Hollywood Dolls

I have been crazy busy sewing a costume for the Fashion Royalty convention. It was finished today and a few hours after it was finished I decided to wear something less costume-y.  The husband unit cracked up. He actually liked the costume I made and was also impressed. I'm entitled to change my mind, aren't I?
I will still wear a 'costume' and part of it is something I made but it's better and more me.

I received a reply very quickly after sending an email to the Franklin Mint regarding their Michelle Obama doll.

Dear Terri,

Thank you for your email.

Please be advised that the Michelle Obama doll stands approximately 16.5
inches in height, and the image online is a photograph of the actual
doll. This doll does not have a wig, but rooted hair, and the clothes
are not sewn on, as there will be interchangeable ensembles offered in
the future.

If you need additional information on this matter, please call our toll
free Client Service number at 1-800-843-6468 and one of our
representatives would be more than happy to assist you.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Jennings
Client Service and Satisfaction Representative

I do not believe that the promotional image is an unretouched photograph. I think the face is Photoshopped.  Time will tell. George of Angelic Dreamz told me that release of the doll will not be too soon.

Of the three 1/4 scale Michelle Obama dolls either released or proposed so far I think that Ashton Drake's doll is the best. Their image is also touched up - hey, most of mine are touched up as well. The difference is that I am not selling dolls whose faces I have altered to make them look better.  A-D's version has more articulation and looks more natural. I think the price is also better. First Lady of Style Michelle Obama Fashion Doll Collection will be the first doll in a series that Ashton Drake plans.



I hunted around the internet with a search "Michelle Obama  Dolls" and I found a few interesting options. Each title is a link to the site where I found it.


Michele Obama First lady of Fashion Figurine Collection

Michele Obama Action Figure Set of Three
These figures are available separately for about $12.95 elsewhere.

Designed and manufactured by Jailbreak Toys

Michele Obama Action Figurine (Awful but her arms look great.)
If you put this doll in the sites shopping cart and then attempt to navigate to another page or go back, you will be offered a 7% discount.
Michelle First lady Paper Dolls


And that's that!

I'm hoping to find some time next week to take a few pictures of the Mini LiveWire I just got.

The Contessa arrived today, fangs and all. It's a shame I don't like fangs (on dolls, that is) because there is a lot to like about this doll!

But you can send me Eric -> or Bill -> with fangs, without fangs...any old, dead way.

The packaging is very nice with the window box showing the entire doll. Box has a magnetic closure.
Contessa's gown is a 4 layered affair - the lining, the underskirt, the wine-colored layer and an over-layer of black mesh. The trim is nicely applied around the edges of the skirt layers and there's a tiny trim of lacy edging at the bodice. The corset looks like a separate piece but is sewn on and has stitching that resembles boning. Overall the quality is excellent. Her shoes are faux leather with a decorative detail and ribbon ties. The fashion is completed with long black gloves, black stud earrings and a simple multi-strand chain choker.

The body is the surprise. She's got a full-sized Fashion Royalty bust with a slim waist and hips.The hip joints have more movement than do those of Fashion Royalty dolls and this doll can sit at a 45° angle. Nice. I am impressed with the total package in spite of the high retail price of $149.99. Many dealers are discounting the doll by $20 or more.
There is a Certificate of Authenticity but no edition size. All the CoA says is that once this edition is closed, no more will be made. That means it's an open edition. No surprise there.
See you at Fangtasia?

I don't have any familiarity with the Dark-Hunter series at all. I'm guessing they hunt vampires and I like vampires so there you go.
The artists over at Integrity Toys (who could that be?) have designed these dolls but AD is handling the distribution.
The first two dolls are called Acheron and Simi. AD's website for these characters states that "Each collectible Dark-Hunter doll is meticulously detailed with clothing and accessories straight off the pages of your favorite book. Symbolic of quality and collectability, each doll is handcrafted in premium materials and entirely hand painted." Entirely? Really? I'm impressed.
The images currently on the website are artist's renderings. Be forewarned. However, today, Integrity posted real pictures.


Who took these pictures? They do not show off the dolls well with the use of a soft focus and red lighting. I'm sure I could do a better job but they won't be here unless someone sends me one or two for free.

I would like her coffin handbag, though. Doesn't she look alot like Veronique? Integrity vehemently denies that it is the same sculpt. They say the two are completely new sculpts.

Retail Price: $149. each.
Availability date has not been announced as yet and although he was asked more than one time, David Buttry of Integrity Toys would not answer the question about edition numbers. I'm guessing because there are no edition numbers to be had.
I wouldn't order until I saw real life pictures and read reviews from buyers.

And a closer look of a star being born. Cover material, wouldn't you say?






Then a quick wig change and you have a completely different vibe. Wig by Monique.






A wig change (wig by Monique) was all it took to transform her to a sultry night club singer.

Back to our doll reviews, I am happy to be able to present a brand new character in the Gene Marshall Collection: her best friend, Ivy "Vee" Jordan. According to the Gene storyline, Ivy is

"Gene Marshall’s wise-cracking best friend, always one with a punch-line or witty observation. A child of Hollywood with both of her parents in ‘the biz’ Ivy, or “Vee” as Gene nicknamed her, is Gene’s truest friend and closest ally in Hollywood. A character actress with an eye towards directing someday, Ivy Jordan is a girl to watch."

So the Gene fans got their wish: last year there had been a competition on the official Gene Yahoo group, where members had to write a paragraph explaining which new character should be introduced to the series. So this year, as part of the Colour Deal collection (basic dolls with brightly coloured 50s inspired outfits), Ivy was introduced to the public (there is a second Ivy as a club membership doll).


