Claudia Schiffer Barbie finally gets a commercial release - is the doll meeting expectations?

Back in 2017, for her 30th career anniversary and the release of her book, Mattel made an OOAK Barbie in the likeness of Claudia Schiffer, the famous supermodel from Germany. That doll recreated one of Claudia Schiffer’s iconic looks from a 1994 Ellen Von Unwerth photo shoot for Vogue Italia, wearing a metallic Versace dress. Three years later, to celebrate the model’s 50th birthday, Mattel presented two more OOAK Claudia Barbies: one wearing a Versace 1994 Atelier blue gown, and another dressed in a Balmain design similar to one worn by Schiffer in the label’s spring 2016 campaign.

Credit: The Mega Agency

Credit: The Mega Agency

Now, Mattel decided to release a commercial Barbie Claudie, recreating the cerulean pleated floor-length gown by Versace, combined with a faille taffeta bustier inspired by the signature Versace corset bodice. Per Mattel “The doll makes a bold statement, pairing Schiffer’s strength and femininity with Versace’s luxurious glamour”.

Supermodel Claudia Schiffer Barbie® Doll in Versace

Designer: Carlyle Nuera

Label: Platinum

Face Sculpt: Claudia Schiffer likeness

Body Type: Pivotal

Includes Certificate of Authenticity

Doll cannot stand alone. Doll stand included. Colours and decorations may vary. Purchase limits subject to change at the sole discretion of Mattel.

SKU#: HCB94

The Story: Claudia Schiffer chose what Barbie would wear for a doll in her honour. This is one of her all-time favourite gowns, celebrating an iconic ‘90s fashion moment. "Recreating the gown in Barbie scale was a fun challenge,” says designer Carlyle Nuera. “I studied any photo I could find and watched videos of the runway show over and over.” Strappy heels, blonde curls, and soft makeup complete the look. This doll is inspired by the 2020 design made in honour of Schiffer's 50th birthday.

Am I the only one that thinks they did a hatchet job on the new doll? The face paint does not replicate the model faithfully, even though the doll sculpt is the same used in the OOAK dolls. Of course one cannot expect a commercial doll to have the same standards as a one off doll, but still I believe for the price, ($85 in the US, at least $170 in Europe) they could have done better. The hair is also not styled very well. The gown is weird - why would anyone gather a pleated fabric at the waist, when the original design is not like this? Probably to create volume at the bottom of the dress, since the pleats are straight and not like the original. The sewing of the corset is also not that good. And those plastic shoes? For such a limited release, it is awful. There seems to be a discrepancy regarding the quantity of dolls produced: the US certificates give 5,000, the EU ones 1,000. It may refer to the specific markets but they could have just written 6,000.

All doll photos courtesy of Mattel. Claudia Schiffer photos by Ellen Von Unwerth unless otherwise stated.

A pastel concoction: the 4th W Club doll, Mademoiselle Eden

The fourth W Club exclusive doll was revealed yesterday to members, a frothy pastel concoction designed by Jessy Ayala, taking most of its elements from Versace. The doll was enthusiastically welcomed by most members. Let’s take a look at her.

Item # 82120A

Mademoiselle Eden

Eden Blair™ Dressed Doll

The NU. Face Collection

2019 W Club Exclusive

Estimated Arrival: Spring 2020

Price: $145 + S & H

Edition Size: TBA

Head Sculpt: Eden

Body Type: NF 3.0

Skin Tone: FR White

Hair Color: Pastel Amethyst

Eyelashes: Yes, hand-applied

Quickswitch: No

The Story:

Included:

• 12" fully articulated doll with rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes;

• Rococo inspired pastel mini-dress and jacket featuring oversized "gold" button details;

• Long socks;

• Intricately designed spectator pumps with "jeweled" bow detailing;

• Jewelry set composed of a necklace, earrings and ring;

• Delicately detailed purse;

• Alternate paid of hands;

• Stand;

• Certificate of authenticity.

Final fabrics, colors and textures may vary slightly. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only.

Soooooo… I LIKE HER! Which is kind of weird, considering that pastels are not my forte. Or the Blair twins in general. But the styling is great here. My first reaction seeing the photos was “Versace!”. It brought to mind many things from various periods, but mostly the Spring 1992 collection,

It was one of his most successful and popular collections, one that Donatella mines to death in her latest releases. It’s iconic for the brand and it has been copied by everyone. The shoes are more recent though, even if inspired by older designs: Fall 2018, in various colours. I bet they will be hell to put on the doll.

Even though the general style was reminiscent of Versace, the actual dress was not to be found in his collections. But then my friend Makis came to the rescue: it is a Saint Laurent dress, shown below as sold by Barneys NY.

Photo courtesy of Barneys NY.

