It's been a long time since I have done a post. I apologize, but I think I am beginning to suffer from the stressful realization that my collection has become a "runaway train". This summer I did a great job of re-homing over 50 dolls in my collection; however, I am up to almost 30 doll that have entered my home in 2018. It may not be the smartest way of dealing with this situation, but I have just been avoiding my doll room!
I think a large number of collectors are beginning to feel burdened by the number of dolls they have amassed over the last few year. I still remember when there was only the Fashion Royalty line and you were lucky to get 10 dolls offered in one year. Then along came the short-lived Monsieur Z line in 2005, replaced by Dynamite Girls in 2007. Integrity Toys decided to give us the younger models with NuFace in 2006. Then they launched a premium line, Valia, in 2007 which eventually led to the Monograms from 2009 - 2013. Sadly, several lines are no longer supported which makes the collectors of those dolls feel abandoned. In most cases, the lines have been replaced by something else, but collectors get attached to characters (at least I know I do).
This makes it difficult to let go of some of the older dolls. I have tried to to abandon my love of my Monograms; I really have! But, the clothing, body (my favorite ever released), and those stylistic faces make me smile every time I look upon them.
It has been my intention to stay abreast of the trends and I have rolled with the changes as best as I could. But the lack of tone consistency with skin colors and the body "upgrades" that seem to be frequent just leave me disheartened. Not to mention the lack of quality control at the factory ...
Even with all my issues, my heart still gets aflutter when a new dolls arrives in the mail. As with most collectors, my payments for club dolls have to follow my credit card billing cycle. Since I try to get a new doll on the "next month's bill", I often am late getting a newer doll. The last doll to show up on my doorstep was Fame & Fortune Vanessa Perrin.
There was a lot of noise about the price of this giftset at $250. (I guess we have a lot of newer collectors because I remember two gift sets from 2007 that cost the same amount - Brighter Side Kyori and Spectacular Eugenia were both $250.)
Since this was Vanessa Perrin mold 1.0 (a personal favorite), it was "no brainer" for me. I immediately signed up. Then the long wait ... Finally, the notice she was ready to ship ... IRL photos started showing up on electronic media. I got nervous ... there were a lot of issues with "wonky eye" on this girl.
I remember holding my breath when I opened the box...
Just look at the treasure trove of items! But the proof is not in the pudding, but in the face-up.
No wonky eye there! She actually has excellent eyes! I needed to work on the hair a little, but the face is pretty good. The pink gown is quite modern and not to my liking, but I'm sure I can do something with it on different doll.
I thought she will redress beautifully, and she does. I believe she will be hanging around in my collection for a very long time and will be wonderful model.
The giftset included an incredible robe and panty garter set. (I hate when the garters aren't attached to the hose). NOTE: The best way to attach garters: Instead of trying to open the garters from the bottom end, work them open from the top. The plastic mechanism is actually like a hook. When you put the hose on, you should start at an angle from the opening end and work counter-clockwise in an arc. It helps them snap right into place.
I decided to put the lingerie on Force of Nature Agnes Von Weiss. Since, she's been put on a newer body she has this insatiable hunger for photo ops and new clothing.
There are still many wonderful hours of play to be had with this collection.
