Latest Steffie project...

I received a fun little package today from Belgium, containing at least one European exclusive Steffie. Above, it's Princess Laura (sold as Jewel Secrets Whitney in the US). I've been wanting to add this doll to my next Steffie book, and I'm thrilled to have her in my collection.

In addition, I received what I believe is a California Dream Midge, also from Europe. She has aqua eyes instead of the US green. I know Cool Times Midge has a similar color eye in the US release, but her lips are a pale pink, and her hair is different--she has full bangs and a little more curl.

As you can see, both dolls needs a little work, but that's easy enough to do. Additionally, there are two fashions included with the dolls which I also don't recognize. I'm really excited to get started!

Joyous Celebration Poppy Parker

For her fifth anniversary, Integrity Toys offered an exclusive Poppy Parker to W Club members, called Joyous Celebration. She's quite lovely.

She has facial screening similar to the ultra limited edition Bergdorf Goodman Poppy, and her hair styled in a neat, easy to maintain braided up-do.

Her gown is inspired by a vintage Francie outfit--DS-2240 Ballgown, only Poppy's has a pink underskirt (rather than orange), and the shoulders of her gown are styled different. She's a lovely doll.

I believe this doll was offered to every W Club member, so I'm not sure of her edition size. I bet I could find it on her certificate of authenticity--if only I could find her box!

Diana Prince - Undercover

This Tonner Doll is called Undercover and is from the new Diana Prince collection. She's a blonde Tyler 2.0 sculpt on a 16" Fit body, and I'm really quite pleased with her. Her outfit is great, too--white slacks, sequined tank top, a belt, necklace, earrings, bag and faux fur trimmed coat.

I think it's cute that when Wonder Woman goes Undercover, she wears all white, with sparkles and fur!

Popular fashion doll photos from 2014

Here are the top ten fashion doll photos (sorted by number of favorites) on Flickr. Above, it's On the Rise Elise Jolie, taken at IFDC in July. She was displayed in the Integrity Toys booth. This photo has 30 favorites.


Elise was popular this year, and one of the dolls I did not order from the collection. This photo has 28 favorites, and was also taken at IT's display booth at IFDC.


On the Prowl Eugenia was another favorite, coming it at #3 with 25 favorites. She too was on display. I didn't add her to my collection, either.


Interestingly, this photo of the yellow dress Barbie Look Red Carpet collection doll (I think with the Louboutin face) comes in at #4 with 25 favorites (and fewer views). I took this photo at the Grant A Wish convention in April.


A second Grant A Wish photo from April comes in at #5 with 24 favorites. This Barbie Look Red Carpet doll uses the Lea face and is wearing a silver gown.


Those sneak peeks of the Barbie Look collection were quite popular this year. This doll takes the #6 spot with 22 favorites. She uses the lovely Aphrodite face.


Weirdly, this dark photo comes in at #7. It's another photo from the IFDC convention, at Integrity's booth. Elusive Creature Natalia Fatale has garnered 21 favorites.


A blurry shot takes up spot #8, also with 21 favorites. This showcases the Mackie, Aphrodite and Lea sculpts of the Red Carpet Barbie Look collection previewed at the Grant a Wish convention.


Agent Lotta Danger (Poppy Parker) was manufactured by Integrity Toys, and displayed at IFDC in July. She comes in at #9 with 18 favorites.


French Kissed Tulabelle is a 16" Integrity Toys doll. She comes in at #9 with 17 favorites. I actually ordered just the fashion from this doll, and it's amazing.


Finally, coming in the 10the place with 17 favorites is Vivid Encounter Adele Makeda. I ended up ordering this doll, and she is great! I think her dress is amazingly detailed, and I really like her makeup.

After perusing these photos myself, I realize two things: 1) I should continue to attend conventions and doll shows, and 2) I need to take some more photos of dolls that are actually in my collection.

Happy 15th Anniversary, Tyler! (Dedicated to Carolyn!)

Tyler Wentworth, Robert Tonner's signature fashion doll, is one of the founding models and dolls of his company. She has a large fan base, and also a signature style, as you can see in this doll, Signature Style Tyler from 2009. She wears a white blouse (this one sateen with rhinestone buttons) and a black skirt. She has celebrated her fifteenth anniversary this year.


Classic doesn't get more classy in Soir de Fete, a Theatre de la Mode style from 2002.


Also from 2002, Reflet d'Argent is a second Theatre de la Mode fashion. I adore the ballgown and the silver beading on the dress and gloves.


Metro Styl Tyler was a convention exclusive (from the 2006 Metropolis luncheon) with gorgeous black curls and a lovely red and black outfit. She includes two skirts, I believe, for multiple styling options.


Mademoiselle a la Mode Tyler is a Paris Fashion Doll exclusive from 2008, limited to 100 dolls. She was in my collection for quite a while, and just a lovely lady. Her softly blushed cheeks always did something special for me.


