New doll: Barbie Fashionista with vitiligo plus life update
Wow, all of the sudden it's June. It feels like two days ago was February and I just moved here. Where have all these weeks gone? The school year hasn't officially finished yet, but most of my projects and classes are already finished. In fact, I already know I have passed one of my classes with at least a 70%, even though the official grades don't come out until July. So, since I'm a bit more relaxed now, I thought I might come here and tell you a bit about my newest dolls.
A couple of weeks ago, when things started going back to normal, I was looking through Amazon and found that there were a few dolls on sale. I got the Fashionista with Vitiligo for around 10€ (instead of the whooping 14€ that they seem to be sold these days) and I also got the BMR1959 curvy doll. I will do a separate post on the BMR doll, because I want to go more in depth with her and do some comparisons.
I haven't bought many dolls for the past two years, not only because I have less budget to expend on dolls now, but because I have lots of dolls that I could spend more time loving, so I've decided I will only buy those dolls that really catch my eye. And, luckily, not many dolls have caught my eye recently. However, this particular doll has appealed to me since Mattel started teasing us on their @barbiestyle posts. Of course, I had to get her, and finally here we have her!
She has such a cute and friendly face. She has the carnaval sculpt, which I don't particularly love, but I think she looks adorable. The patches on her face seem to be part of her face screening/paint, as they have a satin finish.
Besides her face, she has patches on her shoulder and both her arms. I took her clothes off to see if she had more patches, but she only has the ones you can see in the photos. I guess that, for a 10€ doll, we can't complain much. I've also noticed that her arms are more rubbery than other Fashionistas', but I don't know if it's only her or all the newest dolls. Maybe it was easier to paint the patches on that rubbery plastic than on a harder one.
I'm really happy with this doll and I've had a blast photographing her. Her face is quite expressive, which makes up for her lack of articulation. I could probably rebody into a Made To Move Yellow top body and paint the patches with multi surface paint, but then she would not be a petite Barbie anymore. For now, I think I'm going to leave her as she is.
Overall, I think she's quite a unique doll and worth the price I paid for her. The quality isn't outstanding, but it's better that some other dolls Mattel is putting out there these days. The dress even feels quite nice and fits her well, even though the print is not what I would have gone for. It's quite simple, and I can't stop thinking if maybe this dress would be something easy enough to recreate if I ever learn how to sew.
In other not doll related news, we're slowly making progress in the house. The whole lockdown situation got us by surprise, and we weren't able to go to shop things that we needed for the house, or even go back to our old house to finish moving. I couldn't pick the backgrounds I use for photos until 2 weeks ago. I don't want to complain much because the situation has been quite serious, and this is just a minor inconvenient, but it feels great to be back to normal and start fixing things again.
When it comes to the doll room, we've made some progress. Finally, all of my dolls are on the shelves, but they're sitting because I can't find the rest of my doll stands. I still need to arrange the clothes and accessories, but that will have to wait until the end of June.
As I showed on a previous post, I have one small desk where I study and work. When Mr. Monster started working from home, we put a small round folding table that we got from my grandparents house when they passed away (one of those things you keep "just in case") and a garden chair, so he could have his small work station. Our original plan was to get one of those desks that allow you to regulate the height, since the one I have is quite short. But, because of the situation, we haven't been able to get one yet, so we got this big resin table that was on sale at Carrefour, and for now we'll use it in our work space. It's a bit low for me, so I have my laptop on top of a piece of styrofoam that came with some electrical appliance. We don't know how long Mr. Monster will have to work from home, but for now this will do. I also have a fruit trolley that's waiting to get cleaned, where I'll put my craft supplies.
The house and the doll room still need a lot of work, but we'll get there. School doesn't finish this year until late June (I believe the 26th or 27th), so I don't think I will be able to post much before that date. I have a few ideas for posts, and I've been really looking forward to trying an idea I had for backgrounds, but I haven't been able to go to the craft store. Hopefully, I'll manage to come back with a more creative post by early July.
Hope you're all doing well, and I'll "see" you as soon as possible
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Hi Linda! Thank you so much for your kind words, I'm glad you like my photos. I am not the best photographer, but I try to improve. I don't do as many reviews lately because I thought they weren't as interesting as other content. Plus, I can't compete with others who get the dolls much earlier than I do.
