Last year, during the presentation for the main Integrity Toys collections, the event doll was none other then Agnes Von Weiss as a lovely gift-set. This incarnation of hers is called High Visibility and it caused a minor uproar among collectors at the time because her lips were not painted in her usual scowl but in a more straightforward line. I think it is interesting that changes like this appear from time to time on the dolls - it makes the characters more varied and nuanced. She;s a good looking doll and I really enjoyed taking her photos. The edition size of this doll is 1350, made according to the dolls ordered by event attendees.
She comes in a variety of clothing with great mix-and-match possibilities, not only between them but also with the other outfits of the Urban Safari Fashion Royalty line of 2014. These include a corset made in a thick patterned fabric. The thickness of it is a bit off and it makes the corset look huge, destroying its shape, despite the nice detailing with the criss-cross cords on the sides. The hooks for closure in the back do not help either - it would have been better using a zip. The long skirt flares from below the knee. It looks good and matches the rest of the pieces nicely in colour and fabric. The shape though would hold much better if the fabric used was stiffer. It has a zip at the back, which again makes me wonder about not using one on the corset too.
The rest of the pieces make up a day-time outfit: a cropped, sleeveless jacket made of suede, with a belt and buckle closure on the side, over a skirt made in the same fabric as the corset. Remember that Faded Desert Kyori had a skirt made in another shade of this fabric (and the criss-cross detail missing here). You can tell the fabric is too thick by the awkward waist - it does not even have a waistband - not possible with a thick fabric like this.This is a detail that makes the skirt look unfinished and cheap, despite the luxurious texture.
Lots of accessories to use as well. Two pairs of shoes (white strapped sandals and dark brown strapped pumps, both with extra lacing which I could not figure out how to tie properly (hence the sloppy look or total photoshopping of them on the photos). An extra company photo of the shoes properly tied would have helped a lot. There is also a huge tote and a brown straw hat along with sunglasses (in lilac) which are the same style used throughout the Urban Safari outfits. The hoop earrings are a colour variation of the ones Faded Desert Kyori is wearing as well, as are two of her bracelets. Excellent colour co-ordination throughout.
She has an intricate hairstyle - a middle part, with hair swept backwards in two waves, and then forms a double bun at the back. The copper shade matches her Japan skin-tone, as does her make up - coppery eye-shadows and orange-red lipstick.
As I had recently acquired some Silkstone Barbie outfits, I decided to try them on Agnes.and they do fit well, despite the height difference (the skirts just look a bit shorter).
Here she is wearing the Boater Ensemble from the BFC Barbie Silkstone doll of the same name. She absolutely rocks it. I just added the Lady Dior inspired bag from the Fashion Royalty Fashion Spectacular accessories set. Even the tights fit (very tight though due to the length of the legs). I did not try to put on the gloves as they look like oven mittens. She is also wearing another Fashion Royalty bracelet.
Under the jacket is a lovely two-toned dress that looks fantastic on its own as well. I should have put on her a couple of Chanel-style chain necklaces or even a chain belt, they would look lovely with this. The spectator pumps fit perfectly.
The second outfit is from the Capucine Silkstone Barbie doll. Again it fits her nicely and the skirt looks a lot like her own - albeit in the stiffer fabric better suited to this shape. Here you can tell how her height makes the skirt look short. The shoes and jewellery are from On The Rise Elise Jolie from the Urban Safari line. This outfit reminds me a lot of Gianfranco Ferre's work at Dior.
All photos copyright © 2015 by Stratos Bacalis - not to be used or re-published without reference and/or permission.
