check out my early favorites:

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doll collectors and motorcycle enthusiasts of the world, here is the latest barbie and ken for harley-davidson.

i like them a lot. someone buy me the gift set please. i have to say ken is cute here — in a gossip girl kind of way. you know, brows furrowed a bit in concentration, eyes piercing the distance, mouth clenched like a silent snob. so i wonder what the big boys of hell’s angels have to say about it? well, he does have skulls tattoo on his forearm… still, he doesn’t look much of a biker to me. as for barbie, i wonder what the ladies of motoring say about her cream-colored jacket and trousers? though i believe these are taken from actual harley-davidson apparel. but i like her as a brunette this time and with cher’s hairstyle to boot. well, she does have a pierced navel…

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i was never really into working out. i’ve tried gym memberships twice; i think i just wasted the fees. the only fitness routine i perform is walking to the nearest mini-mart for a coca-cola and potato chips (aside from emulating dance moves from a screen like a crazy fan). until late last year.

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if you look around this blog, you will find that it’s no secret how i adore barbie dolls. a few months ago, i discovered a team of creative minds who don’t just adore these dolls, they downright labor over them and established miss unibarse, the annual doll pageant meant to simulate a grand slam pageant in a literally smaller scale. but as we have learned from a past interview (posted here), there is certainly nothing small about this somehow wild and wonderful idea.

for one, f&g photography and global queen beauty management, the brains and talents behind this event, have clearly spared no expense and devoted no little effort in preparing their “dollegates”. looking at the results, you can tell immediately that these are not your average children-at-heart playing with dolls. these are professionals and artists who have taken painstaking care and precision in conceptualizing and preparing each candidate. and two, they involve a panel of judges with industry credibility so serious, this might as well get sponsorship from a few forbes 500 companies (or at least mattel, i honestly think).

previous judges include (from r-l) miss universe '05 natalie glebova, miss earth '07 jessica trisko, and miss international '07 priscila perales.

according to a reliable source, this year the panel includes two celeb judges who, for discretionary reasons, must remain unnamed. it should be enough to note that these two are affiliated with that very famous and often very controversial benefactor of the miss universe organization, mr. d.t. (namesake of a hot-tempered duck in a popular animation syndicate).

moving on to this year’s festivities…

organizers and judges have just concluded the special events of national costume, press presentation (for miss photogenic), swimsuit, evening gown and online voting (for the “people’s choice” award). here are some of my favorite moments:

candidates arrive at the host country.

luncheon with reigning miss unibarse 2008, miss dominican republic.

press presentation to determine the most photogenic candidate.

parade of nations.

backstage at the evening gown competition.

here are my favorite national costumes:

and evening gowns:

thanks to us, obsessive online voters of the philippines, our “dollegate” has fast-tracked her way into the top 25! (we are the same obsessive online voters responsible for ms. philippines winning miss photogenic every year in the real grand slam pageants)

from 80 candidates, now we’re down to the top 25. check them out and the rest of the fast-track winners:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh21O0I4S3E&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b]

visit the miss unibarse website to learn more about the pageant and to keep track of your favorite candidates!

one of the most creative, most fun ideas i have stumbled upon this year is miss unibarse.

miss unibarse 2008 crowned ms. dominican republic as the winner. our own ms. philippines was 4th runner-up (right)

miss unibarse (a name combining “miss universe” and “barbie”) is a unique competition that styles and photographs dolls (cleverly called “dollegates”) in ways that simulate real beauty pageants.

the miss unibarse organization invests talent and effort in creating each doll, paying close attention to the minutest details, converting dollegates to works of art. finalists and winners are then determined through online voting and evaluation by an illustrious panel of judges.

miss unibarse 2007 winners.

the miss unibarse organization was so gracious, they responded to my email interview. check it out:

when did miss unibarse start and how did it start?
It started in 2005, my partner and I played around with the idea of combining our love for pageants, Top Model make-overs and photography.  We started with 2 dolls, ended up buying 38 more then shared our work with our friends via internet not thinking others would pay attention.

five of the 2007 dollegates in their lady samurai costumes

who are the organizers behind it?
We are known here in Los Angeles as F&G.  We created the Miss Unibarse Organization which produces the Miss Unibarse event and our other partner in crime is Global Queen Beauty Management which helps prepare the dollegates with their hair, make-up and competition garments.

f&g cover shot of miss unibarse 2008

how are finalists determined? how are winners crowned?
what are the categories?
This year we are only allowing 50 dollegates.  40 will be chosen from the internet by the fans and 10 by MUO and GQBM.  Those 50 will compete in national costume, swimsuit, gowns and presentation, an online voting will also take place for the “People’s Choice” for the crown.

miss unibarse dollegates in their casual wear.

