Number 6 of 2026

Although Fashion Royalty (FR) officially debuted in 2001-2002, I only started collecting in 2004 after I saw Diamond Dusted Veronique in FDQ.  Fashion doll collectors quickly jumped on the bandwagon, and it got to the point that you had to have a good relationship with a dealer if you ever wanted to acquire these dolls outside of convention.

In 2006, the W Club was established, offering exclusives as another avenue for collectors to purchase these little works of art.  There really wasn't anything like them on the market since Barbie had ruined its base with overproduction of "Collectible Dolls".

Even though FR debuted in 2001-2002, the parent company, Integrity Toys (IT), had been selling playline dolls through major retail stores since 1996.  The earlier dolls were an attempt to provide little girls and Fashion Doll collectors with dolls of color.  

For 2026, IT decided to celebrate their 30th Anniversary.  They wanted to use their original character, Janay, but decided to give the sculpt another tweak.  (It had already been revised once in 2014, and later became part of The Industry line.)  In this round, they decided to make Janay a FR doll and create a version of a fan favored ensemble, Dania Zarr's Tweed Couture from The Supermodel Convention in 2016, which was inspired by the 1997/1998 Autumn/Winter Dior Couture Collection designed by John Galliano.

Here is a photo of the 30th Anniversary box:

There's no doubt that Alain Tremblay knows how to market packaging!  It is a lovely box.  Included with this doll was a storycard portfolio that the earlier and newest story cards fit.

Here is my photo of the doll inside the box:

Janay was offered through the W Club to its members for $199.  The promo photos were gorgeous!  The doll came with a plethora of accessories.  (Photo by IT)

Instead of a skirt under the jacket like Tweed Couture, there is gown and IT included a lovely bustier with the accessories.  Also, they veered away from the drab gray color and went full on Chanel white and gold tweed.  YOZERS!  (Photo by IT)

Here is a photo of my Janay out of box.

And a closeup.

This doll is a wonderful example of what IT is capable of producing.  The ensemble is incredible and will get a lot of redress here.  I quit collecting duplicates when I decided I needed to reduce my collection, but this is one production doll that deserves a NRFB in addition to a displayed version.  Mother of Pearl Janay is easily one of the best dolls to come out of IT in years and joins my collection as Number 6 of 2026.

SIDE NOTE:  I know it's silly, but I'm a fan of RuPaul's Drag Race and have trouble not seeing Angeria Paris VanMichaels when I look at this doll.  LOL!

Best of 2023 - Number 1

It's hard to believe that I have been collecting Jamieshow/Owensu Muses for three years now!   This line continues to impress me more than I can express in words, and I have amassed quite a number of dolls, ensembles, and wigs.  2023 was another outstanding year for Jamieshow/Owensu Muses.

The last capsule collectors received in 2023 was called Moments of Joy.   Similar to Integrity Toys, Jamieshow/Owensu Muses premiers a line to the public prior to production.  They take orders on their offerings to gauge popularity with collectors and then place their orders with the factory.

There were only three female dolls and one male doll included in the Moments of Joy capsule, but there were 13 ensembles, 11 shoe packs, four luggage/pet accessory sets, and three new wig cap designs in various colors.  This capsule had a more formal feel than previous collections this year.

Here is the promo photo for Jamieshow/Owensu Muses Moments of Joy.

From this collection I only added two dolls and three ensembles.   

The first capsule making its way to collectors in 2023 was Bonjour Paris.  This collection was more to my liking.  It was very "casual chic" and the dolls seemed younger somehow.  Here is the promo photo for Jamieshow/Owensu Muses Bonjour Paris:

I don't usually order so many dolls, but I wound up with all three females and one of the males.  I also succumbed to five ensembles!   What is so fantastic about the fashions is that they can be worn by other 12" fashion dolls.  Here is my Dominion Doll Nika wearing Look 2.

Arriving in the summer, we received my very favorite capsule ever produced by Jamieshow/Owensu (and it was the one I was most skeptical about when it premiered).   Here is the promo photo for Jamieshow/Owensu Go East:

I just pretty much lost all reason with this collection.  I ordered 5 of the six dolls and 8 of the ensembles!

Here are some photos of my favorite 2023 Jamieshow/Owensu Muses wearing some of favorite 2023 Jamieshow/Owensu ensembles.

First up we have Bonjour Paris Eileen wearing Bonjour Paris Look 7:

Also from Bonjour Paris is Sabina wearing my favorite Bonjour Paris ensemble Look 6

To showcase Bonjour Paris Look 8, we have Go East Natalie: 

While we are at it with Go East, here is Go East Lan wearing the most intricate and detailed ensemble in my collection Go East Look 5

How about Go East Sakura wearing Go East Look 8

And my favorite Go East girl, Sasha, wearing Go East Look 1:

From the Moments of Joy Collection, here is Moments of Joy Grace wearing a look from last year's Enchanted Look 4 (that I just purchased secondary market this year):

And probably my most photographed doll from 2023 is Moments of Joy Valentina wearing Go East Look 11

My dilemma with creating my countdown this year was that Jamieshow/Muses would've dominated the top 10, especially if I took into consideration these amazing ensembles.  All it takes is a change of the magnetic wig cap and you get a completely different look!  And all the dolls can share the same wig caps.  I know it doesn't seem fair to compare Integrity Toys dolls to these little resin works of art individually painted by hand, not using stencils.  And they do cost almost three times more than a Fashion Royalty doll.  And besides that, I wanted to try and include a doll from all the lines I collect.  My only solution was just to group them together as one collection as my Best of 2023 - Number 1, Jamieshow/Owensu Muses 2023