KITH collaborates with Barbie and offers customers a chance to style their official doll!

KITH is a retail store in New York, founded by designer Ronnie Fieg In 2010. They make and sell sportswear, establish sneaker collaborations and also sell a number of renowned street wear brands. They now announce a collaboration with Barbie, working together to create a special experience for their customers: they will have the chance to create the official Kith x Barbie doll!

Starting this Saturday 9/21 KITH will be hosting styling appointments where customers will get to select one of the four dolls they have created with Mattel designer Carlyle Nuera and then style them in a look from over 100 different Kith Women apparel pieces. One of these submissions will then be selected to be produced as the official Kith x Barbie doll. Accordimg to their Instagram account though, all appointment slots have officially been filled. They do mention that walk-ins are welcome but cannot guarantee access. Follow them for further updates. I love both the doll’s and the outfits, at least what what we can see in the official photos. I envy the people who will get to style a doll and submit it for a chance to win.

So how come they decided to work with Barbie?. “For sixty years, Barbie has been an international pop-culture phenomenon offering girls around the globe a chance to play, tell stories, and, most importantly, to dream. Kith echoes this mindset by presenting an immersive world for its customers by engaging them through a unique retail environment that fosters creativity,” says Kith-founder Ronnie Fieg. This shared philosophy is what started this partnership—and it will remain a key element in the collaboration between Kith and Barbie.

The Kith Women x Barbie collaboration kicks off with a Barbie takeover of Kith’s flagship store in New York.  Several activations are planned including: 

STYLING CONTEST: September 21st - September 29th

Kith will host Barbie styling sessions at its Soho location on the second floor – known as the Arsham/Fieg Gallery. By appointment only, participants can choose from four dolls that represent the diversity and the dynamism of the Kith Woman. Entrants will be able to dress, style and outfit on-site with 100 custom doll-sized apparel and accessories pieces from the Kith Women line. 

Participants will then submit a photo of their uniquely styled Barbie to be evaluated by a cross-section of the fashion industry’s most notable tastemakers. The panel of judges will include Dianne Garcia, Jackie Kim – director of Kith Women, Maeve Reilly, Ade Samuel and Kith founder Ronnie Fieg. Judges will select the top six looks, which will be put to a public vote via @KithWomen social platform. The submission that receives the most public votes will then become the official limited-edition Kith x Barbie doll, to be released in late 2020 and available from Kith stores worldwide.

RETROSPECTIVE: September 21st to October 2nd 

A complementary retrospective exhibition that celebrates Barbie’s 60-year history will be on view at Kith’s Soho store from September 21st to October 2nd. The original Barbie created in 1959, featuring her iconic black and white chevron swimsuit, will be on display, alongside surrounding ephemera and milestone moments. The in-store museum-inspired vignette layout will be a testament to the doll’s empowering legacy and status as a pop-culture icon.

LIMITED EDITION COMMEMORATIVE APPAREL

Kith will also be designing and distributing limited edition Kith x Barbie 60th Anniversary t-shirt, available only to the first 200 attendees.

All photos courtesy of KITH and Mattel

Six young fashion designers dress Barbie for her 60th anniversary- British Vogue in collaboration with Mattel

Celebrating  Barbie’s 60th anniversary, British Vogue invited six leading young designers to dress the icon in their signature style. Here are the photographs of the designers and their models, read the full story here.

Matty Bovan

A wealth of artisanal techniques have been incorporated into the costume for his intricately constructed Barbie: hand-padded and sewn into her dress with golden Japanese yarn, she is the miniature embodiment of his magpie eclecticism. “It’s kind of like Barbie couture,” Bovan reflects. “I wanted her to have the same energy that my runway clothes have... She’s epic.”

Mowalola

Her Barbie is dressed in a miniature evolution of Mowalola’s spring/summer 2020 collection, with backcombed hair by Virginie P Moreira and make-up created by Daniel Sallstrom (using a miniature paintbrush), “she is a Mowalola superhero,” Ogunlesi grins. “She’s strong and captivating and ready to have a really good time. I want to be wherever she’s going.”

