BarbieDolls of the World Collector Edition Russian Barbie (1996)

Box is dusty and a little dinged up, not badly. Product is as it describes.

The Barbie Evening Sophisticate Classique is absolutely beautiful, and a wonderful addition to my collection of Classique Barbies! Her attire is so classy!

I LOVE MY DOLL. When I was a kid, someone I knew had her and I was obsessed with her. I’ve always wanted her but never knew where to find her. I received her in pristine condition and I will keep her as such. She’s as beautiful as I remember her. Absolutely worth the purchase.

Very nice rendition of the classic character. Box was a little old, but in good shape.

This is a special edition of "Dolls of the World" series, and, like other special editions, it is not as elaborate, nor detailed as the Princess of the World collection or Collector's editions. Nevertheless it presents a typical form of dress for China. Historically the Ruqun is a loose fitting garment draping from the shoulder to waist or longer (as fashion of a particular dynasty dictated) either in a straight fall, or an A-line. The left lapel folds over to the far right and is anchored by a row of buttons as the top edge of the garment which is slanted toward the neck. An undergarment, skirt for women, was usually of a different color/fabric than the jacket. The ruqun was finished at the neck with or without a collar of the mandarin style.The dress on this doll is trimmed in contrasting fabric w/ typical Chinese design. The main fabric is embellished with blooming flowers, a favorite motif in Chinese patterns, which was woven into the fabric itself. The sleeves here are 3/4 sleeves, and the jacket/blouse lengthy which would indicate fashion from a latter dynasty. Also indicative of a latter dynasty is the absence of a sash at the waist.Chinese dress of different areas and different dynasties was very unique as clothing was indicative of social, political, educational, and religious rank as well as place of origin. It is a subject for experts. But there are glaring historical deficiencies in this doll's costume. The most obvious is the undone hair. It would have been pulled back from the face and fixed in a specific coif. Some kind of ornamentation would have been added that defined status and rank. As the ruqun was of two separate pieces, the underpiece would have been of a different fabric and weave from the jacket. As this garment has the angled lapel at the neckline, more than likely it would have had ornamental clasps; there are none on this doll's dress.Because this is the less expensive edition I didn't expect to get a fancy boxed presentation with notes. So I wasn't disppointed at the simpler packaging. This is still a very nice "Doll of the World", especially for its lower cost. The features on the face are quite pretty and the dress attractive. Girls will love it.

This was my favorite Barbie doll when I was a kid because of the unusual flexibility - most Barbies only have joints at the shoulders, where the legs meet the trunk, and they can bend slightly at the knees, but this Barbie is so great because not only is her waist extremely flexible, but her elbows and knees actually bend easily at ninety-degree angles. This made her much more fun to play with than other Barbies because she could do more.Remembering that old Barbie from my childhood, I went in search of a new one and was very pleased with the result.There are a couple of small problems - one, it's a pretty old version of Barbie, so when I took her out of the box, her hair tie disintegrated and she has a deep permanent kink in her hair where the ponytail was.Also, this older model has a bigger bust than modern Barbies, so I've been having trouble changing her outfits. I experimentally bought a set of Ken clothes for her - she actually looks cute in them. The long-sleeved shirt fits fairly well, the visor does a reasonable job of hiding her hair issue, and the outfit looks cute with the leg warmers and tennis shoes she came with (she's flat-footed, btw; she won't be able to wear high heels like most Barbies can). The problem is that the shorts are way too loose around the waist, so I'm hoping to be able to find a skirt for her (preferably without having to buy a whole 'nother Barbie).Anyway, those are some minor issues, overall it's a very good toy. She came with several accessories, such as long ribbons to fasten around her wrist, a gym bag, a gold medal, a brush, and sort of ring that you can attach to her waist, hold on to, and allow her to do flips and somersaults and such.I have recently seen some fashion model Barbie dolls that also seem to have similar flexibility, but for some reason their knees are oddly tapered at the joints, whereas the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Gymnast Barbie has more natural-looking knee joints.I am very pleased with this product and would recommend it.

Would use this vendor again. Very happy. Barbie doll arrived in great condition. Was packaged well. Vintage Barbie.

The item was shipped with care and arrived quickly