In The Palace
For those of you who follow my instagram feed, you have seen some of these images already. It is not my intention to post images on Instagram first but sometimes it just works out that way. If I am excited about a photo, sometimes I just can’t contain myself and have to share it immediately. Sometimes there is just an image and no backstory or text/dialogue I want to share with it other than the image itself. Instagram is a great platform for that. If you don’t follow me there, consider it. I share funny behind the scenes stories and pictures on my Instagram stories too. My blog will still be the place to come when you want the full set of images on something and/or more information on what is in the picture. Ok, now that public service announcement is out of the way….on to the pictures.
I had this amazing graphic a friend had sent me many moons ago and had used it in backdrops for Hilda and my sales table at Barbiecon. I always love architectural drawings and wanted to see if it would work as a photo backdrop. Thankfully..it did.
Elyse In The Palace
Model: Divinely Luminous Elyse from Integrity Toys
Gown: Rimdoll on Etsy
Jewelry: Divinely Luminous Elyse
I felt like I needed an opulent set to go with this amazing dress from Rimdoll. It is a wonderful interpretation of the Dior Robe Mexique from 1951.
Elyse wasn’t the only one at the palace the day of this shoot. Dasha made an appearance as well.
Dasha at the Palace
Model: Daydream Dasha d’Amboise from Integrity Toys
Gown: HOANGANHKHOI on Etsy
Jewelry: Daydream Dasha and Mattel
Shoes: Integrity Toys
Love this shirt long skirt combo. Sooooo elegant!! This miniature couture designer out of Vietnam is amazing. I will tell you that his designs take a while to manufacture and arrive. I can also tell you that while the wait was long, I was always happy with the product.
-Rebecca
New Jason Wu Elyse Announced!
Yesterday the WClub announced a new exclusive lottery during it’s week long Dolly Days extravaganza. We have a new Jason Wu designed Elyse people! She will, sadly, be an IT direct right to buy lottery with an edition size of a paltry 450. Mud pit time. Many will happily enter the pit for this one.
Pre-Fall 2016
Dressed Doll
The Jason Wu Collection
Estimated Arrival: Early Jan. 2020
Price: $225 + S & H
Edition Size: 450
Head Sculpt: Elyse
Body Type: FR 6.0 with Velvet Touch
Skin Tone: Japan
Hair Color: Ice blond
Foot type: High-heeled
Eyelashes: Yes, hand-applied
Quickswitch: No
Here is her story:
Get ready to add something luxurious to your collection! Jason Wu’s muse, Elyse Jolie, is an absolute vision of femininity wearing a masterfully rendered, miniature couture version of an original look created for the JWU Pre-Fall 2016 collection! Don’t miss your chance to add this truly timeless collectible to your JWU collection!
Included:
- 12.5-inch fully articulated doll with rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes;
- Elyse wears a miniaturized reproduction of a Jason Wu original creation, featuring
- intricately engineered details at the bustier and overlapping skirt panels on the front of the dress;
- Faux-snakeskin spectator heels;
- Clutch purse;
- Sparkling "jeweled" pendant earrings;
- Matching luxuriously "jeweled" bracelet;
- Two pairs of hands;
- Doll stand;
- Certificate of authenticity.
Final fabrics, colors and textures may vary slightly. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only
I really wished they had showed the back view of her hair. It looks like a french twist….I am guessing though. If it is…divine!!
Holy hand grenades people!!! The dress has pockets!!! {no judgment for the Monty Python reference either please LOL!}
This facial screening reminds me of J’Adore La Fete Elyse.
Not sure what the Pre Fall 2016 name is all about. After scouring the released photos of his prefall 2016 line I could find no reference to this design. Some super sleuths over at the WClub forums did find this though…
Kate Bosworth in Jason Wu at a red carpet in 2016. This definitely appears to be the inspiration. Doesn’t appear to have ever been produced except as this one off. Very pretty on Ms. Bosworth and beautiful on Elyse as well. Well played Mr. Wu!!!
For you WClub members who want to try for this one, your deadline is January 6th, 2020 at noon EST.
–Rebecca
The Elyse Chronicles: Purple Passion
I was going back through photo files this past weekend and what do you know…I found a few images I had not shared last year!
Model: Net a Porter Elyse
Gown: Eifeldolldress ( https://www.flickr.com/photos/eifel85/)
Earrings: Party Dress Silkstone Barbie
Love, love, love the feel of the velvety skin texture on these Jason Wu specialty Elyse’s he did last year. I love how it feels and I love how it translates through a lens. There isn’t as much glare from lights, less shine.
