Lana

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This is Integrity's new Hollywood Royalty line, where they intend to feature famous Hollywood stars (not sure if that will include men as well). They debuted the line with the Lana Turner doll at their annual FAO party. I will start with the box, because the external packaging is a little different. They are simple yet gorgeous in white and brilliant red. The internal packaging remains the same, the storycard is replaced by a certificate of authenticity.

A shot of Lana right out of the box (above right). She has platinum blonde short hair, the ends are rolled tightly upwards. Her eyes are a vivid blue, her lashes are long and endless, her lips a beautiful dark red.

She comes dressed in a black chiffon cocktail dress, with a halter neck. The necklace is a little satin choker, secured with a little bead loop. There are three white flowers with silver centers attached to it. She also wears a pair of long black gloves that are a little short of her elbow, and she wears flesh colored stockings. A closer look at the top of her outfit reveals a pretty jewel at the front of her dress, but looks very similar to ones from another doll company. A look at the back shows the halter is secured by a hook and a long zip runs across the back of the dress. The fit is snug and beautiful, and the texture of the material is dreamy.

The dress is actually layered -- the black chiffon layer is built over a dark brown (the brown is darker in real life than in my photos) satin layer.

Underneath the chiffon layer and the satin layer is a black lace underskirt.

This is all she comes wearing and at this point I will mention what distracted me the most so far -- the choker she wears around her neck. It is loose; so loose that it twirls around her neck at the slightest movement. The satin ribbon is flimsy and the bead closure is even flimsier. The white/silver combo of the flowers clash (JMHO) with the abundance of gold accessories on her. And paired with that halter neck, it just gives a very busy feeling to the ensemble. Here is another shot to show how ill fitting it is (below left). Off it will go into storage.

Her jewelry consists of a pair of gold studs with beige stones for the ears and a bangle/bracelet studded with stones. The bangles are similar to the ones in the "Graphic Flirtation" series, only made of metal. I like the look and the construction, but it was difficult for me to slip them over her gloved wrist.

Shoes -- I found an amazing innovation here, and I am loving it. They have made the ankle straps out of elastic and sewn the bucles onto it. That means, it looks very good and to scale and detailed, yet no more fighting to put the straps through the miniscule buckles. However, I was disappointed with the finish of the shoe over all, her feet would not fit into them (I am trying with stockinged feet of course) -- I think you will have better luck with bare feet. A small white stone is set on the front of the shoes. Again IMO, this clashes with the gold buckle.

--- Accessories ---

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The purse is a simple clutch with a black stone clasp -- nothing to praise. I would have liked something more to embellish that purse; it disappointed me with its overly simplistic design.

Lastly, her fur stole. It has a small hook closure at the ends. I do not know if it is clear from my pics, but the color of the stole is a dark brown and it surely does not match the black of the dress, gloves, shoes, or purse. Now, I assume that things in an ensemble are supposed to match up either in similar or complementary color schemes, but, to my eyes, these don't gel together. The construction and materials are excellent though!

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Finally her face -- it is beautiful. Whether it is a correct likeness of the star or not is another debate altogether, but I have to admit the face has the allure of vintage Hollywood.

The bottomline: Lana Turner is doubtlessly a beautiful doll. Is she worth the price I paid for her? Honestly, that is a difficult call to make. I do not like the various flaws that I listed in my review. IMO anything at this price point should be flawless

and perfect. The construction of her outfit seems rushed, and that should not have been the case for the first doll of a new line. I would also have liked Integrity to splurge a bit more on Lana...she does not look as pampered as she should have been.

Will I rush to buy another Hollywood royalty? No...unless it is Rita Hayworth, of course.

Overall, I am neutral on Lana.