Rapunzel 2

I hope everyone is having a good spring!  I can't believe that in just a few days it will be summer.  For some reason I'm really looking forward to the vast possibilities of summer this year--almost the way I did when I was a little kid.  Maybe I'm feeling young-at-heart recently because I've had a some time to devote to dolls?  That always puts me in a good mood.  

The girl I'm going to share today is my historical version of the princess Rapunzel.  The Rapunzel story was published by the Grimm brothers in 1812, and while this publication is no doubt what made the tale popular, the story can be traced back as early as the seventeenth century.  Despite the tale's early roots, I decided to use 1812 as my time frame for imagining this doll.  1812 falls in the Regency of the Georgian era, which was the setting of many beloved novels by writers like Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer.  What could be better inspiration than those stories?

My Regency Rapunzel started out as a medium-complected Denika doll from 2001.  Like her Disney counterpart, this girl came to me with badly faded eyes and unremarkable factory paint:

My Twinn doll from 2001 with the Denika face.

Her body was in nice condition, though, which is always a relief!

She has some picks on her cloth torso, but there was no major staining, odor, or damage.

The original wig was short and wild, but I will definitely keep it for future use.

Rapunzel had some dark scuff marks over her right eyebrow and a spot of white paint on her forehead:

Unlike the Disney Rapunzel, this doll's eyes were not fading gracefully.  The discoloration in the eyes was not even.  Furthermore, one eye had dark spots in it, and the overall appearance was more creepy than pretty--at least to me:

I removed Rapunzel's head and took her to the worktable...where she stared at me in a disconcerting way for several days:

That's unnerving.

I think her pupils are too big--especially for a doll sitting under bright lights.  Creepy.

Anyway, I removed her wig and set it aside.

Still unnerving.

I was hoping to be able to avoid using Remove-Zit on her right eyebrow--not because I had any hopes of saving the brow, but because Remove-Zit takes forever.

I was also hoping that the white spot on her forehead would come off with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser:

I pulled her eyelashes off and washed her head.  Both marks were stubborn to conventional soap and water cleaning...

...but Mr. Clean and some acetone removed all of the blemishes on her face beautifully!  Phew. 

I popped out the eyes and cleaned the head thoroughly again with soap and water:

This Rapunzel got my favorite acrylic eyes from Eyeco (A251).  They look a lot like my own eyes:

As you can see, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser can make the vinyl really shiny sometimes (depending on how much scrubbing is required), but Mr. Super Clear sealant fixes that right up.

Here's Rapunzel's head after I coated it with sealant:

I don't even use very much, but a little goes a long way.

Once the face had set for about 24 hours, I started painting.  

I tried to put some shape in the edges of these eyebrows, to keep them from being completely straight:

I added a lot of blushing...

And a lot of freckles!

I ended up with a blotch of blushing on Rapunzel's left temple.  I didn't notice this until I was looking at pictures.  I guess it's like a faint birth mark or something?

I think her lips turned out really nicely, though:

I feel sort-of bad because while the Disney-inspired Rapunzel got glass eyes and a one-of-a-kind custom wig, this girl got acrylic eyes and a lower-quality wig.  There aren't too many options for super-long wigs, but Dollmore has some nice choices.

I initially bought this Rapunzel a long blonde wig from Dollmore (a bit like Luna's wig), but the pale color did not look good with her yellow-leaning vinyl.

So instead I chose this long brunette wig:

It is poker-straight and really, really long!

I also think this color is a great match for her complexion.

This wig is harder to brush and manage than the Doll of a Kind wig that I used for the other Rapunzel, but I really love its dramatic appearance!

I also like the combination of green eyes and dark hair:

I wanted to have a little fun with the super-long hair before I braided it, so I decided to get Rapunzel all dressed up while her hair was still down.

This princess is wearing a four-piece ensemble made by Leah, the same talented seamstress who made Tiana's silk dress and undergarments.  You can find Leah's delightful Etsy shop, Chrisalem, at this link.

Rapunzel's outfit starts with this white cotton batiste chemise:

The delicate chemise is making her look lovely already, but just wait!

Under the chemise, I've given Rapunzel some new white tights and new white patent leather shoes.  I just forgot to take a picture of those.

The next layer of this beautiful outfit is a silk satin lavender dress with embroidered silk organza overlay:

I think Rapunzel looks so summery and serene in this dress!

In fact, I think the above photo might be my favorite representation of this doll--with her hair down around her shoulders and her beautiful lavender dress.

So, I decided to make that her official portrait, which means we can look at the comparison GIF right away!

I was not much of a fan of this doll before her makeover (those eyes!), so to me this is a successful transformation.

Let's go back and take a closer look at that beautiful dress, though:

The dress has a low, square neckline that's trimmed with gold.  Leah also made a little organza dicky to cover the doll's neck seam:

The sleeves are delicate and sheer, and the left side of the high waist is adorned with an organza flower and trailing ribbons:

I wanted purple as the dominant color for this outfit (as a tip-of-the-hat to the Disney character), and I think Leah chose the perfect shade!

