Review: Flight of Fashion

I was up until nearly 04:00 Tuesday night (technically Wednesday morning); Integrity Toys had their live Q&A with the launch of their 2021 WClub and I wanted to be there as it unfolded. Unfortunately, it started at 02:00 for me. I got about four hours & change of sleep (because who falls asleep without 10,000 position changes?), when the down stairs bell rang at 09:00.

Muttering curses and wishing for a postperson-shaped voodoo doll as I hauled myself out of my nice, warm bed, it was hardly an ideal way to start the day. All was instantly forgiven when he placed the Mattel-labelled box on the landing.

What are the odds my Flight of Fashion doll would appear just a few hours after I publicly posted my stress pangs about it? But hey, she’s here, and that’s a relief!

Let’s jump right in, shall we?

To be very clear: I did NOT get this doll for free.
It was not sent to me as a gift for review.

I’m a de-boxer; to me, boxes are just the vessels that hide the doll from me, so why talk about them or hang onto them? I’m going to make an exception for this box. Just look at that art, it’s beautiful.

The box reads: “Introducing a beguiling beauty, Barbie Flight of Fashion doll. This fantastical fairy sorceress enchanted Barbie fans” – love the pun - “and became the crowdsourced winning thematic to go from concept to doll. She’s dressed in a dramatic mermaid gown with feathery details and shimmering accents. Her long, jet-black hair is styled in two sleek, top-knot ponytails punctuated by a captivating teardrop headpiece. Matching teardrop earrings and long, fingerless gloves complete her look. As you gaze into her piercing blue eyes, beware the power of allure, lest you fall under her lasting spell.”

Does anyone else read the word “beguiling” in an Australian accent and immediately think about “Isn’t it Romantic”? Or is that just my sleep-deprived brain?

Moment of truth.

First impression: this doll is absolutely gorgeous.

To Angel Kent, the artist who came up with this doll in the first place, and to Mattel for execution: Bravo!

I mean it, no sarcasm here. Mattel has had some dolls that really failed to hit the mark in the past, which made me nervous about this doll, I’m relieved to say that my anxiety was wasted energy.

I imagine they could use this face mold (named Odile) and general aesthetic for other fantasy creatures. Fairies (obviously), mermaids, dryads, fawns, vampires, maybe elves.

I really hope they keep producing these fantasy dolls; I didn’t expect to like her as much as I do, but her face is just exquisite and her long hair is so incredibly soft. I’d like if it were layered/uneven, like a waterfall, but it’s beautiful in this cleaner, even cut as well.

The contrast between her pale skin and her dark tresses adds a drama to the doll that I personally like. Her face mold is enhanced by her tasteful pale makeup, piercing blue eyes, the hint of a smile on her pink plump lips, and her upturned nose is just plain adorable. I don’t know that I’ve seen brows like this on other dolls from Mattel, and I really like that they’re more detailed. I hope this is a new trend.

That said, I’m not the biggest fan of her glancing to the side - I much preferred the prototype where she was looking straight ahead. This seems to be a fairly popular thing among convention and higher end dolls, and it’s not like I don’t like it, I just prefer a straight-on gaze.

I’m honestly on the fence about these accessories. I really like the concept of the forehead-dangling jewelry here. Please, if there’s an official name for this, someone save me! The teardrop is cute and it’s been used in a lot of fantasy jewelry. That said, I’m not sure why it’s attached to that crown looking thing?

Sadly, these accessories are in the usual plastic, I’d hoped they wouldn’t be, but figured as much.

There are some things Mattel does that make me ask, “Why?”, things that, by most people’s standards, shouldn’t be “a thing” at all. One of them is when they only print on the front of the doll’s outfit, and leave the back lackluster.

At this price point, this should not be a thing!

To be fair, I hate it at any price point, but when the doll reaches a certain cost, it just feels like a slap in the face.

I’m guessing this is because many collectors, maybe even most collectors, are going to keep their higher-end dolls in the box, for display purposes, so the back doesn’t matter. For de-boxers and those that use display cases, though, this is disappointing.

Some reviews have expressed displeasure with the fact that the skirt on this particular outfit isn’t hemmed, it’s simply cut fabric. For me, I think this adds mystery, it makes it look more like she could be emerging from the shadows, perhaps her skirt is made of shadow. I can imagine it would look pretty cool on a very dark grey or black surface.

I wish that they’d stuck with the original design for the gown, too, pulling the feathered, sparkle look up into the bodice. But, like I said before, it wasn’t enough to deter me from ordering the doll. Below you can see the side-by side comparison. Quite a few little changes happened between the prototype and execution phases.

The fingerless gloves are dramatic in the best possible way. Very cute.

Unfortunately, they highlight the hands. From a distance, they’re not bad, but up close, the mold lines are terrible:

As a miniature hobbyist I admit that cleaning mold lines from my miniatures is both depressing and mind-numbing. It’s also necessary. If you don’t take the time to refine the models and smooth down those lines, it detracts from the overall look - doll hands are no exception.

I’m nervous about trying to “fix” this myself using my miniature tools, it really depends on just how much this bothers me. Truthfully, I won’t know that until I go to bed tonight; then the things I’m really bothered by will proudly march through my brain, determined to keep me awake. If these hands make the cut, something will have to be done. Update: They made the cut, sigh.

The wings are fabric, you can fold them and shape them; there are no wires in them for additional structure, which I’ve also seen folks mention in their reviews as being a negative. Part of the original design sketch was flowing, delicate wings, so this works for me.

They’re sewn onto the back of the dress, but because they have no structure to them, when you remove the straps, they sort of “wilt” and fold over. Again, this isn’t an issue for me, and it’s a small price to pay to get me away from those distracting shoulder straps.

For whatever reason, I never picture fairies as wearing footwear:

These are very basic heels, classy, and could be worn in any number of scenarios. Maybe that’s part of the appeal? These heels, by the way, fit my Ginger Gilroy doll as well.

Speaking of Ginger, I wanted to get a skin-tone comparison while I’m at it. These are my two palest dolls and, shockingly, Ginger almost looks tan here. That’s just crazy:

Sadly, this doll’s body is not one of my favorites and I’d like to re-body her, but I don’t know of any fully articulated dolls with this skin tone

Now, I know there are those that love the fashionista lines with the one-bent leg fashion pose, incredibly slender, and the limited arm movement, it’s just not my favorite. I’m spoiled with the 22-points of articulation and anything less leaves me a little pouty.

I would love a fully articulated doll, especially for a fantasy doll, I’d love to be able to pose her crouched on a rock casting a spell. But well.

Overall, I like this doll and I don’t regret purchasing her. For me, her highlight is her beautiful, fae face. If they used this face mold and made a dark-skinned fire fae (hint hint, universe), I’d buy her in an instant, articulation or not.

I hope you find this review helpful. If you’ve purchased this doll, would you change anything? If so, what? I’d love to hear your opinions. Have a good one, and hey, tomorrow it’s Friday, so happy pre-weekend.