An awesome opportunity to interview Chris Stoeckel about East 59th plus an incredible OOAK Della Roux!

About a week ago, Integrity Toys posted on their Instagram account that they were looking for someone to interview live Chris Stoeckel, the immensely talented designer of East 59th line of dolls, whose latest collection was quite the success! Not only that, they would also give to the person chosen for the job, an incredible OOAK Della Roux doll! I would have entered even without the doll offering, but this was even better. And yes, as most of you already know, I was the one chosen to conduct the interview through the IT Instagram account.

We had so much fun - I had sent my questions to the company beforehand, to make sure they were OK with them and that the time allotted would be covered. I also made sure that I could ask questions that the people watching would have - and that was even better! Chris told us a lot about his inspiration, his background in design and his growing up in a really diverse family, which is also his main inspiration for East 59th. Many of the dolls have names matching those of dear family members (Della is his mother, Evelyn his grandmother etc). I was lucky enough to guess that Christian Dior, Cristobal Balenciaga and Charles James are his three favourite designers - out of which he picked James as the one being that bit more favourite because he was a tortured artist, living for his passion, i.e. the clothes he created. I did not even notice how fast time passed! There will be a Fall collection for the line, of which the only definite things we know are that it will not be in autumn colours and it will not be holiday themed. There was also a moment when Chris kind of admitted (not directly though) that we are getting an Asian character for the line. He also said he might re-purpose again unused sculpts for new characters. We discovered that Eugenia and Kyori 1.0 are his favourite FR characters. Could we see Kyori 1.0 as the new East 59th character?

And then the doll: this OOAK Della is so beautiful! I missed the chance to buy the first Della at retail, so getting this OOAK doll is even more incredible for me. Chris has done an outstanding job of making both a beautiful doll, with a lovely fave and hairstyle and also a stunning gown for her to wear. The fabric of the gown is from an actual 1950s dress and the ruffle layers have a total length of three yards! This is one of the reason that this outfit could never be recreated for production. If you check her hands, you will see that the gloves have individual fingers as real ones do, and they are not the typical solution given to production dolls. Chris said he always makes them like this for his OOAK dolls.

If you want to watch the interview, it is up on the IGTV tab of the Integrity Toys Instagram account here. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

Integrity Toys 2019 Convention Day 2: OOAK raffle dolls

Every year the designers of Integrity Toys create some amazing one of a kind doll’s to raffle off during the convention. This year was no exception. As the W Club unfortunately does not sent any email about them, I got some captures from the company’s Instagram stories so that you can check them out. You can see how popular they were with their followers too.

Third new Tulabelle doll and yes, I can officially say I don’t like her sculpt. In this case, I don’t like the outfit either. Which is a variation of last year’s Style Lab Poppy.

A colour variation (which is happening a lot in this convention and is, by now, lazy) of the W Club exclusive Midnight Decadence Poppy Parker. Looks nice but it’s frankly boring just seeing one colour variation after another and no new, exciting designs.

See how gorgeous a new doll design can be? Although new is not exactly a word one can use for a Karl Lagerfeld inspired doll, when Mattel has already done it before you. Still, Noah looks amazing here and I’d probably put all my raffle tickets towards him.

Beautiful Natalia (Flor means flower in Spanish and Portuguese), with a dress that looks like a flower.

Imagine handling a company’s social media and mistaking the product names. Nadja, again in a lighter skin tone, with one of those ruffled tulle dresses that have become quite popular lately.

Evelyn is so beautiful here, with her frothy polka dot gown and red hair. Please make a b&w version of the dress in the East 59th line.

Victoire embodies the Fire And Ice Revlon ad from 1952, with Dorian Leigh, but with a touch of Allure Monogram. Gorgeous.

A mess of an outfit. Why is this a Nu.Fantasy? What is the fairytale connection? If anyone knows, please comment on it. I’m guessing the sculpt is a Monogram.

Compare this to the previous doll. So much better! And it certainly looks like it took a lot of time making the dress, with the flowers and everything.

So, let us know your pick of the raffle dolls in the comments!

Pidgin Doll Spring 2019 collection is unveiled!

The Pidgin dolls are created by the extremely talented and wonderful Joshua David McKenney, an artist, sculptor, doll-maker extraordinaire and fashion illustrator. He just released the Spring 2019 collection of Pidgin Doll and here they are in all their glory. (Availability according to the Pidgin website at time of posting). The dolls are 16, all one of a kind and are ball-jointed 1:4 scale, made in resin. You can find their exact measurements in their website. That’s where you can buy them as well. The ones left available of course!