Makis correctly commented that the bows pop in the real dress, while they are part of the structure in the doll version. I’m guessing cost is the main reason for the difference. Plus the doll dress has pockets!

For a more Rococo style, I’d rather have some ringlets added to her hairstyle, on the sides and the back. Which I guess can be done to the existing hair. She’ll be a modern French court lady at Versailles!

Did you notice that her SKU number has the letter A at the end? That means there’s a variation with her twin, Lilith, coming soon. Will it be a lottery? Part of Dolly Days? I’m guessing we will discover it soon enough.

Offer Type: W Club Exclusive Pre-order.

Participation Deadline: November 27th, 2019, Noon Eastern time.

Pricing (FOR W CLUB MEMBERS ONLY): $145.00 + S&H each (a deposit of $25 is owed now to reserve your doll and a balance of $120 + shipping and handling will be due upon the doll's arrival next Spring 2020).

Final Edition Size: To be determined- will be based on all pre-orders received.

Shipping Timing: Approximately Spring 2020.

Availability: 2019 W Club members only.

Pre-order Limit: Up to 1 Eden doll per membership.

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. NU. FACE 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.

Welcome to Miami! The 2nd W Club exclusive doll for 2019 is Ocean Drive Agnes Von Weiss!

The proverbial ink (virtual of course) wasn’t even dry on the first W Club doll preorder and the second one arrived in our inboxes! "Ocean Drive" Baroness Agnes Von Weiss™ mini gift set, designed by IT designer Jessy Ayala, is the new beauty on the horizon, 1 of the 5 total W Club Exclusive Dolls offered throughout the Club year (there are still 3 left).

Item # 91447

Ocean Drive

Baroness Agnes Von Weiss™

Dressed Doll Mini Gift Set The Fashion Royalty® Collection

2019 W Club Exclusive

Expected Ship Date: Fall 2019

Special Member-Only Pricing:$165.00 + S & H

Edition Size: TBD

Head Sculpt: Agnes

Foot Sculpt: High heel

Skin Tone: FR Black

Hair Color: Dark Espresso

Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

Quickswitch: No

Included:

• 12.5" fully articulated doll with rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes;
• High-fashion, ocean inspired, hand-drawn and custom printed bathing suit with matching sheer sun-skirt;
• Matching hand-drawn and custom printed open-toe sandals;
• Newly designed "golden" seashell-inspired jewelry set, which includes ankle and wrist bangle bracelets, elaborate drop earrings, starfish ring;
• Alternate set of jewelry composed of earrings, necklace and cuff bracelet;
• Perfectly draped, ankle length cocktail dress with micro-sequins at the back and delicate chain shoulder strap details;
• "Golden" spectator heels to match Agnes' evening look;
• Clutch purse;
• Oversized sunglasses;
• Pair of hands (with long nails);
• Alternate pair of hands (with short nails);
• Doll stand;
• Certificate of authenticity.

First time for Agnes in FR black. She’s gorgeous, isn’t she? We have seen her before in skintones other than her usual, white-as-porcelain complexion, and it suits her a lot. The swimsuit and wrap skirt look is definitely inspired by similar Versace looks, more recently seen in the tribute collection last year. The yellow/golden draped dress is more difficult to pinpoint; people have tried to match it to Versace chainmail dresses, to a Kim Kardashian look (based on her hairstyle, sheesh!), but to me it looks a lot like an older Fashion Royalty dress, the one worn by On The Rise Elyse Jolie. 

She has a great looking face, looks very different than her previous darker skin editions, plus her accessories are fantastic: two pairs of shoes, a nice bag, earrings that look like the Versace Medusa, charm bracelets, a starfish ring, plus a redesigned version of the older Fashion Royalty coin necklace. Just wish she had a more modern design for her (seen before a lot) sunglasses. Maybe if I could find some gold shells or starfish in scale and glue them on the sunglasses? The W Club informed us that she mails in a regular doll box, so shipping is cheaper than other giftsets. Good work IT!

Offer Type:W Club Exclusive pre-order.
Participation Deadline: June 21st, 2019, Noon Eastern time.
Special Mini Gift Set Pricing: $165.00 + S&H per set.($25 NRD deposit per mini gift set due now; balance of $140.00 + S & H per mini gift set due approximately Fall 2019).
Final Edition Size: To be determined- will be based on all pre-orders received.
Shipping Timing: Approximately Fall 2019.
Availability: 2019 W Club members only.
Order Limit: Up to 1 mini gift set per membership.

THE DEADLINE TO PRE-ORDER THIS MINI GIFT SET IS NORTH AMERICAN EASTERN TIME.JUNE 21ST, 2019 AT NOON

Doll shown is a prototype. Final fabrics, hand-drawn bathing suit print, colors and textures may vary slightly. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only. 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 ofIntegrity 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.

