The Leading Ladies Of the Wizard Of Oz auction

Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Tonner Doll Company, Inc. have invited prominent fashion and costume designers to create one-of-a-kind looks for the Leading Ladies of The Wizard of Oz. To celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the classic film, top fashion and costume designers have created a glamorous collection inspired by Dorothy, Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West – all modeled on Tonner’s 22-inch dolls. All proceeds will be donated to the “There’s No Place Like Home” campaign, benefiting Habitat for Humanity’s mission to create decent, safe, and affordable housing in partnership with low-income families.

I never liked the 22" size for dolls - they look unnaturally elongated (especially their arms and torsos). And for their size, their face sculpt detail is minimal and their huge round child doll eyes are scary. It is for a good cause though and that is the main issue. Regarding the designers, some did live up to their name while others (I'm looking at you Trina Turk) must have been too busy to actually pay any attention to what they were designing. All the dolls are on auction from today and for the next nine days. See them below and go bid here. My favourite is the Erickson Beamon doll by far. Click on the photos to see them bigger. Oh, one last thing: dear designers, choosing to re-interpret the Wicked Witch of the West in 2014 is so predictable. 

 Glinda the Good Witch by Erickson Beamon

Hervé Léger – The Wicked Witch of the West

Betsey Johnson – Glinda the Good Witch

Anna Sui – The Wicked Witch of the West

Anna Sui – The Wicked Witch of the West

Jenny Packham – The Wicked Witch of the West

Sue Wong – Glinda the Good Witch

Reem Acra – Dorothy Gale

Carmen Marc Valvo – Glinda the Good Witch

Byron Lars – Dorothy Gale

Ruth Myers – Glinda the Good Witch

Lyn Paolo with Kerry Washington (yes the Scandal star) – The Wicked Witch of the West

Carlos Falchi – The Wicked Witch of the West

Chris Benz – Dorothy Gale

Charlotte Ronson – Dorothy Gale

Douglas Hannant – The Wicked Witch of the West

Marc Jacobs – The Wicked Witch of the West

Donna Karan Atelier – The Wicked Witch of the West

 Colleen Atwood – The Wicked Witch of the West

Trina Turk – Dorothy Gale

© 2014 Auction Cause - A Premier Auction Management Agency

THE WIZARD OF OZ and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © Turner Entertainment Co. (s14) 

© 2014 Habitat for Humanity® International. All rights reserved. "Habitat for Humanity®" is a registered service mark owned by Habitat for Humanity International. Habitat® is a service mark of Habitat for Humanity International. Habitat for Humanity® International is a tax-exempt 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law

A Parisian lady is coming: La Mademoiselle Jolie is the 3rd W Club doll for 2014

In what promises to become a classic Fashion Royalty doll, W CLub announced to its members that the third club doll for this year will be the long awaited Mademoiselle Jolie, mother of Elise (in the ongoing saga of the FR storyline). The only time that this character has appeared before is as a OOAK doll auctioned off in the third Integrity Toys convention back in 2007. Then, as now, the sculpt was none other than the Isha face, the first time it had appeared in Caucasian skin tone. People often wondered if the elusive character would make an appearance again. It seems the time has come.

Item # 91352 

Ombres Poétique

Mademoiselle Jolie Dressed Doll

2014 W Club Exclusive Mini-Gift Set

Limited Edition Size: TBA 

Special W Club Suggested Retail Price: $150.00 

Estimated Shipping Date: Approximately Late Fall/Early Winter 2014

Doll Tech Specs: 

Scale: 12-inch / 1:6 

Head Sculpt: Isha 1.0 

Body Sculpt: FR 2013

Skin Tone: FR White 

Hair: Silver Blond

Quick Switch Feature: No 

Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-Applied

Mademoiselle Jolie in Ombres Poétique is a fully articulated 12.5-inch vinyl fashion doll with fully rooted hair and hand applied eyelashes. She comes dressed in a fitted tulle evening gown that comes with a matching embroidered clutch purse, shoes and jewellery. The doll also has a black lingerie set. A doll stand is included. For adult collectors ages 15 and up

I like the Isha/Luchia 1.0 sculpt and was happy to see the doll, especially as this rare and most wanted character. The doll looks much better than its OOAK original counterpart. She is better styled and dressed, Her hair look amazing and her make up looks good in the photos. The open mouth detail is the one that makes her face so much different than any Isha or Luchia from previous releases. I also like the underwear (Integrity always give their dolls amazing undies) and the accessories are very nice too. I'd like it better if the jewellery included a ring and /or matching bracelets.

The dress reminds me a lot of the one Pale Fire Vanessa was wearing (in form). She also looks like a great candidate to turn into a personalized Karl Lagerfeld doll (since getting the original might be impossible). We'll see. One way or another, she's a keeper. Despite her misspelled name, which in French should be Ombres Poetiques (either both should in plural or singular form, poetic eyes - unlike English, French adjectives follow nouns in their form).

** All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2014 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission Please note that the photos are of a prototype doll and subject to changes and modifications.**

Karl Lagerfeld Barbie update: it will be VERY limited!

Today the first photo of the upcoming Karl Lagerfeld Barbie popped up on the indomitable designer's website. It shows the doll looking up to her real-life counterpart, dressed in a miniature version of his iconic black suit and white shirt plus accessories as promised by the original sketch.

