Having a new puppy in the house truly interrupts doll play!
When the Retrofuture Mini Collection was previewed, I wasn't sure about the whole concept. I know it is very haute couture. I know there are human designers who have done this for the fashion forward. I just wasn't sure it was for my collection.
But I can't seem to ever pass up Vanessa Perrin (mold 1.0). I'm glad I didn't this time.
Here is a full length photo in the box.
And a closeup in the box.
Here are the accessories (photo property of Integrity Toys/IT). Now this is a prime example of IT listening to consumers. Collectors have been complaining about the design of the accessory boxes. The new boxes are similar to the old slide in compartments!!! No more accessories spilling out all over the place!
I love the shoes! The handbag is minimal but cute. Not sure about those modern glasses! The earrings and necklace will get a lot of wear time. The necklace has a magnetic closure! ... Now those robotic arms. They are something else.
The big bow is detachable. It has little hooks that hook directly onto the belt. I folded it down to give it a more finished look.
I knew I was going to be very particular about the hair on this doll. I was fortunate to get a doll with a very nice style. (For me the hairstyle can be a deal breaker. I've actually paid more on secondary market for a version with great hair!) The hairstyle on my version is fairly balanced and the front wave isn't all over the place. I actually used pedicure scissors to remove the hairnet to save the style. I used magnifying glasses to make sure I only snipped net. I used a little "Got2bGlued" to make sure the wave stayed in place. I don't plan on doing anything else. It looks awesome this way. She will get many photo sessions!
Now, about those robotic arms and hands. Many collectors have reported they are unable to get the metal arm pieces on. (These pieces are actually metal. They are not plastic painted to look like metal.) Some collectors have had luck trading out arms from other dolls with this skin tone (hungarian). A few collectors have reported that the hands will not stay inside the forearms. I guess I was extremely fortunate. With a little coaxing I was able to get the arm pieces on and the hand pegs were actually a little tight in mine!
Unfortunately, I have a different dilemma - I can't get the metal pieces off without fear of scratching the arms! I have already written to Customer Service and have offered buying a new set of arms!
So #19 of 2020 is Retro Dimensional Vanessa Perrin. Who will remain with robotic arms and hands until I get a new set of hungarian arms! What a gorgeous face and head of hair though!
EDIT: Since this posting, IT has responded to my request to purchase a set of additional arms by offering to send me a set free! How awesome!
As a collector, "you win some and you lose some". I was very disappointed recently when I missed the opportunity to score a ticket to the virtual IT 2020 Convention. It was no fault of my own. I actually got into the website and completed the "Terms Agreement" seconds before the tickets were supposed to go live. Unfortunately, IT royally screwed up this online sale, which shouldn't be a surprise since all their online sales are always screwed up! Their server was, once again, unable to handle the volume of members trying to score a ticket.
According to their e-mail directions, IT directed consumers to not hit the "Refresh" button but allow the program to do its job. The program just kept kicking individuals out "randomly". It seems that some of those who actually chose to hit the "Refresh" button got through. I got kicked out the first time. I tried again and IT actually shutdown their server in the middle of my completing my transaction. I tried again and IT, again, actually shutdown their server as I was trying to pay for my order. A new notice came up that said, "Server Not Available". At 6:30 p.m. I went to the W Club to see what was going on. Even though I got in seconds before the sale went "live" - it seems other collectors were getting in when the administrators were temporarily reopening the server after 6:30 to assess what was going on. I know a few collectors who actually got in around 6:40 and secured tickets even though my "time stamp" was earlier. This whole experience left a very ugly taste in my mouth.
As a teacher, I have very limited opportunities to attend conventions. When I was working at my last school. You could only take two "personal days" each year and those couldn't be scheduled when there was standardized testing. There was usually standardized testing in October. The scheduled IT Convention worked out for me only once - 2012.
At my current school, there is a one week Fall Break. I can attend if the convention coincides with my Fall Break - which has only happened once - last year's 2019 Fashion Week.
This year they kept the number at 500 and refused to budge. Last year, they had a glitch and miraculously found a way to create 200 more dolls of each version offered and allowed 200 more collectors to attend the convention. Apparently the rules are made up as we go and are at the whim of whoever is in charge.
... Time to move on to more pleasant matters ...
