Integrity Toys at IDEX part I: Monogram dolls

Of course Integrity Toys would not miss IDEX - they had a stand there and previewed quite a few dolls and lines as well - 22 new dolls in total! In this post I will write about the Monogram line. It had the most doll unveiled (five) and got quite a remarkable response from collectors as it seems that couture elegance and glamour has returned to these dolls - this was supposed to be the line's raison d'être, non? Let's see the line up.


 

Echelon is the first Monogram of this collection. She is wearing a plaid suit with a bubble skirt, has a white leather bag, three-tone shoes and a black blouse. The one thing that bugs me here is the skirt - it looks more suitable for a teeny bopper than an elegant model. A pencil or tulip skirt would have been so much better. Her lips are also a bit off.


 

Inspiration was previewed to the W Club back in December and her photo also made an appearance as an advertisement in DOLLS magazine a while ago. Elegant in her tiered embroidered gown with a black belt, matching shoes with a modern no-heel look, a clutch bag, bracelet, hair pin and drop earrings, she is an echo of the elegant late 50s-early 60s couture creations. Her make up is also gorgeous.


 


Exaggeration almost lives up to her name. She has that Christian Lacroix Parisian couture flare and would be perfect if she had a different hair accessory (flower AND feathers? Where's Stephen Jones when you need him?) and hair colour (she'd look great with that silvery grey streaked style Daphne Guinness or Marie Seznec, Lacroix's muse, carry to perfection). The two-tone dress and darker jacket look very French and the accessories (bag, shoes, gloves, pin, earrings) are to die for. Lime! Love that lime!


 


Admiration is probably the second best doll of this bunch. She oozes elegance and sophistication. White bouclé  suite with red polka dot blouse and red accessories to match. That hat! That bag! The white and red shoes! Her skin tone and the flower in her hat hint a bit at Billie Holiday. Fantastic.





For me the hit of the collection is Allure. She hearkens back to the 50s Hollywood glamour, reminding me of the Gene Marshall doll. Many see Marilyn in her, I see Lisa Fonssagrives, Marella Agnelli and Carmen Dell'Orefice. Aisha in the W Club forum pointed out that the inspiration is from the original Fire & Ice  Revlon campaign: spot on! Her brilliant red opera coat over that white column of a dress is so glamorous and sophisticated. The only thing missing is a clutch bag ( a red or silver beaded "egg" would have been amazing) and gloves. Her make up in silver and red is also great.

Update: Terri Gold found out this Revlon Queen of Diamonds ad with Carmen Dell'Orefice. The dress is an exact copy. Great work Terri!

The dolls are each on a 350 piece edition, so you'd better hurry up if you want one. This time the Monogram collection is one of the best ever, on a par or even better than the début regular collection back in 2010. Well done!

Tonner Dolls at IDEX 2012: more dolls

Nu Mood is not the only line of dolls previewed by Tonner at IDEX 2012. More lines got additional dolls and outfits and I include here the fashion dolls and some facourite picks from the other lines (films and superheroes).Remember this is just a preview, and the balance of the Mainline Release will be revealed in late February/early March (dates TBA). It will include DeeAnna Denton™ on a brand new body, Cami & Jon™, Antoinette™, and the brand new fashion line known as Precarious!

The Freedom for Fashion line is the Asian themed/styled fashion doll line from Tonner. It got two new rreleases, Akemi and Neo Tokyo. Both are dressed dolls, Asian sculpts and very fashion forward. I love Asian dolls but these two are not my cup of tea, mainly for two reasons: Akemi's too funky outfit and boring ponytail (last year's was much better) and the eyes are painted with a very upwards slant that looks weird. particularly on Akemi. Maybe a future release will fix that, unless it's a promo doll only thing. Gorgeous shoes.



Cami is another Tonner fashion doll line that has new entries at IDEX: a doll and one outfit. She looks great, as usual. To my mind, Antoinette is the high fashion doll and Cami is the pret-a-porter one.


Just Right Cami 


Just Right Cami close up


Soho Jaunt outfit

The Antoinette line has another basic doll, the Goth Antoinette released, plus two outfits. Goth looks amazing, one of the best Antoinette dolls released so far.


Goth Antoinette 


Starshine outfit.


Radical Red outfit (if this is a Cami one, please correct me). Not radical enough but looks lovely.

Apart from the fashion dolls, new additions came for one of my favourite Tonner lines, the Gone With The Wind franchise. Two new dolls (although I would much rather have the outfits only, how many Scarlett dolls can one collection have?).


This is the wedding dress from Scarlett's first marriage in the film. It was her mother's, hence it is supposed to look a bit big on her. I think it does look as it should but her hair do is wrong. It should have looked fuller at the bottom and sides, with a more pronounced centre part as shown in the movie still. Also notice the "pannier" look of the skirt in the original, instead of the fuller A line on the doll. 




This is the Heartbroken doll, with the blue velvet rob trimmed with fur and the night gown underneath. The fur was darker in the original, probably black or dark blue/grey as one can see in the photo of the original robe. It is a gorgeous outfit and would love to have it.


