Gene Marshall is being retired - again!

 Gene Marshall, the gorgeous and iconic creation of Mel Odom, has had a long and tumultuous history since her debut in 1995. From her Ashton Drake decade to the short but beautiful Integrity Toys evolution to the resin reincarnation at JAMIEshow dolls, Gene Marshall has always shined as the bright star she is, bringing joy to many fashion doll collectors with her district style and elegance. Unfortunately, in the latest JAMIEshow newsletter, we got the news that next year she will be retired again. Below is the text, announcing the 2018 convention in Palm Springs, which contains the news.

Photograph and styling by Tom Logan from The Glass Of Fashion - JAMIEshow doll. Wig by Ilaria.

JAMIEshow Dolls PALM SPRINGS 2018 Convention  A Fashion Retrospective & Farewell to Gene

Join us in February 2018 for the 5th JAMIEshow Convention in beautiful Palm Springs, California.

Join us for a Fashion Retrospective celebrating the glory days of Palm Springs’ movie society.  Along with a dazzling JAMIEshow line we will be celebrating Gene and Friends in different decades throughout the 20th century.  We will also be saying a farewell for now to Gene, as she retires once again to her home in Italy.  This will be the last production of JAMIEshow Gene Dolls offered and a not to be missed event.   Although JAMIEshow will continue to produce accessories that can be worn on Gene and Friends, including wigs, shoes, outfits and accessories there will be no more regularly scheduled dolls after this event.  A planned museum retrospective in the foreseeable future might happily be the exception to this rule. 

You can visit the website for more information, like the schedule below:

CONVENTION SCHEDULE

• Registration includes, one convention doll, you will choose at registration whether you want the Gene Family or JAMIEshow Family Convention doll, the other will still be availalbe to you to purchase at the event.  It also includes.

• Cocktail Party "At the Cha Cha"  Opening night cocktail party where we will all meet mingle and dance the night away!

• Pool Party, thats right a Pool Party for those who want to take a dip or just sip a drink and mix and mingle.

• Tour of Modernism and Architecture.  This tour will be available for sign up at the event.  Participation not required. Extra fee may apply.

• Sales Room with lots of offerings including new wigs, and new dolls!  All dolls will be available to take home at event and are limtited to small quantities.

• Grand Banquet Dinner "A Farewell to Gene"  as we say goodbye to Gene, Mel Odom who will be our guest throughout the event share his thoughts on and the future of Gene.

• Breakfast in the Garden, a buffet breakfast poolside at one of the fabulous outdoor restaurants.

• As always our special guest Mel Odom will be joinging us for the weekend.

JAMIEshow photo

It will be nine years from her previous retirement, when she is retired for a third time next year. Will it be for good? I hope not. Gene Marshall is a very important part of the fashion doll,history and I would like to have her with us for many more years to come.

Barbie and Missguided team up to sell out!

Barbie has collaborated many times with fashion brands in order to sell clothes or cosmetics - hey, they even sell their own fashions! Their latest collaboration is with global brand Missguided. It launched with the Barbie x Missguided collection, featuring jeans, cameo and millennial pink.  As Missguided mentioned on their website: "Barbie is THE ultimate female icon and her message is that girls can be anything they want. Our #babesofmissguided’s possibilities are endless, this is for the badass babes who can do anything".

The collection sold out in the first 24 hours - all 43 pieces of it! The company announced they will be re-stocking soon, so if you are interested, go to their website and sign up,for their newsletter.  

Of course they could not pass by the opportunity to make some Barbie sized outfits as well! No mention anywhere if theaw dolls will be released for sale, but after the success of the real clothes, who knows? Let's see the dolls one by one, as each has a distinct look, character and role in the Missguided team. The dolls were created by the super talented Magia2000 duo, Mario Paglino and Gianni Grossi.

The Artworker Barbie is the art director of the bunch. Looks appropriately creative. 

The real life version of Artworker. 

Photographer Barbie, best of the bunch. Love the hair and sunglasses. She does have a camera, which makes her the only one of the team with appropriate tools for her trade. 