According to the website, Barbie Lagerfeld is arriving at the end of the month. Taking inspiration from the designer’s signature style, the doll will be dressed in the designer’s likeness with accents taken from the real KARL LAGERFELD line. Borrowing from Karl’s iconic silhouette, the doll will be wearing a tailored black jacket, white high-collared men’s shirt with French cuffs and black satin cravat finished off with fitted black jeans featuring the iconic all-over head print. The accessories include black fingerless gloves, sunglasses, black ankle boots and a black leather purse with silver metallic accents. As for the doll, I can't tell which sculpt this* is but the body looks like a pivotal. Barbie specialists please advise!

The Platinum-label Barbie Lagerfeld doll will be available in limited quantities (only 999 dolls will be produced) for approximately $200 USD or €200 Euro through exclusive retail channels including: select KARL LAGERFELD retail stores, TheBarbieCollector.com, NET-A-PORTER.COM and Colette in Paris. The worldwide retail launch is set for Monday, September 29, 2014. I bet it will be really hard to get one despite the extremely high price.

* Update 16 Sep. 2014: the sculpt is new and it is named Karl (of course)! Body type listed as poseable. Skin tone: Peace.

All photos ©2014 Mattel, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Man Of The Orchestra by The Corréa Sisters - and some Tonner dolls

Enjoli and Sophia Corréa, twin sisters from New Jersey, are making their dream film come true, through Kickstarter: Enjoli will be the director and Sophia the star of The Man Of The Orchestra, a glamorous story about the human nature of greed and how it can change you. The premise of the film is as follows:

A young woman, Olesya is blackmailed into framing Rick, a mysterious man for her own theft at a charity event for the American Troops at War. She falls for him but what unfolds along the way just may have him killed.

Here is Enjoli in her video, talking about the film:

So why is the film mentioned in a fashion doll blog? The sisters had a great idea: make dolls to accompany the film, portraying the film characters, to give away to Kickstarter benefactors. They contacted Tonner Doll about the dolls and the company accepted to make lifelike collectibles of the leading man and woman wearing replicas of the costumes chosen. With the long list of famous films the company has produced dolls for, the sisters have an ace up their sleeve already.

Story board by Enjoli Corréa

Stats of the dolls:
Hand painted To the likeness of the leading woman and man
2 lbs, 16" tall each
custom packaging
Replica costumes
Comes as one doll of choice or as a set
Made to increase in value as production grows

The dolls are available in the following pledge levels:

a) at $240 for one character doll (plus $10 if shipping outside the US)
b) at $250 for one character doll plus digital movie pre-order (with a handwritten thank you letter)
c) at $550 for both dolls or one doll plus another exclusive non-doll premium gift (shooting script or premium coin set).
d) all higher pledge levels feature a doll in the list of gifts accompanying it.
If you want to support without getting a doll, you can and receive a Handwritten Thank You Letter for $10.

Story board by Enjoli Corréa

The dolls will be designed after casting is done (backers will have a say in the casting too). Shipping is estimated for March 2015. The Kickstarter campaign ends on September 16th so, if you want one of the dolls, you'd better hurry. More details on the campaign page here. Every supporter will weigh in on casting decisions, costume design (the official costume designer is Lena Mossum, who has dressed Penelope Cruz, Antonio Banderas, Harvey Keitel, and Demi Moore. She will design all costumes from scratch and backers will vote to help select the costumes for the movie), and be thanked in a live stream Thank-A-Thon after the campaign. Backers will be charged at the end of the campaign on September 16th, 2014 only if the fundraiser reaches or passes its goal. There's no charge if the sisters do not reach their goal.

Summer in the tropics: Sous les Tropiques Victoire Roux IT-Direct exclusive

W Club members were alerted a couple of weeks ago with a sneak peek preview email, where one could see snippets of parts of a doll that would be unveiled soon. Today is the day and the doll is another Victoire Roux available via two lotteries: one for the W Club and one for the general public. The club members are entering for part of the edition specially reserved for them and the lottery is at the end of the month. For everyone else, all you need to do is email Integrity Toys with your name and address for details on how to enter - lottery will be on the 15th of September.

Item # 76014
Sous Les Tropiques
Victoire Roux™ Dressed Doll 
IT Direct Exclusive
Limited Edition of 600 Dolls
Estimated Ship Date: Directly after payments are received from lottery winners.
Suggest Retail Price: US $80.00 + Shipping and Handling* *(+ applicable sales tax for Maryland residents only).

Doll Tech Specs:
Body Type: IT/Victoire 
Head Sculpt: Victoire Roux™
Quick Switch Feature: No 
Skin Tone: FR White 
Hair Color: Sun Kissed Red 
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied 

"Sous Les Tropiques" Victoire Roux™ is a fully articulated 12-inch vinyl doll with a rooted hairstyle. This basic Victoire Roux doll is sporting a turquoise and brown floral bikini with a coordinated sleeveless robe. Her accessories include a beach bag, earrings, bracelets, headband and sandals! A doll stand is also included. For adult collectors ages 15 and up.

I really like this one - finally a different hairstyle that is more versatile. It can be worn with either day or evening outfits. The fashion is fun and playful but I'd rather have a more glamorous swimsuit style (a one piece maybe?). She's missing a hat and sunglasses, essential accessories for every sun-bathing lady since time immemorial (or at least the 30s). She will probably snatch them from my other dolls, provided she gets to come here to stay.

Please note that the photos are of prototype dolls and subject to changes and modifications.All photos and information is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2014 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission