Overall I do like this doll from Integrity Fashion Royalty. Buenos Aires Victoire Roux has the body style I like, with articulated wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles. She can sit with her legs crossed without looking goofy, which is generally how I judge how well a doll can pose.
Her facepaint could be more subtle, however. She looks very cartoonish, especially with the bright blue eyeshadow and bright coral lips, but she's still pretty. From what I've read recently, Fashion Royalty is not going to airbrush the face screens on their dolls going forward, so we're going to be stuck with high end dolls with pretty much Barbie quality face screens. That's a shame, but as long as they keep the price point reasonable, I won't complain much.
$99 for this doll is definitely the maximum I would be willing to spend on a doll like this nowadays. If her makeup were a softer touch, giving her more elegance to match her outfit, I'd go higher, but I don't see that happening.
As for the outfit, it definitely has the feel of late fifties, early sixties to me. The jacket is lovely, and very well made, but the fabric makes me think of the sofa my parents had in our living room that we weren't allowed to sit on.
They kept the bulk down on the outfit by not having her wear a blouse. It's just a scarf, really, or maybe a modesty panel, that goes under her jacket. It's a clever way to make it look like she's wearing a full suit, but I was a little disappointed to not see a nice thin silk shell tanktop under that jacket.
The skirt is full and bouncy. We also get natural toned pantyhose, white pumps, a pair of earrings, a hat with two pins to stick it to her hair, and "leather" gloves. The shoes are very nice. The hat stayed on her head without pins, plus I was not comfortable trying to force the pin through the stiff fabric.
The gloves... The gloves I do not like. It took me a bit of wrestling to get them on her hands, only to have them look terrible on. Other reviewers have described them perfectly: oven mitts. So my doll won't be wearing her gloves, she'll just have them around for photoshoots.
The doll's hairstyle is impressive. Its a tight series of braids wound into two buns at the back of her head. It gives her a very sleek, sophisticated look. Many times I will restyle my doll's hair, but in this case, I really like the look and don't want to mess with it at all.
Victoire Roux stands approximately 12 inches tall. While I don't have any other Fashion Royalty dolls to compare her to, I'm pretty sure sharing clothing won't be problematic.
For a limited edition doll, the $99 price tag was well worth it, despite my few complaints. I am still going to be extremely picky about the next Fashion Royalty doll I get, but Victoire Roux definitely makes me want to buy another one soon!
For more pics (including a couple of the nude doll, to see the body type and articulation), check out my full gallery.
