Thursday, April 12, 2012

Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady: Embassy Ball


Audrey Hepburn was a delight in the 1964 film version of My Fair Lady. I have three of the four Eliza Doolittle dolls released by Mattel in 1996, and I'm most impressed with the beading of the Embassy Ball Barbie. 

































This was the third Barbie in my collection which I purchased in October 1996, and I often take her out of the cabinet to marvel at the beauty and workmanship. Her curled brown hair is piled high on her head and adorn with a tiara. She has rooted eyelashes (!) and wears beaded earrings and a rhinestone necklace which reminds me of the piece designed by Canturi Jewels for Nicole Kidman's character, Satine in Moulin Rogue! Barbie's dress consists of two layers - the outer layer is made of ivory tulle with hand sewn beads and rhinestones, and the inner layer is made up of 5 panels of fabric to create a feminine silhouette. Barbie wears white opera  gloves (made of the same fabric as the inner dress layer), sheer white hosiery and white high heels with a mother of pearl sheen.

I salute the Chinese factory workers who painstakingly hand sewed the beads to produce these dolls. I'm sure they were paid pittance for their efforts, but this is not the forum to get into a discussion about worker exploitation, politics and consumerism. Check out Leslie T Chang's Factory Girls to get an insight of factory life in Mainland China. It certainly gave me a  greater appreciation for how much work and effort goes into creating these dolls I so much enjoy.

Release date: 1 January 1996
Label: Collector Edition
Mattel price: US$99.95
Ebay price as at April 2012: US$50 - US$130

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