Gene raids Madra’s closet: Golden Riviera

Even sweet little Gene likes a little bling, so for this photo shoot which begins in the lobby of the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood, Gene borrows Madra’s Golden Riviera outfit. Gene really seems to be channeling Barbara Eden as Jeannie, doesn’t she?







Follow my Gene Marshall updates on Twitter. For more Chateau Marmont photos at my regular website. View more Gene Marshall & Friends photos at my regular website.

Gene Marshall: Mood Music

Designed by Lynne Day for the 1999 Gene Convention, Mood Music is a circa 1956 hostess outfit. This is a classic Susan Hayward look; I love the simplicity, the warm coppery colors of the skirt and the blouse; the aqua color of the sash is the perfect accent to an otherwise plain outfit. The record album is the kind of bonus accessory that I love! For the first photo, I posed Gene in the living room of a suite at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood. What better place for a little informal party? From the storycard:

Hand-written invitations. Hand-delivered by the hostess.

If something like that arrived at your doorstep, how could you resist dropping by Gene Marshall’s place for an intimate cocktail party? What a perfect opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of studio demands—and just spend a little time enjoying friends and listening to the relaxing sounds of your favorite tunes.



It was a group that had fallen together naturally, drawn to each other by their love of simple things: marvelous music, fine food, close company, a lively laugh—and by the love of life itself.

Throwing this party was like a mini-vacation for Gene. There was hardly anything she liked better than putting together a gathering for her cohorts. What a wonderful way to spend the day. She was happily busy until the very last minute, arranging canapés, setting out mixers, filling ice buckets, rearranging furniture…

To see more Chateau Marmont photos, visit my regular website.

To see more Gene Marshall & Friends photos, visit my regular website.

Gene: Evening Encore

Released in 2009, this 1960’s Gene Marshall ensemble was created by the Mel Odom/Jason Wu team. I wasn’t interested in the doll, so I purchased the outfit by itself and put it on one of my Ashton Drakes. Very reminiscent of something Jacqueline Kennedy might have worn, it also comes with a faux fur muff and pearlized “leather” gloves. For this blog entry, I posed Gene at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Hollywood.

To see more Chateau Marmont photos, visit my regular website.

To see more Gene Marshall photos, visit my regular website.

Cocoa Crisp

When Gene transferred over from Ashton Drake to Integrity & Jason Wu, somehow her facial painting or new sculpt appeared to take her out of her vintage world and made her seem more contemporary. At that point, I lost interest in purchasing any of the new dolls. “Cocoa Crisp” was definitely an exception to the rule. Limited Edition 800, I could just picture Gene in this outfit lunching with the ladies at B. Altman’s or any one of the many other fashionable department stores back in the day that had a tea room. Once again, I did a little experimentation of blending my travel photography with a photo of Gene, placing her at the Chateau Marmont in Hollywood. I can’t say I’m totally happy with this particular shot, which shows that I need to spend more time with the lighting, posing, and blending. Time is something I haven’t had much of lately, so the next few posts will most likely consist of publicity photos.

Instead of storycards, these new dolls came with script excerpts. This particular production is called “Green Eyes,” and is circa August 1956.

Here’s the publicity photo that was released for this doll:



I’ll be back Monday with a new post. To see more Chateau Marmont photos, visit my regular website.

To see more Gene Marshall photos, visit my regular website.