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
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-Jaipur Palace Party
What do you do after a fabulous fashion show? You go to a party of course. The organizers in Madrid had a fun evening of Indian food and drinks as well as henna hand painting available for the conventioneers. Beautiful henna tattoo work by Ibrahim!!
There was also this fantastic fashion ( limited edition of 30) by Marcelo Jacob, raffled off to 30 lucky winners!
Rogier will have more to report tomorrow with all kinds of presentations going on as well as the gala dinner and convention doll reveal!! Stay tuned….
-Rebecca
The Madrid Fashion Doll Show Convention -Registration
Hello fashion doll collectors! Rogier of Dutch Fashion Doll World ( yes name has changed but still same quality blog with same quality material) is reporting from the Madrid Fashion Doll Show Convention this weekend and I am helping him out by guest blogging for him. Always a pleasure to guest on your fantastic blog my friend.
Registration began this morning and already collectors are walking away with some really special things.
Carlyle Nuera, designer extraordinaire from Mattel, is in Madrid to help celebrate Barbie.
And conventioneers are getting some of his amazing sketches in their registration bags!! Lucky dogs!!!
We should have more from Rogier a little bit later….
Matt Sutton
An other artist that opened his door yesterday was Matt Sutton. Rebecca send me so many gorgeous pictures from his creations. I just don’t know were to start.
Here a few of my favorites (when I’m typing this I know I probably post them all because they are all favorites)
I love this girl. She remind me of Evie from the BBC serie The House of Eliots.
And this pink with black lace gown is just to die for.
And what do you think of her. A raven in a black and white polkadot gown, can it get any better then this.
2016 is an amazing year for the Matt Sutton fans.
And after the show its tradition that the Matt Sutton fans come together in hotel bar to enjoy each other dolls while drinking cocktails to celebrate.
What a perfect way to end the day.
for more information about Matt Sutton’s creations:
National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention 2016
Hi guys, here is Rogier from DutchBarbieWorld. As some of you already know during convention my dear friend Rebecca and I take over each other fashion doll blogs. And this time it’s my turn because Rebecca is at the National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention !!!
This year the convention is held in Jacksonville Florida and the theme is Pop Art.
The convention starts officially next Wednesday. But many collectors arrived last Saturday /Sunday because in the days before convention there is room shopping and designer shows.
Here some pictures Rebecca took during roomshopping.
I love these artworks by Thomas Soderberg.
And here some of the gorgeous Ooak dolls he brought to Jacksonville.
This morning early registration started.
And I love it that there are Barbie dolls everywhere on display in the Hotel.
Later today I will blog about a few of the Ooak artist doll shows.
IDC 2016 – A Magia 2000 Dinner
I am guest blogging for my friend and fellow blogger Rogier of Dutch Barbie World again. On Friday, Rogier flew to Milan for the 2016 Italian Doll Convention.
The Convention does not officially begin until Saturday morning but a few collectors were able to enjoy a special dinner with the co-creators of Magia2000 and the hosts of the Italian Doll Convention, Mario and Gianni. Rogier has supplied some stellar photos and pieces of info from that dinner.
There was a lovely collection of OOAK Magia 2000 dolls done especially for the IDC and they were unveiled at the dinner. Mario and Gianni also debuted their new fragrance!
A beautiful table awaited approximately 30 guests.
And a special collection of beautiful dolls with the theme of “nude” awaited excited collectors.
More information coming tomorrow from IDC 2016. Stay tuned….
-Rebecca
Love in Praga
This past year at The National Barbie Doll Collector Convention, the talented Magia2000 team of Mario Paglino and Gianni Grossi presented a collection that was very close to their hearts. They showcased a OOAK collection centered on the theme of love. A fitting theme as they announced at this event that they would be tying the knot themselves later that year. How special is that?!! There wasn’t a dry eye in the house after that announcement. With all of the love going on in that room, many collectors walked away with the right to purchase some of this stunningly beautiful collection. They used a new system of drawing numbers and when your number was drawn you could choose from what was left or decline to purchase. The people who had their numbers chosen early walked away with their first choice of the options. I was lucky enough to have my number chosen while one of my favorites was still up for purchase. Her name is “Love in Praga” which I understand to mean Love in Prague. I am honored and so very pleased to have this one of a kind creation in my collection and was so happy to participate in this celebration of love at the NBDCC in 2015.
