Barbie was founded in 1959 by Mattel, and for years she’s been under scrutiny and has been controversial for her portrayal of the female body. I usually don’t post on debates or such, but I have never heard young girls say they want to be like Barbie, that they want to look like her. That said, I don’t 100% agree with the items that did come with earlier versions of this blondie but to be blunt; Barbie is a doll. We played with her as kids, dressing her up, doing her hair, putting makeup on her, making her kiss Ken and go on holidays with her friends in that cool convertible car. I never thought of Barbie as anything but a toy. Not a role model, not a realistic-sized portrayal and certainly not a body girls should want to achieve.
But one thing Barbie is, is fashionable! And one thing I do like about Barbie is how she encourages us to try new hairstyles, go for a bold lipstick and wear a lot of pink. At Fashion Week we saw Jeremy Scott take Moschino for a pink drive with his Barbie-inspired work, and now my favourites Wildfox Couture have also jumped on board with their gorgeous new collection, along with high street ht spot Forever 21!
Wildfox Couture: Barbie Dreamhouse
Wildfox Couture have really worked hard with their dreamy lookbook for their Barbie Dreamhouse Resort 2014 collection. The collection features plenty of Wildfox signature pastels, warm & snug jumpers and sweaters, casual dresses, crop tops, swimwear and sportswear too, and of course a lot of pink. The 12-piece capsule collection is limited edition so do get in early! The photoshoot featured models Merethe Hopland & Kirby Griffin and was inspired by the Barbie dreamhouse of 1989, which is very Clueless-esque, as photographed by Mark Hunter. I also love the work of makeup artist Carlene K & hair stylist Tyrone Dupre. The collection is available on Wildfox Couture USA and Wildfox Couture Europe now.
Barbie meant a lot to me growing up, and with this company I am basically playing grown-up Barbie all the time. I thought it would be fun to imagine if those [dolls] were real, and to bring the Barbie Dream House to life. – Kimberley Gordon, Wildfox Co-founder & Creative Director
Forever 21: The Barbie Collection
Unique to high street and super affordable, Forever 21 also jumped on board the Barbie train with their limited edition collection of Barbie-printed logo t-shirts, cosmetics bags and even a sweet paddle brush. There’s also something for the kids, to let your little ones live out their Barbie dreams with a fashionable twist. Available now on Forever 21 Europe and in selected stores nationwide.
Moschino: The Barbie Capsule
For Jeremy Scott & Moschino, their Spring Summer 2015 collection blew me away on the runway, with their extreme Barbie-inspired outfits, from the hair to the clothes and the candy pink lipstick. Also a capsule collection, it includes pink leather, jersey crop co-ordinates, longline jumpers with Moschino-Barbie font logos, that pink hairbrush-like iPhone case, leather jacket clutches and backpacks. There’s something for all the girls! On the runway, model Charlotte Free even skated down and did a loop twist, all for the sake of the fun. The collection is available now online at Moschino and exclusively in Brown Thomas stores.
It’s inspired by the idea [of Barbie doll outfits]. Barbie was every girl’s & gay boy’s dreams; she brings joy, and that’s kind of what this is and that’s for me what I try to do with my work. It’s a doll, it’s meant to be fun, it’s fashion, it’s just meant to be fun. – Jeremy Scott, Creative Director
Images © Wildfox Couture, Forever 21 and Moschino
Source: The Daily Mail, Style.com
Killer Fashion 