As Dolldom got to know Ms. Chase more, in her "Sydney Chase" iteration with raven-black, pulled back hair, purple eye shadow, and brown eyes surrounded by black-rimmed glasses - not sunglasses - the thought occurred that this woman was not meant to be in any way an individual of perceived perfection. In a way, Dolldom wondered if Sydney, as a secondary character, was meant not to be an idealized beauty but rather a personalized portrayal of a human face. Perhaps, Robert Tonner thought of Tyler as Greek sculpture and Sydney as her Roman counterpart. To begin: Sydney Chase was issued wearing prescription lenses. Was this because she made the decision not to wear contact lenses? To add more layers to her character, early issues of the doll (perhaps due to the degree of convexity of the eyeball sculpt) had eyes that were not aligned properly - leading one to believe that Sydney Chase had Strabismus (not unlike other famous beauties such as Heidi Klum and Kate Moss). This feature was quickly addressed, and, in some cases, the Tonner Doll Hospital offered replacements heads. The frontal bone of her nose is broad while the apex is undeniably square. The philtrum is deeply carved and joins a mouth capable of conveying attitude, mood, and emotions. Where gorgeous Tyler had a neutral expression, Sydney had a definite pout. Her lower lip, so gorgeously generous, served as a foundation for the descending thin upper lip corners, evoking the aura of iconic pouter Greta Garbo.
Robert Tonner explains: "In 1999, Tyler Wentworth completely changed the Tonner Doll Company. She was definitely a success, and my goal was to build her "world" as fast as I could. I had always known that to keep her interesting I would have to expand the line with interesting characters. Tyler needed a best friend, but unlike Barbie's Midge, I wanted her friend to be every bit as high fashion and glamorous as she was. I set out to sculpt her head with the thought in mind that she should be beautiful, but entirely different looking than Tyler. It was a difficult sculpt to do and it took quite a while. Finally, when I thought I was happy with the result, I proceeded to the costly molding process (wax work, engineering and rotational mold making). Eventually, the day came when her head, in vinyl, arrived and I couldn't wait to get her painted. Boy, was I disappointed! I couldn't see her beauty; all I saw were what I considered flaws and came very close to rejecting the head. I'm so glad I didn't! With a few new face paints (better ones) and the collector reaction, she became one of my all-time favorite fashion doll heads."
Dolldom celebrates Sydney Chase's 20th anniversary with a photo portfolio of the beauties that grace its collection. Readers will notice Dolldom's predilection for controlled hair styles and for the wearing of the prescription glasses - even with evening wear- to cement the notion that not only does Sydney Chase love who she is, she celebrates her unique beauty.
To bring more sparkle to this party, Dolldom invited hardcore Sydney Chase fans to share their thoughts on this undeniably seminal doll in fashion doll history. You will find these interspersed among the photos.
2001
"Sydney Chase’s beauty transcends time. She is class and elegance, but when the mood strikes, she can be edgy and to the minute. It’s no wonder so many of us fell in love with her." - Vince Nowell, designer and fashion doll expert
"Sydney Chase" (Open edition)
"Focus on Fashion" (LE of 500)
"Black and White Ball" (LE of 2000)
2002
"I’ve always felt Sydney has a beautiful sculpt. She has a serenity about her. I’ve always felt she knew something I didn’t. I’ve also felt she had an elegance as well, she always looked good in a gown." -Joseph Coloff, collector and designer
"RTW Sydney" Open edition was made for 2003's "Love is Blue" gown.
"Mover and Shaker" (LE of 2000)
"Sheer Glamour" (LE of 2000)
2003
"Sydney Chase was my favorite character and sculpt of the Tyler Wentworth Collection. I loved her and still do although I am an avid Sybarite collector now.
