A Little Glamour
Or a lot of glamour depending on your definition. I received a treasure trove of new outfits from the talented designer Hoang Anh Khoi on Etsy. I showcased one of them in a recent blog post with NuFace Totally Betty Ayumi. Today, a favorite FR2 Elise is wearing the fashion. The day before yesterday, I gave a sneak peak of my mood board for this shoot.
I also shared a couple of images along the way in this shoot on my Instagram story. If you are interested in seeing some of the process as I shoot these, feel free to sign up for my Instagram feed. The link for this is to the right on the sidebar of this page.
Model: FR2 Midnight Star Elise by Integrity Toys
Dress: Hoang Anh Khoi on Etsy
Fur: Dimitha on Ebay
Shoes: FR2
Hat: Bogue’s Vogues on Etsy
Gloves: Mattel
Purse: Lovetones Bonjour Baby Lena
Set: Clock was purchased from little gift shop on Rue du Rivoli in Paris. Bombe chest was a repaint by friend and artist Carolyn Grentz.
-Rebecca
Ending the Year with a WClub BANG!!
The Integrity Toys WClub may have had members playing the incessant waiting game this year with slow deliveries and slower than usual information releases but when they finally ship the product or give the information…it’s worth the wait. On Thursday, they released information and purchase specifics for the last WClub exclusive. Get ready folks and secure your jaws.
J’Adore La Fête
Elyse Jolie™ Dressed Doll Gift Set
The Fashion Royalty™ Collection
2015 W Club Exclusive
Limited Edition Size: TBA
Estimated Ship Date: Late Spring / Early Summer 2016
Regular W Club Price: $225.00 + Shipping, Handling and Applicable Sales Tax*.
Special W Club 10th Anniversary Price: $175.00 + Shipping, Handling and Applicable Sales Tax*.
Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpts: Elyse Jolie
Body Type: FR2013
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: FR White
Hair Colors: Raven
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied
And…for this 10th anniversary edition, they are pulling out one often longed for luxury of giftsets past…a gorgeous case to put it in. This harkens back to the Haute Luxuries sets of the first years of Fashion Royalty dolls. Classy and so very much appreciated.
So the whole package comes to you like this…
The gown bears a striking resemblance to a couture Dior worn by Charlise Theron at the 2014 Oscars ( one of my picks that year for favorite gown of the Oscars)
source: www.huffingtonpost.com
While the doll loves the party, I am loving the entire giftset!! When I first saw this offering from the WClub, my thought was “Now THAT is a gift set!!!” If they wanted to leave the WClub members happy after a year of fairly large product delivery delays, this will do it. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for this one. I adore that this is a raven haired Elyse ( even though we received another brunette Elyse offering at convention but poor girl suffers from hydrocephalic hairstyle **see previous blog post**so there you have it). I love the makeup and hair and the gown, while still a little too close to black for me, is gorgeous. I am really loving the jewelry in this offering as well.
WClub members have a generous 2 and a half weeks to decide if they want to preorder this beauty. Deadline to order is Tuesday, January 5th, 2016 at Noon Eastern Time (New York Time).
Are WClub members excited about this offering?? Oh, I think so. 
2015 Fashion Royalty Collection Revealed
This past Saturday, Integrity Toys revealed 4 separate doll collections to their WClub members through the increasingly popular webinar. I wish I could say that things went well as years past but this year a few technical glitches meant that a portion of viewers did not get to see the webinar live. I was one of the lucky ones who had good video and audio during the entire thing but the messages on the forums right after the webinar brought to light that many attendees did not have that experience. Integrity Toys handled the situation about as well as anyone could. They acknowledged the issue, apologized for the problems and were very quick to get the recorded video out to those members who missed it within an hour after the webinar. Not only that, they had recap emails with pictures in WClub members email boxes within minutes of the webinar ending. Just goes to show, tech issues are not relegated to Mattel alone. Integrity Toys handled their situation better in my opinion though. People were still able to purchase product.
