Evening Gown and a Matisse
For those of us in the 1/6 OOAK clothing arena, scoring a Matisse can be a bit like winning the Lotto. She sells on her Etsy site( info below) and if you happen to be at the right place at the right time ( i.e. online when one of her notices hits your inbox that she has something new on her Etsy site), you may be lucky enough to get one. Her work is truly beautiful. The attention to detail is superb and the accessories never disappoint. I only have a few of her pieces and I treasure each and every one. I even managed to snag not one but two pink little works of art by her and I was waiting for Ms. Evening Gown to make her way here to model them. Now that I have shown you Evening Gown in her original Robert Best couture, I hope you will enjoy her in one of Matisse’s pink confections.
Model: Evening Gown Silkstone Barbie
Dress and veil: Mattise Fashions ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/MatisseFashions)
Wall Panel and gold urn with flowers: Made by me
Pink and White 1/6 Kissing Chair: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-6-Scale-Lover-Chair-For-Fashion-royalty-barbie-Momok-BJD-1-6-Scale-dolls-/320977023146?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4abbb8b0aa
Envied, Bemused and Passionate…A Second Look
I was moving the displays around in the cases the other day and decided these guys needed a second look. I had these ladies displayed on this couch just as I have them posed for a while but it is time to move them out and display some different dolls. I know that most people ordered these gals for their cute little dresses but I actually really like the dolls. I know that Barb at Windy City Dolls still has a few on sale http://www.windycitydolls.com/frmonogram.htm#Sale
Models: Fashion Royalty Monogram “Envied”, “Bemused” and “ Passionate”
Couch: Horseman Urban Environment ( meant for 16” dolls so scale is slightly off for this shot)
Birdcages: Found at favorite flea market. I think they were holiday ornaments.
Evening Gown Silkstone Barbie®
I have been busy the past few days populating my Pinterest “Inside The Fashion Doll Studio” board with photos from the archives and I realized…I don’t usually photograph my dolls in what they came dressed in originally. I guess I always figured Mattel and Integrity photographers do such a beautiful job with their promo photos that I didn’t need to redo it. That whole philosophy changed this year with Robert Best’s Atelier Silkstone collection. I believe I have photographed each one this year in the outfit she came in…then went on to redress. I guess you could say I am just thrilled with the Silkie offerings this year. Evening Gown is the next one to land in front of my camera. Designed by Robert Best, she became available to collectors on 06/14/12. You can find her at your local dealer or at www.barbiecollector.com
Poppy Parker: Gallery Girl
I am in no way advocating the show “Gallery Girls” here. I saw a little bit of it and was…well…not impressed. The name rather comes from my idea when I redressed the newly released “The Happening” Poppy Parker in Mattel’s Tim Gun separates. I dressed her in the crisp white shirt and black skirt with glasses and thought she looked like some hip art gallery dealer. The diorama just kind of filled in after that. Hope you enjoy!
Model: “The Happening” Poppy Parker
Clothing, glasses and shoes: Barbie by Tim Gunn
Isn’t It Romantic Poppy Parker as Sabrina…Take 2
So I just couldn’t leave this one alone. While I was photographing the original set, I was inspired by another photo and had to do that one too…
Inspiration photo
And what I came up with….
I need to go watch Sabrina now. It feels like its required at this point LOL!
Bogue’s Vogues…..Samedi
Okay okay….so I couldn’t get around to posting this yesterday so instead of doing my customary Bogue’s Vogues Vendredi (French for Friday)…I had to settle for a Bogue’s Vogues Samedi (French for Saturday). I have a new Bogue’s Vogues to share and I happen to have just received one of the most stunning dolls to model it for you. I have written before about my love and respect for One of A Kind ( OOAK ) artists. There are many, many talented OOAK artists in the fashion doll collecting arena. Jon Copeland is one whose work never fails to inspire and amaze me. I would say his largest body of work is within the Fashion Royalty repaint and retying category but occasionally he will work his magic on Barbie as well. I was fortunate enough to happen upon a picture of one of his Silkstone repaints for sale last month and it was love at first sight. I literally caught my breath as I opened the box with this lady. She is that stunning. Mr. Copeland….I tip my hat.
