Royalty.Girl: 2010

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Review Silkstone 10 YEARS: 10th ANNIVERSARY Barbie® Fashion Model Collection book

10 Years: Barbie® Fashion Model Collection Book

Celebrate a decade of the Barbie® Fashion Model Collection with this exquisite, 72-page book filled with glamorous, never seen before doll photography along with personal insights and original sketches from the line’s creator, Robert Best. Hardcover with matching dust jacket and book sleeve. Limited edition run.
Expectation

I had two kinds of expectations: What I expected the company would do and what I wanted to see.

I expected the Silkstone showcase from the BarbieCollector.com website. Maybe some bigger pictures but at least the complete collection.

I wanted to have a book full of pictures and drawings of the entire Silkstone collection on thick and sturdy paper. I wanted both catalog pictures as well as pics from the production dolls and outfits. I also wanted the descriptions for the dolls and accessories to be included. So that would mean about 2 or 3 pages for each doll. And if there was a pic of the entire collection then that as well. I also hoped there would be a list in the book with everything produced for the Silkstone collection, the edition numbers and year of release.

First Impression

It was nicely packaged in a brown shipper with plastic foil but it still had a dent. A bit disappointing but it already cost too much so I let it go. The book has a slide-in cardboard sleeve. It is quite nice and sturdy. The book has a beautiful dust cover. The pages are very thick and sturdy. It's not glossy but I don't mind that. The book has a strange format; 13,5 by 8 by 0,5 inches (height x wide x thick). Unfortunately the book looks more sturdy then it is. If it is dropped, which I would never do with a book this expensive but it just could happen it is seriously dented. That's really disappointing to say the least. It is quite heavy and contains 72 pages. The pages are sewn and glued. The letter type used is easily readable and a good size. I also like the colors Mattel used.

The book itself though was a huge disappointment. There are some beautiful full-page pictures in there which I love but when I looked at the index page I couldn't believe it. So many dolls missing and the early lingerie dolls weren't even mentioned. Don't think you get to see a lot of fab pics of the platinum dolls which are almost unobtainable so you could enjoy their photos in a $50 - $75 costing book. And there is no list with everything produced. Very few accessories and fashions are covered. The collector index (showcase) didn't even feature everything and those pics are teeny tiny as you can see in the picture above. Sometimes there isn't even a catalog pic included but only the sketch. In the Pink in the picture below for example. I don't mind seeing the sketches but I just wanted the pics to be included as well.

Conclusion

I'm satisfied and even pleased with the layout of the book. I also like the pictures and sketches. The pictures are high resolution and very sharp. They are beautiful though most are promo photos. The sketches are fabulous. I also love how Robert Best sketches the faces. That was always Jason Wu's weakest point. But I'm missing far too much dolls and accessories. I'd rather have the descriptions of everything but everything written is the view of Robert Best. And the book is not sturdy at all. If the whole collection was covered like Hollywood Hostess below, it would have been my dream book. Now I wish I never bought it because it's just not worth the price. I am appreciating it a little bit more, the more often I look in it but still not worth the price in my honest opinion.

A tip for everyone who bought the book. Try to touch the pages as little as possible. The pages with gold and black will show fingerprints later on. I've seen that happen with another book with similar pages when I was a kid.