarter 2011

**All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2011**

Integrity 2011 online event: Fashion Royalty - the Hommes

2011-02-27T10:33:00.000-08:00

This time, after a year without any new men (apart from the one appearance at the convention) Integrity gave them a big presence in most series. For the FR Hommes we have two new characters in the three new releases but no new sculpt. Let's see what is coming.

Leading Man Lukas Maverick™ Dressed Fashion Figure
The New Close-Ups Collection
Limited Edition of 400 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $125.00
Estimated Delivery: Late April/Early May 2011

Fast Track Victor James™ Dressed Fashion Figure
The New Close-Ups Collection
Limited Edition of 400 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $125.00
Estimated Delivery: Late April/Early May 2011

Silent Partner Romain Perrin™ Dressed Fashion Figure

The New Close-Ups Collection
Limited Edition of 400 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $125.00
Estimated Delivery: Late April/Early May 2011

Lukas is a doll I already have two of, not in this skin tone or with facial hair but I do not like his chin facial hair at all and his hairdo is a mess. He looks like the Greek or Latin lovers you try to avoid on the Mediterranean beaches. Victor is the Takeo sculpt in good use as an AA man, gorgeous outfit as well. Romain is the nerdy type, a first for FR, with the sculpt of Acheron from the Dark Hunter doll series. The outfits look great again and their man bags are to die for. Acheron's I would use in real life too!

**All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2011**

Integrity 2011 online event: Fashion Royalty - the ladies

2011-02-27T10:07:00.000-08:00

Of course the main body of Integrity's lines is always Fashion Royalty. With the Veronique Perrin character making an appearance after two whole years of absence, the collectors were waiting brreathlessly this one. Vero's first versions were of course given to the members of the W Club as exclusives, but she is a part of the regular collection too. Other changes: new characters (male) new faces (apart from Vero, her sister Vanessa appears to have gone through a transformation herself plus we got new models, Kesenia who first appeared in the convention and Korinne).

Breaking The Mold Véronique Perrin® Dressed Doll

The New Close-Ups Collection

Limited Edition of 600 Dolls Worldwide

Suggested Retail: $110.00 US

Estimated Delivery: Second Quarter 2011

Dress Code Vanessa Perrin® Dressed Doll

The New Close-Ups Collection

Limited Edition of 600 Dolls Worldwide

Suggested Retail: $110.00 US

Estimated Delivery: Second Quarter 2011

High Brow Adèle Makéda® Dressed Doll

The New Close-Ups Collection

Limited Edition of 400 Dolls Worldwide

Suggested Retail: $110.00 US

Estimated Delivery: Second Quarter 2011

Pencil Me In Eugenia Perrin Frost™ Dressed Doll

The New Close-Ups Collection

Limited Edition of 600 Dolls Worldwide

Suggested Retail: $110.00 US

Estimated Delivery: Second Quarter 2011

Scene Stealer Isha™ Dressed Doll

The New Close-Ups Collection

Limited Edition of 400 Dolls Worldwide

Suggested Retail: $110.00 US

Estimated Delivery: Second Quarter 2011

Porcelain Beauty Kesenia™ Dressed Doll

The New Close-Ups Collection

Limited Edition of 400 Dolls Worldwide

Suggested Retail: $110.00 US

Estimated Delivery: Second Quarter 2011

Easy Elegance

Korinne™ Dressed Doll

The New Close-Ups Collection

Limited Edition of 500 Dolls Worldwide

Suggested Retail: $110.00 US

Estimated Delivery: Second Quarter 2011

I love the general look of the collection - impeccable day wear, great styling for the dolls, very elegant ensembles. If they had bags the looks would be perfection. From the new faces, Veronique looks lovely in her new guise (I was never a fan of her old self), Vanessa still looks fierce, Kesenia in this version is stunning and very super model circa 1987 while Korinne is weird looking (to speak nicely). She could be a soap opera star but not a model. They should have put Natalia in her place instead.

**All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2011**

Integrity 2011 online event: Poppy Parker

2011-02-27T09:31:00.000-08:00

Poppy Parker is one of my favourite Integrity lines, both because of the cute face and because of the fashions of the 60s it showcases. The year is 1964 (Mad Men anyone?) and Poppy is now one of the most popular teenage models in New York. She has been on the cover of five fashion and teen magazines and recently scored a new gig as the face of McCalpin's Department Store for their Juniors' department. Another new development is the arrival of Poppy's best friend, Darla Daley. They met in a record shop and now, they are inseparable. Darla is an upcoming young singer who just made her television debut on the Ted Mullivan show. Thanks to her appearance on the show, she now has her first hit single! I love the story line and the new develpoments which probably will lead to a boyfriend for Poppy next year.

