Best of 2024 - Number 9 - Pink Glam Adele Makeda

It was a pretty slim year for the Fashion Royalty line from Integrity Toys (IT).  Produced in 2024, there were six FR ladies included in the Stilettos Out Convention, one W Club Upgrade doll, and then one Perrin Sisters Giftset offered through a W Club lottery.  In addition three dolls exclusive to the 2023 W Club made their way into collector hands this past year.   No dolls were released through retail.

As the current IT design trend is re-imagined product, it's difficult to brag on designers' creativity.   The next doll in my countdown is one of my very favorite molds.  The doll harkens back to a 2004 version, Graphic Language, and she is wearing a color variation from the 2020 Legendary Convention Miami Glam Kesenia Valentinova.

Pink Glam Adele Makeda is a lovely doll in her own right.  Mold 2.0 with this screening is a favorite among collectors.  The ensemble is well made and a beautiful shade of pink.

Best of 2024 - Number 9 is Pink Glam Adele Makeda.

Best of 2021 - # 3

Strangely, the last doll received in 2021 is actually my very favorite Integrity Toys (IT) doll of 2021.   

I decided to limit my purchases from the IT Obsession Convention.  I promised myself I would not spend more than $300 on secondary market for any doll.  I also promised myself that I was only going to allow myself to buy a maximum of 5 dolls from the convention collection.  It turned out this was much easier than I expected.

When this doll was revealed, she was my second "must have" doll from the convention.   I knew this doll was going to be more phenomenal than her promotion photos.  I wasn't wrong.

This doll arrived just before Christmas and totally shook things up.  I finally received a doll this year that lived up to standards established by IT.  They have set such a high bar for themselves that it is difficult for them to keep producing dolls at that level.  It's caused quite a bit of frustration with their followers.

Here is a photo of Sovereign Adele Makeda in the box.  

Kudos to Alain for the packaging design on the convention collection.  It feels very expensive and decadent.

A closeup photo.

Here is the IT photo of the accessories.  The only thing I would change about this doll would be the purse.  I think it looks and feels less expensive than the rest of the ensemble; that is a minor criticism.

This doll is extraordinary right out of the box.   There has been a lot of complaining about the coat on this dress.  It actually feels and looks quite luxe in real life.  There is some beautiful gold embroidery with beadwork sewn into the pattern.  The fabric has a nice textured feel.  The coat closes in the back!  This is one amazing ensemble.

This doll is a knock out! 

This is a great example when IT pays attention to the little details.  When you take the coat off, you see the  beautiful design work on the side of the dress and can appreciate the fabric used.

There is something very sensuous about Sovereign Adele Makeda.  I love this doll's face.  I love this doll's hair.  I love this dolls' ensemble and accessories.  I even love the skin tone.  This doll is just perfect from head to toe.  (And for some reason she remind me of Pamela Sue Anderson.)  Once again, Adele Makeda stole the convention!   Best of 2021 - # 3 is Sovereign Adele Makeda.

Organization - Cabinet 1 Shelf 1

I have received comments from followers that they would like to see my collection and cabinets.  Unfortunately, I don't think anyone would be very impressed because I had been keeping my dolls, nude, in two bookcases. 

My dear sweet husband gave me a couple detolf cabinets for Valentine's Day.   He reasoned that the cabinets would help me organize my collection and get it under control.  Bless his heart!

So, I decided to start at the beginning.  

I pulled all of my older dolls out first.  It turns out I have 10 dolls from 2004 - 2005 that have been rebodied to taller bodies.   When possible, I decided to dress the dolls in their original ensembles.  (When a doll can no longer wear their original ensemble, I put them in an ensemble pre-2006.)

They all fit nicely on one shelf!  So Cabinet #1, Shelf #1 is finished:

Back row includes ...

Sheer Goddess Veronique Perrin (2004) in her original ensemble

Born To Gamble Kyori Sato (2005) in her original ensemble

Diamond Dusted Veronique Perrin (2004) in her original ensemble

Second Row includes ...

Age of Opulence Isha Kalpana Narayanan (2005) in her original ensemble

Glam Slam Kyori Sato (2004) - She is wearing Purple Factor (2003)

Poesie Sans Couleur Vanessa Perrin (2005) in her original sheath

Perfect Skin Adele Makeda (2004) - She is wearing Perfectly Suited (2002)

Front row includes ...

