Barbie Fashion Icons hits the Milan catwalk again

It's autumn so fashion weeks are running one after another, from New York to London to Milan and Paris. Vogue Italia, in collaboration with Mattel and fashion designers, once again organised a Barbie Fashion Icons exhibition along Milan Fashion Week at Palazzo Morando from the 21st of September.


The fashion designers this time are:

  • Massimo Giorgetti for Emilio Pucci
  • Alessandra Facchinetti for Tod’s
  • Alessandro Dell’Acqua for Rochas
  • Salvatore Ferragamo Creative Team
  • Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant for Courrèges
  • Lorenzo Serafini for Philosophy
  • Arthur Arbesser for Iceberg
  • Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi for Fay
  • Peter Dundas for Roberto Cavalli
  • Veronica Etro for Etro



The designers picked their preffered version of the doll, curvy, petite, tall etc. and created a unique fashion for her, showcasing their brand's vision for Barbie. Matching accessories were also designed and made. The results are sublime and once again prove how creative the doll world can become. 



Peter Dundas for Roberto Cavalli

The September issue of Vogue Italia also had an interview with Richard Dickson, President and CEO of Mattel. A small sample of the article is here.



Lorenzo Serafini for Philosophy

The magazine issue also features the photo shoot on a special thick paper four page insert while their Vogue Talents supplement also features a full page feature with the second photo.



Alessandro Dell’Acqua for Rochas



Arthur Arbesser for Iceberg



Alessandra Facchinetti for Tod’s



Massimo Giorgetti for Emilio Pucci



Salvatore Ferragamo Creative Team



Sébastien Meyer and Arnaud Vaillant for Courrèges



Veronica Etro for Etro



Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi for Fay

All photos courtesy of Mattel and Vogue Italia. Photography and set design by Adrian Gidi.

There's a Cindy Crawford Barbie doll and it is not for sale

Instagram is the medium of the moment for lots of celebrities and professionals alike: it's so much easier to share a photo of something you're doing or your newest creation than writing about it or staging an elaborate presentation. Especially if it can reach thousands of people in an instant. It is not surprising then that it has become the social arena of choice for fashion people. most notably stylists and models. Cindy Crawford is one of the original 90s supermodels that is active on the platform. Just the other day she posted a photo of a Barbie made to look like her:


Since there was nothing published about the doll from Mattel, I did a little on-line search and came up with the goods: the doll is an OOAK creation, It was presented to Cindy way back in 2003 at the CAAF (Children Affected By AIDS Foundation) benefit in Santa Monica, California. The doll is dressed in a Roberto Cavalli gown, the same one Cindy was wearing during the event.


I don't know what made Cindy remember the doll after all this time and post it again (in the text accompanying the instagram post she mentions loving Barbies as a child), but it sure made me wish for a series of dolls in the likeness of supermodels from that era: Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz etc. They would be the ultimate fashion dolls. One can only hope. And it doesn't have to be Mattel making them. Looking at you Integrity Toys.


Top photo courtesy of Cindy Crawford (Instagram), middle and bottom photos from Daily Mail/Wireimage