Barbie Fashion.Photo:Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.; Courtesy of WELDON OWEN
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.; Courtesy of WELDON OWEN
Karan Feder is a pro when it comes to Barbie fashion.
The historian has studied the doll’s style for years, digging into the Mattel toy’s fashion partnerships and influences from pop culture over the decades. She poured her knowledge into her upcoming book,Barbie Takes the Catwalk: A Style Icon’s History in Fashion(out Oct. 3).
Ahead, find out Feder’s thoughts aboutMargot Robbie’s looks inBarbie, how she researched for her book, what her favorite Barbie fashion moments are and more.
Barbie Takes the Catwalk book.Courtesy of WELDON OWEN
Courtesy of WELDON OWEN
PEOPLE: You’ve spent a lot of time studying Barbie fashion through the years. As a fashion historian, how did you thinkBarbieportrayed Barbie’s fashion?
Karan Feder:I thought it was really a sophisticated interpretation of Barbie fashion, and embraced the love of the doll and the fashion history.
Did anything stand out to you in particular?
[Costume designer Jacqueline Durran] didn’t make things comically oversized, even though she could have because she was dealing with dolls. She didn’t make the buttons huge. You didn’t see huge zippers out of scale. They were oversized, but they weren’t comically large. I appreciated that little decision because I know that was a decision. You could have taken everything to scale and it would’ve been comical. And that I’m sure would’ve distracted from the narrative as a result.
What were some of your favorite wardrobe moments that felt authentic to Barbie in the movie?
I thought thatthe Chanel statementwas super great. The Barbie fashion designers’ mission was always to reflect culture. Their charge was, “Let’s look at the catwalk. Let’s look at what people are wearing on the streets. Let’s look at what celebrities are wearing. Let’s look at what’s going on in culture.” All these things merged to define what Barbie actually wore. Barbie got her first Chanel skirt suit in the late ‘80s, and it was a mid-calf version of that Chanel skirt suit. The replica Barbie outfit [in the movie] is pretty close. It’s not hard to say, “Oh yeah, that’s a Chanel look.”
I love that Chanel raised their hands and said, “Okay, we’re with Margot anyway. We want to give you guys whatever you need.” I just think that combination and that collaboration between the brands — Barbie and Chanel — and then also that Margot was already on the Chanel team, I think that just really works. There’s a lot of chemistry there, but it also makes perfect sense for the heritage of the brand too.
Margot Robbie as Barbie.Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros.
Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros.
When I started thinking about this concept, I didn’t realize how many photographic examples would really reference these designers’ work. I was very careful in the book to make sure that the catwalk look or the streetwear look happened before the Barbie outfit came out, so you really can show a direct link. The other thing I was really interested in doing is sort of adding more awareness and life to these artisans behind the scenes whose job it was to create these little miniature things. It’s its own little genre to be able to create fashion in this scale that looks to our eye like a little influenced catwalk look, right? There’s nothing easy about that, and those really weird skills are unique. There is a huge team of folks behind the scenes who make all this happen.
Many of the looks you reference are designer pieces — which a lot of Barbie fans may not have been aware of. Barbie is so fashion-forward!
It’s absolutely fascinating. I remember when I ran across that YSL photograph where the house shows two skirt suits on the runway in the ‘90s of irises and sunflowers that were Van Gogh inspirations. Then you look at the Barbie outfit that comes out a year later and you’re like, “Oh my God, this is so great.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up to date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Margot Robbie as Barbie.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Did you work with any of the Barbie fashion designers on this?
There are a number of times where I was actually able to work with Carol Spencer, one of Barbie’s early fashion designers from the 1960s. She talks in her book about how she sawthisparticular look out in the world, and then that inspiredthisparticular Barbie look. So I do have those moments documented in the book.
Do you have any favorite Barbie fashion moments from over the years?
I love every single outfit that was made in 1969. Up until that point, her designers had sort of modestly dipped a toe into the Mod fashions, and they had created this other doll, Francie, that totally embraced Mod because they felt that Barbie wasn’t quite ready for Mod. It was a little too edgy. But Francie, her cousin, was able to totally go Mod. So Mod had been happening all throughout the ‘60s, but in ‘69, the designers of Barbie said, “Okay, Barbie is all in for the Mod scene.” And everything they gave her was this fantastic Mod, bright, colorful, happy, space-aging Mattel. Everything is fantastic from that year.
Barbie Takes the Catwalk: A Style Icon’s History in Fashionis available for preorder now and will be published on Oct. 3.
source: people.com
