The return of a legend: Modern comeback Veronique Perrin

It has been two years since Integrity Toys decided to withdraw the original face sculpt of Veronique Perrin, the first Fashion Royalty doll and the "matriarch" not only of the doll line but of the Perrin family in the "saga" that the doll story cards used to tell. There was much speculation about the final outcome, we even saw some of the reject dolls appear as other characters in the Integrity doll lines. At last it was announced that the first Veronique dolls would be sold through a lottery to the W Club members: a blonde and a raven version of the doll were released to the club members, so the cat was out of the box.

I was lucky to get a chance to purchase the raven doll. She arrived in a tight corset, garters, slip, stockings and a pair of strappy heels. Sexy to the hilt. So how does the new sculpt look?

Actually she looks gorgeous. I was never a fan of the original, smiling sculpt and had only one Veronique with it, Camera, Lights, Action. I never warmed up to her and wanted to wipe that out of her face. Guess what? Integrity did just that. To me she looks like it is Veronique indeed but not smiling, just pouting a bit. Sexy and sweet at the same time. I love the pink/mauve tones of her make up - it is subdued enough to look great with many different coloured outfits. Her raven long wavy hair are fabulously shiny and hold their curl tight enough to look great without much of a fuss. Major playability factor here.

Her lace corset is great - it buttons up the front with hooks and is really tight. I like that the stockings have a wider finish band than the prototype showed but I would prefer that it had the same lace as a garnish, it would add that touch of high class fitting to a Perrin lady.

The only jewellery she is wearing is a pair of black stud earrings. The whole styling is that of a basic series doll but the quality of the corset is a bit above that compared with other similar outfits from years past. Here are a couple of shots with Veronique in a sultry mood. 

So how does she look dressed? I picked for her the purple suit that was part of the gift set Festive Decadence Agnes. The jacket has puffed sleeves with great detail, the pencil skirt has a big rosette at the side and the sleeveless blouse is two-toned. There was a bag in the gift set and she borrowed Agnes' shoes as well (she must be fuming!).

This particular outfit was picked because of the colouring - it matches Vero's make up. I love how she looks chic and elegant in it. Classy.

The shoes are gorgeous (I love the red insole) and the chain-handled bag is nice and stylish. I should have borrowed Agnes' jewellery set as well but she looked at me with THAT look and I decided to leave her alone. Here is a closer shot of the shoes. 

Without the jacket the outfit becomes more relaxed and summery and Veronique truly shines in it like the star that she is. I really like her new incarnation and hope to see her getting better in her future releases!

The return of a legend: Modern comeback Veronique Perrin

It has been two years since Integrity Toys decided to withdraw the original face sculpt of Veronique Perrin, the first Fashion Royalty doll and the "matriarch" not only of the doll line but of the Perrin family in the "saga" that the doll story cards used to tell. There was much speculation about the final outcome, we even saw some of the reject dolls appear as other characters in the Integrity doll lines. At last it was announced that the first Veronique dolls would be sold through a lottery to the W Club members: a blonde and a raven version of the doll were released to the club members, so the cat was out of the box.

I was lucky to get a chance to purchase the raven doll. She arrived in a tight corset, garters, slip, stockings and a pair of strappy heels. Sexy to the hilt. So how does the new sculpt look?

Actually she looks gorgeous. I was never a fan of the original, smiling sculpt and had only one Veronique with it, Camera, Lights, Action. I never warmed up to her and wanted to wipe that out of her face. Guess what? Integrity did just that. To me she looks like it is Veronique indeed but not smiling, just pouting a bit. Sexy and sweet at the same time. I love the pink/mauve tones of her make up - it is subdued enough to look great with many different coloured outfits. Her raven long wavy hair are fabulously shiny and hold their curl tight enough to look great without much of a fuss. Major playability factor here.

Her lace corset is great - it buttons up the front with hooks and is really tight. I like that the stockings have a wider finish band than the prototype showed but I would prefer that it had the same lace as a garnish, it would add that touch of high class fitting to a Perrin lady.

The only jewellery she is wearing is a pair of black stud earrings. The whole styling is that of a basic series doll but the quality of the corset is a bit above that compared with other similar outfits from years past. Here are a couple of shots with Veronique in a sultry mood. 

So how does she look dressed? I picked for her the purple suit that was part of the gift set Festive Decadence Agnes. The jacket has puffed sleeves with great detail, the pencil skirt has a big rosette at the side and the sleeveless blouse is two-toned. There was a bag in the gift set and she borrowed Agnes' shoes as well (she must be fuming!).

This particular outfit was picked because of the colouring - it matches Vero's make up. I love how she looks chic and elegant in it. Classy.

The shoes are gorgeous (I love the red insole) and the chain-handled bag is nice and stylish. I should have borrowed Agnes' jewellery set as well but she looked at me with THAT look and I decided to leave her alone. Here is a closer shot of the shoes. 