To see more of the beauties Mario and Gianni designed for this past convention, feel free to visit the gallery at their site Magia2000.
-Rebecca
NEWS FLASH: 2015 National Barbie Doll Collector Convention Doll
Last year at convention, we were told that Mattel would be taking over the design as well as manufacturing the convention dolls for all official conventions. While I was sad that we would most likely not see the collaboration with OOAK artist that I so loved, I understood the business decision behind it. Conventions are becoming a big deal now ,I believe, and the convention doll is one of the main perks of the entire convention. There were rumors after the last U.S. Barbie convention that the dolls for all conventions (U.S., Japanese and European) would be the same but with perhaps some small variations. The Japanese Barbie convention is this weekend. I was excited to see the doll they were given as it might be an indicator of what we would be receiving this year at NBDCC. This morning, the NBDCC committee released a photo of this years convention doll on FB.
To say I am surprised is an understatement. I had not realized how much I enjoyed the anticipation and the final “reveal” as part of the convention experience. While I understand the reasoning behind releasing the photo…these photos were going to be out there anyway as of the end of this weekend…I am not sure how to feel about having this information early. It’s weird.
source: NBDCC
How do I feel about the doll? She is a fabulous representation of theme I think. I love the whole Marlene Dietrich vibe.
How do others feel about the release of this information so far in advance of the U.S. convention??
Sound off….
NBDCC 2012….A Day of OOAK Extravaganza
Tuesday was a packed day of OOAK parties. First up was Artist Creations
This is their auction doll
Next up was Ninimomo These are quick shots with my point and shoot. I was given the extreme pleasure of photographing the show before it opened to the public and will have those shots up later this week. Thank you Nick and Marie!!!
Ninimomo’s auction dolls
And their raffle dolls
The last show of the day was Magia2000. They staged an honest to God fashion show for the dolls. While very long, the show was fun. They also handled purchasing differently this year. You put your name in a lottery if you were interested in a doll and if your name was selected, you had the chance to purchase the doll. I was not lucky enough to win the chance to purchase but many others were!
Ones I would have given a kidney to purchase….okay not really but still LOL!
Magia2000 raffle doll
Magia2000 Auction doll
More photos available on my flickr. Today is the official start to the convention. Things will be super hectic from here on out so blogging will be more difficult. If I don’t post in the morning….it means I was up too late the night before and I won’t even go into why that would be LOL! The blog post will come I promise…just perhaps not so reliably.
NBDCC 2012–Room Shopping Day Two
Perhaps one of the most enjoyable things about Barbie convention for me and many others is the room shopping experience. Many sellers will set up wares in their room days before the official convention starts and many many collectors will come early just to shop the room sales. You might think that people come for the deals to be found and the shopping. I believe that many come for the social aspect of room shopping as well. This is a time where you meet new fellow enthusiast friends and reconnect with the ones you have made in the past. Generally, we Barbie collectors are a sociable and happy crowd and we LOVE to talk all things Barbie. It is amazing to me that I have friends from all over the world and I came to know them through this fabulous hobby and these conventions. Barbie and the love of this hobby has done that. How cool is that?!!
So….day two of room shopping was highlighted by a OOAK ( One of A Kind ) party by Matt Sutton and Matt Trujillo. We lined up early for this one folks…about two hours before. I think just waiting for the show and talking with my fellow collectors was one of the best parts of my day.
And a rare thing for me….someone took my picture! Thanks Deb!
Now….time for the show. Matt certainly did not disappoint! He never fails to blow our socks off. This year, you took a number according to where you were in line and they let a few in at a time. No mad rush to get to the dolls. This made for a very enjoyable and wonderful selection and buying experience.
Yes….the pink one in the center went home with me 
After the fun of picking out a doll and purchasing ( some managed to snag two…yes Barb and Mary…I’m talking to you), we had our annual “ buy a Matt Sutton and go get a cocktail” meeting.
I am posting an album with these photos. ****A special note to all you pinners on Pinterest. Please, please, please don’t grab the photos from the album and pin them. They will link back to my skydrive and not the blog. If you want to pin them, grab them off this page or go to flickr.***
NBDCC 2012….The journey begins
I arrived in L.A. yesterday afternoon expecting to relax and settle in for a day before all the excitement began…..NOT. One thing I have learned about Barbiecon is that once you get there, you hit the ground running. I was very glad to see that many friends decided to arrive early so it was an afternoon and evening of hugs and quick catch-up on our lives conversations. There was also room shopping and of course I had to take my camera along and see what the goings on were. The Hyatt Orange County is a lovely hotel with some amazingly friendly and helpful staff.
