Fashion Doll Fashion

So I believe my love of Barbie has pretty much all but disappeared. I am very much more into dolls that have more posing ability. Now I just look to Barbie for her clothing and accessories, take a look at her wardrobe and you'll see why, and sometimes her playsets. But even as my skills of crafting in general increase, and since MyFroggyStuff came into my life and taught me to think outside of the doll box, Barbie is even losing me when it comes to clothing and props. But one area she still captures me in is her fashion. Wait, I should clarify. I didn't mean Barbie's actual fashions. I mean fashions based off of Barbie.

When it comes to clothes, especially t-shirts, I am very particular about them. I am not a big fan of big cartoon characters slapped across them. I find them very childish, for me, if you love this type of clothing go on with your bad self. I've just always wore that type t-shirt when I was younger, and now I can't stand it. The only way I'd wear one now is if it had a more high fashion or vintage look to it. When I saw the recent t-shirt designs released by Mattel, I was hooked. I loved how vintage and fashionable they looked. Take a look at my selections below. Click on any picture to be taken to the item's sale page if you want to see more pictures, sizing, etc.

These next three shirts made me think of vintage Barbie and vintage t-shirts. Making use of the old Barbie font as well as other dated font from decades past, these shirts are fun and eye-catching.

My favorite out of the three is the gray one with AA Barbie on it. Love it to bits. I would would need two of them because I would wear the hell out of them. LOL! Now the next two shirts below are based off the tokidoki line. They make me think of the vintage prints that were very basic black outlines with bright colors to fill them in. Not sure if I am making sense with what I am saying. I believe you saw this kind of art more around the 80s. It was very “new age” for the time. Very sharp lines. The first one especially makes me think of that.

I love them both, and would have a hard time deciding between the two. If I had to pick just one I'd take the black shirt. I love the pink hair, the bright gold stars...even though I am not a fan of gold I feel it works, and the black t-shirt as a background. It just all works perfectly. Now the next two shirts are interesting because they make use of more of a silhouette look. I know there is full shape and design to them both, but they are still lacking in a full form, so it says more silhouette to me.

I really like the pink shirt with the black print of Barbie on it. It makes me think of Audrey Hepburn, and if you know me, you know I simply adore Audrey Hepburn. So that was very appealing to me. I like the other one too because of the kind of “peek-a-boo” look the silhouette is giving against the word “glamour”. Very fun and almost sexy even. Now the last two shirts are kind of a modern vintage to me. They have vintage looking designs on them, but in more of a modern twist. However, these edge on the big characters slapped across a shirt, and they don't look vintage enough for the vintage picks, so they are my bottom picks.

I really love both of these shirts, but my favorite out of the two has to be the Francie shirt. I love Francie due to her Mod fashions and so I am more pulled towards her. This design is a bit big and I may have issues wearing it outside, but around the home I would proudly wear it. The other design, also a bit big, is fun and cute with the saying “Future Mrs. Ken” on it. Very fun fashions, and all looks I'd love to wear.

Now, the fashions aren't the only thing I love seeing Barbie on. I also love seeing her fashions on accessories. Once again, it can't be this big cartoony feel or I won't be interested. It has to be subtle, having a vintage look wouldn't hurt, and it needs to feel more like a fashion piece. These few pieces, I feel, fit the bill perfectly for me.

Now this ring is sadly sold out. I loved everything about it. It's vintage Barbie in a fun ring form. I would have loved to have owned one for sure. So those of you who got one, cherish it and love it, for there are those of us who must cherish from afar. LOL! I tend not to be one for big huge rings, but this one is just so fun I couldn't help but love it. Maybe I'll get lucky and come across it someday some way. Fingers crossed tight. ;-) 

Now this next item I have adored for a while. It's almost like those old books that have pictures of a ton of stuff and you look through them to see what you can spy in them. There is just so many fun things in the pictures on this bag, that is takes you a few minutes to pause and take it all in.

