Fashion Boulevard - куклы и аутфиты

[Evrika Grecheskaja]

Fashion Boulevard – Christina and Felice
Источник: http://adolladay.wordpress.com/category/modern/

Fashion Boulevard has a very good name for producing well-made and reasonably priced outfits for 12″ and 16″ dolls. But they also have their own line of dolls.

The first incarnations
Christina St Clair was first introduced at IDEX 2001. Check out pictures here: http://lareba.com/idhs.htm

Christina St. Clair
Fashion Boulevard

The doll is and clothing are a joint project done by artists:
Mark Middendorf, Dae Originals, H.B. Klien designs, Helen Skinner,
James Bouge, Elizabeth Rollin, Patricia Cronin, Anne- Marie Burnes,
Charles Joseph, Doris Mixon, and others.

The face sculpt is done by Helen Skinner. Pictured is jewelry by Harry Klien.
The outfit is by James Bouge and called "The Best of Everything".

Under the aegis of Doris Mixon, several doll artists participated in her creation that were already famous as customizers, repaint artists and/or designers for Gene and Tyler.

This is what the box credits say:

“FASHION BOULEVARD Presents Christina St Clair In “California Sun” By Doris Mixon, FB PResident

Fashion Blvd www.Fashion-Boulevard.com 11170 Spanish Hills Dr. Corona, CA 92883 909-277-4529 Christina’s Story

Christina Sculptress Helen Skinner

Christina Face Painter Debbie Sprouse

Designers: Harry Klein Charles Josef Anne Marie Burns Patricia Cronin James Bogue Elizabeth Rolins

Introducing Christina St Clair

Christina was born into wealth and privilege, and lives in Beverly Hills, California. Her mother Cassandra Deomonte is a world famous actress and father Giles St. Clair a wealthy English businessman. Christina at a young age showed talent in art and sewing, and loved to design and sew for her many dolls. So after she graduated from high school, her parents sent her to the best design schools in Paris to learn fashion illustration and design. After graduating, Christina worked along side some of the top designers in their field, but she wanted to do something more with her talents. So in 1993 she and her sister Leah pooled their money and bought a small boutique called Fashion Boulevard from an older lady that was retiring and moved it to Beverly Hills. Christina soon built a reputation for her glamorous and elegant style and cutting edge fashions. So with Christina designing and Leah managing the boutique, it did quite well, especially with the rich and famous of the area. Eventually they were able to open boutiques in New York, Paris, Milan, and London. Christina also hired some of the world’s top designers to bring her wealthy and famous clients nothing but the finest in fabric and design. We invite you now to travel the world with Christina and enjoy the lifestyle of the rich and famous.”

The first three dolls were issued in 2002: California Sun (auburn hair), April Violets (raven) and Shopping Elegance (golden blonde).

They had straight arms and legs and were made of a heavy, sturdy vinyl.

Unfortunately, there were some troubles in manufacturing. Some dolls came without eyelashes, and Doris related in one doll board how she sat up all night glueing eyelashes to all the dolls that needed some. Also, two of the sample dolls for the facial screening arrived smudged at the factory, so there was only one sample to reproduce and all the dolls ended up with essentially the same facial screening (only with color variations). And although Deb Sprouse´s face-up was beautiful in the prototypes, in the production dolls it had lost detail. In short, the overall reception was lukewarm. People liked the outfits that came with the dolls, but few cared about the dolls themselves.


The same year, a second doll in the line was announced. Felice LaRouch was to be Christina´s “bad girl” friend, a dancer at the Moulin Rouge. She would have shared Christina´s sculpt with different facial screening. But the line was put on hold before Felice came out.



I regretted that since I had really liked her - the short-haired prototype reminded me of Brett Ashley from “The Sun Also Rises”.

I was disappointed – until I realized that the Felice prototype shared Christina´s sculpt. I had originally only bought one Christina, California Sun, because it was priced lowest and reminded me of our trip to California, but had gotten the other two somewhat later at a fraction of the original cost. So I touched up the face of my April Violets Christina to recreate the Felice prototype for my own collection. While I was at it, I also touched up my Shopping Elegance (named Leah) to resemble the Christina prototype a bit more. California Sun remains original. I am quite fond of my trio.


The second incarnation


Some time later, the line was relaunched with completely new dolls. The new bodies were much lighter and had bendable knees, the heads were completely new, too. This time, Felice was issued first. Christina followed some time after.