The top scores in each category (gowns, costumes etc.) together with the ‘People’s Choice’ will get 1 of the 5 ‘fast track’ spots.  The following 20 will be based on the highest composite scores for all categories.

miss unibarse dollegates in their national costumes.

After the 25 have been chosen, they compete in various photo challenges at the end of each challenge 5 will be eliminated until we are left with 5.  The last 5 will face off in the final question, answered by the doll director.

miss unibarse 2008 finalists

who are the members of the jury?
In all competition they are judged by an international panel of online judges.  Last year we had Miss Earth 2007, Jessica Trisko and Miss International Priscilla Perrales judge the events.  In 2007, we had Miss Universe Natalie Glebova as one of our panel of judges.

what are the criteria for judging?
A great photo in every category that transforms a doll into a piece of artwork.

miss unibarse 2008 from dominican republic. seriously stunning.

who photographs the “dollegates”?
We take our own photos. We are photographers by trade.  We are F&G Photography, you can see more of our work here: www.missunibarse.com/fandg

miss unibarse dollegates at the welcome bonfire

who have been crowned before? who have won in categories?

2005: Namibia
2006: Japan
2007: Palau
2008: Dominican Republic

You can view the other special awards on our website soon

simply gorgeous!

online voting for miss unibarse 2009 ongoing. vote for your favorite dollegates! do check out their websites:

homepage of the miss unibarse site features ms. dominican republic 2008 in costume. click!

our very own miss philippines has made the top 5 of the first batch! voting for the second batch of dollegates under way. go now! support your favorite dolls!

the miss unibarse blog gives you up-to-date news about the doll pageant, as well as real pageants. click!

my sincerest gratitude to the miss unibarse organization for taking the time to answer my questions and for allowing me to feature their doll pageant and photos in my blog.

all photos lifted from www.missunibarse.com and www.missunibarse.com/blog.

it’s barbie’s 50th year and what 50-year existence it has been! she has been married multiple times, been a vet and an astronaut (among many other professions), owned an innumerable amount of cars and houses, been in and out of controversy (most recently being the tattoo fiasco).

i was a barbie fan growing up, owning about 14 of her (though i think two or three of those were knock-offs). my most memorable would have to be the one where you get to braid her long blonde locks with a gadget that looks somehow like a mixer. this has a new version in totally hair braid-it barbie, but nothing beats the original. my cousin jill had the one whose voluminous dress had glow-in-the dark stars. and i remember both of us drooling over the peaches-and-cream barbie everytime its tvc came on.

i may have outgrown playing with the dolls, but i don’t think i’ll ever get tired of her style. right now, i’m loving the barbie on location collection, where you find her in milan, monte carlo, barcelona and south beach.

barbie on location barcelona

someone please get me that gold jacket in my size!

barbie on location barcelona

that’s a fantastic cover-up. it plunges, it’s just the right sheer, the cut is flattering, not frumpy at all. overall, my favorite swimwear image.

barbie on location milan

 it’s barbie with a deep tan and dark locks!

barbie on location milan

absolutely classy! from the side-parted hair and low half-ponytail to the white pointed stiletto heels. the suit has just the right sheen to it, the pants cut slim at the thighs and wide at the ankles. i would definitely wear something like this. well, somewhere, someday.

barbie on location south beach

barbie on location south beach

barbie on location south beach

when barbie tries to do boho, she’s still perfectly polished. i adore every detail of this one, the frayed pants with pocket details, the coral top with embellishments, the stray hair escaping from her hat, and the crescent handbag.

barbie on location monte carlo

barbie on location monte carlo

please tell me there are bags somewhere just like that red and that black one. big enough for me, of course.

barbie on location monte carlo

i simply like the idea that this one’s not all matchy-matchy. i never imagined wearing an indigo puff-sleeved top with light gray ruched skirt. plus the brown clutch, fishnet stockings and black pointed heels. who knew such disparate pieces would definitely work very well together?

here’s to stealing fashion ideas from barbie!