20 Feb 2015

Barbie Fashionistas 2015


Picked these two girls up for a friend, but before I posted them off (he wanted them deboxed) a review was of course crucial!

So these are the new 2015 Fashionistas from Mattel. They're £10 and I found these girls in Tesco. The case assortment seems to be 2 different Barbies, Raquelle, Summer? Or is she Teresa? I don't even know anymore...  and one each of these two girls.

They don't have names, so um... I shall name them George and Susan.





The back of hte box has the assortment. The case I saw had the Barbie in the "be your self" shirt, the brunette in the denim skirt, Barbie in the maroon top, Raquelle in the red dress and then frizzy haired girl (George) and super dark skinned girl (Susan).

I've seen the other girls around too, so looks like we have multiple case assortments? Confusing.


Anyway, the boxes. They look like the plastic nightmare I usually complain about, but I actually figured out the knack pretty quick.
You need a pencil or something to stab into the plastic tabs around the outside (no tape is used in this box AT ALL, not a single piece of tape. How cool is that?)
Once you have those tabs popped, the backing card hinges open to reveal this, another card with more plastic tabs. They are pretty soft and very easy to just flip with a finger.
It took me about 30 seconds to open this box, so i'm very pleased with this.
No blood sacrifice? thank you Mattel, now please fix the Monster High boxes. Grrr.


Here's "Susan". She's held into the box with two ties which are easy to snip. One around the ankles, one at the waist.
Her head is held into a plastic cushion thing with the usual head staples, but because it's a raised cushion and you can easily slide the tabs holding it to the card OUT, it's actually very easy to snip them without risking cutting hair.


She's a pretty girl.
Though she does have some scratches on her lips. Hmmm.. odd. Stray hairs while they were spraying maybe?

"Susan" comes wearing a cute little dress. It's made of a knit fabric at the top with a cute collar, then a shiny soft floral fabric for the skirt part.
The pattern is full print, which I know Barbie folk will be delighted by.
It's a really nice little dress actually. Simple but the different fabrics make it feel a bit more interesting than a plain shift dress.
The skirt is slightly bubble cut too, it's pleated so it poofs out a little and then becomes a bit tighter around the bottom.


She comes with a plastic purse, a plastic necklace shaped like a bow (it's silver) and a pair of strappy flats.
Yes... FLATS. She has FLAT SHOES.

The plastic of the shoes and handbag has an iridescent quality that means it shimmers and reflects light, so it kinda gets a pearly rainbow effect when you move it. It's really cool. Sadly I couldn't photograph it.


But yes, FLAT FEET.
This girl has flat... feet... small... flat... feet.
I am so surprised by this.

I mean, I knew the new articulated bodies had ankle joints so they could wear flats or heels, but they're making dolls with EITHER flat or heeled feet as well?
This seems a bit odd to me. Because it now means you need more shoes, because this girl? she cannot wear regular Barbie shoes.


At all...

This just strikes me as a dumb idea. What is a kid meant to do now? Poor girl is doomed to forever wear the same pair of shoes?
Hmmmm.

Her body is a bit odd. The legs are hollow feeling plastic, hard and unbending. Her arms are equally as unyeilding and stuck in a one hand on hip pose.
Not exactly a very playable pose.

At least she can sit down though, unlike the bloody Stardolls.

Her hair is kanekellon I think and the black is streaked with auburn. it's quite pretty.
Her bangs are of course gelled to hell though. She also had globs of glue in her hair when I deboxed her. Ewwww.


She's short!
And it's not just the flat feet... I don't think anyway... I dunno, she seems rather little and reminds me of those "hobbit" bodied Fashion Fever dolls.

I think it's a real shame the Fashionistas lost their articulation. Jules there is an old Fashionista, same price point (she was £10 when sold in stores too) and such a superior body. *sigh*


That said, Chandra's skin tone isn't one we see too often these days and it's such a pretty skin colour.

