I find it very amusing when Mattel chooses to preview new dolls on other websites than Barbie Collector.com. The new Herve Leger Barbie 2013 and Coach Barbie 2013 have been previewed on the Barbie Collector Spain website, last night, and I must I’m wowed by them!

First up is the long awaited Herve Leger Barbie that does not disappoint at all! The box, the doll and especially the fashions are just wow! Very high fashion and very classy. The doll is dressed in a beautiful red bondage dress and paired with some gorgeous Herve Leger Halona Multi-Piece Leather Boots.

The second dress is another gorgeous black and white bondage dress that I know I have seen somewhere but can’t seems to remember when or where. I think either Kim Kardashian or Salma Hayek wore it. I’ll keep digging for her. The second pair of boots is a cute ankle high stiletto that looks like the Lilah Laser-Cut Booties that are pictured below.

Together with all these beauties we also have what I think is a premiere in the Barbie world: a harness! It looks like one of the ones featured in Herve Leger’s 2012 fall collection.

Last but not least is a clutch (I think…) that I could identify in any of their collections.

Over all an amazing doll that is rumored to retail at $170. Kind of steep for me but I’m sure she’ll sell out faster than you can say Herve Leger!

The second doll that has been previewed last night is the Coach Barbie 2013.

Even if I’m not as wowed by her as I am by the Herve Leger Barbie, this Coach Barbie is cute and has some very nice fashions. I’m a little bit disappointed by the Lara facemold. Wish they had used another one. For some strange reason I picture her as a Christie. Don’t ask me why. I just think of her that way.

No info yet on the price.

So…are any of these dolls on your wish list?

According to RealityTea.com, the One World Doll Project has partenered with Real Housewivves of Atlanta star Cynthia Bailey to create a doll that will resemble her.

Stacey McBride-Irby announces:

The One World Doll Project has been approached by many celebrities desiring to have a doll created in their image and Cynthia Bailey was the perfect choice to be our first celebrity collectors doll. Over the next few months, we intend to undertake four of these celebrity doll projects which we anticipate will generate approximately $1.2 million in annual revenue for the company.
Partnerships with celebrities like Cynthia Bailey are a key part of our strategy to create shareholder value and establish The One World Doll Project as a significant first- mover in the underserved multi-cultural doll market.

Well…I have to admit I have mixed feelings about this. I have watched the first seasons of RHOA (yeah..a guilty pleasure of mine ) and I like Cynthia but I still think that reality starts are not good role models for…well…anybody. I wonder who the other 3 celebrities are?

Who would you like to see turned into a doll?

Integrity Toys is really killing me with these Jem and The Holograms dolls! I love every one of them so i really should start reconsidering my dolly budget. And the problem is that we have just bought a new apartment so all my family budget will go into that. Not a very good time for buying dolls but this one is just saying “Buy me, Ada! BUY ME!” *sigh*.

Broadway Magic Jem is a W Club Exclusive and comes with a cardboard diorama backdrop which requires assembly (designed by Alain Tremblay), a wireless microphone, a love letter from Rio, tickets and the showbill to her debut show and a ticket to Ellis Island. She’ll retail for $119 and all members of the club must complete their orders until July 17.

Is it just me or the dress really resembles a Barbie Twice as Nice fashion called Double Date?

Info via Fashion Doll Review.

Now this is a very, very nice surprise! The Barbie® Life in the Dreamhouse Collection is up on BarbieCollector.com and each doll costs just $16.99. That’s an amazing price for a doll with articulation, cute face and very nice fashions. Ok, so Barbie’s is not that nice as it’s pink again, but I trullu, trully love this collection!

Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease Mattel do this kind of dolls more often. Pretty please? If you are reading my blog, and I know you are, please, please listen to us, your loving and faithfull collectors: we want more articulation, more realistic fashions and more of the old face molds.

Hi guys. Just a quick post to show you the promo images of the new Barbie Audrey Hepburn Roman Holiday 2013. I found them on the Coleccionistas de Barbie en España Facebook group so the thankyous go out to them.

I’m not really a fan of Barbie dolls inspired by movies of celebrieties but I have to admit this girl is cute. Her face really resembles the actress and the fashion is spot on. If only she had articulation and not that boring Model Muse body. So, so, so sick of it.

I’ve discovered this amazing OOAK artists some time ago with the help of my dear friend Monica from Coleccionistas de Fashion Dolls en Madrid. The Black Swan Company are Francesco Catalano and Mary Deneb, these incredible artists that have created some iconic OOAK dolls such as the Swan dolls in 2011.