Pidgin Doll "Hestia" - available 

One-of-a-kind “powder pink” resin. Full set includes:

• Inset brown eyes

• Baby pink synthetic mohair wig

• Gold and pink “Maxi” gown

• Jewelry as shown

• High heeled feet only

• Silver “Power Flower” stiletto shoes

$1,200 USD + shipping.

Pidgin Doll "Elinda" - sold

One-of-a-kind Pidgin Doll cast in “light mocha” resin. Full set includes:

• Inset green eyes

• Silver blond synthetic mohair wig

• Peach tulle “Maxi” gown

• Jewelry as shown

• High heeled feet + flat feet included

• White stiletto shoes

Pidgin Doll "Nyx" - available 

One-of-a-kind Pidgin Doll cast in “Obsidian” resin. Full set includes:

• Inset green eyes

• Black synthetic mohair wig

• Pink and gold “Maxi” gown

• Jewelry as shown

• High heeled feet + Flat feet included

• White stiletto shoes

$1,200 USD + shipping.

Pidgin Doll "Andromeda" - available 

One-of-a-kind Pidgin Doll cast in “milk white” resin. Full set includes:

• Inset heterochromatic eyes (one brown eye + one green eye)

• Silver blond synthetic mohair wig

• Peach tulle “Maxi” gown

• Jewelry as shown

• High heeled feet + flat feet included

• White stiletto shoes

$1,200 USD + shipping.

Pidgin Doll "Blanche" - available 

One-of-a-kind Pidgin Doll cast in “milk white” resin. Full Set includes:

• Inset brown eyes

• Pale lavender synthetic mohair wig

• Pink brocade “Maxi” gown

• Pearlized “snow crown”

• High heeled feet + flat feet included

• White stiletto shoes

$1,100 USD + shipping.

Pidgin Doll "Bernadette" - available 

One-of-a-kind Pidgin Doll cast in “milk white” resin. Full set includes:

• Inset amber eyes

• Double “stacked” red synthetic mohair wig.

• Green brocade “Maxi” gown

• High heeled feet + flat feet included

• White stiletto shoes

$1,100 USD + shipping.

Pidgin Doll "Vivienne" - available 

One-of-a-kind Pidgin Doll cast in “cocoa” resin. Full set includes:

• Inset amber eyes

• Black synthetic mohair wig

• Pink brocade “Maxi” gown

• Jewelry as shown

• High heeled feet + flat feet included

• White stiletto shoes

$1,100 USD + shipping.

Pidgin Doll "Chloe" - sold

One-of-a-kind Pidgin Doll cast in “milk white” resin. Full Set includes:

• Inset blue eyes with brown flecks

• Baby pink synthetic mohair wig

• Pink brocade “Maxi” gown

• Jewelry as shown

• High heeled feet + flat feet included

• White stiletto shoes

Pidgin Doll "Colette" - available 

One-of-a-kind Pidgin Doll cast in “light mocha” resin. Full set includes:

• Inset green eyes

• Blond synthetic mohair wig

• Pink & gold “Bow Mini” dress

• Baby pink faux fur jacket

• White kitten heel shoes

$950USD + shipping (Full Set)

$710 USD + shipping (Doll + Faceup)

Pidgin Doll "Samantha" - sold

One-of-a-kind Pidgin Doll cast in “milk white” resin. Full set includes:

• Inset blue eyes

• Black synthetic mohair wig with micro bangs

• Pink & gold “Bow Mini” dress

• Jewelry as shown

• High heeled feet + flat feet included

• White “Power Flower” stiletto shoes

Pidgin Doll "Marianne" - sold

One-of-a-kind Pidgin Doll cast in “light mocha” resin. Full set includes:

• Inset blue eyes with brown flecks

• Long black synthetic mohair wig

• Pink & gold “Bow Mini” dress

• Black faux fur jacket

• High heeled feet + flat feet included

• White stiletto shoes

Pidgin Doll "Ginger" - available 

One-of-a-kind Pidgin Doll cast in “Cocoa” resin. Full set includes:

• Inset green eyes

• Handmade indigo blue saran wig

• Pink & gold “Bow Mini” dress

• Baby pink faux fur jacket

• Baby pink stockings

• Silver ballet flats

$970USD + shipping (Full Set)

