London Fashion Doll Festival 2019 - day II: the salesroom

The second day of the London Fashion Doll Festival was dedicated to sales. Sellers had booked tables in advance and were in the Summerly Room early Sunday morning to prepare for the day. When I arrived, a little bit after ten, the place was buzzing with excitement. As it was a day open to the public (with tickets), the room was full of people walking among the tables, checking out the dolls and stuff on offer and making their purchases.

The raffle sale was also on for the draw at the end of the day, benefiting the Children With Cancer UK charity. I got myself an iced coffee and mingled in with the crowd, talking to old and new friends, checking out the lovely dolls on sale and enjoying the atmosphere.

Navdeep Sikand was there with Mark and of course, Anouk, La Poupée Mannequin! You can see some of his dolls on sale below, they are gorgeous.

Probably the smallest fashion dolls on sale in LFDF 2019 were the Irena Barto dolls. Her latest collection of 9” resin dolls, The First Spring, were on display along with some more of her work.

I was so happy to finally meet the talented Julian Stanislaw Kalinowski in real life and see his amazing ladies up close!

I spotted a Twiggy doll from the 60s!

Another creator with exquisite resin dolls on sale was the talented Alessandra Nicolin from Italy. Her dolls are so beautiful!

The day ended with the raffle of the donated dolls and outfits to benefit the Children With Cancer UK charity - resulting in many happy people going away with awesome wins and the charity receiving £3.420 total along with the OOAK auction on ebay.

We had the chance to find out the theme of next year’s festival, and see the trailer above - it’s Royals! See you in London Fashion Doll Festival 2020!

The London Fashion Doll Festival 2019 was amazing - and I was there to experience it!

My second ever fashion doll convention, the London Fashion Doll Festival 2019, was held on the weekend of 8-9 June in London, at the lovely V&A Museum Of Childhood in Bethnal Green, London. I had promised the organisers that I’d join them in this second time of the convention being held, so there I was! The event took place over two days in the Summerly Room Of The museum, plus an adjoining smaller room for the workshop. 

The V&A Museum of Childhood in London

The Summerly Room

A banner at the convention area

Everyone registered upon entry, with an easy scan of our ticket. We were given our goody bags according to our registration level (with or without the exclusive Superdoll convention doll). As I found out, the bag had loads of lovely gifts!  Check them out below.

The tables were set for eight persons and mine was named Carnaby Girl. I had the honour of being in the same table with Desmond Lingard (from Superdoll), Izzy Parker with her husband Ian, Christina Paul (who runs the Doll Club Of Great Britain website) and of course, from the organisers, Simon Farnworth, his husband Carl and Kim London. What an amazing company to be with! The tables had a folder with two lovely sketches inside by Navdeep Sikand, creator of the lovely Anouk dolls...

...who also offered ten of them for centerpieces on each table! They were raffled off to the attendees near the end of the day, Izzy won ours. The dress and bags are made by Ineke Hintz. The gorgeous base was given along with the doll. If enough requests are made, LFDF will be able to have some for sale. 

Our centerpiece doll! There were blonde and raven versions of the doll.

Everyone else at the table got a small gift as well - i won the miniature chess you see below in the round box. I was lucky enough to receive some lovely gifts from my table mates too - Kim gave me the tea set (donated by her), Carl the amazing jewellery set (by Alla Dolgaleva Rapoport), Sofia the miniature Barbies and the wonderful Thomas Bartholomew Maffei, who came all the way from the USA, gave me the Sparkle Girl outfits!

Izzy had a gorgeous doll with her, the fantastic Glory resin Sybarite from the Los Angeles Convention earlier this year (above) , while Desmond had with him the 12” House Of Zenith Avenue, introduced earlier this year. She’s not wearing her original fashion and looked better IRL than in photos I had seen (below).

Soon enough, it was time for the workshops to begin. I had registered for both, so my schedule was full! First one was the Face Up workshop by Claudio Coronado, who was introduced by Simon Farnworth. 

Claudio was very thorough in showing us the steps in how to begin painting a doll’s face. A slideshow helped him show the detailed work he does. 

