One thing's for sure, they LOVE fashion!

Or so says Barbie (loosely paraphrased by me) in the booklet included with her new(ish) Glam Luxe Style doll. Last year I fell in love with Mattel's Life in the Dreamhouse Barbie line. Rather, I fell in love with a few of the dolls from that line. (I'm looking at you, Midge and Raquelle.) It didn't take me long to get my hands on those dolls, and so impressed was I that I ended up getting a third doll, the beautiful Nikki. After a long period (as in many, many years) of being utterly depressed with modern playline Barbie, discovering this cool new line was shocking for me. With their crazy-posable bodies (not unlike MH) and rooted lashes, they struck me as a sort of updated version of the original mod Barbie dolls. This year Mattel is releasing more of these dolls but without the Dreamhouse connection -- now they're part of the Fashionistas line. But no matter, for all intents and purposes these are pretty much "Dreamhouse: The New Wave." They've actually been split up into two waves themselves. The first, featuring two Barbies, Teresa, and Raquelle, is already out. The next wave again features two new Barbies, plus Midge and Raquelle. And a third wave featuring yet more Barbies plus Raquelle and what looks to be Teresa is rumored. (Which leaves me wondering: why no Nikki at all, Mattel? What's up with that?!? She's one of my favorites!)

Anyway, I was pleased as punch with my three Dreamhouse dolls and was excited to see that at least one of the new Fashionista Barbies appealed to me. If you're gonna collect a Barbie line, even as casually as I'm collecting this one, you kind of need a Barbie in your group! I picked up the Fashionista Barbie I liked just yesterday, and today pulled her Dreamhouse friends off the shelf for a quick photo session. Take a look!

The whole gang. (Soon to expand when I find the newest Midge.)

Midge rocks Pullip Nero's vintage-looking trench dress like it's second nature to her. And have I ever mentioned how much I love houndstooth? Because I do -- a lot!

Raquelle gives her signature smirk while Nikki flashes that million dollar smile.

Barbie's full outfit.

Raquelle borrowed some duds from Midge since she didn't need 'em -- she's got that houndstooth trench dress to keep her warm and stylish.

Another group shot. All lovely.

This Barbie's sandy blond hair is what ultimately sold me on her. I like it much more than the platinum blond on the other Fashionista Barbie.

Check out that striking blue of Barbie's eyes. This is one of the prettiest playline Barbies to come along in quite a while, if you ask me.

But Raquelle gives her a run for her money with her deep brown peepers.

And really all Nikki needs to do is smile and she's won my heart.

As always, thanks for looking!

Color Magic

If Mattel's new Color Me Creepy line for Monster High proves anything, it's that history really does repeat itself. Take a look...

This blurb, from the back of the 2004 Color Magic reproduction doll box, explains it all quite well.

Mattel even included a faithful reproduction of the original instructional booklet. Awesome!

If you're anything like me these vintage Barbie drawings are the stuff fashion doll dreams are made of.

Let's take a look at the actual repro doll...

Ooh... ahh...

Gotta love that bold, diamond print swimsuit! Sooo 60's!

Okay, since she's the repro doll you can't consider her "the real thing". But Mattel did come very close to recreating the "original magic" with this doll.

Even if she's not exactly "perfect" as a representation of the original doll, she's undeniably fab in her own right.

Color Magic Barbie, to my mind, is the bridge between the Vintage and Mod eras. She had the Vintage facemold and American Girl body type, but her overall style was a strong precursor to the looks and colors we'd see on the Mod dolls. (The Mod girls made their debut just one year after the Color Magic dolls were released.)

The only big letdown with this reproduction, in my opinion, is that she doesn't feature the color change "action". Oh well.

Color Magic Barbie had attitude in spades. A little fierce, and a lotta fun!

The 2004 release also included a faithful reproduction of one of the several Color Magic fashions of the time. To model this outstanding dress I chose one of my genuine Mod dolls: a Chocolate Bon Bon girl whom I believe was either a 1967 or 1968 release. Take a look...

The original Mod facemold is my all-time favorite Barbie mold after the Steffie face. I mean, look at that girl! So full of life, so much personality!

The TNT body is flawless in how it evokes lifelike poses, but with a heavy stylistic slant.

It's especially impressive when you consider how simple the TNT body actually is. 

And that dress! Dayum! Yeah it's loud and bold and dated, but oh-so-perfect as a time capsule of the mid-60's.

Barbie looks absolutely stunning in it, if you ask me.

Mod Barbie, you have my heart.

And to end on a bit of randomness, here's Deluxe Quick Curl Cara wearing Tropicana. This Cara came a good ten years after Color Magic, and she couldn't have less to do with the whole Color Magic gimmick, but I had her nearby during the photoshoot and decided to throw her in for the heck of it! And so here's DQC Cara in all her Steffie-faced glory...

DQC Cara hit shelves in 1976. I bought her MIB, but after two days of staring longingly at her through that cellophane window, I just had to get her out!

Those mustard-brown eyes are everything.

Unlike later black Barbie dolls, Cara had a very unique reddish-brown skin tone. So beautiful.

DQC Cara is one of my favorite dolls of any Barbie line, and one of my most prized dolls, period. Hopefully I can get her box and booklet scanned and posted soon. They're sufficiently life-changing.

Wanna learn more about Color Magic Barbie? Check out FDG's wonderful page on the dolls here.

As always, thanks for looking! 'Til next time!

Golden

I've got bad news, Apple. I believe I've found a new muse...

We all know Raquelle hates "the great outdoors", but not as much as she hates being outshone! She put on her game face and posed as if her life depended on it. The results...

Can't believe I'm saying this but I think I'm becoming a Dreamhouse fanboy! I love these dolls!

As always, thanks for looking! Til next time!