LIBERATION 59: WOEFULLY ROMANTIC ELLOWYNE WILDE

I have to admit, I am a huge fan of Wilde Imagination’s signature doll, Ellowyne Wilde. For those of you who haven’t yet met Ms. Wilde, she’s a depressed teenager (although weren’t we all?) trying to figure out who she is and what she’s doing. Ellowyne is stuck in that awkward space between child and adult where everything can seem kind of overwhelming and your clothes may be your best method of self expression. What that means for collectors is that she has a fascinating wardrobe of casual, dress up, and mixed up fashions for all those wonderful teenage moments. About a third of the dolls in this line (including Woefully Romantic) are wigged, which makes the redressing possibilities even more fun. (Edited to add: Wilde Imagination is no more, but currently new Ellowyne dolls are being produced for semi-regularly for the Virtual Doll Convention.)

The 16 inch vinyl and hard plastic Ellowyne body (there is also a resin body that is a bit different) is great for posing- she has 12 points of articulation, all with a lot of range of motion. Her body sculpt does a nice job of reinforcing her teenage status with a small bust and rear. Her waist is very natural, not fashion model dramatic. Woefully Romantic uses the standard Ellowyne skin tone- a slightly ruddy pink color.

I’m particularly fond of Ellowyne’s hands- they are wide and expressive, with nice finger separation, but not so big that they interfere with dressing the doll. Woefully Romantic has coral polish on both hands and feet.

Ellowyne’s facial sculpt also emphasizes her youthfulness. Her head shows a bit of an anime influence- it is larger and fuller than a real head would be at this scale, and her eyes are very large. If you checked out Liberation 55 there is a side by side comparison of Ellowyne with two other 16 inch fashion dolls which makes this dramatically obvious. The end result is a very innocent look that redresses very well. Woefully Romantic has glass inset eyes that were described as teal but are really more of a pale bluish green (I was disappointed that they weren’t as bright as the promo pictures). Her eye makeup is very subtle and especially well done. First the entire eye is lined with black, then there’s a spot of pale pink for her eyelids, another thin black line for the eye crease, and then a ring of pale tan both above and below the eye. Applied top lashes and painted bottom lashes complete the look. Her brows are medium brown with black lines for detail. Her lips and blush are coral to match her polish. Her removable wig is described as ‘reddish pink’- it’s a bit too red to be pink, but not quite red enough to be a true red. It is parted on the left side and then gathered into a right side ponytail, which gives way to a wonderful cascade of long ringlet curls.

Woefully Romantic’s outfit is one of those ‘only a teen would love it’ dresses. The black fabric of the dress is almost totally obscured by huge, three dimensional pink and maroon satin ‘flowers’ made by taking a thin ribbon of fabric with one end edged in tiny circles and wrapping it in a large spiral. There is also a black lace belt with similarly created black flowers that covers half her torso. Just peeking out under the dress is the slip- a black spaghetti strap creation with two ruffles of pink and maroon striped fabric edging the bottom. The hat is a lovely vintage style creation- an oval of black textured fabric with two pink silk flowers and a black netting veil. The way the flowers were secured, though, they open up towards the sides and leave an odd visual gap in the front, which was disappointing. She comes with two pairs of pantyhose- a gold shimmer pair under a black lace pair that gives extra depth to the lace. She also has matching arm gauntlets of the lace over the shimmer fabric. Her black ankle boots are covered with the same lace, although you have to look closely to notice since it’s black on black.

As far as non-clothing accessories goes, Ellowyne has only a few little extras. Ellowyne dolls all come with a poem card about the doll and a wrist hang tag. She also comes standard with a saddle stand for display (not pictured separately, but visible in the sculpt photos above).

Ellowyne’s sweet face lends itself well to redressing. Whether wearing antique or modern fashions, she never fails to look good. In addition to all the many wigs available online from other companies that fit her, she also can share wigs with Wilde Imagination’s other popular doll, Evangeline Ghastly. She also can share outfits with many other 16 inch dolls. Shown below, she is wearing the licensed outfit from Tonner’s Lord of the Rings Galadriel doll, along with the Everlasting wig from Evangeline. I never really cared for that wig on Evie, but it gives a great medieval look with the Galadriel costume. The next picture shows Ellowyne wearing Tonner Supergirl’s Casual Identity outfit, paired with Evangeline’s Trinity Park Stroll wig. Below that are close ups of Ellowyne’s face in each wig so you can really appreciate how dramatically the different wigs change her appearance.

If you’re looking for a 16 inch doll with a softer look than a traditional fashion doll, Ellowyne would be my top recommendation. Her teenage body sculpt and wide eyed innocence makes her stand out among other dolls this size. Her small edition sizes make her a bit more expensive than most of the dolls I’ve reviewed, but her high quality and versatility make her worth it in my opinion. A few online retailers still have a doll or two in stock, and she’s frequently available on eBay. Enjoy!

Scorecard
Face: A-
Body: A
Wig: A+
Fabric: A
Style: B+
Execution: A
Overall: A