An Amazing Beauty - Review of the FR16

FR16 Tulabelle J Adore (Integrity Toys) shown wearing an outfit manufactured by Ashton Drake for their Gene Marshall doll.

I just purchased my very first Fashion Royalty 16 inch (FR16) doll! My collection is enhanced by this lovely and amazingly elegant doll.

The temptation is just to let the photos of the doll speak for themselves! She has delicate features and possesses such a look of refinement that one cannot help but be jealous of the girl. Clearly, she alone is classy enough to wear my Gene Marshall clothes. 

She is now my thinnest doll! It will not be easy for her to share clothing with my Tonners. In addition to Gene Marshall clothing, she can wear clothing manufactured by Madame Alexander for the Alex fashion doll. 

Her legs are very long and thin. Her waist is very narrow, but she has a naturally proportioned bust line, so that she does not look anything like a Barbie. She comes with fully posable feet that bend/twist at the ankle joint and bend at the toes. 

Her hands and feet are so beautiful that I've spent considerable time playing with various poses - could not resist.

 

Some may not like the fact that she is so thin. She would be described as anorexic by most standards. This is clearly not a doll for those who think that fashion dolls should not promote starvation dieting. Those who object to Barbie on moral grounds, would probably reject the FR16.

Top 3 Negatives: 

1) The Hair: It is thin compared to the usual, about half as thick as on a Tonner or Madame Alexander Doll. It was cut poorly and will have to be trimmed.

2) The Face Up: Even though the face up was executed perfectly, I feel that it could easily have been better if it was just a bit more realistic.

3) The Clothing: Although well constructed, the J Adore outfit is far better suited to a play doll. The plastic pink and purple shoes were the worst part. 

Tulabelle in her original outfit. Photograph copyright of Integrity Toys. www.integritytoys.com

 

Top 3 Positives:
1) The Face Sculpt: Just amazing!
2) The Detailing: The hands, feet, neck line, knees, and abdominal area are beautifully rendered. This doll is perfect for bare waist ensembles. The eyelashes are easily the best I have seen on a doll thus far.
3) The Body Proportions: She is slim and curvaceous making her ideal for haute couture outfits and unsuitable for the outfit she was sold wearing (see above picture).

The picture on the left shows how well she can pose in a sitting position. Notice how cute her feet are with one curved over the top of the other. She cannot assume the natural looking poses assumed by an Urban Vita, but is significantly more posable than the average doll. I would put her just below a BJD in posability, keeping in mind that many BJDs will not hold their pose once you let go of them!

Would I recommend purchasing the FR16? Totally, the materials and the workmanship are top of the line. This doll compares favorably to the top notch beauties produced by Dollmore (Misha), Tonner (Daphne), and Madame Alexander (Sienna). I think she is that lovely! I put her right there with all my personal favorites!

Special note: Shoes...you will not be able to use shoes designed for other 16 inch dolls. Her feet are significantly smaller than average and most aftermarket shoes will either look really bad or fall off. You can use shoes made for AvantGuard and Madame Alexander. AvantGuards are also manufactured by Integrity Toys and have the same sized foot.

All of the photographs taken here are mine except were noted - the Integrity Toys promotional photo.