Model: OOAK Silkstone Barbie repaint and restyle by Jon Copeland ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/selojspa/ and http://www.facebook.com/SelojSpa) Note** sometimes flickr will filter his photos…there is nothing inappropriate about them so don’t know why flickr does that. Feel free to click through the filter and enjoy the eye candy of his work.
Dress: Bogue’s Vogues ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/boguesvogues)
Mad Men to the 1/6 Max
I have admired Michael Williams’ work for many years. His photography is something I can only aspire to but his humor and way of telling a story with a photo is what I truly admire. He recently shared some new Mad Men inspired photos and I knew I had to share them here. With Michael’s permission, I share with you his fabulously witty write ups and 1/6 scale interpretation of five of the main characters from AMC’s hit series MAD MEN.
**Photos are property of Michael Williams**
I love these! I am sooooo hoping he has a perfectly coiffed Betty with the cigarette in her mouth and the shotgun aimed to the sky in the works. Anyone remember that episode LOL!
He has an AMAZING body of work to look through and you can find it at www.mylifeinplastic.com
You can also follow him on
Twitter @MyLifeIsPlastic,
Facebook MyLife InPlastic
Instagram @MyLifeInPlastic
Pinterest MyLifeInPlastic
It’s time for another Bogue’s Vogues Vendredi!
I feel like I have been neglecting my Silkstones for the past few months so it was time to bring em back and do it right. I joke with James Bogue all the time about the fact that I am such a “pinkophile” when it comes to his creations. If it’s in pink…I’m liking it. It came as a complete shock that I was drawn to a powder blue dress he had on his Etsy site and once I received it…I was in LOVE. I had the perfect lady to model it too. I had finally worked up the courage to cut and restyle a Preferably Pink Silkstone Barbie into the hairstyle I feel she should have originally came with…a shorter bob cut. I love it on her and I hope you do to.
Model: Restyled Preferably Pink Silkstone Barbie
Dress and Hat: Bogue’s Vogues ( http://www.etsy.com/shop/boguesvogues)
Shoes: Mattel
And because I am headed into dance recital season and things are about to get wayyyy stressful, I threw this in for fun. This needs to be my mantra for the next 4 weeks…should I take up yoga????
You Look So Fine Erin
Oh M…er..Erin you’re so fine, you’re so fine you blow my mind hey M…er Erin, Hey Erin. I have to admit this song was kind of going through my mind as I typed out the name of this doll. Guess that shows my age, yes, I was and still am to some degree a teenager of the 80’s. This lovely Erin is no child of the 80’s. She if a full on fashion diva of the present. Her dress is TO DIE FOR folks..worth the doll alone in my opinion but I digress. This is the last Erin produced with this original face mold. She has been given a facelift and we will see her new visage IRL when the first W Club doll ships sometime this summer. Many people are not fans of the “open mouth show us those pearly whites” face mold. I don’t have a problem with it. It kind of makes her look sweet and innocent. Her fashion is anything but. I have to admit, I was trepidatious about photographing this lady in THIS gown sitting down but I went there.
**Photography note for those wanting to photograph this lady in her original outfit or any doll in this dress for that matter**. Try to lean this baby up against a wall if you can. What I learned during this photo shoot:
1. Armature wire isn’t going to work because most of her leg shows with this gown but hey..if you want to spend countless hours Photoshopping the wire out..have at it.
2. Thought about leaning her back against a block or something sturdy but short…Nope. The skirt of the dress is pretty sheer so you will see whatever you put back there
3. Thought I was smart using strings to suspend her…WRONG!! I failed to realize the folds in the fabric and the impact they would have on Photoshopping out the strings. BAD ME! Yep…had to spend the thankless hour and a half Photoshopping out the strings then cloning back in the folds on the background for the roughly 20 full standing shots of this set…AAAACCCCKKKK. Note to Rebecca: When using complicated backdrop DO NOT USE STRINGS!!
