Lone Star Soirée

Lone Star Soiree was the name of this Gene Marshall doll from the 2006 Lone Star Doll Convention, released in an edition of 350. There was a blonde helper version, edition of 55. While I do like the outfit and its bold splash of red, the hairstyle is not one of Gene’s best looks.



Here’s the mermaid-style gown without the dramatic cape and collar:



Oh that hair…



Using Jamieshow Phoenix instead with a wig cap styled by Kathy Johnson, I am much happier with the result!



She prefers the collar down!



Giving the blondes a chance, I let Ashton Drake’s Fit For A Queen doll have her turn.



The inspiration for this outfit came from the fashion show sequence in “Lucy Gallant” (1955). The story involves a dressmaker who is forced to choose between love and a career. Does she get both? You’ll have to watch the movie. Jane Wyman played the title character (a role originally envisioned for Joan Crawford) and Charlton Heston as Casey Cole, her love interest. Costume designs were by Edith Head.





Jane looks stylish in her simplistic little black dress.



Here, Edith Head herself attempts to style the gown for the model. A perfect “caption this” opportunity!



See more Gene Marshall fashion doll photos at my website.

DeeAnna in the Easter Parade

DeeAnna Denton is modeling a few choices of “bonnets” for the Easter Parade. Sadly, the Tonner hats just do not look right on our beautiful gal. I spent a lot of time in Photoshop trying to get the “Spot On” hat to look normal in the first shot. Below, DeeAnna gives up and just takes it off.



“Favorite to Win” is a cute outfit, but once again, the execution of the hat is not up to the level that DeeAnna deserves.



Trying to artfully disguise the hat:



Once again, DeeAnna gives up and takes it off. Much better!



See more DeeAnna Denton doll photos at my website.

35th Anniversary Barbie

After seeing the “Barbie” movie, I was inspired to look at some of the original dolls that brought this pop culture icon to fame. While the original 1959 doll is out of my financial ballpark, some of the later replicas are much closer! The 35th Anniversary Barbie, released in 1994, is shown here in all its pristine boxed glory. As you can see the hairdo is a bit different when compared with the original release (pictured on the back of the box below). I prefer the 1994 version, which is more flattering on the 12" doll.



When I unboxed her, I noticed that the 30-year-old rubber bands that held her classic ponytails in place had all disintegrated. Before I could photograph the de-boxed Barbie, I had to fix her hairdo. My dental bands were too small, so for a temporary fix, I used gold thread and wrapped/tied it around the base of the ponytail.



Photographing Barbie reminded me while I focus on the 16" gals vs. the 12" ones. First, Barbie cannot stand on her own. Without a stand, she will fall over. I’m not sure how much harder it would have been to design the feet/shoes to be able to stand on their own, but for photographs, it’s a pain in the a$$. For the shot below, I had to use Photoshop to remove the stand and place Barbie on the beach of Santa Monica. I also took the liberty of removing her seams.



Here is Barbie with Malibu behind her.



Barbie Land from the movie is the background here:



The sunglasses look great on Barbie, but they are EXTREMELY tight. Getting them properly placed on her face was quite a process, and caused her hair to unravel. “But Dave,” you say, “her hair looks good here!” Of course it does; I spent a lot of time digitally cleaning it up!



On the plus side: I love the retro face and classic styling of this replica Barbie. The sculpt of the contemporary Barbies is just too bland for my taste. For a cool retro toy to fill up your display cabinet, Barbie is great.

On the con side: For playtime, dressing/redressing, and posing…this is a very frustrating doll. Since this is a mass-market doll, the tailoring (and clothing quality) for Barbie outfits at this size is not all that great. I can easily understand where “Weird Barbie” came from. The hair and clothing can easily become ratty. When it comes to posing, this Barbie is extremely limited; the elbows, wrists, and knees do not bend; the head spins around, but it doesn’t tilt up and down. For little tots who want to play with Barbie, these are probably non-issues. A toy that retails for approximately $15-25 can only be expected to do so much!

