Clara BowTo those who serve, and to those we remember today, THANK YOU for your service and sacrifice.
We Salute You
Posted by bayan
Clara BowTo those who serve, and to those we remember today, THANK YOU for your service and sacrifice.
Gene's Final Curtain Call ~ Part III ~ More Favorite Gene Photographs
Posted by bayan
Rogue Rose wearing rhinestone bra and panties from a Metrodolls event.
Essentially Gene "Vixen" (Hair restyled by Jim Gaddis)
Essentially Gene "Blush" (Hair restyled by Jim Gaddis) Wearing Tonner
"Heavenly" Gene wearing "A Woman of Means" Fashion
"Distant Venus" wearing Madame Alexander 
Wearing Tonner's Swept Away
"Star Entrance" wearing Incognito
"Suited for Fur" Gene wearing "Hello Portland, Hello"
"Blush" wearing "Rondelet" FashionAbove are a few more of my favorite photos I have taken of Gene in the short period of time I collected her. I have more but not now. :-)
I wanted to finish up this homage to Gene because I still have a bunch of stuff to do before leaving for Pennsylvania on Wednesday. I'm combining my trip with a visit to much loved cousins who live 1 hour from Philadelphia. Staying there overnight on Wednesday will enable me to arrive at the hotel early Thursday having traveled only a short distance.
Thanks to all who commented on the doll boards about my Gene posts. I will see you soon!
Thanks to all who commented on the doll boards about my Gene posts. I will see you soon!
This Is Not the Miss Revlon Doll I Remember!
Posted by bayan
I am so bummed about the new Miss Revlon doll. I keep hoping that each time I look at her I will find something pretty about her face but it's not working. I wanted to adore this doll because I had a Little Miss Revlon doll as a child. I found these images on the web:
This is what the fashion dolls of the 50's looked like. I thought she was truly something special. She wore high heels, had a developed chest, wore lipstick and jewelry! Her clothes were lovely. - Like Cissy dolls, an immature, baby face on a maturing body was the accepted style.
Beautiful vintage Miss Revlon dolls from the past were pictured in an article written by Robert Tonner for a special edition of Dolls Magazine and distributed to Tonner convention atttendees. Here is one of the pictures from that piece:
This is the new doll. 
No matter which way I turned her head, it looked wrong.
There is something very 'off' about the sculpt. 
Her head is too large and she has no ankles. The vintage doll has a big head and big jaw but it works on her baby face. It does not work with this face in the least. I was hoping for a vintage reproduction doll that resembled the original in some way. Boy, was I mistaken. I think my doll may be defective due to the strange spots of black paint on her eyelids.
I pre-ordered her from a convention-goer who got to go to the event. She cost me more than $160. Ugh. What a waste of money.
And what's up with the scraggly, crunchy long hair?
This is a WWTT moment. Maybe it was a mistake and too late for the factory to change it. One can hope that the future releases are 100% better. If not, there won't be another one in this house. I'm not even sure what to do with this one.
Bring Tiny Kitty back. That's another story.
An amazing website about Miss Revlon and Little Miss Revlon dolls is here:
http://my.pclink.com/~jjdow/default.htm
More about → This Is Not the Miss Revlon Doll I Remember!
This is what the fashion dolls of the 50's looked like. I thought she was truly something special. She wore high heels, had a developed chest, wore lipstick and jewelry! Her clothes were lovely. - Like Cissy dolls, an immature, baby face on a maturing body was the accepted style.Beautiful vintage Miss Revlon dolls from the past were pictured in an article written by Robert Tonner for a special edition of Dolls Magazine and distributed to Tonner convention atttendees. Here is one of the pictures from that piece:
This is the new doll. 
No matter which way I turned her head, it looked wrong.
There is something very 'off' about the sculpt. 
Her head is too large and she has no ankles. The vintage doll has a big head and big jaw but it works on her baby face. It does not work with this face in the least. I was hoping for a vintage reproduction doll that resembled the original in some way. Boy, was I mistaken. I think my doll may be defective due to the strange spots of black paint on her eyelids.I pre-ordered her from a convention-goer who got to go to the event. She cost me more than $160. Ugh. What a waste of money.
And what's up with the scraggly, crunchy long hair?
This is a WWTT moment. Maybe it was a mistake and too late for the factory to change it. One can hope that the future releases are 100% better. If not, there won't be another one in this house. I'm not even sure what to do with this one.Bring Tiny Kitty back. That's another story.
An amazing website about Miss Revlon and Little Miss Revlon dolls is here:
http://my.pclink.com/~jjdow/default.htm
Gene's Final Curtain Call ~ Part II ~ Favorite Gene Photographs
Posted by bayan
Lucky Stripe
Lone Star Soiree
Heavenly
Heavenly wears a Tonner Fashion
Daughter of the Nile Gene
Candied Lavender Gene
Calendar Shot Gene wearing Stolen Moments Fashion
Calendar Shot Gene
Bridge Club Fashion on Heavenly Gene
Blue Horizon Gene
Bon Voyage
Apres Ski To be continued.
Moving Out
Posted by bayan
That's it, last photos from my beloved apartment we are moving out tomorrow. I have been living here for more than five years, first it was only me then Gal came, afterwards the dolls joined one by one, most of them spread out all over the world.
