I feel a little silly reviewing this doll since these modern Fashionistas are very similar to the majority of the dolls I've got. However, I've been wanting this particular doll for awhile, so I'm reviewing her anyway. This is the Fashionistas doll commonly known as "L.A. Girl."
L.A. Girl gets her fan-given nickname from her shirt. I don't know why this particular doll is so popular, but like Moschino Barbie, she is. Maybe it's the hair. L.A. Girl has blonde hair like 99% of the Barbie dolls in this world. However, there are two things that set her apart. One side of her head is buzzed.
Instead of rooted hair, L.A. Girl has pale yellow flocking. It's just like Venus McFlytrap's hairstyle.
As if a buzzed head weren't edgy enough, L.A. Girl also has pink streaks in the hair that she DOES have.
Her eyebrows are blocky and brown, suggesting to me that she does more with her hair than streak it pink and shave one side. Her eyes are brown, rather than blue like most blonde Barbies. Her eyeshadow is subtle, consisting of a cream inner band, a light brown outer band, and a fair amount of mascara. L.A. Girl's lips are bright red. She has a closed smile, another departure from the usual Barbie face. She also has a beauty mark on her right cheek, which I love. Again, I don't run into too many playline Barbies with beauty marks.
As I looked L.A. Girl's face over, I realized that although she's part of a Barbie line, her appearance is very...well, it's very UN-BARBIE! At one time the Fashionistas came with individual nicknames, mostly silly crap like "Glam" or "Sporty." I also learned that the first wave of Barbie Basics were to have nicknames as well. If this had been done, my #3 girl on the right would've been Alexis and...I think #10 would have been Christie. I can't get the website to load, so don't quote me on that second one.
I named them Vivian (left) and Steph, but I digress. In light of this revelation, I wondered if L.A. Girl and her Fashionista friends had nicknames. My hunch turned out to be right...sort of.
According to Carlyle Nuera, these names are fan-given names and not official ones. It turns out that he designed several of these dolls, so he'd know if the names were official or not. Anyway, according to my fellow fans, L.A. Girl's name would be "Elizabeth." The name "L.A. Girl" is a bit of a mouthful, so I think I'll call her Elizabeth from now on.
Before I move on to clothes, let me show you the other 2015 Fashionista that I own.
Before Elizabeth was released, this doll was the It Girl. She has a
Desiree head, just like Vivian does.
The catch is that this doll has the head done in pale vinyl. I don't think that's ever been done before; the Desiree head is a common mold, but it's usually rendered in tan or dark brown vinyl. Anyway, this doll too has a fan name. Hers is "Kenzie." I find this odd since the last Kenzie doll had the Lea face and
very, VERY red hair, but Kenzie was the only member of the Mystery Squad that I liked so I'm pleased to have her namesake aboard.
Alrighty, clothes. Elizabeth comes dressed in a two-piece getup, a departure from the one-piece dresses that Kenzie and
a couple of my other dolls have.
They don't make doll clothes like they used to! These Fashionista clothes tend to go heavy on stiff synthetic crap, and Elizabeth's getup is no exception. Here's the L.A. Girl top that gave her her first nickname.
The bad news is that the top is made of that stiff shiny stuff I just complained about, the kind that likes to catch and snag on unkempt fingernails. It's badly wrinkled from the packaging, too. The good news is that it's well-hemmed and solidly put together. The material actually has a pretty pattern, too. When seen from a distance the fabric merely looks pale blue. A closer inspection reveals a faint floral pattern. It's printed all the way around too. See?
The skirt is a black A-line job.
It has a few surprising details. The front is made of smooth black pleather and has a silver zig-zag sewn down the front.
The sides have semicircular patches that are made of a softer material with subtle little sparkles on it. The back of the skirt is made up of a third type of material that has a bit of stretch. Neither of these sections photographed well.
Rounding out the look are these black flats.
These shoes are pretty nondescript. They have molded straps and molded buckles, and they have to be rubber banded to Elizabeth's feet. That disappoints me a bit, because I like it when my dolls' shoes can stay on without help. The rubber bands are the clear kind, so they don't show too much.
