Smoke and Shadow Vanessa Perrin is the first doll of the Nu Fantasy Coven Couture collection

Nu Fantasy, the Integrity Toys line that translated dolls from all their other lines into fantasy inspired dolls just made a comeback. A new collection (one doll from it to be precise) was unveiled in a W Club event presentation, for the Coven Couture NU. Fantasy collection, designed by IT designer Mark Tinkey. There will be four dolls in total to be released, with the next one presented in the next months. The event alsio informed us that the first W Club doll is just around the corner. IT has secured a licensing deal for a new line of dolls that got Alain and Carol very excited, but they did not divulge any details about that. They also talked about the delays of doll production that are doggin Integrity again this year (as well as otner companies all over the world) and the effect they are having on pricing (which manifested in the price of this doll). Seeing the priced steadily rising this year in everything from groceries to clothes to services, and the delays in materials moving around the world, it’s not hard to imagine how it can affect a company like Integrity Toys that is small in size and does not own big factories and raw material production sites like other larger corporations do (hello Mattel). So you have to accept that this year and for at least the first half of the next one, everything will be late and expensive. One more worrying thing is that they cannot travel to China to supervise production like in previous years. Fingers crossed the situation improves soon.

Let’s get back to the doll. Here's an introduction about the Coven Couture Collection's inspiration directly from Mark Tinkey:

"I was inspired by myths, fairy tales, and some of my favorite couture designers to create the dolls and fashions for the Coven Couture collection. It is a series of four dolls each meant to stand out on their own or fill out a shelf in your collection with drama and color. The images conjured when I think of dark castles, magic spells, and fabulous witchy women helped to define the look and mood of these dolls. They are decadent and darkly romantic and I hope you love them as much as I do!"

Item # 75029

Smoke and Shadow

Vanessa Perrin™ Dressed Doll

NU. Fantasy™: The Coven Couture Collection

Edition Size: 1500

Expected Ship Date: Late Fall / Early Winter 2021

Price: $199.00 + Shipping & Handling

*W Club Right-to-buy Lottery Offer*

Head Sculpt: Vanessa 3.0

Body Type: FR 6.0

Foot Sculpt: High-heeled

Skin Tone: Cream

Hair Color: Ash Blonde

Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

Quickswitch: No

Included:

12.5-inch articulated doll with rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes;

Black tulle and satin gown with extravagant embroidery designed by Mark Tinkey, rhinestone detail, and multi-layered skirt;

Removable tulle sleeves:

Ornate metal headpiece with separate tulle veil;

Dangle earrings with rhinestone drop;

Stud earrings for a simpler look, if desired;

3 finger rings, 2 with "stone" detail and 1 geometric "gold";

Black open lace-up platform boots with zipper in back;

Small black satin clutch with attached bracelet and skull charm with rhinestone eyes;

Pair of long manicured hands;

Extra pair of "hand on hip" hands (also perfect for spell-casting!);

Doll stand;

Certificate of authenticity.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Prototypes shown, final product may vary. Acrylic blocks in the accessory pictures are display props only and are not included with the doll. This collectible is meant for adult collectors ages 15 and up only.

Offer Type:

Members-only right-to-buy lottery;

Right-to-buy Lottery Participation Deadline:

August 2nd, 2021 at 12 PM (Noon) Eastern Time;

Pricing (Only If You Are Selected in the Right-to-buy Lottery):

$199.00 + S&H (payable in two installments of $99.50 each);

Approximate Shipping Timing:

Late Fall / Early Winter 2021;

W Club Right-to-buy Lottery Participation Limit:

Max. one (1) lottery ticket per each 2021 membership only.

Having a new doll presentation from IT is exciting, even if it is only one doll and not a whole collection, which is the thing usually featured in a live event. Mark was there to present the doll as well and I got the impression that they did this to placate collectors, who are still waiting for preorders to ship. My guess is that instead of waiting to have all four prototypes to present the collection, they decided to showcase this one in order to generate excitement sooner and fill the gap that delays have caused to new dolls arriving. The doll is a beautiful version of Vanessa 3.0, with sexy, vampy make up and lovely hair, which will be gorgeous in other Fashion Royalty clothes as well.

