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!

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!

Radiant Midge

My Life in the Dreamhouse Midge arrived today! I honestly think she looks even better in person than she did in the prototype pics! I immediately took her outside for an impromptu photo shoot. And when I say immediately, I mean just that. Literally the moment I had her outta the box I grabbed the camera and headed outside. Here are the results...

This is Midge's big return after a decade-long absence and Mattel clearly wanted to make it a successful one. A Steffie face and flawless hair were a must!

I wasn't completely sold on her outfit based on pics. But in person -- I kinda like it! Actually, I really like it!

Yep, those lashes are rooted! Taking a page from mod Barbie, Dreamhouse Midge opted for the "real things" rather than some painted-on nonsense.

She comes with a matching gold necklace and bracelet. Both have a strong MH feel to them. Not in their style but in how they were manufactured.

This is Midge's second outfit. I liked it in the promo pics and I like it in real life.

See? Radiant.

Her body articulation is very similar to MH, though she doesn't have quite the range of motion of an MH doll. Nonetheless, she poses extremely well. I'm very iffy on Barbie bodies that deviate from the original classic, but this one definitely works.

I was curious whether her hands and lower arms were removable, a la MH. I couldn't remove them, but I didn't pull too hard out of fear of breaking her.

God, she's absolutely stunning!

A quick break before we got back to the shoot. ;)

I love her hand mold. It evokes relaxation, but the fingers are bent just enough to look like she's grasping when you lay the hand on something.

She also comes with a solid red purse with buckles, ruffles, and a clasp. It doesn't open. Looks cute, though!

Flowing red hair. Sigh. And this is fresh out of the box! Not bad!

I did notice a sizable unrooted gap right behind the bangs, but the way her hair lays covers it up well. Everywhere else was well-rooted. The texture is incredibly nice for a playline doll.

Oh, I forgot to mention she has earrings that match her necklace and bracelet. The stud is angled so the earrings are more visible when looking straight at Midge. This is something I first noticed on MH and the idea seems to be spreading to other lines. Which is good; I definitely prefer the angled design over regular studs.

Midge's shoes are solid black heels with an ankle strap that attaches to a strap that rests on top of the foot. Simple but effective.

Congrats, Midge! You're a beautiful doll! Mattel put a lot of thought into you. You deserve it.