ReplyDeleteThanks Linda. Just after publishing the post, I got an e-mail that I got 80%. However, I won't have any more grades until July, but I feel confident about the work I've done.
I'm the one that bans my partner from the room while I'm in a video meeting! But most of them take place when he has already finished working, so no big deal. The work space is not what we had in mind, but it will have to do for now.
I also hope more people would join us. I do agree, some blogs you won't come across them if someone doesn't recommend them. However, providing links to those blogs does help with they position on search engines.
Hugs to you too.
Hi MC, well you know I'm not really a Barbie enthusiast, but this one is quite striking and the dress should be a really easy one to try and recreate, even if you have never sewn before. Actually if you are not fond of the dress, you could pull it apart and use it for a pattern, then you'd be sure it would fit. I must admit this doll is very photogenic, or perhaps you are simply an excellent photographer. :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the 80% pass, that result must make you feel pretty darn happy and pleased with yourself.
I was going to do a post on the blogs, but many of those I read have already been covered and I have a full blog list in my side bar, so perhaps I will leave it for now and do one later when and if I discover any new blogs that tickle my fancy. :)
Big hugs,
X
Hi Xanadu! The best thing about this hobby and the blog community is that we get a chance to appreciate the charm of other dolls, even if it's not what we collect. I don't completely dislike the dress, I think the yellow suits her, I would just prefer if it had a tropical pattern. I will try to find a way to recreate this dress. Thanks, I'm glad you like my photos. I don't think I'm very good at it, but then I take a look at my older photos and I see I there's some improvement.
ReplyDeleteI'm really happy with the grade, specially because I thought I wasn't doing a good job in that particular class. Now I just need to focus on the few projects I have left.
You have plenty of time to do your list, if you want to. I do see your point about not wanting to repeat lots of blogs, because it won't be a real "discovery"; but it's OK if you mention a couple that others have also recommended
Have a great rest of the week.
Although I normally don't collect contemporary dolls, this lady has caught my eye. She's so unique and I like that about the products that Mattel has been releasing these past several years. I also like the BMR series, the dolls just stand out to me. I haven't got any of them yet but I do love the Ken with male bun. I've recently seen him repainted as Japanese and rerooted with long hair. He has so much potential!
ReplyDeleteLove your doll shelves :) and I know the problem of constantly being short of doll stands. That's because I usually prefer to buy dolls rather than the stands for them and then I can't display them properly, plus it would be nice to have a few spare doll stands for when I photograph them.
Hello Coffee and dolls! Welcome to my blog. Mattel has had some fails and misses this past years, but they've also had some hits. The new Fashionistas line have some interesting dolls, like this lady, or the ones with a prosthetic leg. The BMR have been a major hit for them, even though the fashions are just not for me. And I do agree, they offer so much potential for customization.
DeleteThanks, I'm glad you like them. But besides being short on doll stands, I do have a box full of them that I don't know where it is. I also prefer to expend money on dolls than on doll stands, but I this point I think I will have to get a few, because this is getting out of control.
Thanks for stopping by.
What a lovely doll! Her face is super cute! And, even though she isn't M2M, she poses beautifully. If you're not wild about the dress (which, I admit, is very bright), you can always take it apart and use it as a pattern. It looks fairly simple and easy to sew, especially since there aren't sleeves.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen the 2020 BMR dolls? I've only gotten glimpses on Instagram, but they look pretty neat (no boys, though��).
Congratulations on your grades! You should be proud.
Hello Amanda! Agree, she's very cute. Stiff dolls with a bended arm tend to pose better than those whose arms are straight. I will probably try to sketch out a pattern without tearing it appart, and see how it works. Now I just need to find my sewing machine.
DeleteI've seen them, but I'm not a big fan. My favourite so far is the tall one with the green boots, but the rest are not really speaking to me. There's still one left to be revealed, that was described as "redhead". Rumours are that it will be a redhead Ken, but nothing has been confirmed.
Yay! I'm indeed quite happy. Thanks for your kind words and for stopping by. Hope to see you more around here in the near future. Take care.
