Delightful Antoinette

Delightful Antoinette, a photo by alington on Flickr.

I've redressed Spring Kissed FR:16 in Delightful Antoinette's outfit. It fits very well, though the shoes are a little wide for her feet.

In between the shots, I've taken some nude body posing photos for those of you who are interested in her new body style. You can see them on Flickr.

Integrity Toys Spring Kissed FR:16 - a review

Spring Kissed FR16, a photo by alington on Flickr.

A recent addition to my Integrity Toys collection is the W Club exclusive, Spring Kissed, the first of the brand new line of FR:16 dolls, which replaces the AvantGuards brand. Spring Kissed was one of the W Club exclusive doll choices for joining this year, 2011, and she has just shipped. Extras were made available to Club members for a price of $160, and that is how mine arrived to me.

The reason I purchased this doll primarily is because of her face. She has a new face mold, which to me, in real life, has some similarity to Poppy Parker. Her facial screening is elegant and simple--reminding me a little of a Monogram doll--with applied lashes, soft metallic peach lips, brown eyes, and neutral shimmery eyeshadow and ultra soft blushing.

Her hair is lovely--long, blonde and mostly straight with a tiny bit of bend. It is styled in a side part, pulled off her face with a miniature braid. The light color of the hair, just behind the front style, appears to be rooted just a tad bit thinly, so I think I will leave the hair styled as is--just in case you think of taking your doll's hair down.

The doll is on a newly redesigned FR:16 body. I wasn't able to attend the Jet Set convention, but I thought I'd heard that the FR:16 bodies would be something like the new FR.Squared bodies. Spring Kissed is jointed at the hips below the torso, but her belly and torso are a single piece and beautiful. She is also jointed under the bust to allow for slouching and natural posing. Her hands are removable, and her elbows and knees, while surprisingly single-jointed, provide for over 90 degrees of movement. And the joints look really good, too. The doll included only one pair of hands--her left with open, separated fingers (she wants a ring, I think), and the right with the ability to hold something (such as a cocktail).

Additionally, she feels really sturdy without being too heavy, and her joints move smoothly and hold poses well without being swingy. She can kneels securely, too. She's got a fantastic body. I love it! Also, it's a model body, and slim, but it isn't too skinny. Her thighs and calves have shape, and she has a lovely curve to her body as well. Her feet and hands are well-proportioned to her face.

My least favorite thing about this doll is probably one of the most practical things about her: her feet. She has articulate ankle joints, separated toes, and also a joint at the toe as well. It allows for her to wear almost any size or shape or slope of shoe--open or closed toe--even those thong sandals. But bare-foot, she's not my favorite. And honestly, while her bare feet give me the willies just a little, I think the ability to be able to wear some many shoes (look at the stilettos she's wearing!) probably overrules any qualms I have about her feet.

Her shoes--WOW. They are actually woven. With zippers up the back and faux tan leather on the sides. And the tallest heel I've seen for a while. Just gorgeous. Additionally, she included subtle rhinestone earrings.

The outfit includes short tweed shorts, woven from cream, orange, yellow and gold yarns, which match the elegant overcoat perfectly. I can see these pieces worn with a fluffy silk blouse in gold or tan, or the coat paired with a taupe or shimmering sequined skirt. But the best basic piece of the outfit is the simple tee she wears underneath. At first, I thought it was just a sheet cream colored tee. But no--underneath lurks a lace lining. It's such a subtle detail, and such a delight to discover: it brings this doll up to such a real-life experience. I'm really thrilled.

Finally, you may have noticed some Christmas decorations in my house lately. It's because Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year! For the cats. And they do love climbing the tree and eating the birds. That, and the tree gives you some amazing Bokeh shots. :)

For additional photos and larger sizes, visit my Flickr album.

UPDATE: Dreamcastle Dolls currently has this doll on consignment. She's never been removed from her box at a bargain price of $185. Great deal!

Full-length shot of Spring Kissed

Spring Kissed posing

Spring Kissed's boots

Jet Set Convention Saturday event

The W Club Luncheon on Saturday featured a gorgeous FR2 centerpiece doll. It's Tatyana's head sculpt on the newly articulated FR2 body. She's called Exceptional. Her dress and accessories are gorgeous.

Guests were also given acrylic chairs as favors, in addition to the chance to purchase this gorgeous centerpiece doll.

After the luncheon, W Club members were introduced to two new FR2 dolls, featuring the original Vanessa and Véronique head sculpts. Evermore, the new Vanessa Perrin doll, was offered as an exclusive doll to purchase for event attendees. I wish I had been there! She is gorgeous, and is the doll that would convince me to add FR2 dolls to my collection.

Already, she is listed on eBay at around $300 starting price. Some attendees have listed her for a Buy-It-Now of $380, so I doubt she will be added to my collection anytime soon.

The good news for those of us who weren't able to attend the convention this year: The FR2 -bodied Véronique doll will be offered via lottery to all W Club members in late October! Hooray! I also hope that  this isn't the last we will see of the original Vero and Vanessa head sculpts. I'd love to see them in next year's line-up.

Additionally, news of the delayed 16" W Club doll, Spring Kissed, was presented with a sneak peek of Integrity Toys' new collection, FR:16, which takes the place of the AvantGuards brand. The dolls have a redesigned body, and Spring Kissed will feature this body. Payment notices for this doll are scheduled soon.

For those of you who have forgotten what Spring Kissed looks like, here she is:

Images property of Integrity Toys.

New 12" & 16" Fashions by Louos

Another mini collection was just released by Louos! He's got 12" and 16" fashions this time!  To order and to see the other fashions (not pictured here) check out his store here: http://www.artfire.com/users/souol

**Photos are property of Louos**

2011 WClub Registration Now Open

The WClub is now taking registrations for the upcoming year. Membership in the WClub is on an annual basis and must be renewed yearly. The current registration window is open from now until 10 am CST on January 21, 2011. This is a concrete deadline. If you miss it, you will need to wait another year to register.

What do you get for registering? Access to the exclusive WClub forums, the opportunity to purchase club exclusive dolls, and coupons for discounts at participating doll dealers are just a few of the perks that come with membership. And the good news? For the sixth year in a row, the base membership cost remains at $50.

Registering is easy. Just click on http://www.integritytoys.com/wclubforum/2011club.pdf to review all the information regarding the club. Or, if you already have all the information you need, click on http://www.integritytoys.com/page/w_club and it will take you directly to the registration page.

Dressmaker Details Gene Con Fashions

Leftover Dressmaker Details Gene Convention fashions are now available on their website HERE. These fashions are for 16" fashion dolls and will also fit AvantGuards and Antoinette dolls too, so if you're looking for some clothes for your bigger gals then take a peek!  Plus the Trent fashions will work on Tonner male dolls too.

**Photo is property of Dressmaker Details**