Spring Fever-Casual
It’s a known fact that in the Pacific Northwest we many times don’t really see sunshine for months and months from November through February. The holidays take up some of that time and normally we Pacific Northwesterners deal with it well during that time. Once the holidays are over though…all bets are off. I normally hit January with a hunger for the sun. If the sun doesn’t come to us, I will invent it in my photos. I’m bringing out the pastels and dreaming of sunshine!!
Model: Looks a Plenty Poppy Parker
Dress: Bellissima Couture
Shoes: Paul Zhangby on Ebay
Sunglasses: ITFDS
And because it’s fun to play around with Lightroom and Photoshop sometimes…. Love this silver haired Poppy!
Model: Midnight Decadence Poppy Parker
Dress: Munle on Etsy ( he sells through HOANGANHKHOI on Etsy)
Shoes: Mattel
Purse: @MyDollhouse2005 on Instagram
This gown is all kinds of yumminess. I adore it!! Pair it with this adorable 1/6 scale Hermes Kelly bag and all is well in the world.
-Rebecca
For those interested in the scarf and sunglasses set from previous blog post, you need to email me at raberry65@msn.com
Bringing the Versace
Integrity Toys spoiled it’s WClub members with a gift set that was Versace inspired in late 2019. Club members just received this gift set and I would say we are very happy. Thank you Jessy Ayala for this stunning design!
Ocean Drive
Baroness Agnes Von Weiss™
Dressed Doll Mini Gift Set
The Fashion Royalty® Collection
2019 W Club Exclusive
Head Sculpt: Agnes
Foot Sculpt: High heel
Skin Tone: FR Black
Hair Color: Dark Espresso
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied
Quickswitch: No
The inspiration is clearly Versace’s 2018 Spring RTW tribute collection to Gianni Versace.
The accessories with the gift set are truly amazing!
Very mermaid like
And because this is Versace inspired…I felt Agnes need to be in an ad campaign for them.
The glasses and the silk scarf were made by me. If interested, contact me.
-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
Alta Moda for All Collectors!
Integrity Toys just announced another goodie for collectors! As I have explained in previous blog posts, for the past couple of Integrity Toys conventions the advanced design competition winner gets to have their design produced by IT. It’s a really nice perk and what an incentive for the incredibly talented pool of IT collectors. This past year the advanced design competition was won by Salvador Lopez Arriaga.
Here are some images I took of his design entry at the convention:
Congratulations Salvador!! You made Karolin look stunning and many collectors are looking forward to adding your amazing work to their collection. Here is the finished Integrity Toys production doll.
Alta Moda
Karolin Stone™ Dressed Doll
The NU. FACE™ Collection
2016 Design Competition Winner
Edition Size: TBD
Estimated Delivery: Spring 2018
W Club Only Retail Price: $135.00 US + Shipping and Handling
General Public Retail Price: $145.00 US + Shipping and Handling
Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Karolin Stone™
Body: NF 3.0
Foot Sculpt: High-heeled
Skin Tone: Japan
Hair Color: Platinum Champagne Mix
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied
Quickswitch: No
You have to give Integrity Toys an A+ for staying true to the original design. They faithfully reproduced it down to the doll Mr. Arriaga used! Feel free to follow Salvador on his Instagram account as he continues to share his design projects. I have followed him for over a year now and he never fails to inspire and amaze.
OK…so what do you need to know to order this doll? 1) If you are WClub member, use the link in the email that was sent to you by noon ET September 19, 2017 . 2) If you are not a WClub member, I am assuming this lovely will be available in their shop at The Integrity Toys website after September 19th. At the time of this posting, they have not given specific information other than it will be available to the general public. That could mean IT direct or through their dealers. I will post more information when I have it.
-Rebecca
Naughty or Nice?
Ok, I have to explain the title a bit. As you all know, I am a huge fan of Poppy Parker and her creator David Buttry. For me, she was the gateway drug from Barbie to Integrity Toys. I realize I need a 12 step program for my addiction but I’m not ready to commit to the program just yet. 
Recently, Integrity Toys held a lottery to purchase two beautiful Poppy Parkers and I was lucky and incredibly thrilled to be picked to purchase not just Miss Amour but the fabulous Powder Puff Poppy Parker as well. I have to thank my daughter for the opportunity as it was her membership that won it and she willingly handed over the option to purchase. Collectors are receiving these dolls and posting some amazing images. This doll is so sweet. Mostly she is portrayed as “nice” and I like it that way.
For these images, however, I decided to portray her in a slightly different way. David Buttry had mentioned in his webinar announcing the Bon Bon Collection that one of his inspirations for this particular doll was the movie “Valley of the Dolls”. I decided to go a little more with that theme. So Poppy comes off as a bit more on the naughty side in these pictures. I want to point out however..that Chip has appeared to have “put a ring on it” at least.
