This year is the tenth anniversary of Poppy Parker and all releases of her in 2019 are, by default, considered just that bit more special. So what better date than the birthday of Poppy’s designer, the über-talented David Buttry, to unveil the "Gardens Of Versailles" Poppy Parker™ Convention upgrade doll. What this means for W Club members is that, whether they are able to attend the FW19 convention or not, they get exclusive access to a chance to pre-order and obtain this convention exclusive upgrade doll. There is no set edition size, as the final production quantity will be determined by the total amount of pre-orders received by the deadline.
Item # PP155
Gardens of Versailles
Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll
2019 Convention Exclusive Upgrade
Non-attending members-Only Price: $150.00 + s & h
Approximate Delivery Date: October 2019
Edition Size: TBD
Head Sculpt: Poppy Parker
Body Type: Poppy Parker
Foot Sculpt: High Heeled
Skin Tone: Sunkissed
Hair Color: Black
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied
Quickswitch: No
Included:
12" fully articulated doll with rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes;
Full length custom floral printed taffeta gown with halter neckline and black satin sash;
Black satin clutch;
2 pairs of earrings; large “golden” hoops and floral burst drop earrings with faux pink "stone" details;
Two "golden" bangle bracelets, 1 "multi-stone" cuff bracelet;
A large pink "stone" ring;
Black satin ankle strap heels;
Alternate pair of hands with long nails;
Stand;
Certificate of authenticity;
On the 28th of November 1973, a fashion show unlike any other before or after it, was held at the Palace of Versailles near Paris, supporting a charity for the palace restoration. Five French couturiers (Yves Saint-Laurent, Givenchy, Dior, Ungaro and Cardin) and five American fashion designers (Oscar De La Renta, Anne Klein, Bill Blass, Halston and Steven Burrows) were showing together for the very first time. A who is who of celebrities were attending. The event has a historical place in both French and American fashion, as it greatly influenced both industries for the next decade. There is an excellent book about it, The Battle of Versailles: the night American fashion stumbled into the spotlight and made history, by Pulitzer Prize winner, author and journalist Robin Givhan, plus two documentaries, Versailles ‘73: American Runway Revolution by Deborah Riley Draper, plus Battle at Versailles, by Fritz Mitchell. You can read more about it in this interview of Robin Givhan here and an excerpt here. Also, Ava DuVernay is slated to co-write and direct a film for HBO based on the aforementioned book.
Stephen Burrows dresses
Why all this history lesson? Because this is the story frame of this particular Poppy doll, according to the story details Integrity Toys released. She’s supposedly the most famous model walking the runway at this event. It’s early seventies, so she’s at the end of her career. The dress does not look like the ones you can see if you google photos of the event. Most of the outfits shown were either monochromatic (lots of beige for the opening and black for the finale), with Stephen Burrows rainbow coloured dresses in jersey standing out.
Stephen Burrows dresses
The silhouette and print of the dress are very true to the seventies, looking like something either De La Renta or Bill Blass would design. But there was none like that in the show. The story accompanying the doll mentions a Bartholomew Barrows as the designer Poppy is wearing, clearly referencing Stephen Burrows. The real Burrows mostly did colour blocking designs, using a lot of jersey cut asymmetrically or in geometric shapes, using a lot of “lettuce” curly edged hems. People complaining her dress looks too mature should remember that in 1973 Poppy is mature herself, not a fresh faced ingénue.
From the March 2015 issue of W magazine, article about Robin Givhan’s book.
Oscar De La Renta early seventies print dress
Bill Blass early seventies dresses
Halston dress from Spring 1974
Anjelica Huston with David Bailey in Corsica, 1973
My major objection with the dress is the sash. Big, flowing dresses in the early seventies had either a thin belt shaping their waist, in leather or fabric, or a draped narrow basque-like design, with dangling ends on the side, made of the same fabric as the dress. The wide black sash is more emblematic of the eighties. The deep V neckline to the waist is very typical of the era.
The doll is beautiful, with her Sunkissed skin tone (first time for Poppy) and curly hair in a style clearly reminiscent of the famous seventies model Pat Cleveland.
Pat Cleveland by Irvin Penn, Vogue US, March 1971
The accessories are nice, although I think only one of the bracelets is original. The straps on the shoes will be hell to fasten. Love that she has two pairs of earrings to choose from.
The price tag is higher than usual for a non-giftset Poppy, but remember that this is the slightly higher price Integrity Toys charges on convention dolls for non attendees. I’m definitely getting her, how about you?
The dress has pockets!
Final doll will be unveiled closer to convention time. Final fabrics, colors and textures to be announced. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only. All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2019 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission. FASHION ROYALTY, POPPY PARKER, NU. FACE, EAST 59TH, THE INDUSTRY and all other character marks followed by ™ or ® are trademarks of Integrity Toys, Inc. Chesapeake City MD USA 21915. All rights reserved. The W Club is a trademark of Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. Doll Photography by Jayme Thornton. Layouts and graphics by Alain Tremblay, Marketing.