After a couple of weeks the first surprise was a little note in the post from Parcel Force informing me of ‘custom charges’ pus an £8 fee for the pleasure of ‘handling’ all this on my humble behalf! Now I have bought a fair few things from the US both via private individuals and companies and never have I had to pay charges before. Hmm perhaps it is something to do with our failing economy and every government agency grabbing money were it can? Even from poor unsuspecting doll lovers!

Well after getting over the shock of yet paying out more money my parcel finally arrived a couple of days later. Amongst the items were the Corkscrew Ally Diorama (now at a very reasonable price) and Jasper, my first Dynamite Girl (another snip at $20!). However when I got to the final item, my precious Gene, the box seemed a little… well… a little light. The tape on the outer shipper had also been tampered with and when I dove into the doll box proper… dun dun dah … Gene was missing! Nada, gone, nowhere at all to be seen! When I say missing, actually her shoes were there, her bathing suit was there, her towel was there, even her hairnet and paperwork were there. Just NO Gene Marshall! Poor Gene had been stripped naked and stolen away.

The packaging for the entire consignment was intact when I took possession so I couldn’t even blame this outrage on the evil border control or some disgruntled Parcel Force guy. With that in mind I emailed Integrity right away and they got back to me right away too and couldn’t have been nicer. A new doll was promised and to be sent as a gift in order keep the border guys off the scent. Honestly I cannot praise their customer service enough.

So today was the day I finally got my hands on Gene Marshall Calendar Shot!

P.S. I still had to pay more custom charges even though she was sent as a gift. Darn those border guys!

The Dynamite Girls are hitting the beaches on the upper east coast this summer for a much needed vacation from the hustle and bustle of the fashion world in New York.  Joining Jett, Sooki and Aria is a new guy in town.  His name is Kyu and he’s a Korean Pop singer.  He’s in New York for a photo shoot that the girls are styling, but he may be sticking around a bit longer now.

The Dynamite Girls see a several male characters introduced to the line included this rather handsome chap Kyu.

Above is the Dynamite Girls Plastic inevitable Collection. This new collection is inspired by New York’s bustling art and counter-culture scene of the late 1960s and early 1980s.  Two new guys join the Dynamite Girls in this collection.  Auden is an in-demand hair and makeup artist and Remi is becoming a top fashion photographer in the industry.  Together, with the girls, they make a great team!

Above is the New FR: Monogram collection, Passionate, Bemused and Envied…

Fashion Royalty The New Close-ups Collection

“Veronique looks stunning as she wears a one piece black lingerie outfit with matching black stockings for her debut.  Her long, raven  hair (rooted) falls gently around her shoulders.  Veronique wears stud earrings and has matching black shoes.  Veronique is back and ready to get into the game!”

“This version of Veronique compliments the raven haired doll perfectly!  Blonde and beautiful, Veronique has an identical set of lingerie, only her outfit is in black and pink colors with black stockings.  This blonde bombshell also wears stud earrings.  Veronique sets her sights on leading W Cosmetics into another fabulous year!”

Lukas Maverick has quite the little reputation on the streets of London. He’s known as “Gorgeous” for more reasons than one.

Born in Amsterdam, Lukas moved to the UK when he was old enough to have tasted the no-holds-barred culture his native city has to offer. Lukas is well versed in the various arts of physical pleasure and never misses a chance to have fun with someone new. When his family moved to London two years ago, Lukas missed the thrills of his native city and wished he could go back; but that quickly changed when he was head-hunted by Kyori Sato to become the first male on the modelling team of Missima Cosmetics. Lukas doesn’t miss his hometown so much anymore. His taste for mischief and being surrounded by so many cute girls all the time simply took over. For the moment, Lukas is the new and only face of Missima Men, a line of after-shave products that promised to reduce the burning sensation of shaving but has in reality caused more allergic reactions than the Missima chemists care to admit.

Still, Lukas enjoys the attention for now; but his is an unstable persona, and who knows where this young heartthrob will end up next. Will he start hanging out with Pierre and Francisco in Paris? Will he stay put in London? No, no one thinks so. This boy has way too much ambition and wants to take the world by storm!

Current Status: Managed to make his dreams come true and created the Nu.Face Agency. Just like a seasoned pro, Lukas leads his girls to the top of the modelling industry!
Best Friend: Whoever’s around right now
Foe: None. (Lukas doesn’t stick around people long enough to make any.)

Love Interest: Hum. Cough. Cough.

Mentor and Personal Guide: Kyori Sato (He views her advice as gold.)

Loves: Pleasure

Hates: When he’s not the focus of attention

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L’Enfant Terriblé, with green eyes, bright red hair in a side-parted ponytail and black nails, has an incredibly daring look

The Cissy fashion doll by Madame Alexander was first manufactured in 1955 and was described at the time as “the doll with the figure and features of a debutante, is the newest and most exciting doll in the world.” She featured a more adult body shape, arched feet for high heels and articulation previously unknown at that time. She was, in fact, the forerunner of fashion dolls as we know them, including Barbie who came along 4 years later.

It was with great interest then that I learnt Cissy was to have a makeover thanks to uber-designer of dolls Jason Wu and his unique talent and vision. The collections he has come up with are divided into two: the ‘NEOCissy’, which is futuristic and edgy and the more classic, 50′s flavoured, ‘Cissy Collection’. Both collections consist of three dolls each possessing an increased level of articulation due to 15 joints. The dolls therefore lend themselves to more realistic poseability and are 16” and 21” in height respectively.

Both Jason Wu collections will be available at FAO Schwarz and online at MadameAlexander.com as soon as August 2010.

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