It was time to catch up with Barbie buds…my friends Sheree and Susan
Then it was time to shop
And for all you vintage collectors out there….
It looks like my instant upload of photos is working! I have been able to instant upload to my flickr fairly consistently so I am encouraged it will continue to work well. I have to send out a HUGE “thank you” to my husband and in house technical support for getting this up and running for me. It was not the easiest thing to do and we had many trial and error moments yesterday
Here is a picture of the adorable key cards convention attenders receive
The pace will be fast and furious from here on out but I will try to blog everyday and multiple times a day if I can. If you want up to the minute photos without writeup, you should check my flickr. Will be enjoying the sites and sounds of the Magic Kingdom today but will be back with you all for an update this evening. More room shopping photos are available on my flickr account for those who are interested.
Live from L.A. …..it’s NBDCC 2012!!!!
And so it begins. When this blog post hits the internet, I will be grumbling and shuffling my way through security at the airport. I HATE getting up for early morning flights. But then, I would do anything for Barbie so there you go. I will have my trusty laptop for blogging from convention and a new toy this year….an IPad. I have hopes of using the IPad as my internet hotspot so my photos will upload directly from my point and shoot to my flickr account. I am hoping to get some great shots of the OOAK parties and fashion show. I should be able to post from the events too but will have to see how this new technology really works. It all sounds great but I have learned that many times it just doesn’t work that well in an actual setting. I will have my laptop so at worst, I upload photos at the end of the evening…just like last year. I will have more to share from L.A. later today.
NBDCC 2011 – Why we keep going back.
Everyone has their own personal favorites of convention. We all enjoy the room shopping, the events, the sales room and the convention dolls. But let’s face it….we don’t go to convention primarily for these things. At the end of the day, we go to convention because of the people. We go because of the Barbie friends we have made in the past and the new friends we hope to make at each and every convention. We go to share a love for a hobby that has grown beyond our own personal sphere. We are compelled to share this love with others who feel the same way. We leave with our emotional cups full to overflowing and many of us move forward with the exciting knowledge that we will have the opportunity to see friends and share again the following year.
Each time I have attended the National Barbie Doll Collector Convention I feel I have left the convention a better person. That is due entirely to the people I have met. This year I had the supreme pleasure of sitting at Judy O’s table 19. Words alone cannot express my appreciation for their generosity and welcoming kindness. I am never someone who feels they can effectively convey something in words….my preference is to pick up the camera and show it in a picture. So….here is the reason I go to convention……
New Barbie friend Debra and I (photo below is courtesy of Brad (starboy9 on BFC….Thank you Brad!!))
Barbie Buddy Supreme….Sheree
Fantastic Barbie buddies Barb, Mary and Barbara
The lovely ladies of Judy O’s Table 19!
And because a few photos is never enough for me…..a video with more photos LOL! Hope you enjoy.
Hope to see every one in California next year!!
NBDCC 2011–The Official Convention Doll
Typically, the last evening of convention there is a final dinner and you receive the official convention doll. At this years convention, as it was Ken’s 50th anniversary, we received a doll set. A beautifully designed and crafted Barbie and Ken set designed by the very talented Matt Sutton and Matt Trujillo. I just can’t say enough about this pair of gentleman….LOVE YOU GUYS!
Here is a quote from Matt Sutton about the inspiration and ideas behind the dolls….
“They weren’t designed as “formal”– the thought expressed to us was that they were a young couple in 1961 in Ft Lauderdale, went to a lovely dinner, and found themselves taking a long romantic walk on the beach at night. It’s dinner jacket and party dress, not tux and ballgown. Matching ties and/or a cummerbund seemed too “formal” and “prom”, which wasn’t the esthetic we were going for. Plus we loved the idea that she was dressing in “his” color (the aqua) as a tribute to him, vs the matchy matchy…
We actually did a TON of research for the era, and made sure things were as accurate as possible, and still within our design sense. Ken’s jacket– did you notice his little gold cufflinks? (another subtle homage to the 50th) Her dress is very much of the era, and the sash is sort of a signature of mine– again, the aqua is Barbie paying tribute to her main squeeze. ^_^”
Still in the box…..
And…..out of the box and in the studio………..
