A Change of Pace

I had written an entirely different blog entry, but then I opened a doll and got quite an unexpected surprise.

For many years, I only owned one FR Homme - the original Francisco with flocked hair.  A couple years ago, I found Rock Ringmaster Lukas Maverick on clearance at a dealer; my best dolly friend talked me into purchasing him.  He has been NRFB since he came to live here.

Last year I was considerably surprised by Beautiful Boy Auden from the Dynamite Girl line.  He wound up being in the top five dolls of the year for me.  However, he is still NRFB.  Then I got Cruz.  I ordered the Rock Wedding Romain and the NuFantasy Hansel.  I seem to have spiraled out of control with male dolls.  They have all remained NRFB.

Last week I found Silent Partner Romain Perrin on sale for 20% at GiGi's.   I believe that Integrity always does knitwear perfectly, and I had admired this doll's sweater.

I always thought he looked "odd".  I thought I would take the chance.  At worst, I would have a very nice outfit for my other fellas.  I had even considered making him a "reclusive librarian" who carried several books around with him in that fabulous manbag.

This is the type of attention to detail that Integrity Toys is so famous for.  No one could look at this and think it is anything less than top quality.

This is a closeup of Romain in the box.  He really doesn't do anything for me or my girls.  I decided it was time to take him out for a walk and put his hat on.

I combed his hair out a little.  As much I love the sweater, it being paired with the vest is just too much layering.  The hat being made from the same fabric as the vest is a very nice touch though!  (One complaint I have is that he did not come with socks.  What's up with that?  He is definitely going to have blistered feet.)

Oh, oh!  He is beginning to seriously grow on me.  Let's work with that hair a little.

It's just a tad unruly.  How about with the hat back on but without the bowtie and vest?

This is no librarian!  It was time to get out the hair gel.

Ouch!  This guy is HOT!  What a totally different homme than I expected from the boxed version.  I don't know what to say.  He definitely deserved the blog post this week.

Back on Track

Sometimes my train stalls out at the depot and takes a little time to get rolling again.  Sometimes, it may take an unexpected detour.   And, sometimes, it jumps the tracks altogether.

During the past two weeks, I turned a critical eye to my collection and moved some of the dolls to new homes:  Five Star Dolls, Private Goddess Natalia, Easy Elegance Korinne, Modern Comeback Veronique (Noir),  Sweet Confection Poppy, Purple Factor Adele, Two Monster High Dolls, Boogie Beach Jasper, Boogie Beach Gavin, and the first Dynamite Girl Jett have all moved to new homes now.  If counted, you would find the total to be fifteen dolls.

This need to purge came after my pre-order frenzy from the Integrity Spring 2012 unveiling.   Even though my orders made me nervous, I only purchased seven dolls, not including the three I purchased from the IDEX show.

All of this reflection, leads to the doll I am showcasing this week.  In my last blog, I posted that I would spotlight a different mold/character in each blog.  This week, I am doing a doll that has only been produced once.  Her name is Fauboug Saint-Honore Victoire Roux Dressed Doll.  She is from the Les Silhouettes Collection from Integrity Toys.  She was an Integrity Direct Exclusive that was offered at the 2011 Convention.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I did not attend the convention but really wanted this doll.  As a seasoned collector, I knew that Integrity would sell off their remaining stock from the convention to W Club members.  I waited for the announcement, but unfortunately Victoire had sold out almost immediately at the convention; there were no extras available.  I rushed over to e-bay and snatched one up for $125 ... before sellers realized she was a "sold-out" edition.  Her secondary market price now is $200+.

I even like the presentation of this doll.  The box is classy!

The paper banding has a little story about Victoire on the back.  It says, "Welcome to the World of Victoire Roux, Parisian fashion model.  An Integrity Toys exclusive original fashion doll with character."

I think she represents the finest of what Integrity has to offer.  The tailoring is immaculate.  The shoes and accessories are perfection!

They used the Dynamite Girls Jasper mold for her head and face.  Her body is the Brides of Dracula Body, which is shared by all Integrity Direct dolls so far.  They used this same mold with NuFantasy Malicious.

Another outfit was available for purchase, Avenue Montaigne.  It is still available through http://www.integritytoys.com in the "shop" section, under IT Direct Exclusive.  It cost $90.  There has been criticism that the outfit is similar to clothing we have already gotten from IT in the past.  I still love it!

Unfortunately, IT must make money on its merchandise, and it tends to "refresh", "redo", or "eliminate" dolls and lines that lack retail support.  From the items presented at the Convention for the IT Direct Line, two of the five dolls and the outfit are still available for purchase.  I hope this wasn't the reason we did not see this line at the Spring 2012 unveiling.   I was very disappointed she wasn't there.  I had already informed my dealer to pre-order me everything in the Les Silhouettes Line.  I was worried, but then nothing even showed.

I had an older outfit "Apertif at the Balthazar" that had never been tried on another doll.  I knew this belonged to Victoire.

It was waiting for the proper model.  She arrived.  I love her in this.

I can't wait to try some of my Vintage Barbie items on this doll.  As I work my way through my doll clothing, I have a feeling that Victoire will acquire a nice "private" wardrobe designated especially for her.  Right now, she is lonely and needs a friend; there really isn't another Integrity doll that fits her haute couture feel.  I hope there will be soon.