Youthquake Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll
Limited Edition of 400 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $90.00
Estimated Delivery: May 2011

Perfectly Purple Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll
Limited Edition of 400 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $119.00
Estimated Delivery: June 2011

Foto Fab Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll
Limited Edition of 400 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $119.00 US
Estimated Delivery: June 2011

Twist 'n Shout Darla Daley™ Dressed Doll
Limited Edition of 400 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $90.00 US
Estimated Delivery: May 2011

Hit Single Darla Daley™ Dressed Doll
Limited Edition of 400 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $119.00 US
Estimated Delivery: June 2011

A very nice collection. My must have is Youthquake because she looks like Jean Shrimpton a lot (my basic reason i love Poppy), she is a redhead (I already have a brunette, blonde and raven haired Poppy) and I love the outfit. From the rest. Perfectly Purple is gorgeous but I already have a brunette Poppy, Foto Fab looks too washed out for me and Darla's sculpt is too cartoon-y. Pity as I was looking forward in an AA Poppy line doll.

**All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2011**

Integrity 2011 online event: Nu Face

2011-02-27T08:58:00.000-08:00

Nu Face, the younger, edgier Fashion Royalty line, got two separate collections this time. The Nu Fantasy (reminded me so much of Tonner Re-Imagination), like they did with Amelie some time ago, and the regular line. Amelie is also present in her own seperate collection. So let's see what we have in store:

Quiet Storm Annik™ Dressed Doll
The New Close-Ups Collection
Limited Edition of 300 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $110.00 US
Estimated Delivery: Late June 2011

London Mist Imogen™ Dressed Doll
The New Close-Ups Collection
Limited Edition of 400 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $110.00 US
Estimated Delivery: Late June 2011

In The Trenches Luxury Wear™ Fashion
The New Close-Ups Collection
Limited Edition of 300 Fashions Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $75.00 US
Estimated Delivery: Late June 2011

True Blues Luxury Wear™ Fashion
The New Close-Ups Collection
Limited Edition of 300 Fashions Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $75.00 US
Estimated Delivery: Late June 2011

So from the normal Nu Face line, I love Imogen but I passed over for another short haired doll from the FR dolls (in a future post). I like the fashions a lot, they could be from Burberry Prorsum line, but they miss the edge that should be part of Nu Face.

This line, like the Re-Imagination of Tonner, is about re-interpretation of a classic tale. Here we have Snow White. One doll is the Evil Queen, the other is Snow White (with her apple). Pretty but un-inspired. - the Queen's hairdo is a major failure. From previous efforts Integrity has made (see the Red Queen) I expected something superb.

Malicious Nu.Fantasy Dressed Doll (TJ/Jasper facemold)

Limited Edition of 300 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $125.00 US
Estimated Delivery: June/July 2011

Pure Nu.Fantasy Dressed Doll (Erin facemold)
Limited Edition of 300 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $125.00 US
Estimated Delivery: June/July 2011

And here is Amelie from Misaki in her own collection - it uses the Misaki torso and The Brides Of Dracula legs.

Cosmic Love Amelie™ Dressed Doll

The Color Infusion Collection
Limited Edition of 300 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $125.00 US
Estimated Delivery: Early/Mid July 2011

Rebel Spirit Amelie™ Dressed Doll
The Color Infusion CollectionLimited Edition of 300 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $125.00 US
Estimated Delivery: Early/Mid July 2011

This is definitely not my cup of cake, the red dress though is great, I especially love the neckline! More comments on my relevant podcast.

**All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2011**

Integrity 2011 online event: Dynamite Girls

2011-02-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

Integrity Toys presented a huge variety of dolls in their online event yesterday. The sheer amount of dolls, the many new faces (either new molds or re-use of old ones) is staggering, especially during an economical downturn such as this. I hope they know what they are doing and not spreading themselves too thin.

First in my presentation are the Dynamite Girls, which now also have boys in the collection! The line was separated into two dinstict collections, the basic looking Checkmates and the more dressed up (and more expensive) Plastic Inevitable collection.

So below you can see the whole line up of the checkmates collection - the three Dynamite girls and one of the boys! As the story goes, the Dynamite Girls are hitting the beaches on the upper east coast this summer for a much needed vacation from the hustle and bustle of the fashion world in New York. Alongside Jett, Sooki and Aria is a new guy in town, Kyu, a Korean Pop singer.