4. The above mentioned reasons should explain why I then had to sit this lady down. Yes, I realize that she is getting dangerously close to performing a Sharon Stone Basic Instinct but it was either that or learn to embrace Photoshop as a way of life.
Okay, enough of me whining about my inability to think ahead LOL…on to the photos.
And…just because this was a rocker wedding and I don’t think Erin would have attended alone.
**A Note to all you pinners out there on Pinterest. If you are pinning photos from a slideshow embedded in someone’s blog….PLEASE DON’T! I am suspending showing all the shots of a set via slideshow because people are pinning photos from the slideshow and it will send people to my skydrive instead of the blog when they click on the photo. I really, really don’t want people surfing around my skydrive so until I can figure out a way to prevent people from pinning off of the slideshows/skydrive….no more slideshows. Other than that…Pin to your hearts content. I love that you enjoy the photos enough to pin and share them. 
**
Romain and Lilith…The Rock Wedding
After the stress of Romain’s coiffure, I was ready to have some fun so I went all soft and dreamy with the set. I was thinking it would be fun to have all this softness in the background and all the edginess in the dolls out front. I have had a number of friends comment that they were surprised I ordered this set…they are not what I typically collect. I was surprised myself how much these dolls appealed to me. I have to say my camera and I are IN LOVE with this trio of dolls. I adore the versatility of Lilith’s gift set. She has so many different looks and I can’t wait to start redressing. Romain aka lettuce boy , hair not withstanding, is just way cool. Love the square jaw and angles on this guy. From a photography standpoint, there are lots of angles to work with on his face…he will have a different look depending on how you light him and from what angle…lots of options. I would imagine that Romain and Lilith would not have the traditional wedding even though that is what the set and these photos would suggest.
And my favorite shot from the set
Erin’s turn is next…always the bridesmaid and never the bride…will have to see what we can do about that 
Rock Steady Romain
I keep looking at his name and hoping I am spelling it correctly. My husband has taken to calling him affectionately “lettuce boy”. He has a reason to gripe as I have been pulling my hair out trying to figure out how to style and photograph this guy and my husband has had to listen to it LOL. Let’s face the facts folks..he came out of the box with clumpy and uninspired hair. Certainly not what the promo’s promised but I prefer to look at it as a challenge…so like a dog with a bone…I set to work. I know I didn’t hit the mark of the look of the promo shots but I am happy with the doll and photos. I think he is handsome and love the face sculpt. Just wish I had a smidge more bang length and I am too much of a wimp to reroot.
If you want a little taste of what I was listening to during this photo shoot and post processing, check out the playlist on the right hand side of the blog .
Rocking Ever After Lilith
For those of you who ordered her, you are in for a treat. For those of you who passed on this one, you may want to rethink. This lady is drop dead gorgeous and came right out of the box ready to be photographed. While Romain needed significant hair care before being ready for his close-up, Lilith was picture perfect within minutes of deboxing.
LOVE HER!!!
Lilith …The Muse.
Many collectors and photographers have favorite dolls or models that inspire them. I have a few “go to” girls that never seem to disappoint me. No matter what I dress them in or how I style them, I always come away with some keeper photos. My restyled Lilith is one of my muses. Here is one set I pulled from the archives to post on the blog. For those of you who follow my Flickr, you may have already seen these photos. I thought they were worth a relook.
Wishing all you Mom’s out there a wonderful Mother’s Day!
Models: The Great Pretender LIlith (with hair restyled) and Silkstone Ken
Gown : Monogram Magnetism
Jewelry: Monogram Magnetism and Mattel
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……
Lilith Shops La Boutique
I am always amazed at how Diana and Janet of La Boutique manage to reproduce high end handbags in 1/6 scale. The purses of the month for April 2012 were inspired by Valentino and I am absolutely enthralled.