Actually, I find the Superdoll Voltaire sculpt my favorite because she shares a look and attitude which reminds me of Sydney." - Gerri Celia Sam, collector and photographer of Superdoll's Sybarite dolls
"Haute Doll Magazine Sydney" (LE of 500) wears 2002's "Firebird"
"Love is Blue" (LE of 1500) models Tyler Wentworth's "Cinnabar".
"RTW Sensational Sydney" (LE of 2000) wears separates from Tyler Wentworth's Boutique and 2000's "Casual Luxury's" coat.
"RTW Sensational Sydney Raven" (LE of 2000) wears Tyler Wentworth's RTW Boutique's winter separates.
"Sydney Parisienne" (LE of 150) was an exclusive to Paris Fashion Doll Festival. She models TDLM's "Purely Platinum".
2004
"I have always preferred Sydney Chase.
Maybe, it is her little pouting expression." - Travis Kaller, collector and photographer
"24KT" (LE of 1000) and "Dream Doll" (LE of 200) was an exclusive to Dream Dolls Gallery and More.
"Ice Blue" (LE of 2000) goes for drama in Tyler Wentworth's "Double Take" from 2003
"Mistletoe and Magic" (LE of 675) was Two Daydreamer's exclusive.
"RTW Shimmer" was an annual edition. She models 1999's "Cashmere Noir"
"Sydney Sophisticate" (LE of 350) was a Collectors United exclusive.
"Sydney Visits Maryhill" (LE of 500) was an Under the Lilac Tress Convention exclusive. She models 2006's "Swept Away" from the TDLM Collection.
2005
"Looking back, I think we forget that the two stars of the fashion doll world in the ‘90s, Gene and Tyler, were both wide-eyed innocents with a fresh, almost naive quality. Sydney came along and had a more mature and mysterious expression. She had a more highly sophisticated expression and wore the more extravagant and bold fashions that Tonner produced. She also had a very classical sculpt which made her endlessly versatile and an inspiring character for fashion designers as well as doll artists who did repaints."
- Pat Henry, editor of FDQ
"New York Sydney Royale" (LE of 350) was an FAO exclusive.
"RTW Sydney's Secret" (LE of 400) models 2004's "Fantasia" from the TDLM Collection.
"Très Jolie" (LE of 250) was a Paris Fashion Doll Festival exclusive.
2006
"Winter Whisper" (LE of 1000) models a RTW Boutique FAO exclusive velvet dress.
2008
"Before writing these comments about Sydney Chase, I browsed through countless photos I have taken of her. The impression I came away with was that Sydney fluently played varied roles in my collection such as a mom, a fashion model, a business professional, a sportswoman, a vamp, and, on the whole, an appealing, stunning female doll. In 2004, Sydney Chase "Envy" came out. I was thunderstruck. I fell in love with her. I wanted to BE her. I believed she was the most beautiful doll I had ever seen with her curly blonde hair, green side-glancing eyes and her well-defined angular sculpt. I never did manage to get her but the hunt is now on again. Happy 20th Birthday to you, Sydney! - Terri Gold, collector, photographer and blogger
"Pulp Fiction" (LE of 500)
2013
"Sydney a Go Go" (LE 150) was an exclusive fro Tonner Company's Convention
Gladiator boots from Facets replace the silver glitter covered issued boots.
2020
"Showtime Grace" aka "Grace Deluxe" was an exclusive to Virtual Doll Convention.
Posts
I enjoyed your look back at Sydney very much. As always, your photography is superb.
ReplyDeleteTerri Gold
Thank you, Terri!
DeleteFantastic tribute to Sydney - she is one of my favorites. Happy Birthday, Sydney!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Here's to Ms. Chase!
DeleteBeautiful retrospective of Sydney!! Enjoyed this immensely!!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Much gratitude1
DeleteThat was very enjoyable to read. I still have my favorite Sydneys. I fell for her the moment I saw her face.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Steph! Her face captivated and continues to do do 20 years later.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos. Sydney's versatility as a model really comes through aided by your impeccable taste in styling, posing, set dressing and lighting design.
ReplyDelete