Monaco Royale Fauxnessa

My W Club dolls arrived yesterday and looked exactly like their promotional photos. I never liked her face or hair but I wanted the outfit so I ordered her.

The gown is very well constructed and the fit is perfect. I did remove it to press the train. The shoes are fiddly and don't stay on well during the course of posing and handling. I tried to get the necklace on using jewelers pliers and I just ran out of patience so I took off her head to make it easier, though it was not necessary.

The 3 bracelets are ordinary and will need the hand removed to go on. Sadly, my doll's hands kept falling out. There is a way to fix that by putting a small piece of plumbers white tape on the threads of the hand prong. That is much better than gluing them on.

After working with this doll, I decided not to keep the outfit. The train just doesn't work for me. I would have loved a gown made totally from the beaded fabric. A long slim gown with a slit up the back or an inverted pleat using the charmeuse as an insert. I think the wrapped fabric's placement is awkward. It's lovely fabric and I'd like to see it used elsewhere.

Every Monaco Royale head I've seen has a different-looking hairstyle. The two dolls I got were different from each other. I sincerely hope they NEVER use this hairstyle ever again. Anyone with such a high hairline would absolutely wear some type of bang or have their hair covering part of the forehead.

When I redressed her a different doll emerged.

 

Black is definitely her color. She is wearing the blouse and pants from the Bergdorf Goodman Fashion Night Out doll. They fit wonderfully well. Actually, I like the fit of the blouse on her full-busted body better than on the FR2 doll's body. I love the double collar and keeping the top hook open allows the collar to be turned up to frame her face nicely. It's a great outfit without the puffy sweatshirt.

Review of Jason Wu's Fashion Night Out Doll #2

 My dolls finally arrived yesterday and were speed deboxed. You've probably all seen pictures and since I don't really have the time, I won't be photographing her anytime soon. The above picture is from combined IT promo images. The doll looks exactly like her promotional images.

I am looking forward to seeing this new FR2 sculpt painted differently as this one is not my taste although it's done very well. I've seen her with her hair taken out of the pony tail and she softens up nicely.

The white handbag is a little work of art with wonderful details and a little zipper inside. You can't see the shoulder strap in the photo below but it's there. The shoes are perfectly constructed in that the doll can stand on her own - balanced! And the shopping bag is a cute touch. She does not come with any jewelry.

The pants have working inset pockets, a teensy zipper fly and fit very well. They are an excellent weight fabric for this type of doll garment. The blouse is another little work of art. First of all it's fully lined. There are tiny darts, pleats and decorative sewn details down the front and along the back and a sheer double organza collar. The cuffs have a metal hook & eye closure.  (Someone has to make miniature hook & eye closures one of these days so they can be in better scale with doll clothes. There has to be another way.) 

If you get a chance to examine this blouse, it's a treat. Most human shirts don't have this much detail. This is classic Fashion Royalty excellence.

The only downfall of this ensemble is the sweater/sweatshirt. The weight of the fabric is wrong. It just doesn't lay properly and certainly doesn't flatter the doll in any way. The real life outfit is gorgeous and the sweater is the star. See below. Apparently in this case, the design could not be translated well for a doll. But I certainly give them an A for effort. As I said, there's not a stitch of careless construction in this ensemble. I wonder if the sweater would work on a flat-chested, slimmer doll.

Do I think she is worth $150? Compared to the other FR2 dolls, she was $25. less. If you love the face and the outfit, then the answer is a definite yes.

At this point the only way to get the doll is from other collectors directly or on eBay. Bergdorf's sold out shortly after they were posted.

You may be interested in seeing these images from Nordstrom's & Neiman Marcus' websites showing the real life Jason Wu garments upon which the doll's ensemble was based.

Jason Wu Lace Trim Wool Sweatshirt $1195.00

Jason Wu Organza Trim Silk Blouse $930.00

Jason Wu Satin Piped Tuxedo Pants $795.00

Double layer organza collar detail.

Leather Crossbody Tote $1995.

Real Life Photo of Jason Wu's Fashion Night Out Doll #2

My friend Alejandro posted this lovely picture of his FNO doll with her hair down. What do you think?

I love the original open-mouth Vanessa and Avantguard sculpts but this doll's mouth borders a little on the Kesenia/Bucky Beaver side. I think it's the shape of the upper lip that creates the buck-toothed effect. The upper lip is too plump and rises up higher than a 'normal' lip. The two upper lip hills (I don't know what else to call them) are too close together creating the appearance that teeth are pushing it out and up.

I will not be keeping the head.

Too sick to play with dolls? Never!

In spite of the fact that I've been suffering with a chest cold and sore throat, I've been taking pictures of my dolls and redressing them.

Among the gals that is getting attention is Paul Pham's Numina, Devon. I cannot get this doll to look the way I want her to look. I can't pose her the way I visualize. I'm afraid that this type of doll just isn't for me. It's not the first 16" BJD that I failed to bond with. There is nothing wrong with this doll. She has a gorgeous body and a pretty face. I have nice clothes for her. I hate this feeling!

She's going to get two more chances to make me happy. No one stays without making me happy. Must be the medication.

Bergdorf Goodman's Fashion Night Out Doll: This is my third one and I have finally decided to keep one. She is quite pretty and I like her better without her hair braided. For some reason her hair was very fly-away upon receipt and she was NRFB! There must be a grinch in the factory with a dull razor scraping at hair instead of cutting hair. I trimmed it and there are still little shredded ends of hair. Ugh. But she stays.

Not Doll Related BUT It's Jason Wu!

On the Bergdorf Goodman website there is a short video in which Jason answers five questions.

Click here for the link to 5 Questions for Jason Wu.

Did you get your Jason Wu Poppy?

Fashion Night Out at Bergdorf Goodman accompanied by a Jason Wu doll!

It won't go on sale until Friday, September 10 but the W Club and Bergdorf's has released the information and pictures of a new doll inspired by Jason's Resort Collection.

The price of the doll is $150. Will you be ordering one or more?

Read about Fashion Night Out in the New York Times.