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!

Wrapping Up

Somehow, it seems we almost skipped autumn and moved right into winter.  Here in the south, we've been seeing freezing temperatures several days in a row.  Not only was I forced to bring out my sweaters, I decided to do some redressing.

Since the IT Convention is now only a memory, we've seen almost everything that will be released in 2014.  It starts me looking to the end of year when everyone will be doing their "Best of …" lists.  I decided to take out some of my favorites from 2013.

I was excited to see Vanessa represented at the Integrity Convention with two molds:  1.0 and 3.0.  However, I still think mold 2.0 is gorgeous in its own right.   One of my favorites from last year was Funny Face Let's Kiss and Make Up Jo Stockton using the Vanessa mold 2.0.  This doll was on a Poppy Parker body with jointed ankles.  I like that she can wear many of the older clothing pieces.

The pants are Randall Craig and the blouse belongs to Barefoot in the Park Corie Brater.

I think IT does knitwear quite well and wish they would release more of it.   Overall, I think we have too few ensembles from IT that are geared more toward cold weather.   Although the sleeves are not full length, I really love the sweater from Graphic Language.  Here is another favorite from last year, Hard Metal Lilith, modeling it.

Since I got out the Graphic Language sweater, I decided to try the Shock Bon Bon one on a FR2 doll.  It's hard to believe I've had Nightfall Agnes for over a year and have never redressed her.  I was surprised to find a pair of pants I sewed actually fit her!

I made these pants using a pattern from a doll magazine. Nightfall is a gorgeous doll.  I need to photograph her more.

Finally, I took out a tried and true favorite.  KiKi is one of my very favorite IT dolls ever produced but is often neglected for newer releases.   Here she is in a Randall Craig ensemble.  Paint in Black Colette looks good in everything.

I really need to spend more time with some of my earlier favorites.   They may be older, but they don't get much better.