The space became too small, real estate agencies popped up all over the neighborhood, probably just the time to move on. It is only 10 minutes cycling from here, so it is not such a big change, but yet different.
Gene's Final Curtain Call ~ Part I
Posted by bayan
Last night I dressed two of my Gene dolls in fashions recently acquired. They are waiting to be photographed and I visualized them looking over their shoulders as they retreated from the front of a stage on the last night of their performance.
Simply Gene
Perfect Match Gene with Tiny Kitty
More about → Gene's Final Curtain Call ~ Part I
In a few days I will have begun to attend my first and last Gene Marshall convention. There, amongst the 400 or so attendees, I may be in the minority because I have not been a "real" Gene collector. I was aware of Gene, of course, during her Ashton-Drake years but never veered away from my Tonner collections until getting involved with Integrity Toys' Fashion Royalty dolls. Prior to that, I had purchased a basic Gene and a dressed Gene and that was it.
Simply Gene 
Perfect Match Gene with Tiny KittyDuring my early Tonner collecting days, the Gene fashions I purchased disappointed me because they usually did not fit Tyler. Obviously I knew very little about that line. I did buy the wonderful furniture and accessories like the gazebo, the the patio set, the dresser, the swan bed, the clothing rack with wooden hangers and several room dividers. Fabulous items every one of them.
Tyler Wearing "A Shorts Story" Gene Outfit
Tyler Wearing "A Shorts Story" Gene OutfitIn February 2007 Integrity Toys held an event at FAO Schwarz in NYC. That was the first time I met Mel Odom. Gene had been picked up by IT and the line was on display at the store. I had not begun my second round with the 16" dolls yet. That Gene was "Suited To A T. " The doll reminded me so much of my mother when she was young. At the time, Mom was in the final stages of Alzheimer's Disease. That was February. I couldn't get the doll out of my mind and decided to ask my husband to get her for me as a holiday gift that December, which he did. My mother died that month. 
I photographed that doll endlessly and began buying Gene fashions which led to buying Gene dolls which led to more and more. I bought Ashton-Drake Gene and IT Gene dolls and fashions and had a ball. I discovered another huge group of collectors who were so very different from the Fashion Royalty crowd.
She's been a wonderful doll—hair still perfect; eyelashes attached and she's still (sort of) smiling. STaT has been on the pages of FDQ!
That's my Gene story. Why do I say that I'm not a "real" Gene collector? I say that because I am not emotionally attached to the doll as so many are. Gene has been the force that has brought thousands of collectors together and has cemented their friendships. Gene has been a business for some of the very talented as well. Most of the hard core Gene collectors are film buffs and I am not. So I dabbled and I played and I am about to rub shoulders with the cognoscenti. I'm excited.
In my next installment on this topic, I will post my favorite Gene photographs.
I photographed that doll endlessly and began buying Gene fashions which led to buying Gene dolls which led to more and more. I bought Ashton-Drake Gene and IT Gene dolls and fashions and had a ball. I discovered another huge group of collectors who were so very different from the Fashion Royalty crowd.
She's been a wonderful doll—hair still perfect; eyelashes attached and she's still (sort of) smiling. STaT has been on the pages of FDQ!
That's my Gene story. Why do I say that I'm not a "real" Gene collector? I say that because I am not emotionally attached to the doll as so many are. Gene has been the force that has brought thousands of collectors together and has cemented their friendships. Gene has been a business for some of the very talented as well. Most of the hard core Gene collectors are film buffs and I am not. So I dabbled and I played and I am about to rub shoulders with the cognoscenti. I'm excited.
In my next installment on this topic, I will post my favorite Gene photographs.
French Smokers - Early Boudoir Dolls?
Posted by bayan
I got this all cloth boudoir doll from France. He was missing his cigarette, so I added one, but the rest of him is original, including his leather slip-on style shoes, and his silk and felt costume. He has red yarn for hair. Check out that hat! 
When I got this doll, I sent photos to Sue. The first thing she thought of was her "Claridge Hotel Paris" doll. It, too, is a smoker. The hats on both dolls have a similar design; very tall with wire running around the top. Other similarities are the arms, particularly the hands, and just the overall look that makes her wonder if these dolls weren't made by the same manufacturer. I haven't found a tag on this doll so, for now, it's a mystery.
I used to own a doll like Sue has. It, too, was tagged "Claridge Hotel Paris." The dolls are dressed in a World War I uniform-style outfit. Both are smokers. Given the dolls' attire, they should date around 1918-early 1920's.
Ridiculous Auction Statement of the Moment
Posted by bayan
The seller is describing an outfit from an early Fashion Royalty doll which is faux leather. This is what she says:
Therefore is in very good condition, apart from a few minor scuff marks, which are - one at the bottom of the jacket, one on the trousers, also there is a minor, hard to see discolouring on the back side of one of trousers leg. I tried to captured these minor flaws with my camera.
Since when do scuff marks and discoloration equal good condition?
More about → Ridiculous Auction Statement of the Moment
Therefore is in very good condition, apart from a few minor scuff marks, which are - one at the bottom of the jacket, one on the trousers, also there is a minor, hard to see discolouring on the back side of one of trousers leg. I tried to captured these minor flaws with my camera.
Since when do scuff marks and discoloration equal good condition?
Grandma's Boudoir Doll
Posted by bayan
These are sweet photos of a girl with her Grandmother - and her Grandmother's boudoir doll.