Barbie by Bill Blass © Mattel

As a collector you can pretty much justify paying any amount for any doll…

“Its really rare, another one may not come up…!”

“I’ll just eat at home every night this week / month / year….”

“Its MIB (Mint in Box)”

“I’ve seen them go for way more…”

But what is really exciting is when you find a doll at a price that just can’t be ignored. Don’t ever let anyone tell you when something seems too good to be true it is too good to be true….  That’s just not true!

I love the Mattel Designer collaborations and there have been so many good ones. Givenchy, Dior (twice), Versace (twice), Vera Wang, (numerous times!), Anna Sui, Burberry (twice), Herve Leger (yet to be released), Coach (just released), Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, The Gap… I could go on and on. At one point I focused solely on collecting the designer dolls (see excuses in The Doll that I always come back to…). The beauty of these dolls is in the detail (I’ve said it before!). Recreation in miniature…

Barbie by Bill Blass.

In true Bill Blass style, this Doll is W.O.W. Yellow satin dress, crimson satin lining,  signature Bill Blass B & W stripe, giant rose floral motif.

I’m not sure which face sculpt is used on this doll, but she smirks beguilingly and her make-up suits her outfit beautifully. Her hair is a perfect sculpted red, reminiscent of Linda Evangelista at the height if her Supermodel fame.

When this Doll came out she was expensive. I think if you tried to find her online today she would still be expensive. I found her BNIB (brand new in box) for the handsome sum of $35 Canadian dollars. Her original price of $112 Canadian dollars was still on the box.  It cost more to ship!