Poppy Meets the Barbie® Pink Collection
The BFMC has officially closed up shop at Mattel but there is a small glimmer of former glory. Mattel has announced the Barbie® Pink Collection™. According to the press release this series will be “Classic Barbie® glamour meets on-trend style”. The first doll of the series is designed by Robert Best and is on a Silkstone model muse body.
Barbie®Pink Collection™ Doll
- Label: Gold Label®
- Designer: Robert Best
- Release Date: 1/25/2021
- Included with doll: Dress, earrings, shoes, doll stand
- Eyelashes: Painted
- Fashion:Off-the-shoulder high-low gown with bow accents and a dramatic train of cascading tulle
- Fashion Sewn On?: No
- Body Type:Model Muse (Silkstone)
- Doll Stand: Yes
- Facial sculpt: Millie Cl Mouth Collector Size (Silkstone)
- Package Dimensions (H/D/W): 14" x 4" x 10"
- Limit 3 per person
SKU #: GTJ76
Price: Wait for it…$100.00 If you are a Barbie Collector member at platinum level you get a discount. I might wait for a sale on this one folks.
The box is very pretty and suitable for a display piece. The dress is well made and is removable..that is a nice plus. The shoes are plastic…meh…but the earrings are metal. That is an improvement from past offerings. The facial screening is pretty but I would have preferred that the hairband was done with actual hair and not fuchsia material. To be honest it makes it look like a 1980’s scrunchie and detracts from the elegance of the gown.
Since I am not the model muse body type collector anymore, I decided that Poppy was going to wear the gown. The color of this gown is INTENSE. It’s the signature pantone Barbie pink color and for the very first time in my career of using Photoshop/Light room on images…I had to actually dial the vibrancy back a bit on the images! I didn’t adjust much but I felt it was fair to say that I did it. Important to note…the little upper arm sleeves are separate so you can use them or not.
This is Shining in the Spotlight Poppy Parker in the Pink Collection gown and earrings with fashion royalty shoes. I have changed Poppy’s original hairstyle slightly from the original by twirling the long braid up and around the crown of her head and securing it with pins. Her green eyes work beautifully with this almost florescent fuchsia gown.
New photo prop alert!!! So I have been trying my hands at making some 1/6 plants mostly for photo props ( and just to see if I could frankly) during our quarantine. I think these court palms turned out good! The little ornate toile urns are from Seda France candles I purchased and have used. They make beautiful planters for 1/6 scale. They are extremely fragrant. My current favorite is Hyacinth 
-Rebecca
Big OOAK Sale Today!!
Hello all! Just wanted to give a shout out about an exciting sale going on today for all you vintage and OOAK Barbie lovers out there. The talented duo of Hilda Westervelt and Maryann Roy have a new collection of Mannequin Mavens they are debuting today as well as fashions by Hilda and furniture by Maryann. They are working with some amazing prints from David Rose this time around and the results are nothing short of stellar! There is sure to be something for everyone in this epic sale and if you are one of the many who are sad about not attending Barbiecon this year, here is your chance to get some of the things you only see there. For all the images and prices of what is available, please visit Hilda’s or Maryann’s blogs at
www.bellissimacouturefashions.com (Hilda) fashions
www.maryannroy.com (Maryann) Furniture, Room Boxes and OOAK Mannequin Mavens.
To entice you to go, here are a few luscious images of some of the things available today.
The Mannequin Maven Collection
Hilda also has some fantastic OOAK fashions that she is offering. Here are a few.
All these beauties are available either through Maryann’s (OOAK’s and furniture) or Hilda’s ( fashions) blogs so go check out their websites!
–Rebecca
NBDCC Convention News–Sitting this one out.
First and Foremost let me wish Barbie a very Happy 61st Birthday today!!! In honor of her birthday I thought it would be a good day to announce some news and give some information on a fun sale that Miss Hilda ( Bellissima Couture) and I have cooked up for Miss Barbie.
Some of you may have heard already but I wanted to put this out there for everyone. Hilda and I will not be attending the National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention this year in Las Vegas. The reasons for us not going are varied. I want to assure everyone that it is not due to any health related issues. My family and I are doing very well and I am happy to report that all of my daughter’s scans have been blissfully clear and without any evidence of cancer since 2018. Sooooo grateful!!! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. They are working!!