Alexander McQueen Pre-Fall 2012 Collection - photo courtesy of Alexander McQueen

Even though I love having miniature versions of real life designer fashions, especially from my favourite designers, like Alexander McQueen’s Sarah Burton, it irks me when it is not mentioned at all in the emalis or the presentations. This one is not even inspired by the actual dress, it is an identical copy, with only the embroidered motifs being different. That is not designing a doll, it is simply styling. It is not the first time Integrity is doing this and it will not be the last - and I will pin-point it every single time. If Integrity are afraid of legal issues, then they should stop doing it and get their talented designers to make some original fashions. That being said, the accessories are magnificent, especially the headpiece, the earrings and the bag combined with a bracelet.

W Club members only can enter the lottery. While lottery tickets are free, if your entry is picked, you will be expected to pay the first instalment ($99.00) only for each doll that you win by August 20th, 2021, and then the balance and the shipping fees will be due approximately in late Fall / early Winter 2021 once the item is in stock. Let me know in the comments what you thing about the doll and if you are entering the lottery.

All doll photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2021 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission. FASHION ROYALTY, and NU. FANTASY 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 Bill Peck and Shaunessey Smith ; Layouts and graphics by Alain Tremblay, Marketing.

An awesome opportunity to interview Chris Stoeckel about East 59th plus an incredible OOAK Della Roux!

About a week ago, Integrity Toys posted on their Instagram account that they were looking for someone to interview live Chris Stoeckel, the immensely talented designer of East 59th line of dolls, whose latest collection was quite the success! Not only that, they would also give to the person chosen for the job, an incredible OOAK Della Roux doll! I would have entered even without the doll offering, but this was even better. And yes, as most of you already know, I was the one chosen to conduct the interview through the IT Instagram account.

We had so much fun - I had sent my questions to the company beforehand, to make sure they were OK with them and that the time allotted would be covered. I also made sure that I could ask questions that the people watching would have - and that was even better! Chris told us a lot about his inspiration, his background in design and his growing up in a really diverse family, which is also his main inspiration for East 59th. Many of the dolls have names matching those of dear family members (Della is his mother, Evelyn his grandmother etc). I was lucky enough to guess that Christian Dior, Cristobal Balenciaga and Charles James are his three favourite designers - out of which he picked James as the one being that bit more favourite because he was a tortured artist, living for his passion, i.e. the clothes he created. I did not even notice how fast time passed! There will be a Fall collection for the line, of which the only definite things we know are that it will not be in autumn colours and it will not be holiday themed. There was also a moment when Chris kind of admitted (not directly though) that we are getting an Asian character for the line. He also said he might re-purpose again unused sculpts for new characters. We discovered that Eugenia and Kyori 1.0 are his favourite FR characters. Could we see Kyori 1.0 as the new East 59th character?

And then the doll: this OOAK Della is so beautiful! I missed the chance to buy the first Della at retail, so getting this OOAK doll is even more incredible for me. Chris has done an outstanding job of making both a beautiful doll, with a lovely fave and hairstyle and also a stunning gown for her to wear. The fabric of the gown is from an actual 1950s dress and the ruffle layers have a total length of three yards! This is one of the reason that this outfit could never be recreated for production. If you check her hands, you will see that the gloves have individual fingers as real ones do, and they are not the typical solution given to production dolls. Chris said he always makes them like this for his OOAK dolls.

If you want to watch the interview, it is up on the IGTV tab of the Integrity Toys Instagram account here. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

The convention doll that no one knew existed - Legendary Status Agnes silver version

I bet that most, if not all, people that have been to conventions know pretty much every single doll, outfit and accessory officially available there, by the time the event comes to an end. Even dolls that have not arrived on time are announced with all the usual accompanying pomp and circumstance, no matter that they are not in the hands of attendees at reveal time. So it was with great surprise that W Club members saw an additional convention doll, a silver variant of the Legendary Status Agnes that was the face on the convention doll boxes and was available to all for pre-order. Colouring is not the only difference between the two dolls however: the new version is only available to attendees for pre-order now and, if any are left, the remainder will be given as a lottery to W Club members. Weird? Yes. I’ve read countless theories on why this doll appeared now but that is all that they are, and will remain - theories. Unless you are an Integrity Toys employee, you know nothing, like that Jon Snow guy. I will say this though: in the current climate within the IT doll collectors, this will not win any points for the company. Money though - that’s another thing.

