East 59th - Vintage Feeling

One of the reasons I've been playing with my vintage items is the anticipation of the East 59th dolls' arrival.  When these dolls were revealed in early April, many collectors who love Victoire Roux were excited about adding additional characters to her line.   The designer is Chris Stoekel who is famous for his vintage flair with fashions.  There were four dolls revealed with two different NEW face molds.

The first face mold is Constance Madssen.  She came in two versions:  Captivating Cocktails (this fabric reminds me of the skirt for Venus Secret Eugenia).

and Luxurious Leisure.

The second face mold is Evelyn Weaverton.  She also came in two versions:  Classic Glamour:

and Glittering Gala:

Integrity Toys reported that these ensembles could be shared with the current Victoire Roux line, so I decided to take a chance and purchase one of each face mold.  I've been collecting Integrity products for a very long time.   I remember how much I loved opening the boxes because there was so much detail involved in the packaging.  They have brought that back!  I actually squealed when I pulled the box out!

Here is the back.

And the box opens to look like a little dressing room!!

And the little "card stock paper" doors actually pull open with ribbon tabs to reveal areas for the accessories!

I guess you realized that Glittering Gala was my first choice to purchase!  Here is a closeup of her face.  (I'm afraid she does suffer from a "suspiciously large woman head".)   But her makeup palette is gorgeous!  I wish her eyes were a couple mm farther apart; she would be perfect.  Her head mold is a tad bigger than Victoire's and even Constance's.  It's not "huge" or even "too big"; it's just a little bigger.  I think she would rock a Color Infusion body!  I may even put her on a FR2 body!

Look at all those accessories!  You get a lot for your money!!

My second choice was Luxurious Leisure Constance Madssen...

This ensemble is exceptional quality.   Here is a closeup.

She photographs better than she looks in hand.  She is a very pale skin tone.  Her sculpt is a closer to the scale of Victoire's.

I'm trying to decide if I am going to keep the dolls, redress them, etc.  What do you think?

Spinning My Wheels ...

It seems there has been a lot of "going nowhere fast" around here.  The past twelve months have really got in the way of my blogging.  As followers may remember, I changed school districts last summer and had the daunting task of moving 20 years of teaching materials from one school to another.  It was a smart decision, although an expensive one.   Even though I am still teaching a similar curriculum, there was a great deal of logistics to learn.  The system where I work now is very different from my previous employer.

In September, my fur baby "Millie" was diagnosed with heart problems.  We went to a dog cardiologist and started her on a regimen of expensive drugs.  Then over Thanksgiving she was diagnosed with cancer.  She has required much of my time and I wanted to give her the best quality of life I could provide.  Unfortunately, she lost her battle on May 8.  Here is a photo of my little girl when she was healthy.  I miss her terribly.

Since my car accident over the Christmas holiday, I've been battling with the other driver's insurance company.  My knee was injured, but because I have rheumatoid arthritis the insurance company kept claiming pre-existing condition.  We finally settled and have moved forward - I guess it's just a given that bad drivers have bad insurance.

Last year, I missed my annual "doll purge", so I've been trying my best to get back on track.  It hasn't been easy.  I considered selling my vintage Barbie collection.  Unfortunately, when I took out the clothing I decided to try some of it on my Integrity character.

The Royal Weiss saw the clothing and immediately took over for modeling.  She selected the ensemble "Outdoor Art Show"(#1650 1966-1967).

I was surprised the ensemble fit the tall FR body so well.  I decided to try some of these on my earliest versions of each character.  Fete Accompli was the first released issue of character Tatyana Alexandrova (she was the 2008 Integrity Convention gift doll).  She is wearing "Career Girl" (#954 1963-1964).

How about Spectacular Spectacular Eugenia Frost from 2007.  She is wearing "Busy Gal" (#981 1960-1961 Reproduction Version).  I like how her ponytail comes through the little hole in the hat!

I remember how excited I was to finally acquire the first version of Elyse Jolie, Blue Blood, from the 2009 Integrity Toys Convention.   She is modeling a reproduction version of "Easter Parade" (#971 1959).

Next up is one of my very favorite Integrity Dolls, Cosmetic Takeover Natalia from the 2004 Convention.  She is wearing "Crisp 'n Cool" (#1604 1964-1965).  Cosmetic Takeover Natalia is the first issue of the Natalia Fatale character and has been put on a FR2 body!

The vintage clothing is little loose in the bust of the FR2 bodies (just like the regular FR clothing).  The same is probably the case for the NuFace dolls.  I thought I would try something where the top was knit.  How about Costume Drama Giselle, her first issue was a W Club Exclusive in 2007.  She is wearing "Resort Set" (#963 1959-1962).

I love my Victoire Roux dolls and how the vintage clothing is perfect for them.  Here is the first issue of Victoire from the 2011 Integrity Convention Faubourg Saint Honore.  She is wearing "Dinner at Eight" (#946 1963-1964).  Even the shoes fit her tiny little feet.

Let's get Miss Poppy Parker in on the fun.  I believe Summer Magic and Pillow Talk were released first in 2009.  Summer Magic Poppy Parker is wearing "Open Road" (#985 1961-1962).

After all of this work, I decided I couldn't sell my Vintage items ... I'm not even sure I can figure out which dolls to re-home .... those wheels just keep spinning!