David Bowie was (is) one of the most influential and avant guard artists that ever walked this earth. As part of the tributes pouring out from all over the world in the wake of his death, I decided to re-make, with the help of a Fine Print Elise Jolie, two of his most iconic album covers: Aladdin Sane and Low. If you do not know who David Bowie is, please try and discover him, it will open a multitude of new worlds for you.

Alladin Sane cover tribute

Low cover tribute

The original Aladdin Sane album cover - Design Brian Duffy - Photography Brian Duffy/Celia Philo/Philip Castle - Design/Artwork Released April 1973

The original Low cover, Design Steve Schapiro - Photography Released January 1977

The Saturday gala is always a bittersweet event: while everyone is anticipating the presentation of the convention doll and lots of other reveals and gifts of the night, it is also time to say goodbye and marks the end of the convention. The Integrity Toys design team conducted the highly anticipated OOAK and complete collection raffles, unveiled the final dolls of the weekend and announced that next year's convention would take place in Chicago (the theme, dates, registration information and other details will be revealed approximately in the Spring of 2016). They also announced the winner of the design contest, Jason Kramer, who was attending his first convention and won both categories, the advanced with his 12" entry (which will be made into a doll from Integrity next year) and the intermediate with his 16" entry. Here are photos taken from the flickr profile of Crystal.

Jason Kramer - winner of the advanced category in the design contest

This is Jason Kramer's 16" entry that won the intermediate category. It is actually portraying model Shalom Harlow at the finale of the Spring Summer 1999 Alexander McQueen collection, where her dress was spray-painted by industrial robots live on the runway.

Of course the final two dolls of the weekend were revealed: Elyse Jolie was the centerpiece (the designers mentioned that the change in her name's spelling was requested by her and they had being writing it wrong for years!) and a new character was introduced in the Nu. Face collection, Ms. Karolin Stone, a model and actress. Everyone in attendance received the gorgeous Karolin doll who is the official convention doll. Not everyone was pleased, as Elyse or Vero were expected to be convention dolls. The fact that Jason Wu did not make an appearance during the convention and no doll was wearing one of his real life outfits in miniature was also much discussed and speculated upon.

I'm not a fan of this Elyse. She looks a lot like previous releases of her (On The Rise was the first that came to mind), while the dress is too transparent  - shouldn't it be lined? I really like the fabric buy maybe it needs a different design to look its best.

The face looks familiar. She could be using the Ayumi 2.0 (more likely, as it is out of use now) ot 3.0 sculpt. Her severe look and simplicity did not go down well with some attendees - I read somewhere that when she was announced, everyone was silent for a few moments. She looks modern and strong but I would not try to get her.

Note: The dolls shown are prototypes and final versions may vary slightly. All doll photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2015 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission.

The last line presented by Integrity Toys was none other than the battleship of the company, the Fashion Royalty line. This year Jason Wu wanted the design team to start with the ladies who lunch as an inspiration: the rich socialites of the 60s that met in the famous restaurants of the era and were very elegantly and minimally dressed during the day but went all out flamboyant at night. The collection comes out along those lines, with elegant and minimal day-wear, very chic and with a retro whiff, that also includes some more eccentric evening wear. Apart from characters picked from the core 8, the line up has Isha and Tatyana. Isha has not been in a normal collection for ages (since 2011 if I remember correctly) and Tatyana was last seen being part of the final FR2 collection. I liked this line so much I ended up pre-ordering five of the dolls.Let's see the dolls:

The only Isha I have in my collection is Something Cool from 2005. I was always on the look out for one but she was elusive or I was getting other, more coveted dolls and could not add her to the bunch. Now she comes home. She looks fantastic, very elegant and the dress is very detailed and looks so well executed. Her bag is also fantastic.  Isha comes dressed in a dark navy and cream sheath dress with black shirt collar detail, nude satin with black chiffon overlay inserts on the bodice and side seam pockets, cinched at the waist by a miniature designer belt. She completes her look with a cream coloured bag, black pumps, black painted gloves and earrings (an additional pair of flesh coloured hands is also included). Isha is 12.5-inch fully articulated vinyl fashion doll with fully rooted hair and hand applied eyelashes.A doll stand is included. For adult collectors ages 15 and up.

