Hollywood Dolls

Dania Zarr "Lady in Waiting" is the first of two 2010 W Club dolls. She arrived a few days ago and had her photo shoot last night. She looks just like the promotional photos...

Integrity Promo Photo

until you start to comb her hair to get the flyaways and other distracting hairs fixed. The more I tried to smooth it out, the worse it became. I used three different products by the time I was done and it still wasn't perfect. Photoshop helped this image a great deal in that area.
The jewelry is interesting. The earrings are overscaled and in real life they would tear her ears off. The necklace is stunning and I've seen loads of huge neckpieces on the market recently. It can be gently adjusted. My recommendation - put it on before you do her hair and tape it in place temporarily. It wants to turn around backwards.
The dress came with a stitch holding the skirt to the box between her legs which created a dip in the fabric. The bottom of the dress is rather stiff due to the applied ruffles so I don't know if that can be steamed to make the shape more moderate. I think if it were carefully pinned to shape and then steamed, it might hold. Her shoes are the omnipresent gladiator style with a platform sole.

W Club dolls are expensive when you do the actual math.
There is the base membership of $50. which shows up as $25 in the math below.

Dania cost $110 plus shipping per doll. Everyone got a $20 coupon so the doll came to $90 ps. which cost me $14.05 as I purchased two of them.
$90. + $25. + $7.02 =  $122.02 per Dania.

The second club doll, Anja, is selling for $135. plus shipping. If I order two and the shipping remains the same, that doll will cost me $135. + $25. + $7.02 =  $167.02! Holy Moly. That's a lot of money for a doll whose promotional photo looks iffy. She may actually be the only W Club doll that won't be purchased by me. 

There's also the upgrade membership which, this year, included the option to purchase an Avantguard doll (Freeze Frame) and a Fashion Royalty doll (Spring Forward Eugenia) neither of which I kept. That membership cost an additional $105. above the base membership. At least I think it did. The dolls were an additional sum.

The first centerpiece was at dinner on Thursday night. She is called Smoke Screen Dania Zarr. I thought it was Agnes as her hairstyle and makeup are very much like that of Firefly Agnes.

Smoke Screen Dania Zarr 2010

Integrity Photo (Exposure Adjusted by Author)

 This doll is styled in a way that's been used often on FR dolls this past year - multi-level, multi shaped and multi-styled pieces in mixed fabrics. It's not my favorite style. I don't see any grace there. I see mix and match and cute but not classy.

The Friday afternoon luncheon saw a lovely Poppy Parker "Shadow of a Smile" as the centerpiece.

Poppy Parker "Shadow of a Smile" 2010

Integrity Photo (Exposure Adjusted by Author)

I have been told that this gown is a black (dark blue?) version of the beautiful off-white "The Look of Love" fashion currently available at dealers. [Correction: The gown is deep purple and black.] Her adorable red hair and irresistible face made this a delightful centerpiece.

Integrity Photo

Friday evening we were treated to the sight of a gorgeous doll called "Provocatrice" Anja trapped inside a cage! She is extremely sought after by collectors. I wonder why. Could it be that she looks like a version of Veronique? Hmmm....why fix it if it ain't broke?
We love Veronique and she is going to be relegated to the base of the pyramid of Fashion Royalty. More on that hint from Jason later.
Is this red fabric with black lace the same as was used on the Agnes Giftset? I don't have Agnes here anymore so I can't compare.

From Agnes Giftset 2010

Successful Ascension 2009

"Provocatrice" Anja

Integrity Photo (Exposure Adjusted by Author)

Saturday afternoon's W Club Luncheon saw Elyse Jolie "Dark Swan" as the FR2 centerpiece. The last time Elyse was seen was as the convention souvenir doll in 2009. She was such a gorgeous doll, so well dressed that I haven't touched a hair on her head or a thread of her fashion.

