Summer Project Continued Part 4

June 28, 2019

Vanessa "Obsidian Society" 2006
Wearing Gown from Thai doll couturier.

Vanessa "Shock Bonbon" 2004
This Vanessa was the first ever produced by IT.
Wearing "Lana Turner" gown 'Just Brilliant'

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June 27, 2019

Vanessa "High Tide" 2007 
Repainted by Vin Trapani.
Gown by Ovaz.

Vanessa "Cruise Control" Re-rooted 2005
Dress by Antonio Realli, Bag by Lovetones, FR shoes.

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June 26, 2019

Vanessa "Runway Right Away" 2005
Wearing Adaline King "Never Predictable" gown.

Vanessa "Dress Code" 2011
Wearing a OOAK Huckleberry Jackson dress. (hjcouture)

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June 25, 2019

Vanessa "Going Places" 2007
Never redressed.
This was the convention souvenir doll that year.

Vanessa "Night Warrior" 2009
Dolly Style Convention (Japan) Souvenir Doll
Wearing dress from Tatyana Alexandrova "Nouveau Regime."

The original doll was highly sought after. Back in 2009 $245. (¥26250.00) plus postage from Japan was a goodly sum and there were only 300.
I was lucky in those days and got pretty much every doll I wanted either through lotteries or my dealer.

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June 24, 2019


Vanessa "Aerodynamic" 2009
I have two of these dolls. This one has been rerooted. She is wearing a gown by Antonio Realli.

Vanessa "Aerodynamic" 2009  II
She is wearing an RnD fashion.  I crimped her hair and had her repainted by Vin Trapani. I love both of them!

This is the original Aerodynamic Vanessa.

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June 23, 2019

Vanessa "Metal Maven" 2008
Wearing an RND Design gown.

Vanessa Reroot. May have been "Shirred Not Shaken" 2008
Wearing fashion from Jasper "Malicious" 2011 (Nu-Fantasy)

Here is the original Shirred Not Shaken:

Here, I was already getting fed up with her odd hairstyle:

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June 22, 2019

Vanessa "Luxe Life" 2009

She is one of the very few dolls I own who has never been redressed.

The unwelcomed, surprise sculpt change for Vanessa began my detachment from collecting Integrity Toys. I no longer collected my treasured Vanessa dolls and virtually stopped buying any Fashion Royalty dolls for a while. Many of us called the new sculpt "Fauxnessa."

Fauxnessa aka "High Point?" Vanessa 2012

Wearing an artist's design (I forget who.)

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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.

Introducing Fauxnessa

Like everyone else, I was shocked to learn that Vanessa's sculpt was to be retired. When this doll, the first of her replacements was introduced, I was in denial. I didn't believe they would really do it. I was secretly hoping that they'd acquiesce to collectors' cries of FOUL and back up. So I pre-ordered her.
They didn't.

Although IT is calling this doll Vanessa, I am not. She is not Vanessa.  Someone made up the moniker Fauxnessa and it works.

Fauxnessa's face is beautiful. She now looks like many of the other beautiful dolls in the FR line. Sadly for this one, the hair is ridiculously unattractive and unflattering. I am very tempted to keep her because I know she will be a beautiful doll with her hair restyled but when they replaced Vanessa's and Veronique's sculpts, they ended my collecting most of the Fashion Royalty line.

 Are those Poppy Parker lips?

 The simple dress needs to be slightly shorter. I have folded the hem up temporarily.

The navy strap around her ankle is separate from the rest of the shoe. Interesting construction and it works.

Everything Changes or Needs To

Our house went live on MLS earlier today. I'm numb. It's such a leap into the unknown to sell a house. I have to admit that dolls are not in the forefront of my mind right now but I am still here. The sum of my doll play in the last few days has been admiring those that still populate my showcases. I miss letting the world go and sitting down with a doll to redress her.
In order to remind myself of my pre-orders I created a chart on one piece of paper which has a little picture of the impending doll and how much I paid for it. I still have 8 on the way.  In addition, the exclusive Comicon Ghoulia is joining the tribe courtesy of Christina. EEK.
So...if I feel deprived I just have to look at my chart. Unfortunately I have no time to feel deprived right now. Less time to shop - although I managed to squeeze in a few separates from OOAK designers. LOL.

I never got around to giving a little review of two new dolls Integrity Toys surprised everyone with last week, "Follow the Line" Kesenia and "Current Pursuits" Vanessa.

"Follow the Line" Kesenia

Click on the images to see how they've been Photoshopped. Sadly, no amount of Photoshopping can change the true appearance of this doll's mouth. A snap-on face plate to change her looks would have been helpful. I haven't made a secret of my opinion of Kesenia's sculpt. It's too bad because the rest of the doll looks very nice. I'm not sure if the outfit is black but it's a nice pant suit.

Vanessa (aka Fauxnessa by many devotees) is absolutely a doll I do not need. I could almost not believe it myself. I am a Vanessa lover and have all of them - some multiples as well. I ordered "Dress Code" Vanessa in spite of the cold reception she received.  I ordered the W Club Vanessa, too, mainly because I think the fashion is beautiful.  But when I saw Current Pursuits, the spell was broken. She looks like so many other recently released IT dolls.

"Current Pursuits" Vanessa

She's pretty. The outfit is cute but how many shorts with little jackets or trench coats and white shirts does one  need? I understand themed lines but there's very little variety here.

The shorts (or in the case of the DG, mini skirts), little jacket, blouse trend crosses all of IT's lines this year.  It has yet to show up on the Monogram dolls but I wouldn't be surprised.

W Club Doll #1 - Monaco Royale

What do you think?