Barbie…child’s toy or style icon?

The first ever Barbie doll 1959.

Maybe a strange place to look to for inspiration, but Barbie could be considered a key influence in the fashion industry.
She has been around for over 50 years now and her outfits range from the original black and white striped swimsuit (shown in the image above) which she wore in 1959 to a whole selection of one billion other ballgowns and costumes.
As a toy, she was created to spark a child’s imagination, yet a lot of the time, the clothes she wears are just as extrodinary to adults as well, with many today collecting special editions of her.
Robert Best, a designer for Barbie, creates gorgeous sketches of outfits for the doll, just like you would expect any other fashion designer to and the detail that goes into some of Barbie’s outfits is incredible with trimmings and embellishments completely covering ballgowns.
On top of this, not only does Barbie have her own tailor made wardrobe, she has worn clothes designed by some of the most famous designers in history from Dior to Givenchy. So Barbie, is she just a child’s toy or a style icon?

Sketches for Barbie Designs by Robert Best

Barbie wearing a design originally by Christian Dior

Barbie as Chanel