Richard Malone

“Barbie is a businesswoman – and a lot of the women I work with are too, but they don’t dress like men in suits; fashion is a part of their identity. I wanted to show that Barbie could wear a runway look but still live her everyday life and remain the boss that she truly is.”

Art School

Eden Loweth & Tom Barratt’s “non-binary Barbie” offers a perfect example of their take on figure-skimming glamour. “Art School is about making clothes that are really tolerant, that will stand with someone throughout their life, and as they evolve as in their own identity.”

Charles Jeffrey Loverboy

His Barbie (“Let’s call her ‘Wee Hen’,” he decrees in a Glaswegian drawl) exemplifies that spirit: dressed in a replica of the closing look from his spring/summer 2018 collection, which drew upon the history of cross-dressing through the ages, she is, in his words, “wearing the most fabulous piece ever.” “It took a whole week – but just looks like the actual dress!” he exclaims. “I’m really proud of her.”

Supriya Lele

Growing up besotted by Barbie (“I was an only child, so I had about 40”), Lele’s first venture into design was creating custom wardrobes for her – now things have come full circle, as she precisely scaled the measurements of one of her autumn/winter 2019 looks to suit Barbie’s size. In fact, so perfectly is her neon outfit reconfigured that even the pockets are fully operational. “I felt like a child again,” she grins. “But now I have an incredible pattern-cutter to help.”

Photography Credits:
Photographer: Stas Komarovski. Stylist: Poppy Kain. Art Direction: Dom Kelly. Hair: Yumi Nakada-Dingle. Make-Up: Thomasin Waite. Nails: Lauren Michelle Pires. Set Design:Andrew Clarkson. Production: Verity Cousins.

Photos and text courtesy of British Vogue and Mattel.

A new Poppy Parker unveiled on David Buttry’s birthday! Gardens Of Versailles exclusive convention 2019 doll

This year is the tenth anniversary of Poppy Parker and all releases of her in 2019 are, by default, considered just that bit more special. So what better date than the birthday of Poppy’s designer, the über-talented David Buttry, to unveil the "Gardens Of Versailles" Poppy Parker™ Convention upgrade doll. What this means for W Club members is that, whether they are able to attend the FW19 convention or not, they get exclusive access to a chance to pre-order and obtain this convention exclusive upgrade doll. There is no set edition size, as the final production quantity will be determined by the total amount of pre-orders received by the deadline.

Item # PP155

Gardens of Versailles

Poppy Parker™ Dressed Doll

2019 Convention Exclusive Upgrade

Non-attending members-Only Price: $150.00 + s & h

Approximate Delivery Date: October 2019

Edition Size: TBD

Head Sculpt: Poppy Parker

Body Type: Poppy Parker

Foot Sculpt: High Heeled

Skin Tone: Sunkissed

Hair Color: Black

Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

Quickswitch: No

Included:

• 12" fully articulated doll with rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes;

• Full length custom floral printed taffeta gown with halter neckline and black satin sash;

• Black satin clutch;

• 2 pairs of earrings; large “golden” hoops and floral burst drop earrings with faux pink "stone" details;

• Two "golden" bangle bracelets, 1 "multi-stone" cuff bracelet;

• A large pink "stone" ring;

• Black satin ankle strap heels;

• Alternate pair of hands with long nails;

• Stand;

• Certificate of authenticity;

On the 28th of November 1973, a fashion show unlike any other before or after it, was held at the Palace of Versailles near Paris, supporting a charity for the palace restoration. Five French couturiers (Yves Saint-Laurent, Givenchy, Dior, Ungaro and Cardin) and five American fashion designers (Oscar De La Renta, Anne Klein, Bill Blass, Halston and Steven Burrows) were showing together for the very first time. A who is who of celebrities were attending. The event has a historical place in both French and American fashion, as it greatly influenced both industries for the next decade. There is an excellent book about it, The Battle of Versailles: the night American fashion stumbled into the spotlight and made history, by Pulitzer Prize winner, author and journalist Robin Givhan, plus two documentaries, Versailles ‘73: American Runway Revolution by Deborah Riley Draper, plus Battle at Versailles, by Fritz Mitchell. You can read more about it in this interview of Robin Givhan here and an excerpt here. Also, Ava DuVernay is slated to co-write and direct a film for HBO based on the aforementioned book.

