No Baby In The Bath Water

I received a comment on my last blog post and realized I had made a mistake.   For some reason, I consider FR2 and the regular tall FR dolls two separate lines!   Breaking the Mold Vero is the only 2.0 version I have on the regular FR body, but  I still have last year's Full Spectrum Veronique on the FR2 body!  She is a favorite from last year, so she's gonna hang around for a while.

The comment caused me to go to my cabinet and look at the FR2 dolls, which are even segregated in my case!  My dear Mama always said, "Never throw out the baby with the bath water."   For those of you who don't know that expression, it means "look for the silver lining" - "just because one thing has gone wrong, find the right in the situation".   I decided to take out my Randall Craig and Dressmaker Details clothing and do some experimenting with FR2 dolls.  

I found that some ensembles actually fit the FR2 body just fine.  Here is the criteria:  the bodice of any shirt or dress cannot be tailored for the bigger bust.  Most skirt ensembles actually look quite good.  Here are some examples.

One of the earliest ensembles I own is "Uncomplicated Elegance".   This outfit was manufactured before the "tall" bodies.  Fortunately, the sleeves are short and the skirt not too form-fitting.  The white knit sweater is wrap-around with a string tie.  The skirt is a black textured silk.  Nightfall Agnes from the 2013 Premiere Convention, agreed to model.

And a close-up because I cannot resist this face!

Another earlier ensemble was "Neutrally Hip".   Since I seemed to slight Full Spectrum Veronique in the last post, I asked her assistance.

The blouse is an unstructured bodysuit.   The skirt is a lovely camel colored a-line.   I can't believe how nice it looks on the FR2 body.   I like how these colors work with Vero's face up!

The next ensemble is one that took me forever to find - "I Get A Kick Out of You".   A kind doll friend sold it to me!  I purchased it with The Muse Adele in mind but was excited to see how great A Touch of Frost Eugenia looked modeling it!

The sleeves are wonderful!   I have always loved the criss-cross suspenders.  The skirt actually closes on all hooks.  The belt even fits!  This doll is just so beautiful - thanks to my friend Veronica who corrected the eyes!

I liked this so much, I went running for "April in Paris".  I chose a doll who hasn't had a lot of camera time.  This is "Subject C" from the 2012 Tropicalia Convention.  She is a Color Infusion doll that has been transferred to a FR2 body.

I couldn't get the top hook/eye of the skirt to meet, but the belt helps to hold it all together.  The chiffon blouse has to be pulled over the doll's head, so be careful with hairstyles and eyelashes!

This doll reminds me of Sandra Bullock's character in The Blind Side.  Maybe she went platinum for the summer!

Since the unstructured body suit from "Neutrally Hip" seemed to fit, I decided to try this polka-dot ensemble.  This outfit has a full skirt.

Doesn't Nightshade Kyori, look like a hot housewife?  Modesty is definitely not her strong suit!   The skirt has a snap and closes in the back.  Unfortunately, I cannot remember the name of this ensemble!

I have enjoyed trying these ensembles on my FR2 dolls and am very satisfied with the results.  I will try some more next week, so stay tuned for Part Deux!

Picking and Choosing

Having placed a pre-order from the recent Integrity Reveal, it's time to look over my collection for volunteers to give up their places on the shelves.   I've been trying to make sure one doll leaves for every doll that comes in.  It is my goal that I try to keep at least one of each mold (which isn't a problem with my favorites: Agnes, Eugenia, Adele 2.0, and Vanessa 1.0).

Since most new dolls are being released on the FR2 body, I am finding it more difficult to let go some of older versions.  A friend recently asked what some of my reasons might be for being so stubborn about switching over completely to the FR2 body; I told her I had several good reasons but two of those reasons were Randall Craig and Steven Fraser (Dressmaker Details).  The clothes I have purchased from these two gifted designers just don't fit the FR2 body correctly.

As an example, here is Main Event Adele from the 2012 IT Tropicalia Convention.  She is the only Adele 3.0 that I like well enough to keep in my collection.  She is wearing Randall Craig's "Summertime".  It was an edition of 100.

And here is another example, Breaking the Mold Veronique.  Again, the only Veronique 2.0 to reside here.  She is wearing a sundress from Dressmaker Details "Sherbet Sunset".

As you can see, these dresses were definitely made for the more "full bust" girls.  There are several ensembles by these gifted designers in my girls' closets and I couldn't bear not being able to display them.

Checking Off From The Wishlist

In November 2013, I responded to a TAG game for "Wish List" of 10 most sought after clothing pieces.  It's been 18 months and I have been able to acquire 4 of those pieces.   One arrived this past weekend.

Lucky for me I found all the clothing pieces for Tatyana J'Adore for sale at a great price.  I had the gown on my wish list, so I was excited to find the gown, coat, and short dress sold as one lot.   It was fun selecting models for the different pieces.   Soul Deep Adele seemed like a good choice to modernize the beaded sheath with the fur trim.

Here's a close up.  I think her make up palette looks lovely with the colors in the dress, don't you agree?

I needed an elegant doll with an edgy look for the gown.  I decided it would look good on Blue Blood Elise Jolie.

I am very pleased with the result.

When it came time to model the coat, there was only one choice.  "Darling, you know that was purchased with me specifically in mind," cooed The Royal Weiss.

She knew this was hers.

The luxe feel of these clothes reminded me of what IT gift sets used to be all about.  I miss them and would like to see the richness returned.