"Susan" is a perfect match for SIS Chandra, which is good news for those with spare SIS bodies laying about.

The new Fashionistas have ditched articulation in favour of slightly more interesting outfits, varied face moulds and a large range of skin tones. They feel like Fashion Fever and I loved Fashion Fever.
It's nice to see faces being used in interesting ways, and some old favourites along with brand new moulds in the mix.



And speaking of interesting mixes...
Woah.

"George" here uses a mould traditionally used for dark skinned dolls, and here she's rocking blonde curls and pale skin. It's quite striking, very unexpected.

She even has green/hazel eyes and freckles!


Her outfit is also a single piece dress. Black stretch at the top with a rolled collar, then a cross over skirt. It is also full print the whole way around. I really like this dress, the pattern is really nice and the cut is interesting.


She comes with a pink clutch, pink strappy heels and a gold winged heart medallion. the necklace is cool.


Unfortunately she does suffer a bit of "box hair" problems. Her curls are rather flattened at the back.


Like "Susan", "George" comes in a static modelly pose. She has the opposite hand on her hip here, and one leg slightly bent which means she won't stand up straight.

This body reminds me of the Model Muse bodies... like.. so much.


Same pose and everything.
She even has the same popped hip.

Bizarre.

I'm really not sure about these bodies. Having them posed like that suggests they're for display rather than play, but their price point and accessories suggest they're for play and arghh.. i'm so confused.


"George" is rather pale. Jules is typical Barbie tan, and a lot darker skinned.

"George's" hair is awesome though. look how poofy it is. It makes me smile. I love this kind of frizzy halo of hair on a doll.

Here's "George" and "Susan" together. You can see how short "Susan" looks. I'm all for body diversity in dolls and all, but it does strike me as a bit wierd that all the Fashionistas seem to have different bodies to one another.
Sure they can all wear one another's clothes, though not shoes... yeah... shoe mixing is a problem. But I just can't help but think like... why bother with the different poses? aren't these supposed to be playline dolls for kids to uh... PLAY with? And can you really play much with a doll with one arm forever in a "I'm a little teapot" pose?


Overall, for a tenner, they aren't bad.
Their bodies do feel pretty damn cheap though.
the plastic is light, their fingers have next to no detail (it's all fuzzy like a cast of a cast of a cast) and the static poses feel very limiting.

I like their heads though, and the skin tone variety. It's SO nice to see a properly dark skinned doll in a toy aisle again. The UK doesn't tend to get dark skinned dolls so "Susan" stood out on the shelf. I saw her from the end of the aisle, her skin tone is just so striking against everything else. I'm delighted that we have gotten the black doll, because for so many years we in the UK have been getting cases with any doll darker than "ambiguously brown" removed. MGA removed Sasha from their assortments, Mattel removed Christie and gave us "ambiguous brown that's actually the exact same colour as tanned beach Barbie" Artsy instead. So In style was barely sold here and I have NEVER seen any of the dark skinned Moxie Girlz in a store.

I'm so happy to see some representation for darker skin, but also what could be perceived as a mixed race doll. "George's" features are facinating, and really quite appealing in how unique she is with that mould in this skin tone.
I like that they gave her really curly hair too, it adds to the idea that she might have mixed heritage and I think that'll speak a lot to kids who haven't had that sort of representation previously.

So overall, the Fashionistas aren't bad. I do wish they had better bodies. Articulated bodies with this variety of skin tone and face moulds (every single doll has a unique mould with the exception of the repeated Barbies in each case) would have been my perfect Barbie line.
But alas, that shall have to remain a dream...

or rather... be the Style line that Mattel have also brought out. Lol.

But the Style line doesn't have quite the range of faces yet. I'm sure it'll get there though.

Now i'm really looking forward to the Fashionista with the half shaved blonde hair, that doll WILL be mine damnit. She will. She's the most exciting Barbie Mattel have produced in well over a decade.




I'm rambling.