Without the jacket the outfit becomes more relaxed and summery and Veronique truly shines in it like the star that she is. I really like her new incarnation and hope to see her getting better in her future releases!

Dollz in Oz event presents two new Integrity dolls

This year's Australian major doll date was again the Dollz in OZ event. Held at the Sheraton Four Points in Darling Harbour, it was a day full of dolls for Australian fans. The event dolls were made by Integrity: Regal Estate Agnes was the event doll and Magnetism Monogram was the companion doll.

Regal Estate Agnes is a dressed doll wearing a black bustier dress with a cream coloured jacket and a black belt over it. She comes with fishnet stockings, clear blue pumps, blue stud earrings and black-and-blue necklace. Her face screening is a softer version of the Festive Decadence Agnes that was the second W Club doll last year. Her hair is long and lose. To me she looks hastily designed and produced. She does not remind me of Agnes at all.And blue with cream and black? The theme was Hollywood, but she would not get a chance there, even in daytime.

Magnetism Monogram doll is a tooted red haired doll, with a very classic make up look - brown and gold eye-shadow with red hot lipstick. She is wearing a gorgeous pink satin gown with matching pink and black shawl. The gown is decorated with a huge bow and it has a matching belt with a gold buckle. A golden cuff bracelet decorated with rhinestones and matching earrings compete the picture. Her shoes (not shown in photos) are emerald green with ankle straps. To me she is very Old Hollywood meets YSL glamour and would get her in an instant if I could.

Dollz in Oz event presents two new Integrity dolls

This year's Australian major doll date was again the Dollz in OZ event. Held at the Sheraton Four Points in Darling Harbour, it was a day full of dolls for Australian fans. The event dolls were made by Integrity: Regal Estate Agnes was the event doll and Magnetism Monogram was the companion doll.

Regal Estate Agnes is a dressed doll wearing a black bustier dress with a cream coloured jacket and a black belt over it. She comes with fishnet stockings, clear blue pumps, blue stud earrings and black-and-blue necklace. Her face screening is a softer version of the Festive Decadence Agnes that was the second W Club doll last year. Her hair is long and lose. To me she looks hastily designed and produced. She does not remind me of Agnes at all.And blue with cream and black? The theme was Hollywood, but she would not get a chance there, even in daytime.

Magnetism Monogram doll is a tooted red haired doll, with a very classic make up look - brown and gold eye-shadow with red hot lipstick. She is wearing a gorgeous pink satin gown with matching pink and black shawl. The gown is decorated with a huge bow and it has a matching belt with a gold buckle. A golden cuff bracelet decorated with rhinestones and matching earrings compete the picture. Her shoes (not shown in photos) are emerald green with ankle straps. To me she is very Old Hollywood meets YSL glamour and would get her in an instant if I could.

The incredible Renegade Dasha - my first FR2 doll

Integrity Toys launched the FR2 line of dolls to offer a higher quality doll to their clients and "showcase their designers' absolute dedication to detail and refinement". One of the dolls in the line was offered only as a W Club exclusive through a lottery. As the price of the dolls was a bit high for me, I decided to opt only for the chance to win the right to purchase the club doll. During the wait for that, some of the line's dolls arrived and the comments about their quality were worrying, especially considering the price of the dolls. I won the doll and breathlessly waited for her to arrive, discovering in the process that, as the people receiving her stated in their blogs and on forums, her hairdo was problematic. And then she arrived.

She looks gorgeous even while still strapped in her box - which is a very couture box too, from matt carton, with white paper inlay, like a box containing a couture gown from one of the famous french houses. How can you keep her inside then? Off with her ties! Getting her out of the box I discovered that the FR2 dolls, having a different body than the main Fashion Royalty line, also have a different type of stand: it supports the doll under the arms, much like the FR Homme stand:

She is breathtaking. I love the contours of her face (a new sculpt just for the FR2 line, unlike the other two dolls that comprise it), greatly accented by the make up - smoky eyes and bright red lips to match her gown. Her hair, the cause of much consternation to the people that bought her, are side parted and pony-tailed, gorgeously blonde (what you see is actually a mix of shades). Although the prototype images from Integrity seemed to indicate a sleek ponytail (and her description both on Integrity's e-mail and the company website say the same) , JennFL2 posted on-line a photo of the actual doll from the IDEX stand of Integrity, showing the back of her and the hairdo completely different: a bun made of the underneath part of her pulled back hair with the rest of the hair tucked under the bun at the back. How did she arrive?

The hair is nothing like the original photo from IT nor the prototype shown at IDEX back in January (although it is really close to that). It is nothing that cannot be fixed (and people have been really creative throughout the boards and club) but when you pay that much money for a doll, these things are supposed to be non-existent. If the company itself has defined this line of dolls to be a paragon of quality and detail, then something is really wrong here and I do hope it gets fixed. 