Real life version very close to the doll one. 

PR and Events Barbie looks a bit too teeny bopper for this kind of job.  

The real skirt looks much better than the miniature version. Plus jewellery! 

Social Media Barbie  does not have any kind of mobile device to justify her title. How is she going to post on Instagram with those headphones?

Her real life counterpart does not seem to care about posting on social media either. 

Creative Conceptualist Barbie gets so thirsty when thinking about campaigns and promotions that she has a water bottle with her. 

Would you like to see these dolls get a commercial release? 

All photos courtesy of Mattel and Missguided.  

Joey Versaw's A Little Head can be ordered specially customized for a very limited run

I have written before about the talented Joey Versaw and his amazing colourful dolls. His more recent release was titled "A Little Head" and consisted of both boys and girls in eye-popping colour. Due to popular demand "A Little Head" has opened up custom commissions for an extremely limited run. There will only be 10 females and 10 males available for this special custom order offer. 

With this special offer you will have the choice of five hair colors: they are Blonde, Burgandy, Brunette, Blue, and Pink. You will also be able to choose make up colors, eye colors, and eye direction: you can request either a flirty side glance or a straightforward look. The girls will come in their original side part settings with beautiful long hair and the boys will come with the option of long hair or short.

Each doll will be hand-painted to the customer's specifications. Orders will take four weeks to complete once purchased. Each doll will come in an original fashion with accessories to complete the look. Nicely packaged in a clear plastic box that offers up a beautiful display case and easy in and out assessability with the logo on the front.

This offer will not be made again with these specific sculpts in vinyl so once this limited offer has sold out that is it. Joey is very excited to offer this up for those who have very specific tastes and likes. This will be a great way to have one of his creations exactly how you would like it to be. Links to order are below.

 order a custom "A Little Head" boy

order a custom "A Little Head" girl

All photos and information courtesy of Joey Versaw

Integrity Toys Summer 2017 reveal: the event doll - Agnes Von Weiss Merveilleuse

As is the norm in the W Club unveils, Integroty Toys offered each member the chance to preorder a special event doll. It is another version of Agnes, who seems to be constantly being offered in version after version from the company lately - we had one as an upgrade doll earlier this year. With Veronique and Natalia missing, I do not see the reason why they or a different character all together could not have been offered to us instead of Agnes again. With that said, I must say this doll is gorgeous. She is a Carolina Herrera deadringer, from the short hair (a first for Agnes), to the puffy white blouse and the long lace skirt, everything screams Carolina Herrera here. And I like it. So maybe we can forgive an Agnes deluge this time. Maybe. I do not get the price hike in this one - another $10 up and it is not even a gift set. Is it the extra skirt fabric? 

Item # 91420
Merveilleuse
Agnes Von Weiss™ Dressed Doll
La Femme
The 2017 Fashion Royalty® Collection
Edition Size: TBD
Estimated Delivery: Fall 2017
Suggested Retail Price: $150.00 US

***THIS DOLL CAN ONLY BE PRE-ORDERED BY W CLUB MEMBERS DIRECTLY THROUGH INTEGRITY TOYS BEFORE WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28TH, 2017 AT NOON EASTERN TIME!***

Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Agnes Von Weiss
Body: FR 6.0
Foot Sculpt: High-heeled
Skin Tone: FR White
Hair Color: Champagne Blond
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied
Quickswitch: No

Agnes Von Weiss is a 12.5" fully articulated fashion doll with fully rooted hair, combed into a short, sophisticated style. In this look, she channels a world famous American designer (one of her idols) in a high-contrast, ultra-dramatic ensemble composed of a sateen blouse with romantic puff sleeves and a v-neck mandarin collar, coupled with a high-waisted, very sheer, black guipure lace mermaid skirt lined with delicate dotted tulle. Agnes has some accessories to complete her look: a leopard clutch purse with a long tassel, closed-toe heels and custom jewelry set. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only. This doll cannot stand alone; a doll stand is included.