First collection up for review on ITFDS is the 2015 Fashion Royalty Collection. Vaughn Sawyer, senior designer with I.T. presented the line and explained that the direction from Jason Wu and inspiration for this years FR line was based on debutantes and socialites of the early 60’s. Chic, elegant, sophisticated were some of the buzz words used. I would also throw in subtle and understated in the mix to describe this collection. All good words in my opinion and right in line with what I like to collect. This collection is cohesive. Some may call it too subtle and understated…I would not agree but see their point.
Also, For those of you who are not WClub members and have not been in contact with dealers regarding these dolls, run don’t walk to your IT dealer and get on the list for anything you want. The grapevine reports that many of these dolls are rapidly approaching sell outs.
Style Notes
Isha™ Dressed Doll
The Fashion Royalty® Collection
Limited Edition Size of 700 Dolls
Estimated Ship Date: Approximately Late August 2015
Suggested Retail Price: $135.00
Available through I.T. dealers
Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Isha
Body Type: FR 2013
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: Latino
Hair Color: Dark Espresso
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied
Love that they are including gloved hands with some of these. Also, it is amazing how little details just fill in the story. What do I love most about this navy and cream herringbone sheath? I love the little navy collar and the amazingly detailed designer belt in miniature. Don’t even get me started on the adorable shoes and bag. Also, this collection brings in a new set of sophisticated jewelry. Thanks I.T.!! Isha’s hair is braided according to Vaughn.
Prestige
Natalia Fatalé™ Dressed Doll
The Fashion Royalty® Collection
Limited Edition Size of 700 Dolls
Estimated Ship Date: Approximately Mid-July 2015
Suggested Retail Price: $135.00
Available through I.T. dealers
Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Natalia 2.0
Body Type: FR 2013
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: Latino
Hair Color: Walnut
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied
Do you love cloche hats? If so, this was your collection. It was definitely a highlighted accessory and shows up in multiple offerings. Plaid also seems to be a favorite print. Was plaid a 1960’s socialite/debutante staple?? Have no idea. While I love Natalia and was overjoyed to see her in a different hairstyle ( no blond waves!!), this outfit left me kind of “meh”. Then…they had to throw in the hot pink purse and shoes along with enamel earrings and silver ring. The accessories were the tipping point. I’m in.
Decorum
Eugenia Perrin-Frost™ Dressed Doll
The Fashion Royalty® Collection
Limited Edition Size of 800 Dolls
Estimated Ship Date: Approximately Early August 2015
Suggested Retail Price: $135.00
Available through I.T. dealers
Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Eugenia
Body Type: FR 2013
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: Japan
Hair Color: Caramel Brown
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied
More cloche hats and plaid people. I love the rose and khaki colors together. To me, the previous Natalia and this Eugenia say “Ladies lunch”. I adore the crossover ponytail that shows up multiple times I believe in this collection. Perhaps an influence from Jason’s past runway shows.
Hair from Jason Wu’s Fall 2013 runway show. ( picture is hilarious as woman in front of model gives off a Kilroy was here vibe LOL!)
Refinement
Vanessa Perrin™ Dressed Doll
The Fashion Royalty® Collection
Limited Edition Size of 800 Dolls
Estimated Ship Date: Approximately Mid-July 2015
Suggested Retail Price: $145.00
Available through I.T. dealers
Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Vanessa 3.0
Body Type: FR 2013
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: FR White
Hair Color: Ash Blond
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied
To be honest, not a fan of the plaid coat but…am willing to go with it to get this chic black satin blouse with tone on tone black plaid pencil skirt. The light blue purse with little aqua accents and silver accessories puts this well into “what I like” category. I am hesitant on the lip color and am hoping it is not as purple in real life as it appears in photo. If I am wrong, a lip repaint will be in her future. Otherwise stunning face with beautiful eyes and gorgeous ash blond waves.