Model: Nu.Face Great Pretender Lilith
Suit,Hat and purse on model: Walking Suit Silkstone Barbie
Shoes: Nu.Face Great Pretender Lilith
Purses on display: La Boutique POTM April 2012 ( for info on how to purchase contact Diana at dianawieler@sympatico.ca )
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. 
The Upper Echelon of Integrity Toy’s Monograms
** photo property of Integrity Toys, Inc. **
I have to admit….the original outfit on this one just didn’t do it for me personally. I know what a bubble skirt looks like on me ( NOT PRETTY!) and I just could not get past it on this doll. I love the black top, shoes and bag…the rest…. well…time to repurpose. On to the positives…. Love the face of soft color and the hair was a different style. I typically like most variations on an updo so the little curl this girl has in the back was just too adorable. Yes, the hair bump has been overused ,in my opinion, at Integrity this year but on this doll, I like it. Since the outfit wasn’t doing it for me, I had to find an appropriate replacement and inspiration struck while I was perusing the latest edition of Vogue. There is a wonderful spread highlighting the Ritz in Paris. I would absolutely die to have a backdrop of some of these rooms for my dolls. It’s the ultimate in style, I mean come on…Coco Chanel lived there! I saw one photo in this spread and it inspired me to do this shoot. Hope you like it.
< Let them eat Cake… >
Model: Fashion Royalty Monogram “ Echelon”
Coat, skirt and gloves: F.R. Power Play
Shoes: F.R. Monogram
Fur: Dimitha
Fascinator Hat: made by me
The Monogram Exaggeration
Right off the bat, I have to say that the color palette on this offering from Integrity Toys is beautiful. The coral in the skirt and hat and the insane green of the gloves, shoes and bag are just way out cool. These”exaggerated” colors are not typically ones that are going to excite me and certainly not together but I love them on this doll. I like the fact that we have a soft color block dress paired with a solid navy structured jacket. I love that the outfit is punctuated with the frilly hat like an exclamation point at the end of this fashion sentence. The hat/feather fascinator looks different here than in the promos….I did some restyling and had to curl some feathers. I like the fuller look but it may not appeal to everyone. The whole package screams refinement and fun energy to me. This lady looks like she is stylish and strong. Let’s face it…it takes a strong fashionista to wear coral and acid green together…….
The “Allure” of Fashion Royalty Monograms
Allure….as a noun it means “ a highly attractive quality”. As a verb it means to “ attract powerfully”.
I have to admit….when I first saw this beautiful lady at the IDEX reveal….I was going to pass. The promo shots just did not do it for me. I felt the Marilyn Monroe vibe but the big cape was not something I was looking for. I decided to go ahead and buy her because I thought I could sell her if I didn’t like her when I got her. I am so glad I purchased her because she is one of those in real life ladies that blew the promo shots out of the water. As I was photographing this lady, I could not believe how well she translates on to film so I was even more surprised that the promo shots did not do this lady justice. She is fire and ice all the way. LOVE HER!
I feel honor bound to state that I was completely enabled and inspired by JennFL’s photos on Flickr of this lovely lady so please check out her photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennfl/with/6865483260/
Revlon did a campaign in the 1950’s and I and others believe it was the inspiration behind this gorgeous lady and gown.
** picture obtained at http://coutureallure.blogspot.com/**
Model, gown and jewelry: Fashion Royalty Monogram “Allure”
Note** she does not come with the diamonds pictured ….bummer!
“Inspiration” for the First Day of Spring
When I saw the promo shots for this lady, I immediately emailed Barb of Windy City Dolls and said “Sign me up!” I don’t know if it was the updo or the frothy blue confection she was wearing that caught me but this was a no brainer for me. I love the ice cold silver and crystal jewelry she comes with. The dress is gorgeous and full and the shoes are so different…kind of like ballet shoes on wedges….if that makes any sense LOL!
My anticipation of this lovely lady fueled the photographer in me and I have been thinking….”How should I photograph this stunner?!” In the end, the time of year gave me inspiration and I decided the soft dress needed some springtime flora to accompany it and if I was going with the flora…I wanted dramatic reflection of the gown and flowers. So, to my trusty black acrylic floor I went. I decided to add a couple of my portable LED lights to my lighting set up and was very, very happy with the result. I hope you guys are too.