We got a great list of all the steps to follow when painting a doll face and helped us understand it is no easy task. Which is why you see the “before” photo of the doll head I had to paint, but not the “after”! 

The artist at work. This magnifying glass type is perfect for detailed work, I must get one.

After the end of the workshop, I had the chance to photograph the dolls on display. The Carnaby themed set up was beautiful.

The items that were going to be raffled off the next day, to support a great cause, the Children With Cancer UK charity, we’re also on display. See the slideshow below. I should also mention that there is an ebay auction with exclusive OOAK creations (dolls or outfits) for LFDF 2019, to benefit the same charity, that ends on the 22nd of June 2019, so go to this link to check the offerings and bid!

If you love Sybarites, you know Desmond is an incredibly talented photographer as well. Some of his magnificent prints were on display and for sale.

There was a small exhibition of 60s dolls as well, check them out below in the slideshow.

Emperis Dolls had a beautiful display as well and I got to meet the lovely Marcus and William who make them. They had both their new 12” dolls and their 16” ones on display and for sale. Some amazing OOAK dolls were there too, check out Cher in the slideshow below. The guys told me they almost sold out during the day.

Then it was time for the second workshop of the day: Sofia Kalaitzidi from Microsonik London showed us how to make a flower wig. These were very popular during the 60s in editorials and covers of fashion magazines. Elizabeth Taylor and members of the British Royal family were sporting them often in events.

Here are the materials Sofia gave us for the wig plus a prepared base for us to work on.

I managed to go as far as you can see below during the workshop (I’m hopeless with a needle). Some just threaded the larger flowers through the base as they had long wire stems, so no sewing needed, but I wanted a more delicate effect. Will try and finish it home!

And here I am next to the lovely Francesco from Fred-Dolls at the workshop - we had so much fun!

After the workshop ended, it was time for afternoon tea! A proper British tea, with everything necessary - tea, scones, clotted cream, jam, milk, sandwiches, sugar, macaroons and other treats! It was delectable.

During tea time, members of the organising team (l to r: dear Ismail, Simon and Claudio) presented the people dressed in sixties or sixties inspired clothes.

The t-shirts worn by the organisers ate the official convention shirt and all attendees got one!

there were eight of them, all lovely and dapper in mod outfits…

…and the winner was Olga, who was the most popular - people voted for their favourite contestant by giving them their raffle ticket!

Near the end of the day, it was time for the most anticipated reveal: Desmond unveiled the exclusive convention Sybarite doll!

Her name is Dejah and she is the last Generation X Sybarite doll to be released! The edition is 30 dolls and there are two more available at the LFDF site - hurry up!

You can see my doll below, as I opened the box right after the presentation. The last photo is the official one from Superdoll. She’s like a Motown singer from a girl group the 60s or a Northern Soul singer on a tour in Britain in the late 60s..

And here I am with dear Desmond - this one is for you Shazam Paname! Charles was in China, supervising doll production in the factory.

This was the first day of the London Fashion Doll Festival, full of wonderful people sharing our doll passion, making beautiful memories and seeing so many gorgeous dolls. Next up, the Salesroom day.

Welcome to Miami! The 2nd W Club exclusive doll for 2019 is Ocean Drive Agnes Von Weiss!

The proverbial ink (virtual of course) wasn’t even dry on the first W Club doll preorder and the second one arrived in our inboxes! "Ocean Drive" Baroness Agnes Von Weiss™ mini gift set, designed by IT designer Jessy Ayala, is the new beauty on the horizon, 1 of the 5 total W Club Exclusive Dolls offered throughout the Club year (there are still 3 left).

