Bye Bye FR:Monograms
Integrity Toys announced this past week in a post they called “An exciting evolution!” that they would be discontinuing their FR:Monogram line in a move to help focus and unify the other lines. Per the email from Integrity, the final Monograms will make an appearance at convention and then will forever “Requiescat in pace” R.I.P. The FR: FR2 line will be merged with the FR classic line and a new updated FR/FR2 body will be introduced and used for all future Fashion Royalty offerings. Nu.Face and FR: Homme will get an update in 2014. Exciting news for sure.
My guess is that the classic styling that was the bread and butter of the Monogram line will now be serviced by their Victoire product. Not surprising. Many in the collecting community were expecting this but it still makes me sad. The Monograms were a particular favorite of mine and some of my personal favorite photos were produced with this line. That being the case, I thought I would do a little retrospective with this fabulous line. I am happy to have these dolls in my collection and don’t plan on selling them. It is also interesting to see how my photography has changed over the past couple of years 
The Lure of Bellissima Couture
I am headed to Florida in a couple of days for the Fashion Royalty convention and my thoughts have turned to what I am hoping to find at convention. I am always on the lookout for OOAK clothing for the girls so Hilda of Bellissima Couture’s room will be a definite first stop for me. It helps that she is one of my dearest doll friends so it’s not just the clothes but her fabulous self that is the draw for me. I snagged a couple of her creations at Barbie convention and her last online show and wanted to share them here. Her fashions evoke the feel of 1950’s couture so I was inspired to have my monogram trio Envied, Passionate and Bemused model her work. Hope you enjoy!
Models: Fashion Royalty Monogram. (from left to right) Bemused, Passionate and Envied
Clothing: Bellissima Couture ( http://bellissimacouturefashions.wordpress.com/ )
Jewelry: Mattel
Flower hat: scrapbooking elements
Fur: Fashion Royalty Starry Night fashion
Kissing Chair: Pure Dreams for dolls on ebay (http://stores.ebay.com/PureDreamForDolls/Barbie-Furniture-/_i.html?_fsub=2237637017&_sid=480609367&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322)
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.
Envied in the Sunlight
Many people ask me about my photography and how I light my shots. Many of my photos are taken in a photo tent with diffused lighting from the sides and a soft box light from the front. Sometimes I will use an overhead ( highlight or hairlight) lamp. I find that I use this setup many times because the light where I live is…well..crap. I live in the Pacific Northwest of the United States where we get rain 7 out of 12 months a year. Don’t get me wrong, I love living here. When it comes to photography , however, it can be a challenge. Yesterday, I was so very excited. We had one of those beautiful Indian Summer glory days…bright blue sky and abundant sunshine. I was redressing Ms. Envied after doing some redress shots, The sunshine was coming in the window at a perfect angle to project a grid pattern on the carpet so I just posed Ms. Envied on her stand, laid down on the floor and started snapping. You can make a tripod out of your arms by bracing both elbows on the floor or any stable surface. Just goes to show yet again….you don’t need a fancy light tent to take good doll photos. I love this shot. Sooooooo dramatic.
Oh, and yes, we are back to gloomy and overcast today. ;-(
Her name is Envied
I am a big fan of Integrity Toy’s Fashion Royalty Monogram line. I love the haughty expressions and the smaller body type that can wear most of the Silkstone Barbie clothing as well as my other OOAK Bogue’s Vogues and Bellissima Couture outfits. When IT announced that they were coming out with three new Monogram offerings this year my response was “Where do I sign up?” I received all three lovely ladies this past week from my fantastic dealer Barb from Windy City Dolls and I could not be happier. I know that the Caucasian one sold out in most places but the other two Latin and African American ladies are readily available. The golden skinned Latin lady (Envied) and the African American (Passionate) were the ones I was looking forward to the most. Here is Ms. Envied with Ms. Passionate and Ms. Bemused in the background. Ms. Passionate will be getting her own photo shoot in the next few days.
As of this blog posting, all of these beautiful ladies are available at http://www.windycitydolls.com/frmonogram.htm
Inside the Fashion Doll Studio 