Stephen Burrows dresses

Why all this history lesson? Because this is the story frame of this particular Poppy doll, according to the story details Integrity Toys released. She’s supposedly the most famous model walking the runway at this event. It’s early seventies, so she’s at the end of her career. The dress does not look like the ones you can see if you google photos of the event. Most of the outfits shown were either monochromatic (lots of beige for the opening and black for the finale), with Stephen Burrows rainbow coloured dresses in jersey standing out.

Stephen Burrows dresses

The silhouette and print of the dress are very true to the seventies, looking like something either De La Renta or Bill Blass would design. But there was none like that in the show. The story accompanying the doll mentions a Bartholomew Barrows as the designer Poppy is wearing, clearly referencing Stephen Burrows. The real Burrows mostly did colour blocking designs, using a lot of jersey cut asymmetrically or in geometric shapes, using a lot of “lettuce” curly edged hems. People complaining her dress looks too mature should remember that in 1973 Poppy is mature herself, not a fresh faced ingénue.

From the March 2015 issue of W magazine, article about Robin Givhan’s book.

Oscar De La Renta early seventies print dress

Bill Blass early seventies dresses

Halston dress from Spring 1974

Anjelica Huston with David Bailey in Corsica, 1973

My major objection with the dress is the sash. Big, flowing dresses in the early seventies had either a thin belt shaping their waist, in leather or fabric, or a draped narrow basque-like design, with dangling ends on the side, made of the same fabric as the dress. The wide black sash is more emblematic of the eighties. The deep V neckline to the waist is very typical of the era.

The doll is beautiful, with her Sunkissed skin tone (first time for Poppy) and curly hair in a style clearly reminiscent of the famous seventies model Pat Cleveland.

Pat Cleveland by Irvin Penn, Vogue US, March 1971

The accessories are nice, although I think only one of the bracelets is original. The straps on the shoes will be hell to fasten. Love that she has two pairs of earrings to choose from.

The price tag is higher than usual for a non-giftset Poppy, but remember that this is the slightly higher price Integrity Toys charges on convention dolls for non attendees. I’m definitely getting her, how about you?

The dress has pockets!

Final doll will be unveiled closer to convention time. Final fabrics, colors and textures to be announced. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only. All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2019 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission. FASHION ROYALTY, POPPY PARKER, NU. FACE, EAST 59TH, THE INDUSTRY and all other character marks followed by ™ or ® are trademarks of Integrity Toys, Inc. Chesapeake City MD USA 21915. All rights reserved. The W Club is a trademark of Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. Doll Photography by Jayme Thornton. Layouts and graphics by Alain Tremblay, Marketing.

Barbie will receive the Board of Directors' Special Tribute at 2019 CFDA fashion awards

Barbie is the iconic fashion doll. She’s the one that defines what a fashion doll is, the one that started it all. She has gone through the whole history of contemporary fashion since 1959, the year of her creation. She has collaborated with many well known fashion designers and icons, beginning in 1985 with Oscar De La Renta: Yves Saint-Laurent, Christian Dior, Karl Lagerfeld, Givenchy, Giorgio Armani, Versace, Moschino, Vera Wang, Donna Karan, Christian Louboutin, Hervé Léger, Ralph Lauren, Anna Sui, Badgley Mischka, Zac Posen, Byron Lars, Anne Klein, Stephen Burrows, Judith Leiber, Escada, Kate Spade, Nicole Miller, Todd Oldham, Diane Von Furstenberg, Burberry, Hanae Mori, Bill Blass and others. So it is only fitting that in the year of her 60th anniversary, the Council of Fashion Designers of America will honour her with the Board of Directors’ Special Tribute.

Richard Dickson, Mattel’s President and Chief Operation Officer, said : “It is a tremendous honour for Barbie to be recognised by the CFDA Board of Directors for her contributions to American fashion. For the past six decades, Barbie has inspired and been inspired by fashion and creative communities. Barbie has had the great privilege of collaborating with some of the greatest designer of our time and this award is a moment to celebrate her lasting influence.”

