Hollywood Dolls

Having done so much traveling this past week without my laptop, I often turned to the web on my phone  for the latest happenings in the doll world. I got to thinking how doll boards have changed my collecting experience.
When I was collecting Bratz dolls I found a Yahoo board that specialized in Bratz. That was my first. It was so much fun. I created my first doll story and had a very positive experience sharing my photos and looking at the photos other collectors posted.  I was already a collector of Tonner's Tiny Kitty, Tyler and Sydney dolls but looking back, I don't know how I survived without a network of collectors at my fingertips! The Tonner site, eBay and dealers' websites were all I had.
Sometime in 2004, I purchased my first Fashion Royalty doll on eBay and after that from other collectors. As I look back through my database, I see names of sellers that I could only have met on the boards.  Many have moved on to other pursuits or are collecting other types of dolls. One is running his own doll forum. Several have gone out of business.
One amazing experience was reading someone's post about a BIC exclusive Kyori coming out soon.  I wrote to BIC and that got me on the pre-order list to get the Ginza Kyori Gift Set. I had no idea what I was doing as I wasn't familiar with the big scramble for Fashion Royalty dolls. I think Ginza was the first FR doll I got at retail and that was no mean feat for a beginning FR collector back then. It was also the first year I attended a Fashion Royalty convention. That was in Toronto. If I hadn't been a board member, I wouldn't have known anyone in advance.

Like so many other collectors I became addicted to FR and the rest is pretty much history but I wanted to give a plug to the public doll boards I frequent most often.

The board which I have been a member of for the longest time is the Pink Parlor. The management has changed and the board is getting back to it's former lively self again. The (unstated) focus of the board is 1/6 scale dolls such as Fashion Royalty, Barbie and similar but many of the collectors have dolls that run the gamut. Registration is necessary and is free.

Logo Property of Pink Parlor. Click on it to go to the Pink Parlor.

Prego is the doll board I go to for the larger dolls like Tonner's Tyler, Sydney, Character Figures, Antoinette and similar 1/4 scale dolls. Again, the collectors there have eclectic collections and enjoy seeing pictures of other dolls. For a long time I thought that I couldn't post anything but repaints because many of the members have the most gorgeous collections of dolls that have been repainted.
I have learned that Prego is a safe board and that "factory" dolls are welcome as well as OOAK.  Many post pictures of Sybarite, Deva and Asian BJD dolls as well. If I post a question about something Tonner related, someone is bound to come up with the answer in minutes.  Registration is necessary and is free.
Here is the link to register to post at Prego:
http://tools.boardhost.com/reg/user=prego

Logo Property of Prego. Click on it to go to Prego.

If you collect Gene Marshall dolls and love fashions from that era, check out The Studio Commissary.
Every day the board posts a different vintage image in the header of either models or movie stars.
The Studio Commissary also hosts a link to the Fashion Sleuth which is a collection of images of real fashions which have been inspirations for doll fashions. For example, Azalea Ice Zita's gown was inspired by a Valentino. Board owner,  Mike Basala, has a great Flickr collection to which many sleuths have contributed. The board is open to all.

Valentino

Zita "Azalea Ice"

Dolly Daily is a forum as opposed to a message board. One big difference is that on an active message board, a topic can scroll off quickly. On a forum, there are tools to see the latest posts in a threaded or hierarchical structure. Here is a link to Wikipedia's explanation of the different types of on-line discussion sites.
Dolly Daily has areas for all different types of dolls, general questions, birthdays and introductions, selling and buying, member blogs and more. Contributors get access to a game arcade and a steam room.
Posts do not scroll off and are searchable by topic and poster's name.
Although I am a member there, I mostly lurk, but I do recommend this forum for it's huge resource of collectors and information. Registration is required and general membership is free.

Logo Property of Dolly Daily. Click on it to go to Dolly Daily

For ball jointed dolls I go to the Den of Angels. This is a very closely moderated forum containing more information than most collectors will ever need. There are many specific sub-forums so it's easy to navigate and find what you are looking for.  They have a huge membership from all over the world. Right now as I type this there are 541 users online. There are 30,852 members of which 10,319 are active members.
Membership is by invitation and free.

Logo Property of DoA. Click on it to go to Den of Angels

These are by no means all the doll boards out there. There are scores of Yahoo groups and other hosted boards in a multitude of formats. One or more is certainly right for you!

Are you still lurking?

This year, the main collection of the Fashion Royalty dolls is named The Glamorous Collection. The four 2008 basic Fashion Royalty dolls from this collection are inspired by minerals! Wearing metallic bodysuits with coordinating shoes, they were launched with the slogan "Mineral Matters!". The four dolls are Kyori, Adele, Vanessa and Luchia. Here I present to you Kyori Sato - Quicksilver!


Kyori is a knock-out in this incarnation. The dolls have not changed from the past year in shape or size, but are getting definitely better hair and better face paint with each new collection. This time she has platinum hair, gathered in a long ponytail with lovely curls at the ends. There are no bangs (thankfully) and the platinum hair makes her pale complexion shine even more.


She is wearing a silver corset, in faux leather, with a ruffle trim on top and snaps at the back. A matching belt fastens around the waist. Under that she has shorts made from the same material. They could work well as separates, the corset surely having more of a life than the silver shorts (except if she is cast in a re-make of Kylie's "Spinning Around" video).