We are very sad to not be seeing everyone. This community of collectors is what drives Hilda and I to do what we do. Because we love and value this collector community so much we have been coming up with some fun ways to offer the same products we normally offer at Barbiecon but via our online shops. This way everyone can participate and not just those attending the convention. For those attending NBDCC, please know we are very sorry to miss seeing and visiting with you at the convention. I am most sorry to miss that one on one connection. It was and is always the highlight of going to the convention for me.
Now that we are announcing, both Hilda and I wanted to offer up a special sales event on Barbie’s birthday to begin our series of online events leading up to the NBDCC. The plan is to offer a couple different capsule collections from now until June. These capsule collections will include fashions by Hilda (Bellissima Couture). Some will have unique OOAK fabrics we have developed together. Offerings will include luxury accessories that I have done to compliment the fashions. Also, this means {cue drumroll please!}….my Etsy shop is opening!!!!
My Etsy shop is ITFashionDollStudio and should be open by Friday if not before. I will send the link via blog post on Friday or before once it is open.
If you are interested in the fashions, head on over to Hilda’s blog (Bellissima Couture). She is selling the dresses and the dresses with bag as a set. If you are interested in the accessories ( bag sets, individual bags, hat boxes and pillows) please visit my Etsy shop when it opens this Friday.
-Rebecca
Black and White Forever Barbie
2020 will be the final year for the BFMC Barbie adult collector line. While it is sad to see the end, I think it is time to let this one go. The line since the articulated body made it’s appearance and economy measures were installed at Mattel have really taken this line down to the basic level. Case in point, the first doll of the final series in 2020 is “Best in Black”
- Label: Gold Label®
- Designer: Robert Best
- Release Date: 11/20/2019
- Eyelashes: Painted
- Body Type: Poseable silkstone
- Included With Dress, pair of sheer socks,pair of shoes, & Doll Stand
- Facial sculpt: Vintage Silkstone
- Fashion Sewn On?: No
- Fashion: Jet-black mini dress with stylish leg-of-mutton sleeves
Ok…so if you were looking to design and offer a doll to symbolize a funeral for the BFMC line….Mattel hit the nail on the head. This doll is indeed headed to a funeral with all the austerity and solemnity that would entail. No jewelry, no handbag, socks shoes and a black dress. Okie Dokie. Not the way this amazing BFMC line of dolls should begin the end of its career in my opinion but here we are.
Who knows what the last entries for this line will entail but at this point, my hopes are not high. For it’s last offering of 2019, the BFMC managed to at least give us collectors a ball gown so I have decided to celebrate that with a blog post. Don’t get me wrong, the BFMC has thrilled and blown this collector away many times since 2001. I am happy to have been able to collect this line for the past 19 years. I am just sad to see it ending on such a low note.
This past season, I was able to add a tree to the ITFDS studio. The theme for the tree was all black and white. Chanel was an inspiration.
And it inspired me to give the 2019 Black and White Forever Barbie a photo shoot.
Barbie® Black and White Forever™ Doll
- Label: Gold Label®
- Designer: Robert Best
- Release Date: 6/04/2019
- Included with doll: Slingback shoes, Earrings, Doll Stand,gloves, petticoat,wrist tag
- Eyelashes: Painted
- Fashion: Petticoat, Slingback shoes
- Fashion Sewn On?: No
- Body Type: Posable BFMC
- Doll Stand: Yes
- Facial sculpt: 11590
She at least has some earrings 
. I’m not a huge fan of the articulated body or the glitter eye shadow but at least she has a ballgown. I also like the two toned white with black hair in an elegant updo. Is she worth the $100 price tag? I would wait for a sale on this one.
-Rebecca
NBDCC 2019- The OOAK Parties
Many collectors show up days in advance of the actual start of convention to take part in room shopping and to participate in the One of A Kind (OOAK) parties by various artists. There is a rich and varied pool of artists that repaint and redress Barbie in haute couture. It’s one of my favorite parts of convention to be honest and I was honored to be allowed to photograph many of the shows. I apologize in advance for the shows I did not cover…namely Ninimomo. There were simply not enough hours in the day and too many amazing artists to photograph. I encourage you to scrounge the internet to find images of Nick and Marie’s amazing creations. They are not to be missed.
I have put the full set of images on my Flickr ( you can find the link on my sidebar…too the right on your screen) I have included a few of my favorite shots here.
The collection was sublime as always. Such a pleasure to see and be able to photograph these lovely pieces of art.
This year the talented duo of Mario Paglino and Gianni Grossi payed tribute to the history of Barbie. They reimagined all the famous and popular looks of Barbie from her 1959 beginnings up through the current day. It was a thorough and imaginative collection with some truly stellar examples of couture Barbie.