So how does Ivy come to us? She wears a coral dress with a lovely fitted bodice and tulip skirt sporting tiny pleats at the hips. It looks very 50s, both in colour and cut. The tulip skirt with the pleats looks very interesting, although the shape does not flatter the doll's silhouette as it should have. The pleats though are a work of art, especially for a basic doll's dress.


The accessories are not many but are very nice - short white gloves with pearl side buttons, as any proper lady in the 50s would have worn, along with a white scarf and white ribbon sling backs that are very well made. She wears pantyhose too! You can put the scarf on her anyway you like - I tried one classic 50s look on her - she reminds me of Audrey Hepburn a bit here.




And her face? A brand new sculpt from Mel, she looks like a cross of a very young Joan Crawford with Lauren Bacall. Her face paint is typical of the era as is her brunette bob and bangs. They do compliment her warm brown eyes and exquisite features so much. I must report that the bob is extra stiff, much like the old Gene doll's hair was. Not that far apart from 50s real life hairdos I must say!


Being a basic doll means one thing: versatility in re-dressing! So I tried to pick some outfits from my Gene collection to see how she fared in them. I could have tried more on her but I did not have that much time - I promise to do it again in the near future. It would give me an opportunity to present more outfits from the Ashton Drake Gene years.


Rummaging through one of the doll trunks where I keep many Gene outfits, I came across the Savanna outfit. This was released in 1999 as a dressed doll. It supposedly was a costume from an epic film about an old family of the South. As we can read on the card accompanying the doll

"Gene in Savannah"

"Gene is a charmer in this green and dusty peach gown sprigged with lace, ribbons and roses. Includes earrings, rosette hairpins, shoes, and hose. Her rich dark brown hair falls in coquettish curls. Designed by Katie McHale of Santa Barbara, California - winner of the Young Designers of America Competition."

Well, I only have the outfit - I always wanted to try it on the Scarlett O'Hara doll to see how she would look in another southern style gown. I never did get around doing that, so Ivy is the first one to wear this (I think). Despite the fact that her hairdo is totally wrong for the era it supposedly comes from, she looks great in it. Her face paint and hair colour help a lot of course. The rosette hairpins fit nicely in her bob too!


The dress does not look faithful to the period if one looks at the details with a scrutinizing eye, but the overall impression is that of a plantation belle, and the mint green does look very nice on her. Plus I got to use the underskirt in another fashion all together.


If you remove the over dress from the Savannah outfit, you are left with the underskirt, a beige pleated affair that should have had a bustle but only alludes to one. It does look very nice by itself though. So, draping the scarf from the Ivy outfit as a blouse across her torso, Ivy got a new outfit to show off, looking like a million bucks. I can see her in a film noire dressed in this one.


After our de-tour to the south, back to Hollywood with a purple satin and black lace number (released in 1998), appropriately called "Creme De Cassis". Again from the description card that came with the doll:

"Gene's elegant cocktail ensemble epitomizes the tasteful couture of the era. Her lilac chemise is overlaid with black lace, while four layers of black and lilac tulle add feminine fullness. Her titian-red hair is styled in an artful tumble of curls that frame her lovely, heart-shaped face. Circa 1953"

The colour suits her a lot, but the dress does look a bit overbearing on her, with the four-layered petticoat, even though the era matches perfectly. The veiled hat gives her a noire-ish feel that frames her fierce personality. The shoes are great too, little elegant black velvet V-straps.


Back to the 40's, the "Blue Goddess" gown was so striking on Ivy, I decided to keep her in this for a while. Both cut and colour suit her perfectly and even though the hairdo is wrong for 1945, it does not detract from the total.


The dress is very intricately made, with various snaps and hooks to fasten and panels to drape over until it gets the desired shape. Once all fall into place though, a mesmerizing vision appears before your eyes: Ivy the seductress. From the description card that came with the original doll:

"Gene in Blue Goddess" comes dressed in an aqua chiffon strapless gown with an attached stole. It is beautifully draped to flatter Gene's figure, and is accented with a hint of hand beading. Comes complete with matching shoes, hose, an aqua necklace, drop "diamond" earrings and a rhinestone and aqua bracelet. "Blue Goddess" is circa 1945, and was designed exclusively for Gene by Tim Kennedy."

And finally, still in a high glamour mode but more at home now, I put Ivy in "At Home For The Holidays". I have dressed other dolls in this one before (most notably Vivien Leigh, looking amazing), but Ivy came through with this one again: elegant, beautiful and stylish, she becomes the perfect hostess, ready to present a wonderful evening to her guests.


From the description card that came with the outfit:

"This shimmering cocktail pant suit is an iridescent lavender and ruby taffeta, highlighted with multi-stone 'ruby' and 'gold' earrings and necklace. Circa 1957. Designed by Tim Kennedy. Dealer Exclusive Costume. Production limited to 9,999 worldwide."

The dramatic sweep of the overcoat makes for a very interestingly photographed outfit.


And of course the pants can be combined with any matching top. Here they are with another version of the scarf from the original Ivy outfit:


I liked Ivy very much, she is a brilliantly designed doll, fits the spirit of the Gene line and is very versatile, even with older Gene outfits. I wonder who the next character to be introduced will be: if it's half as successful as Ivy is, we're in for a great Gene year.

P.S.1- The wonderful chair that was used in the photograph is from Clea Bella Productions - they have amazing furniture for 16" and 12" dolls.

P.S.2 - The Ashton Drake Gene outfit links are from the excellent web site dedicated to Gene by Devonne.