A few days ago, WClub members received an email offering them the chance to participate in a lottery for a surprise doll: a Jason Wu Elyse. It is a recreation of a Fall 2017 Jason Wu outfit, which you can see further below. The small edition and the designer outfit definitely makes the doll wanted by collectors. There are some issues though, on which I will further elaborate.
Item # 10237
JWU Fall 2017
Elyse Jolie™ Dressed Doll
Jason Wu Collection
Edition Size: 450
Head Sculpt: Elyse
Body Type: FR
Foot Sculpt: High Heel
Skin Tone: FR White
Hair Color: Blonde
Eyelashes: Yes
Quickswitch: No
Included:
12" fully articulated figure with rooted hair;
Intricately designed miniature Jason Wu gown inspired by a real-life design first shown in his Fall 2017 collection, featuring delicately applied, multi-colored, Swarovski crystals;
"Patent leather" high-heel mules;
Intricately detailed "gold" earrings;
Alternate paid of hands;
Doll stand;
Certificate of authenticity.
Final fabrics, colors and textures may vary slightly. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only.
Offer Type: Right-to-buy lottery.
Participation Deadline: Nov 7th, 2019, Noon Eastern time.
Pricing (FOR W CLUB MEMBERS ONLY): $225.00 + S&H each.
Final Edition Size: 450 dolls.
Shipping Timing: In-stock, should ship shortly after winners have paid.
Availability: 2019 W Club members only.
Right-to-buy Participation Limit: Max. one (1) lottery ticket per 2019 membership only.
In a year where production issues have plagued the company and the release of all their main doll collections, which forced the company to focus on delivering most of their product at the convention, a surprise doll offering and of such high caliber, means probably that the doll was destined for the convention. The edition number surely is that of a regular souvenir doll or a centerpiece. A wild guess (and all this is guessing only), is that she was designed and made as the souvenir doll for 2019 convention, but as the brouhaha with the added participants unfolded, they realised that they could not make more of the same to satisfy demand, so they switched to the Spring 2017 Elyse (a 700 edition). Similarly, she could have been the centerpiece to match the souvenir doll (Spring and Fall 2017 dolls), instead of the offered Vanessa one (a 550 edition). Again, this is only speculation.
What bothers me about this doll a lot is the quality of the dress recreation. No matter the Swarovski crystals or the beautifully rendered doll, the dress looks a mess. Stiff, with crude embellishments, it looks nothing like the dress it is supposed to be. And if it was so hard to recreate the original in doll form, like so many others have been done exquisitely in the past, just pick another one. For the asking price alone, this should have been resolved before manufacturing it.
All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2019 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission. FASHION ROYALTY and all other character marks followed by ™ or ® are trademarks of Integrity Toys, Inc. Chesapeake City MD USA 21915. All rights reserved. The W Club is a trademark of Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. Doll Photography by Jayme Thornton. Layouts and graphics by Alain Tremblay, Marketing.