Fire Opal Tyler is a wigged dressed doll released in 2011. I love her bright matte lips, and that she retains a classic style, even in her edgier fashion.


In 2013, Tyler and Sydney were released as wigged basics. I love Tyler's peachy brown shade. It sets off her bold blue eyes.


You can't mention Tyler without bringing up the controversial 2.0 sculpt. To many collectors, this will never be Tyler, but I've always loved her face. My favorite issue is Au Milieu de l'Hiver, a 2008 limited 100 edition from the Paris Fashion Doll Festival.

 
Along the same lines, in 2009, Celebration a Paris was released with short blonde curls. This Tyler 2.0 is simply adorable, and is also limited to 100.

Wonder Woman 52 uses the new Tyler 2.0 sculpt on a heroine body, but I never dress her as a super hero. Her hair is soft and full--right out of the box--with minimal styling needed, which I appreciate, as most of my regular readers know. She's dressed in a slightly too small Theatre de la Mode gown called Amethyst, and jewels handcrafted by my friend Tracy.

Tyler also made an appearance (several, in fact) in resin. This is the first, Ultimate Basic Tyler. Mine has had a faceup by Overnight Flight, which really softens her features.

Glamorous Misaki

Along the same lines as the OOAK Beatnik Blues, I could hardly pass up this lovely rerooted Misaki. She is a limited edition of 4, I believe, created by the talented Rob Thompson for this past year's Wave from Japan seminar at IFDC.

Here, Misaki is modeling the fashion from Glamorous Darling Poppy Parker, the souvenir doll from IFDC. It's quite a lovely gown, I think, and it matches the purple in her hair.

It has the effect of lifting Misaki's dour mood, much to her chagrin. I just love this doll--she is so delightfully grumpy--with her long bangs obscuring her face, and her purple and black hair. I think she's wonderful!

Beatnik Blues in IT Girl

Beatnik Blues OOAK reroot Poppy Parker is modeling IT Girl's fashion (the companion doll from this past IFDC), which turns out to be quite a nice look for her, I think.

Sometimes, I love to match the hair and clothing of the dolls in my collection. I think it can be sort of fun. And I do have a weakness for dolls with fantasy hair color, for some weird reason. They speak to me!

Fashionably Suited Ru Yi

My favorite JAMIEshow girl, Ru Yi, gets to model Fashionably Suited, a new fashion made by Integrity Toys for Poppy Parker Fashion Teen. It's quite cute and retro.

I love the fabric used for the suit--it's a nice heavy weight, but not too bulky. It fits her very well, too. Underneath the suit, she's wearing a satin navy shell. The necklace broke before I even got a chance to put it on, unfortunately, but it's still wearable, and I can probably fix it. The purse feels Chanel-inspired--in fact, the entire look feels sort of classic Chanel to me.

There are also navy gloves included with the outfit, not shown here. They'd add a lot, but also for a lot of effort, which I didn't care to put into this photo shoot.

You can see a few more photos on Flickr.

Steffie of the Day: Barbie Style Midge

I found a new Steffie on Amazon the other day. She was new to me--which is unusual, but not impossible. Seeing as I wrote the book on Steffie--well, two books, and am now working on a third--I shouldn't be surprised--but I was, and quite delighted!

This is a playline doll from the Barbie Style collection, on an articulated body--like the original Life in the Dreamhouse, in fact. She differs from the original LitD Midge, though, in that her head is more to scale and her hair is a paler shade of red (more strawberry blonde, in my humble opinion).

I think the retail price on these dolls is around $20-25, but Midge was closer to $30 when I bought her, but she has since dropped in price (of course).

The selling point on the dolls is their outfits! They have really great clothes, fun to mix and match. My favorite outfit is Barbie Style Raquelle Gold-Denim Jacket Doll, who has a great jacket, shorts, gold sparkling tights, and a denim shirt. I'll add a link to both her and Midge below this post. But Midge's outfit is really cute in a country chic way, too. She includes:

• an aqua cardigan
• a lace collar shirt
• polka dot capri jeans
• red peep-toes
• a silver bracelet
• a red watch
• silver earrings
• white glasses
• a brown shoulder bag

Plus, she's got long applied eyelashes (mine are applied a little weird--I ended trimming them a little), smooth hair, and a nice articulated body for easy posing.

You can see more photos of her, and also comparison photos of her with Life in the Dreamhouse Midge, on Flickr.

Back from IFDC

These two (Agent Lotta Danger and Spy-A-Go-Go) are shipping this week. And I'm off to Barbie! Feel free to check out my photos on Flickr.

I used a lighter camera this year, as I'm still recovering from neck surgery, and I just couldn't carry my usual heavy-weight camera with me as usual. I'm terribly disappointed with the quality, but I just didn't have time to learn.