$710 USD + shipping (Doll + Faceup)

Pidgin Doll "Veronique" - sold

One-of-a-kind Pidgin Doll cast in “Light Mocha” resin. Full Set includes:

• Inset blue eyes

• Black synthetic mohair wig

• Holographic “Bubble” dress

• Jewelry as shown (includes pierced ears)

• White ankle socks

• White kitten heel shoes

Pidgin Doll "Amber" - available 

One-of-a-kind Pidgin Doll cast in “Milk White” resin. Full set includes:

• Inset brown eyes

• Black synthetic mohair wig

• Pink and black circle glasses

• Holographic “Bubble” dress

• Baby pink faux fur jacket

• Baby pink stockings

• High heeled feet + flat feet included

• White stiletto shoes

$950USD + shipping (Full Set)

$710 USD + shipping (Doll + Faceup)

Pidgin Doll "Mixi" - sold

One-of-a-kind Pidgin Doll cast in “Light Mocha” resin. Full set includes:

• Inset blue eyes

• Black synthetic mohair wig

• Hot pink heart glasses

• Holographic bubble” dress

• Black faux fur coat

• Black fishnet stockings

• Black kitten heel shoes

Pidgin Doll "Jasmine" - available 

One-of-a-kind Pidgin Doll cast in “Light Mocha” resin. Full Set includes:

• Inset brown eyes

• “Wheat blonde” synthetic mohair wig

• Holographic “Bubble” dress

• Blue stockings

• High heeled feet + flat feet included

• White “Power Flower” stiletto shoes

$950USD + shipping (Full Set)

$710 USD + shipping (Doll + Faceup)

All photography courtesy of Pidgin Doll and Joshua David McKenney 

Rodarte designs for Barbie - but it’s not for sale

Designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy are the latest designers working with @BarbieStyle to create OOAK designs, inspired from their Spring 2018 collection. W magazine reported:

"We were very excited as we have always loved Barbie," said Kate Mulleavy. Added Laura, "We always loved all of her accessories, especially her shoes. We played with the dolls [growing up] and made fashion collections for them all the time! We even created runway shows with our Barbie dolls."

Rodarte used four designs from their spring 2018 collection that was shown in Paris in June 2017. Then they worked with the Mattel team to choose looks and fabrications that would translate in doll scale. The dolls modeling the outfits use different body types and skin colors.

The designs, debuted Wednesday on @BarbieStyle's Instagram account. I love the attention to detail, even down to the miniature baby-breaths as used in the real runway. The dolls are one-of-a-kind and not available for purchase. Would you like to see them produced?

All doll photos by Mattel. Runway photos from Vogue Runway, Kim WestonArnold / Indigital.tv 

One Of A Kind RuPaul dolls come out for Drag Con!

Twelve years ago, Integrity Toys released their RuPaul doll. And no one could predict back then what a household name RuPaul would become with his successful tv show RuPaul's Drag Race. Such an iconic person would of course be involved in the biggest drag queen convention in the world, Drag Con. Oh Mannequin, the team responsible for creating all of RuPaul's booths and merchandising at the convention, asked their friend, the multi-talented doll creator and designer Andrew Yang, who for the past year has transitioned into commercial doll making, collaborating with Phyn & Aero and other doll artists and sculptors, to customise 12 Ru Paul dolls into one of a kind Ru looks, in a very short amount of time.

As with any celebrity who makes product, the RuPaul team are guaranteed a certain amount of goods-- and there was one style of doll, the black haired version of The Glamazon doll, that Rupaul's merchandise team had a little extra stock. RuPaul rarely wears black hair, so this particular version didn't have the same magic as some of the others-- not to mention her slightly dated bell bottoms and black bustier.

Already used to working under tight deadlines, Andrew started working on the dolls right away: the dolls didn't need to be fitted for redressing and creating them as "art dolls" would shave some time off the construction end of things. He also was anxious to create a fun project that would be fast and shareable, and at the same time a fun exercise in putting out some new and exciting work-- to say nothing of the fact that RuPaul is one of his few idols. Talk about a dream project! One of the most exciting things about the project was that RuPaul selected each of the looks himself. Many of them were based on looks from the show designed by Zaldy, and other iconic moments from his long career, like a Bob Mackie and "Wonder Woman" number. 