The third incarnation


Yet some time later, around 2006, Felice (not sure about Christina) was offered on a ball-jointed resin body. The head was that of the vinyl doll and some people used the bodies with other fashion dolls.

The fourth incarnation

In 2007, a resin ball-jointed version of Christina was produced. There was now also a male doll in the line: Robert Bandacourt. Both were very limited.

Here´s an article about Doris Mixon and Fashion Boulevard.

http://www.dollsmagazine.com/fashion-do ... evard.html

[Evrika Grecheskaja]

Источник:http://www.dollsmagazine.com/fashion-dolls-ball-jointed-dolls/189-doris-mixon-fashion-boulevard.html

Boulevard of Doll Dreams Come True
Written by Wil Peterson
Tuesday, 01 July 2008 00:00

Spend just a few minutes talking to Doris Mixon, of Lake Elsinore, Calif., and you’ll soon realize you’re in the presence of an avow­ed doll lover—and a colorful, down-to-earth straight shooter.

She’s brutally honest, whether the subject is some of the early dolls that triggered her collecting passion (“I collected crap,” she says bluntly) or her entry into the doll-designing arena (she compares her first version of the fashion doll “Felice La Rouch” to a substance-abusing lady of the evening). Mixon, who is perhaps best known for offering unique—and sometimes, risqué—dolls and doll clothing through her Fashion Boul­evard Web site, is equally enthusiastic about her commitment to helping fellow doll artists see their designs go from concept to reality. “I like to help people who have a following,” she says simply.

Mixon’s desire to share the spot­light motivated her to organize the Red Carpet Glamour Fashion Doll Event. The convention, scheduled for June 13-15 in Ontario, Calif., allows attendees to dress their own convention dolls in one of eight gorgeous gowns. In addition, they can meet and mingle with the likes of independent doll artists Doug James, creator of the CED fashion dolls and clothing; Sam Dawson, who designs cutting-edge fashions for her Empire Clothing line; Paul Pham, a doll re­painter who is known for elaborately transforming the faces and skin tones of various sybarite fashion dolls; and Cindy Friesen of the Red Silk Thread fashion line. Giveaways include a “Christ­ina St. Claire” doll, an assortment of clothing and other doll-related items.

“I want to show people how talented these independent people are,” Mixon says. Most of the event participants have direct ties to Mixon, who is either manufacturing some of their clothing designs at her Far East factory or helping them create or retool their fashion dolls. Dawson, for example, relies on her longtime friend to produce several collections of clothing annually. “My business has grown exponentially after pairing with Fashion Boulevard,” she says. “Instead of putting out two lines a year, I can now put out five or six. I reach many more customers now that there is no limit on how many pieces I can produce.”

Mixon’s own obstacle-laden experiences with factory mishaps have played a major role in fueling her determination to assist those who often are bumped to the back of the production line due to the relatively small size of their clothing orders. She knows firsthand the frustration and anxiety that results from waiting for fashions to be manufactured and dolls to be produced. But most of all, she realizes the importance of offering quality products at affordable prices to collectors who share her love of miniature models and their ensembles and accessories.

“I know they’re going to come back,” she says of her customers who repeatedly buy Fashion Boulevard’s outfits, which range from $45 to $65, and shoes, which are usually less than $10. “I don’t want people to say, ‘This isn’t a fun hobby.’”

Fun was in short supply for Mixon during her formative years as a budding doll lover. She had barely started school when she and her three siblings were separated from their parents and put into a series of foster homes. Thus began a revolving-door existence filled with lots of rules but little affection. One early experience at a convent school run by strict nuns was particularly traumatic for a second-grade Mixon, whose beloved “Shirley Temple” doll was promptly confiscated and put into the community toy box. “By the time I found her, she was ruined,” Mixon recalls.

Mixon, who later reunited with her mother and fell hard for all things “Barbie,” survived her troubled childhood with her love of dolls intact. As an adult, she married her husband, Robert, and had two daughters. During the 1980s, she began collecting practically any type of fashion doll that caught her attention, from porcelain creations to Avon offerings. “I never really cared much for the dolls; it was the fashions that I loved,” she says. She soon narrowed her focus to vintage Barbie, “Tressy,” “Candi” and other fashion dolls. Once again, it was primarily the clothes that captured her attention.