Fine Print
Elise Jolie™ Dressed Doll
The Fashion Royalty® Collection
Limited Edition Size of 800 Dolls
Estimated Ship Date: Approximately Early August 2015
Suggested Retail Price: $145.00
Available through I.T. dealers
Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Elise
Body Type: FR 2013
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: Cream
Hair Color: Red Amber
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied
OK…first off…my favorite face mold is Elise. One of my favorite coat fashions is a shawl collar camel coat. This Elise is a redhead and she is carrying a cream color Birkin for pete’s sake. Game over….had me at Elise. The rest is just rich yummy gravy. I could go on and on about the camel gloved hands too. This was my favorite of the collection and the one “must have” for me of all the released doll information on Saturday. I believe Vaughn called this hairstyle a “tucked bob” in the webcast and this Elise is back to her original pale skin tone.
Fame Fable
Kyori Sato™ Dressed Doll
The Fashion Royalty® Collection
Limited Edition Size of 700 Dolls
Estimated Ship Date: Approximately Mid-July 2015
Suggested Retail Price: $135.00
Available through I.T. dealers
Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Kyori 2.0
Body Type: FR 2013
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: FR White
Hair Color: Bombshell Blond
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied
Love the platinum blonde tresses on this version of Kyori. While the previous ladies revealed could all be doing “ladies lunch” this lady is all about dinner. She is all about dinner and perhaps an agenda after dinner. The sexy plunging neckline and clean simple accessories spell CHIC. The detail on that clutch is beyond amazing.
Timeless
Adèle Makéda™ Dressed Doll
The Fashion Royalty® Collection
Limited Edition Size of 700 Dolls
Estimated Ship Date: Approximately Early August
Suggested Retail Price: $135.00
Available through I.T. dealers
Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Adèle 3.0
Body Type: FR 2013
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: Dark A-Tone
Hair Color: Black
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied
If Kyori was chic and sophisticated dinner, this Adele would be frothy Cinderella princess gala evening. My first though and that of many others in the WClub was this was a direct channeling of Lupita N’yongo and her blue Prada gown from the 2014 Oscars. Indeed, all you would need to add is a silver headband to this Adele, and you would have Lupita ( well…you would need plunging neckline too). ADORE this Adele. Head to toe, a winner. Vaughn shared that this dress is all one piece for you redressers out there.
Perfect Reign
Tatyana Alexandrova™ Dressed Doll
The Fashion Royalty® Collection
Limited Edition Size of 700 Dolls
Estimated Ship Date: Approximately Late August 2015
Suggested Retail Price: $135.00
Available through I.T. dealers
Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Tatyana 2.0
Body Type: FR 2013
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: Japan
Hair Color: Honey Blond
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied
Wowza! If Adele is the Cinderella of the collection, this Tatyana would be the Anna Karenina. No sweetness here…just sophistication and haughty Eastern European cheekbones LOL. LOVE the face on this one. Paired with this beautiful honey blond instead of black hair, she is a knockout. The redress potential on this one I predict will be very high. Can’t wait.
When IT does a webinar, they invariably offer up an event doll to club members. As this is Integrity Toy’s, 20th year and the 10th anniversary of the WClub, a special giftset was offered to WClub members.
Royal Treatment
Véronique Perrin™ Dressed Doll Gift Set
The Fashion Royalty® Collection
2015 Online Event Exclusive
Limited Edition Size: TBA (Edition Size Based on Orders Received)
Estimated Ship Date: Approximately Fall 2015
Suggested Retail Price: $225.00 + Shipping and Handling
Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Véronique 2.0
Body Type: FR 2013
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tone: Cream
Hair Color: Pale Blond (Pulled back into a low center parted ponytail with criss-cross detail).
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied
The reception of this giftset has been lukewarm at best. Many are complaining of the high price point for this and I can see where they are coming from. Frankly, the polka dot dress doesn’t live up to the sophisticated look of this line. I much prefer the black and white polka dot gown we received on WClub luncheon Elise from 2012 Tropicalia convention. This particular Veronique has a very different look to her. She has cream skin tone which has never been used on a Vero before. All this being said, I think this might be one of those sleeper dolls. You know…the one that people pan at first then when it ships and people start photographing, people say “ Oh my word, I had no idea she could look that good!”. Time will tell.
