2009 Life Ball Doll Designed by Jason Wu

Jason Wu has designed the Official 2009 Life Ball doll. Created specifically to benefit the 2009 Life Ball, this gorgeous collectible marks the début of Integrity Toys' new FR Monogram™ collection. An extension of the Fashion Royalty collectible line, the FR Monogram collection features a new custom face sculpt (body is the same size as the Nu.Face body), as well as the hallmark of Fashion Royalty - miniaturized couture fashion with impeccable attention to detail.

Photo of actual gown from Jason Wu's Fall 2008 runway show

Many of you have been waiting for another Jason Wu women's collection fashion to be miniaturized and your wait is over! The 2009 Life Ball Doll wears a replica of a chic evening gown from Jason's romantic Fall 2008 women's fashion collection. The gown is constructed from custom-printed fabric in a floral pattern that has been realized in perfect miniature.


100% of the net proceeds from the sales of the 2009 Life Ball Fashion Doll by Jason Wu will be donated to Life Ball. Purchasers of these gorgeous limited edition collectible dolls will help support people infected with HIV and AIDS and support HIV and AIDS treatment, research and prevention.

For more information regarding Life Ball, please visit: www.lifeball.org



The 2009 Official Life Ball doll is limited to 250 dolls worldwide and retails for $270. To get a chance to buy this doll, you have to enter a lottery for it. For more information check Integrity's website.All pictures are copyrighted by Integrity Toys and are published with their consent. They are not to be used for any for commercial purposes such as ebay or to sell the any of the dolls. I am not affiliated in any way with Integrity Toys.

Fashion Royalty: Bewitching Hour Luchia - how fast can you say Madonna?

In late 2008, Integrity's high end doll line, Fashion Royalty (by Jason Wu, the designer that made US First Lady's Michelle Obama Inaugural Ball dress as well as the one she is wearing on the US Vogue March 2009 cover) gave the W Club it's second doll, Bewitching Hour Luchia. Upon seeing the pre-release photos, almost everyone agreed that she was channelling Madonna's current style. When the dolls started arriving and actual doll photos started to circulate, the impression was even stronger. Luchia was never my cup of tea - she has Isha's sculpt but a Caucasian skin tone (Isha is Indian) and I did not like that one either (have only one in my collection so far). But this re-incarnation was perfection: great skin tone, perfect make up, gorgeous outfit.


The actual doll looks even better than the prototype photos. Only the hair seems a bit stiffer (especially the top part) but that is something that can be corrected - making her in fact look more like Madonna. The resemblance is uncanny, as if the sculpt was made with her in mind. The outfit she comes in is breathtaking: a black coat with big lapels (they could have been just a bit smaller to have perfect proportions) fastened with a corset like belt at the waist, that comes over a salmon pink strapless mini dress, black leather gloves, gladiator knee high boots, black stud earrings and a chain and cross bracelet. Despite the black coat, no staining was found - and none was reported by other people that received the doll.


The corset belt is decorated with studs and ties in the back with silk ribbons. The faux leather is elastic, so that makes it easier to use it. The detail is amazing and I can see this accessory matching with many other outfits. Cannot wait to see this over a white shirt.


The make up is gorgeous. Her skin tone is not the usual Luchia one, but a slightly pinker tone than her usual porcelain skin - FR called it Blush. She has prominent black eye liner, skin tone eye shadow (it IS there, just a bit shiny on the upper lids) and a brown line in her eyelid crease. Brown eye brows frame her blue eyes perfectly. The blushing on her cheeks is perfect - barely there and looking very realistic. Her lips are painted a slightly darker pink than her skin, with a wee touch of gloss, finishing the neutral look in just the right way. Nails both on hands and feet are french manicured.

The detail of the bracelet is amazing. Chrome chain and matching coin-shaped medallions, with two crosses adding the Goth touch. The faux leather gloves are elastic and slip on the hands effortlessly. Their creasing is amazing, adding to the realistic look.


The gladiator boots are incredible. The faux leather ribbons are scaled perfectly, zipping up at the back so that the boots come on the legs easily. The buckles add to the effect and they have platforms too, making the doll stand slightly higher than usual. Female Darth Vader eh?


The pink dress underneath is strapless and micro mini. The top is ruched (micro-pleated according to FR) but this is the only detail that makes it special. It is good but not amazing. It does look like something Madonna would wear in the 4 minutes video clip, so it adds to the overall Madonna effect. This doll is one of the best releases of Fashion Royalty. I hope they keep releasing more like this.

