Haute Societe

Haute Societe, a photo by alington on Flickr.

So... one of the dolls I wasn't planning on keeping has sort of stuck. It's Haute Societe Veronique Perrin from IT's Tropicalia convention.

Additionally, she's come out of the box. This is her original outfit--which, I might add, many collectors find a bit dowdy.

I love the details, though. I think the piping on her trench coat quite adorable. Underneath that coat, she's wearing separates, I believe--a pleated turquoise skirt and pink and yellow blouse.

And check out the accessories--very well done: a beaded belt, three bracelets, earrings, and a terrific bag.

You can see more photos on Flickr.

Save me from myself and the news!

Sweet Victory Natalia, a photo by alington on Flickr.

Just kidding. I've posted an updated list of dolls-for-sale on my DollPage Show & Sell site (have I mentioned how great that site is today?), and I've lowered a few prices (including on Loni and Anja, since I'm dying to keep one).

Seriously, people. Take Natalia, Kyori, and Adele off my hands--quickly. I've deboxed by Vanessa and Vero this morning. It was awesome! I have to stop, LOL!

I think I'm on to Dasha next... Someone stop me before the news shows up at my door. (My goodness, how do NRFB-ers live? I could never do it!) I can see the headline:

Mother of Four Smothered to Death by Doll Boxes

New listings on the DollPage

Lemon Crush Loni Lawrence, a photo by alington on Flickr.

Check out my listings on the DollPage Show & Sell page -- I've posted a few of the first items from Integrity Toys Tropicalia convention for sale, and there are lots of fun items available, and moving fast.

Check out Kathie's listings as well!

High Point Vanessa

High Point Vanessa, a photo by alington on Flickr.

New sculpt for Vanessa--I have additional real life photos of her uploaded to Flickr. I'd love to hear what other collectors think of her.

1. Are you a fan of Vanessa (the original or resculpt)?
2. How do you generally feel about open-mouth sculpt dolls?
3. Did you like the resculpted version of Vanessa that was released previously?
4. What do you think of this version of her?

Tropicalia convention collection

The Tropicalia convention collection did not disappoint. Overall, I noticed a lot of nice jewelry accents, lots of great shoes, colorful prints, fun mix-n-match pieces, bold color combinations, and some interesting repeated mesh-over-satin bodices that have grown on me.

Let me introduce each of them to you, and then I'll give you my impressions.

Lady in Red Erin S.
A recently refreshed face, her hair is really soft and her mouth is closed (!). The first thing I noticed about this doll is her eyes. At first, I have to confess I wasn't thrilled with her super-low cut outfit (seeing the under-breast articulation isn't my favorite thing), but she's really adorable.

All White Now Collette D.

Interesting cut-outs on this asymmetric gown, Collette isn't in your basic white gown. Her hair was styled gorgeously on display, and her shoes! Oh my. I think they are my favorite.

Haute Société Véronique Perrin
Classic soft facial screening, Barbie blonde and blue-eyed, Vero's outfit is really lovely. It's a two-piece blouse and skirt, in gorgeous pastels, with the mesh overlay on the blouse that you'll see repeated in the Fashion Royalty line. Chunky jewelry and a fabulous bag complete this look.

Main Event Adele Makéda
Adele's reviews were mixed (from what I overheard in the salesroom), but I adore her wild hair. Again, the mesh overlay is seen on her structured asymmetric dress, and it includes great details, like a belt, and some fabulous hourglass seaming. The softer colors were a lovely surprise.

Peak Season Kyori Sato
Dressed for a casual day shopping, a lovely blonde Kyori (is this a refreshed sculpt?) makes an appearance in higher waisted slacks, and a sleeveless blouse with a mesh panel. Again, we see repeated floral themes in her jewelry, and a fabulous bag.

I have to confess--I'm not usually a huge Kyori fan, but I really love this doll.

Sweet Victory Natalia Fatalé
Bolder red mixed with soft pastels, this outfit is really cute. I love the embroidered on the suit jacket, and the details of the "alligator" purse. Natalia has a softer facial screening in the eyes, I think, and casually styled long wavy hair.

Infallible Dasha FR:Squared
Fabulous accessories and shoes combined with a bold royal blue draped dress give Dasha an elegant feel. Her hair is also surprisingly casual and down--but I think it's a nice overall look. The gown is just amazing.

Hot Dots Poppy Parker gift set
The most highly anticipated doll for me--Poppy didn't disappoint. She looks more grown up and a little more sultry with her hair pulled back and more sleepy facial screening. She includes a shorts set, bag, and swimsuit, plus wedge shoes and lots of jewelry.

Tropicalia

Tropicalia, a photo by alington on Flickr.

This is a quick shot of the Tropicalia convention collection from the Integrity Toys convention.

From the left: Hot Dots Poppy Parker, All in White Now Collette, Haute Société Véronique, Lady in Red Erin, Main Event Adele, Peak Season Kyori, Sweet Victory Natalia, Infallible Dasha (FR Squared).

Tropicalia? What is it?

Image from FlyGirlBlog.com

Based on the Integrity Toys upcoming convention, I found the following article on Tropicália from Wikipedia:

Tropicália, also known as Tropicalism, is a Brazilian music movement that arose in the late 1960s and encompassed theatre, poetry, and music, among other forms. It came under the influence of avant-garde artistic trends and pop culture and foreign (such as pop rock and concreteness); mixed traditional manifestations of Brazilian culture to radical aesthetic innovations. Tropicália was influenced by poesia concreta(concrete poetry), a genre of Brazilian avant-garde poetry embodied in the works of Augusto de Campos, Haroldo de Campos, and Décio Pignatari, among a few others.^[1] However, Tropicália is associated almost exclusively with the musical expression movement, both in Brazil and internationally, which arose from the fusion of several musical genres, like Brazilian and African rhythms and rock and roll. 

Additionally, I found more information on The Barbican's website. Apparently, this movement was formed in response to the military dictatorship in Brazil at the time. While it only lasted from 1967-1972, its influence can still be seen today in musicians such as David Bowie, David Byrne, Beck and The Bees.

In doing an image search for "tropicalia," I came up with quite a range of images, which I'm including with links to their original sources here as well. Psychedelic colors, flowing fabric, large prints, fruit hats, beads and feathers seem to be recurring themes--just from my short searches.

Image from www.barbican.com

An example of Tropicalia inspired shoes - for kids today - just adorable and cute: