Hollywood Dolls

On Tuesday I received a box of goodies from Integrity Toys. My first review will be of the Agnes W Club Mini Giftset which was priced at $145. and is an edition of 800. This was the second W Club doll for 2009.The contents were the doll, two skirts, belt, one jacket, two tops, one pair of shoes, bracelet, earrings, necklace, handbag, additional hands and doll stand. There was also a story card. As always, the presentation in the box was beautiful but it's so much fun to rip those puppies out (even though ripping is done carefully with a sharp scissors) and get them into my hot little hands.
Since Agnes came dressed in the black skirt and red top, she was first up to be photographed. I thought the shoes would be a nightmare due to the tiny straps but I didn't have to unbuckle them to get them on and although the strap sticks out, they fit well and the doll can stand flat on the ground which is a huge improvement over the past years.The big black skirt is an oddity. it did not sit well with that top which was too short to stay tucked in or the belt which wasn't wide enough to cover the waistband of the skirt and stay put. A big wide waistband on the skirt would have made it so much more useful and user friendly. Soooo, I put the purple jacket over the whole thing and it looked better but definitely not couture.
The red top is too large across the bust and shoulders. The hooks in the back could be moved for a better fit.
The handbag was a surprise because it was so mediocre compared to FR handbags in the past. I like the chain handle which is perfectly scaled to the doll.
I love the jewelry but I don't see it complementing this fashion at all. Additionally, they can keep those crappy little bracelets that never sit well on the wrist. I have bunches of them and never use them.
This is one of the prettier Agnes screenings. She doesn't look as dour as usual. I hate the painted lashes. They are cartoon-like. She does have applied lashes as well. I hope this isn't a trend for 2010. The hair....sigh.....what can I say? It's a puzzle to me-strange style, stiff glued curls...just completely weird. She could be so beautiful if her hair were just pulled back in a simple bun or pony tail. I don't think there has ever been a pony-tailed Agnes. Perhaps she's trying to channel Gene Marshall with the hair rolls.
For the second outfit, I chose True Royalty Vanessa as my model.
The purple skirt is adorable and the bi-colored top looks good with it. The purple jacket that matches the skirt looks cute, too. I added the jewelry.
The construction of this set is very, very high quality. There is great attention to detail. Here's a back view of the above fashion.The fit could have been a bit better on the sleeveless tops and the waist of the black skirt but otherwise, the set is very good.
This Agnes will not make it permanently into my collection but most of her clothing is staying.

Last week at Pittsburgh, the Fashion Royalty convention for 2008 took place. Titled " The Jason Wu Event V: The Heist", it lasted from October 2nd until the 4th at the Hyatt Regency Pittsburgh International Airport at Pittsburgh. As the Integrity site said:

Mysteries abound, tragedy has happened: a precious heirloom from the Perrin family jewel collection has been stolen. Who did it? How will the Perrins get the precious stone back and where will this adventure lead? Join us for a fun-filled weekend at the Jason Wu Event V: The Heist and help find an important part of the Perrins’ precious heritage


Are you ready for excitement? Your convention host, Alain Tremblay invites you to join him and his team on an adventure worthy of some of your favorite spy novels, leading you to fabulous Russia in an intrigue totally worthy of Fashion Royalty! Who’s behind it? Is it Natalia and Kyori, or perhaps some mysterious new contender? Now you can be a part of it all! Meet Jason Wu and the rest of the Integrity Toys team and take part in a fun-filled weekend which will feature a special treasure hunt set in the totally stylish environment of FR!

Lots of dolls were unveiled at the event, with new characters appearing and older ones getting the Royal treatment. The concept was influenced a lot from James Bond, especially his Cold War - Russia elements. Lets see what temptations Jason Wu decided to unveil to eager collectors:

First off, from the convention collection, the Hopelessly Captivating Luchia Z. Styled with a 30s look, she reminds me a bit of Chicago's Velma Kelly . The influence of Mel Odom's Gene dolls is very strong in this year's collection as is the opposite.

With her black bob, raised eyebrows and severe suit, she could play in any 30s film noir! I think it is the first Luchia that I kind of like. Her bag is to die for and the pink booties look cute!

