Barbie doppelgangers overlooking the party
Ever wanted to know what Barbie’s closet looks like? I found out at an event she hosted at the David Rubenstein Atrium. Hugely oversized (I’m talking 24 feet) glistening pink closet doors welcomed guests into a pink wonderland, complete with a pink bar, pink balconies, pink pillows, rows and rows of hundreds of identical pink stilettos (when Barbie likes something she apparently buys in bulk), and yes pink-themed cocktails including ones rimmed with cotton-candy flavored sugar and others finished with pink sugar lollipops.
Alexis Bittar; one of the doors of Barbie’s closet
There’s no arguing that Barbie is a fashion icon and everyone from Alexis Bittar (who attended the event) to Oscar de la Renta have designed for the diminutive woman (girl?). With that in mind, no Barbie-themed event would have been complete without real life Barbies and to that end, in an effort to make her closet come to life, models stood overlooking the crowd from a variety of balconies outfitted in clothing from the likes of Alexander McQueen, Oscar de la Renta, and Chloe, borrowed from the Albright Fashion Library, and styled in the likeness of some of the doll’s signature looks.
Aside from shoes lining shelves, miniature outfits were hanging on the closet walls alongside augmented-reality mirrors so that guests could play with Barbie’s many outfits (though I didn’t see many venturing to do so). The most popular attraction of the night was the photo opportunity, now available for all at BarbieWow.com, where you can insert your face, via webcam, against the backdrop of a variety of Barbie’s most iconic outfits from the past 50 years. The site also features a look at treasured fashion possessions of fashion insiders including Mary Alice Stephenson, Alexis Bittar, and Coco Rocha.
Barbie photo op; crowds making their way into the massive closet