Elizabeth's accessories are also average, consisting of a plastic clutch and a necklace.
These are very ordinary accessories, but they add a nice splash of color to Elizabeth's ensemble.
You may have noticed in the shoe picture that Elizabeth has flat feet. This is a fairly new thing that several of the new Fashionistas have. It's something unique and different, but that renders Elizabeth unable to wear nearly all of the shoes I own. Some of the accessory packs come with flat shoes, and some of my LIV shoes may work, but for the most part Elizabeth's options are few in the shoe department. Good thing her stock shoes are so versatile. Little black flats go with just about everything.
But then again, Elizabeth's body is just plain strange.
When the first Fashionistas made their debut, they were
highly articulated. Only their immobile ankles prevented them from being modern-day
Living Barbies. Elizabeth's mobility is poor in comparison, though it's nowhere near as bad as a Stardoll's mobility. She has five joints: hips, shoulders, and neck. Her neck and shoulders are your standard ball joints that are all but ubiquitous on Barbie dolls. Her hips have a bit of lateral movement, enough that she can stand with her ankles crossed.
That's the extent of it, though. Elizabeth can't do side splits, but in her defense most of my other dolls can't either. The hips do have a respectable amount of forward and backward movement, enough so that Elizabeth can sit...
...and do a back-front split.
Elizabeth's knees do not bend at all, which I gather has become commonplace for modern-day Barbies. Some of the Fashionistas have both knees set in a straight position like Elizabeth does, and some have one knee bent and the other straight, like Kenzie does. Dolls with one bent knee have one hip popped out to the side and one shoulder higher than the other. Since Kenzie has a bent knee, her body has
scoliosis the popped hip.
Elizabeth has straight knees, so her torso is not bent.
Both dolls have an arm frozen in a bent position. This is both good and bad. Kenzie and Elizabeth can wave in a convincing manner...
...they can play with their hair a bit...
...and needless to say, they can stand with one hand on one hip. Other positions are less graceful. In fact, I had a hard time finding poses that WEREN'T on the robotic side!
I find it odd that these Fashionistas are supposed to be play dolls, and yet their bodies are more similar to Model Muse bodies. In case you don't know, Model Muse bodies are the highly rigid bodies equipped by dolls that are meant for adults. Moschino Barbie, Tokidoki Barbie, and the Basics I shared above have the Muse body, as do plenty of others. I have few complaints about the Muse body; it's graceful and it has a pretty shape, so it has its place in the Barbie world. I don't like it on playline dolls, though. If a doll is meant to be played with, then I would prefer that she have a more flexible body like the bellybutton body, or like the body of the fantastic new
Made to Move doll. But then again, a high number of joints can mean more weak spots, more places where a doll can break or fall apart. I highly doubt that Kenzie and Elizabeth will encounter that problem.
Strangely enough, although the Fashionistas' bodies are similar to the Model Muse bodies, they are not the same.
Vivian's Muse body sports longer legs and some bone structure at the collarbone and the rib margin. Kenzie's Fashionista body has molded undies, as does Elizabeth's body. It also looks like the two dolls have different waist sizes, but to verify that I'll need to play Dolly Dress Shuffle. Vivian rocks Kenzie's dress, but her feet are too big for Kenzie's pink heels.
Since Elizabeth has flat feet, it's pointless for Vivian to try those black shoes. I doubt the would have fit anyway, since Viv's feet are bigger than high-heeled Fashionista feet. Elizabeth's clothes are loose on Vivian, particularly the skirt.
Vivian's original dress and shoes are in storage, so the Fashionistas first get to try on her purple minidress. It's a wee bit tight on Kenzie, but it accentuates her curves nicely. Elizabeth's body isn't as curvy as Kenzie's, but she too can wear Vivian's spare dress.
As I mentioned above Vivian's stock dress is in storage. That's a bummer since it's got a deep neckline. It would've looked interesting on the Fashionista bodies, I'll bet. All is not lost, however. My Muse-bodied Barbie Look doll has never been redressed so her gold frock is on hand. But as it turns out, it doesn't matter whose dress is available...
