DOLLS Industry Awards of Excellence for Inamorata Mirrorball

I am very happy (and rather surprised) to announce that the OOAK Inamorata doll Mirrorball that was presented in IDEX charity raffle this year has won a 2013 Industry’s Choice DOLLS Awards of Excellence (DAE) in the category of One-of-a-Kind Doll with value more than $1,250.

The winner were announced April 12 at the Debut of Dolls Banquet held at IDEX in Orlando, Fla. Each entry in this year’s competition was evaluated by a panel of judges: Doll industry consultant Pat Burns, doll writer and historian Penny Herbst, Simon Farnworth of DollObservers.com, author and DOLLS contributor Stephanie Finnegan, DOLLS editor-at-large Jill Jackson, and Modern Doll President Patsy Moyer.

The Industry’s Choice winners become the nominees for the Public’s Choice awards voted on by DOLLS readers. Check out the photos of the nominees, ballot, and online voting instructions in the July 2013 issue of DOLLS magazine. 

Nnaji meets Cho:lo

Since I've been a child customizing my toys (didn't have much dolls as a kid as I was a total tomboy) has been essential part of my life. The bonding ritual of making dolls my own because even more important when I started collecting dolls on 2006. It is a fair estimate to say that less than 5% of dolls in at one point very vast my collection remained untouched. I bought dolls mainly for their repaint potential and was obsessed to get any new doll sculpt that came out. That is, until I got my own doll line - the Inamorata.

Coming for this background I not only accept but embrace the idea of other doll artists repainting my dolls and creating fashions and wigs inspired by and for them. It is wonderful to see all the possible interpretations of theme and to see amazing artists such as Park or Hendra, for example, to reinvent the faces I sculpted. Recently, I was lucky enough to do a trade with my dear friend Cholo Ayuyao better know in doll circles as Cho:lo: the amazing jewellery artist who became a doll fashion designer extraordinaire. Cholo has also developed a repainting look distinctly his own, often characterized by nude lips with golden shimmer and flirtatious smoky eyes. Cholo got an Inamorata doll in African Nnaji sculpt as his new muse and I will become a lucky owner of an original Cho:lo fashion creation for my dolls. 

The good news is that now that Cholo has an Inamorata to play with he can start accepting commissions orders for Inamorata, but be prepared to wait as his waiting list is even longer than mine! But good things come for those who wait and Cholo's ravishing art works are well worth waiting for. If you are not yet familiar with his work, visit his flickr stream.

The photos below as the property of Cholo Ayuya and used with his permission. Copyright 2013. All rights reserved.

Nnaji reimagined by Cho:lo

Nnaji, stil blank, modelling for Cho:los new Haute Couture collection

And if your Inamorata doll is craving for new wigs, here are some hard cap wig artists who can make customs orders for Inamorata head. I have been told that Inamorata can share wigs from Deva dolls and IT Avant Guards, but if you want to commission a perfect fit contact these ladies:

- PattaArt, hard cap wigs, the official Inamorata wig maker

- Time of Doll by Ilaria Mazzoni, hard cap wigs

I know you are hungry for news about the next Inamorata release and I can reveal that first out will be the basic lingerie doll Cherub and a gown called Vertebrata. The second release will be the premium lingerie doll Seraph with a casual fashion called Röntgen. Can't give you exact dates yet but both will be out this Summer. ;)