Madame du Barbie interpretation
And the original…
Malibu Barbie interpretation
and the original…
Roman Holiday interpretation
and the original…
Every piece was a work of art!!! And lucky me…my number was chosen early and I got to come home with this lovely!!
Evening Splendor interpretation
and the original…
Another show that many collectors will show up early to ensure they won’t miss these works of art.
So many artist dolls to enjoy and photograph!! My cup runneth over 
Again, if you want to see the full set of images, head over to my flickr. All photos from the OOAK parties will be there by end of the day.
–Rebecca
NBDCC 2019–Let It Begin!!!
I have just returned from the National Barbie Doll Collector Convention which was held in Kansas City, Missouri. It was a big year this year as it is Barbie’s 60th birthday. The actual convention began on Wednesday, July31st but most avid collectors show up as early as the Sunday before to take advantage of amazing room shopping. Hilda Westervelt of Bellissima Couture and I opened on Monday for room sales. Here are a few of the shots of what we had available in our room.
Hilda’s exclusives for room shopping and sales room
And some fun eyewear and neck scarves from me….
Needless to say, we hit the ground running upon landing in Kansas City on Sunday 
Stay tuned….more blog posts on ooak designer parties and convention events coming up!!
–Rebecca
2018 NBDCC–Magia2000 OOAK Event
On Tuesday, Magia2000 unveiled their convention collection and it did not disappoint. This collection paid tribute to couture collections and designers of the past and present. All of the big couture houses were represented…Dior, Valentino, Armani, Dolce and Gabbana, YSL and the list goes on. The collection sold out in the hours it was up for bid and purchase. Many lucky collectors whose numbers were called early walked away happy campers.
Mario and Gianni also included inspiration photos next to each doll. I always love to see what inspires an artist to create.
The attention to detail by these two artists is really amazing! It is a treat to just see these pieces of art let alone be able to purchase them.
The complete set of photos will be up on my Flickr account(link in the side bar to the right) in about and hour. I will be uploading after this post. Hope you all enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed viewing this collection and photographing it.
-Rebecca
2018 NBDCC–Matt Sutton and Matt Trujillo OOAK Party
Hello all! I know….long time no see. I have been busy busy making products for NBDCC 2018. I am here again at National Barbie Doll Collector Convention to report and send photos from as many events as I can attend while still selling product 
. Will send another post tonight with more information on room sales.
The first event I attended was the Matt Sutton and Matt Trujillio OOAK party and boy..it did not disappoint.
A taste of Matt Sutton’s lovelies!
These are just a few of my fav’s. The whole set of photos can be found on my flickr..link on the right in my sidebar.
Matt Trujillo had some amazing work as well!!
Again…go to my flickr for the full set of photos.
Will be photographing OOAK parties all day today so will try and get the photos out over the next couple of days.
-Rebecca
Reign of the Redheads
I have a special affinity for redheads. I have always been drawn to the vibrant hair color and often, this hair hue is what I gravitate to when I want a model for a dramatic shot. Red hair and freckles run in my family of origin and while I was not lucky enough to get the red hair ( the freckles…I did get) I was thrilled that my son was born with strawberry blond hair. So…in honor of those redheads, I did this shoot. The exquisite gowns are a recent acquisition from the talented Rimdoll on Etsy.
Models: (from left to right) 2016 Japan Barbie Convention doll, Black and White Tweed Suit Silkstone Barbie and 2016 Paris Fashion Doll Festival Barbie
Gowns: Rimdoll on Etsy
Still not a fan of the articulated bodies on these silkstone Barbies. It is very limited articulation and it irks me that you cant bend the hand at wrist joint to put it fully on the dolls hip.
Love this elegant Black and White Tweed Suit Silkstone’s facial screening though.
Gorgeous blending of hair colors on this Japan convention exclusive
This vibrant red hair color is my absolute favorite…especially when it’s paired with a green eye. Yummy!
And these gowns were so perfect in these fabulous pastel shades. Adore.
-Rebecca
BFMC Blush and Gold Arrives
This morning the Barbie Collector website was updated to release images of this new addition to the Silkstone BFMC 2017 collection. Now..here is where I would say “BFC members were given a sneak peak of this one a month ago” but…I can’t say that as there is no official Barbie Fan Club as of the posting of this blog report. Let’s face the facts folks…the BFC may not be coming back. This makes me sad but I can’t pretend I and many others didn’t see the writing on the wall a long time ago. With all the troubles on their website, crazy no win treasure hunts, questionable business practices ( {cough}, camel coat, {cough}) the demise of the BFC doesn’t surprise me at all. Oh and there is also this little factoid. Mattel stock fell off a cliff a couple weeks ago due to abysmal earnings. Way worse than what was expected…never a good thing for a publically traded stock.
