It's that time of year to be proud of who you are, of your authentic self, of your true being. Who better to make this celebration supreme than the ultimate icon of film, the one and only - and most unique - Gay Carrington?
In 1965, the French company Bella, under license from American Character, produced and sold the Tressy doll and fashions. In later years, the company produced dolls using the same body sculpt with two different head molds: Marilyn and Nancy. Marilyn was the company's version of Mary Make-Up, whereas Nancy was...
That's were all past similarities end, for Nancy had no antecedent in Tressy's history, but she did have a face to sink a thousand ships. Not that Tressy is not an iconic sculpt, but we at Dolldom appreciate a doll sculpt that conveys intention, challenges expectations of beauty (which is as relative as success), and focuses on character, attitude, and individualism, something that Nancy, with her side-glacing eyes, well-defined philtrum, and fleshy, pulpy lips with a hint of smile (no sour-puss expression, thank you very much) exemplifies. Nancy (most surely conceived by sculptor José Cotaina) was produced and sold in 1966 and only appeared in the company's catalogue for that year, as a Black doll, modeling a fashion called "Martinique".
Dolldom conjectures that perhaps Nancy was a doll sold directly to department stores, just like Bellas' Bellita, at a lower price point as neither had the growing hair mechanism. Was Nancy, then, only found at Monoprix and other stores of the same type during the final quarter of the 1960s? How many were made? How many survived play? As Nancy seldom makes an appearance on the secondary market, we surmise that few did. But thanks to a generous Dolly Angel, Dolldom is able to feature Nancy wearing her original sheath in this exclusive entry. Thank you, Dolly Angel!
For more information on Bella dolls and the history of Tressy, make sure that you visit Tressy and Orasée vous racconte la vie des poupées Bella. If you would like to share any information on Nancy by Bella, Dolldom would be delighted to learn more.
Je m'appelle Nancy!
The ever delightful Ellowyne Wilde and her friend Neema by Robert Tonner return just in time for Virtual Doll Convention's TonnerFest, a celebration of all things Tonner and the presentation of new collection! And what a collection it is with four very different looks for Ellowyne and the reprise of Neema's"Life's a Beach" issue with a new make-up palette and wig colors.
Dolldom's editors were honored to collaborate with Virtual Doll Convention and Tonner creating the photo portfolio as well as writing Ellowyne's journal and poems. Believe it in the power of play? You bet we do!
The dolls will go on sale tomorrow Friday, May 9 at Virtual Doll Convetion's Ellowyne Wilde Boutique.
“Life’s a Beach”
"Life's a Beach"
The sea, the sun!
I love the fun
Of going to the seashore.
As water sparkles
And seagulls circle,
I gaze at all the blue.
My hair is dancing,
In the breeze prancing!
The beach! I just adore!
Whenever someone’s sad I’ll say:
“Come on, oh, love, what’s up?
Bring that pretty chin-up!
A little joy’s within our reach
Cause, baby, ‘Life’s a Beach!’”
Dear Diary,
Dr. Bantam, for several years now, has advised me to keep you as close to my heart and feelings as I can muster. And I've been, I guess, consistent with my efforts. Well, in all truth, there's been an occasional gap here and there...
At our last session, to which I arrived on time this time, Dr. Bantam suggested that capturing moments of my emotional life, be it in prose or poetry, could have benefits other than the obvious. She explained, teacup in hand, that as notebooks pile up, a second book of my musings could be in gestation. Aghast, I opened my eyes! My expression must have alarmed her, for she immediately added that it was not a matter of sharing again a poetic anthology of my intimate explorations of mood and emotion, but rather of using it to write fiction, to create a character and give her life, a life with travails, doubts, and conflicting emotions, and also revelations and even a little light. I left the session feeling playfully interested in the idea. Ellowyne Wilde, a writer of fiction?
What I find oddly exciting, dear Diary, is that since this session with Dr. Bantam, I have noticed that life already resembles fiction...
Just the other day—and what a day it was, as drearily misty as days can be in this almost-always foggy hometown of mine—the greyness flooded the living room.
There is something about this old Victorian house surrounded by fog—cool fog that drifts in from the Pacific Ocean—that does exacerbate my innate moodiness. I let myself fall on the chaise lounge, and simply stared into what seemed to be ever-multiplying shades of grey. Where's the sun? Is there a sun? Just when I was about to shed a tear, I caught eye of a most-magnificent happening! Next to the fireplace, underneath the landscape of Lands’ End, I saw a ray of light divided!
One of my hanging glass prisms had gotten playful with this little escapee of the sun, and they both created a magical instant of seven colors! As small and ephemeral as it was, I understood this moment to be a metaphor for life. Why sit still and immersed in the vapor of sadness when I could be searching for rainbows? No matter the fog or the rain, when least expected, light is bound to appear. Excited, I texted my revelation to Pru! She texted back "Are you okay?" and a winking-face emoji...
"Chasing Rainbows"
My hometown is so often riddled
With banks of fog from the Pacific.
One day the gloom was so prolific
That I sat blue with thumbs that twiddled.
I wished from the sun to get a token
That would have such dreary grey broken!
When suddenly a playfully glow
of seven colors gave a show!
A metaphor, I understood,
As every day we always should
Up in the sky be "Chasing Rainbows"!
Speaking of whom, she and I and Neema, we've gotten quite tight. After last year's misunderstandings with the berries and the ballgown fiasco, we've been able to find commonalities in not only our interests, but also in our personality . Neema is truly talented, and her artistic expression is taking her places. Last week, she invited me to the opening of her first solo show. As I could not be prouder of her, I accepted the invite... only to regret it later. For as you know, dear Diary, I am not a big fan of crowds! In fact, large numbers of gathered people tend to make me want to retrieve, to go home and sit with Sibyl by the fire. But as Dr. Bantam advises, I cannot allow myself to miss out on life. To hype myself up for the outing, I decided to visit one of my favorite hangs on Valencia Street for something vintage for the event. As the evening for Neema's show approached, I started to get the customary butterflies in my stomach, so before leaving I grabbed a bucket hat—a necessity for protecting my hair in the fog and for covering my face in case of an anxiety attack. The gallery was a scene with a crowd that overflowed onto the street. I thought of turning around when suddenly – and it may have been the combination of my plaid get-up and my trustworthy hat – I heard myself whispering: "Carpe diem, carpe diem, carpe diem!" I passed the crowd by, entered the exhibit space, and gave dear Neema a strong congratulatory hug! She had sold every piece already!
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