Ginza Blonde Kyori Sato (2005) in her original gown

A Fashionable Life Raven Vanessa Perrin (2005) in her original bustier and skirt

A Fashionable Life Platinum Vanessa Perrin (2005) - She is wearing Silver Society (2002)

Cabinet 1 - Shelf 1

Back Row:      

Sheer Goddess Veronique Perrin (2004) Wearing Sheer Goddess (2004)

Born To Gamble Kyori Sato (2005) Wearing Born To Gamble (2005)

Diamond Dusted Veronique Perrin (2004) Wearing Diamond Dusted (2004)

Middle Row:   

Age of Opulence Isha Narayanan Kalpana (2005) Wearing Age of Opulence (2005) 

                   

Glam Slam Kyori Sato (2004) Wearing Purple Factor  (2003)

Poesie Sans Couleur Vanessa Perrin (2005) Wearing Poesie Sans Couleur (2005)

Perfect Skin Adele Makeda (2004) Wearing Perfectly Suited (2002)

Front Row:    

Ginza Blonde Kyori Sato (2005) Wearing Ginza Gown (2005)

A Fashionable Life Raven Vanessa Perrin (2005) Wearing AFL (2005)

A Fashionable Life Platinum Vanessa Perrin (2005) Wearing Silver Society (2002)

Veronique Perrin: 2

Kyori Sato: 3

Adele Makeda: 1

Isha Kalpana Naryanan: 1

Vanessa Perrin: 3

Best of 2020 - Number 2: Petite Robe Classique Jour Adele Makeda (mold 2.0)

I need to begin this post by stressing that I have been struggling with my top 2 decision all day.  I love each of these dolls for various reasons.  My Number 2 doll was just barely edged out of first place, which I will explain in my next post.

One of the perks of joining the W Club is the opportunity to purchase dolls offered exclusively to members.  Starting in 2015, Integrity Toys (IT) has partnered with the W Club to offer a special "upgrade" doll(s) for their annual convention.   If the member has purchased a convention registration, they get a discount on the cost.  The dolls are usually offered in the form of sketches to keep the actual production dolls as secret as possible.

This year, the W Club offered two dolls as reimaginations of the 2004 La Petite Robe Noire and La Petite Robe Blanche (Little Black Dress and Little White Dress).  I gave a mini-review of these dolls when I wrote a recap of the Legendary Convention: Legendary Convention Souvenir Dolls

Petite Robe Classique Jour (Little Classic Day Dress) Adele Makeda, mold 2.0, became an instant success.   Here she is in the box:

Adele Makeda (mold 2.0) is my second most favorite doll mold produced by IT.  Counting Petite Robe Classique Jour, there are 20 versions of her living here!

It is rare for a W Club Upgrade Exclusive to "steal the show" at a convention, but there is little doubt this doll was perfect from head to toe.

What an incredible screening!  The hairstyle is amazing. 

My very favorite FR doll of the past year.  She is number 36 added to my collection in 2020.  Best of 2020 - Number 2:  Petite Robe Classique Jour Adele Makeda.

#36 of 2019 Spring Romance Adele Makeda (+34, 35, 37, 38, 39, and 40)

My "Guidelines for Collecting Dolls" have not been very useful this year.  I've not had the time to focus on selling off dolls from my collection.   At the beginning of the year I had a health scare.  Earlier in the summer, I found out that I was moving classrooms (from a mobile to inside the building).  My mother-in-law has had some very serious health issues and has required a lot of my time and care.

Even though I've been unable to sell as much as I wanted, I still was able to "fine tune" my collection this year using doll sales proceeds from 2018.   I even had enough cash to attend the IT Convention "Live From Fashion Week".   After all of the issues this year, I was afraid it wasn't going to be possible, but my loving husband took the week off to handle things at home and insisted I needed a vacation.  What a wonderful man!

I drove from Atlanta to Raleigh to pick up my friends Reese and Sal.  From there we drove on to Baltimore.  Unfortunately, three collectors and their luggage doesn't allow for a lot of room to bring home extra dolls to sell, but we found the room for all of the dolls we wanted to add to our collections!  I couldn't have asked for better driving buddies - such wonderful conversation!  

I left home at 5:00 a.m. on Wednesday morning.  This was only my second convention, and I really wanted to go to room sales!   (I missed the room sales at my first convention because we didn't leave until Thursday and my husband felt uncomfortable going into other collectors' rooms.)

We arrived just in time to register and pick up the Welcome Doll ... Fresh Perspective Agnes Von Weiss.  AGNES VON WEISS!!  A Welcome Doll?  That's never happened before.  And what a beautiful version!!  (#34 of 2019)

Reese and I checked into our room, unpacked, and checked out our dolls (of course, not in that order!).   Then it was off to room sales.  There were specific artisans we definitely wanted to hit.  (Unfortunately, Squish Tish/Yoko Dolls was only selling at the Bazaar; Randall Craig was only selling at a specific time on Thursday, but I was seventh in line and was able to snare a gorgeous dress and jewelry!)

We were able to pick up some incredible handbags!  One of my favorites, Paintbox Designs, was open (almost impossible to pick just one).   We got to Rebecca's suite after dinner and I found a marvelous scarf!  I tried very hard to be extremely selective.  It wasn't easy.  Had I $1000 for this purpose only, I would've easily gone through the entire amount.  There were some incredible prices on NRFB dolls!