This is just me speculating here but..all of these bits and pieces point to bad news for the Barbie Fan Club and the future of Barbie Collector. How much longer before the current Barbie Collection website is rolled into the new Mattel website? Bye Bye collector forums.
So, with that “Debbie Downer” opener, lets talk about the latest release Mattel DID in fact give collectors today.
Blush & Gold Cocktail Dress Barbie® Doll
Designer: Robert Best
Release Date: 5/08/2017
Retail: $100.00 !!! yes, you saw it correctly
That is one hefty price tag for a shorter dress and basic accessories ( no jewelry folks and a plastic purse). I am also not wowed by the facial screening in these images. I do realize however that she may look a lot better IRL so there is always that hope. But..as they say….a picture tells a thousand words. Do these images sell a $100 dollar doll? Not too sure about that. I think more than anything, my question for Mattel’s Barbie Collector BFMC personnel is “ Does your lack of communication, perks for your customers(BFC), and general disorganized product roll out encourage collectors to want to buy?”
Debbie Downer out….
First Silkstone of 2017 Coming Soon
It looks like these images are up on the Barbie Collection website so I will share them here too. The first Silkstone of 2017 will be available tomorrow!! While I am not a fan of this articulated body, I still love the look of this first offering.
I find it very interesting that these images are available but no news on the Barbie Fan Club for 2017 is up and available yet. Word is 03/31/2017. Let’s just say, I will believe it when I see it. In the mean time, there are images and a price point for this silkstone to mull over.
Black & White Tweed Suit Barbie® Doll
Gold Label
Designer:Robert Best
Release Date: 03/27/2017 ( release doesn’t always mean available people…just sayin’)
Price: $75.00
Love the redhead! Love the suit and Hermes inspired Kelly bag. The hat…hmmmm…will have to see. Happy that this lady has earrings! I have to be honest…I am shocked we don’t have any new information on the BFC yet…just some vague information that it would be coming out by 03/31/2017. I will be adding this beauty to my collection, club or no club.
-Rebecca
Happy Holidays from ITFDS
Sorry for the obscenely long break between posts. I realized I have not posted since IT convention in October and my only excuse is that life hit hyper drive since then. I had WAY too many projects come up at once. I need to do a big shout out to Rogier Corbeau of The Dutch Fashion Doll World who graciously and beautifully handled the blog during the Integrity Toys convention. You rock!! I could not have left ITFDS in better hands during convention.
Back in July, I began some holiday shoots that I had planned to make into holiday cards. Great idea but not enough time to turn it into reality. Oh well, there is always next year right? Since I don’t have time to send these, I thought I would just put it on the blog as one big digital holiday card to everyone. I am so very grateful to all my readers for your support. It means the world to me. I hope to continue my photography series in the year ahead and I am looking forward to bringing more consistent content to the blog. I hope this post finds you all happy, healthy and in anticipation of some really great dolls under your tree or in your stocking.
Model: OOAK Silkstone by Jon Copeland-Childers SeloJSpa
Gown: 2010Chizhik on Ebay
Fur Cape: Integrity Toys “Flight of Fancy” outfit
Holiday photo #2 up tomorrow.
Accessories, Accessories, Accessories
I have shown you a little bit of what Hilda is bringing to The Integrity Toys convention this year. Now, I can show you a little bit of what Rogier and I are bringing to Wednesday’s event and the Friday night sales bazaar.
From Inside The Fashion Doll Studio:
1. Nudes, Nudes, Nudes…and only in a tasteful way. I mean nude dolls people. FR, FR2, NuFace, Monogram and Dynamite Girls. I have over 60 dolls to sell.
2. A few boxed dolls.
3. Silk scarves for your dolls
4. Doll jewelry
5. Designer shopping bags
6. **NEW This Year** Flowers for your dolls
We won’t be putting anything on hold so if you want anything you see, show up early.
NOTE! Purse not for sale!!
And from the very talented Rogier Corbeau of Dutch Fashion Doll World:
Minis!!!!!!!!!
Look for time and room number of the Bellissima Couture , Inside The Fashion Doll Studio and Dutch Fashion Doll World event at convention. It will be posted on the sales boards
Hudson’s Bay Barbie!
