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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