Let's move on to the rest of the doll now. Dasha looks very elegant and haute in her red gown, which is tiered with minute fringed "ruffles" from the waist to her toe-tips, while her short sleeves are ruched as is her neckline. It all reminds one of Haute Couture gowns, especially Valentino - I can very well imagine something like this coming out on one of his Alta Moda shows in Rome or Paris. The whole thing is accented with a black slim belt at the waist that has a small bow at the back. The gown zips up the back and is lined - unfortunately in red, which may cause some staining in the future. This is one of the most beautiful gowns Integrity has ever produced.

Of course the new body type helps her pose in a much better way than the regular FR ladies. More detailed articulation and a streamlined body help to achieve nice posing with the doll. She has a second pair of hands to use as well.

Her jewellery consists of a big single square stone ring (ruby red) that was very hard to put on her finger all the way up, a lovely big "silver" cuff and a pair of red drop earrings shaped like daisies. Beautiful set.

Her open-toed shoes are also incredibly detailed: red fabric with crystal embroidery and lovely red ties to finish them off. What is missing from the set is a red clutch bag. And for this price level it should have been there.

Dasha is indeed a great doll, minus that hair thing (and some members also reported a broken arm stub when they tried to remove her left arm to put on her cuff - I put mine on the right which came off easily). Quality control is very important in collectibles and more so in pricey ones. I must say that compared to their cheaper doll lines, FR2 dolls have had the most quality control problems of all. Not a good way to start a new expensive doll line. But most of it is sold out. So what now?

The incredible Renegade Dasha - my first FR2 doll

Integrity Toys launched the FR2 line of dolls to offer a higher quality doll to their clients and "showcase their designers' absolute dedication to detail and refinement". One of the dolls in the line was offered only as a W Club exclusive through a lottery. As the price of the dolls was a bit high for me, I decided to opt only for the chance to win the right to purchase the club doll. During the wait for that, some of the line's dolls arrived and the comments about their quality were worrying, especially considering the price of the dolls. I won the doll and breathlessly waited for her to arrive, discovering in the process that, as the people receiving her stated in their blogs and on forums, her hairdo was problematic. And then she arrived.

She looks gorgeous even while still strapped in her box - which is a very couture box too, from matt carton, with white paper inlay, like a box containing a couture gown from one of the famous french houses. How can you keep her inside then? Off with her ties! Getting her out of the box I discovered that the FR2 dolls, having a different body than the main Fashion Royalty line, also have a different type of stand: it supports the doll under the arms, much like the FR Homme stand:

She is breathtaking. I love the contours of her face (a new sculpt just for the FR2 line, unlike the other two dolls that comprise it), greatly accented by the make up - smoky eyes and bright red lips to match her gown. Her hair, the cause of much consternation to the people that bought her, are side parted and pony-tailed, gorgeously blonde (what you see is actually a mix of shades). Although the prototype images from Integrity seemed to indicate a sleek ponytail (and her description both on Integrity's e-mail and the company website say the same) , JennFL2 posted on-line a photo of the actual doll from the IDEX stand of Integrity, showing the back of her and the hairdo completely different: a bun made of the underneath part of her pulled back hair with the rest of the hair tucked under the bun at the back. How did she arrive?

The hair is nothing like the original photo from IT nor the prototype shown at IDEX back in January (although it is really close to that). It is nothing that cannot be fixed (and people have been really creative throughout the boards and club) but when you pay that much money for a doll, these things are supposed to be non-existent. If the company itself has defined this line of dolls to be a paragon of quality and detail, then something is really wrong here and I do hope it gets fixed. 

Let's move on to the rest of the doll now. Dasha looks very elegant and haute in her red gown, which is tiered with minute fringed "ruffles" from the waist to her toe-tips, while her short sleeves are ruched as is her neckline. It all reminds one of Haute Couture gowns, especially Valentino - I can very well imagine something like this coming out on one of his Alta Moda shows in Rome or Paris. The whole thing is accented with a black slim belt at the waist that has a small bow at the back. The gown zips up the back and is lined - unfortunately in red, which may cause some staining in the future. This is one of the most beautiful gowns Integrity has ever produced.

Of course the new body type helps her pose in a much better way than the regular FR ladies. More detailed articulation and a streamlined body help to achieve nice posing with the doll. She has a second pair of hands to use as well.

Her jewellery consists of a big single square stone ring (ruby red) that was very hard to put on her finger all the way up, a lovely big "silver" cuff and a pair of red drop earrings shaped like daisies. Beautiful set.

Her open-toed shoes are also incredibly detailed: red fabric with crystal embroidery and lovely red ties to finish them off. What is missing from the set is a red clutch bag. And for this price level it should have been there.

Dasha is indeed a great doll, minus that hair thing (and some members also reported a broken arm stub when they tried to remove her left arm to put on her cuff - I put mine on the right which came off easily). Quality control is very important in collectibles and more so in pricey ones. I must say that compared to their cheaper doll lines, FR2 dolls have had the most quality control problems of all. Not a good way to start a new expensive doll line. But most of it is sold out. So what now?