What's so haute about our couture??

 Everything!!  At least we hope YOU will think so!

Wow, has it really been over a month since we've talked?  Well, I hope you'll forgive me, because over at Couture Doll Shops we've been busy with convention doings, restocking our shops, and adding more fabulous store fronts to Couture Court!!  But now I am happy to say we have something new going on that involves YOU, our audience!!

We have a new competition for our shop owners/designers!  And the BIG news is this time YOU will pick the WINNER!  Yes, there will only be one - the People's Choice - chosen by our audience.  We don't know of any 100% way to ensure this, but we would love to only receive legitimate votes. This means we'd prefer to have doll people vote - not someone coming in to just vote for a family member or a friend!  We want people who would love to win a doll in exchange for voting!  Therefore, anyone who gets to vote will have to do a couple of things. Well, you did want  to add a little interest to your day, now didn't you?  Here's what you need to do!

First, you will need to join our First to Know Yahoo group.  Then you'll need to wait for your instructions and follow them completely; they will appear one or two days before the entries are revealed. That's all!!  Easy enough, don't you think??

And what will you get for your troubles?  If you follow the instructions. you will be eligible to place one valid vote.  When you place this vote your name will be put in the drawing .for this beautiful Strawberry Cinderella!!  Isn't she pretty??  So hurry over and sign up!

I'd also like to note that our FTK list will not only be the place for this contest; it will also be the place for contests and challengss in the future.  And, as requested by some of our customers, you will also be privy to new items our shop owners put in their stores there.  Some of our shop owners have elected to post new items as they become available!!  I cannot wait.  While it is still nice for me to stroll leisurely through the mall via my mouse; sometimes I want to go direct to the source of new merchandise!  Well, now we all can!!

Now let me tell you about the challenge!  This challenge will feature fashions imagined as haute couture by our shop owners.  In the real fashion world, only a few fashion houses in Paris are deemed worthy of even creating something that can be labeled as such - not so in the doll world.  And some of those fashions could cost as much as an automobile or even a house!! Oh my!  Let's just say ours won't!

The Challenge:  Haute couture is the creation of exclusive, custom-fitted clothing.  Clothes that fit to one person's precise measurements are the norm.  It is also defined by the opulence of fabrics used, the fabulosity of cuts performed superbly, and/or the rarity of the elements used to develop it.  Haute couture is definitive; it is something you just know when you see it.  And, haute couture’s exclusivity makes the privileged few who can afford it go mad!   Hum.......Could haute couture also drive doll collectors this crazy? Well, we hope not - at least that isn't our intention at all, dahlings!

Our intention was two-fold - 1. to come up with a unique challenge for our designers, and 2. to try to develop something new and interesting for you.  What we asked our participants  to do was to research some of the many articles and watch videos (specifically runway showings) available on the internet that present Paris Summer 2010 Haute Couture Collections.  They were advised to pay special attention to all aspects of a collection of their choosing.  They were asked to consider all; even  the stylings of models used to pose such wonders.

Then, they were to develop an outfit from their collection inspiration, and to pose their creation on an appropriate model.  BUT, of course there was a twist!!  Each outfit had to include black, gray, and one color of their choosing.  We felt they needed the neutrals to make their special color pop!!!

Special consideration was given to the fact that some of our shop owners do not design or produce fashions - such as our dealers who make accessories of all kinds!  Therefore, the option was given for teams to be developed between a fashionista and an "other"  - and, oh, what interesting teams we have!  So we have individuals and teams vying for the same prize - the wonderful Cami red head pictured!!  Who will get your vote?

Well, we'll just have to wait until the reveal.  And you can find out all about that in one of 2 ways - join our FTK group mentioned above, or watch this blog every single day for our announcement of where and when the entries will be shown.  Anyone wanna follow me over to that Yahoo group??