A doll with an Edge by Lisa Ramsammy and Integrity Toys

Almost a year ago, back in October 2013, the Official Integrity Toys Advanced Design competition took place at the "Premiere" Convention in Los Angeles, California. According to the competition rules, the winning design, personally picked by Jason Wu and the rest of the Integrity Toys design team members, has been made into a production doll and W Club members get to pre-order her starting today. The new doll based on Lisa Ramsammy's winning entry, "Edge" is none other than Vanessa Perrin. Lisa had dressed a Vanessa 1.0 for the competition but Integrity picked her latest incarnation, 3.0, to use for this offer. Below is the original doll by Lisa (photo by JennFL).


In an unparalleled move by Integrity Toys, every Club member is guaranteed the right to pre-order as many dolls as they want. The total edition size will be based on how many pre-orders are received.


Item # 91354
Edge
Vanessa Perrin Dressed Doll
The Fashion Royalty Collection
2013 Design Competition Award Doll by Lisa Ramsammy
Edition Size: TBA (Based on all orders received)
Suggested Retail Price: $150 public/$135 W Club Members (+ Shipping and tax if applicable)
Estimated Delivery Date: Approximately Late Fall/Early Winter 2014


Doll Tech-Specs:
Head Sculpt: Vanessa 3.0
Body: FR 2013
Skin Tone: FR White
Quickswitch Feature: No
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied
Hair Color: Luscious Blond


Dressed in a creation by doll artist Lisa Ramsammy of Canada, Vanessa Perrin is a 12.5-inch fully articulated vinyl doll with fully rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes. The doll comes dressed in Lisa's ultra-modern creation and is completed by earrings, bracelet, bag and shoes. A doll stand is also included. For adult collectors ages 15 and up.



The doll is already available to W Club members for pre-order at a special price and will be also available to the general public soon. For me, she is an outstanding doll. She looks like a modernized, updated version of Poesie Sans Couleur Vanessa; she is stunning with her silver hair and pale make up. Lisa's design is minimal with an edge. It could easily work as a real fashion too.


Update: The doll will come with extra painted glove hands:


A few words about the designer, Lisa Ramsammy:

Never formally trained in the art of sewing or fashion design, Lisa learned to use her basic skills to hand and machine sew her competition entries and its really draping fabrics on the doll, pinning and tacking things by hand that allows her to get her desired results. Born in the Caribbean, Lisa has been a doll fan since childhood and finally obtained her first doll when her family immigrated to Canada. One of Lisa's favourite past times growing up was stitching outfits for her dolls using bits and pieces of fabric she could find! Fast forward nearly 20 years later, married with a family of three boys and not sure if she would ever have a daughter, Lisa started collecting various vintage and modern fashion dolls in hopes that she could one day pass her gorgeous collection onto a daughter or granddaughter... Then, along came Integrity Toys' Fashion Royalty line and the rest is history!


Lisa has been actively painting portraits of people and thoroughbred racehorses for many years until she stumbled into the repaint world of dolls in 2004. She was fascinated and decided to try her art on such a small scale. She's been fine tuning her skills ever since. She mainly sells repainted dolls on eBay. Lisa has entered annually at each Integrity Toys design competition thus far because she loves doing it and feels it is important to participate even if you think you can't win. In Lisa's words: "The expression of pride on my Mom's face was priceless when I won; she's supported me through life's ups and downs and every convention thus far; it's a great feeling making your parents proud while doing what you love!" "Never say "I can't". The whole idea is to have fun doing it. It was a complete shock and thrill and a great honour to have been chosen as the 2013 Advanced Design winner and I am humbly grateful."

Lisa has entered and won multiple times at the various design competitions held each year at the Integrity Toys convention. Here's an highlight of Lisa's previous wins:

2004 -2nd Place Judges' Choice Advanced Category
2006 -1st Place Judges' and People's Choice Winner Advanced Categories
2007 -1st Place Judges' and People's Choice Winner Advanced Categories
2008 -1st Place Judges' and People's Choice Winner Male and Female Advanced Categories
2010 -2nd Place Judges' Choice Poppy Design Category
2011 -1st Place Judges' Choice Hair Design Category

What Lisa Says About Her Creation "I simply named this creation "Edge" as I was trying for an edgier look, something modern in design. I decided on simplicity rather than pomp and pageantry, something that would stand out and be different than the other entries."

**Please note: Integrity pre-production prototype shown; actual product may vary slightly. 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.**

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.