I know there are a lot of great OOAK artists out there but the attention to details, the dark beauty of these ballerinas and their amazing grace, has made me fall in love with their creations. I trully hope one day we’ll see them create a convention doll for Mattel, just like Ninimomo and Magia 2000 have done.

Even though I love their ballerina dolls, I was tottaly blown away by their lates creation, a beautiful Safari Queen that just takes your breath away with her wild, savage beauty.

Here’s what the artists have to say about her:

The doll is one of a kind, so no more copies will be made and limited to only this one worldwide.

Features total facial paint make-over, unique lioness eyelashes, rooted zebra hair, lined waistcoat and skirt.

The doll has a tribal hairdressing and an interlaced design with long zebra extension and on the top a couture leopard-skin hat with feathers and a brown rose.

Doll wears a gold skirt, fur-lined waistcoat and fur-lined gown. Waistcoat and gown are internally covered with gold sparkling lycra and are fully hand-embroidered with hundreds of brown, topaz and ocher Original Crystal Swarovski, brown sequins and beads.

The Queen carries maybe one of the most spectacular part of the doll, an imperious lion fur coat, very rich and long, as part of the style of our company. No animals were harmed in the making of the fur coat of the doll.

Her boots matches her outifit and are made by tabby fur.

The doll carries a scepter on her left hand, with a sun-idol and long strings embroidered with Swarovski and sequins.

Style of the doll is a mix between wild and fashionable, savage but sophisticated.

The force of the Lion, the agility of the leopard, the power of the tiger and the charm of the zebra gave birth to this Sahara Explorer. Are you ready for the trip?

Outfit is removable.

If you like her just as much as I do, you can bid on her on eBay. The winner will be one lucky collector!

Good luck to you all and I promise I’ll keep you updated with the Black Swan Company’s creations.

Yey! I’m so excited! Just got this gorgeous girl for just $7! Her hair and makeup need some love and TLC but after she’ll look like a quuen! Actually this is my first ever ’70 Christie so I couldn’t be more happy about this. And what a great price! Ah…this trully made my day.

*Ada is jumping around with joy.*

One of my fellow Barbie bloggers and friend, Muhammed Bagci, has just updated his site with some pretty interesting playline Barbie dolls that will come out this year.

First off all I’m most excited about the second wave of the Life in the Dreamhouse dolls. Yey for Midge again! I just can’t express enough my happiness and joy of seing a playline articulated Midge. And now we have two of them and both are so cute! Just look at that cute dress and the blue and red headband is too much. Love, love, love this line of dolls. I know people complained about Barbie’s huge eyes but c’mon! Let’s be happy that we finnaly got rid of the pink and the articulation is back and so are the more realistic fashions.

Mattel, I hope you keep this up! Kids don’t need pink all the way. Kids need variety and so do adult collectors.

Next stop is this set with Barbie, her sisters and…her brother! OMG! Is Todd back? And there’s also another girl or is she a friend of the family? I’m so excited about the little boy. He looks so sharp and cute.

Also there are some new dolls and sets that look like fun but definetly are not for me.

And last, but not least, here’s a picture of the Trina Turk Malibu Barbie in her box, via Doll Genie.

She looks better than in the promo pictures and has a Trina scarf, but still she’s not $50 worth. Sorry, Mattel…not wow enough for this Barbie collector.

LA fashion designer Trina Turk was given the task to do a makeover for the classic Malibu Barbie, more then 40 years after the innitial release. The new Malibu Barbie is wearing a bikini, a hexagon white lace cover-up and some cute accesories that, sadly, remind me too much of the last Barbie Basics swimsuit line.

You can see more details on BarbieCollector.com.

Price: $50
Gold Label®
Designed by: Bill Greening
Release Date: 6/13/2013
Product Code: X8259

I like her accesories and might get them if I find them on eBay, but $50 is way too much for this doll. She’s cute but not $50 cute.
Thoughts?

As I have already told you, the Spanish barbie community is hard at work. Besides the Madrid Fashion Doll Show, that I’ve told you about, the Spanish collectors will also have a national convention that will take place on the 5th and on the 6th of October. I’m going to follow it because it sounds like fun.

There will also be a convention doll that is designed by a Spanish OOAK artist called David Bocci. He is a young artist who moved to Madrid in 2002 and became involved in the world of fashion. Since then, his career has been very rich, working in various fields: portraitist, illustrator, photographer, graphic designer and costume and puppets designer. In 2012 he launched a project called “Refugio Rosa“ that is aimed at restoring old and forgotten Barbies and then giving them up for adoption.

You can read a very interesting interview on El Blog de Ken and find out more about David and his work. I for one am very curious about the doll he’s going to create. Can’t wait to see it. You know I love convention dolls.