A brush with a fashion icon prompted Mixon to leap from collecting doll clothes to making them herself during the 1990s. When she learned that de­signer Bob Mackie would appear at an Ontario, Calif., doll show, Mixon decided to enter. No matter that she had no designs to present; this was a chance to meet Mackie. “I had always sewn for my older daughter’s Barbies, so I said, ‘I can whip up some clothes,’” Mixon recalls. The task proved harder than expected, but she managed to create several acceptable garments and carted them off to the show. While there, Mackie introduced himself, praised Mixon’s items and shook her hand. “I just froze. And he’s looking at me and smiling and trying to get his hand away because I couldn’t let his hand go!”

From there, Mixon’s reputation grew. Her first-to-know list for new clothes attracted ever-escalating prices. “I would get, like, a thousand dollars for an outfit,” she recalls. “It kind of took over.”

She started her first company, Mixon’s Fashion Fantasies, about 12 years ago. She also made a major impression at the Hollywood Gene Convention, where she won several awards for some of her one-of-a-kind fashions. That exposure led to a job designing clothes for Paradise Galleries. Other design jobs followed, but Mixon felt stifled creatively and was disappointed that few of her designs were actually made.

So she decided to go into business for herself just before the turn of the millennium. Armed with the name “Fashion Boulevard”—inspired by a “produce boulevard” section at a grocery store—Mixon hired a factory to create her own fashions and accessories. She also created outfits for the DAE Vivian line and was involved in every aspect of production, including box designs. The limited-edition outfits sold well through time, and Mixon set her sights on creating her own fashion doll. Problems soon ensued with the prototype’s size (20 inches) and material (porcelain). Ultimately, she was able to commission a scaled-down 16-inch hard-vinyl version that was named “Christina St. Clair” and released in 2001. “She was too cartoony,” Mixon says candidly. “I got massacred on the (doll) boards. I loved the ensembles, but the dolls. … The hands were like paddles, and when they sat down, they did the V-split.

”Back to the drawing board, Mixon found another factory to revise Christina’s sculpt and redo her body in softer vinyl with bendable knees. At that time Felice La Rouch was also created. The end result was problematic: Her hair did not suit Mixon, and the facial screening for both dolls was garish. “It was awful,” she says. “The clothes were fabulous; the dolls, oh my God. The bodies were okay, but the heads were just gross.”

Still determined to get the doll formula right, Mixon had another head sculpted for Felice and ordered a large amount of outfits from a factory in China. Then she learned that the operation had unexpectedly been shut down, and her clothes and advance payments were casualties. At that point Mixon had had enough and was ready to quit the business for good.

In 2006 a friend approached her with an opportunity to take over a struggling factory in China. Mixon would provide funding, and he would run things. After thinking about the pros and cons of owning her own operation, Mixon decided to take the chance. A loan from her husband’s 401(k) savings provided the necessary start-up money, and Mixon suddenly found herself in the driver’s seat of a fledgling company. She kept only a skeleton crew, paid the back bills and began manufacturing her Fashion Boulevard clothing. She produced classic designs, as well as edgier items such as dominatrix outfits with whips and handcuffs (“It was just tongue-in-cheek,” she says) and an assortment of funky shoes, all affordably and competitively priced. Mixon also decided to cut expenses by eliminating packaging. As a result, Fashion Boulevard items come in cellophane bags. “This way I can put five or six outfits in a small, little priority mailbox, and it’s five bucks,” she says. “People love it.”

In 2007 Mixon finally saw her dream doll come to life, so to speak. A ball-jointed resin Christina St. Clair was released, sporting a facial screening de­signed by Sam Dawson. Several months later, Mixon’s first male doll, “Robert Bandacourt,” also with a Dawson facial-screening design, premiered. Both dolls were produced in limited editions of 30 or less. (Mixon had also previously reintroduced the Felice head on a new resin body.) More characters, including the mysterious “Zukira,” are planned for upcoming release.

Meanwhile, Mixon juggles orders for Dawson, Doug James—she’s redesigning his 19½-inch CED doll as a resin ball-jointed figure with reworked features and extremities—and other designers while constantly thinking up new doll-clothing temptations for her growing fan base. Magazines such as Elle provide inspiration for garments that can be tweaked and scaled down. Her clothing lines also continue to expand: She currently offers ensembles for the popular fashion doll “Ellowyne Wilde.”

“I try to do contemporary—a little Goth and fetish,” she says. Most of all, Mixon is enjoying the privileges that come with running her own manufacturing show. She relishes the fact that she can produce as many—or as few—numbers of clothing editions and accessories as she likes. “I really, really love what I do. I love it now. I tell you what: I didn’t love it,” she says. “Now, I don’t have to wait on a factory.”