Item # 91506

Legendary Status

Agnes Von Weiss™ Dressed Doll (Color Variation)

Official Integrity Toys 25th Anniversary Doll

Limited Edition: 600 Dolls

Estimated Arrival: Summer 2021

Retail Price: $175.00

**2020 Main Package Convention Holder Limited Offer**

Head Sculpt: Agnes

Body Type: FR 6.0

Foot Sculpt: High-heeled

Skin Tone: FR White

Hair Color: Sterling

Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

Quickswitch: No

Included:

12.5-inch fully articulated doll with rooted hair styled in an intricate ponytail, as well as hand-applied eyelashes;

Ultra-luxurious mirror "jeweled" gown with dramatic silver asymmetric overskirt and draped accents;

Bespoke "jewel" clutch purse;

Especially designed "stocking-shoes", micro-crystal covered stockings with built-in shoes;

High-contrast faux-diamond and faux-amethyst adorned jewelry set (earrings and two assorted rings);

Pair of hands with modern French manicure;

Alternate pair of grip hands;

Doll stand;

Certificate of authenticity;

This is how the doll commemorating the 25th anniversary of Integrity Toys should have looked from the beginning. This is the doll that should have been in the package, the one that should have been available to the club instead of that other one. She’s everything the other one is not. I did not pre-order the original one but this one? In a heartbeat. Wonder if I will ever be able to own her.

P.S. Special thanks to Joshua for the help with the post.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Prototype shown, final production may vary. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only.

All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2021 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission. FASHION ROYALTY, 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.

Photography by Jayme Thornton, Layouts and graphics by Alain Tremblay, Marketing.

Under the Malibu Sky: the open edition Agnes Von Weiss is revealed!

Fashion Royalty collectors were wondering which of the characters from the line would be the first to get an open edition basic doll version. Veronique, Adele and Vanessa were the names dropped more often but it is Agnes that gets the treatment first. Surprisingly so, as she is supposedly an club/event only doll - i.e. she is offered either as a club doll or during online presentations or conventions. The difference to previous open edition dolls is that Agnes will be first available to W Club members, and once the process of ordering has finished for them, the doll will be available to the public. The information is that one 2000 doll batch will be available late June (and not immediately as with previous open editions), the next will be approximately late November, a third batch for late winter 2021-2022 and, if a fourth one is needed, it will be later in 2022. So I am guessing the other open edition dolls will follow a similar pattern.

Item # 91523

Malibu Sky

Baroness Agnes Von Weiss™ Basic Doll

The Fashion Royalty® Collection

Edition Size: Open Edition

Price: $99 + Shipping and Handling

Expected Shipping as noted above, but may vary

Head Sculpt: Agnes Von Weiss

Body Type: FR 6.0

Foot Sculpt: High-heeled

Skin Tone: Hungarian

Hair Color: Platinum

Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

Quickswitch: No

Included:

12.5-inch articulated doll with rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes;

One-piece swimsuit;

Stud earrings;

Criss-cross cuff bracelet;

Oversized sunglasses;

Delicate strappy high-heeled shoes;

Pair of long manicured hands;

Doll stand;

Certificate of authenticity.

What a beautiful Agnes! Anything but basic! I bet this will be the most popular open edition of all so far - the combination of the character and the perfect execution will be a smash. I’m curious to see the Malibu Agnes photographed with the Miami one. She reminds me of Fresh Perspective Agnes - same youthful energy, but better colouring. Let’s hope the process of ordering her will be problem-free.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Prototypes shown, final product may vary. Small production differences between the batches may be present. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only.

All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2021 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission. FASHION ROYALTY, 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.

Photography by Jayme Thornton, Layouts and graphics by Alain Tremblay, Marketing.

Travelling in style: the new East 59th collection takes us on a cruise to New York

W Club members got the heads up for new dolls arriving a few days ago - a new Jem gift set and some East 59th dolls, all presented in a live reveal by Carol Roth and Alain Trembley (who informed us that this year the convention tickets will be 1300!). Chris Stoeckel, the talented designer of the East 59th line would be the special guest. Friday night was the event day and we saw a great Misfits giftset that will be available from IT Direct via the same method as the open edition basic dolls (i.e. google form to secure a time slot and then shop) on April 29th, noon Eastern Time. A small quantity will go through Sideshow. The East 59th dolls will be available through IT dealers (see the list here) and, from what I hear, most have sold out of Gus and Victoire, so hurry. Have in mind that some dealers (Sideshow included) do not do email preorders and will have the dolls available on their websites come Monday, April 26th.. Let’s see the three beautiful East 59th dolls, photographed by Vaughn Sawyers this time, as we were informed during the presentation, and comment on them.