In their super hero series, Tonner releases Elektra, one of my favourite Marvel ladies. She looks stunning and I already pre-ordered her.


Another stunning doll is the Corpse Bride, from Tim Burton's film. I recall that there was one Bride doll released alongside the film, in 16" or 17" size that was a perfect copy but too expensive. This one is rather an interpretation of it, still impressive, with a gown to die for. I do not like the Monica Merill sculpt - too doll like for my taste. But the doll looks incredible. She has the curvaceous body.


The fun doll in this release is definitely the Ms. Beetlejuice doll - a female version of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice! She shares the same body and sculpt of Corpse Bride. The outfit is again incredible. 

With so many lovely dolls previewed, I cannot wait for the rest of the mainline Tonner release, later in the year, it promises to be exciting!

All photos courtesy of Tonner Dolls. Please note: Any design element, including but not limited to fabrics, face painting styles, body styles and/or hair colors may be subject to change during production. 

Tonner at IDEX 2012: Nu Mood in the air

Most doll collectors are eagerly anticipating the IDEX Fair at Orlando, FL this weekend, as it is the place where most doll makers present their collections for 2012. Tonner Dolls is no exception of course. They even organize an event:  “It’s a Whole Nu Mood™!” , the Tonner Collectors Breakfast January 29, 2012 from 8 - 10:00am IDEX, Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld®.  Robert Tonner will introduce highlights of the 2012 collection. Attendees will have the opportunity to win fabulous door prizes and will receive a special, limited-edition 16” souvenir doll from the debut Nu Mood™ collection. We do have a sneak preview of the new collections and, as the blog is fashion doll related, we are mostly sticking to that part of them but not only. So let's see what's on offer. Check with your dealer or directly at the Tonner website for pre-orders and availability.


The big news is the new fashion line and doll body. Nu Mood is the name (reminding me of Nu Face by Integrity) and what the dolls featured in this one share is the many options that their body offers. There are three basic bodies: dance, curvaceous and fashion. All three can have their hands and feet changed into three different types. The feet are dance, flat and fashion (for high heels) and the hands are holding, fist and graceful. The dolls come with only one set of both but there are separate sets of hands or feet available to accommodate all. There are two skin tones, the Tyler (Caucasian) and the Spice (African American) skin tone. Furthermore, some of them are rooted, some with wigs. The line is completed with lots of fashions, accessories and wigs to dress and redress your dolls ad infinitum. 


 

The dance body dolls are three, from left to right: Jess (Cinderella sculpt), Parker (Friday sculpt) and Carrie (Carrie sculpt). Dance body and feet, rooted hair.

 

The fashion body dolls are the mainstays of the Tonner fashion world, Tyler and Sydney. They have saran wigs.

 

The curvaceous body dolls are also two: Paige (spicy skin tone) and Betty (Tyler skin tone) share the body as well as the sculpt (Pin Up). They are wigged dolls and come with their saran wig.

 

There are eight saran wigs to choose from, short, medium and long, sold separately, to change your dolls look. My favourite is the short jagged red one, here shown on Sydney.


Lots of fashions are sold as separates: tops, skirts, pants, all in various colours and styles to add pizazz to your dolls. The colours are black, red, pink and champagne. Below are two combinations I liked, in black (note that all items are sold separately, not as a complete outfit).




The accessories are varied as well, so I picked up my favourite from each category: a bag, a flat shoe, a high heeled shoe and a tiara-and-pointe-shoes set.




 I love the interchangeability of the hands and feet but what I miss is better articulation for feet and torso. I would love the dolls to be able to sit or take poses like a fashion model and the hip and knee joints need a bit more work to do that. But the sheer quantity and choice is amazing. And I imagine there are lots more to come, plus most of older Tonner fashions fit, except maybe for the curvaceous body. In my next post, some of the other dolls previewed in IDEX.

All photos courtesy of Tonner Dolls. Please note: Any design element, including but not limited to fabrics, face painting styles, body styles and/or hair colors may be subject to change during production.  

Tribute to Loulou De La Falaise, a fashion icon

Sad day for fashion today: Loulou De La Falaise, one of the most elegant women in the world died, age 63. A long time friend and collaborator of Yves Saint-Laurent, she has always been a huge inspiration for me. Her sense of style and fashion was always impeccable and she was a formidable person as well.
I wanted to capture her sense of style and elegance with a doll. I do not have one that looks remotely like her, so I picked one of my Monograms, Magnetism, for her French allure and feel. Picking the outfit, to resemble one of Loulou's iconic photos, was a bit easier. Of course it would not be complete without jewellery: Loulou was a jewellery designer herself, so she always wore lots of them. I tried to get the essence of her style, rather than copycat the photo. You can be the judge of the result. I did a back & white photo, added one in colour (Loulou was incredible in her colour mixes) and the original inspiration below. If you want to read more about Loulou, I wrote a tribute to her in my design blog.