The Best Hollywood Dolls of 2008

Joan Crawford put us in a Hollywood mood, the Oscars® are just around the corner, so what better than an awards ceremony? Charlino from the Vikisfinds Yahoo forum, which is about artistic dolls and OOAK dolls, gives us the equivalent of Oscars for the dolls that are made to resemble Hollywood stars. There are many artists out there that painstakingly recreate the likenesses of film stars on their favourite dolls, some with amazing success.And although doll companies do produce dolls authorized to look like actors from certain films or series, there is no comparison with a well painted OOAK doll. So go vote at the website created just for this - no registration needed. Just look at the many dolls nominated (the list is longer than the Oscars!) and cast your ballot! Below you can see a selection of the nominees - there are many more equally beautiful on the website, so go go go!!!


The brilliant Carrie Fischer as Princess Leia repaint by Laurie Leigh

The exquisite Joker - Heath Ledger, by Kmiro Creations

An amazing Angelina Jolie by Kristen

Rebecca Romijn by Isabella

Daniel Craig by Noel Cruz, whose doll, Deborah Kerr won last year.

Angelina Jolie must be the most popular star to make - here is another one by Noel Cruz.

All photos courtesy of the respective artists and/or their owners.

Joan Crawford: a formidable doll by Tonner

Tonner Dolls has been expanding their doll line rapidly over the last years, incorporating new face molds (and new bodies lately) into their wide range. So it was inevitable that, with the love Robert Tonner holds for Old Hollywood, that famous stars of the past would find their way amidst their other film lines. The first glamorous Hollywood star to receive the Tonner treatment is none other than the magnificent Joan Crawford. A natural choice, both for her star quotient, interesting face and promising original outfits, most of which were designed by the genius designer of Hollywood glamour Adrian.


Basic 2008 Joan Crawford (Ready for Wardrobe is the moniker of the doll) arrived promptly for her photo shoot, with all the airs and fuss a diva of this magnitude commands. The turquoise box reminded me of the Integrity Gene ones, to which of course this doll is in direct competition: they belong to the same era, would be antagonists in real - life Hollywood and will be vying to share the spotlight in doll collectors' shelves. But how does Joan look and feel?


The doll bears an uncanny resemblance to the real star: her face is exquisitely sculpted to match Joan's characteristics, looking very much like her younger self in her earlier career in the 30s and early 40s. This incarnation of the doll has brunette hair, gathered at the back and cascading in big curls. Her eye make up could have been a bit more pronounced in my opinion (as the stars of the era did wear it heavy-handed) but she still is pretty much Joan. One basic problem: one of her fiery red painted nails had colour bleeding from it onto the finger, a thing that I have never seen before in a Tonner doll.



She comes dressed in a lovely turquoise charmeuse slip trimmed with black lace, hosiery with attached panties, and lovely black Mary Janes (see below). I think they should have included a long flowing matching robe, giving her a more diva feel - being basic does not mean she is a lesser star. Also the slip is a bit too short for her to pose sitting without showing too much for that era. I am sure they were wearing longer slips back then. She does not have any jewellery either. She has the standard Tyler body, which means that her silhouette might look a bit more modern than it should, although that can be corrected with careful tailoring of the outfits. The overall feel though is very nice.


So what should she wear? I knew she would be itching to get out of her slip as soon as she came her, so a lovely gown was waiting for her to put on. The Jungle Red outfit from the Joan Crawford Tonner collection took my breath away from the publicity shots: the cut, colouring and tailoring seemed ideal for a Hollywood diva. So here she is, basking in it's beauty:


The gown is a full length, pleated chiffon dress with intricate shirred detail and striking red and white contrast, paired with a coordinated beaded bracelet and faux leather open-toe red strappy heels. She would want a pair of diamond earrings to go with it too, but more of that later. Fortunately the dress comes with an attached white slip under it so that the bright red fabric does not stain the doll. The bodice is also lined in white.




It was a treat photographing her in various poses in this particular outfit: the fabric and pleating offer many possibilities and make her look even more glamorous and breathtaking, the true diva she is. A great addition to the collection of any Hollywood fan doll collector.


"So, what about those diamonds?" I heard her say, becoming more impatient with every camera click. So I dug out the set Franklin Mint's Marilyn Monroe was wearing in "Gentlemen Prefer Blonds" with her red outfit and put them on her - the diamonds and rubies match the white and red gown perfectly (see below). Joan in satiated - for now... wait till she sees what the other ladies are wearing around here...