The 2016 Integrity Toys Convention: Supermodels part IX: The W Club Luncheon

After a Friday night without an official event (only the Bazaar was on), Saturday morning arrived and the last convention day. This means, first of all,  the W Club Members-Only Luncheon. This year it featured Nu Face and the centerpiece was Erin sitting on a miniature motorcycle (which you can find on ebay for more or less the same price one could get it in the convention, it's a Honda Valkyrie model miniature). During the event, W Club owner and stage-host Carol Roth hosted a Q & A panel featuring the IT design team. The designers answered questions that club members sent in online last week. The gift doll was a new-sculpt Colette doll. Jesse Ayala is taking over the Nu Face line design.

In other news, the AHS: Coven first doll is appearing near the end of the month and the first doll will be Angela Basset's Marie Laveau. They confirmed what many suspected, the demise of the Dynamite Girls line. The Industry line is its replacement, will use some of those sculpts but at almost double the price. Makes financial sense, no?

Item # 82079
Full Speed
Erin S.™ / NU. Face Dressed Doll
W Club Luncheon Exclusive Table Centerpiece
The 2016 Integrity Toys SUPERMODEL Convention
Limited Edition of 400 Centerpieces
*Motorcycle not included. Sold separately.

This Erin is of course inspired by the famous photoshoot by Peter Lindbergh for thr September 1991 issue of American Vogue seen below:

Cindy Crawford, Tatjana Patitz, Helena Christensen, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Karen Mulder, and Stephanie Seymour. Styled by Grace Coddington, All wearing Versace jackets and skirts.

Supermodel Helena Christensen channeling Marlon Brando in “The Wild One” in an Erez leather jacket and Harley-Davidson leather biker cap –Image by Peter Lindbergh

Erin looks great and her outfit as well, apart from the oversize cap. 

So is she Helena or Cindy? Maybe Stephanie? Or Karen?

The bike she was shown on is below. 50 of the attendees were raffled to buy these. You can find it on ebay.

She had nice accessories too

Item # 82080
Checking In
Colette D.™ / NU. Face Dressed Doll
W Club Luncheon Exclusive Giveaway Doll
The 2016 Integrity Toys SUPERMODEL Convention
Limited Edition of 400 Dolls Only

So this is the new sculpt for Colette. This has been a long time coming. Last appearance of the old one as Colette was back in the Rock Wedding Trio if I remember correctly.

The outfit is from Azedinne Alaia's Tati collection from 1991 as seen below on Christy:

She has a ring too and the mules look just like Christy's above left. Pity she does not have a bag.

Note: The pictures contained in this email show the prototypes and the final dolls may vary slightly.All doll photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2016 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission.

The 2016 Integrity Toys Convention: Supermodels part VII: The Fashion Royalty Luncheon

The Fashion Royalty luncheon was held on Friday, with a very special guest: Veronica Webb. One of the top models of the 90s (as much as I like her I would not use the term supermodel for her), she gave a nice interview to Carol Roth and after it posed with the attendees and had an autograph session too. Below is one of her 90s photos from French Vogue, in her signature quirky style...

...and here she is this year posing for the ad campaign of Sophie Theallet. She's still got it:

As in all events, there were two dolls featured, a centerpiece and a gift doll. Let's check them out.

Item # 91408

Legendary

Natalia Fatalé™ Dressed Doll

Friday Luncheon Table Centerpiece

The 2016 Integrity Toys SUPERMODEL Convention

Limited Edition of 350 Pieces Only

Once again a Versace outfit and once again from his bondage collection (the look-book of which I photocopied in colour back in the day, to keep). This was worn on the runway by Carla Bruni finished with a gorgeous parka...

...and in the look-book and ads by Christy Turlington

So Natalia is channelling either one of these two beauties.

She's stunning. I hope I can get her at one point.

Look at those shoes. And the jewellery is so very Versace.

Item # 91409

Shade

Kyori Sato™ Dressed Doll

Friday Luncheon Exclusive Giveaway Doll

The 2016 Integrity Toys SUPERMODEL Convention

Limited Edition of 500 Dolls

Compared to Natalia, Kyori looks boring, although she is lovely. But she looks like the Dangerous To Know Kyori, which was the giveaway doll in the Premier convention back in 2013 with a more intricate hairdo and better dress.  This one is by Dolce and Gabbana, worn by the supermodels in their Vanity Fair photo shoot by Mario Testino, back in 2008:

Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Stephanie Seymour, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington and Claudia Schiffer wearing Dolxe and Gabbana, photo by Mario Testino for Vanity Fair 

The jewellery is Versace though, so the dress could be from him too.

Note: The pictures contained in this email show the prototypes and the final dolls may vary slightly. All doll photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2016 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission