The Artist:

Known throughout the world for his award winning dolls and fashions, Robert Tonner began his career as a head designer for Bill Blass after graduating from the Parsons School of Design. In recent years, he has combined his fashion experience with sculpting and design talents to produce the unique and appealing dolls that have established him as a leading doll artist.

The Doll:

Tyler Wentworth® is a 16-inch, vinyl/hard plastic doll with rooted hair and an extensive, stylish wardrobe. Her friends Sydney Chase, Mei Li and Esmé join Tyler.

Features in Detail:
Sculpt - Sculpted by Robert Tonner, Tyler's realistic proportions suggest an athletic look and appeal to the collector. The head sculpt gives Tyler's head a free swiveling motion that comes from a carefully designed neck joint that is derived from Robert's years of doll-making experience.

Tyler's leg sculpt includes unique features such as 90-degree posturing when seated and shoulder joints that are designed to conceal the swinging hinge. This hinge allows Tyler's arms to move back and forth, side to side, and combinations of both motions without the shoulder seam inhibiting the lines when wearing strapless fashions.

For the styles that come with bending arms, collector's will delight in Tyler's full range motion in bending arm capability; a feature not seen in any other doll on the market today. The bending arm features a different hand sculpt to create more variety in arm poses.

The body torso, upper arms and lower arms are constructed of hard plastic; the lower limbs and head are made of high-quality vinyl. This combination provides durable quality at working joints without compromising a blended look.

For the newest articulated Tyler bodies, the engineering is truly remarkable. A side-to-side bending mechanism allows for drop shoulder posing. The swivel waist turns from left to right. Finally, the rotational hip joints allow for legs to be crossed, as well as a full range of leg stances.

Undeniably, collectors are always sold on Tyler when they hold her. The characteristic most frequently cited by collectors and retailers as one of Tyler's strongest features is her 'feel'. This is a combination of sculpt, material and weight that create a combination that must be 'felt' by the collector to appreciate.

Hair - Tyler's hair is rooted with high-quality saran. Robert designed Tyler to have the most realistic hair in scale to a real human body. The hair will hang and move like real human hair. Rooting is preferred to wigs as wigging often results in unpredictable, inconsistent and low-quality results when designing fashion hairstyles; it is much more suited to child dolls with simpler hair styles. NOTE: Hairstyles are generally not intended to be taken down...the company does not recommend nor warrant the alteration of any dolls' hairstyle.

* BLONDE VARIATIONS:

Wheat Blonde - offered since 1999, this is Tyler's standard blonde hair with a hint of ash.
Strawberry Blonde - a lighter shade of red...it can be found in
Ready-To-Wear Spring.
Summer Blonde - a blend of honey and pale blonde.
NEW Honey - a true honey golden blonde. New for 2003.
NEW Saffron - a blonde with sharp gold hue. New for 2003.
Pale Blonde - sometimes incorrectly referred to as 'platinum'
(platinum on the Tonner Doll hair scale is white hair, devoid of tinting), pale blonde refers to the lightest shade of blonde, but a distinctively blonde tint is still present. First used in production of 2000's 'Palm Beach Nights' Tyler (LE 500 - Disney Special).
Platinum - devoid of color; white. Used in 2002 for the special
'Manhattan Nights'; reserved for only special projects.
Variegated Gold- First used in the 2001 Gift Set 'All That Glitters' (LE 100 Exclusive to FAO Schwarz - Mall of Georgia).

* BRUNETTE VARIATIONS:

Brunette (or Brown) - the standard brunette is a classic brown.
Lighter and darker versions are also available.
Cognac - a blend of red and dark brown hair fibers. Used since
2002.
Variegated Red/Brown - Used since 2002.
Jet-black - the purest of black with blue tones.
Sable Brown - lighter than classic brunette; new for 2002 in Ready-To-Wear Fall Tyler's hair.
Mink - the darkest brown, first used in 2000's 'White House Dinner', then again in 2001's 'Look of Luxe'.

* REDHEAD VARIATIONS:

Red - as with brunette, this is a standard red hair, used since 1999.
NEW Cinnamon - a cooler version of a soft red. New for 2003.
Cognac - a blend of red and dark brown hair fibers. Used since 2002.
Variegated Red/Brown - Used since 2002.
Rust Red - Since 2002, this hair color is slightly darker than the classic red.
Strawberry Blonde - a lighter shade of red...it can be found in
Ready-To-Wear Spring.