Sorry to start this blog post out with some snark but here it goes. When you are a company the size of Mattel…and you say you are going to have something for sale on a certain date at a certain time….you would think they would honor that. Nope. But then again, this was the same company that advertised a doll for $50 then raised the price 50 percent an hour into the sale to $75. Snark over…for now. 
All this being said, Mattel released a highly anticipated doll today ( about an hour and a half later than they said they would but released it they did)…whaaaaat…how did that extra snark get in there?
Seriously though..Carlyle has a new girl to show off at Mattel and she is a beauty! Well done Carlyle!!! Also important to note…for once Canadian collectors can buy directly and get this one shipped to their homes. She is also available at Hudson’s Bay online.
Designer: Carlyle Nuera
Release Date: 10/5/2016
Retail: $49.99
She’s purrrrty. And…There is a poodle!!! The latte cup and cell phone are a bonus too eh?
-Rebecca
More Silkstone News!!
So right after I posted yesterday, Mattel posted new images of the BFC exclusive Silkstone for 2016. We have all had a gander at the sketch for many months and many of us had a chance to see the doll in person at the NBDCC 2016. Here are a few images I took of her at NBDCC
And here is the information and official pictures
Designer: Robert Best
Release Date: 10/12/2016
Retail: $100.00
- Body Type: Posable Silkstone®
- Facial sculpt:
- Fashion Sewn On: No
- Fashion: Pink satin gown with flowing organza train
- Accessories: Black satin opera gloves, chandelier earrings
She is a BFC exclusive which means you need to be a BFC member to purchase.
Things to take note of….The IRL doll at NBDCC was sporting pink shoes not black and the fabric on the IRL doll did not show the same kind of fabric as the promo shots are indicating. Just trying to keep it real folks and set expectations appropriately. You be the judge but to these eyes, the ruffle material on the promo shots looks like it lays very nicely, whereas the IRL doll at NBDCC did not. The beading also looks very different but there are always differences between the promo shots and the actual production doll. The difference here is that the production doll was actually seen BEFORE the promo shots so, it feels kind of humorous to me. It’s like saying “ Yeah…this is what we could have done…but….we didn’t”
All else being held equal, I’m still buying the doll. She is a platinum updo with a pink gown…of course I’m buying. Whether or not I feel very good about it is another thing. I have a hard time supporting a company who is making some really unfortunate decisions regarding their collector line. I find it hard to plug a product in this blog when I have a very real concern for the direction of this Mattel division.
-Rebecca
New Barbie Look and Silkstone News!
There has been a bit of a Barbie drought in this collectors house for a while but that may change in the coming weeks. This morning, The Barbie Collection added a few items for preorder that has some collectors very interested.
First up are a couple of new Barbie Look dolls.
The Barbie Look™ Barbie® Doll – Park Pretty
Designer: Bill Greening
- Body Type: Articulated
- Facial sculpt: Millie
- Fashion Sewn On: No
- Fashion: Floral dress paired with yellow peep toe shoes
- Accessories: Doll, fashion, shoes, sunglasses, bracelets, purse, phone, coffee drink, Miss Honey, dog tag
Release Date: 9/30/2016 **** Caveat…don’t be fooled by the date people, it says release but in actuality, this one won’t ship until 11/11/16** Just keeping it real.
Retail: $29.95
I love the accessories this one comes with. Honey the dog is always a plus ( did you know this dog has her own Instagram account!) and the phone and iced coffee drink is adorable. It looks like this doll also has a semi ‘made to move’ body. The knees at least look that way and one would assume its so Barbie can sit very easily on the picnic blanket while she is at the park. Nice work Bill. I like this one.
The Barbie Look™ Barbie® Doll – Pool Chic
Designer: Bill Greening
Release Date: 9/30/2016
- Body Type: Articulated
- Facial sculpt: Karl
- Fashion Sewn On: No
- Fashion: Floor-length aqua blue halter dress with gold detail
- Accessories: Doll, fashion, shoes, earrings, bracelet, purse, phone, compact with pom pom, lipstick
Release Date: 9/30/2016 **** Caveat…don’t be fooled by the date people, it says release but in actuality, this one won’t ship until 11/11/16** Just keeping it real.
Retail: $29.95
Very elegant and I love the accessories again. Bill…you have this collector’s attention. I am really liking these Barbie Look collections so far.
Classic Black Dress Barbie® Doll (Brunette)
Designer: Robert Best
- Body Type: Posable Silkstone®
- Facial sculpt: Vintage Silkstone
- Fashion Sewn On: No
- Fashion: Little black dress
- Accessories: Boots
Release Date: 9/30/2016 **** Caveat…don’t be fooled by the date people, it says release but in actuality, this one won’t ship until 01/31/17** Just keeping it real.
