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Tuesday night’s Barbie Tweetup marked the unveiling of 12 one-of-a-kind Barbie dolls, dressed by some of the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s brightest stars, including Betsey Johnson, Isaac Mizrahi and Kate Spade.  Revealed with the lifting of oversized black boxes, the Barbies stood under perfectly positioned spotlights, eager to show off their new looks. 
From Betsey Johnson’s “part punky devil and part pretty mistress” Barbie wearing sequined devil horns to Lorraine Schwartz’s Barbie wearing real diamonds valued at $25,000, the collaboration was a clear success. 

All 12 designers were given a different doll to customize, each of them wearing a different Little Black Dress.  Some of the designers remade the original dress they were given (which was constructed with simple black jersey), while others focused more on accessorizing their doll. They were then auctioned off on eBay, with the entire net proceeds directly benefiting CFDA education initiatives and their scholarship program.

Justin Giunta, CFDA designer and owner of label Subversive was on hand at the Barbie Tweetup to talk about what went into the making of his doll’s look. Draped with tiny pearl necklaces and real mink fur trim, he explained the challenges of dressing a Barbie doll — “She’s really top-heavy — I kept breaking the base!” — and how the outfit came together. With the Barbie standing at a mere 11.5 inches, it was mostly a case of finding trim, charms and brooches which were at the right scale. A stud earring became a glittering cocktail ring, and all manner of chain and beads were fashioned into statement necklaces, then layered for maximum impact. The repeated use of golden bee charms was no accident — he told me that the bee was the first charm he ever used in his designs for Subversive, and has become a kind of icon for the company. “She needed it!” he laughed.

As if Barbie tweeting live throughout the night wasn’t enough (”Kisses to everyone that came out tonight! Pink bubbly, fun beats and fab friends. Life as a doll couldn’t get better!”), as we walked out the door, we were each handed a glossy black goodie bag. The contents? A Black Label Barbie Basics doll looking fabulous in a Little Black Dress, an accessories pack which included many, many pairs of tiny shoes, a Barbie notebook and even a bright pink Barbie pen. 
My Black Label Barbie Basics doll now has pride of place on my desk, angled so that I can see the quote from Nicole Miller on the side: “Always chic, always appropriate, often edgy, sometimes avant-garde — you can never go wrong in a Little Black Dress.” Wise words, Nicole, wise words.

Words by Gala Darling

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