No "new" Fashion Royalty doll has made it into collectors' hands for the first five+ months of 2020 (there have been four NuFace dolls and four East 59th Street ladies released, but the physical receipt of a FR doll hasn't happened in 2020). With everyone "sheltering in place", we're spending more time on the internet. We are visiting websites and interacting with other collectors. We are seeing photos of beautiful dolls redressed in wonderful ensembles. It makes us anxious for a "new doll" - sometimes "a new doll" can be "an old doll that is new to us".
Even though I've been trying to filter my collection (I've sold 33 dolls now), I'm no different than other doll addicts and my need for a fix. The last several weeks have been a good time for collectors. A better time for collectors than sellers - if the seller is trying to make a profit.
My "Grail List" is actually quite small. I usually find a way to get what I want either through trades, sell of other dolls to finance a purchase, or being in the right place at the right time.
One doll on my Grail List has been Bergdorf Goodman Casual Elyse Jolie. She usually sells for $600 - $800 NRFB. I have never spent that much on a fashion doll. She recently came available for $325 +shipping nude ($350 is my absolute max I am willing to spend on a FR doll) and I've never spent this much on a nude doll. I tried to resist but couldn't. I reasoned that I had sold several dolls this year and had the funds available.
One of the dolls I recently sold was Breathless Veronique Perrin, but I kept her ensemble. I hadn't tried it on anyone yet. It was like the ensemble was waiting for the doll.
I loved her in this, but it's been so hot here in the south, I want something less formal. I call this photo "Kokomo"
#14 of 2020 is Bergdorf Goodman Casual Elyse Jolie.
My best doll friend, Reese, is the only collector I know that loves the first Colette Duranger mold more than I do. I find her stories and photos of "The Colette's" very entertaining and look forward to them.
She has given "The Colette's" a mother named "Marisol Monica de la Cruz Santos". We tease each other because I can never remember the name beyond "Marisol" and she says it so fast. "Marisol" is Heat Seeker Natalia Fatale. I have admired this doll from afar - it rarely comes up on secondary market. It is from the 2009 Future Perfect Collection.
I couldn't hit the "Buy It Now" button fast enough when it was listed Mint-In-Box for $120. Here she is redressed in Obsidian Society from 2006. (This is an example of an ensemble that makes me keep some original tall pre-FR2 bodies in my collection.)
#15 of 2020 is Heat Seeker Natalia Fatale aka "Marisol".
For some reason I've been unable to find love for the Vanessa Perrin mold 3.0 - This mold was introduced in 2012 at the Tropicalia Convention. (TRICK for identifying mold versions compliments of Veronica Hage, the official #1 Vanessa Perrin fan, look at the back of the head under the hairline for the copyright date. Mold 3.0 is dated 2011.)
I have owned and sold most versions of mold 3.0. There were only three here:
Edge (2013 Design Challenger Winner), Star Power from the 2015 Cinematic Convention, The W Club Lottery doll, Serenity, from 2018.
I find myself always giving Vanessa mold 3.0 a chance. One version I missed that is more difficult to find secondary market, is Chameleon from the 2016 Supermodel Convention. I recently got the chance to get her nude for an acceptable price.
I usually prefer my dolls in their original factory hairstyle and take great pains to keep the hair pristine. This is one case when I thought the hairstyle too severe for the face.
Now, that's much better, don't you agree? I may have found the mold 3.0 version I like best. #16 of 2020 is Chameleon Vanessa Perrin (mold 3.0). - IT mistakenly advertised this doll as mold 1.0, but her head is clearly labeled 2011.
My final "nude" purchase was a Poppy grail. This is a doll that just keeps climbing in value, Sunny Slickers Poppy Parker.
I love how my Poppy girls can wear just about anything. They can wear Dynamite Girl clothing, The Industry clothing, Misaki clothing, and even Barbie clothing. I finally found most of the Puma clothing collections at Walmart but had been waiting for the right model.
My need for this doll increased substantially following the 2019 IT Fashion Week Convention thanks to the Kimono Go Go and Groovy Style Lab Poppies. #17 of 2020 is Sunny Slickers Poppy Parker.
EDIT: I realized after publishing this blog entry that I missed one of my nude dolls I purchased this year.
#18 of 2020 is Smoke and Mirrors Lilith Blair. I originally owned this doll but sold her NRFB. There are many collectors who believe Smoke and Mirrors to be the best version of this mold, so I grabbed her at a good price nude to see if I made a mistake.
I'm still unsure. She is more beautiful in hand than in photos. She may just need more camera time.
This isn't good for my "filtering my collection". They are supposed to be going out, not coming in. But how do you resist such lovely dolls, especially when they are sold "nude" at good prices?