Retail: $40.00
OK…first off I am really happy that a brunette version of the adorable blonde classic black dress silkstone will be available to collectors now. The price point is very attractive too! However, this doll is eerily similar to a couple of the convention dolls given in Europe this past year. If I were an attendee for one of these conventions and I saw this, frankly, I would be a little pissed off. Those convention dolls are supposed to be super exclusive, a perk for going to them. Now Mattel is offering up a doll so similar it’s uncomfortable. Here is the Milan convention doll…
Odd choice Mattel.
The Power of Pink Rises Again
I can’t describe the power of this color in my life. It is a color that just makes me happy. I confess, if I see a dress or gown in this color, I am immediately drawn to it. I seem to fall for the pale pinks more so than the more vibrant hues but If it is pink, I’m interested. For those of you who follow my instagram feed ( and soon to add Instagram stories too!!), you will have seen that I added these babies to my shoe collection.
The color just makes me happy. So it will come as no surprise that I recently took receipt of some pink gowns. They are from a relatively new designer in the doll arena and I am pleased to be adding his pieces to my collection.
Model: 2016 NBDCC Convention Doll
Gown and earrings: Rimdoll on Etsy
Shoes: 2016 NBDCC Convention Doll
Oh the yummy pink sparklyness of this!! By the way, I completely blame Wholeeah for this gown ( follow her on Flickr or Instagram) because it was her phenomenal pictures of this dress on a Matt Sutton OOAK that got me running to buy it. This gown came with a little gift of earrings. Always a nice touch and it is well tailored and shipped very quickly. I have more of this designer’s work to show you!
** note** The sleeves are a little long on this model because this dress was made to fit the FR2 body. I just decided I wanted a Silkstone to model it first.
-Rebecca
The Madrid Fashion Doll Show Convention–Day 3 The Salesroom
The last day of convention is full of lovely sales room goodies 
But before we get into those, I wanted to show the promotional images from two of the auction items displayed last night. These items will be auctioned off on Ebay in the coming weeks. Stay tuned to Rogier’s blog for information on when those items are up and available for bidding.
Carlyle Nuera released these images on his Instagram and FB page of the glorious design he did.
And here is one for the Magia2000 auction item.
Now on to the Madrid Fashion Doll convention sales room!
Artist Creations brought some beautiful dolls.
And Magia2000 brought some stunners as well.
I believe this beautiful lady went home with someone we know.
And many, many more talented people exhibited their wares
Amazing hats and outfits by Cisca Durieux
And so many more….
And with these final images, I pass the baton back to Rogier for Dutch Fashion Doll World. Rogier will be blogging for me in about a month as I travel to Chicago for the Integrity Toy Convention. Wishing you safe and easy travel back to your home my friend. It has been a pleasure and honor to sit in the editor chair these past few days.
-Rebecca
The Madrid Fashion Doll Show Convention–Gala Dinner continued…
I forgot to mention a few things about the centerpiece in the previous post.
The gold Indian inspired 3D frame around the doll was designed and fabricated by Rogier Corbeau of Dutch Fashion Doll World. The mandala carpet beneath the doll was made by Maria Vergara Bea. This entire centerpiece was sponsored by Douglas Martinez from the Harrisbourg doll Club. Beautiful work everyone!!!
The Gala dinner by all accounts was a glorious and fun affair.
And then it was time for the presentation of the Mattel convention doll!!
Brunette Classic Black Dress articulated Silkstone. Gorgeous!!!
Limited Edition of 221
And the convention was not done handing out the gifts! From the Madrid Fashion Doll Convention organizers:
“Bollywood nights in Madrid”
“This doll is made to celebrate our fourth convention. She has been designed and made by Mon-Lew Designs. She has a rich combination of fabrics and colors.
A special embroidery was made for her.
She is wearing all kinds of Jewelry.
In Bollywood more is the best so she has it all.
The box was designed by Brani Midlanov”
And, as extra extra bonus, a helper doll was given to some of the instrumental people who collaborated and helped bring this fabulous convention to fruition.
MUMBAI TRAVELLER
Made By Mon-Lew Designs to thank collaborators and helpers.
She is a limited edition 30 units
Tomorrow is salesroom day!! I am sure Rogier will have lots of amazing pictures for us of the bounty available at the Madrid Fashion Doll Show. Stay tuned tomorrow.