Oh, I really like this doll! Because I don't want to lose her Vitaligo markings on her body, I decided not to rebody mine. I did purchase some joints though, so will be making some mods to this body to add the joints. I will post that when I get it done. I promise to start doing posts again soon!
ReplyDeleteHi Phyllis! Nice to see you around again! I'm really interesting in those body modifications, since it could be a way to keep her a petite and make her articulated. Most people I've seen have rebodied her and painted the patches in the new body, some even adding more.
DeleteI really hope we can see more posts from you in the near future, you've been missed around here. Thanks for stopping by.
I thought I had commented on this post but obviously didn't! I wanted to say that I like this girl, it's great that Matell are making Barbies that everyone can relate too and identify with.
ReplyDeleteIf you wanted to, you could use this dress as a pattern, I think it would be very easy to make a similar dress in fabric that you prefer.
Big hugs xx
Hi Sharon. If it makes you feel better, it has happened to be before, that I forget to comment. I agree, it's fantastic that they're making more diverse and inclusive dolls. They also have 2 dolls with prosthetic legs, which is great.
DeleteI believe My Froggy Stuff has made patterns using existing doll clothes, so I could give it a try. I haven't been able to go to the craft or the fabric store, so we'll see when can I get craft and sewing supplies.
Thanks for stopping by.
This is a really lovely post. When I look at your new doll, it reminds me of a summer school student I had years ago. Like the doll, she was very pretty. But unfortunately she was afflicted with vitiligo. Unlike other women I have known with this condition, this young lady refused to wear the makeup to cover it up. And since this condition is rarely seen in France, people on the street stopped to stare at her. At one point, I asked her why she didn't wear the makeup and she responded, "This is who I am. Why should I cover up!" And she was right. On one of my last trips to Paris, I was amazed to find that Chantelle Winnie, a model with vitiligo had been chosen as the spokes model for the fashion firm, Desigual. Find some colorful fabric in an abstract print, wrap it around your doll and put a belt on it. Voila! Scarf fashion that will be better suited to her personality!!!
ReplyDeleteHello April. That's a wonderful story, I love that she refused to hide her condition to avoid others staring at her. I had a friend with vitiligo too, but she was so pale that I didn't notice for years until she told me.
DeleteI know who Winnie Harlow is, I believe she's a big name in the fashion industry now. I wish she wasn't an exception, and more diverse models got hired based on their talent, despite their shape, color or ability.
Thanks for stopping by.
I also love this new barbie and hope to add her! She's so unique and I love that there are people out there that can look at her and feel "wow, she looks like me!". That must be such an amazing feeling to finally have a doll that you can relate to. I'm glad to hear that your house is coming along! I'm hoping to see some new dolls in my local Walmart, but we still have the old wave. I've been seeing some people on IG that have finally got the new releases from Amazon, but there is just something special about picking them out in person. :) I actually got one of the budget swim dolls recently that I want to rebody, but she has the prettiest face!
ReplyDeleteHi Farrah! If you have the chance, get her. I do agree, it's great that kids nowadays have more dolls that they can relate to. I did buy mine on Amazon because, despite prefering to buy them in stores, I haven't seen her around. From the new releases, I'm not very interested in any except the doll with the prosthetic leg (I didn't get the previous one). Some of the dolls are cute, but since Mattel decided to make the Made to Move bodies more "exclusive" and hard to find, I don't really need more dolls that I won't probably be able to rebody.
DeleteThanks for your lovely comment.
Have seen this doll around on the Instagram when checking some tags with Barbie and I think she is very pretty and I am glad that Barbie decided to make some dolls with different features like this. And I agree with Xanadu with her comment - take apart the dress and use it like a pattern. I know that there are some easy patterns out there on the net too, that does not require advanced sewing skills. And as you mention - MyFroggyStuff have great stuff :D
ReplyDeleteHi Niina! Thanks for taking the time to comment on my last two posts. I'm also very happy with the diversity that Mattel is adding to their Barbie line. The only downside is that the quality is not great, I wish they took care of that. I might try to make a pattern out of the dress without taking it appart, to see if it works. I've been checking a blog you recommended that has patterns, but none of them seem to be for petite Fashionistas. Anyway, as you say, there are tons of free patterns out on the Internet.
Delete