Poppy Parker collection up next in a minute.
Jason Wu and Integrity Toys partner with Montaigne Market
Is there any better way to help celebrate Paris Fashion Week? Nope…I didn’t think so. This stunning beauty will be available only through the Parisian boutique Montaigne Market. According to Integrity Toys, she will have an edition size of 300 and will be up for sale on Montaigne market’s website in early March. No specific date is given. Suggested retail is 150 Euro plus shipping and handling. 
image source: Integrity Toys, Inc
This one is straight from Jason Wu’s Spring 2014 RTW line
image source: www.Style.com
image source: Integrity Toys, Inc
image source: Integrity Toys, Inc
image source: Integrity Toys, Inc
image source: Integrity Toys, Inc
image source: Integrity Toys, Inc
I Die!!! Will be trolling the Montaigne Market website for this one definitely. See the full article with Jason Wu about this here http://www.wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/jason-wus-designer-dolls-7345261?src=rss/fashion-scoops/20140109
The Lady in Red: Part Three
A change of models, couture and hats. I have had this hat for a year and on this model for almost as long but just have not gotten around to photographing her…bad me. I am a big fan of the Integrity Toys FR2 Fashion Royalty line. The high couture slimmer articulated body makes for great poseability. I just wish their feet were the same size as the others…it can be a bit of a pain to find the right pair of shoes because the choices are limited. Integrity Toys is trying, in my opinion, to make up for that a bit by gifting us with some amazing shoe sets at their convention every year. Now, if they could make a shoe set available to the WClub each year {hint, hint}, that would be fantastic!
I would have to say that of all the FR2 characters, Elise is my “go to” girl. I feel she has an eastern European look and to me that epitomizes high fashion in all the fashion magazines right now. I think it’s the cheekbones…she has KILLER cheekbones. I guess you could take away from this blog that it’s all about 1) the hat and 2) the cheekbones LOL!
Model and Shoes: FR2 “Engaging” Elise Jolie
Dress: Bogue’s Vogues(http://www.etsy.com/shop/boguesvogues)
Hat: Alyrenee(http://alyrenee.blogspot.com/)
Music is a huge part of my life. Both of my kids play an instrument or in my son’s case, multiple instruments ( amazing to me because he has significant hearing loss…a regular Beethoven that kid). There is always music of some kind playing at my house…so I wanted to share some of the music that influences the blog posts or the music that is playing during the photoshoots. For this one, it was “This is Love” by Will.i.am …a big thanks to my daughter for pointing me to this song. 
Tropicalia Visits the Studio
The convention collection, convention doll and gift set doll are en route to Inside The Fashion Doll Studio but in the mean time…I did have a few dolls that came home with me and I was itching to pull out the camera and try out something the very talented photographer Deron Daniels shared with me at convention.
From left to right:
Place de Vendome Victoire
Saint Tropez Victoire
Lemon Crush Loni Lawrence
Escapism Elise Jolie FR2
Deck chair was gift given to convention attendees 
Dark Swan Sings the Blues
I don’t know about you guys but when I work or process photos, music is a big part of it. I guess that is why I include a playlist on my blog. You can always find what I am listening to currently or what I feel works with the content I am sharing on the blog in that playlist. Today we have the incomparable Billy Holiday as a soundtrack for the photos. While I was not listening to Billy Holiday when I styled Ms. Elise, the second I added the white flower to her hair the thought “Lady sings the blues” came to mind and it stuck with me. That’s why I added the microphone and the story went from there. Hope you enjoy….