Please note that this doll is a prototype and the colors and fabrics may differ slightly on the final production doll. All photos and information contained herein are copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2017 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission. FASHION ROYALTY 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, Graphics and 3D renderings by Alain Tremblay, Marketing.

Integrity Toys Summer 2017 reveal: Fashion Royalty La Femme collection

The W Club also got the chance to preview the new Fashion Royalty collection last Saturday. Titled "La Femme", the ultra-feminine collection is designed this season by featured designer Jessy Ayala, and was created to celebrate all that makes women of all origins beautiful (as per the company's announcement). Vaughn helped with the production side of the collection. With the success and fresh ideas that Jesse has brought to the Nu Face collection, it was only a matter of time before they let him dabble in the other lines, and here is the first example. So did he succeed? Before we find out, let me point out again that the dolls are $10 more expensive than last year, without any apparent change in what is being on offer, other than the newly revised FR body, which now has no waist joint and softer looking knees. Plus we get the first doll with the interchangeable flat feet set. You can check with the Integrity Toys authorised dealers here, hurry up as some dolls might already be sold out in some of them:  http://www.integritytoys.com/authorized-dealers/

Item # 91418
Vivacité
Eugenia Perrin-Frost™ Dressed Doll
La Femme
The 2017 Fashion Royalty® Collection
Edition Size: 1025
Estimated Delivery: Fall/Winter 2017
Retail Price: $145.00 US

Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Eugenia
Body: FR 6.0
Foot Sculpt: High-heeled
Skin Tone: Hungarian
Hair Color: Soft Ebony
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied
Quickswitch: No

Eugenia Perrin-Frost is a 12.5" fully articulated doll with fully rooted hair. Dressed in a pair of fitted capri pants and an off-the-shoulder blouse (with an extra-long bow detail on the back), Eugenia also carries a bouquet of roses. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only. This doll cannot stand alone; a doll stand is included.

Gorgeous doll, again with a screening channeling Going Public Eugenia. Jesse said he picked screenings for each doll from the most popular ones from the past. Good choice. She also channels Spectacular Spectacular Eugenia (the FAO special Eugenia back in the beginning). I also love what she is wearing, which is very fashionable right now and reminds me a bit of my favourite designer these days, Jacquemus. The edition size is quite large, so they expect her to be very popular. I am sure she will be. She will be coming home to me as well.

Item # 91414
Coquette
Jordan Duval™ Dressed Doll
La Femme
The 2017 Fashion Royalty® Collection
Edition Size: 725
Estimated Delivery: September 2017
Retail Price: $145.00 US

Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Jordan
Body: FR 6.0
Foot Sculpt: High-heeled
Skin Tone: A-Tone
Hair Color: Sand Blond
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied
Quickswitch: No

Jordan Duval is a 12.5" fully articulated doll with fully rooted hair. Jordan is wearing a version of the classic hostess outfit with a floor length, detachable turquoise satin skirt over striped satin capri pants, topped by a faux-leather bustier. Jordan completes the look with colorful accessories. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only. This doll cannot stand alone; a doll stand is included.

Jordan is one of the characters that people have been asking to return and it showed in the voting for this year's upgrade FR doll. So here she is, with blond hair and a very colourful outfit. For me this is the weakest doll in this collection, a not so successful mix and match of elements and colours that maybe needed more tweaking, if not a complete redesign. That bag though is to die for.

Item # 91415
Sophistiquée
Vanessa Perrin™ Dressed Doll
La Femme
The 2017 Fashion Royalty® Collection
Edition Size: 825
Estimated Delivery: Fall/Winter 2017
Retail Price: $145.00 US

Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Vanessa Perrin 3.0
Body: FR 6.0
Foot Sculpt: High-heeled
Skin Tone: Cream
Hair Color: Pale Crimson
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied
Quickswitch: No

Vanessa Perrin doll is a fully articulated doll with rooted hair. She wears an ultra-modern look, composed of an intricately detailed blouse with long criss-cross ties on the sleeves and a sheer black lace skirt. She also has a faux-fur shoulder wrap, jewellery and accessories. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only. This doll cannot stand alone; a doll stand is included.