Finally, after listening to many collectors demands, an Asian male doll was released! Mission Moscow Takeo Mizutani, dressed in a pinstripe suit and carrying a samurai sword ( I hope it is included in the accessories) strikes a dashing note among the FR males. He does look like Lukas a bit. I hope it is the hair that does this and the sculpt is different. From the official photos, he still does not look too Asian.

A giftset of two new ladies was presented,Elements of Surprise, Lillith and Eden Gift Set - two dolls together, with funky outfits, very 80s style. The colours of the outfits almost hurt my eyes.

And one of the most glamorous Adeles made, The Muse - she looks something between Grace Jones and Naomi Campbell. Very French chic, she could model for YSL anytime. She reminds me of his 70s collections.

The first titled Royalty of the evening was Baroness' little sister (?), Giselle Diefendorf, in a Masterpiece Theatre incarnation. I must say she is quite an improvement over her first release last year. Young Nicole Kidman anyone? (she shares the Agnes sculpt).

The Baroness herself could not be absent from the proceedings (she is an event doll after all). Drama Behind the Drama Agnes Von Weiss is probably the most stunning doll of this collection, with an outfit that reminds me a lot Madra Lord's Postcard From Cannes gown. With that face paint and hair, she's a dead ringer for Nicole Kidman.

In the close up photograph below she looks like she could use some retouch - or simply powder! What next, Botox? She's a doll! I love the fabric of her gown and the embroidered detail.

Thursday at Convention was filled with intrigue and excitement. The dinner event was staged around the storyline that an heirloom jewel was stolen from the Perrin family and attendees were transformed into agents trying to assist in the jewel's return! Each "agent" attendee received an exciting spy kit, perfect for use with the new Takeo Mizutani doll! It included a carrying case, Ninja mask, rope, safe, cell phone and other cool spy gear! Also, there was the centerpiece doll for the evening, a beautiful raven-haired Eugenia. She looks somewhere between a 40s gal and a Versace late 80s model - quite stunning. So here is "Fine Jewel Eugenia":

At the Friday Luncheon at the Convention, Integrity announced the second character in the Hollywood Royalty line: Josephine Baker. Call me anything you like, Josephine is no Hollywood Royalty, she's European Royalty. I was expecting someone from the golden era of Hollywood like Jean Harlow, Bette Davis, Katherine Hepburn or Ginger Rogers. Big disappointment this one and to top it all, she does not look like Josephine any more than the Lana doll resembles Lana Turner. Some lucky attendees had a chance to purchase a very special Josephine Doll, which recreated her famous "Banana Dance".

In addition, every attendee walked away with, Life of the Party, the convention fashion for the FR ladies. It is modelled here by Luchia Z (see top of post), again a very 80s look with a 21st century twist. And very nice mix & match possibilities.


A sneak peek at the new Valia, Pivoine, was also one of the convention highlights. This version of the doll has an updated body with increased articulation. The new body has the same sculpt as the previous body, but now has 15 points of articulation, including at the wrists, under the bust and at the upper thigh. This newest doll was inspired by Lisa Fonssagrives and has a more intense facial screening than the previous dolls. Valia Pivoine is exclusive to Haute Doll magazine , so visit their website for details.

The convention finished up Saturday with more dolls unveiled and also the convention doll (the one included in the attendee package). First of all, Eltin, the newest addition to the Dynamite Girls line was presented. She is supposedly a rock star and her first outfit is from her performance in Moscow. 60s galore!


Shirred, Not Shaken Vanessa (an obvious homage to James Bond) was the centrepiece doll of the evening. Stunning doll but she looks a lot like Obsidian Society Vanessa and the outfit reminds me too much of Agnes from last year's convention along with the Dressmaker Details outfit you can see one of my Vanessa's model here.

So who was the convention doll? A new character was added to the FR line, called Tatyana Alexandrova. Looking like a million bucks in an outfit again very YSL (this time the early 80s) she reminds me oh so much of Victoria Beckham. One very good reason NOT to get her. Victoria must be very happy.

The jewellery is magnificent - earrings, a hat pin, bracelet and ring - what more can a girl ask for? The blue blouse is magnificent.

A direct exclusive Integrity doll was also there: Nadja De Vries The Illusionist - simply stunning in her African regalia:


And finally the Onyx Veronique Perrin was given to the Deluxe Package holders - she's a basic platinum Vero, dressed like her fellows from the Glamorous basic collection.

Many more small gifts and stuff were given to the attendees and of course many dolls from the regular line were present along with customised ones from the attendees, making for a varied and eventful convention.