See more doll/action figure photos at my website.

Red Parasol in Park Avenue Prowl

Park Avenue Prowl was an FAO Schwarz exclusive limited edition gift set of 300, released in 2007. This is one of those sets that at first glance I thought, “Wow! So many options!” Once unboxed and put on the doll, the quantity of what was in the box gave way to the actual functionality/look of what the pieces were. The leopard coat trimmed with fox is interesting, but quite bulky on the doll. This is one of the main difficulties in designing for a 16" doll; the scale and drape of the fabric don’t hang the way that they would at a larger size. This is why most fashion dolls look so painfully thin. If these dolls were designed with normal sized proportions, any kind of clothing on top of the vinyl would make these poor little ladies look like the Michelin man. I was not crazy about the doll itself, either. For this shoot, I used Red Parasol instead. Her facial paint and hairdo are much more accessible.



Sequins are rarely a good choice on a vinyl fashion doll unless they are micro-sized. These aren’t awful, but once again, the size of the sequin make it difficult to achieve a form-fitting drape. The shoes look decent, but sparkle atop a faux leather strap do not equal fun playtime. By the time human sized fingers can get the straps in place, the shoes begin the splitting/disintegration process.



This set also comes with a very va-va-voom lingerie set. Other than the plastic clips for the hose, I really do like this look on Gene. It still amazes me how Gene can go from good girl to vamp in the blink of an eye, depending upon the outfit and pose. Mel Odom sure knew how to create a versatile character.





The last photo from this session shows our girl giving a little sass, wishing that the sequins had been smaller. Oh well, what’s a girl to do?



See more Gene Marshall fashion doll photos at my website.

Mardi Gras with Gene

The saying “You never forget your first time” is so true…when it comes to Sandra Stillwell Conventions! My first was 2016’s Belle of New Orleans, held in (where else?) that fabled Louisiana city where Mardi Gras is celebrated annually. I hope you enjoy my parade of fashions that Sandra unveiled for her guests almost seven years ago. First up is Magic Season, which is probably my very favorite outfit from the convention) and its blue alternative, Merci Beaucoup:



The convention’s namesake outfit in silver and gray was what every girl would want to wear to the Mardi Gras Ball:



With the tiara, fur wrap, and scepter, it’s a total knockout! Sandra pluses her ensembles with the perfect accessories.



Queen of the Carnival was one of the highly coveted centerpiece fashions:



Oona wanted her chance to model this gown, too:



If ball gowns aren’t your thing, My Years and Seasons is a very elegant alternative:





For Under Her Spell, Gene dons the attire of a voodoo priestess:





A Mardi Gras post wouldn’t be complete without this non-Sandra outfit from Ashton Drake, appropriately named Mardi Gras Magic (modeled by Ivy Jordan):



Happy Mardi Gras! I think I’m going to see if I can find a good beignet nearby. Any suggestions?

See more Sandra Stillwell Gene Marshall Belle of New Orleans fashion doll photos at my website.

Ambassador’s Ball for Valentine's Day

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Gene dons Ambassador’s Ball, from the 2021 Sandra Stillwell Ambassador of Fashion convention. Inspired by the Jacques Griffe design shown below:



I agree with the ad copy: 100!



See more Sandra Stillwell Gene Marshall fashion doll photos at my website.

Shirley and The Red Cross

The Danbury Mint released a 17" tall porcelain doll commemorating Shirley Temple’s 1936 public service announcement for the American Red Cross.



Shirley’s hand has one finger pointing heavenward to signify the requested one dollar donation.



Officially authorized by the American Red Cross, the doll boasts plenty of beautifully crafted details, such as the one dollar donation bucket:



The lace tie-up shoes and stockings:



Who could deny this sweet little face one dollar?!?



Since I am not a fan of the synthetic wigs that Danbury used on Shirley, I replaced it with a softer mohair version:



Want to see the PSA for yourself? Here you go!



See more Shirley Temple doll photos at my main website.