Stephen Jones does Barbie: The Mad Hatter is in town for the holidays!

One of my two favourite hat designers in the world (the other one being Philip Treacy) is the indomitable Stephen Jones. His extravagant and outré objets d'art (it seems unfair to call them simply hats) are always sure to catch the eye and be the centre of attention when the wearer appears in an event. His new project is a collaboration with Mattel: he designed five Barbie dolls for them, with his unique vision and flamboyant style making them coveted collector's items.


The talented designer says that "Barbie is the most fabulous private client. She came into the salon for her Christmas morning hat and left with five glamorous outfits! Barbie and I have the same design vision; we love tradition, but have an eye for the future." The dolls will cost £250 each (ouch) and will be available from Selfridges London's Toy Shop on November 15, where Barbie opened a space earlier this year. "We're enamoured with the idea of truly one-of-a-kind gifts this Christmas," said Selfridges' head of accessories, children's wear and toys, Erin Moscow. "More than ever before we're aware of the demand for pieces which offer something really special. These pieces don't necessarily come with a million-pound price tag - they're not about ostentatiousness - their beauty lies in their rarity. All of the storytelling and fantasy of Stephen's work, realised with fun and witticism that's synonymous with Barbie, has gone into these beautiful dolls." 


Of course the designer also commented on each doll. Above is Holly Barbie, his favourite: "This is my personal favourite, using the contrast of soft velvet and spiky holly leaves. Barbie also has her very own pet Robin to give her a Christmas peck."


On Santa Baby Barbie (pictured above): "Every Barbie needs a fabulous Christmas outfit, so I used the idea of a Santa hat to make a fantasy cocktail dress, dedicated to Mrs Santa."


And how about Snow Globe Barbie? "There is nothing more magical and glamorous than floating snowflakes encased in a snow globe."


Yes, there is a Christmas Tree Barbie too: "I ensured the drama and volume of a full pine tree by illuminating the multicolour baubles within her Christmas tree headpiece."


Luckily the last one is not named Rudolph, the red nosed Barbie doll but Toffee Ice Barbie: "Rudolph, Prancer and Vixen are some of Santa’s reindeers, so I wanted to make Barbie an outfit in which she can dance and prance on the ice rink."



If you think it is the first time Stephen Jones has done something with the iconic doll, think again. He has presented a collection of hats on Barbie mannequins in the past and this August he made the headband shown above, for a short clip titled "Punk: Not Clueless" starring himself. The headband is sold for a hefty £1000 + VAT on the Showstudio website. I bet you can make one for much less.

A Doll's House



From 11th November 2013, 20 of the world's best architects and designers are presenting their version of a dolls' house in an exhibition and auction at Bonhams in aid of KIDS. Inspired by the dolls' house that Edwin Lutyens designed for The British Empire Exhibition at Wembley in 1922 – using a very traditional children's toy to display the very best of modern British architecture, craftsmanship, art and interior design – Cathedral Group has asked 20 contemporary architects and designers, in collaboration with artists and other creatives, to design and build a dolls' house for the 21st Century.


Each dolls' house will be designed to include at least one feature that makes life easier for a child with a disability. The dolls' houses will be exhibited publicly at Bonhams in November 2013 and auctioned at a high profile evening event in support of KIDS. The Architects' Journal is media sponsor for the project and both Quatro and ING Media will be publicising the project.


KIDS is a UK charity supporting disabled children, young people and their families. They run home learning programmes, specialist nurseries and crèches, short-break programmes for disabled children and a series of inclusive adventure playgrounds. They offer a wide variety of services to parents of children with disabilities and programmes for siblings of disabled children and young carers. You can read more about them here. 


Cathedral Group have pledged to raise £100,000 for KIDS to support their valuable work. Their staff have all agreed to personal fundraising targets and are working together as a team to raise the balance. Members of their team have run marathons, Tough Mudders, quiz nights, bake sales and cycled from John O'Groats to Lands End. They are already half way there.


The Architects + Designers participating are in alphabetical order:








































The Premiere: Integrity Toys 2013 Convention - Day III

Third and final day of the convention is Saturday. The W Club luncheon which is always on that day was dedicated to Victoire Roux. There was a centerpiece doll on each table and a fashion as a gift to each member. A new Victoire called Evening in Montreal is being released this winter. Chris Stoeckel was there to inform members of Victoire future releases and answer questions.

Item # 76010
Story Of My Life
Victoire Roux™
Dressed Doll 
2013 Convention Exclusive





A lovely Victoire with a dress that has a style very popular in the 50's but also it has appeared in the convention this year in various incarnations. Great colouring too.