Make-up Artistry - Tyler's faces are hand-detailed during production after an initial screen is applied, so no two will be exactly alike. Unlike the typical face screening accomplished in mass production, a team of face paint artists work closely to reproduce the final approved design. Great care is taken in designing differing looks for each of the dolls to offer a full range of variety to collectors, but not diminish from Tyler's signature look. Robert oversees the design of each initial face design with a masterful eye to ensure that Tyler continues to look like Tyler (or Sydney, Esmé or Mei Li).

Eye/Lip colors vary on each of the dolls in the collection in 2003. Robert is always experimenting with different looks for the dolls and he was pleased with the realistic natural look of the painting done for Tyler's line in 2001/2002...especially Sydney, Esmé and Mei Li. Robert's happy to have the flexibility to offer many options that appeal to differing tastes.

Vinyl color is personally chosen by Robert to match the level of warmth he seeks in Tyler's skin tone.

Fabrics - You will search long and hard to find the rich apparel-industry couture fabrics used in the Tyler Wentworth® Collection. Direct from silk mills in Italy and the Far East silk markets in Hong Kong, only the finest of artist dolls use such exacting fabric. Scale is imperative as Robert searches for perfect scale jacquards and prints that meet Tyler's standards. Occasionally, an oversize pattern of distinction will catch Robert's eye calling for a specific challenge of design balance to create drama and excitement ('Papillion'). These details create a class in and of itself for Tonner Dolls.

Fabrics such as these present a challenge for Robert and the design team. They must time acquisition of the materials carefully as they compete with the Fashion Industry to obtain the same textiles. Sometimes, the Fashion industry wins out, thereby causing Robert to re-source fabrics. In instances like these, Robert goes to great lengths to ensure that the design composition is not compromised and the same quality materials can hopefully be found to maintain the same high-level of quality as that shown in the prototype.

Methods used in making much of Tyler's knitwear are truly amazing, using only the finest quality yarns and manufacturing techniques. Many knits in the collection are reproduced exactly like a human-scale sweaters; sometimes with intarsia or other unique finishing details.

THE TYLER WENTWORTH® STORY:

From an early age, Tyler Wentworth was destined to be a high flyer in the world of fashion.

During the 1950's, Tyler's great-aunt, Regina Wentworth, established the House of Wentworth in New York City and created innovative collections that set the standard for 7th Avenue Fashion design. Years later, Tyler, who had always loved the glamour and excitement of her great-aunt's business, joined the prestigious house's design staff. She proved to be exceptionally talented, and it was not long until she was promoted to Regina's first assistant.

With the House of Wentworth's reputation firmly established, Regina began to consider passing the reins to a new talent. Spurring her on was her relationship with Carlos, a young artist who had instantly fallen in love with the chic, elegant, older designer. Soon Regina made her decision to move with Carlos to the south of France, and she turned the company over to Tyler. Although young for the job, Tyler quickly showed that she was equal to her new responsibilities. With only a few short seasons of fashion experience, she confidently assumed leadership of the House of Wentworth and received rave reviews for her first collection.

After confidently assuming leadership of the House of Wentworth and receiving rave reviews for her first collection, Tyler set out to take the fashion world by storm. A modern day designer with a classic look and enduring sense of style, she draws inspiration from the sublime beauty of fabrics and the external influences in her fast-paced life. Tyler Wentworth® continues the legacy of her great-aunt Regina by forging new paths to innovative design that leave everyone talking about where this trend-setter will venture next. As a five-time winner of Fashion Design Weekly's top awards, Tyler expands her visionary influence into the worlds of boutique dressing, cosmetics, perfume, handsome menswear of distinction, delectable shoes and luxurious home collections. She is a sign of the times, always current, yet setting the pace, a step ahead. The rest of the industry tries desperately to keep up with her cunning sense of style, but to no avail; her pace is too quick for them. She is one of the world's most talked-about designers, yet she maintains a very secluded and private world with her best friends, business associates and her new beau, Matt O'Neill™.

Tyler Wentworth® is a registered trademark of the Tonner Doll Company, Inc. All rights reserved. Tyler Wentworth® Collection (c)1999-2003 Tonner Doll Company, Inc.