Bill Blass Barbie

Steven Kolb, President and CEO of the CFDA, said: “Barbie has had such wide influence on American fashion and culture. Her story personally resonates with so many CFDA members that the Board of Directors decided to honor her with the special tribute.”

The 2019 CFDA Fashion Awards will be held on June 3rd at the Brooklyn Museum.

Female Icon Dasha d’Amboise - Doll designed by Vasilen Minkov, winner of the 2018 International Integrity Toys Design Competition

Late last year, Integrity Toys announced the winner of their 2018 International Design Competition. This past weekend the W Club introduced the doll based on competition winner. Vasilen Milkov's winning entry: the elegant "Female Icon" Dasha d'Amboise™. Vasilen won this competition for the second time and rightly so. He’s a fashion stylist in real life and also part of the amazing duo valeyofdolls who make incredible outfits and styling for dolls. I interviewed them for Haute Doll Magazine, when it still existed.

According to the rules of the competition, the winning design, voted on by W Club members, underwent a series of adjustments to make it production ready, while preserving the spirit of Vasilen's original design, alongside his choice of character. Check below the original entry.

W Club members got to begin pre-ordering her early and in the special price of $150.00 US versus the general public, who can purchase this doll for $160.00 US. There is no limit I’m how many dolls one can preorder. The doll does not count as one of the five W Club exclusives for 2019.

Item # 91437

Female Icon

Dasha d'Amboise™ Dressed Doll

The Fashion Royalty® Collection

2018 Design Competition Winner

Edition Size: TBD

Head Sculpt: Dasha d'Amboise

Body Type: FR 6.0

Foot Sculpt: High-heeled Foot

Skin Tone: Japan

Hair Color: Redhead

Eyelashes: Yes, Hand-applied

Quickswitch: No

Included:

• 12" fully articulated doll with rooted hair and hand-applied eyelashes
• Delicately pleated, flowing one-piece dress
• Luxurious tweed bolero
• Couture hat and scarf
• Opera length, fine mesh gloves
• Thigh-high, high-shine, black patent leather boots
• Contrasting leopard print purse with powder blue faux-fur appliqué
• Oversized faux-emerald earrings
• Three broaches
• Two pairs of hands
• Doll stand

Special note about hairstyle: Please note that this hairstyle is designed to be a chignon. Integrity Toys cannot guarantee that the head will be fully rooted if you decide to take it down. Final fabrics, colors and textures may vary slightly. For adult collectors ages 15 and up only.

I can’t begin to express how much I love this doll. I am a big fan of Vasilen and his work and of Valeyofdolls too, so this is right up my alley. There are no obvious changes to the initial design, which is a very good thing. Dasha is a gorgeous sculpt and I have only two dolls with this sculpt, so this will be the third. I love the red hair and pale skin combination, even though I don’t think it fits the pale colour of the dress, but the black accessories and the bolero help it fit. The outfit has many of the Valeyofdolls trademark touches, like the exquisite pleating, the leather accessories and that avant- guard style I love. Read on if you want to preorder her.

Offer Type: Open pre-order.
Participation Deadline: May 6, 2019, Noon Eastern timeth.
Pricing: W CLUB MEMBERS: $150.00 USD + S & H.($30 NRD deposit due now, $120.00 + S & H due in late Fall 2019). GENERAL PUBLIC: $160.00 USD + S & H.
Final Edition Size: To be determined, will be based on all orders received.
Shipping Timing: Approximately late Fall 2019.
Order Limit: No limit

Link for the general public (if you’re a W Club member DO NOT USE this link): 

Female Icon Dasha d’Amboise preorder here

All photos and information contained herein is copyrighted Integrity Toys, Inc. and Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC 2019 and may not be reprinted or disseminated without express written permission. FASHION ROYALTY and all other character marks followed by ™ or ® are trademarks of Integrity Toys, Inc. Chesapeake City MD USA 21915. All rights reserved. The W Club is a trademark of Intercap Merchant Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. Doll Photography by Jayme Thornton. Layouts and graphics by Alain Tremblay, Marketing