Item # 91447

Ocean Drive

Baroness Agnes Von Weiss™

Dressed Doll Mini Gift Set The Fashion Royalty® Collection

2019 W Club Exclusive

Expected Ship Date: Fall 2019

Special Member-Only Pricing:$165.00 + S & H

Edition Size: TBD

Head Sculpt: Agnes

Foot Sculpt: High heel

Skin Tone: FR Black

Hair Color: Dark Espresso

Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

Quickswitch: No

Included:

• 12.5" fully articulated doll with rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes;
• High-fashion, ocean inspired, hand-drawn and custom printed bathing suit with matching sheer sun-skirt;
• Matching hand-drawn and custom printed open-toe sandals;
• Newly designed "golden" seashell-inspired jewelry set, which includes ankle and wrist bangle bracelets, elaborate drop earrings, starfish ring;
• Alternate set of jewelry composed of earrings, necklace and cuff bracelet;
• Perfectly draped, ankle length cocktail dress with micro-sequins at the back and delicate chain shoulder strap details;
• "Golden" spectator heels to match Agnes' evening look;
• Clutch purse;
• Oversized sunglasses;
• Pair of hands (with long nails);
• Alternate pair of hands (with short nails);
• Doll stand;
• Certificate of authenticity.

First time for Agnes in FR black. She’s gorgeous, isn’t she? We have seen her before in skintones other than her usual, white-as-porcelain complexion, and it suits her a lot. The swimsuit and wrap skirt look is definitely inspired by similar Versace looks, more recently seen in the tribute collection last year. The yellow/golden draped dress is more difficult to pinpoint; people have tried to match it to Versace chainmail dresses, to a Kim Kardashian look (based on her hairstyle, sheesh!), but to me it looks a lot like an older Fashion Royalty dress, the one worn by On The Rise Elyse Jolie. 

She has a great looking face, looks very different than her previous darker skin editions, plus her accessories are fantastic: two pairs of shoes, a nice bag, earrings that look like the Versace Medusa, charm bracelets, a starfish ring, plus a redesigned version of the older Fashion Royalty coin necklace. Just wish she had a more modern design for her (seen before a lot) sunglasses. Maybe if I could find some gold shells or starfish in scale and glue them on the sunglasses? The W Club informed us that she mails in a regular doll box, so shipping is cheaper than other giftsets. Good work IT!

Offer Type:W Club Exclusive pre-order.
Participation Deadline: June 21st, 2019, Noon Eastern time.
Special Mini Gift Set Pricing: $165.00 + S&H per set.($25 NRD deposit per mini gift set due now; balance of $140.00 + S & H per mini gift set due approximately Fall 2019).
Final Edition Size: To be determined- will be based on all pre-orders received.
Shipping Timing: Approximately Fall 2019.
Availability: 2019 W Club members only.
Order Limit: Up to 1 mini gift set per membership.

THE DEADLINE TO PRE-ORDER THIS MINI GIFT SET IS NORTH AMERICAN EASTERN TIME.JUNE 21ST, 2019 AT NOON

Doll shown is a prototype. Final fabrics, hand-drawn bathing suit print, colors and textures may vary slightly. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only. All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2019 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission. Fashion Royalty and all other character marks followed by ™ or ® are trademarks ofIntegrity Toys, Inc. Chesapeake City MD USA 21915. All rights reserved. The W Club is a trademark of Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. Doll Photography by Jayme Thornton. Layouts and graphics by Alain Tremblay, Marketing.

The first W Club doll for 2019 is Midnight Decadence Poppy Parker and it’s a 10th Anniversary Souvenir Doll!

Early June is a bit late to release the 1st W Club Exclusive Doll of the 2019 membership year. But if you remember that last year the first club dolls were unveiled in September, it looks just fine. Yesterday, the club unveiled "Midnight Decadence" Poppy Parker™ 10th Anniversary Souvenir doll, designed by the talented and beloved David Buttry, featuring a special bonus illustration created by David himself to mark this milestone in the brand's history. It was 2009 when the first Poppy Parker dolls were released. Time sure goes by so fast!

