The official banner of the Integrity Toys 2020 25th anniversary Legendary convention, held virtually this year, and also the image on all doll boxes for the event, was a beautiful Agnes Von Weiss doll, which drew admiring comments from most participants and was expected to appear in some form during the event. It was announced instead that the doll would be produced as the company’s official 25th Anniversary doll for all club members. Everyone was delighted and people started speculating on when and how the doll would be making its debut. Yesterday, the W Club sent the email announcing the beginning of the preorders for the doll, along with a series of promotional photos of the prototype. The collectors’ reactions: legendary!
Item # 91503
Legendary Status
Agnes Von Weiss™ Dressed Doll
Official Integrity Toys 25th Anniversary Doll
Limited Edition: TBD
Estimated Arrival: Late Spring 2021
Retail Price: $175.00
**IT DIRECT EXCLUSIVE PRE-ORDER**
Head Sculpt: Agnes
Body Type: FR 6.0
Foot Sculpt: High-heeled
Skin Tone: FR White
Hair Color: Mahogany
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied
Quickswitch: No
Included:
12.5-inch fully articulated doll with rooted hair styled in an intricate ponytail, as well as hand-applied eyelashes;
Ultra-luxurious mirror "jeweled" gown with dramatic golden yellow asymmetric overskirt and draped accents;
Bespoke "jewel" clutch purse;
Especially designed "stocking-shoes", micro-crystal covered stockings with built-in shoes;
High-contrast faux-sapphire adorned jewelry set (earrings and two assorted rings);
Pair of hands with modern French manicure;
Alternate pair of grip hands;
Doll stand;
Certificate of authenticity;
There’s a huge reaction to the doll and most of it is not positive. People feel disappointed from the reveal, saying that the make up of the doll is not as vibrant as the convention promo, that the hairdo is too severe, that the dress is a mess and so on and so forth. I would say that it is only natural to have all these reactions: when you build the anticipation for a doll with a heavily retouched photo (see below) for such a long time and then present the same doll in a different lighting and by a different photographer (as the doll designer Jessy Ayala mentioned on his Instagram post about the doll), it is not a good business practice and will surely cause a negative reaction. If people had seen these promo photos first and then the one retouched and used for the convention promotional material and packaging, it would have been quite a different beast altogether, aesthetics notwithstanding.
I find the whole look a bit of a mess actually. Too many different things vying for attention and trying to fit together. The mix does not work for the most part. It takes a special talent to juggle so many different elements together successfully and frankly, it is missing here. And with an asking price of $175.00, I’m not so sure I want to give in. The doll is actually beautiful and I think the make up colours and hair colour all work together well. The dress is garish and over-designed. It looks like someone took two or three different dresses, cut them up and sew them together - Galliano can do that with a varying degree of success, Rei Kawakubo usually does it even better. But here it falls flat, no matter how many rhinestones are used to blind one in submission. Ralph and Russo designs are already overboard by themselves, let alone combining two looks (here and here) together.
And then, there’s the price. This is not a mini gift set and yet it retails more than any convention doll, most of which are way more stylish and accessorized than this one. Is it the crystals? I will just end with this: NAP Aymeline is a doll worth her $295.00 - this one does not look like it does justify her $175.00, And if this is going to be the price of FR dolls come 2021, with the pandemic going on and people trying to control expenses, it might not be such a good business move at all.
Offer Type: W Club open pre-order.
Participation Deadline: December 4th, 2020, 12 PM (Noon) Eastern Time.
Pricing (FOR W CLUB MEMBERS ONLY): $175.00 USD + S & H.
($25 NRD deposit due now, $150.00 + S & H due upon arrival).
Final Edition Size: To be determined (will be based on all orders received).
Shipping Timing: Approximately late Spring 2021.
Availability: 2020 W Club members only.
Pre-order Limit: No limit!
The deadline to pre-order Legendary Status Agnes Von Weiss is Friday, December 4th, 2020 at 12 PM/NOON North American Eastern Time.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Prototype shown, final production may vary. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only.
All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC. and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission. ©2020 All rights reserved. FASHION ROYALTY and all other character marks followed by ™ or ® are trademarks of Integrity Toys, Inc., Chesapeake City MD USA 21915. ©2020 All rights reserved. The W Club is a trademark of Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC. All rights reserved.
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