‘Barbiecore is surreal!’ Costume designer Jacqueline Durran stunned at ‘Barbie’ fashion movement
The Oscar-winning costume designer for ‘Barbie’ says the ‘Barbiecore’ movement spawned by the blockbuster is “surreal”.
Jacqueline Durran says she loves how her styling for ‘Barbie’ stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in Greta Gerwig’s satirical movie on the Mattel dolls has sparked a global resurrection of soft feminine stylings in clothing shapes and colours – including a resurgence of summery pinks, pastels and whites.
She told InStyle: “It’s been surreal to see how popular the ‘Barbiecore’ trend has become.
“It’s been a while since ultra-feminine silhouette and colour palettes have been widely celebrated, so I think the Barbie aesthetic entered the zeitgeist at just the right time – when people were ready for something bright, light, nostalgic, and fun.”
Jacqueline, who won an Oscar for styling Greta’s 2019 ‘Little Women’ movie characters, added one of her favourite Barbie looks were the ones lifted from the 1960s, as well as the ‘Hot Skating Barbie’ look, which features Margot sporting a pair of highlighter-yellow roller skates.
She said: “It is such a great costume. We adapted it first for Barbie, then had to invent a version for Ken so that he would match.
“As it was one of the first costumes that was made public, I was thrilled to see how quickly (i.e., immediately!) the fans recognised it!”
It’s also been revealed Margot’s ‘Barbie’ red carpet looks are inspired by the doll’s most iconic looks from the last 64 years.
The actress, 33, who plays a live version of the Mattel toy in Greta’s new film alongside Ryan, 42, as Ken, has dressed for its premieres in outfits created for Barbie as far back as her creation in 1959.
Margot told People: “We’re finding Barbie references from decades past and just doing it really for the big Barbie fans out there, people who are actually collecting those Barbies.”
The LA premiere of the film saw Margot wear a custom Schiaparelli recreation of the black cocktail dress worn by the 1960 ‘Solo in the Spotlight’ Barbie.
She added: “We’re hoping to get (collectors and fans) excited…we’re pairing Barbie references with great designers.”
Barbie creator Ruth Handler always intended for fashion to be a major part of the doll’s appeal.
She became fed up with the lack of toy options for girls, who typically could choose between baby dolls or paper dolls to play with, and created one through which they could embody their future dreams in part by dressing her in different outfits.
Margot’s other red carpet looks have included a take of the ‘Pink and Fabulous Barbie’ from 2015.