Yep, I really did just blame my drug-induced state on the different camera. ;) My advice--while it's nice to have someone else make your bed, I have a hard time saying no to any activity at convention. I don't know if attending a doll convention was so very smart for my recovery. I'm absolutely exhausted!

At any rate--you can see the collection of IFDC photo here.

Mio's Holiday - my latest addition from Azone

Originally, I planned on only one. My intention was to trade a Fashion Royalty doll for a single Azone Pure Neemo, and be done with it. But now they've totally taken over an entire shelf in the doll cabinet!

This is Mio, older sister to Mia and Miu, with the larger body size (I think she uses the M Flection body, but I could be mistaken). She is absolutely adorable! I love her monochromatic outfit.

She includes a bra and panties, skirt with lace trim, corset, cardigan with ruffled edges, blouse with ribbon tie, matching purse, headband with a bow, socks and boots. The only thing I dislike about her were the fact that her boots were so difficult to put on her feet. They don't have closures, so it was hard to slip them on--but I managed it.

I'll add a few more detail photos of her here, for your own examination.

Closeup of her corset, cardigan and blouse

Details of the boots

Detail of her purse

Another full length shot

She's so cute and flirty!

16" Vintage Basic

16" Vintage Basic, a photo by alington on Flickr.

Finally, she's out of her box. This is Tonner Doll's 16" Vintage Basic, a lovely Daphne sculpt with red lips and long, long spiral curls.

She uses Tyler's convertible foot body, though she only includes heel feet. Her outfit is similar to the American Model Vintage Basic, released a few years ago.

You can see some additional photos on Flickr. I think she redresses well. Here are a few more photos.

In Bubble Ballroom Golden Gala (older Wizard of Oz fashion):

 In Anne Harper's A Sensible Notion fashion:

Lil' Fairy Lipu

Lipu, a photo by alington on Flickr.

And darn it, the next one in the series, Ewnoe, is sold out already!

She's my first Picco Neemo in this body style--she is 1/12 in size with the D-body (larger hands and head), and I didn't think I'd like her. But her anime features are perfect. She includes extra hand poses, so she can easily hold her broom (and cleaning rag).

Her outfit is removable, and under the apron, she is wearing a cute brown short-sleeved dress (the lace-trimmed sleeves are detached). She includes tights, mary janes, bloomers, and a head piece, too.

See more photos on Flickr. Ack, she's cute!

Atlanta BJD Convention

Atlanta BJD Convention, a photo by alington on Flickr.

A fun time was had by all at the premier Atlanta BJD Convention last weekend. Check out the photos on Flickr.

Ellowyne Wilde and a few of her friends made an appearance at Angela Wade's table, Plaid Dragon.

The Bratter Lovers - a giftset from Integrity Toys

A new arrival from Integrity Toys is The Bratter Lovers giftset, from the Barefoot in the Park collection. Poppy Parker stars as Corie Bratter--though IMDB spells it Corrie Bratter (Jane Fonda plays her in the film). Hmm. I didn't realize it, but Robert Redford plays Paul Bratter--so it looks like I'll be watching this movie sometime soon.

I think this set turned out rather well. The box is gorgeous and quaint--I like the graphics, for example. I've been hearing about a musty smell from IT products lately, which I haven't noticed up to this point. However--I did notice on this box's shipper. I think it's the cardboard. I wonder if it's stored outside?

 

I wasn't 100% on Poppy's hairstyle or the color, but I love it in person. Even the quirky bangs are cute. Additionally, I realize centered eyes aren't Poppy's most popular look, but she's lovely with blue eyes. Mine has perfect lashes.

The outfit--wow. Well, I think you can tell when designers are working on a product they enjoy, and they really seemed to enjoy this one. I am really impressed with the coat. The bead and loop closures on the front are perfectly done, and the stitching is nicely scaled. I also like her turtleneck and corduroys.  Her shoes are short brown ankle boots. IT went out of its way for some fabulous jewelry accessories for this set--rings, earrings, and a cool bracelet, too.

Now, let's check out Chip, or rather, Paul. I'm not much for boy/man dolls in my collection, but I have to say, I'm impressed with how much Chip has matured in this set. His hair looks fantastic; he shipped with a hairnet, so it stayed in place.

Chip's outfit has lots of layers. From what I can tell, aside from the fact that the collar of his shirt might be a bit bulky, considering how much he's wearing, he looks great. That trench coat is fantastic. I really like that he includes a scarf, as well. To me, he looks like what Ken should be.

Now, unfortunately for me, my collection is currently in an uproar, so to speak. While I think both of these dolls are cute, I'm committed to either. I've been more on a resin kick lately. But this happens to me with preorders all the time. These days, if you think you might want Poppy, you have to preorder her, because she sells out so quickly. (When will I learn?)

So, if you've missed out on this set, you can pick up mine from the DollPage. See additional photos on Flickr.