Hollywood Dolls

I previously commented on the fashion that PG Natalia is shown dressed in and how poorly the draping appears. While it is certainly possible that the photographer could have rearranged the folds to look better, I have the feeling that it just doesn't work as a high fashion gown anyway.
I looked back to see other ballgowns in the Fashion Royalty line and came up with the Pale Fire Vanessa doll.
On several levels the PG Natalia pales in comparison - no pun intended. Pale Fire was part of the 2007 Cult Couture line available from FR dealers. She was an edition of 1000 and was the most expensive doll of the five issued at $159.00. The bodice of the gown had a corset-like construction and the skirt was crafted from a high quality, moderate sheen fabric. There are actually two skirts with the top layer lined in the same color as the full bottom skirt. The drapes and folds were voluminous and did not need to be arranged to look right. Her jewelry is still sought after by collectors. It was an intricate collection of woven beads with hair ornaments, neckpiece, earrings and bracelet. Collectors had been clamoring for more jewelry and this was the answer. The entire line that year had excellent jewelry, beautifully crafted fashions with terrific handbags and shoes. There was no fried, frizzy hair either. It was to be the last superbly dressed and coiffed Vanessa - not counting the convention dolls which were to follow. There have been eleven Vanessas since then and not one regular line issue has been anywhere near Pale Fire.__________________
In Bloom - W Club Doll - 2007
Going Places* - The Royal Life Convention Souvenir Doll - 2007
High Tide - Style Du Jour Basic - 2007
Color Therapy* - The Glamorous Collection Premium Spring - 2008
Metal Maven - The Glamorous Collection Basic Spring - 2008
Stirred Not Shaken* - The Heist Convention Centerpiece - 2008
Cruise Control - W Club Doll - 2008
Night Warrior* - Dolly Style Convention Souvenir Doll - 2009
Aerodynamic - Future Perfect Collection Spring - 2009
Luxe Life* - Iconic Convention Collection - 2009
Temptation - The Dazzle Collection - Basic Doll - 2010
________________

I put stars next to the dolls that appear to have been designed and constructed on a higher fashion level. Metal Maven and the other basics are just that - basics. One doesn't expect that much in terms of fashion.
I focus so much on Vanessa because she has been my muse. Once I couldn't wait to see the next Vanessa. Now I tremble in fearful anticipation. But I have gone off the subject of this post.
I'm not pleased with the direction of the premium dolls. I do not think that the Monogram dolls can ever take the place of Fashion Royalty although that is apparently where they are going. All the talent (Jason's ?) goes into designing their clothes. But then what about the Monogram Brilliance outfit? I think that if the construction error on the front of the jacket hadn't happened.....

I can understand that Jason's interests lie elsewhere and I applaud his success. But he was the design talent of Integrity and Fashion Royalty. Now what?

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.

I made this Vogue cover for a doll board; I think it works out fine. Tell me what you think!

Vanessa Perrin is one of the hottest faces in the Fashion Royalty roster. Each and every one of the dolls with her face become instant collectibles, dolls not to be missed by Jason Wu fans. The basic Vanessa doll from this year's Glamorous collection is not an exception.


Vanessa comes dressed in golden toned faux leather corset and shorts, much like Kyori and the other basic dolls of this collection. The already familiar from Kyori boots with laces complete the ensemble. Her rust blonde coloured hair match the outfit and make her look even more glamorous. Gathered in a high ponytail and cascading down her back in big curls, they look sensuous and sexy.


Her make up too is excellent. Based on golden and brown hues, with a pale pink lip colour, it gives her a look that can match many outfits. Her light blue eyes are enhanced by real eyelashes. The jewellery set, basic stud "diamond" earrings (golden) and a matching gold square cuff, look great and can work well with other ensembles. Matching coloured fingernails complete the picture.


So how does Vanessa look in another outfit? From the same Dressmaker Details Couture gift set that Kyori took her exquisite suit, I picked the black satin corset trimmed with tulle and the matching long skirt with train to put on her. Boy, does she look awesome! Topping the ensemble off with a long necklace of transparent beads, her own earrings and cuff and black mules, she is the embodiment of timeless glamour and sophistication. It is if it was made for her.


Metal Maven Vanessa is another great version of the Perrin younger sister to grace the Fashion Royalty catwalk. Her perfect face paint and hair colour with ideal colouring make her an excellent basic doll, ready to offer hours of enjoyment while she goes into outfit after outfit, mesmerising fashion doll collectors everywhere.

The Fashion Royalty convention this year was very successful for everyone involved. Integrity and Jason Wu managed to present a well coordinated glamorous event and the attendees had a blast attending the various events and picking up lots of dolls: this was the convention with the most dolls released ever. The theme was The Royal Life. And here we will start a series of articles presenting some of the convention dolls. First to arrive, the beautiful Going Places Vanessa.


Vanessa Perrin is considered the most sought after face of Fashion Royalty dolls. Each one of her re-incarnations becomes an instant collectible, its value rising much higher than the retail price. The reason? It is not the number of dolls being produced for sure; even the Vanessas on big releases have become collectibles. I guess it is the face mold: she's the best looking Fashion Royalty lady ever made. My personal preference may be Kyori, but every Vanessa doll released is looking great, a thing not easily said about Kyori Sato dolls.


This Vanessa is no exception. Dark haired, with smoky eyes and sensuous coral lips, she is simply stunning. The hairdo, a double French twist, gives her an air of hauteur, befitting the royal theme of the convention. There were again complaints of badly painted eyes, but far less than Pale Fire Vanessa (see previous post here).


Her jewellery set is impressive but not anything unusual. Filigree "gold" chandelier earrings with coral and black "pearls", with matching necklace. A bracelet would have been a nice addition, after all, she is a convention doll.


Her dress is the classic mermaid style gown that Jason Wu has given us countless times until now, especially in event or special dolls. This one looks even a bit like the Lights, Camera, Royal Veronique gown. Here we get it in a blue/black fabric with tulle and lace overlay. I love the draping on this gown, especially around the hips, pity it gets lost as it is black on black. The lace is gorgeous, with a lovely eyelash finish:


Underneath, contrary to expectations, she is wearing only flesh colored panties. No elaborate garters and stockings here. Her shoes are not much better than Pale Fire : black strappy shoes again, nothing to brag home about and certainly not royal looking.


So, while the doll itself is lovely, as all Vanessas usually are, the total package leaves a lot to be desired: un-original dress, less then stellar shoes and underwear, incomplete jewellery set for a royal lady (the crown given with her at the convention only does not justify the title by itself). The advantage is in that she makes a very good substitute for those like me who do not have a dark haired Vanessa and especially the raven A Fashionable Life Vanessa FAO special doll.