On the Avenue Review
You might have done a double take before clicking on today’s post – who’s the new redhead? Allow me to introduce Jacinda:
Her owner, M – whom you know as the writer behind Logan (and now Jace and Jacinda, introductions coming soon) – was kind enough to have her routed through me before she was sent onward. Woe is me, I had access to a rare(ish), lovely doll, and I got pictures enough to do a full and thorough review (with consent, of course).
That doesn’t really answer the question of who this mystery goddess is, though, does it?
She’s one half of the National Barbie Doll Collector “On the Avenue” convention set from 2018. There were two dolls sharing the spotlight as the first curvy convention dolls that year, she and her counterpart were designed by Carlyle Neura. Let’s have a quick picture, and a bit of what the designer had to say about the doll:
“When I was designing the convention doll and knew that the theme was ‘On The Avenue’, my mind went to the Fashion Avenue line from the 90s, what I played with as a kid. I wanted to design a doll that allowed for one of Barbie’s earliest and purest play patterns; fashion play!
Dressing your Barbie, mixing & matching pieces, styling her to create a look. On The Avenue Barbie comes with silver earrings, a pastel organza top that ties in the front with long tails, a shimmering champagne organza ball gown skirt with architectural draping, a black sparkly knit bodysuit, a knee length skirt with layers of silver foiled pewter mesh and silver lamé, a pair of black t-strap heels and a pair of cream strappy heels! I also want to always be forward thinking in my design approach.
I wanted this Barbie to be a Collector example of how inclusive Barbie is now in terms of body type, so I designed her to use the Curvy Collector body that I first designed for Madam LaVinia Barbie. And you already know I love unusual face sculpts, so I used the Selma & Daria sculpts painted with side glancing eyes and a beauty mark. Hope you all love her and have fun playing!”
I love that the designer of this doll had playing dress up, rather than remaining boxed, in mind when designing this doll. The de-boxxing community is thrilled and I’m hoping it won’t be the last time this happens with a higher end fashion doll.
As always, I’m starting with accessories. This gift set comes with two pairs of tasteful, classic high heels:
Sadly, both are softer plastic, as are most Barbie shoes, so if you’re hoping your doll can stand on her own, unless you lean her against something, odds are that’s not going to be possible. One pair is black, has small studded details, and the other pair are a soft, creamy, peach with crisscross detailing.
For those who might be wondering, these shoes fit the curvy made to move Barbie, so for those that want their curvies in heels, you may want to see if these are available on Ebay, unless you feel like taking the plunge with this doll entirely. After having her here in person, I’m so sorely tempted!
Now, because this was a convention doll, I was hoping they’d taken a page out of the Integrity Toys playbook and gone with heavier, metal accessories. Unfortunately, they didn’t. I feel like these could be improved on, especially with a convention level doll.
With consent from “Jacinda”/M, these earrings have been volunteered for a future DIY project. I’m going to see if I can’t spruce them up a little. Wish me luck.
Her outfit is what I’d expect from a grand convention doll – elegant, fresh, and stylish.
My favorite piece is the top; I’m a sucker for long, flowing gossamer fabrics, pastels, and interesting design – this piece features all three. Bravo to the designer, two very enthusiastic thumbs up. Stunning. I have a feeling it’ll look great with denim as well. I guess we’ll find out.
The blouse ties in the front and it’s also fastened by a couple of small stitches.
For those intending to remove the blouse, please note that it’s held in place, additionally, with a bit of glue. Don’'t panic. The glue is easy to remove, I suggest being gentle to avoid scratching the plastic of her chest or damaging the blouse. Overall the process of peeling off the glue took me less than 3 minutes and required no special tools (I simply pushed my finger against the edges of the glue in order to cause it to roll and peel off).
The skirt is quite lovely and it looks like something out of a fairy tale in the best possible way. Several semi-transparent layers give it an ethereal feel that I can’t help but admire.
Her secondary outfit is a slightly more casual, but still very much a “going out” look.
The top is actually a black, sparkly, turtleneck, long-sleeved body suit.
For those that are looking for a blouse that tucks into a skirt or pants without riding up (a problem I’ve experienced many times with my dolls in the past), here you have it. A clever solution, indeed.
I don’t know about you, but I get a very “sex in the city” vibe from this tea-length, shimmering, dark grey and silvered skirt. Certainly cute for those more creative with doll outfits than yours truly.
Fashion is all well and good, but what about the doll herself? Oh my goodness, brace yourself, she rivals Helen of Troy.
The makeup on this doll is tasteful and glamorous without crossing the line into tacky, which is apparently easy to do when one wears sparkly eye shadow. I love that they used a complimentary color palette to pull her overall look together. I’m especially a fan of her mauve, glossy lips. Like the BMR beauty I reviewed here, I think this doll belongs with the likes of Audrey and Grace.
She has gorgeous, hip-length red hair with light orange and blonde streaks throughout – not something I’d noticed from her official photographs. I was thrilled when I was given the thumbs up to take her hair down and play with it. It looks like a mane of fire and is (as of this post) currently her profile picture on Instagram (M has created her an Instagram all her own).
As for her body, sadly it doesn’t sport as much articulation as the curvy, made to move doll – not even close. She has the curvy collector level of articulation, which is similar to a fashionista body, with no joint on her torso and limited leg and arm mobility.
(Sorry about the color shift, this was taken with my phone)
Please note that while I have her legs bent in this image, I did not bend her at the hip. She is able to sit down, bending both forward and back at the hip. My apologies, I would take another picture, but I sent her to her final home already.
That said, when in a sitting position her legs just don’'t really stay positioned at a 90 degree angle and she looks almost like she’s leaning backward a bit.
For those wanting to swap this head to a curvy made to move body for additional articulation, the made-to-move strawberry blonde is very close in skin tone. M was loathe to bodyswap and I agree, as this doll, while lacking in some articulation, has an interesting body shape.
As you can see, this doll isn’t the exact same shape as her made to move cousin.
Her upper arms appear to be thicker and have a “muscular” but soft feel to them.
Her thighs are thicker, as are her calves, soft but “muscular”
Her backside, while protruding less, seems to be more toned and lifted
Her torso is thicker, I love her tummy
Her shoulders, waist, hips, thighs, knees, and elbows are all narrower from the front view.
Her bust is larger and her breasts “fill out” the space on her chest better in my opinion.
I hope you enjoyed this review. If you have any questions, M and I will do our best to answer them. See you next time, and thanks for stopping in.