We came home, went through our loot and took showers before bed - sweet dolly dreams all night long.  The next morning we had breakfast in the hotel before going to the IT salesroom and Style Lab.

This year IT was at the top of its game.  They took some great suggestions for improvement from collectors and implemented them.  When you registered for the convention, you were given a cue number.  The cue numbers were then assigned a colored lanyard.  Collectors were lined up by their lanyard color and cue number.  There was no stress!  No one broke line!  No one got into arguments!  It was wonderful.

When your color was called, you walked into a "holding area" where all of the dolls were on display!  You could look and think about your favorites.  There were six dolls in the Convention Collection:

1.  English Rose Eugenia Perrin Frost (FR)
2.  Spring Romance Adele Makeda (FR)
3.  London Show Nadja Rhymes (NuFace)
4.  Winter Shimmer Lady Aurelia Grey (East 59th)
5.  Young Romantic Poppy Parker (PP)
6.  Kimono Go Go Poppy Parker (PP)

In addition, there were three salesroom exclusives (and you didn't need a ticket to purchase them):
1.  Art of Manliness Darius Reed (Monarch)
2.  That's All Plum Powers (The Industry)
3.  Devil Made Me Do It Tulabelle True (The Industry)

There were also six different versions of Poppy Parker in the Style Lab, a two head hair fashion giftset, six different boxed ensembles, six different carded dresses, an accessory set, and doll bodies.

Doll overload set in - I began to hyperventilate!!

I went in with the mindset of a collector not a speculator.  Rather than thinking about what I could sell to make money, I thought about what I wanted to add to my collection.  I knew exactly how much I wanted to spend.  I limited my purchases in the Salesroom to five.  Shown in order of preference.  

London Show Nadja Rhymes was a no-brainer.  A pale version of Nadja - enough said.  (#35 of 2019)

Adele Makeda 2.0 is a favorite mold, so I knew Spring Romance was coming home with me. (#36 of 2019)

Unfortunately, I did not purchase English Rose Eugenia Frost at the convention.  She had a veil on covering her eyes in the display area and also in the salesroom.  It wasn't until after seeing my roommate Reese's version in the hotel room that I was able to see what a beautiful screening she has.  I wound up purchasing this doll secondary market from a dealer at small markup after returning home.  (#37 of 2019)

I was totally surprised by Winter Shimmer Lady Aurelia Grey and how much I loved that dress and her face and hair!  I think this is the best version of this character yet. (#38 of 2019)

I am a fan of the movie The Devil Wears Prada, so That's All Plum Powers (an older The Industry character representing Miranda Priestly).  (#39 of 2019)

And Devil Made Me Do It Tulabelle True as Andi rounded out my five.  (#40 of 2019)

I will do individual reviews of each doll as I get to them.  I may regret not purchasing Eugenia, but I already have so many beautiful versions of her at home.  

Although the two versions of Poppy Parker were lovely, I knew there would be a Poppy Parker luncheon and I had seen versions of Poppy in the Style Lab display I preferred.

... Skip ahead ...

I drove back home from Baltimore on Sunday.  I had just enough time for a quick bite to eat, unpack my luggage, and get some sleep.  I retuned to work on Monday morning at 7:00 a.m.  

I didn't have any play time this past week, so my boxes remained unopened.  Yesterday (Saturday) was a dreary, rainy day and we ran errands and I caught up on laundry, housecleaning, and grocery shopping.

I woke this morning to a beautiful day filled with dolly promises.  

First, I decided to rebody The Muse Adele Makeda to a FR2 body.  I ordered some Dark A-Tone bodies from the last IT body order, but I wanted a body with the hip joint.  Timeless Adele (mold 3.0) went into the heating pad with The Muse.  

It was time to decide how much Spring Romance from the convention fit with The Muse.

First a picture of the outside of the box.  How clever.  I have to praise the return to these shoebox-like containers.  I much prefer them to the ones with the flaps.  The box is designed with perforated circles with a colored layer behind it.  A different color represented a different line!  The FR color was neutral tan/peach color.  CUTE IDEA!

Here is a photo in the box.  I love the face.  Mold 2.0 is a personal favorite.

Full length in the box.  This ensemble is so gorgeous!

And look at all the accessories.  (Photo from IT)  I adore the hat and purse.  The shoes are amazing.  Look at those enamel earrings.

I decided I needed a photo of The Muse with Spring Romance.  But I had to find something with pastel colors for her to wear.  Does anyone realize how few pastel pieces of clothing are available for these dolls?

I decided to put the Fashionably Floral Silkstone top with the pants from Be Daring Imogen Lennox.  Then I used the shoes and jewelry from the 2007 ensemble She Comes in Colors.