Friday night had a Halloween themed party, so every attendee got to dress up with their costumes. They also got a nice Fashion Royalty outfit as a gift. The final event on Saturday night was the convention gala. It was highly anticipated, not only as the culmination of the whole convention but as the moment when the convention doll would be revealed. There was also a centerpiece doll. Let's check them out.

This is a gorgeous Elise - I wish she was part of the normal collection instead of convention! Gorgeous doll and amazing, sharp outfit. You cannot see it but she has a fantastic clasp on her low ponytail. Simply brilliant. The best doll in the whole convention for me.

Since she had not appeared in any guise during the previous days, it was rightly assumed that Agnes would be making an appearance as the convention doll. She looks like a cross between Silver Zinger and High Gloss. Gorgeous doll but not as perfect as Elise.

Her gown is shown below in its real life version, on the Spring/Summer Jason Wu catwalk.

Just like with the Poppy Parker line, W Club members already knew well in advance what the main theme and inspiration would be for this year's Fashion Royalty release: Safari. The Vanessa upgrade doll gave us a good indication of how the line would look line, one that was even more pronounced with the appearance of the much coveted Elise Montaigne Market limited edition. The line presented has six amazing dolls (plus the event doll that also fit in, but she gets a separate post here). So along with the upgrade doll from the beginning of the year, the core 8 dolls are all present in the FR collection as promised. All of them look amazing, with well executed outfits, great accessories and a coherent enough look - although a couple of them do look a bit far-fetched. The one thing I was eagerly expecting and did not see: a great safari jacket, in the style of that master of the look, Yves Saint - Laurent. What a missed opportunity. 

Natalia Fatalé's look is composed of a short sleeveless safari vest over a 3/4 sleeve power-mesh top and short pleated skirt. Natalia sports a large brimmed hat and accessorizes her look with a faux-snake skin purse and a set of gold jewelry and sunglasses. Natalia Fatalé is a 12.5-inch fully articulated vinyl doll with Serengeti Blond hair and hand-applied eyelashes. Doll stand included. For adult collectors ages 15 and up.

We have seen this hair style on Natalia several times. Looks like the designers do not know what more to do with her hair, which is a same - Latina girls are very particular about their style and hair is very important! Come on people, make Natalia less boring - she's the bad guy of the story, have some fun with her. Even a side part here would have looked so much better. The outfit is nice but not amazing, the belt is wrong for the style (big buckled wide croco/snake style would have worked so much better).

Poor Natalia, you wanted so much to be this:

Verushka in YSL by Franco Rubartelli 

Gorgeous Elise - although I would have liked her in blonde. We have had two raven haired Elise dolls in the convention and a red-head from Montaigne Market, so a blonde/platinum haired one would have been amazing. Her make up does remind me of her French incarnation (which is good), minus the gold glitter. Lovely dress, with good draping on the hips. The neckline draping looks uneven on the prototype but I hope it will be corrected on the production dolls. Her accessories are fantastic and fit the look perfectly. She's a keeper.

Eugenia is dressed in a faux-leather bustier with cargo pocket details, over a sheer leopard print blouse and a matching knee length fitted skirt. Her look is completed by earrings, bracelets, a clutch and a pair of lace up shoes! Eugenia Perrin-Frost is a 12.5-inch fully articulated vinyl doll with desert dune blond hair and hand-applied eyelashes. A doll stand is included. For adult collectors ages 15 and up.

Doll Tech Specs:
Body Type: FR 2013
Head Sculpt: Kyori 2.0
Quick Switch Feature: No
Skin Tones: FR White
Hair Color: Dusk Brunette
Eyelashes: Yes, Hand Applied


Kyori Sato wears a look composed of a sleeveless safari jacket over a jacquard woven skirt. Kyori Sato is a 12.5-inch fully articulated vinyl doll with brunette hair and hand-applied eyelashes. A doll stand is included. For adult collectors ages 15 and up.

Véronique is dressed in a form fitting red hot cocktail dress, elegantly accessorized with earrings, some bracelets, a ring and matching shoes. It also has a slim leather belt. Véronique Perrin is a 12.5-inch fully articulated vinyl doll with brownette hair and hand-applied eyelashes. Doll stand included. For adult collectors ages 15 and up.

Adèle Makéda is wearing an olive green gown, which is accessorized by a newly designed necklace and bracelet, as well as a coordinated gold clutch. Adèle Makéda is a 12.5-inch fully articulated vinyl doll with raven hair and hand-applied eyelashes. A doll stand is included. For adult collectors ages 15 and up.