Doll Tale Thursday #8: Empress of the Golden Blossom

DOLL:
Empress of the Golden Blossom
Barbie doll

NAME:
Aristocrats like her never reveal their names to commoners....So she's simply, "the Empress".

DOLL TALE:
The Empress came out in late 2008.  I remember getting her early 2009.  I believe she was a direct exclusive to the Barbie Collector site.  I loved her from the start.  Extremely elegant and exotic.  This is one of those Mattel dolls that left nothing to chance.  Very very well-made and I can't stress that enough since Mattel seems to go through phases when random dolls come out looking like crap compared to their promo pics.

As you can see, the Chinese dress robe really makes the doll!  The doll itself becomes an afterthought.  The golden brocade is just so eye-catching.  The beadwork is fantastic!  Like I always say, 'it's all about the details'.  Of course, she's a bit pricier than the average Barbie but I'd rather pay a little bit more for a quality doll that I know I'll be happy with.

The rear view goes to show that she was meant to come out of the box for that full train to be appreciated.

Once I got over the beauty of her costume,  I started nitpicking at the rest of her.  No disappointments there.  Her headdress and earrings are just as intricately detailed.  The flowers on her hair softens her look.  Her make-up was done in lovely earthy shades with a slight shimmer.  Just stunning!

Here she is without the dress robe: