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.

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.

Gene: Be Mine!

Today's tribute to Valentine's Day starts with an image of Phoenix Gene modeling the Ashton Drake outfit, Ransom in Red. Phoenix's original platinum wig has been expertly restyled by Kathy Johnson. She's got the best doll salon in town!

Trent hands over the goods to his sweetie, beginning with a box of flowers from Etta's:



Gene opens the box and reads the card inside:



Boy do they smell good!



Trent didn't just stop at flowers, though. A huge red heart-shaped box of candy is also part of the deal:



To maintain her girlish figure, Gene only eats one. Talk about willpower!



Looking into his eyes, Gene lets Trent know that he's the best boyfriend ever!



Happy Valentine's Day; hope you all find the romance you are looking for.

Follow my Gene Marshall, Madra Lord, Zita Charles, Violet Waters, Trent Osborn, Poppy Parker, and other classic movie star doll updates on Twitter. See more Gene Marshall doll 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.

Gene Marshall: Almost a Hitchcock Blonde

Most people know of Alfred Hitchcock's affinity for cool blondes. Tippi Hedren is one of his most famous, having burst onto the scene in "The Birds," Hitch's 1963 classic. The photos from today's post show that Gene Marshall could have given Tippi a run for the money. In photo one, Star Entrance Gene borrows Phoenix's outfit while allowing a crow to pose on her arm.

Photo two finds Gene in Bodega Bay, taking a smoke and beverage break outside of the elementary school used in the film.



Here Gene recreates the famous attic scene. Don't open that door, Gene! Oops...too late...



The last two photos show Gene re-creating two images from Tippi's Look Magazine cover shoot.





The talented Kathy Johnson restyled Star Entrance's hair to make her look just like Tippi and the amazing Diane Wagner created the three-piece green suit that Gene is wearing.

See more Gene Marshall doll photos on my Gene web page.

Gene Marshall and Vanity Fair

When I saw this photo in Vanity Fair, I immediately thought it would look much better on Gene Marshall (no offense to Amber Heard!). I sent the photo to Diane Wagner, and the results can be seen here. I knew it would be good, but was thrilled with the final results. She knocked herself out, making sure the fit was perfect.



The suit itself is even lined, which most people probably wouldn't have bothered with.



Phoenix wears this outfit pretty well, don't you think?



She looks like she just stepped out of the pages of Vanity Fair!



To see more of Diane's amazing work, visit her blog.

See more Gene & Marilyn doll photos on my doll web pages.

Out of the box: Phoenix

Yes, it's true: she's even better in person.



I was surprised to see the wig cap, too—my apprehensions about it are now gone. It doesn't even look like a wig, and the hairline looks just as natural as a regular rooted doll.



The painting/shading on the body is so well done, too. This Gene is truly a work of art.



Now if I only knew how to style hair; I guess I'll just have to wait for some cool new retro wig caps!



The earrings went into the ears easily, the hands are fairly simple to switch, and the posing possibilities are much improved.

It has been wonderful to see Gene literally reborn again; even the older dolls and outfits seem to be getting more lovin', thanks to Phoenix. Kudos to Mel & George!

See more Gene & Marilyn doll photos on my doll web pages.

Rising From The Ashes

Gene is back, and this time, JAMIEshow has got her! The limited edition of 150, titled "Phoenix," sold out quickly; those (like me) who took time to consider the $550 purchase had that decision made for them.



Pros: I LOVE the new resin body. The shading, the quality of the material, and the articulation.



Cons: The face paint just seems a bit bland to me; not sure how to put it into words, but it seems to be lacking the stylistic art deco quality that AD and IT's dolls had. Granted, the IT dolls used more shading, but those Genes still seemed to have a bit more personality. I am also not crazy about the high forehead, which is (most likely) because of the wig caps. Still, a good hairstyle could cover that up with no problem.



So how about you? Are you as excited as I am to know that Gene has risen from the ashes?

FOLLOW-UP: Kudos to George from Jamieshow, who quickly answered my questions despite having just flown back from IDEX. He assured me that the forehead is not any higher than the other Genes, and he also answered my questions about staining:

Yellowing is not an issue like Vinyl, staining is possible but simply washes off with a little soap and water, since resin is not porous like Vinyl it will not penetrate the skin.


I have to admit I am now sorry that I didn't act quicker in attempting to acquire one of these beauties. The photos that the new owners have posted on some of the boards are just beautiful.

See more Gene Marshall doll photos on my Gene Marshall doll web pages.