...because neither Elizabeth nor Kenzie can wear Model Muse clothes! Their hips are too wide, and I suspect that Elizabeth's waist would've been too wide as well. For the record, Barbie Look's gold pumps fit Kenzie very well.
So what's the final say on my Elizabeth?
BAD
*I hate the way Elizabeth's top handles. It is stiff, it holds wrinkles like mad, and it feels like it can snag.
*Shoe options are limited...for now. Hopefully Mattel will get on the stick and make some more flat shoes.
*Body is stiff. It can strike some very cute poses, but it can also look awkward.
*Accessories are mundane, though they are a nice color.
*Can't wear all Barbie clothes. The current playline outfits are no problem, but Model Muse clothes are OUT!
GOOD
*Hairstyle is original for a Barbie. If we were talking Monster High the style would be less impressive, but we're not.
*Face is pretty, and not generally so like Barbie can sometimes be.
*Clothes are more versatile. Since there are two pieces, there's more room for mixing and matching. The black skirt has lots of potential.
*The fabric print goes all the way around, something one doesn't always see nowadays.
*The black shoes are also versatile, a good thing considering Elizabeth's limited shoe options.
*I forgot to mention this above, but Elizabeth can sit down while fully clothed. Kenzie cannot; her dress is too tight.
*Mobility, while not the best, is much better than that of some other dolls meant for play. Stardoll, I'm looking at you.
*Sturdy. Those stiff limbs are restricting, but they are also a potential blessing in disguise.
My feelings for Elizabeth and Kenzie are mixed, though they're not so mixed that I'm going to berate them much. Both dolls are nice dolls; they stand out from their fellow Fashionistas, particularly with their unorthodox hair and their nonstandard faces. I think the thing that bothers me most is that jointing. These dolls look, move, and feel like they should be collectibles, but they're very clearly toys. I particularly miss the knee joints; even the old rubbery click knees lend some realism to certain poses, like walking or sitting poses.
Frankly, I wasn't planning on reviewing this doll. My intention was to find her, buy her, and quietly add her to my collection like I did with Kenzie and with countless other dolls. However, I'm glad I did review her. It makes me more aware of the Fashionistas' flaws, but it also makes me appreciate Mattel's efforts to make Barbie more interesting. These new Fashionistas remind me of the Fashion Fever line, which existed during my teenage years. Both lines appear to be experimenting with new faces, new hairstyles, new hair/skin color combos. Though the Fashionistas are not perfect dolls, I applaud them for attempting to break new ground without giving up the play factor. That makes them worth owning. Therefore I recommend these for kids and collector alike. They are an excellent way for a young child to get the feeling of a collector's doll without breaking the bank. If you're an adult collector looking for some new faces, these will fit the bill nicely.
Happy Thanksgiving,
RagingMoon1987
...and a dark skin set. OMG, A BLUE WIG!!!
The blue wig takes the win, but these sets cost a hundred bucks so I'm SOL for now. And here's where the complaining comes in; Reddit users and Failbook users alike are griping about the wigs, about the clothes, about the price, about...well, whatever anyone can find to harp on. I feel the complaints about price, but when you stop to think you're getting three highly articulated and complete dolls with fairly well-made clothes, so I guess a Benjamin is about right. As to the clothes, I think they're meant to be accessorized like the old Basics were, but...have any of y'all seen accessory packs yet??? 'Cause I haven't. Maybe they're in the wings. Wigs? As long as they're not like the Creatable World wigs then I see no problems, unless the fibers are bad. I doubt that'll be the case, but I won't know until I read otherwise.
The original Basics came on a Model Muse body, and while I'm not as big a fan of those there are positive things to be said. Model Muse bodies are stiff and are strictly for older collectors, but they also are beautifully sculpted and can convey a fair amount of personality. Here's three of mine (OLD PICTURE!!!).
Sigh, I need to retrieve my Basics from Casa del Luna and start letting 'em strut their stuff again. It's kinda hard to tell from the shadows, but these dolls all have popped hips and bent knees, looking like they're either walking or in a show-off stance. Their arm positions varied as well; I like the graceful positions of the straight arms, but I love how the bent arms can monkey with hair, like so (OLD PICTURE AGAIN!!!)
