Yahoo! Style and Mattel celebrate New York Fashion Week with a Barbie photo shoot

So Yahoo! has a style magazine. I did not know - who did? Well, obviously Mattel (or more accurately their BarbieStyle instagram account), as they collaborated with them to produce a Barbie photo shoot to celebrate New York Fashion Week. Using the new Barbie bodies (curvy, petite and tall) along with the classic one, the photographer shoots six looks from designers Rick Owens, Balmain, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Jeremy Scott, and Sonia Rykiel and their Spring 2016 collections. Check them out below along with the original outfits from the runways. 

Original Barbie wears a look from Rick Owens’s spring 2016 collection

Yannis Vlamos / Indigitalimages.com for Vogue Runway

Original Barbie dresses in Balmain Spring-Summer 2016

Photo: Monica Feudi / Indigitalimages.com for Vogue Runway

Curvy Barbie wears a look from Marc Jacobs’s Spring 2016 collection - using curvy Barbie here references Beth Ditto's appearance on the Jacobs runway show

Photo: Gianni Pucci / Indigitalimages.com for Vogue Runway

Tall Barbie wears a look from Sonia Rykiel’s spring 2016 collection

Photo: Kim Weston Arnold /Indigitalimages.com for Vogue Runway

Petite Barbie wears a look from Jeremy Scott’s spring 2016 collection

Photo: Yannis Vlamos / Indigitalimages.com for Vogue Runway

Original Barbie wears a look from Stella McCartney’s spring 2016 collection

Photo: Kim WestonArnold / Indigitalimages.com for Vogue Runway

Doll photos courtesy of Mattel/BarbieStyle/Yahoo Style

Lagerfeld Barbie is Net-A-Porter's fashion correspondent from the Paris collections

In another fashion moment for dolls, which seem to be running high on the list of fashionistas around the globe right now (enjoy it while it lasts), Net-A-Porter, who is one of the shops one can buy Lagerfeld Barbie tomorrow, enlisted her as their fashion correspondent for the Paris Spring Summer 2015 collections. Their instagram feed is full of the doll's photos in various settings. 

 

Third strike: Dolce & Gabbana feature dolls in their Spring/Summer 2015 fashion show

It seems fashion dolls finally hit their stride with the catwalk. After the Lagerfeld Barbie, soon to be unleashed to the world (or more precisely to the very few lucky people who can get her) during Paris fashion week beginning immediately, and Moschino's all out fun Barbie extravaganza, along comes that incredible Italian duo, Dolce & Gabbana, and feature dolls in their Spring Summer 2015 fashion show in Milan.

The dolls were in bag-like boxes with a clear front, dressed in the same outfit the model carrying them was wearing. Detailed accessories were completing the outfits. The dolls look like archetypal Dolce & Gabbana women, more Mediterranean than fashion like. I would love to have them for the accessories and the outfits as well as duplicates to keep for display.

This Dolce & Gabbana collection had Spain as the main inspiration, so all outfits and accessories drew heavily on the rich cultural and historical treasures of the Iberian peninsula. Combined with a strong theme of catholic church artifacts incorporated into accessories like bags and shoes, it made for a very strong show. Red of course was the dominant colour, combined with lots of black.

I would love to have some of these outfits translated to doll size, along with some of the intricate accessories. The bags alone were more than 10 different designs.

The Guardian reported that Vogue's Editor In Chief Anna Wintour "grinned broadly when models marched down the catwalk holding fashion dolls in perspex boxes. Dressed in typically Dolce & Gabbana black, tailored skirt suits with widow's veils and crucifix necklaces, the toys, said Gabbana, were "ironic and funny", inspired by princess dolls in the Disney store and those sold at train stations in 1950s Italy".

Below is the video of the entire runway show - you can see the dolls in their bags too.



Photos: Yannis Vlamos / Indigitalimages.com from Style.com

There's a Moschino Barbie in Milan and she's not for sale!

It seems Moschino - or more appropriately, its designer, Jeremy Scott - found a way to outmanoeuvre even emperor Karl. They have a Barbie doll too - but this one is not for sale like the one made in the likeness of Lagerfeld. Instead, she comes dressed in one of the brand's outfits from their Spring/Summer 2015 collection, which of course was inspired by Barbie in the 1980s. Even the box fits the era to a T. 

All models had huge wigs styled like Barbie's hair and all styling and make up was coordinated to match. Half of the collection is in Barbie pink and the rest plays with 80s shades of purple, aqua blue, yellow and green. Guests were even given human sized Barbie combs and mirrors.

There were reports that people in the back rows were mildly disappointed (to put it lightly) not to get one of the dolls - and even of a little girl crying because she could not get one. What was a little girl doing in a fashion show anyway? And why didn't any front row guest politely give her their's?

The last time Barbie took Milan by storm was back in 2009: she was the main inspiration for Kartell's shop windows in Milan - complete with the doll boxes and even Barbie dolls in the displays. Photos of Kartell from Flickr.

Tonner Doll Spring Collection 2014 release

Honestly I have given a lot of thought in posting this article. I used to expect Tonner Doll releases with much anticipation and excitement. It seems now that it won't be the case any more. With every new release, the real fashion dolls from Tonner are less and less fashion-like and their numbers are dwindling as well. Gone is the powerhouse fashion dolls of the brand (Tyler, Sydney et al) and in their place we have the "street-wise" Cami & Jon along with the time-travelling Deja-Vu. Below are photos of the fashion dolls from the Spring 2014 Tonner collection - the rest of which was dedicated to child dolls, Kitty Collier and non-fashion dolls. I am not surprised their film/comics/fantasy dolls sell better.

Party Print Liu Liu, Dressed Doll, $149.99 This is the only one I'd buy if I had money to spare. And just for the doll, not the outfit.

Party Bold Jon Dressed Doll, $149.99

Party Lace Cami Dressed Doll, $149.99. Best dress in the bunch.

Party Stripes Cami Dressed Doll, $149.99

Red Hot, dressed doll, $179.99. Deja Vu collection (like all the dolls and fashions that follow). Nice outfit but this sculpt is not one I like. Especially the bags under her eyes. She's partying too hard.

Thoroughly Modern, Outfit, $89.99

Countryside Visit, Dressed Doll, $209.99

Moonlit Romance, Dressed Doll, $199.99. The bow row on the skirt looks like an afterthought and the hem too plain for the time period and the style of the outfit.

Crisis Calm, Outfit, $89.99. Stripes again. Here, combined with checked shirt. Really?

Polished, Outfit, $99.99.

Spicy Night, Dressed Doll, $174.99. It should have been called "Train wreck". Ghastly.

All photos courtesy of Tonner Doll.