Item # PP152

Midnight Decadence Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll

The Poppy Parker™ Collection 10th Anniversary Souvenir Doll

2019 W Club Exclusive

Expected Ship Date:Fall 2019

Special Member-Only Pricing:$140 + S & H

Edition Size: TBD

Head Sculpt: Poppy Parker™

Foot Sculpt: High-heeled Foot

Skin Tone: FR White

Hair Color: Platinum Blonde

Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

Quickswitch: No

Included:

• 12" fully articulated doll with luscious rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes;
• Sparkling black evening gown with removable train (to create two different looks with one dress!), featuring a lovely black satin bow at the bust line and soft marabou feather accents;
• Newly designed clutch purse with golden "PP" logo deco piece and chain accents;
• Golden "jeweled" brooch;
• Matching "jeweled" cuff bracelets, pair of drop earrings and ring;
• Black satin pumps with marabou feather accents;
• Black satin hair ribbon;
• Sheer stockings;
• Alternate pair of hands;
• SPECIAL BONUS! 8 X 10 full color, limited edition printed souvenir sketch by David Buttry;
• Doll stand;
• Certificate of authenticity.

Offer Type:W Club Exclusive pre-order.

Participation Deadline: June 11, 2019, Noon Eastern time.
Special Pricing: $140.00 + S&H per doll.($25 NRD deposit per doll due now, balance of $115.00 + S & H per doll due approximately Fall 2019).
Final Edition Size: To be determined- will be based on all pre-orders received.
Shipping Timing: Approximately Fall 2019.
Availability: 2019 W Club members only.
Order Limit: Up to 1 doll per membership.

A bit surprising for the 10th anniversary souvenir Poppy, don’t you agree? She’s wearing quite an original and avant-garde gown compared to her first released sisters all those years ago. The fabric would not be my first choice, but it’s luxurious and impressive in this styling. David said the sleeves are separate as well, so she can wear the short dress with them. The doll is a twin sister of Welcome To Misty Hollows Poppy, with different shades in her make up and a bow designed just a bit this way as to not look identical to Misty. 

​The jewellery has been used before in different lines and dolls. I love the monogrammed clutch. The shoes are black fabric cutout pumps, with bows and feathers at the heel. I was expecting a doll styled more in sync to the debut collection, but I think I prefer this one, she’s more dramatic and decadent. Can’t wait to see the rest of the Poppy dolls the year has in store.

Final fabrics, colors and textures may vary slightly. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only. All text and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2019 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission. Poppy Parker and all other character marks followed by ™ or ® are trademarks of Integrity Toys, Inc. Chesapeake City MD USA 21915. All rights reserved. The W Club is a trademark of Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. Doll Photography by Jayme Thornton. Layouts and graphics by Alain Tremblay, Marketing.

The 2nd London Fashion Doll Festival is being held this weekend at the V&A Museum Of Childhood!

The second edition of the London Fashion Doll Festival will be taking place this coming weekend at the Victoria & Albert Museum Of Childhood, in Bethnal Green, London. After the success of last year’s first edition, the organisers are making this one even better and enriched with lots of activities. And guess what? I’m attending this year! So those of you not being able to attend will get to see lots of photos and read all the juicy stuff after I return.

This year, the theme is Carnaby: the Swinging London fashion era, with Twiggy, Mary Quant, Jean Shrimpton, Carnaby Street fashions, mods  and so much more as inspiration! You can see the program for the two-day event below. Access on Saturday is only for registered attendees, while the Sunday salesroom can be accessed by the public via tickets bought either online or on site. 

As you can see in the program, there are two workshops, one for making a flower wig and a second for doll face enhancement, which is already sold out. 

Just like last year, the incredible Superdoll Collectables London people are making an event exclusive doll, a LE of 30, which will be revealed at the event. It will probably be one of the last vinyl Sybarites. I have already reserved mine and can’t wait to see her!

The salesroom is full of amazing dolls and doll stuff:

There are some competitions and even non-attendees can join! Take a look here: 

The V&A Museum of Childhood in Bethnal Green, London is once again serving as the venue for the second convention.  The MOC is the UK’s National Museum of Childhood. It is the largest institution of its kind in the world. Its mission is to hold in trust the nation’s childhood collections and to be an international leader in engaging audiences in the material culture and experiences of childhood.

This year LFDF decided to support the Children With Cancer UK charity. They are doing this via an eBay OOAK doll auction and a raffle which will take place during the Sunday Salesroom. Last year LFDF raised almost £14,000 for the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital Charity.

See you in London!