Hollywood Dolls

The movement is afoot to get Integrity Toys to stop production of the redesigned Vanessa head mold. Hopefully the designers will listen and make collectors happy.

I have decided to join with those petitioning IT. Vanessa is my favorite mold after all and although I didn't see that much difference, I'd rather no changes at all.

There have been 22 versions of Vanessa manufactured since the beginning.  There have been 15 Agnes dolls. Does that mean that Agnes will also get restyled soon? She's wildly popular among collectors as Vanessa has always been.

All a doll needs is different facial screening, different hair styling and a great outfit to change her appearance.  Make light, medium and dark versions. Discontinue or reduce her production.
You don't change an icon's appearance.  Who is making these decisions?
These are all Vanessa. Most are IT's own promotional photos. Of these, five were not terribly popular but sold out fast nevertheless. All except Aerodynamic are hunted by collectors. The prices for these dolls can be extraordinarily high.
I ought to just dig up my protests against the restyling of Veronique or my comments about the restyling of Natalia. That was ridiculous. It stopped being Natalia. I am quite sure that sales have not improved as a result of these changes. Isn't that why IT is in business? Is someone with an out-of-control ego loose in the boardroom? 

When In Bloom Vanessa, the W Club doll from 2007 was shown there was a very negative reaction to her appearance and it was changed because of that. 

While most unhappy collectors are busy protesting on the W Board and other boards, I have suggested they write directly to the designers at Integrity Toys. At the last convention, Vaughn said he wanted to hear what collectors think. Is he paying attention? Is anyone?

Where do I begin? This was a massive amount of dolls in an impressive collection which spanned almost every current single line produced except for Avant Guard. I think I was lucky that I could not be on-line during the reveal as I was not affected by any emotional overtones or pitches. It wasn't until I began to get emails from fellow collectors who know my attachment to the Vanessa Fashion Royalty doll that I actually began to look at the new dolls on the small screen on my iPhone.  Now, almost 24 hours later, I have been digesting the dolls and I am ready to write.

Apparently the biggest storm is over the perceived change in Vanessa's sculpt. Even before I read the pages and pages of troubled and unhappy comments I had her on my pre-order list.  At first I thought, oh good, now my addiction to that sculpt is over and I don't HAVE to have every one anymore. And then as I looked at her more, I realized that it was only her hair that I didn't like. It was in the style of Shirred Not Shaken. Remember her?

Shirred Not Shaken

 I have pulled several images of recently produced Vanessa dolls for comparison in order to show that there is really very little difference in the new sculpt, if any at all.
 What has changed is the painting of the lips and the drama. That started already with the last Vanessa shown in the lower left of the composite and the shape of the jaw - see it in the lower right and the upper left. If you think her cheekbone structure is gone - it's the lighting of the photograph. It's very easy to flatten an image if you light it equally from all angles or light it too much.
Most of us have multiples of particular sculpts - all painted differently with differently colored and differently styled hair. Many collectors re-root brand new dolls; others tweak their looks slightly with paint or just by restyling the hair.  If no one had told me that this version of Vanessa was redone "in order to keep the family resemblance" (with Veronique) going, I wouldn't have known the difference. I would have thought that they chose to paint her lips without the teeth showing. She's got the same huge eyebrows, the same nose, the same everything. I don't think she looks like Vero II. I didn't think the original looked like Vanessa either.

And if I am wrong (!?%#*!?* ) then the designers are shooting themselves in the collective foot by messing with the most popular character ever since the beginning of Fashion Royalty and one has to wonder what the thought process is or if anyone is even thinking.


Last year when I was still carrying on a one-woman protest about the retiring of Veronique's sculpt, I sarcastically posted that they should just go ahead and retire Vanessa at the same time. Whoa!!! There was a small uprising from the rank and file...no, don't change Vanessa, blah, blah. It was obvious that no one wanted to see her change.