Model: Fashion Royalty Squared Dark Swan Elise Jolie
Gown,Earrings and Microphone: Stunning in the Spotlight Silkstone Barbie ( with flower removed )
White flower is another scrapbooking element
Using my Canon Macro lens……
Dark Swan Elise dons a day suit
Now try to say the title of this post five times quickly {snort}. I almost made the title “To my props…How do I love thee, let me count the ways.” I seem to be using these busts quite a bit but oh well. People often ask me about the lighting I use in my photos and I thought it would be fun to show these photos because the shots that came out the best ( In my opinion, and that of my partner in crime and in house tech support…the husband) are actually the ones that used the least light. They used the least number of photography lights but were placed in such a way as to add drama and texture to the shot. I am forever changing lights around as I shoot something because I want to see what else I can get to come out on film. I love how the low lighting shows off the angles on the face of this Elise. I will also admit to adding some vignetting on the full length shot.
Model: FR2 Dark Swan Elise
Suit and Purse: Fashion Royalty Foreign Affair
Shoes: FR2 shoe pack from 2011 FR convention
Hat: I could tell you but you wouldn’t believe me
Okay so hat is really a scrapbook embellishment. 
Elise Jolie Styled in the Roaring 20’s
I was so looking forward to the Hope Diamond Barbie. I loved the promo pictures of the red haired siren with the gorgeous 20’s inspired gown and jewelry. I received her a couple of weeks ago and must say..I was underwhelmed. I adore the gown and jewelry. The doll…Meh. I guess the biggest disappointment was her hair. It was nothing like the promo’s . In reality..it was a big hot mess. I am fairly confident with fixing doll hair. This…was beyond my expertise. I am hoping that it was just my doll who had bad hair and that others received dolls with better hair. Pictures from toy fair showed this lady with promo prefect hair. I did not receive one of those. So, time to make some lemonade out of this lemon. I chose to repurpose the gown and jewelry right away. The gown was a tight fit on an FR2 body but I managed to make it work….just barely.
Model: FR2 “Dark Swan” Elise Jolie
Gown and jewelry: Hope Diamond Barbie
Set: My white shelves set at an angle. Statues I found at a small shop in Snohomish ( my favorite place to find props!). Background is a graduated black to white background and I added a black acrylic floor. I use this floor a lot because I adore the dramatic reflection it gives. There is a blue spot on the black background. It is a small portable LED light that produced a white/blue light so it has colored the black background blue.
Empress of Emeralds Elise
Had an idea for a photo shoot when I saw Jon Copeland dress one of his beatiful creations in this gorgeous gown. I think the Royal Jewel Collection by Mattel resulted in some of the most amazing jewelry for fashion dolls. I only have Empress of Emeralds but if this is any indication of the quality of jewels in the other dolls of that series….I think I will be searching for them.
Model: Dark Swan Elise Jolie FR2
Gown and Jewelry: Empress of Emeralds Barbie
Bracelet: Fashion Royalty
And…just because I can’t resist adding more drama to a shot….
The Holidays are Coming to the Studio….
I have always loved the holidays. Ever since I was little, this time of year never fails to fill me with excitement and joy. When my kids were younger, it was just mostly me and my husband doing the massive holiday decorating and while it was a huge task, I loved every moment. Now, my kids are older, and we all participate in “dressing up the house” for the holidays. I love that both my kids get excited when they see furniture being rearranged and spaces being made for the Christmas trees. My daughter was jumping up and down after ballet class ( her classes are all bar work right now so she is not real excited after class) yesterday as she knew we would be putting up the Christmas trees that evening. It makes me feel blessed that I could help to pass on the joy and excitement of the season to my kids.
The next three weeks will be filled with decorating for the holidays at Casa Berry. This activity culminates in a holiday tea that my friends and I hold for a group of about 60 ladies. A big part of the tea is a tour of the doll room and all the lovely stories and conversations that this room inspires. Most every person has a Barbie story or experience to share. There are usually fashion things to discuss as well and the “ If I were going out, I would wear that.” conversations. I will be sharing photos of the doll room as it gets dressed up for the holidays and will share a few photos of the holiday tea as well. For now, I will share the first few photos of holiday inspired themes.
