Barbie is the name on everyone's lips this year, which is no surprise given the upcoming Greta Gerwig film that's entirely dedicated to the famous doll. Margot Robbie will be playing the lead role, while Ryan Gosling is “just Ken.” Ever since the movie was announced, the fashion world has been surrendering itself entirely to the new Barbiecore trend consisting of simply wearing head-to-toe pink, and in 2023, it seems determined to maintain its foothold as a key trend. As such, Vogue has decided to delve into the history of Barbie's influence on fashion.
The Barbiecore look is everywhere. To make the trend your own, it's simple: add pink, pink and more pink.
The birth of Barbie
For Barbie, it all started in 1959, when the American Ruth Handler asked her husband (none other than the co-founder of Mattel) to create a new doll prototype. Done with the classic template (that could sometimes be terrifying), Barbie became the exemplification of the model doll with her fit silhouette, her high heels and her sexy outfits. Ruth Handler would later explain that she wanted to make a doll in her own image – an independent woman far from the clichés of the 1950s housewife. As such, Barbie would go on to pile up many jobs on her C.V., including - but not limited to - air hostess, vet and hairdresser. This was seen as revolutionary until the 1970s when Barbie began to be accused of celebrating an unhealthy feminine ideal that was dangerous for young women. It would take until 2016 for the company to spread a more inclusive message by offering different body types, colors, and skin tones. More than 60 years after her creation, Barbie has avoided growing old, remaining timeless thanks to the constant reinterpretation of the doll throughout the years - especially when it comes to fashion.
Barbie's influence on fashion
An icon of pop culture since the 1980s, Barbie has been dressed by a great number of designers, such as Yves Saint Laurent, Hermès and Comme des Garçons, but she has also inspired many collections. The most iconic of these remains Jeremy Scott's Spring/Summer 2015 runway, which saw the designer hijack the doll's characteristics and infuse them into his pieces. On the menu: candy pink galore, platinum blonde wigs, ultra-fitted mini skirts, and mirror-shaped phone covers! “I thought she was the perfect muse for a designer: she’s had every job imaginable and an outfit for every occasion, from day to evening, put together with real flair. While I worked on the collection, I was constantly tickled by thinking about what her iPhone case would look like, or her bathing suits." Jeremy Scott told The Guardian in 2015. Margiela also used the doll as the main inspiration behind its Fall-Winter 1994-1995 collection composed of well-known Barbie classics such as a pair of jeans, a cardigan and a checkered shirt, all of it produced in human proportions while esthetically calling back to the doll. Let us not forget the very Barbie Lady Dragon Heart rubber pumps by Vivienne Westwood for Melissa…
A comeback thanks to Greta Gerwig
If Barbie is back under the spotlight, it's especially thanks to Greta Gerwig who is releasing an entire film dedicated to the famous doll this year. The first images released of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in costume as Barbie and Ken shocked fans thanks to their uncanny resemblance to their plastic counterparts. Their distinctive traits have been reproduced perfectly for each of them, with Barbie's platinum blonde hair and athletic silhouette, and Ken's sexy vibe and abs of steel. Some looks have already leaked, and we can already say that they're delightfully kitsch, from reinterpreted cowboy looks and matching fluorescent pink outfits to gingham print dresses. With the film's release date announced for July 21 and a cast filled to the brim with stars like Dua Lipa, Helen Mirren and Scott Evans, Greta Gerwig's Barbie is set to be a triumph!
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The Barbiecore of 2023
The antithesis of the emo and gothic looks, the Barbie style is all about being pretty in pink. Stars like Kim Kardashian, Anne Hathaway, Megan Fox and Dua Lipa were among the first to succumb to this head-to-toe pink trend, propelled by fashion designers who continue to rose-tint their collections with this comforting color in 2023. The guys are getting involved too! Take for instance Timothée Chalamet and his Thom Browne suit at the Little Women premiere, Brad Pitt, Ed Westwick and the red carpet in Valentino, the house which chose pink as its signature color for its Fall-Winter 2022-2023 collection. This year, Marine Serre dressed a Barbie tenniswoman while Versace revisits the suit jacket in candy pink. Chanel has a more subtle take on the color in a pastel version, Moschino has brought Barbie into modern times, and Courrèges offers an ultra-desirable dress that plays with transparency. But it's Jonathan Anderson for Loewe who takes home the grand prize by revisiting Barbie's accessories. His last show was filled with rubber-effect shoes, with heels or curvy shapes like those favored by Polly Pocket or Minnie Mouse. Other labels like Balenciaga have also proposed their own versions.
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Barbiecore is likely to stay the distance for 2023. We cannot wait to see what Greta Gerwig's movie has in store for us, but also in which ways houses and designers will master the color pink next season.
Also on Vogue.fr:
Brad Pitt: 25 vintage photographs from 1980 to 2000
Olivier Rousteing gives Barbie a new look
Jane Goodall's own eco-responsible Barbie