Elyse Jolie "Blue Blood" 2009 Convention Souvenir Doll

That one had the regular Fashion Royalty body. The new one has been moved to the FR2 line.  She's wearing a little dress with a skirt which stands out due to a stiff crinoline. Her cropped jacket is double breasted. She comes with lace ankle socks, a brown rectangular handbag and very nice shoes which look better sans socks. All I can say is OY VEY.  Did anyone actually look at this doll's ridiculous hairstyle before letting it out of the gate? She sports a long, fat braid with frizzy ends. The top of her hair is center parted with one side out of the braid that's been cut shorter and curled. Did you get that?  This character went from sublime to ridiculous. There is no grace or class.  How does the train case styled, poopy-brown handbag fit in here? The FR2 have Barbie length eyelashes and underarm gripper stands.

Dark Swan Elise FR2

Dark Swan Elise FR2

The Saturday night table centerpiece is my pick for the best doll of the lot. She is called "Smoldering" and is a dark-skinned Monogram doll. Her gown is absolutely magnificent and quite obviously designed by someone who knows how to drape fabric. It is two-tone and feels like brushed satin. Just gorgeous!!! This doll is classy and graceful and I'm so happy to have her in my collection.
I wish they would have done something with her hair besides chopping it into a short, style-less do. She definitely needs to be wigged.
Someone had started a thread on the W Club board questioning the absence of a dark-skinned doll from the Monogram line. And now we have one. I wonder if there will ever be a new Monogram sculpt. 


Jason's talk on Saturday night was enigmatic, as usual. What I got from what he did say was that there was going to be a restructuring of the Fashion Royalty line. The prices would go down. Veronique will appear in that restructured line. He said they would be "growing the brand," a big marketing expression. Whatever.
He stated that there would be a return to fine-tuned details, great accessories, shoes that look like real shoes, etc. He said this last year related to the Monogram line. Why is it coming back? Where did it go? What exactly do we have now?

Alain pranced around the ballroom with a microphone to get to those who wanted to ask Jason questions.

Drawings were held for those whose winning tickets were pulled. Actually, the drawings were held behind closed doors; the winners were announced. This year the tickets had to have names on them. You couldn't just rely on the anonymous numbers which are printed on the tickets. To avoid the appearance of impropriety in the future, all drawings should be in public in front of those who spent money on chances.  This is a pretty serious issue and should be addressed.
This is not to say that the staff has favorites or resentments. Ahem.  It just looks bad.


More will be revealed.

Internet Photo

Included in the release is the notice that there will be a new Fashion Royalty spin-off brand. I don't know why the news doesn't excite me. I like Madame Alexander's Cissy doll but I wouldn't go to a Madame Alexander convention because I don't care for the other dolls that are included in their conventions.  From the point of view of a collector, I don't know that a convention is the place to celebrate a brand new line. We certainly can't say Integrity is boring because we never know what to expect.

The line is entitled FR2 and pronounced FR Squared. I think I'll always call it FR Two (I hated math.)  When something is squared you multiply the original by itself and you get more of the original. The title can lead to a great deal of speculation as evidenced by the 3 page thread on the W Club board.

Note: An email from the W Club just arrived. It says:

"...spin off brand called FR²... This new line will have a brand new body, new characters and a renewed couture style by Jason Wu. "

Haute couture (French for "high sewing" or "high dressmaking"; pronounced [ot kutyʁ] OHT-koo-TOOR) refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. Haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finish by the most experienced and capable seamstresses, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques. Couture is a common abbreviation of Haute Couture, which refers to the same thing in spirit.^[1]
It originally referred to Englishman Charles Frederick Worth's work, produced in Paris in the mid-nineteenth century.^[2] In modern France, haute couture is a "protected name" that can be used only by firms that meet certain well-defined standards. However, the term is also used loosely to describe all high-fashion custom-fitted clothing, whether it is produced in Paris or in other fashion capitals such as Milan, London, New York, Tokyo and Madrid.

The term couture style is being misused.

Integrity Toys' Logo

The Registration Package
The 30 page long layout is very artistic thanks to Alain's design skills.  Spooky castles and dark patterns infuse the package with a sense of Halloween and scariness.
The forms are interactive - there's nothing to print out and mail or fax. It's very tree friendly.

 The Workshops
All except one of the workshops is being held on Friday.  It's all very organized. I am registered for the first four workshops below.  The hubster will have to amuse himself.