Model: FR2 Most Wanted Elise ( Fashion Royalty Jet Set Convention Collection)
And my vision of this photo as a holiday card 
I love this Elise! She has a softer color palette than previous Elise’s. I also really love the direction Integrity Toys and their designers are taking in jewelry design. The necklace and earrings that came with this lady are fabulous.
Let’s hear it for the boys.
I was able to procure the highly sought after Aiden from the new Fashion Royalty NuFace line. I knew I wanted to photograph him but I was having a hard time finding the right lady to pair him with. He has been spending time on display with quite a few of the lovely ladies in my doll room but when I paired him with the fabulous Engaging Elise, I knew I had a winner for my photo shoot.
Models: Fashion Royalty NuFace Aiden and FR Squared Engaging Elise
Outfits: NuFace Aiden in his original outfit. Engaging Elise is in F.R. NuFace outfit “ True Blues”
Face Time–using props as inspiration.
I don’t know about others but when I photograph something, many times the inspiration for the set up comes from one prop. In many of my dioramas, I will start with one piece that will set the entire tone for the whole room. In this case, it’s all about the face. I saw these very interesting figures at my local Z Gallery and just had to have one for a prop. I don’t normally go for the contemporary pieces but this one appealed to me so home with me it went and into the studio for a photo shoot.
Model: FR Squared Engaging Elise
Dress and bracelet: Trace of Lace Silkstone Barbie
Shoes: FR Squared Engaging Elise
Wineglass: Ocara
And because I just couldn’t leave my macro lens sitting all lonely on the table…….
I just love the face on this Elise. **Note** Her hair has been slightly restyled from her original style. I took the the side down and pulled it over her forehead a bit. I had seen some other collectors do this on Flickr and on the WClub and loved it so I copied the style.
Haute Couture for Elise
Model: Fashion Royalty Squared Dark Swan Elise
Gown: T.D. Fashions (http://www.ebay.com/itm/T-D-FASHIONS-DOLL-Fashion-Royalty-Silkstone-/180685810534?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a11b6ab66)
Shoes: Mattel Market Day Silkstone
Hat: …..um…It’s a secret
Secret…..the hat is a fabric scrapbooking element. “ Shhhhhh!” Don’t tell Elise that….she thinks it’s the highest in haute couture.
Dark Swan Elise is Parisienne Pretty
There is just something about a redhead in blue. I had wanted to do this photo a couple of weeks ago in anticipation of the royal wedding. I felt for sure Ms. D.S. Elise could have been attending the wedding in this. The kicky little hat would have most certainly been appropriate.
Model: Fashion Royalty Squared Dark Swan Elise
Outfit: Parisienne Pretty Silkstone Barbie
Dark Swan FR Squared gets married
I guess I just wasn’t quite finished with Dark Swan in this gown. My first idea when sewing her into this dress was to do a wedding shoot. Somehow, the wedding shoot turned into a high fashion photo first then looped back around for the wedding shoot. Ahhh…the creative process was never a straight line where I am concerned.
FR Squared Dark Swan Elise Jolie wears Vera Wang in the fashion doll studio
When the first Fashion Royalty Elise Jolie came out at the FR convention a couple of years ago, I was not a fan. She was extremely severe looking and that is not the aesthetic I go for. When the designers at Integrity gave her a softer makeup palette and glorious red hair….I had to have her. She is becoming one of my favorite models. I kept thinking, wouldn’t she look fabulous in white or cream with all that red hair so, I decided to steal the Vera Wang bridal gown from one of the Barbie girls and loved the look. The dress was sewn on to its previous owner so I had to sew it on ,temporarily, to Miss Elise. I could have taken the time to put hooks and eyes on it but was impatient to photograph so that job will wait until later. The props used in these shots are simple wall shelves from Target.
Click on photos for larger view
And here are the photos that resulted
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FRSquared Dark Swan Elise Jolie in Vera Wang |
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–Rebecca
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 