-Rebecca
The Elyse Chronicles: Red Sparrow
Ok…so I couldn’t just leave this Elyse with just a Barbie makeover shot. I also wanted to show her in a more sophisticated look than the white and black sundress she came in. I was having some difficulty coming up with a different look for her and received some inspiration from an unlikely place…the current book I was reading.
Model: Jason Wu 10th Anniversary Doll “Nordstrom Exclusive”
Dress, cape, shoes, jewelry: Star Power Vanessa by Integrity Toys
Hat: Dimitha
Muff: Bogue’s Vogues
–Rebecca
The Elyse Chronicles: La Vie en Rose
The first doll released from the Jason Wu 10th Anniversary collection was the La Vie en Bleu Elyse. The option to purchase her was given to each 2016 Integrity Toys Convention attendee.
So in keeping with the theme I started, since she came to us originally in an evening look, I thought to put her in a daywear look. I looked no further than a new uber chic suit I received from Etsy designer and seller HoangAnhKhoi.
And what blog post called “La Vie en Rose” could not include a link to this…
The Elyse Chronicles: Daywear to Nightwear
The Bergdorf Goodman Elsye in the navy pants and yellow and navy sweater is clearly a daywear look. To me it is VERY Sonya Rykiel and while I loved the turban on the real life fashion, I don’t feel it translated well to 1/6 scale.
Perhaps the turban will be put to good use elsewhere in my collection…that remains to be seen but…I needed to transform this Elyse from daywear to eveningwear.
Talk about DRAMA!
Model: Bergdorf Goodman Elyse Navy Pant
Gown: And Another Thing Kyori gift set by Integrity Toys
Jewelry and Shoes: Malefique Elyse
Love the short slicked back hairstyle and the facial screening on this one.
-Rebecca
The Elyse Portrait – Behind the Scenes
Since the announcement of these 10th Anniversary dolls by Jason Wu over a year ago, I thought it would be so cool to do an Annie Leibovitz style group shot of all the dolls. During the past year of releases and all the stress and uncertainty that can come with trying to purchase a super limited edition size collectable, I doubted this idea would ever come to fruition. I was ok with that. I can’t tell you how many great photo ideas I have had that have not and will not ever come to pass.
Through the help of friends and fellow collectors, I was able to procure each of the 6 special limited edition dolls from this past year. With that accomplished, my mission was now set…time to do a group shot with all of these lovely ladies. I did research on Ms Leibovitz’s lighting style and composition. I have been a fan of her work for many, many years and was so very honored to take one of her master classes this past year. It was time to put that knowledge to work.
Figuring out composition can be the most difficult job of a shoot. I’m not going to lie…this part took a couple hours and some outside consult from my good friend Rogier of Dutch Fashion Doll World.
The above composition was my first attempt. After consult (Thanks Rogier!!) and more thinking, I finally settled on this set up
The next step was to get the right lighting. Annie Leibovitz’s group shots always have everyone in the group lit so well. I found out…she composites them….meaning…she shoots smaller groups then stitches them together in Photoshop. I considered doing that here and I almost did…but found that I had a small enough group that I felt I could light it adequately. I used a mixture of natural sunlight and 1-2 soft box lights. I shot with a Canon 5D Mark III and a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Prime lens.
And the final result after post processing.
Hope you enjoyed the behind the scenes loot at how this image came together.
—Rebecca
The Elyse Portrait
For those of you who follow me on Instagram or Flickr, you have already seen the group shot. I just couldn’t wait to share the photo.
Through the help of friends and fellow collectors, I was able to obtain all of 6 special limited edition Jason Wu 10th Anniversary Elyse dolls produced this past year. I thought it would be really fun to do a group shot of all the girls together and here is the result of that shoot. Hope you all enjoy.
Models: Jason Wu 10th Anniversary Dolls ( obtained through WClub,Net a Porter, Bergdorf Goodman and Nordstrom)
Clothing: Jason Wu
Art Direction: Rogier Corbeau – Dutch Fashion Doll World
Styling and Photography: Rebecca Berry – Inside The Fashion Doll Studio
I am doing a “Behind the Scenes” blog post on how I did this group photo tomorrow morning so if you are interested in that kind of stuff…keep an eye out . Feel free to comment or ask questions.