Item # 73040

Home at Last

Lady Aurelia Grey™ Dressed Doll

The East 59th® Collection

Limited Edition: 550 Dolls

Expected Ship Date: Mid-June 2021

Suggested Retail Pricing: $160.00

*Available from Authorized Dealers Only*

Head Sculpt: Aurelia 1.0

Body Type: East 59th 1.0

Foot Sculpt: High-heeled

Skin Tone: FR Black

Hair Color: Black

Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

Quickswitch: No

Included:

12.5-inch fully articulated vinyl doll with rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes;

Two-piece vivid blue velvet suit;

White blouse with ruffled lace details;

Alternate pair of tomato red slacks;

Earrings with blue "stone" details;

Lavish brooch with faux-pearl and "stone" details (magnetized);

Fascinator hat;

Handbag;

Matching open-toe heels;

Pair of painted-on gloved hands;

Alternate pair of hands with long manicured nails;

Doll stand;

Certificate of authenticity.

Lady Aurelia appears again as the story behind the collection is the beginning of her friendship with Victoire aboard a cruise ship to New York. Although I do love the sculpt, I never feel the urge to buy Aurelia - not yet anyway. Well, perhaps in a future version. Chris does a great job of providing so many things for the price - each doll on the line has two outfits so it feels like a giftset for the price of a doll. The fashion is more 40s style as the period is right after the war. It is nice to see this style on dolls, not something we get very often.

Item # 73041

New York Bound

Victoire Roux® Dressed Doll

The East 59th® Collection

Limited Edition: 550 Dolls

Expected Ship Date: Mid-June 2021

Suggested Retail Pricing: $160.00

*Available from Authorized Dealers Only*

Head Sculpt: Victoire 2.0

Body Type: East 59th 1.0

Foot Sculpt: High-heeled

Skin Tone: Japan

Hair Color: Red

Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

Quickswitch: No

Included:

12.5-inch fully articulated vinyl doll with rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes;

Perfectly tailored, period-inspired two-piece mustard-colored skirt suit with contrasting yellow and forest green inset details;

Flocked hat with dramatic bright yellow chiffon scarf;

Alternate, glamorous two-toned lamé evening gown;

Large cuff bracelet;

Earrings;

Forest green handbag;

Matching open-toe heels;

Pair of painted-on gloved hands;

Alternate pair of hands with long manicured nails;

Doll stand;

Certificate of authenticity.

Gorgeous version of Victoire, in a victory rolls hairstyle, fitting for 1945, and her two outfits, one for day and one for evening. I love how they coordinate with the stripes and complimenting colours. And Chris manages to give a new look to the often used by Poppy breton style hat, by decorating it with a piece of fabric matching the suit. If I did not already have two redhead Victoire dolls, I’d snap this one.

Item # 73042

Romance in the Air

Augustus "Gus" Blake™ Fashion Figure

The East 59th® Collection

Limited Edition: 550 Figures

Expected Ship Date: Mid-June 2021

Suggested Retail Pricing: $160.00

*Available from Authorized Dealers Only*

Head Sculpt: Darius 1.0

Body Type: Homme 1.5

Skin Tone: FR Black

Hair Color: Black

Eyelashes: No

Quickswitch: No

Included:

12.5-inch fully articulated vinyl fashion figure with rooted and flocked hair;

Tailored period-inspired plaid suit;

White shirt;

Tie;

Alternate pair of solid colored pants;

Cable knit vest;

Wingtip shoes;

White socks;

Doll stand;

Certificate of authenticity.

Darius 1.0 makes an appearance as a new character for East 59th line, which confirms that the old sculpt will not appear in the Monarchs. I am ok with that as long as we get handsome versions of his in this line - and what a hunk this is! Plus he is Laird’s boyfriend! Love this storyline! Wearing a typical suit of the era, with strong shoulders, narrow, fitting form and wide pants, he’s the essential dapper gentleman, even though he should have had a hat to complete the look - men wore hats every day up until the 60s. To make a second outfit, Chris added a second, slimmer pair of pants plus a knitted sleeveless cable sweater. His saddle shoes are beautiful too. I am so glad I got confirmed for him, as I hear he’s sold out almost everywhere.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Prototypes shown, final product may vary. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only. **PROP FURNITURE NOT INCLUDED.**

All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2021 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission. EAST 59TH, 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 Vaughn Sawyers; Layouts and graphics by Alain Tremblay, Marketing