Check out Mixon’s dolls and designs at http://www.fashion-boulevard.com. The site also contains information about the Red Carpet Glamour Fashion Doll Event

[Evrika Grecheskaja]

Я не просто так затеяла эту тему
У меня живут две девушки из этой серии

[MARI1394]

Моя Фелис..дома кошка.
Ко мне приехала без лица. Пришлось рисовать..изначально она была с зелёными глазами..но не прижились..теперь знаю почему)
Её родные голубые.
Обажаю её Винный цвет волос.

[MARI1394]

прошу прощения за Нюд...

[Evrika Grecheskaja]

О, моя любимая фотография - с которой началась моя Boulevard-зависимость

[MARI1394]

Да тело у неё отменное.

[maryialis]

Тоже обзавелась куклой Fashion Boulevard: Christina St. Clair Lunch at the Club

[Aleksandra]

maryialis, поздравляю, очень красивая куколка. Я все надеюсь поймать Фелис.

[NinaKot]

Приветствую почитателей Fashion Boulevard и спешу вступить в ваши ряды
Ко мне приехала Felice. Третьи руки, предыдущий владелец не многое смог рассказать о ней.. Родной коробки не было, сертификат перепутан, до сих пор так и не смогла найти более подробной информации о ней. Жаль, что так мало информации про эту линейку, и так мало фотографий удалось найти, мне кажется что эти девушки (и юноша) заслуживают больше внимания
Тело интересное, лицо немного не в тон.. Мейк мне, честно сказать, вообще не пришелся по вкусу, но, думаю, если он не оригинальный, то, возможно, поднимется рука его изменить)))
Быть может кто-то поможет опознать ее, например, по прическе? буду признательна.

[Evrika Grecheskaja]

NinaKot, мне тоже кажется кукла перерисованной. И манера перерисовщика такая знакомая, эти брови, ресницы ...

[NinaKot]

Продолжаем знакомство))
У Феличе (мне так больше нравится звучание) оказались такие роскошные формы, что подобрать ей одёжку оказалось непросто. Пока мы посидим в неглиже

[NinaKot]

Мне только кажется, что ей нужно сделать перетяжку, она не очень-то держит позу, хотя, как мне видится, могла бы лучше. Я вот только совершенно не представляю, как это сделать в данном случае... как я понимаю, здесь есть нюанс.. Что я увижу, если рискну снять ей голову? Расскажите, пожалуйста, если знаете, как она собрана

[Aleksandra]

Ура! Наконец-то у меня появилась Fashion Boulevard. Хотела себе вначале Фелис, но потом сильно запала на Кристину April Violets. Мне она досталась, увы, бу-шной, это полбеды, у нее еще неполный аутфит: не было украшений, колготок, шляпки, перчаток, сумочки и обуви. Теперь буду ловить отдельно аутфит, он существует так же отдельно от куклы. На фото из первого поста видно. Еще жалко, что без коробки, у этих куколок очень красивые коробки. Но я реально гоняюсь уже очень давно за этой куклой и подумала, что если сейчас не куплю, потом шансы на покупку с каждым годом будут все меньше. Так что решила, что пока так сойдет. Куколка все равно очень красивая, я довольная, как слон

Вот промка моей куколки, как оно должно быть при полном параде:

Fashion Boulevard Dolls by Codex Parker, auf Flickr

А вот она в реале:

Christina, Fashion boulevard dolls by Codex Parker, auf Flickr
Костюм, вид сзади:

Christina, Fashion boulevard dolls by Codex Parker, auf Flickr

Фото ню:

Christina, Fashion boulevard dolls by Codex Parker, auf Flickr

На фото видно, что перчатки красили. Сидеть кукла может только в раскорячку. А так само по себе тело красивое.

Ножки под достаточно низкий каблук и немного разной длины. Ручки красивые:

Christina, Fashion boulevard dolls by Codex Parker, auf Flickr

[YeuHa MuJlJlep]

Очень понравилась Felice, у неё действительно очень красивое тело. Попыталась найти этих кукол на ebay , но по названию Fashion Boulevard не нашла ни одной куклы . Может быть я не так искала ? Подскажите пожалуйста как правильно указать её название и производителя в поисковике и реально ли этих кукол вообще найти на ebay , каким тиражом они были выпущены и что стало сейчас с этим брендом . Они ещё выпускают кукол ? И действительно ли эта кукла Felice является представительницей Boulevard или может быть это гибрид на другом теле ? Заранее благодарна за ответ.