Let's look at the rest of the new Fashion Royalty line which will have applied eyelashes although not for the purposes of photography. There are 12 dressed dolls and two separate fashions.
Three female and two male  dolls are new characters! Someone has definitely been working overtime.

Quiet Storm Annik™  London Mist Imogen™  Easy Elegance Korinne™

Nothing here is exciting even if it is new. Tights, shorts, short coats. Whatever.  Each doll retails for $110.

Silent Partner Romain Perrin™ &  Fast Track Victor James™ $125. each.

Romain is very interesting and if I collected male figures, I'd definitely be interested. I would like a more mature looking male but I love what he's wearing and the look is very cool. Victor looks like Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a major metropolitan newspaper.  Any minute now he'll step into into a phone booth (if he can find one) whip open his trench and fly out as Superman-With-A-Tan. (SWAT) His coat looks very ill-fitting unless the guy has the most amazing pecs.

It was fun looking for this picture.

In The Trenches and True Blues Luxury Wear™ Fashion $75. each.

Cute in a little girl, Nu-Face and Dynamite Girl way. 

Pencil Me In Eugenia Perrin Frost™   Scene Stealer Isha™    Porcelain Beauty Kesenia™    High Brow Adèle Makéda®

Eugenia still retains her gorgeous face (for now)but the hairstyle is supremely unattractive. Isha doesn't look like Isha anymore. Kesenia is frightening-looking with that mouth, but I love the outfit and I ordered her. I'm on the fence about Adele. She looks like the classic beauty Adele that I love and I do like the outfit. I just can't make up my mind. I have a feeling that Korrine's jacket matches Adele's pants but I'm not buying Korinne just for the jacket. These dolls are $110. each.

Leading Man Lukas Maverick™   Dress Code Vanessa Perrin®     Breaking The Mold Véronique Perrin®

Lukas ($125.) comes in colors. Vanessa ($110.) has been discussed already. Veronique isn't Veronique ($110.) She will always be an impostor to me.

Estimated delivery of all dolls appears to be the Second Quarter of 2011. (April, May, June)

The year was 2005 - a year of amazing Fashion Royalty dolls including:
 Born to Gamble Kyori
 Flirtatious Veronique
Bodacious  Adele
Age of Opulence Isha


Amazing gift sets including:
Poesie Sans Couleur Vanessa

Ginza Blond and Redhead Kyori

A Fashionable Life Raven and Platinum.
It was also the year for furniture including the chaise, coffee table, liquor cabinet and bed.

I started collecting FR in earnest that year as well. I got the platinum AFL right away but it took several years to get her sister. This week, they were both redressed in Talking Drama Adele's gown. I dyed the steel blue version.
I love these dolls. There is something about handling the 'older' Fashion Royalty dolls and redressing them that is very satisfying and comfortable.



 I think I'll do Poesie next.

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.

It's nine days since I paid for her and I just couldn't wait any longer so I emailed the liaisons at the W Club.
I received a very kind response from Luanne (who is always very pleasant and helpful). She told me that she would contact the business office of Integrity Toys. I'm assuming someone there actually read her email because about 1 hour later I got a shipping notice.

I know I'm not their favorite customer but really.....

Image Source: http://www.nataliedee.com/archives/2006/Apr/

At 5 PM EST last night approximately 400 W Club members from all over the world logged on to a webinar held by Integrity Toys for the purpose of seeing the new dolls for 2010. Carol Roth ran the event. Percy Newsome, Jason Wu, Vaughn Sawyers, David Buttry and Alain Tremblay took part.
I expected a live event with live pictures rather than just live voices and pictures. It was over after about one hour. About 6 questions were taken from attendees. The event was scheduled for two hours so I wonder what was missing.
One by one each grouping was shown. I compliment the size and quality of the images. For the first time we have been shown images that didn't try to be artsy but rather intended to display the dolls and fashions with appropriate lighting and focus.

