Madame Alexander is catching on...

Apparently, Madame Alexander has caught on to my fever of historical dolls and clothing. In the latest 2009 catalog, there are three dolls scheduled for release in August 2009 which interest me:

1. Anne Boleyn, who uses a 16" Alex-style body and sculpt. I am not familiar with Alex, nor do I own any Alex dolls (yet), but after seeing these promotional photos, it looks like I soon may. Anne is wearing a lovely, historically accurate Tudor-style gown in deep iridescent purple and gold taffeta, including a pretty decent headpiece with chiffon veil, covering her dark brown braided hair. The details of the costume look good--from the lamb's "fur" sleeves to the pearl jewelry. Even if I chose to use my existing Anne doll, Alex dolls can swap clothing with Tonner slim-busted dolls. Retail price is $249.95.
2. Elizabeth I. This doll is a blue-eyed likeness of the virgin queen. She sports Elizabeth's cropped curly hair, and seems to be her father's likeness. I'm not in love with her face sculpt, and I have a RTW Spring Tyler I plan to use instead. But the gown is truly beautiful. She's wearing black velvet with pearl accents, over a gold underskirt. And she even has a lace ruff, popular at the time. Also, according to the notes, she is wearing a crown with an attached veil. Her outfit is lovely. This doll retails for $259.95.
3. Marie Antoinette. A vision in pink silk dupioni, she models all the pomp that was pre-revolutionary France. Floral embroidery and elegant lace make up the fine details of the outfit. Her hair is done up in an ivory cascade of curls, topped off with feathers. She even includes panniers (the basket-shaped hoop that gives the skirt its shape) and white bloomers as her underclothing. (I only wish she weren't in pink--she looks too much like cotton candy or a fancy Barbie. I would buy her in a heartbeat if she were in blue or yellow.) This doll also retails for $259.95.

I haven't decided which, if any, of these dolls I will be adding to my collection, or if I will be pre-ordering them. Last time I pre-ordered any dolls, I regretted it. You wait for so long, and then the prices drop significantly. But these are limited editions of 300. And I don't know anything about Alexander dolls--do they sell out quickly? Are they hard to find? These do have higher prices than dolls I have seen before from this manufacturer, so I may wait till they actually come in stock, and then see how it goes. And for now, I will just admire the lovely promotional photos!
Photos courtesy Madame Alexander.