Heat Wave Aria™ Doll

The Dynamite Girls® Check Mates Collection

Limited Edition of 300 Dolls Worldwide

Suggested Retail Price: $44.99 US

Estimated Delivery: Mid/Late July 2011

Beach Bunny Sooki™ Doll

The Dynamite Girls® Check Mates Collection

Limited Edition of 300 Dolls Worldwide

Suggested Retail Price: $44.99 US

Estimated Delivery: Mid/Late July 2011

Summer Daze Kyu™ Fashion Figure

The Dynamite Girls® Check Mates Collection

Limited Edition of 300 Dolls Worldwide

Suggested Retail Price: $44.99 US

Estimated Delivery: Mid/Late July 2011

Aqua Bella Jett™ Doll

The Dynamite Girls® Check Mates Collection

Limited Edition of 300 Dolls Worldwide

Suggested Retail Price: $44.99 US

Estimated Delivery: Mid/Late July 2011

This was the Checkmates. From what I can see the new Korean boy is a re-incarnation of Takeo, looking very much like his In the Mix version so the only doll I would have ordered from here is out (limited budget). I do not know if he is the same sculpt but they look so much alike that I will wait for another version to get one.

The Plastic Inevitable looks like a more gorwn up version of Dynamite Girls, very much looking like Nu Face dolls, apart from their face paint which is still too much childish for my taste - their outfits though are trendier, edging to hipster, only natural since the collection is inspired by New York's bustling art and counter-culture scene of the late 1960s and early 1980s. Two new guys join the Dynamite Girls in this collection. Auden is an in-demand hair and makeup artist and Remi is becoming a top fashion photographer in the industry.

Most Beautiful Boy Auden™ Dressed Fashion Figure
The Dynamite Girls® Plastic Inevitable Collection

Limited Edition of 300 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail Price: $59.99 US Estimated Delivery: Mid/Late May 2011

Radiant Child Remi™ Dressed Fashion Figure
The Dynamite Girls® Plastic Inevitable Collection

Limited Edition of 300 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail Price: $59.99 US Estimated Delivery: Mid/Late May 2011

Rock Candy Rufus Blue™ Dressed Doll
The Dynamite Girls® Plastic Inevitable Collection

Limited Edition of 300 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail Price: $59.99 US
Estimated Delivery: Mid/Late May 2011

Heart of Glass Aria™ Dressed Doll
The Dynamite Girls® Plastic Inevitable Collection

Limited Edition of 300 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail Price: $59.99 US Estimated Delivery: Mid/Late May 2011

Downtown Darling Jett™ Dressed Doll
The Dynamite Girls® Plastic Inevitable Collection

Limited Edition of 300 Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail Price: $59.99 US

Estimated Delivery: Mid/Late May 2011

From this line I love Auden (who would not?) and will try to get him. Other than that there is not much interest to me as their dressing is not my style, I always prefer more grown up styles and fashion, plus the cartoon-y faces are too far from my aesthetic in dolls. The military jacket and lace top on Aria though look great. I promised to some W-Cub members who missed listening to me in this year's webinar that I will be making podcasts for the new lines, so they will be going up at the blog soon, with more comments for the dolls.

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**All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2011**

Votre Beaute cover tribute

2011-02-25T12:47:00.000-08:00

In December, the Greek edition of Votre Beaute magazine celebrated it's 20th birthday with a great anniversary issue, showcasing various moments of the magazine's history in Greece. The cover was a blast: featuring one of the most iconic Greek models ever, the inimitable Mara Desypri (nowdays a photohrapher, frequently contributing to Vogue Hellas) wearing a dress by Vassilis Zoulias, who started his carrer as a stylist when Mara was a model and now is a fashion designer turning out gorgeous collections full of coveted frocks and accessories. I loved it so much, I decided to make a version of it for my blog. Of course there is no doll looking like Mara: her strong features would not make a very commercial doll. I picked Red Zinger Daria from the Future Perfect 2009 collection. Her make up was very close to Mara's and she looks gorgeous too.

The hair of Mara was styled by the extremely talented and fellow doll collector and lover Thanos Samaras. I could not even begin to try and imitate the same hair on Daria, so I just made a new updo, keeping it stylish and chic. The black dress is the top and skirt of Dressing the Part Agnes, shoes are from an older Fashion Royalty outfit and the gloves are from Bewitching Hour Luchia. Unfortunately the doll's articulation does not help to style the exact pose but I did the best I could save breaking her shoulder joints. And here is the original cover (Photo by Thanassis Krikis, fashion editor is Michalis Georgiou and makeup is by Stellar):

And yes, you do remember correctly, this was the same set up for my Holidays card for 2010!