Different enough?  Surprisingly, I actually prefer The Muse.  I thought I was going to prefer Spring Romance!  They would make an incredible set of twins since they aren't identical and really complement each other.

Now for the decision:  1.  Keep both and have twins?  2.  Sell Spring Romance Adele Makeda NRFB?  3.  Keep Spring Romance's clothing and sell the doll nude?

Best of 2018 - #10 Faces of Adele

There have been a lot of delays with Integrity Toys (IT) production recently.   It seems that many dolls announced in one year aren't shipped to consumers until the subsequent year.   I only include dolls in my countdowns that I have in hand.  In my years of collecting, I've come to realize that a lot can change between promo photos and actual production.  

The first "doll" on my countdown was a W Club Exclusive from 2017 but was received in mid 2018.   It was an extraordinary giftset highlighting the changes in the Adele Makeda character and included each of her three molds versions.  Here is the link to my initial review Faces of Adele Blog Review.

The giftset included a lot of great items for collectors, and a W Club member could order the additional bodies to go with the torsos.  I got so much enjoyment and play with this giftset!  The giftset alone is enough reason to be included in the Top 10 of 2018.  The dress and thigh high boots have been worn by just about every FR2/NuFace2 doll residing here.  The gown is good quality, but I'm not fond of the cut.  The lingerie is pretty is awesome.  The whole concept was "outside the box" and very appreciated by collectors.

Mold 1.0 had flocked hair for the very first time.  She has donned many different wigs around here.  She is the only version of mold 1.0 here and I enjoy redressing her. 

Mold 2.0 looks like Beyonce every time she is produced with golden hair.   How can you resist such a face?

Mold 3.0 was produced with a NuFace2 body and I think it suits her to be a "younger" version of Adele.  

The dolls have incredible faces and each is worthy of sharing the spotlight.  #10 of 2018 is Faces of Adele Giftset.

The Faces of Adele Makeda - 2018 Numbers 7, 8, and 9

Sometimes when it comes to collecting, I can be very guilty of procrastination for opening and de-boxing my dolls.  That definitely wasn't the case for The Faces of Adele Makeda.

When the W Club first announced this doll giftset, I was ecstatic.  Although I have owned many versions of Adele 1.0, none have been able to last here very long, Adele 2.0 is one of my favorite molds, and, as much as I want to love Adele 3.0, only a couple remain in my collection.  I was eager to see what Jessy Ayala's vision would produce.  To say the least, he did not disappoint.

The giftset includes a complete 1.0 wearing black panties and an interesting deep pink evening gown "slit up to there".   The other molds were produced as torsos wearing different bras.  

Mold 2.0 (the blonde) has a FR2 torso.

Mold 3.0 (with the long afro) has a NuFace2 torso.  

Each torso has blushed nipples for realism.  The stand included with this giftset allows the collector to display the three dolls together.  It's almost like a museum piece.  Fortunately, W Club members could buy a "completer set" of bodies so that the other torsos could be finished as dolls.

The accessories include another set of hands, beautiful pink metallic high heel pumps with gold accents, phenomenal black suede boots with gold heels, a pair of simple black pumps, a pair of panties, two pair of earrings, two bracelets, and a ring.  When added to the white and black dress, it's enough for all three dolls to be displayed together.

So what do I think?  Let's look at each mold individually.

I dressed mold 3.0 in the extra dress, the boots, ring, and bracelet.  Mold 3.0 has incredible hair.  It is long and BIG.  Unfortunately, it can hide her beautiful facial screening because there is so much of it.  I took a large clear rubber band to pull it back out of her face.  

I was afraid I wasn't going to like her green eyes, but they are actually very beautiful in person.  In my opinion, I believe this is the best production of the 3.0 mold.  

Mold 2.0 has on the bra that she was packaged wearing.  She wears the added set of panties and the hoop earrings.  

This giftset was offered in early December 2017.  I was worried that this version of Adele would look too much like Sweet Dreams Nadja.  They look like sisters, but I think there is room for both in my collection.

Mold 1.0 was the version I was most eager to see.  Not a single Adele 1.0 has managed to stay in my collection.  I believe that just changed.

I love the lips!  The flocked hair looks great.  I own several wigs from many years ago when IT produced wigged doll.   

Just for fun, I put the Urban Antoinette (2006) wig on.  My goodness, I felt swept away by Diana Ross.

Then I tried a Puki wig by Tabloach Productions.  Does anyone else see Alfre Woodard?  I love this wig on this doll.  I think this is the way I will be displaying her.

Obviously with the addition of wigs, mold 1.0 is the most versatile of the group.  

This collection is remarkable.  I am very pleased with the purchase and am happy to add each version to my collection.  Kudos to the design team on this truly amazing giftset.