Lagerfeld Barbie is Net-A-Porter's fashion correspondent from the Paris collections

September 28, 2014

In another fashion moment for dolls, which seem to be running high on the list of fashionistas around the globe right now (enjoy it while it lasts), Net-A-Porter, who is one of the shops one can buy Lagerfeld Barbie tomorrow, enlisted her as their fashion correspondent for the Paris Spring Summer 2015 collections. Their instagram feed is full of the doll's photos in various settings.

Third strike: Dolce & Gabbana feature dolls in their Spring/Summer 2015 fashion show

September 22, 2014

It seems fashion dolls finally hit their stride with the catwalk. After the Lagerfeld Barbie, soon to be unleashed to the world (or more precisely to the very few lucky people who can get her) during Paris fashion week beginning immediately, and Moschino's all out fun Barbie extravaganza, along comes that incredible Italian duo, Dolce & Gabbana, and feature dolls in their Spring Summer 2015 fashion show in Milan.

The dolls were in bag-like boxes with a clear front, dressed in the same outfit the model carrying them was wearing. Detailed accessories were completing the outfits. The dolls look like archetypal Dolce & Gabbana women, more Mediterranean than fashion like. I would love to have them for the accessories and the outfits as well as duplicates to keep for display.

This Dolce & Gabbana collection had Spain as the main inspiration, so all outfits and accessories drew heavily on the rich cultural and historical treasures of the Iberian peninsula. Combined with a strong theme of catholic church artifacts incorporated into accessories like bags and shoes, it made for a very strong show. Red of course was the dominant colour, combined with lots of black.

I would love to have some of these outfits translated to doll size, along with some of the intricate accessories. The bags alone were more than 10 different designs.

The Guardian reported that Vogue's Editor In Chief Anna Wintour "grinned broadly when models marched down the catwalk holding fashion dolls in perspex boxes. Dressed in typically Dolce & Gabbana black, tailored skirt suits with widow's veils and crucifix necklaces, the toys, said Gabbana, were "ironic and funny", inspired by princess dolls in the Disney store and those sold at train stations in 1950s Italy".

Below is the video of the entire runway show - you can see the dolls in their bags too.

Photos: Yannis Vlamos / Indigitalimages.com from Style.com

There's a Moschino Barbie in Milan and she's not for sale!

September 18, 2014

It seems Moschino - or more appropriately, its designer, Jeremy Scott - found a way to outmanoeuvre even emperor Karl. They have a Barbie doll too - but this one is not for sale like the one made in the likeness of Lagerfeld. Instead, she comes dressed in one of the brand's outfits from their Spring/Summer 2015 collection, which of course was inspired by Barbie in the 1980s. Even the box fits the era to a T.

All models had huge wigs styled like Barbie's hair and all styling and make up was coordinated to match. Half of the collection is in Barbie pink and the rest plays with 80s shades of purple, aqua blue, yellow and green. Guests were even given human sized Barbie combs and mirrors.

There were reports that people in the back rows were mildly disappointed (to put it lightly) not to get one of the dolls - and even of a little girl crying because she could not get one. What was a little girl doing in a fashion show anyway? And why didn't any front row guest politely give her their's?

The last time Barbie took Milan by storm was back in 2009: she was the main inspiration for Kartell's shop windows in Milan - complete with the doll boxes and even Barbie dolls in the displays. Photos of Kartell from Flickr.

A doll with an Edge by Lisa Ramsammy and Integrity Toys

September 17, 2014

Almost a year ago, back in October 2013, the Official Integrity Toys Advanced Design competition took place at the "Premiere" Convention in Los Angeles, California. According to the competition rules, the winning design, personally picked by Jason Wu and the rest of the Integrity Toys design team members, has been made into a production doll and W Club members get to pre-order her starting today. The new doll based on Lisa Ramsammy's winning entry, "Edge" is none other than Vanessa Perrin. Lisa had dressed a Vanessa 1.0 for the competition but Integrity picked her latest incarnation, 3.0, to use for this offer. Below is the original doll by Lisa (photo by JennFL).

In an unparalleled move by Integrity Toys, every Club member is guaranteed the right to pre-order as many dolls as they want. The total edition size will be based on how many pre-orders are received.

Item # 91354
Edge
Vanessa Perrin Dressed Doll
The Fashion Royalty Collection
2013 Design Competition Award Doll by Lisa Ramsammy
Edition Size: TBA (Based on all orders received)
Suggested Retail Price: $150 public/$135 W Club Members (+ Shipping and tax if applicable)
Estimated Delivery Date: Approximately Late Fall/Early Winter 2014

Doll Tech-Specs:
Head Sculpt: Vanessa 3.0
Body: FR 2013
Skin Tone: FR White
Quickswitch Feature: No
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied
Hair Color: Luscious Blond

Dressed in a creation by doll artist Lisa Ramsammy of Canada, Vanessa Perrin is a 12.5-inch fully articulated vinyl doll with fully rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes. The doll comes dressed in Lisa's ultra-modern creation and is completed by earrings, bracelet, bag and shoes. A doll stand is also included. For adult collectors ages 15 and up.