1. Poppy Ponies Up! - Rob “Uriah” Redden
2. Thinking Out of the Box - Vaughn Sawyers
3. Mini-Masterpieces - Steven Fraser
4. Baby Light-Up my Fire! - Alain Tremblay
5. FR Do’s, FR Don’ts - Francisco Garcia
6. Recycle Those Doll Boxes - Ava Plummer

The workshops are free. Some of them will offer optional kits to use during the session. At the last Gene convention, the Madra head sold for the hairstyling class was a highly sought after item after the convention was over.

The Convention Collection

1. “Always Polished” Dasha FR2 Dressed Doll (New Character!)
2. “Night Vision” Count Adrian Von Lamberg™ Figure (New Character!) 
3. “Fine Romance” Eugenia Perrin Frost™ Dressed Doll
4. “Scarlet Woman” Adèle Makéda® Dressed Doll
5. “Out of the Blue” Kyori Sato® Dressed Doll 
6. “Wild at Heart” Lillith and Eden™ Gift Set
7. “Ask Any Girl” Poppy Parker Gift Set

Seven items with a total of nine dolls. I wonder if Dasha is Tatyana reworked.  It's been a long time since Kyori appeared at a convention and many have been asking for her. The Lillith and Eden giftsets were very popular in 2008. (A friend notes that this wasn't really a popular giftset. I suppose it's a matter of perception.)

Missing from the above are Agnes, Vanessa, Veronique, Elise Jolie, Dania, Natalia, Jordan, Luchia, Tatyana, Isha, the Hommes, the rest of the Nu.Face characters, the Monogram dolls and the Avantguard dolls.

My guesses for centerpieces are Agnes (that's a given), Veronique, Vanessa and Elise. Perhaps those are my wishes as well.

Members of the W Club received the announcement and photos of the first W Club Exclusive doll on July 29. My first reaction was to the photography. I thought, "This is how I would photograph a doll I wanted to sell."
They are absolutely beautiful shots which showed the doll clearly and in several poses. I was truly impressed.

The doll is called "Lady in Waiting" and it uses the Dania Zarr sculpt on a Nu.Face body. According to the marketing email, "Dania has been working out and now is able to wear this tight fitted number over her smaller bust." Perhaps Dania has become bulimic as well? Time will tell.  Real life models get skinnier and skinnier and IT's dolls shrink down in size, too.





I'm not a big fan of the Dania sculpt but I love her dress and jewelry. She does look classic and beautiful and that's what most collectors have been wanting. I have sent in a query about the hem of the dress to find out if it's wired for shaping purposes. If it isn't, and it needs it, that would be a simple project.


The doll is available only to W Club members for $110. and must be ordered no later than August 13, 2010.

Saturday night's centerpiece doll was Dania Zarr as Optic Clash.


The Convention Doll was a new character called Elise Jolie. This edition is called "Blue Blood."

All of the images in this post are the property of Integrity Toys.

The only doll I pre-ordered from this year's main collection was Red Zinger Dania. I did so mainly because she is a new character; however, her mold has already been used for Lana Turner. She photographs amazingly well or I was just having a good afternoon...not sure which. Usually when I'm not in love with a doll, the photos show it.
As to the quality of the doll, she passes with flying colors. I'm having a little trouble with the jewelry. The tiny jump rings holding the heavy elements together open easily and when I was removing the necklace from it's cardboard backing, two pieces fell off. Yesterday when I was posing the doll, part of her earring fell off. Annoying but not irreparable.
Dania came dressed with a plastic protector around her shoulders and neck. That's a warning if ever there was one. Do not leave this outfit on the doll for an extended period. I wonder if there is something one can apply to the interior of that area that will protect the doll. Saran wrap?
I removed the navy blue fabric belt/sash as I felt it was completely out of place and ruined the line of the outfit.
As you can see, under the jacket Dania is wearing a sleeveless top tucked into the skirt. It's like a bodysuit although there is elastic rather than fabric holding the top down between her legs. She's also got panties under that. The skirt sheds a bit so when photographing one must carefully blow any stray fibers away.
Let's talk about the hair. This is just my personal taste. I don't like the roll. So far in all the pictures collectors have posted, they have flattened it. In the promotional photo that Integrity posted (see below), the curl is flattened. So why have it in the first place?