Countdown to Christmas.. Day 23

Countdown to Christmas ends out Silkstone Saga today on Day 23. I have more Silkstones, but since tomorrow is Christmas Eve and then Christmas Day, I have different dolls I want to showcase. 

I am ending today's Silkstone showcase with the controversial articulated little number that started the unending debate- should they- shouldn't they? articulate the silkstones.  Personally, I think adding articulation to the silkstones was not a good move. They should have just left the dolls as the beautiful mannequins they were and improved the makeup from the garrish Jessica Rabbit thing they had going on for a while there and fixed their god awful website and quality control, and started offering pivatol bodies on their basic look dolls. But Mattel has never listened to their adult collector base- that is why they are trailing behind Integrity toys. 

Back to my Countdown to Christmas.
 Classic Black Dress Silkstone Barbie Blonde  Again, I had to go to Ebay for a picture link for this doll as Mattels' gallery only has the brunette up which I have not yet added to  my collection. She ran about $40 which if you added your $20 coupon, was a deal. 

This doll was a most basic of dolls, no purse, no jewelry, nada, zip on accessories, just boots and a dress and bazinga- articulation. She was cute, but her articulation left alot to be desired. Personally, if they were going to do this articulation bit, Ithink they should have studied the Jamie Show body that many collectors were buying for the silkstones or looked at how Integrity did their bodies before doing this point topoint bit. I am afraid to move this doll's joints, she is so tight and she cannot bend her arms easily. I redressed her for this photoshoot and it may be a while before I undress her again because she's not that much of a pleasure to dress if I'm afraid I will break her elbows or hands. The newer ones, like Camel Coat, are a better made so it seems like they are getting the hang of this articulation thing. 
Enjoy the pics! 

These Boots were Made for Walking...Classic Black Dress Silkstone...

Classic Black Dress Silkstone- the first articulated silkstone Barbie of 2016 has arrived and she is lovely. Here is the first photo of her in the box.

She comes dressed in a basic black dress, with black boots, no jewelry or purse and a stand. Her box is very classy, with a glossy finish. I love the packaging. 

There are plenty of bad reviews of this doll, such as Mike and Elio's Classic Black Dress Silkstone review- click on the above video...not good, and they do wonderful reviews of dolls. I highly recommend subscribing to them. (Just a word up- Silkstones are not their cup of tea, either, and they did a giveaway recently on this doll. ) 

Terri Gold did a wonderful review of this doll HERE which was also quite nice,
as well as Inside the Fashion doll Studio  did one on this doll too. 

But most of these reviews were all about what was WRONG with the doll. For me, I would like to focus what was is RIGHT with her...

My title of this blog post was These Boots Were Made For Walking...

Does anyone remember that song?? Nancy Sinatra anyone? 

I am wondering if Robert Best didn't have this in mind when he contemplated articulation for the Silkstones, yet attempting to keep their body mass intact. By that I mean, looking at this little lady at first glance, no, I'm not pleased with boots and a black dress. But now I think I 'get' the simplicity here. Barbie was a mannequin in 1959...along about 1965-1966 she began to 'bend' and twist and turn.....sort of like the Silkstones today. 

So I began to look at all the reasons I LIKE this little girl. And not all the disappointments, the unfiled seams on her arms and hands. But pose her, stand back and look at her objectively.When doll makers give a doll articulation it is all about movement, giving that doll 'lifelike ' movement of realism and poseability. For me, the Silkstones were beautiful, but that was about it. I could not sit them realistically in a chair, in a car, nada. Nor could I dress them with that bent arm at the side. 

Here are some photos of my little beauty.

Her arms are difficult to bend, her hands I like as you could probably put rings or jewelry on them. I adore her face. My dolls' hair was a little messed but I can fix that with some water spray. In my opinion her body is like a young teen Skipper, which I know freaks out alot of the hard core Silkstone collectors. For me, there is something about this little doll that really caught me and I think I understood when I compared the FEET of this little lady to the other Silkstone beauties.

Remember what I said about movement, realism, articulation? This is especially true in dioramas. When you are taking a picture in dioramas, or a scene, what creates life is how the dolls are 'moving' and Silkstones are good for standing in line, talking to another doll, but they don't really create life. Look at their feet. One on the left is just standing, and the other is striding in her high heels. The one in the middle? Well that is Classic Black Dress- these Boots are Made for Walking....

See what I mean about movement?  Classic Black dress in one fell swoop, has created the motions of 'living' with her articulated arms and legs. From the first picture her purse moves from her hand to her arm, and she breaks from the line at the door to the front of the step with her right hand flying up to straighten her hair. The other dolls, though they have 'moved' have not moved their poses, they are not really able to except to move a hand or an arm up and down. Those knees cannot bend. 

Voila' ! She's what Barbie should be...or evolve to. I think myself, the articulated line will probably move to a better articulation, given some time. I think I see what they are going for, if the collectors will have patience. 

I personally am happy with this doll and the articulated line up for Silkstones. Though I love the older Silkstones too, I adore movement. One thing I also love- is these dolls will look good in the vintage Barbie playsets and clothing too. 

Price...
Was she worth the price? At Barbiecollector.com she was priced at $40 with my $20 reward she was $20 plus tax and shipping, $25.95 ...so yes, definitely worth the price this time around.  I know the next two, Trench coat which is probably going to be priced between $75-95? and Glam Dress $99-109 are prices I have seen quoted for these two already at dealers. I hope to buy these two from Barbie Collector website.