So how did Andrew tackle the assignment? First of all, the hair had to go. After heating the dolls in his oven on the "warm" setting and shearing off all the locks, the material had softened enough to remove all of the heads safely without damaging the (relatively old) plastic. Then came the scraping and the tweezing of all the leftover hairs. After that was done, He painted all of the scalps-- all of these girls would definitely be blonde!

Andrew knew that he would be a candidate for an early onset of arthritis if he tried re-rooting the hair himself, despite getting tips from the always amazing Integrity doll community  re-routers like Salvador Arriaga. So he called up one of his Los Angeles dolly friends, Denisa Medrano. A hair designer at Mattel for six years in the late nineties and early 2000s, Denisa now works independently, acting as the go to girl for anyone developing a doll, rooting and designing hair for dolls for almost every major player in the toy industry. Going to her studio in Torrence is always an experience: its a magical wonderland filled with dolls and hair of every colour, texture, and curl. Andrew firmly believes that hair makes the doll, so it was important to work with the best.

Denisa's right hand man is the phenomenal stylist and doll photographer Randy LaCroix, so between the two of them, the dolls would be in good hands. The doll heads had to be kept pliable in the oven as the hair rooting machines always work best on soft plastic, so the process of rooting and rotating out and styling took almost three days.

The next step was fabrics and trims-- luckily Los Angeles has a phenomenal garment district, so between that and Mood, Andrew was able to source everything in a relatively short amount of time. He went to work sewing the clothes, and making the accessories. For his bigger fabric dolls, Andrew is used to working on many things at once, so everything is done in stages, pattern making, cutting, and sewing for each doll. And the un-articulated bodies made for great dress forms, even though sewing in such tiny scale was a fun exercise in and of itself.

Andrew used the same design philosophy when making the small Ru outfits as when re-interpreting a look from Chanel for a client like Barneys New York or someone custom in one of his larger fabric dolls. He did not set out to recreate the look in miniature (he said there are vastly more talented people at doing that job), but rather, treated the doll like a fashion illustration and tried to capture the feeling and mood of the original look. Sometimes that can be done with just the hair and makeup, and you can get away with taking more creative liberties on the clothes, other times, there are certain things you have to get right on the outfit.

Third step: painting the face. The makeup was more about being organized. At this point, all of the hair was roughly styled, so when he covered up the nylon locks to keep them from getting painted with matte acrylic spray, Andrew made sure to label all of their paper towel coverings with dress nicknames. His nightmare scenario was doing a faceup for one look on the wrong hair. For most of the looks, he only partially repainted, as the original screening was beautiful and he wanted to make sure the dolls maintained a level of consistency and looked in line with the original dolls and Ru's brand.

After the heads went in for a last round in the oven, and back on the dolls, each of them went through the styling comb again. Randy and Denisa's styling was beautiful, but they are used to delivering something commercial and prototype perfect, and Andrew wanted to find that perfect balance between messy and glamour for a lot of the hairstyles.

It was a big stroke of luck that right around the time Andrew was finishing the dolls he crossed paths with André Armenante, a West Hollywood based filmmaker, inventor, and theatrical designer. He migrated from a career in special effects/robotics to the toy industry with his cutting edge interactive hologram playset HolograFX, which launched with Toys R Us worldwide and was the most awarded toy of 2014. Recently, Armenante was a lead special effects designer for ‘Magic To Do’ - a new musical from Stephen Schwartz the Oscar, Grammy and Tony Award winning composer of Wicked, Godspell and Pippin and has worked with the likes of David Copperfield, Mattel, and Hasbro.

Usually, on these short turnaround projects, the artist doesn't get a lot of time to document the work in a great way, so when André wanted to collaborate, Andrew jumped at the chance, and in the days before the dolls were delivered to Ru's people, they shot and edited a fun showcase video-- which couldn't have been done if they weren't pushed to do it all in time by Andrew's partner Daniel Randell!

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Andrew believes that if the doll world is to survive, and not become a hyper expensive collector hobby, it is important to market and create a buzz around dolls in a way that reaches beyond just the community, so in many ways this was a perfect project to create some excitement around dolls, and it worked! Hours after the ribbon was cut for Drag Con 2017, most of the dolls had been sold, and by the time the convention doors closed, it was a sell-out ! Congratulations Ru!

Andrew had a lot of fun working in this scale, and on such fabulous dresses, so you can expect to see his new doll, Kadira, in some more flashy fun evening wear-- and commercials for her too! Now back to making all of her samples!....