Vertically Challenged

Two blog posts ago I listed the 12 dolls that reside in my collection that were produced without eyelashes (See  "We Don't Need No Stinkin' Eyelashes").  All of them were produced in 2006 or earlier.

In 2005 Integrity Toys started experimenting with applied eyelashes and provided collectors with some of the best dolls ever produced.   All of these dolls were still on the shorter body (the tall body didn't come out until 2006).  These dolls are considered "Holy Grails" by the fashion doll community and most of them were produced in very limited quantities.   Mine have been upgraded to tall handspeak bodies.

First we have the IFDC doll Born To Gamble Kyori Sato (Edition size 600).  The gift set included a bottle of "Karen Walker" whiskey and a deck of 1/6 scale playing cards.  She was supposed to be a nod to the character on the television comedy Will & Grace.

Her extravagant hairstyle set the stage for two more amazing dolls. The first was an FAO Schwartz exclusive gift set.  This doll sold out immediately and was priced at $249.  She was A Fashionable Life Vanessa Perrin - Raven (Edition size 300)

Integrity Toys also produced A Fashionable Life Platinum version in a limited edition of 200 dolls.

Integrity Toys was really trying to launch the Vanessa Perrin mold and these dolls, combined with Poesie Sans Couleur (Edition Size 500), solidified Vanessa Perrin as a favorite IT mold among collectors.

This was also at a time that IT was promoting the new Adele Makeda mold 2.0 (released the previous year).  One of my personal favorites of mold 2.0 is Bodacious.  

As beautiful as these dolls are, it was another IT doll from this time that established herself firmly as my favorite doll ever produced.  She is Ginza Kyori Sato - Blonde.

These six dolls represent the "hay day" of Fashion Royalty collecting.  Collectors have never seen so many perfect gift sets produced in one year before or since 2005.  The gift sets included luggage, lingerie, evening gowns, multiple pairs of shoes. handbags, day wear and evening ensembles. I remember the experience of opening AFL and Ginza.  Everything was exquisite.  I had never seen dolls gift sets of this quality.  I hope someday IT will be able to provide such an experience for their new generation of collectors.