All pictures are copyrighted by Integrity Toys and are published with their consent. They are not to be used for any for commercial purposes such as ebay or to sell the any of the dolls. I am not affiliated in any way with Integrity Toys.

Some time ago, back in 2007, Dressmaker Details Couture released a lovely giftset exclusively through Mary T's Dollhouse on-line shop. It was called Twinkle Tweed and was comprised of three different outfits made up of interchangable seperates. I have already photographed two of them on Kyori and Vanessa, so here is the third outfit on High Gloss Agnes Von Weiss.

The outfit is made of two pieces, a halter neck blouse and a tulle skirt. The blouse is black knit with silver thread ("twinkle"), has a cowl neck and looks lovel accesorized with the black thread and pearls long necklace included in the outfit's accessories. It will also look great with the other skirts of the giftset (it comes actually threaded through the decolletage, but you can pick it off easily).The full skirt is made of synthetic black satin with tiers of black tulle sewn on it. The tulle has many silver paillettes sewn on it, making the skirt sparkle. It looks very fifties, especially with the black simple clutch bag and pumps that come in the giftset. The elegant gloves complete the chic image of Agnes. Black and white earrings set off her pale complexion to perfection.


The outfit is not lined, so I would advise you to be carefull with it for staining, although my Agnes did not have any problems with it as long as she had it on. The quality of the work is excellent with lots of attention to details, although it would have been perfect if it was lined and if the skirt fabric did not feel so much plastic as it does.

And of course Agnes could not be long without a Vogue cover, I think she really deserves this!

Most doll manufacturers organize conventions for their loyal customers: it is a great way to create publicity about their doll lines, present new dolls and raise their sales. For the fans it is a great way to meet other collectors, exchange or trade dolls and outfits and buy new exclusive dolls. The most sought after dolls in the conventions are usually the official convention dolls and their companions: they are highly stylized and in limited quantities - or they should be.


High Gloss Agnes Von Weiss in no exception: she is, imho, one of the most exquisite Fashion Royalty dolls ever created. Designed specifically for the Dollz In Oz 2008 convention in Sydney Australia, and limited to 300 dolls worldwide, she embodies all that a fashion doll should be: bold, beautiful, exceptional, elegant, glamorous. Designed specifically to fit the event and the theme (Mardi Gras), her unique look places her at the top (or very near at least) of the best that Jason Wu has offered us.


First the gown: it seems that Wu has heard his fans: this is no classic full blown ball gown or mermaid style va-va voom dress. No sir, what we have here is a confection that can rival what Claude Montana did back in the days he designed for Lanvin Haute Couture. The white dress, designed to remind one the Sydney Opera (look at the turned up triangular edges) fits perfectly with Sydney - but where is Mardi Gras? Not that I mind, luckily it avoids any carnival reference, which can be only positive.


The fabric is white with silver pinstripes, making it shimmer in the light. The scale of the stripe is amazing, making the dress look even better up close. The craftsmanship is excellent, with the stitching and lining exquisitely executed. The fit is also great. The voluminous skirt stands great and needs little fussing over to look good. Same goes for the six panels that fall over it, accentuating the cascading hemline.


The bodice is looking great with the microsequined breast panel under the huge stand up collar. The necklace is a bit too much for this design, it would look much better without it. It is even too big for the décolletage, it never can hold its shape properly. The filigree and bead earrings are a perfect match.


The highlight is the silver "leather" corset-belt: it has a tiny non-functioning zipper at the front, framed by six studs, while at the back it ties with laces like a corset. Amazing detail and execution. Montana and Mygler would be proud!




The shoes are silver platform sandals that tie up the leg - the silver laces are slipping on the legs (and my fingers are not helping). The doll is not wearing any kind of hosiery but does have flesh coloured panties.


The face of Agnes is incredibly painted: her white porcelain looking skin is almost translucent, with barely blushed cheeks. All the focus is on the eyes: heavy eye shadow and eye-liner makes her look immensely dramatic, vampiric even - her bold dark eyebrows fitting this image perfectly. Pale shiny lips finish off the look. Her jet black hair is pulled back in a perfect chignon, making her look even more austere. I think it suits the dress perfectly and anything else would have looked too much.


A splendid doll from Fashion Royalty - I hope Jason Wu continues like this in 2008!