Model : Inspiration Fashion Royalty Monogram wearing what she originally came in.
Set: Gold urns filled with artificial cherry blossoms and finished with apple green moss. Miniature paper roses from craft store have been thrown randomly on the flooring.
Behind the scenes……
Afternoon Suit Silkstone–Dior’s “New Look” reimagined in 1/6 scale
The year was 1947 and a new designer Christian Dior seemed to be thumbing his nose at the still lingering austerity measures of post WWII and put yards and yards of fabric into the silhouettes of his “New Look”. If you look it up in the dictionary, the “New Look” was defined by a narrow waist and full pleated skirt. If you are a fan of fashion at all, you have seen this iconic photo.
Or have seen it on display at a museum…..
John Galliano paid homage to the house that employed him and reimagined this famous look for Dior in his Fall/Winter 2009 Haute Couture Collection.
It is a completely timeless look and it would not surprise me if Robert Best was inspired by it for his Atelier Silkstone collection.
***Photo is property of Mattel, Inc.***
Model: Afternoon Suit Silkstone Barbie
Edition size: No more than 4300 Worldwide
Gold label and BFC exclusive…you must be a member to get this lovely lady.
Mannequin: BFC gift with 2012 membership
Backdrop: Made by the lovely Sheree ( http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fabulous-White-Silkstone-Photo-Display-OOAK-Set-LAST-ONE-FOR-NOW-/170800865221?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27c4865fc5)
You can even backlight the backdrop…cool effect!
Walking Suit Silkstone Barbie
People are running not walking to get their hands on this beauty and I can’t say as I blame them. She is a stunner! Classic Silkstone design and Robert Best’s 1950’s inspired couture have combined for a home run of a collector doll. At the time of this blog post, she is already sold out at Barbie Collector and is flying off the shelves at retailers. If you want this lady, I would suggest sooner rather than later. She won’t last long.
Her hair is beautifully styled and crisp. The hat takes some finessing to get it to sit correctly but not too bad. I did end up pinning mine onto the head to get it to sit the way I wanted. I love the little ornate gloves on this lady. Those were an unexpected surprise. This lady will be a model for many re-dressings for sure. Love the dramatic face paint on her! Can’t wait to try this trim little suit on some of my Fashion Royalty ladies too.
Model: Walking Suit Silkstone Barbie
Edition size: no more than 6600 worldwide
Gold label
Giselle is a Glam Addict
I was so excited to win the opportunity to buy this lovely, lovely lady. She really has exceeded my expectations in every way. I love the sleek hairstyle, pale skin tone, red lips with the raven black hair and green eyes. Absolutely gorgeous. The black and white print sheath fits well and I like it paired with the red accent belt. The set comes with three pairs of shoes, an extra belt, two purses, fur stole, jewelry set and hat.
The black shoes are a bit big for her feet but I made them work for the photos. I have yet to try the red or the pink shoes on but look forward to trying those out. I love the hammered silver bracelet. It is exactly like Luminous Kyori’s but in silver tone instead of gold. The pink/black and cream toned purse is TO DIE FOR.
LE 300 Fashion Royalty “Glam Addict” Giselle
Here Comes the Bride–Poppy Parker Part 2
Yep…not done with the wedding theme yet. I just love the Silkstone Barbie Wedding dress. It has graced a good chunk of my collection over time and I swear it looks amazing on every single doll I have put it on. I also added something I don’t usually have in my wedding shots…a groom.
Models: Sweet Confection Poppy Parker and Most Beautiful Boy Auden
Bridal gown , veil and bouquet: Marie Therese Silkstone Barbie
Groom’s tuxedo: Twilight Breaking Dawn Pt 1 Edward
Set: My new favorite…the cake candelabra painted silver on a candle holder. Buyers Choice fence. The floral arrangement is a greenery ball on a candlestick with some paper roses thrown in. Literally..that’s what it is.
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 