—Rebecca
Jason Wu 10th Anniversary Dolls
Jason Wu is releasing a commemorative collection of 10th anniversary dolls to showcase some of his favorite designs from the last ten years of his career. Today Bergdorf Goodman released a very limited edition set of dolls to the expectant arms of many willing and waiting collectors. A few lucky collectors were able to obtain them…many others did not. The funny part …or perhaps not so funny…is that we really don’t know who will end up with these dolls and who will not. Before I go any further, lets share images of what people were willing to get up at the crack of dawn to try to purchase.
Inspired by Jason Wu Fall 2011 RTW
Inspired by Jason Wu Spring 2011 RTW
Let me set the stage. If you are a WClub member, you received a “heads-up” that these dolls would be made available online only at Bergdorf Goodman on November 17th at approximately 9:00AM EST. This is one of those “PERKS” I talk about getting with a WClub membership that basically pays for the membership alone. Just sayin’…on to the scene.
Let’s be honest here people…for those who collect and love the hunt, this was catnip. With that information tucked away, many intrepid collectors from all over the world attempted to attain these allusive collectibles. When I say allusive…I mean it. Edition size is 200. That is SMALL. That makes these babies basically a holy grail in the fashion doll collecting community. It was a safe bet to say that there would be high demand and low supply. Basically a blue light Kmart special kind of event.
So, we had the approximate time and the place and most of us assumed that searching the website for “Jason Wu” or “Jason Wu doll” would be enough to find these beauties once they were released on the site. Some of us started early…as in predawn on the 17th. The search, it turns out was not as simple as typing in the logical “Jason Wu” oh no…it was to be more complicated than that. And here is the interesting thing I found today. It was the community and the loyal and helpful members of that community that essentially helped fellow collectors find the elusive links or gateways that allowed many to attempt to purchase these dolls. Thanks to one member in particular in the WClub, many of us were able to use a shared link and attempt to purchase these dolls. I will say outright here and now that many of us owe Blaiseworld on the WClub a big martini and undying thanks for directing us to the dolls. When many were expressing difficulty in finding the dolls after the designated time had arrived, Blaisworld shared the link that allowed us to get these in our carts and for all intensive purposes, purchase.
Why am I being so cagy about “purchase”? Excellent question. Many of us were able to put these babies in our cart and go through the regular checkout step. Many of us received the hallowed “confirmation” email. And then…many received the dreaded “cancellation” email. So many received cancellations that it has left everyone feeling like we don’t really know if we will get these dolls or not. There does not seem to be a rhyme or reason to the cancellations and there will be approximately a week delay to find out if these things will ship ( apparently the container ship with product has not arrived at BG yet). Most of us wait in anticipation hell…afraid of the pings of those incoming emails …afraid they will be cancellation emails. I am seriously developing a nervous tick with these pings LOL! As of this point, I am in anticipation of these dolls but I don’t fully expect them. Jason Wu shared on his Instagram that these dolls sold out in 1 hour so I am hopeful if I made purchase within that 1 hour that I will receive them. I don’t really know for sure though until I get the first step to the holy grail…the “shipping notice”.
I have said it before and I will say it again, Elyse and Eden/Lilith are my favorite face molds. I am interested in anything with these face molds. Added to that, the idea of having a miniature Jason Wu creation is flippin’ cool. I wish the edition size were such that those who wanted one could obtain one. In the absence of that, I have to say it was an an exhilarating yet maddening experience today as I ran into roadblocks. In the end, the roadblock was moved aside by a person I did not know personally but whom helped many collectors find their way to purchase. That is the true meaning of this day to me. This person didn’t have to help, but they did…and it helped many. Wow. Even if I don’t end up getting these dolls, I am humbled by the willingness of a few to help their fellow collectors. They didn’t hoard the information to themselves or hand it out to a select few…they gave it to the community. I find this over and over within this collecting community…a willingness to help eachother. Yes, yes, there are a few actors that are in it primarily for the profit and the gain but I would have to say, for the most part, the community wants to help….and in a world that is already pretty darn difficult right now…that made me smile.
Hoping to get these dolls but smiling in the midst of this uncertainty,
—Rebecca
Elyse Likes A Party
Or at least she likes a party in Paris…but then who wouldn’t. I received this beautiful J’adore la Fête Elyse right before leaving for vacation and while I don’t advocate working while you go on vacation, I do have to say that my office view has improved with travel…this is what I am looking at while I write this post.
Now on to the doll photos. I borrowed netted fascinator from Blue Flame Vanessa.
She is a beauty! I love the dark locks and flame red lips on her. The jewelry is really stepped up and the presentation of this giftset in the red suitcase appeals to this collector in a big way. It’s just plain classy. I can’t wait to photograph this Elyse in the suit.
–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.