Item # 76011
Night at Ciro's
Victoire Roux™
Fashion 2013 Convention Exclusive




I like the fashion a lot (although the accessories are basic) but would have preferred it with a long skirt. I will say this again, no bags for any of the dolls in this convention, which is a bit weird. 

The final event is always the most anticipated of the conventions, as it includes the reveal of the convention doll. Everybody must have been thrilled to find out that the centerpiece doll of the evening was Vanessa, wearing a Jason Wu creation!

Item # 91333
Black Orchid
Vanessa Perrin™
Dressed Doll
2013 Convention Exclusive Centerpiece





An amazing version of Vanessa (she's definitely the 3.0 sculpt, although many people see the 1.0). The fashion looks gorgeous, although I do not know how the "leather" feels to touch. The jewellery is lovely as is the pair of strappy sandals.



Each attendant received an accessory pack (including a long skirt) for the blonde Monogram doll they had received as a gift upon registration.

Item # 93033
Completist
FR: Monogram™
Accessory Pack
2013 Convention Exclusive Giveaway



The winners of this year's competition were announced (and raffle winners got their loot too!). The winner of the advanced level competition, Lisa Ramsammy, was presented with a golden trophy and will have her fashion produced in next year's collection. Congratulations to Lisa - here is a photo of the fashion:


And finally, here is the convention doll that was given to all attendees: a gorgeous Elise wearing a Jason Wu fashion! The famous designer said this one is a favourite fashion of his. The recreation in doll size looks incredible, and from what I have seen of the original fashion, it is very faithful to it.

Item # 91334
Midnight Star
Elise Jolie
Dressed Doll 
2013 Official Convention Doll





Such a fascinating doll! I am probably one of a handful of people that still do not own this sculpt, and if it keeps getting released in events and lotteries, I never will (sigh). I must say that this year's convention dolls were infinitely better than last year's collection and will definitely be very coveted.

The Premiere: Integrity Toys 2013 convention - Day II

Friday begun with a Poppy Parker luncheon. It was announced that next year's Poppy main line release will be spy-themed. Spy movies were the new and popular genre in the 1960's so it fits Poppy well. Also remember that She's Not There Poppy was wearing an Avengers Emma Peel costume. The line is named "The Girl from I.N.T.E.G.R.I.T.Y", after the great TV series of that decade, "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.". Two new Poppy dolls greeted the guests, one as a centerpiece and one as a gift.

Item # PP055
Elegant Evening
Poppy Parker™
Dressed Doll
2013 Convention Exclusive Centerpiece





Lovely Poppy as usual. The skin tone is a bit tan. The embroidery and colouring remind me of the last two Dolce & Gabanna collections.

Item # PP056
Especially For You
Poppy Parker™
Dressed Doll
2013 Convention Exclusive Giveaway




Another beautiful doll here, minimal accessories, basic fashion but her face is gorgeous.

The dinner had a theme: it was the Fashion Royalty Feud Game Show Dinner with Mark Tinkey. People were picked to participate from the audience, competing on their knowledge of the two teams: team Natalia vs. team Vero. Prizes were awarded to the winners of course. Two dolls again greeted the attendants: the centerpiece and the giveaway.

Item # 91331
Bellissima
Natalia Fatalé
2013 Convention Exclusive Centerpiece




This is a much better looking Natalia then the convention collection one! Correct me if I am wrong but it is the first time she has the flame red hair. We had red-haired Natalia dolls before, but they had darker tones. She reminds me of many things: Rita Hayworth (both hair and dress cut) and Magnetism Monogram come to mind. Great dress and shoes too. If there were "gems" instead of flowers, the jewellery would be great too.

Item # 91332
Dangerous To Know
Kyori Sato™
Dressed Doll
2013 Convention Exclusive Giveaway




Finally a Kyori Sato that looks positively Asian. I know the cheongsam /qipao dress is a bit stereotypical but I love the silhouette it creates and she is fierce! Great accessories too, but she should have had a cuff bracelet as well. And if you noticed, the no-bag trend continues.

**All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2013 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission.**

The Premiere: Integrity Toys 2013 convention - Color Infusion Style Lab

The Color Infusion Style Lab is a big success of the convention ever since it was established. People combine nude dolls with a variety of fashions to make their own mix-and-match dolls. Some of the combinations can be seen below. One male sculpt is new (Declan), the rest are re-purposed Jem or other line sculpts and some old favourites such as Romain (twice). There are four boys and ten girls