My Style Takeaways from Barbie (2023) *spoilers*
I want to push you (to be inspired by the costumes of Barbie)
What a surprise, the movie about the most fashionable member of the Toy Story supporting cast has some hard-hitting mindsets for the sartorially inclined. After two viewings of Greta Gerwig’s latest major motion picture, these are the tweet-length lessons I’m thinking about (rip the bird app).
The personhood of travelling jawns
sometimes you grow out ur most treasured pieces, either physically or emotionally
instead of throwing them in a bag with some other misfit clothes to give to a corporation making money off free inventory
pass them on to ur slightly swaggless homies so they can cherish them and make them their own
see Ken giving Ken his Fauxjo Mojo Mink (transition)
Giving ur clothes fun names
one of my favourite bits in the movie is the freeze frame floating outfit thing where Ken throws Barbie’s outfits out of the top floor of the newly minted Mojo Dojo Casa House
now do you have to name every single piece in ur closet? if you have the time and the mental capacity to remember the name of every item (or are experienced with Excel, Sheets and copywriting); maybe
but you can christen your current favourite combination of clothes with a funky, spunky name like the Pretty Paisley Palazzo Pants (big fan of alliteration), or Pajama Jam in Amsterdam Set (also a big fan of rhyming)
personally, I’ve been itching to find an occasion to pull up in my Slouchy Supreme Stripe Suit
Spicing up triple black outfits with colourful socks
shout out Uniqlo Colourful 50 Socks
throw on a pair in a popping shade next time you got on an “I’m Just Ken“ Dance Battle Sequence Set (black top, black bottom, black footwear) to break up the homogeneity
Coordinating fits with ur partner in a thematic way
another fun bit in the movie is the journey to the real world where Barbie and Ken have coordinated sets for their various vehicles and venues
while some of the pairs are matching for Barbie and Ken, they occasionally appear in a similar set
the colour-flipped camping costumes and cow people ensembles are the best examples of this point
on second thought, it might be too costumey and unlikely that you and ur partner will have personal styles that are so intertwined like they were designed by a team of several adults making products for children
but you can try
Don’t dress like Aaron Dinkins and his colleagues
grey knit vest, blue oxford cloth button down, slim khakis, and brown leather shoes
these are all items that have potential on their own (except the slim khakis)
but as they exist in the Mattel Employee Universal Uniform, it is a set that should be discontinued from ur closet
Now for some things from the Real World (the Real Real World - not the world of the second-hand fashion retailer, theRealReal or the location in Barbie called The Real World, our physical existence).
Dressing up to go out
if you were on the streets near any movie theatre, you must’ve seen groups of people clad in pink
people are putting effort into going out and we should be doing this more for any occasion
you can start with method dressing for a film ur going to see (see the waves of Barbiecore in the cinemas)
method dressing being the sartorial choice actors make to wear clothes that reference the movie they are doing press for
or put on something less casual next time you hit the town for a night out (give ur sweatsuit a break and also transition)
Pulling some fun inspo for an event
leading up to the release of the film, Margot Robbie has consistently taken over my timeline in her Barbie premiere looks
Margot and her stylist, Andrew Mukamal, looked into the Barchives (Barbie Archives - I don’t know if this is its real name but run with it) to pull out some slappers
according to fashion newsletter mother, Rachel Tashjian, some of the looks Andrew and Margot flipped were from versions of Barbie that flipped high fashion couture from the ‘60s
for a full outfit-by-outfit breakdown check out this video from Haute Le Mode who does a great job contextualizing and critiquing each look
both Barbies know sometimes the best styling move is pulling from a cheeky fashion reference, why don’t you do the same for ur next dressed-up outing (semi-formal or more formal)
when ur looking for a fit to flip ensure you can do so with stuff you already have or if you are going to buy new, get something you can freak in fun and fresh ways after its initial wear
hitting the thrift and seeing what you can unearth is always an option
in terms of finding references, I’ll go through magazine shoots or red-carpet moments (although both options can have unrealistic outfits for most people; there are looks that are more accessible if you dig long enough)
I recommend looking at W Magazine's Best Performances or GQ Hype to start, they shoot a wide range of talent in a variety of styles
or looking at a celeb with a style you synergize with and going through their most recent red-carpet outfits
for my high school prom, I flipped the look below from Margot’s 2017 W Magazine shoot (totally coincidental that this post focuses on Margot’s latest movie)
I wore this suit several times after that prom so it wasn’t a one-and-done situation
Have fun with these ideas! Let me know if you’ve tried them out or ur review of Barbie (2023).
Thank you Barbies, Kens, and Allan for reading!