The Madrid Fashion Doll Show Convention–Gala Dinner
After presentations were over this afternoon, there was one workshop put on by the talented member of Artist Creations Guiseppe de Bellis
Then it was time for the really big party…The Gala Dinner!!! Here are a few images from the dessert table.
The centerpiece doll
“Bolliwood Diva 2.0”
She was an originally designed by Marcelo Jacob, now redesigned by Lewis and made by Joana Costa “Squistish”
And the tables themselves incorporated many of the beautiful colors of India.
Rogier’s table gift. Wish I were at his table!!!
Gorgeous!!
There were beautiful auction items as well. Here are just a few….
Here is beautiful image Magia2000 shared on their instagram
Mattel done by Carlyle Nuera
So, Gala dinner is happening right now. We should have images of convention doll very soon. As I write this, Rogier is sending me videos of some major dancing going on…Bollywood style. LOVE. What a fantastic party!!
-Rebecca
The Madrid Fashion Doll Show Convention–Day 2
The second day of festivities in Madrid began with presentations and an OOAK artist cocktail by Sebastian Atelier. Rogier took some great photos of these events!
Carlyle Nuera gave a presentation from Mattel. No photos were allowed at this event after the introduction. It looks like he was signing his fabulous sketches that people received in their registration bags before the presentation .
Ibrahim Ismail also gave a presentation on Bollywood cinema but sadly, I do not have any images of that. I’m sure it was fabulous.
Conventioneers were given option to attended the OOAK artist cocktail party given by Sebastian Atelier. There were some beautiful OOAK creations to look through and for a lucky few, purchase.
For those who attended the cocktail, there was a beautiful outfit given as a gift.
More info coming later and don’t forget…Gala dinner with presentation of convention doll!!!
-Rebecca
Opening the Treasure Chest: “Tokyo Chic”
One of the things I enjoy most about The National Barbie Doll Collector Convention are the amazing One of a Kind (OOAK) artists that bring their creations to the convention. Most of them sell at private shows or in their rooms in the days leading up to the official start of the convention. Many collectors, including myself, go up to 4 days early to convention so they can attend these private parties and see what kind of OOAK creations they can add to their collections. For some collectors, these OOAK’s are the focus of their collection. There are so many talented artists within this community.
One such artist is Julia Lapshova of Julia Originals. I was lucky to get to her room early enough and purchased this lovely creation. Her attention to detail and tailoring is always extraordinary. I am so very happy to have Ms. Tokyo Chic in my personal collection. You can also follow Julia on Facebook.
“Tokyo Chic”
-Rebecca
The Art of Fashion Doll Photography and Blogging–Part 1: The Introduction
I promised people who were not able to make it to the NBDCC presentation I did this July that I would repeat sections of the presentation via the blog so her is first section.
I introduced the class with this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl-__rM4IoE
Who am I?
Hello everyone. My name is Rebecca Berry and I am the creator, writer and photographer for Inside The fashion Doll Studio. It is a blog with around 1,000 subscribers and focuses primarily on 1/6 scale fashion dolls. First of all, I have to say a very quick and heartfelt “Thank You” to my readers and subscribers. Without all of you, I would not be here doing this so I thank you for your support and words of encouragement.
I am a self taught photographer which means I did not go to school for formal training as a photographer. I have been behind the lens of a camera for quite a while. In high school, I was the one typically behind the camera taking images of a friends sporting event and /or performance. When shooting I was usually most interested in capturing the relationship or emotion of the moment and not necessarily the action. I wanted a fun facial expression or quite moment of concentration before the long jump kind of image. When it was time for college, I never considered photography and instead studied an entirely different thing..number crunching and financial analysis LOL! A whole world away from photography, or so I thought. So how did I get here?
I am here today because first and foremost, I am like all of you…a collector. This is my eighth convention. I played with Barbie when I was younger and have many fond and happy memories from that but like many, when I hit my teens, I gave Barbie up for other things. Barbie was not done with me yet though…she came back into my life through this little munchkin….
How did I get Started Collecting?
This is my daughter Megan. When she was three years old she got her first Barbie for her birthday. It was a collector Barbie of all things and I said to myself “ Oh great…she is only three and she is going to trash it”. But she didn’t. She had other Barbies that she wanted to play with but the collector Barbie she considered “special” and put it on a shelf to look at.. and I thought “hmmmm…maybe this is something we can do together…like a Mommy/ daughter thing. We could collect every Birthday and Christmas”. So, I was a former financial analyst which means when I don’t know about something, I do research. I researched collector Barbies and found the Barbie Collector website. That is when I went down the rabbit hole 
.
