Friday, March 8, 2019

Fashion Avenue 1995 #14306



Not so long ago I described my poor Midge who suffered greatly from the hands of her previous owner / owners and I myself had planned to be equally cruel to her by beheading her and using her as a body donor. But my heart’s been softened by her previous misfortunes so easily perceptible and the beauty of the 1985 Diva mold that I decided otherwise. So I ordered some hair and rerooted her. She turned out to be quite a pretty doll and the only thing that was missing was the right kind of outfit for her.


But the right kind of outfit wouldn’t come quite so easily as it seems. I refused to pay a king’s ransom for it, so the only two alternatives that were there for me would be purchasing a modern type of dress or to scavenge for a used one. But I’ve twice so far have been misled by auctions such as “vintage/ collectible outfits – perfect condition”. The below picture would show a pile of clothes so wrinkled that telling their condition would be impossible. Now, I may be wishing for a lot, but for me “perfect condition” may require gentle washing and ironing and not extensive repairs or stain removal with the use of heavy duty products! So I got two nice 2017 outfits for my Midge and thus I expected her to remain, but luck struck!!!!!!!







I came into the possession of one of the most amazing Fashion Avenue sets ever, and certainly, my favorite! But before I begin my reverie on the set, just a couple of words on the series. Fashion Avenue was released between 1995 and 2004, and although its beginnings mean also the end of Barbie’s golden era, one can certainly still feel it in the outfits or at least the first releases. The high quality fabrics, the excellent designs and attention to detail define the series that was further subdivided into several categories, such as Party, Deluxe, Lingerie (my oh my!!!!), Boutique, International, Evening wear, Bridal and some more. It provided clothes not only for Barbie but for Ken and Skipper as well, and later on for Teen Skipper, Kelly and Todd. There were also the most adorable sets for Barbie and Kelly or Ken and Todd who would dress identical! My heart melts when I see those cute little dresses for Kelly!!!! But then as time passed FA lost much of its glamor to be eventually replaced by Fashion Fever that doesn’t agree with my sense of esthetics. Bun enough of that, the below commercial shows FA at its best and there’s my dress too.




While waiting for my FA Deluxe, I teased myself with this website that contains the details on the series and the pictures of the sets that I don’t have – what a torment - http://www.fashionave.info/. Amongst so many marvelous outfits, there were three that I already have, but although they are lovely, I felt that my Midge deserved something magnificent, something … deluxe! And when I was patiently replenishing each of her plug holes with coper strands I imagined her wearing Fashion Avenue Deluxe 1995 #14306 – the deep and heavy purple would so agree with the rich color of her hair.



The FA Deluxe #14306 is just spectacular! It dates 1995 but it feels like the 80s with its bold design, the huge, wing-like shoulders, oh Alexis from Dynasty would’ve loved it! Speaking about the shoulders, they are ginormous!!! Just how I like them. The dress itself is a combination of different kinds of fabric. The body of the dress resembles velvet, the shoulders – satin and the doll’s cleavage is nicely covered by mesh. The dress is elaborately sprinkled with glitter creating intricate patterns all over it. The accessories that come with the set are a real working purse that closes with a snap and a pair of classic Barbie heels. If I could change anything about the dress, it would be the glitter. I would’ve used an opalescent thread machine embroidery, because the glitter comes of and it’s now all over the doll. The Velcro would’ve gone too, replaced by snaps. But I really am being irrationally whimsical here and just to clear out any misunderstanding, I love the dress. Love it!!!!!!!





When I was rerooting Midge, I imagined her in this particular dress, but I never really thought she’d be wearing it so I found a replacement - a modern 2017 release that resembled it a bit, a tiny bit. And here they are compared. Although the 2017 is pretty enough, the FA Deluxe is simply spectacular and it suits Midge to perfection!



And here’s a little teaser that Mattel invented as an instrument of torture and torment! A catalogue that contains other sets released at that time. Oh how many I’d love to have! One day maybe …











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