Being highly evolved ...

It has become increasingly surprising to me how my blogs don't follow any rational plan.  I mean I start out with a plan ... honest ... I do.   But then something happens and I wind up writing about something else.

When I started this blog, it was going to show a direct progression of my doll collecting this year.   I was going to open each arrival in the order in which they showed up on my doorstep.  I was going to follow my resolutions and stay on track.  HA!

I managed well enough with the first eight dolls added to my collection this year.  Then someone got moved to the head of the class ...

She is Heart of Glass Aria from the Plastic Inevitable Dynamite Girl 2011 Collection.  She is made by Integrity Toys.   I knew when I saw this doll in the Spring preview show that she was going to be a doll for my collection.  She has such an exquisite expression.   I loved the edge to her outfit which is incredibly detailed.  The jeans are very stylized with grays, silvers, golds, reds, blues, etc.   They snap in the back and have pencil legs.   They are a fantastic fit.  The jacket has all sorts of little button details.  It is one of the best DG pieces ever produced in my opinion.   Under the jacket she is wearing a lace blouse with sewn in bra. 

 This girl is extremely versatile.  I put her hair up and added the skirt from Suited Luxury Adele (this is the blouse under the jacket).   I have mentioned to other collecting friends that this Aria does not look like other DG models to me.  I decided to try her on a NuFace body.

One thing I did note right away.   This year's DGs came with pierced ears.  I thought that was a wonderful surprise. 

Some members of the collecting community had orginally purchased this doll with intention of adding the outfit to their NuFace girls' wardrobes.  There is still too much difference in heighth for the DG and NuFace girls to share pants.   Here is a photo of the evolution of the DG girl with a NuFace doll thrown in for comparison sake.  They are all on similar stands and the same distance from the camera.

The first doll is Feelin' Fierce Dani (farthest to the left).    She is one of my favorites of the earlier girls and is on the original body (pre-2010).   The original DGs had legs similar to the second generation FR girls.  Collectors did not like the way the knees looked in photos.

The design team at Integrity listened and decided to come out with an improved knee.  The second doll is last year's Vintage Vinyl Sooki.  You can see the leg length is a little longer than the original doll body.  The new DG body can still share pants with Poppy, Misaki, Barbie, and the earlier DG models.   The NuFace leg is even longer and is somewhat "thicker", which prevents them sharing slacks.  They can still share skirts, dresses, and most blouses.

When I put the four dolls next to each other, I noticed an even further difference.  The forearms on the dolls are different lengths.  Even though Integrity solved the problem with the knees, DG collectors wanted MORE.  We wanted better hands.  Something more graceful.   So this year, the DG models have nicer hands.  I am only speculating here, but I think IT had to change the forearm a little for the newer hand (it must not have been as aesthetic as desired).   The newer dolls does have a longer forearm.  It still is not as long as the NuFace arm, but it is a little longer.  This brings in a further challenge in long-sleeved wardrobe options.

I believe Aria is exceptional.  She is definitely #9 now in my collection.  One of the best things about the DG girls (and guys) are their price.  IT has managed to keep their prices down.  The Plastic Inevitable dolls were retailed at $59.00.  For the quality of doll and clothing, you can't beat that price anywhere!   Unfortunately, the production numbers were very low and they sold out almost immediately in pre-orders.   One of the male dolls has been fetching as much as 5  - 8 times his original price..  Fortunately, I have a great relationship with an incredible dealer and was able to pre-order all of the dolls I wanted this year.  But Aria didn't have to wait; she moved directly into her place in my collection.