The rest of the accessories include nude panty-hose and silver leather laced platform sole short boots. The platforms give these dolls a terrific height, making them tower even in front of last year's dolls. A nice pair of stud "diamond" earrings and an amazing square metallic cuff bracelet are the jewellery included with the doll.


Her face paint is delicate, much more than I had expected, given that these dolls are inspired by minerals. So instead of glitter and glam, Kyori gets slightly shiny brown/grey eye shadow and deep pink lips combined with slightly blushed cheeks, a very good colouring that can accommodate many different styles and go with a number of outfits from day wear to evening. The only allusion to the metallic theme are the silver painted nails.


Basic doll means, what else, getting to wear lots of different stuff. Lucky for Kyori then that a very elegant suit was waiting for her upon arrival. Mary T's Dollhouse had released in 2007 with Dressmaker Details a great exclusive set of three outfits called Twinkle Tweed Giftset that could be combined between them to get many more different looks. So I photographed Kyori with the suit from that set. The results are stunning.


The tweed fabric is woven with metallic thread so that it catches the light in each move. The short boxy jacket is trimmed in black tulle ruffles at the hem and the cuffs of the elbow-length sleeves, while sequins adorn the lapels. The pencil skirt elegantly finishes off the silhouette. Accessories include a quilted bag (looking a lot like Chanel) with chain and black ribbon strap, a lovely pearl and black bead necklace and black stockings and black closed toe slingbacks (these are the ones shown here, the set included many more accessories, to be seen in later posts).


The silver bracelet and the stud diamond earrings that came with Kyori were of course perfect for this outfit, proving their versatility. No wonder Kyori dances with joy!!!


In conclusion, another great doll from Integrity's Fashion Royalty line. Her versatility means that there are lots of options for posing and re-dressing her. If you noticed in the photographs here, with a bit of re-arranging her long ponytail, you can get some different looks from her and that is before you even try un-doing it.

Here is part 2 of my interview with the talented Chewin and his sister:

FDC: Who is your fashion icon?
Chewin: No one is my fashion icon. Any fashions attract me that are suited for dolls. I can re-sketch or redesign some parts before making. Some fashions are fascinating when people wear them but look so clumsy when they’re on the dolls.


FDC: What is your favorite doll to work/design for?
Chewin: Matt O’Neil is my favorite doll to work for, because the proportion of Matt is not too big or too small though his figure is not as perfect as FR Hommes. But after dressing him in fashions, everyone can imagine that he looks great as a supermodel or any kind of people we wish him to be.


FDC: What is your favorite doll sculpt to re-paint? Is there a least favorite one?
Chewin: I think the majority of doll repaint artists prefer working on Tonner Dolls because this company manufactures such a large variety of different doll faces. Also the detail that goes into each and every doll face is rather perfect. Finally the size of head is easy to hold which make the repainting process very smooth and easy. I like the face of Daphne and Angelina, they have a perfect detail on their face, but I don’t like Betty Ann and Osmopolitan, I think their facial shapes are a little too big.



FDC: What is your all-time favorite doll?
Chewin: My all time favorite doll is the Kotalin or Elizabeth dolls which are created by Jozef Szekeres. I feel he does exceptional work creating doll clothing and is very skillful at Fine Art as well.



FDC: Do you try new techniques on spare dolls before changing a new one or do you just 'go for it', so to speak?
Chewin: Yes, I always like to experiment and try new techniques on my repainted doll such as oils, acrylic, airbrush or pastel etc. Before I apply my new techniques, I always work with a spare doll first, to see the effect after repainting and to discover any changes that may need to be made in order to create perfection.


FDC: What is your most favorite fabric/material to work with and what is your least favorite fabric/material to work with?
Chewin: The fabric that is used for creating doll clothing is sometimes different from the materials we wear. There are specific materials that are best for 16-17” dolls but not suitable for 12-13” dolls. In regards to the type of fabric, I prefer using Thai silk, wool or jeans and I don’t like making outfits with leather or velvet.





This is the end of part 2 of the interview. Next post will be the 3rd and final part.

Photo credits: all photos in this post courtesy of Pornchewin Malipunte except the Kyori Sato photograph, courtesy of Stratos Bacalis.

I have been wanting to do this for quite a while. A photo shoot inspired by the multi-model covers of Vogue, like the one last May (which I want to duplicate sometime in the future).
So here are some Fashion Royalty ladies, posing for your pleasure, on the August Vogue cover that was mysteriously ditched at the very last minute for unknown reasons...and got replaced by one with someone named Winona...tsk, tsk.



The models are, from left to right-standing: Nadja Rhymes (Missima model), Baroness Agnes Von Weiss (heiress, fashion entrepreneur), Kyori Sato (Creative Director at Missima). Seated, left to right: Natalia Fatalé (former director of Missima) and Adèle Makeda (W model). All styling by Stratos, outfits and accessories by Jason Wu except Natalia's dress and accessories by Givenchy. Make up on Adèle by W Cosmetics, Natalia's by Revlon, all other ladies by Missima.

Vogue logo courtesy of Conde Nast Inc.