The Genius Fashion of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie”
Already, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is gearing up to be one of the biggest movies of the year. Starring Margot Robbie as Barbie (she’s everything) and Ryan Gosling as Ken (he’s just Ken), with at least a dozen exciting celebrity cameos, this hot pink dreamscape of a movie is garnering tons of attention.
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures via Vulture
Not only is the film highly anticipated, but has already begun to influence fashion trends this year. After the release of a new trailer last week, searches for hot pink clothing and other items seen on Barbie have skyrocketed.
Just the opening shot of the trailer is enough to titillate the senses; it shows Barbie’s permanently tip-toeing feet stepping out of a pair of pink, fluffy, high heeled slippers. The moment is already iconic (Quentin Tarantino is shaking in his boots). These shoes, custom made for Barbie herself, have people scouring the internet for lookalikes.
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures via The Daily Dot
What is being dubbed ‘Barbiecore’ has already been gaining traction in the fashion world over the last year, with several brands, most notably Valentino, dropping lines of hot pink products. This movie is only accelerating that, ushering us into a new pink craze, much like Mean Girls did in the 2000s.
The trailer is full of all sorts of Barbie related history and easter eggs. In the opening shot of the movie, which is a remake of the opening scene of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Barbie is seen wearing a black and white striped bathing suit, the same as the one worn by the first Barbie released in 1959. Each look Barbie (Margot Robbie, or any of the other dozens of Barbies in the movie) wears are carefully created specifically for her, often a reference to or a direct recreation of a historic Barbie moment.
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures via Vogue
The plot of the movie still remains a mystery, but rumor has it that, in keeping with Gerwig’s previous work, Barbie is a masterclass in feminist filmmaking. There are theories that the film holds parallels to The Wizard of Oz, backed up by the posters of the film seen in the background of the trailer, and by the pink gingham dress worn by Robbie that so closely resembles Dorothy’s. Whether this theory is right or not, the movie is bound to be a smash, and reviewers have said that Ryan Gosling is at his very best. I, for one, will be counting down the days until July 21st.