Urban Vita: Rodeo Drive

When I first saw photos of Rodeo Drive, I decided to take a pass on it. I didn't care for the doll's face, and the faux monkey fur cape turned me off a bit. After getting Equestrienne though, I changed my mind. I think I should have listened to my first instincts.

Whereas the Equestrienne face had a pleasing vintage look, Rodeo Drive's looks like she is either constantly perplexed or even a bit annoyed. The eyebrows are painted too low for where the doll's physical brow is sculpted. I knew immediately that this doll was headed to ebay; I had planned on keeping one Vita, assuming that both dolls would be the same. I made the unfortunate choice of selling Equestrienne before receiving Rodeo Drive.



On the plus side, I do like this outfit; it just screams vintage in its styling. The shoes are absolutely beautiful and so is the purse. The jewelry seems to be well made, too.



On the negative side, as it was with Equestrienne, I found the tailoring to be poor. The buttons on the top were placed too far to the right, meaning that when fastened, you could still see them. For most of these photos, I removed them digitally.



The monkey fur seemed like an odd choice, too. This "negative" is probably more a matter of taste; perhaps it is truly authentic to the time period. In the future, when Gene wears this outfit, I will most likely swap the monkey fur out for one of her regular black furs.



I'm not sure what is next for Vita, but I will be keeping my eye on her. I do so badly want her to succeed, as it would be nice to have another option when it comes to well-made articulated 16" vintage fashion dolls. Hopefully Horsman can improve her with each release.

See more Urban Vita photos on my regular website.

Urban Vita: Equestrienne

When I first began seeing Horsman's Urban Vita line, I liked the clothes, but was not crazy about the doll's face or the look of the plastic. It just looked cheap. Happily for my wallet, I was able to avoid both doll and outfits. Things changed though when I saw the promotional photos for "Equestrienne." The outfit really piqued my interest, looking like a cool blend of Kentucky Derby, Auntie Mame, and a high-class circus. I couldn't resist. Patience was required though, as it took 9 months from payment for the doll to be released. My initial plan was to ditch the doll and keep the outfit.



Once the doll arrived though, I was pleasantly surprised. The outfit was packaged separately from the doll, which was a bit odd, as typically I am used to having a dressed doll arrive...well, dressed. Call me lazy, but I like to see her arrive dressed exactly as she is in the promo photos. Still, not a real big issue.



The doll itself impressed upon first glance. The face was MUCH better in person. I actually decided to keep her. And with 19 points of articulation, my mind was reeling from the possibilities. I still wasn't crazy about the plastic, but in person, it looked much better than the photos I'd seen. Yup...I thought I had a keeper.



The costume fits snugly on Vita; no room for give at all. The white blouse had one part in the front that refused to lay flat; it puckered out no matter how I pulled on it. The jacket fastens to the blouse, but it too refused to lay flat, which kept the decorative buttons from being seen and showed the inside fasteners. I was beginning to get annoyed. Once I attempted to pose the doll for photos, I got further annoyed. My visions of JAMIEshow Gene getting replaced as a favorite quickly faded away. The poses didn't really hold as well as I expected (or as I had read about), and the doll had a difficult time standing up without continually falling over. On the plus side, she does fit into Gene's outfits.



On the negative side, her pizza-sized feet prevent her from wearing all of Gene's shoes (the Integrity ones seem to fit, but the AD ones do not).



Phoenix came out of her box to model the outfit, which fit her just fine. The hat is perfect (one of the best doll hats ever) and I love the little riding crop. What a cool accessory! Much better than the molded one that the Franklin Mint made years ago for Jackie Kennedy.



Final decision: the outfit stays, but the doll goes.



When I turned the doll around to get a bit of the back detail of the outfit, I noticed that one of the buttons was missing and the other one was dangling.



I contacted Sharon at MM Treasures, who I bought the doll from, and asked if the jacket could be replaced. She IMMEDIATELY responded, apologized, and put me in touch directly with Horsman. Their response? A very terse:

"We are at a trade show until 2/13. Will address issue upon return."

I am hoping that "address" means "replace" as far as the jacket goes. Rodeo Drive Vita is supposed to arrive tomorrow. Look for further updates!

See more Urban Vita photos on my regular website.