Barbie Fashionistas... great faces, ok hair, good quality outfits, ok accessories, craptastic rubbish bodies omg.
I give them ooo.. 7 little teapots out of 10. What the hell is the deal with the flat feet on some and heeled feet on others and what's up with the static model poses?

12 comments:

  1. This feels like the kind of line where you buy the doll for the head and accessories, and throw away the body. A bit wasteful perhaps, but at least for once there's a matching articulated body for "susan" out there. I assume the flats fit the new articulated ankle feet, so they won't go to waste.

    ReplyDelete
  2. You and I thought the same thing about George. I saw those pictures and thought "She'll make a great mixed-race doll." :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. After reading your blog I've been searching the internet to see if any other dolls have been released (I also really want that doll with the shaved sides even if she lost the blue hair from her promo pictures). I didn't find any other dolls, but I did see the ones you found plus a blonde Barbie with the new face mold added to the Barbie Collector site. I guess they're trickling out the dolls over the year.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I just ordered these exact 2 from BarbieCollector.com!

    Its sad that the permanently flat footed Barbies can't share shoes but Matttel is releasing fashion packs with flat shoes, so there will be more flat shoes on the market for these dolls. Plus they can wear Skipper shoes - which means I can put some of my High School Musical doll shoes to use with my Barbie sized dolls!

    As for articulation and the permanent poses, I play dolls with my little cousins all the time and we use my Model Muse, posed Fashionista and articulated bodies interchangeably and they never complain when a doll is posed a certain way. They don't really care about articulation. If a doll can't sit down, THAT is a problem, but that's pretty much it.

    Overall though, I think your review is fair. Can't wait to get my hands on mine.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I got your Susan the other day! The feet are the same size as the newer Stacie doll. It good news for those with smaller doll but not great overall. I love her face but unless you have a speaar Chandra body sitting around, the aren't easy to find. I too want the shaved head dolls. Congrats on getting your dolls!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I also am not a fan of the permanent flat foot Barbie. I love the fully articulated dolls but they are so hard to find in stores and everywhere online wants to jack up the price. Grrrrr. I recently just got your George the other day, I'm soooo in love with her. Her hair is so awesome!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Barbie Fashionistas 2015. Picked these two girls up for a friend, but before I posted them off (he wanted them deboxed) a review was of course ... tbarbiefashionistas.blogspot.de

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello!
    I read this review before purchasing some fashionistas for myself. The bent bodies are unbearable for me, especially on a playline doll. One even had a leg that twisted in, and a severe case of scoliosis.

    I have had to ban myself from getting the dark skinned doll, as I know it will be difficult finding another SIS Chandra, and I love my own Chandra too much to rip her poor head off.
    This is the same reason I don't want the mixed race blonde girl - where will I find a pale articulated body?
    I managed to pick up the LA Girl in Tesco, and nearly hyperventilated - I thought she'd be sold out. So I am very happy. I hate her hollow legs, so the head is now on a Fashion Fever Drew body - she is a perfect match for that. I assume she is the same paleness as 'George'.

    ReplyDelete
  9. These dolls are very cute but it's just so hard to find them all. I have three now including ones like your Susan and George. I'm really into articulatuon so it's also sad for me that these girls are stuck in the same pose. I'll still be adding more to my collection since I love the head sculpts.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for sharing the information.it helps me a lot. This was a really wonderful dolls.
    <a href="https://firstshop.in/Toys-for-kids/”>Barbie and Dolls!</a>

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you for your detailed review of the Barbie Fashionistas, Flying Purple Monkfish! Your insights into the world of dolls and fashion are captivating.
    https://www.promocodehq.com/blog/birdy-grey-return-policy/

    ReplyDelete
  12. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your detailed review and analysis of the different Barbie styles and outfits. Your passion for dolls and attention to detail truly shine through in your writing.
    https://www.frugalishness.com/cash-app-barcode-to-load-money/

    ReplyDelete