The lavender dress would have been enough for any princess to wear and feel special, but this outfit has more!

Leah also made a deep plum embroidered jacket for Rapunzel:

The formal tailoring on this piece doesn't pair with Rapunzel's loose hair quite as well as the dress does, but I think she still looks majestic:

The jacket even has a matching bonnet:

The bonnet has a very long brim and ties under Rapunzel's neck with satin ribbons:

Each side of the bonnet has a decorative organza flower that matches the flower on the dress:

I finally (and somewhat reluctantly) decided that it was time to do something with Rapunzel's hair.  That wig is *not* easy to brush!

Regency women would have had some curls to frame their faces, but this long wig was only conducive to a simple braid.  

I used a very similar technique to what I used on the other Rapunzel doll: pulling the hair back into one large braid with several embedded micro-braids.  Instead of a swoosh at the front of the head, though, I gave this girl two accent braids that run along her hairline:

I ornamented the braid with gold flower buttons:

The buttons are hooked onto black bobby pins, and the bobby pins are inserted into the braid.  Everything is completely removable.

This braid didn't take me as long as the Disney Rapunzel's braid, but it was still quite hard to do a version that was neat and tidy.  You can see several flyaways stick-out hairs:

I concealed all of the rubber bands at the bottom of the braid with a wrapped golden ribbon:

I also added a golden button at either side of Rapunzel's head, although I'm not sure this was necessary:

These buttons are sewn into the wig cap, but they could be easily snipped out.  The braids along the hairline are also tacked down so that they don't bulge out too much when Rapunzel's main braid is moved.

Dollmore wigs often have light (visible) wig caps, and this wig is no exception.  While the braids at the hairline hide the wig cap a little bit, it still peeks out if you look close enough:

The wig cap is also visible at the back of the head:

I put Rapunzel back into her full outfit so that you can see how this looks with the braided hairstyle:

The hat accommodates the braid (and buttons) very nicely:

Without the hat, and with her hair pulled back so severely, Rapunzel can look a little plain!

It helps if her massive braid is draped over one shoulder:

Overall, she was a fun girl to photograph!

Here she is with just her lavender dress again:

If I had been brave, I would have cut some short tendrils of hair to frame her face, but I was too worried that I would ruin the shape of the overall wig.

I don't know, though.  Looking at these shots, I feel like I should have taken the plunge and tried to do some curls.  What do all of you think?  Maybe I should do another poll.

Yeah.  I'll do a poll, and if enough people think she'd be better with curls around her face...I'll try the curls!  They could replace the small braids and buttons at the side of her head.

Anyway, I never think of these things until I'm looking at pictures.

Here are a few more photos of Rapunzel as she is now, in case that helps you decide what might be the best look for her:

She'll also come with this little tiara crown, which I think compliments the lavender dress quite nicely:

I took Rapunzel outside for a few photos late in the day last week:

The lighting is a little strange, but I like how all of the greenery brings out the color of her eyes!

This doll's arms are more flexible than most My Twinn arms (not sure why...), so she is very good at holding and inspecting some of that greenery!

The Rapunzel girls seem so at home in the outdoors...

...but I know that if I'd been trapped in a tower for the better part of my young life, I'd never want to go indoors again!

I just love the outfit on this lovely princess.  Leah has made some of my very favorite pieces of doll clothing in the world, and so I'm delighted to get a chance to start sharing her work with you.  I like the understated elegance of this Rapunzel, too.  She's a more modest version of the beloved character than the bright, colorful, Disney-inspired girl who I shared last time.

But maybe she could use a bit more ornamentation?  Please let me know in the poll at the top of the page if you think it's worth it for me to try some Regency-style curls at the side of her sweet face.  I'm too indecisive on my own.

In the meantime, here's a summary of the work that was done on this Rapunzel:

-her head was separated from her body and her old wig and eyelashes were removed

-her old eyes were removed and all of her vinyl parts were cleaned

-her face was scrubbed with Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to remove marks on the forehead and eyebrow

-the factory paint was stripped

-new Eyeco acrylic eyes were placed

-the head was coated with Mr. Super Clear UV protection sealant

-the face was repainted with artist grade acrylics (blush, lips, eyebrows, and freckles)

-Rapunzel is wearing a four-piece outfit that was designed and made by Leah from Chrisalem.  The outfit includes a dress, jacket, bonnet, and chemise (and also a dicky!).  I have paired this outfit with some new white tights and new white patent leather shoes

-Rapunzel's hair is braided and ornamented with gold-colored plastic buttons.  All of the hairstyle is removable

Rapunzel has some picks in her cloth torso and some minor scuffs and shiny marks on her vinyl parts.  She has an area of excessive blushing on the left side of her forehead (my bad) that I noticed only when I started sorting through her pictures.  Overall she's in very good condition for a 20-year-old doll.

Once I've decided about this Rapunzel's hair, I will take a few portraits of both versions of Rapunzel together, and then they will be for sale (separately) on Etsy!  I hope this will all happen relatively soon, but you know me....

Rapunzel has sold.  Thank you!