I was not the only little girl who loved Barbie, of course. I have some pictures from my 1987 school Carnival party and I can clearly see two little girls wearing a Peaches'n Cream dress (this was a little bit too much for me, that year I went as Pippi Longstocking)!
The 80s were probably the last decade of Barbie total leadership; it was before Blythe revival and before hundreds other popular dolls and I'm so glad I lived my childhood at that time!
Really, how cool were those old Barbie cases? And how amazing was Barbie wardrobe?? It's my vintage dream!
All pictures courtesy Zero Discipline
As per usual it seems I live in a retro world. Yesterday when I saw the picture of the new Barbie from Tarina Tarantino I found it...how can I say? ...Too post-postmodern for me!
I was not a big fan of her Barbie jewelry line too - as for the Peaches'n Cream dress, this is a little too much for me, expecially when you see 50 years old women wearing one of those Barbie necklaces...
I think when you're no more a child, you don't have to erase memories, you can still play, but at least you have to "deconstruct your myths". So I really like the clever, "cheeky" and just a little creepy creations from Margaux Lange.
She said:
"Barbie™ was immensely important in fueling my creative life as a child, and ironically continues to be such for me as an adult. My "Plastic Body Series" jewelry stems from a desire to re-purpose materials in combination with metals. I am inspired, terrified and fascinated, first and foremost by humans. I'm drawn to patterns and repetition in all forms."
In this post-postmodern world, Barbie doll is still a leader even if sometimes she's in pieces...
16 commenti:
Great post! I love every vintage outfit from Barbie's wardrobe. The Plastic Body Series, however, is more like "Texas Chainsaw Massacre for little girls"
I was a Barbie girl too :) When I was little, my favourite aspect of playing with my Barbie dolls was putting different outfits together for them (mixing and matching from the pre-set outfits) and making clothes for them. Like you, I think my love for clothes grew from there.
I agree, the (vintage) Barbie wardrobe is amazing!
I also had some barbie dolls, but only the fake ones. As I spent my childhood in East Berlin where we couldn't get real barbie dolls. And I sewed all here dresses myself, even built some furniture with my grandpa: a sofa, table, bunk bed, chairs and closet... Thanks for some nice memories coming up now. ;)
what a cool post! i think those accessories would get paraphernalia-worthy reactions- lots of stares and some recoiling!
woahh that necklace is so weird but the more i look at it the more i like it
i love all of the vintage barbie clothes, barbie used to be so much more sophisticated!
and whoa...that necklace is a little creepy, but it is very interesting nonetheless!
This amazing post has brought me back straight to my childhood... Yes, Barbie give many girls first image of beauty and fashion! I love this post, darling xxxxxxxx
Aw, i still have a complete fascination with dolly fashion! I'm collect Blythe dolls - so making them cute little vintage-inspired outfits is a bit of a pastime for me!
Carrie x
Retro Barbie is wonderful. I'm not such a fan of post-modern Barbie either--is she wearing hooker stockings...?
I might have been one of the only girls who didn't have Barbie growing up. My mother said they set unrealistic body image standards...
I never played with Barbies. I had little plastic animals that I liked to line up and scold.
@ danz: just a bit terrifying ;-)
@ yulanda: it was so fun!
@ dotti: it'so strange to think how much life changed in Berlin after 1989. They were hard times I suppose. Thanks to you Dotti, is so nice to heard about sweet memories and a creative childhood :-)
@ selinaoolala, emma: you're right!!!
@ sam: actually I would like all her vintage wardrobe in my size!
@ times of glory: thank you! She was so beautiful, it was so strange when Mattel slightly changed her body and face in the
90's!
@ carrie: Blythe dolls are so cute! I've pondered the idea of buying one sometimes, but then I thought about possible weird comments from friends and family... So I only bought the books and I'm saving tons of Blythe photos in my pc!
@ the clothes horse: the new Barbie dolls are sort of freaky I think. If she was unrealistic years ago, now she's more than ever! My mother was not that wise and I'm still glad of it!!!
@ wendyb: oh yes, they were bad boys! ;-)
Gosh, this is a reminder that my love for Barbie (and I'm sure a lot of other people) was as much a love for her clothes as for the doll itself--and channeling being able to dress like an adult loooong before I was actually able to do so.
Woww... what a beautiful post... I really love Barbie's world... I was a Barbie girl too and now I'm a little collector of vintage Barbie and friends from the 70's!
OMG tooo creepy that would ruin my childhood memories! it reminds me of those deconstructed barbies in that movie Toy Soldiers. I do love taht film..must find it on DVD!
Small Soldiers not toy!!
what a briiliant and clever post, especially the last bits!
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