Another failed mix and match doll, this one in a bit more palatable style than Jordan. Red hair always go well for Vanessa, especially with lighter skin tones. She has a screening based on Star Power Vanessa. If she had a jacket instead of the fur wrap, maybe it would have looked much better.  I love the shirt with the intricate ties on the sleeves. 

Item # 91419
Séduisante
Elyse Jolie™ Close-Up Doll
La Femme
The 2017 Fashion Royalty® Collection
Edition Size: 825
Estimated Delivery: Fall/Winter 2017
Retail Price: $120.00 US

*** THIS GIFT SET WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE VIA INTEGRITY TOYS DEALERS!***
THIS WILL BE OFFERED VIA A W CLUB EXCLUSIVE RIGHT-TO-BUY LOTTERY FROM IT DIRECT LATER THIS YEAR

Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Elyse Jolie
Body: FR 6.0
Foot Sculpt: High-heeled and Flat Feet (One Pair of Each Included)
Skin Tone: Light Honey
Hair Color: Dark Mocha
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied
Quickswitch: No

This fully articulated Elyse Jolie close-up doll measures 12.5" tall and features fully rooted hair. Seen here for the first time in the Light Honey skin tone, this addition to the Fashion Royalty collection marks the debut of the new interchangeable lower leg feature and includes two sets of lower legs, one with the traditional high-heeled feet and another with flat, removable feet, as well as corresponding shoes to fit each. Elyse also comes with her own faux-leather beach bag, jewelry and wide-frame sunglasses. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only. This doll cannot stand alone; a doll stand is included.

People had been wondering if we would ever see Elyse in a dark skin tone and here she is. To tell you the truth, she looks a bit weird to me, although I do like the doll a lot. As if she got a fake tan from a bottle or spend too many hours in a tanning salon. She is going to be available via lottery through the club. Combine that with the first appearance of flat feet, the lower price point - this being a close up doll - and you have got the making of a really popular doll. I sure will try to win that lottery!

Item # 91417
Exquise
Adèle Makéda® Dressed Doll
La Femme
The 2017 Fashion Royalty® Collection
Edition Size: 725
Estimated Delivery: Fall/Winter 2017
Suggested Retail Price: $145.00 US

Doll Tech Specs:
Head Sculpt: Adèle Makéda 2.0
Body: FR 6.0
Foot Sculpt: High-heeled
Skin Tone: FR Black
Hair Color: Rich Sable
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied
Quickswitch: No

Adèle is a fully articulated doll and standing at 12.5" tall, she features fully rooted hair. Adèle wears a tailored, red-hot pant suit that features a removable cape that transforms the jacket into a vest. She also has a custom-printed head scarf, faux-leather gloves and a hat to complete her look. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only. This doll cannot stand alone; a doll stand is included.

Easily the best doll of the collection, she was the most popular in the webinar poll too (with Eugenia a close second). The doll is stunning, with short hair sporting a marcel wave and a screening reminding me of the Muse. the outfit is perfection incarnate with its Provençal inspiration (again, Jacquemus): colour, tailoring, style, shape, all combine harmonically to give one of the best dolls Integrity has ever released. I am glad I got confirmed for this one, as her edition size is very small. 

With only the event doll left for the next post (part of this collection too), what do you think about this collection? Did Jesse succeed in giving us a better collection than last year? Which dolls would you get? Let me know in the comments below.

Prototype dolls and fashions shown, final production colors and textures may vary slightly. 

All photos and information contained herein are copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2017 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission. FASHION ROYALTY and all related characters are trademarks of Integrity Toys, Inc. ©2017 All rights reserved. The W Club is a trademark of Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC. All rights reserved.

Doll Photography by Jayme Thornton
Layouts, Graphics and 3D renderings by Alain Tremblay, Marketing.