NBDCC 2011– The Raffle Room
Many people may not be aware that the NBDCC raises tens of thousands of dollars for designated charities each year. The money is raised through three functions. 1) The silent auction event where amazing items are generously donated( see blog post Beach Party and Silent Auction) 2) The live auction where doll artist like Magia2000, Matt Sutton, Artist Creations and Steven Frasier of Dressmaker Details donate some exquisite pieces of work that are auctioned off. 3) The raffle room where fantastic donations from Barbie lovers from every corner of the world are displayed and you put a ticket in the box in front of any item you hope to win. You can buy your raffle tickets in advance or they can be purchased at convention. Many conventioneers buy hundreds of tickets and help support the designated non profit charities of the convention. This years charities were The Children’s Home Society of Florida and The Poverello Center. Here are just a few of some of the amazing things you could dream of winning in the Raffle Room.
And the room was full with these amazing gift baskets!
To all those generous collectors who donated to the raffle room a big round of applause. To the lucky individuals who won something, “Congratulations”. A big personal “Thank You” to everyone who was in the raffle room when I shot these photos. I was constantly in the way with my big camera and monopod but everyone was so nice and patient letting me get the shot before depositing their tickets.
NBDCC 2011–The Competition Room
There is so much to do at the National Barbie Doll Collectors Convention. We had 6 main events over 4 days that people attend plus a multitude of workshops and “talks”. One of the most popular “extra” events is the Competition Room. Every year the convention has a theme and that theme typically drives the competition ideas. This year the theme were Ken and Spring Break 1961. Here are a few examples of what you could see in the competition room.
The Dioramas…………………………
The detail these competitors go into is absolutely amazing!
The Dolls…………
To all the people who participated in competition this year, You are simply amazing! There was so much talent in that competition room it was ridiculous. Let’s also not forget that to put this competition room together and keep it properly supervised during viewing, you need many volunteers. A big thank you to the many, many volunteers who gave up some of their precious convention shopping and visiting time to volunteer. 
NBDCC 2011–Beach Party and Silent Auction
The first scheduled social event of the official convention was a beach party. As we waited to enter the ballroom during cocktail hour, we were given Ken hand tags . A big “Thank You” to Pam for being my tag model!
There was such an atmosphere of joy and anticipation. It was so much fun to renew Barbie friendships and have the opportunity to make new Barbie friends.
The fabulous Barb and Rocky
Cheryl, Matt, Jenny,Ann and Cheryl
The nicest sisters you could ever meet, Joan and Pinky(Denise)
…and the silent auction too. I was too busy visiting to take photos of all of the silent auction entries but here are a few that I did get. There were some really phenomenal entries this year!
NBDCC 2011–The Fashion Show
I am jumping a bit ahead in the schedule because I was excited to share these photos. The Fashion Show at NBDCC is always a favorite. Crowds start to gather at least 30 minutes before the door opens for good seats. If you are a photographer, you want to scope out the best vantage sites early. While I wish I had sat in a spot that did not have the auction dolls in the foreground (they have never had the live auction held after the fashion show before so dolls were never there), I was generally happy with my vantage point for photos. I especially liked the fact that I could catch the wonderful expressions from the Mattel crowd in a number of my photos. They looked like they were really enjoying the show and I hope so as the show is really a way of showing them how much we love what they do.
Here are a few of my favorites from the show.
Stan – how adorable is he! And…Bill Greening is smiling in the bottom corner.
Loved her attitude!!
Adorable Citris Obsession
Steven Frasier’s daughter stole the show with her outfit. She was fantastic on the runway!
The Palm Beach entries were a huge crowd pleaser…….all strutted to the theme from Austin Powers. It was fabulous!
Congratulations to all the organizers of and participants in the fashion show. It was a wonderful event!
NBDCC 2011 Day Three–Artist Creations
Tuesday was definitely the day for OOAK unveilings. Magia2000, Ninimomo and Artist Creations all had their parties within hours of each other. It was a challenge to make it to all of them not to mention I was volunteering during some of the time too. Thank you all for your patience in waiting for updates and photos. I had such great plans of posting photos and blogging while at convention. You know what they say about best laid plans. Oh well…. perhaps I will be better organized next year.
The last party of the day was Artist Creations and they did not disappoint. I must say these was the most exquisite work I have ever seen them do.
The raffle doll for Artist Creations was gorgeous and sadly I did not win it…booohoo. But, it did go to a lovely Barbie friend and I am sooooo excited for her. 
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 