The doll is already available to W Club members for pre-order at a special price and will be also available to the general public soon. For me, she is an outstanding doll. She looks like a modernized, updated version of Poesie Sans Couleur Vanessa; she is stunning with her silver hair and pale make up. Lisa's design is minimal with an edge. It could easily work as a real fashion too.

Update: The doll will come with extra painted glove hands:

A few words about the designer, Lisa Ramsammy:

Never formally trained in the art of sewing or fashion design, Lisa learned to use her basic skills to hand and machine sew her competition entries and its really draping fabrics on the doll, pinning and tacking things by hand that allows her to get her desired results. Born in the Caribbean, Lisa has been a doll fan since childhood and finally obtained her first doll when her family immigrated to Canada. One of Lisa's favourite past times growing up was stitching outfits for her dolls using bits and pieces of fabric she could find! Fast forward nearly 20 years later, married with a family of three boys and not sure if she would ever have a daughter, Lisa started collecting various vintage and modern fashion dolls in hopes that she could one day pass her gorgeous collection onto a daughter or granddaughter... Then, along came Integrity Toys' Fashion Royalty line and the rest is history!

Lisa has been actively painting portraits of people and thoroughbred racehorses for many years until she stumbled into the repaint world of dolls in 2004. She was fascinated and decided to try her art on such a small scale. She's been fine tuning her skills ever since. She mainly sells repainted dolls on eBay. Lisa has entered annually at each Integrity Toys design competition thus far because she loves doing it and feels it is important to participate even if you think you can't win. In Lisa's words: "The expression of pride on my Mom's face was priceless when I won; she's supported me through life's ups and downs and every convention thus far; it's a great feeling making your parents proud while doing what you love!" "Never say "I can't". The whole idea is to have fun doing it. It was a complete shock and thrill and a great honour to have been chosen as the 2013 Advanced Design winner and I am humbly grateful."

Lisa has entered and won multiple times at the various design competitions held each year at the Integrity Toys convention. Here's an highlight of Lisa's previous wins:

2004 -2nd Place Judges' Choice Advanced Category
2006 -1st Place Judges' and People's Choice Winner Advanced Categories
2007 -1st Place Judges' and People's Choice Winner Advanced Categories
2008 -1st Place Judges' and People's Choice Winner Male and Female Advanced Categories
2010 -2nd Place Judges' Choice Poppy Design Category
2011 -1st Place Judges' Choice Hair Design Category

What Lisa Says About Her Creation "I simply named this creation "Edge" as I was trying for an edgier look, something modern in design. I decided on simplicity rather than pomp and pageantry, something that would stand out and be different than the other entries."

**Please note: Integrity pre-production prototype shown; actual product may vary slightly. All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2014 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission.**

The Leading Ladies Of the Wizard Of Oz auction

September 4, 2014

Warner Bros. Consumer Products and Tonner Doll Company, Inc. have invited prominent fashion and costume designers to create one-of-a-kind looks for the Leading Ladies of The Wizard of Oz. To celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the classic film, top fashion and costume designers have created a glamorous collection inspired by Dorothy, Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West – all modeled on Tonner’s 22-inch dolls. All proceeds will be donated to the “There’s No Place Like Home” campaign, benefiting Habitat for Humanity’s mission to create decent, safe, and affordable housing in partnership with low-income families.

I never liked the 22" size for dolls - they look unnaturally elongated (especially their arms and torsos). And for their size, their face sculpt detail is minimal and their huge round child doll eyes are scary. It is for a good cause though and that is the main issue. Regarding the designers, some did live up to their name while others (I'm looking at you Trina Turk) must have been too busy to actually pay any attention to what they were designing. All the dolls are on auction from today and for the next nine days. See them below and go bid here. My favourite is the Erickson Beamon doll by far. Click on the photos to see them bigger. Oh, one last thing: dear designers, choosing to re-interpret the Wicked Witch of the West in 2014 is so predictable.

Glinda the Good Witch by Erickson Beamon

Hervé Léger – The Wicked Witch of the West

Betsey Johnson – Glinda the Good Witch

Anna Sui – The Wicked Witch of the West

Jenny Packham – The Wicked Witch of the West

Sue Wong – Glinda the Good Witch

Reem Acra – Dorothy Gale

Carmen Marc Valvo – Glinda the Good Witch

Byron Lars – Dorothy Gale

Ruth Myers – Glinda the Good Witch

Lyn Paolo with Kerry Washington (yes the Scandal star) – The Wicked Witch of the West

Carlos Falchi – The Wicked Witch of the West

Chris Benz – Dorothy Gale

Charlotte Ronson – Dorothy Gale

Douglas Hannant – The Wicked Witch of the West

Marc Jacobs – The Wicked Witch of the West

Donna Karan Atelier – The Wicked Witch of the West

Colleen Atwood – The Wicked Witch of the West

Trina Turk – Dorothy Gale

© 2014 Habitat for Humanity® International. All rights reserved. "Habitat for Humanity®" is a registered service mark owned by Habitat for Humanity International. Habitat® is a service mark of Habitat for Humanity International. Habitat for Humanity® International is a tax-exempt 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law