It’s a Barbie World, and We Are Obsessed With It
A couple of months ago, I wrote an article sharing some of my dream looks for the Barbie press tour. While not all of these dreams came true, I couldn’t have been more pleasantly surprised by some of the looks on this press tour. When I was describing the type of looks I was hoping to see, I knew that a lot of them were unlikely. This is because they were archival looks. Although vintage is very popular on the red carpet, I knew that some looks were bound to be custom.
There was something I never could have imagined, though. That Margot Robbie would step out onto the various pink carpets in actual Barbie outfits. A moment that proved that Barbie can well and truly do anything.
Margot Robbie Hervé Léger in Sydney
Barbie herself, Margot Robbie, wore a custom Hervé Léger minidress inspired by the very first Barbie doll. This was while promoting the film in Sydney. The original Barbie was released in 1959. She was wearing a black and white striped swimsuit, pretty apt for Margot’s return to Australia. Despite promoting the film at Bondi Beach, Hervé Léger took inspiration from the swimsuit and turned it into a mini dress. This was to pay homage to the character’s origins.
Margot Robbie in Vintage Versace at the Barbie Party in Sydney
This moment was a particularly special one for me. In my previous article describing my Barbie dream looks, I mentioned wanting to see Margot in an archival Versace at an afterparty. I specifically mentioned a pink rhinestone mini dress worn by Paris Hilton at the Spring 2023 Ready-to-Wear show. Now this pink rhinestone mini dress was not the exact one that I mentioned in my article. But, I think it was even better. This look was a 90s Versace piece originally worn by Claudia Schiffer for the Fall/Winter campaign in 1994. It was everything that I was hoping for.
Margot Robbie in Bottega Veneta in Beverly Hills
Another highlight of mine was the outfit that Margot kicked off the press tour in. The look consisted of a custom Bottega Veneta skirt and a matching crop top. The actress wore it with her perfectly pink accessories. She wore a Bottega Veneta handbag, pink heels and, of course, a Barbie pink C1 Corvette.
Margot Robbie in Schiaparelli at the LA Barbie Premiere
This was one of my favourite fashion moments on this press tour for many reasons. First of all, seeing Margot Robbie wear black to the LA premiere was a refreshing moment for me. As I touched on in my previous article, I welcomed pink for this press tour. I knew it was coming. I was also happy to see it, but I didn’t want everything to be pink.
There are so many ways to lean into the ‘Barbie theme’ without just wearing pink. For this reason, seeing Margot opt for black on such a momentous occasion for this film was the breath of fresh air that I needed. Then, finding out that this look was based on the 1960 ‘Solo In The Spotlight’ Barbie was the icing on the cake for me. This look was the perfect balance of glamour and camp whilst being completely unpredictable, and I cannot fault it at all.
Dua Lipa in Bottega Veneta at the LA Barbie Premiere
Dua Lipa perfectly channelled her Mermaid Barbie persona at the LA premiere in a shimmering sheer Bottega Veneta number.
Shay Mitchell in Shushu Tong at the LA Barbie Premiere
Shay Mitchell has well and truly been jumping on the Barbie bandwagon. In fact, her travel brand Béis collaborated with the franchise and even featured in the film itself. With such a high-profile collaboration in tow, it was important that Shay got her Barbie look right, and it’s safe to say she did. Pushing the boat out from using bright pinks, Shay opted for a highly structured black Shushutong dress that perfectly captured the doll-like silhouette and camp feel of Barbie.
Margot Robbie in Vivienne Westwood at the London Premiere
Seeing Margot Robbie step out onto London’s pink carpet in a look that honoured the late British designer Vivienne Westwood was a perfect moment for me. Not only did it feel apt to wear a Westwood gown to the London premiere, but I also cannot think of a more perfect designer for this beautifully structured gown. Vivienne Westwood’s design team transformed their white ‘Moonlight’ gown from the 2023 bridal couture collection into the outfit from the 1960 ‘Enchanted Evening’ Barbie. This was done by transforming it into a pale pink corseted gown with a white fur stole. The look was perfectly accessorised, just like the doll, with some long white gloves and a pearl choker.
Margot Robbie in Dilara Findikoglu at the London Premiere
Margot stuck to the corset theme later in the evening, swapping her pink Vivienne Westwood gown for a more playful red mini dress courtesy of Turkish-British designer Dilara Fındıkoğlu.
Emma Mackey in Saint Laurent at the London Premiere
Emma Mackey proved that Barbie can do everything, even minimalism. She was gorgeous in this sleek muted pink Saint Laurent gown at the London premiere.
Dua Lipa in Versace at the London Premiere
Dua Lipa stayed true to her Versace ‘it-girl’ style at the London premiere. She sported a sparkling pink bodycon gown from the Italian fashion house. The gown featured a vibrant Barbie-esque print. It felt in line with the pop star’s famous butterfly dress that the star wore to the Grammys in 2021. All-in-all, Barbie-core seems very on brand with Dua and Versace’s current style.
Jourdan Dunn in Nina Ricci at the London Premiere
Jourdan Dunn was yet another celebrity daring to stray from the traditional Barbie pink at the London premiere. Wearing a black patent, Nina Ricci’s look from their Fall/Winter 2023 collection Jourdan leaned into the playful and camp side of Barbie styling.