[Aleksandra]

YeuHa MuJlJlep, я за своей бегала более года. Обычно по поиску куча барби, фр и проч. Нужные куколки редко появляются. В прошлом году на ибее достаточно долго висела кукла, как у меня, только с украшениями и в колготках, но тоже без обуви, шляпы и сумки. Надо было тогда брать, но я вот надеялась, что авось кто-то новенькую продавать будет. В конце концов теперь решила брать то, что есть. Лучше синица в руке, как говорится. В прошлом году также висела долго кукла в купальнике и в леопардовой юбке. Так что в принципе они появляются, надо просто ждать. Я теперь каждый день на ибей хожу проверять, не появился ли костюм. Таких, как моя было сделано 160 кукол. Других не знаю.
Куклы скорей всего не выпускаются больше, по крайней мере информации никакой по этому поводу нет. Вначале они были виниловые, а под конец Дорис Миксон сделала ресиновых. Я когда искала фотки Кристины и Фелис, то случайно наткнулась на парочку весьма некрасивых комментариев в сторону Миксон, на что она тоже весьма некрасиво ответила. Судить никого не берусь, но я сама не раз сталкивалась с неадекватными создателями непопулярных кукол, поэтому не исключаю, что написанное в тех комментариях может быть и правдой. А в таком случае с дальнейшим производством кукол далеко не уедешь.

[Evrika Grecheskaja]

Наверное я с ложкой дегтя, но скажу: у шляпки быстро треплются края, я прошлась бесцветным лаком. Туфли тряпичные, тоже норовят обмахриться на краю открытого мыска и развалиться; цветочки с туфель отпали почти сразу. Сумку тоже подклеила: клей от времени перестал держать. Т.е. аутфит одеть и куклу в нем под стеклянный колпак, а не на фотосессию, как у меня обычно происходит. И не скажу, что сотня кукол перемерила эту одежку, так, может раз 5. Поэтому, может найти что-то более современного выпуска, подходящее по цвету и фасону? Это же шляпка, перчатки и туфли, все тоннеровского стандартного размера.

[Aleksandra]

Evrika Grecheskaja,
Да не масла, а прояснили ситуацию с аутфитом, теперь понятно, почему бу-шки без шляпы и обуви продавались. Наверное, да, буду смотреть, может, что-то подходящее есть у Тоннера. У меня все куклы под колпаком, это ладно, просто что этих кукол и аутфитов тем более днем с огнем не найти.
А я и не знала, что у вас такая же куколка есть. Я весь интернет излазила в поисках домашних фото, думала, неужели ни у кого нет такой. Покажите, пожалуйста, как-нибудь, интересно посмотреть

[Evrika Grecheskaja]

Она у меня была, меня что-то в ее теле напрягало, уже толком не помню. То ли форма рук, то ли пятна от аутфита были. Искала полное тело от тоннера для пересадки, а ее тело было отдано другой голове и гибрид теперь живет у хорошей знакомой. А голова лежала, лежала, смотрела на меня осуждающе ... и я ее продала. А утфит остался. После стирки сел и налезает на тощих авангардок.

[Aleksandra]

Evrika Grecheskaja,

Жалко, однако.

[Aleksandra]

Наконец-то дождалась свою Фелис. Купила её аж в апреле, а вот получила только сейчас, ждала когда оказия случится, чтоб не её одну слать. Досталась б/у, так что из аутфита только боди и чулки. Боди наровит упасть и оголить всё, что и так плохо скрывается. Лицо у куколки очень красивое, вот прям такое строгое и благородное. Отдаёт чем-то южно-итальянским, поэтому я хову её Феличе. Жалко, конечно, что аутфит неполный и коробки нет, у этой линии просто офигенные коробки. Но вот вся такая при полном параде недавно на ибее за 400+ баксов выставлялась, так что ладно, может, аутфит отдельно когда-нибудь удастся купить. Кстати, очень приятно, что продавец положила бонусом туфли на 16" кукол, джинсы и кофточку. Я их не одевала, но всё равно приятно. Вопрос к знатокам, у моей на правой ножке татуировка - розочка, это так и должно быть или это бывший хозяин "приукрасил"? Тату отдельно не фоткала, она маленькая на щиколотке.

Немного фото:
Fashion Boulevard Doll, Felice by Codex Parker, auf Flickr

[Evrika Grecheskaja]

Восстановила тему этих кукол на русском в своем блоге и на Дзене https://dzen.ru/a/Y61qlOvhsWkNamLt