 

Both sides have wardrobe pictures on them, and they are different on each side. So you have plenty to look at. I believe the fashions are a mix of vintage and modern fashions Barbie has worn over the years. Very fun. I'd be afraid to walk out with this bag because I wouldn't want to get it dirty, but this is one of those bags that simply must be seen. The next fashion pick is this simple but fun headband.

I love how it spells out doll, and I would love to have it except for two problems. One, it's on top of your head, so only you and really tall people will know it's there. Or if you are sitting down and someone walks by they can see it too. The second issue I have is I have very dark hair, so it will be hard to tell that the headband spells out anything, and it would he hard to tell what it spells out unless you stop and really look. Fashion is made to be seen, and if you can't show it off, there's really no point to wear it. At least that's my thoughts on it. Now if you have lighter hair, medium brown to blonde, I'd say go for it. It will be visible in your hair easily, and if you are a short person with lighter hair even better. LOL! It's discounted from $15 to $5, so this is a time to snatch one or two up. I love the pink “Barbie” inside of the band, it's a lovely and unique fashion piece, I just don't think it would stand out enough for me to feel the need to own one. Yes, I'd know it was there, but the whole reason of wanting to own it is so that other people would know it was there too. Just my thoughts. What do you think about the headband? Post your comments below.

 

This next piece is a funky little tote. As I've mentioned, I don't like gold much, but I love the mix of pink in the gold “Barbie” font on top of the white purse background. It kind of calms down the gold for me and makes this wearable. I love how the font is spelled with Barbie's iconic ponytail. Very fun. This tote isn't overly big, so it's a subtle piece, which is perfect it you just want a little pop to your outfit.

This next bag is just interesting. It's a seatbelt bag, made exactly from what the name says, a seatbelt. This durable bag is not only functional it's fashionable to. I have always loved the color combination of white, black, and pink, and this purse does that perfectly. Then to top off this cool bag, you get Barbie herself on it. I think this bag would have been boring without her on it, and this is coming from a girl who's not a big fan of logos or brands on items. But I think her image really finishes the bag off nicely. Not sure if I would actually own this bag myself, but I love the look of it, and I think it's a really nice bag. I just don't know if I'd have the guts to walk around with Barbie on my bag. ETA: This tote is sadly no longer available from Mattel. I actually found a whole listing of things no longer available from Mattel anymore, and these items were very interesting. I encourage you to go snooping around the Barbie Collector shop and see what Mattel has sold in the past, there are some interesting and pretty things. Now on to my last pick. It's not a fashion item really, but it does help to keep one fashionable. It's a fun vanity brush and mirror set.

I love this set. I love the vintage images on the back of the brush and mirror. Also they look like a good size, not purse-size but just the right size to fit easily into your hand. This is another item I wouldn't own directly simply because it would mostly be a collector's piece for me and I just don't collect those kinds of items, but a collector who does will love the vintage look. They will look fancy on anyone's vanity or even in a curio. I just love vintage Barbie art, it takes me back to being a little girl, and that's why this set appealed to me so much.

So yeah, I'm not really into Barbie any more, just because my interests have changed, but she will always be my childhood favorite, and I have fond memories of playing with Barbie, so when I find an item that can bring up those memories I tend to like them, even if Barbie is all over it. Who knows, maybe if I have a little kid one day they will reignite my love of Barbie, by then who knows how much she'll have transformed. But for now, I'll just pop into her aisle at the store every now and again to see what she's up to, I'll covet her fun fashion items, and I'll remember the fun times we had together when I was a child. :-) Oh, and just because I think they are neat, be sure to pick up your Barbie desktop calendar for January. Just click on the picture to be taken to the download page.

And on that note, I am off you lovely peeps. I have an article due, and I've been lazy about doing it. I tend to get lazy with Squidoo quests. I prefer to write my own articles, and those tend to whip up really quick. I am thinking of not doing the quests any more. Giving myself time to think about it because it's because of the quests I almost have 100 articles written in just a few months. So we will see. Ok, talk to you lovelies later. Bye for now.

Wishing she could be a little girl again just for one day,
Michelle