The Event dolls are a set of two mini Avantguards, Aphrodisiac (on the left) and Androgyny and will sell for $175. That's a fair price for the two. I would have rather gotten a Fashion Royalty doll but many are pleased with this choice. They are wigged as are the original full-sized versions and are dressed in the same fashions. It's a cute idea. I think it will be fun to photograph the two Aphrodisiacs together. I don't have Androgyny anymore. I wonder if there will be a mini Goldmine. She would definitely find a place in my collection!
The Fashion Royalty Monogram Collection, in my opinion, was the winner out of all the lines. Besides the doll Brilliance, which I have previously reviewed, there is a lingerie version , two fantastic dressed dolls and another dressed doll that I will pass on. Each one is $150 except for the lingerie version which is $120.

I don't like the pink gown from the waist down and that's a shame. The fabric detail on the bodice and shoulder and the cute beaded hat are lovely. I like the look of the short wig as well. The structure of the skirt reminds me of the outrageous Biltmore Hotel Gene Marshall gown from years ago. The Biltmore gown was a work of art. I don't want to spend $150. for a Monogram doll whose outfit is useless to me.
I finally found a use for Brilliance's outfit...it fits a Silkstone doll perfectly!


But I digress. Back to the debut.

Next up are the Fashion Royalty dolls themselves. They were divided into two categories, Dazzle and Foundation....whatever. Foundation would be a good name for a line of lingerie dolls.

The Dazzle dolls have 60's hairstyles and Heidi Klum type sequined dresses. They are $79. except for the Kyori giftset which is $175.

Sorry to say that Mattel did the sequin thing better.
The Kyori giftset comes with a big red ruffled gown sporting a beige bow, a plaid suit with a blouse underneath, two pairs of shoes, earrings, bracelet, ring and black potholder gloves.

Let's talk about hair. It's depressing to see those gorgeous faces under the ridiculous hairstyles. They look rock hard and are so unattractive. Adele's Afro is not to my taste either. I'd really tone it down a few inches which would still give her an ethnic hairdo but keep her from looking like she belongs in a Mike Myers movie.

Overall, the theme of the collection is a little bit of this and a little bit of that as far as fashion eras. It's certainly not like Jason's runway collections which are cohesive and relate to eachother.

The Foundation Collection
Staying Power Darius Reid and Model Citizen Lukas M., two Hommes in ill-fitting suits carrying great man bags and wearing great shoes. $139.00 each. This is not a giftset with two dolls. I have combined them into one image to save space. One can only hope that the jackets do not actually fit the way they look in the pictures.
Fire Within Jordan $139.
Jordan is very pretty and I think her outfit is adorable. I'm hoping the construction lives up to my expectations as it looks complicated. I will get rid of the pot holders immediately. I love hats for my dolls.

Tricks of the Trade Eugenia Perrin Frost $139.00
Which "trade" is that? The outfit is cute, I think. Actually I don't know what to think about this doll. I'm afraid she'll open her mouth and the fangs will come out. I am ordering her because she is so strange that she's interesting.

Private Goddess Natalia Fatale $150.
Someone is going to have to rethink the color and the draping of the fabric on that dress. The bodice has possibilities. Did Natalia's fairy godmother use the nursery room draperies for the skirt? Was she in a hurry?
Winning Ensemble Luxury Wear Fashion $69
I want the doll that is modeling this outfit. It appears to be Vanessa before the LDS hairstyle was applied. The outfit is another mini bubble skirt type dress in spring colors, a 50's bow hat with tulle, and the ubiquitous black gladiator shoes. I'm undecided.


The Three NuFace dolls below are Perk Colette, The Great Pretender Lillith and Mais Oui! Giselle Diefendorf. Each is $99.
Giselle's outfit comes with a fitted black jacket that has an interesting peplum. I think they're all adorable. The clothes are edgy eye candy. Colette and Lillith have beautiful faces. They will be mine.


Flash Star Luxury Wear Fashion $69.
Poppy Parker, the Dynamite Girls and ITBE will be covered in the next post.

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.