-Rebecca
Sweet,Swiss and Provencale
The title of this post sounds like a new bistro sandwich LOL! The earlier gowns of the BFMC Barbie line are the favorites of many. This gown from a Barbie called “Provencale” with it’s delicate blue and white pattern was originally worn by a short haired redhead.
(source Barbiecollector.com)
(source Barbiecollector.com)
I have never warmed to that particular doll in that dress. I love the dress and I love the doll…just not together. This dress, since it entered my collection, has graced the form of French Maid Barbie.
For a time last week, this gown was beautifully worn by the newly released red haired Poppy Parker. Hope you like the photos.
Model: Sweet in Switzerland Poppy Parker
Gown and Jewelry: Provencale™ Barbie® Doll
And just in case you needed even more drama in these photos….
Milan Boating Season is Open
The Italian Doll Convention was held in Milan this past month and the reports from this event spell out a most fantastic time. The reports are so glowing that I am seriously considering a trip to Milan next year to experience some of the fun. Like the Paris Fashion Doll Festival, a variation of one of the BFMC’s Silkstone Barbies was given as the convention doll. She is being referred to as “Milan Boater” and is a honey blond version of the 2013 BFC club doll “Boater Ensemble”
Source: Dutch Barbie World
Thanks to a very generous and lovely friend, I had the opportunity to obtain a “Milan Boater” and I love her.
The Iconography of Fashion Dolls
Iconography by definition is: (source Bing Dictionary)
i·co·nog·ra·phy
[ kə nóggrəfee ]
- set of recognized images: the set of symbols or images used in a particular field of activity such as music or the movies and recognized by people as having a particular meaning
- symbols in painting: the symbols and images used conventionally in a genre of painting, or the study and interpretation of these symbols and images
- images of somebody or something specific: the collection, description, or study of images of somebody or something specific
For many of us, the last time we heard or thought about the word iconography was while studying for that art history final in college. Since man invented the paintbrush, and more currently since the camera entered the scene, we as a society have been adding more and more data points to an ever expanding “iconography” on a variety of different subjects. In todays culture, with the rise of social media and the resulting wave of images we are bathed in every day, iconography is perhaps entering our daily lives more often than one may think. The fashion doll iconography time line, one can argue, began in March of 1959 when Ms. Barbie entered our cultural consciousness… and lets face it….she has owned the fashion doll genre since. As a blogger, I wonder, “What data points am I adding to that time line?”. My hope is that the images I contribute give a positive and supportive view of the community I enjoy being a part of.
As many of you know, I enjoy doing slideshows set to music of my photos so I used this idea of iconography to present my next YouTube installment. Enjoy!
The Lady in Red: Part Four
This is the final part of this series and technically…she isn’t wearing red but in front of it. Red, however, is a big part of the shot. This “ Lady in Red” series had showcased the Fashion Royalty girls in my collection and it was time to pull out the beloved Silkstones. I love these shots for a few reasons.
1) It showcases one of my favorites Silkstones..a repaint by Jon Copeland of SeloJSpa(http://www.facebook.com/SelojSpa)
2) It has a high drama content…LOVE.
I love the lighting in this shot. It gives it that feeling of her actually being up on the stage with that little spotlight on her face.
3) It shows off a glitzy showgirl ensemble(Jazz Diva by Mattel) and the styling was inspired by a great conversation with fantastic doll friend. Matty of http://www.fashiondollfoto.com/ and I don’t get the chance to talk that often but when we do…good doll photos or doll blog ideas follow. Matty, this one’s for you {HUGS!}.
and 4) The background was flash of inspiration and something that caused me to say to myself “ Oh I need to talk about this on the blog”. After Matty gave me the idea that I should dress this doll in this outfit, I immediately saw a red show curtain. I saw “full on diva” and she needed a crushed red velvet curtain falling in folds behind her. One of my problems ( and yes, there are many of those LOL!) is once I have this image in my head..there is no talking me out of it. I knew I didn’t have crushed red velvet fabric for a backdrop. I also habitually run into the problem of having something in my head and then not being able to find it ANYWHERE. I knew I didn’t want to have to spend time or money searching for red crushed velvet at my local fabric stores. That’s when I took a step back and said “Okay Bec..what do you have that would work?” and inspiration struck.
“Ways in which you never thought you would use your kids old Halloween costumes.”
Yes! That was my daughters Halloween costume from a couple years ago sitting in a box in the kids playroom. It was the right color, texture and bonus…it had some black lace detail accents…more DRAMA! Perfect background curtain material. So if you are having trouble finding a background for you photos, don’t forget to check out the kids dress up box.
High Profile Eugenia…The Redress
Given that I saw old Hollywood when I saw this lady for the first time, it can come as no surprise that I went for glamour when it came to redressing her. When it came to a brunette with cherry red lips…there was only one color I wanted to go with…RED.
Model: High Profile Eugenia
Gown: T.D. Fashions
Fur: Dimitha
Jewelry: High Profile Eugenia
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”
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 