Not Your Usual Wedding: Poppy Parker gets married

2011-02-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

When a dear friend, who has an incredible agency for brides to be who need to be different than all the rest, asked me to make a photo shoot for her relative blog, with my dolls, I jumped at the opportunity. Having never done anything remotely bridal with the dolls, it presented me with the opportunity to do something unusual.

The brief was precise "Our inspiration is the film Barefoot in The Park". Going through my doll faces to cast the model, I decided thar Integrity's Poppy Parker was the perfect match for Jane Fonda in that era. The problem was that I did not have a dress that would serve as a wedding gown. Then Uriah came into the rescue, unbeknownst to him, when he sent me the dress from the "Ask Any Girl" gift set. Poppy now could prepare for the big day.

As I picked Reluctant Debutante Poppy for the shoot, her gloves, coat, earrings and stockings were of course ideal for the outfit. The shoes were kindly provided by "She's Arrived" Poppy's outfit, while her hair ornament (I decided against a veil as in this scale it would probably look awkward and stiff) is a brooch from Silkstone Barbies. No bride is complete without a bouquet of course: Franklin Mint's Princess Diana series has an excellent one with Princes Of Wales roses (from the blue bouclé suit) that matched perfectly. I hope you like it. And thanks again to Margarita, I love you girl.

Writing this post, today, it dawned on me that I forgot to photograph Poppy barefoot. So here she is - sorry Margarita, I should have done this with the rest of the shoot.

And a black & white grainy one, just for the fun of it.

Tonner Dolls Pre-Toyfair collection! Part two - Retro gals: Deanna & Holywood

2011-01-07T11:16:00.000-08:00

Retro lines are usually treated with panache by Tonner and this one is no exception The Deanna Denton line features a unique full figured body which is more realistic for the period. For this collection they have only one dressed doll. I like the outfit but the doll leaves me cold. She could have looked that much better. Their previous efforts were so much more interesting. I hope this changes again for the next one. It is called Bye Bye Baby. Yes of course it is the Marilyn song:

So she could have looked like that. Sigh.

Let us stay in Holywood then and check out the Holywood Glamour collection. Tonner have condensed here all the old Holywood star dolls they make plus a series of glamorous outfits.

Joan Crawford is a gorgeous doll, the likeness of the sculpt is breathtaking and the outfit so glamourous it dazzles. An excellent doll but quite expensive at US$189.99. The doll is named appropriately Devil In White and is wearing a sleek satin gown and luxurious faux fur trimmed capelet, adorned with a lavish rhinestone brooch. Rhinestone bracelet, pantyhose, and faux-leather shoes also included. Joan Crawford™ Head Sculpt and 16" Tyler BW Body; Blue Eyes w/ Raven Hair and Bloom Skin tone. I think she could have used a pair of long gloves.

Ava Gardner is again a great sculpt and this release is probably the one that looks more like the famous film star. I like the outfit as well, although the jewellery is too simple for a star of this calibre. A pair of short gloves would have looked perfect as well as a clutch bag. The doll is called Hearts Ablaze and she wears a red dress of sumptuous lace and frothy tulle. Her waist is cinched in with a satin belt and sparkling rhinestone buckle. Rhinestone earrings, bracelet, pantyhose, and faux-leather pumps also included. Ava Gardner™ Head Sculpt and 16" Tyler BW Body; Green Eyes w/ Brunette Hair and Bloom Skin tone.

There is a Bette Davies doll as well, called Stardust but no picture is available yet. She comes clothed in a shimmering gown with matching braided trim, gleaming beaded bracelet, pantyhose, and T-strap high-heeled shoes. Bette Davis™ Head Sculpt and 16" Tyler BW Body; Blue Eyes w/ Platinum Hair and Bloom Skin tone.

Tonner Dolls Pre-Toyfair collection! Part one - Cami & Jon

2011-01-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

Tonner Dolls anounnced their pre-ToyFair collection on their website. We are of course interested in the fashion dolls from the huge spectrum of collections they offer, so let's take a look to see the new arrivals.