While I may have started out researching for ideas of dolls to collect with my daughter, I soon realized that I was avidly looking through the images of amazing collectible Barbies for myself. I have always loved fashion and in particular fashion from the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s. I found the Silkstone BFMC line ,in particular, very appealing and began to acquire those. That was thirteen years ago and I have no plans to stop.
My Photography Background
As I have said before, I am self taught. After many years of working in the shark tank of financial markets, I decided to stay at home with my kiddos while they were young. When you have little ones, you typically have “after school activities”. These activities had me picking up the camera again after years of neglect. Finding that love of capturing an images again was wonderful and after photographing a number of my daughters dance performances…I realized I wasn’t too bad at it. Again, it wasn’t necessarily about photographing the action ( although that was nice), it was more often about the emotion it conveyed. More importantly, it became more about showing these young and impressionable young girls the amazing work they were doing. It became a self image booster for them.
When I started photographing Megan in dance, she was at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School of dance which was the dance school arm of the professional ballet company in Seattle. Megan performed in their Nutcracker ballet for two years in a row. While there, I recognized a photographer whose work I had admired. Here name is Angela Sterling. She is a former soloist dancer with PNB who had to retire due to injury. When she left the company she realized there were very few images to show for her many years of hard work and decided to go into photography to give the dancers those images of “their best moments”. I loved that concept. Capturing someone’s best moment. I wanted to do this for my daughter and the young girls she danced with. I wanted them to have the opportunity to see themselves at their best dance moments. I wanted to improve my craft so I could do that in the way it should be done…with the best of my ability. 
While improving my photography skills and knowledge, I was also collecting. I became involved in the very vibrant collecting community that surrounds this amazing hobby and was noticing how the field of photography was helping to drive some very popular doll forums…and I wanted to be a part of that. I was always interested in fashion and some of my very first photography inspirations were images from Vogue and Harpers Bazaar from the 1940’s, 50’s and 60’s. I loved pouring over images from noteworthy photographers such as Horst, Cecil Beaton, Irving Pen, Richard Avedon and Norman Parkinson.
Within the doll photography community, there was one photographer whose work I admired and really tried to emulate. His use of lighting, composition and styling is just exquisite. His work never fails to inspire me even to this day. His name is Ernesto Padró Campos. His doll photography blog is treasure trove of beautiful images.
If I can be as good as this someday…I will be happy.
So that wraps up the introduction. For the next couple of months, each and every Friday, I will be continuing the series. Here is a preview of the overall presentation
Within doll photograph basics, I will talk about.
Within doll blogging, I will talk about.
Hope you all enjoy and see you next Friday! Feel free to ask questions with each post and I will try my best to keep up with responses.
-Rebecca
2016 NBDCC–Final Thoughts and Thanks
What does the trip home from Barbiecon look like?
I kid you not. This was on my luggage when I picked it up from baggage claim. LOL! That about says it all people. I flew into the wrong airport, I drove to Jacksonville, I laughed, I cried, I presented, I shopped, I laughed some more then with a heart full of good memories I said goodbye to my Barbie buddies and headed home. On the plane ride home I found myself looking forward to next year already. A big hug and Thank you! to the fabulous table #4 and a most excellent hostess Susan.
I want to thank my dear friend and fellow blogger Rogier Corbeau of Dutch Barbie World for taking over the blogging duties on ITFDS. He did a most fantastic job keeping both blogs up to date and getting all the images and information out to all of you. Words alone cannot express my gratitude for his kindness and generosity in doing this. I have to also give a big “Thank You!!” to Mario and Gianni of Magia2000. They generously allowed me to photograph behind the scenes before the event which then allowed me to share images of all of their collection in a way I never would have been able to do fighting the crowds during their show. Grazie! I also received an extra bonus in that I got to hear some of what went into designing this collection. I was amazed before but now, having heard about all that goes into these exquisite creations, I am in awe. What an honor to photograph those beauties.
This year, since I had opportunities that came up during the convention, I was prompted to take some of my professional camera gear. It was a lot to lug around but boy am I glad I did. I was very happy with the images I was able to get this convention. Looks like extra camera gear will be coming with me now for doll conventions.
I was honored to be asked to do a presentation on photography and blogging this year and since some people were not able to make it, I will be doing most of the presentation in pieces on the blog. The first installment will be this Friday and will follow for subsequent Friday’s through August and into September. If you missed it or were unable to attend, no worries. It will all be here.
-Rebecca
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 