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Barbie’s outfits are everything, and Barbiecore is having a major moment. The costumes from Barbie have gone viral, and when the film came out on the 2023 movie schedule, the outfits featured in Greta Gerwig’s film were replicated by fans immediately. Now, the creative team behind Margot Robbie’s doll’s look is opening up about crafting her wardrobe, and of her 30+ outfit changes they revealed the one that was hardest to get right.
The crew of Barbie discussed how they crafted Barbie Land, and of course that included all of the dolls’ iconic costumes, during a panel discussion at Deadline’s Contenders London. Ivana Primorac, the hair and makeup designer for the movie said:
Barbie Margot had more than 30 costume and hair changes.
I believe it! She changes often, and her looks are always on point. While it seems like Barbie’s outfits seamlessly come together in the movie, there was a lot of thought that went into them behind the scenes, and there was one extra challenging costume. Ironically, the getups in question are those Venice Beach rollerblading outfits we saw when the first photos of Barbie leaked long before the film came out, and the costume designer explained why they were so challenging to create. Jacqueline Durran, explained why these fits were the hardest to put together, saying:
Hot skatin’ Barbie was one of the hardest looks to pin down. We needed the characters to look amazing on Venice Beach and that’s hard due to Venice Beach. We went through the history of the roller-blading Mattel characters and we reinvented it.
All the Barbies’ and Kens’ costumes have tons of thought put into them, and many are inspired by or recreations of looks from the dolls’ history. As Durran said, trying to get the rollerblading outfit nailed down was difficult because they combed through so much Mattel history to curate and create it.
Well, that hard work paid off. The ‘80s neon outfits Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie wear with the yellow visors and matching rollerblades are seriously iconic. Also, the looks really help drive the point home that Barbie and Ken are like fish out of water in the Real World. Showing the juxtaposition between Barbie Land and the Real World helps illustrate the greater conflict in Barbie, and the audience is able to understand that better through the costumes.
Despite the challenge, these costumes quickly became a fan favorite. When Barbie came out in theaters, fans wore elaborate outfits to the theater, with some rocking the fantastic rollerblading ensemble. Commenting on how the public has embraced Barbiecore, Durran said she’s here for all of it! However, she also made a valid point that if folks are going to recreate the looks, like the rollerblading outfit, they should try to source their pieces sustainably by thrifting vintage and secondhand clothing.
Even though the rollerblading fit was tough to put together, and understandably so, they really did such a great job, and it’s for sure one of the super memorable ensembles from the film. However, the entire Barbie cast is truly dressed to the nines, and every single look is pretty iconic. These costume designers truly did a fantastic job curating and creating over 30 looks for Barbie.
That kind of work ethic and attention to detail can be felt throughout the entire movie too – it’s no wonder Barbie received such great reviews. Not only is it a touching story, but it’s also a visually stunning and Easter egg-filled film.
Luckily, you’ll be able to see this incredible detail – including the Venice Beach rollerblading costumes – when Barbie comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 17. You can also buy or rent Greta Gerwig’s film on Amazon now.