Lately Tonner has put much of their weight behind promoting the Cami & Jon line. It says on the website that this collection will be made to order so hurry up to reserve yours. There are four basic dolls, one of them wigged, two outfits and three wigs. The body is the 16"Antoinette body. The sculpts do not look too fashion doll like to me, they look too cute and girly doll for my taste. But I am sure they will be very popular. Here they are:

Wigged basic Cami

Basic Cami Redhead

Basic Jonquil Brunette

Wigs

One of the basic dolls ( Basic Cami Brunette) does not have an image up yet. I like the black evening gown (City Nights), although I would have preferred it to have a more pronounced blouse effect. The other outfit (Play on words), which you can buy online already, reminds me a lot of many I have seen in last year's spring collections.

What a great way to start the year: beautiful dolls!

2011-01-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

One of the best ways to start the year is to see beautiful dolls! This happened today with a lovely email by Integrity making public the first 2011 Monogram line releases! Let us see what they are:

Redefined
FR: Monogram Accessory Set
Limited Edition of 300 Sets Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $75.00 USD

Hinted at last fall in the pictures Integrity released for "Escapade" and "Extravagance" in late summer 2010, this black & white accessory pack features a finely sculpted miniature wig stand/bust cast in the finest resin and includes a brunette wig and wide brimmed straw hat, purse, shoes, jewelry set and certificate of authenticity. Designed to fit 1:6 scale dolls. It looks like modern Chanel stuff, nice but not my cup of tea. And the hat could have been so much more interesting - please look at what Stephen Jones is doing.

**Please Note: The clear acrylic cubes shown are props only and are not included in with the accessory set.

Discreet
FR: Monogram Basic Dressed Doll
Limited Edition of 300 Basic Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $99.00 USD

Based on the success and the great feedback they got of the first basic FR: Monogram doll Disclosure, Integrity decided to revisit her and offer a companion doll that would perfectly complement her if the two were to take a stroll down the catwalk. The outfit is almost the same in contrasting colouring and the tanned FR: Monogram brunette doll is to die for. She has rooted hair and her outfit includes a sexy belted lingerie set, strappy sandal shoes, and stud earrings. It comes with a doll stand and certificate of authenticity.

Magnificent
FR: Monogram Dressed Doll
Limited Edition of 300 Dressed Dolls Worldwide
Suggested Retail: $160.00 USD

The pièce de résistance of this release, a vision of couture and pure beauty, what better way to start the new year? She looks like she came out of a vintage Charles James couture collection. Clad in an elaborate dual toned, intricately draped evening gown, this stunning new creation will surely become very wanted indeed. Includes FR: Monogram brunette doll, gown, shoes, jewelry (that looks like diamanté), doll stand and certificate of authenticity.

She is rooted again and the gown looks like a re-working of the Smoldering gown from the convention 2010 collection. This one though looks much more enticing and gorgeous. If this is any indication, it looks like 2011 will be a year full of exciting dolls!

**All photos are copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2010 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission.**

Holiday wishes

2010-12-24T08:47:00.000-08:00

Tatiana's Doll House: Home Office

2010-12-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

This office display is a permanent set-up inside one of the shelves of Tatiana's new bookcases that make up the structure of her black and white doll house (search this blog for more of the rooms). She loves the nice black finish on them and the fact that there are no predrilled holes. Each room is about 17Hx37Wx15D inches.

Tatiana used large wooden shadowbox frames with white coverstock inserted inside for the windows. The middle part is a piece of black on black foamcore that I cut to the size and wedged in between the frames. The fireplace is a wooden Christmas display miniature that Tatiana purchased from City Lights Collectibles online. She could not find it on their website to provide us with the link - looks like they do not carry it any more.Tatiana did not modify the fireplace, it came with nice metal candle holder in copper colour with white wooden candles. On top of the fireplace is a wooden 4x6 inch photo frame with real mirror inserted inside.

The vase is a playline Barbie accessory that she repainted. The ashtrays are Re-ment, one of them was spray painted silver. The flowers are from the wedding isle of Michael's craft store. The desk is a smaller size shadowbox frame cut with a mitre saw and put together at a 90 degree angle. Computer, phone, I-pod, CDs and printer are Mattel minis. Tatiana repainted the desk lamp and vase. The office chair is from a Barbie playset and she spray painted it black.

The white sofa is a leatherette covered jewelry box that came with two matching pillows. The coffee table is black wooden drawer from Tatiana's jewelry box turned upside down and propped with two wooden mini photo frames. Notebook, portfolio, glasses and remote came with various playsets, coffee cup and saucer are Re-ment. The carpet is a sheet of black craft felt.

Venus Eugenia is wearing her own outfit with random FR basic pumps, while Most Desired Eugenia is dressed in "Black as Night" blouse and Capri pants.