She may be a Barbie girl in a Barbie world, but the boundaries between Barbieland and real life blurred for Margot Robbie during the whirlwind international press tour for the Greta Gerwig-directed movie.
On July 12, Robbie attended the film’s London premiere in her most extravagant look — a custom Vivienne Westwood gown modelled after Mattel’s ‘Enchanted Evening’ Barbie released in 1960. Before that, at the world premiere in Los Angeles, she recreated the ‘60s ‘Solo in the Spotlight’ doll with a black glittering Schiaparelli number and flamboyant tulle hem.
Robbie and her stylist, Andrew Mukamal, fully committed to delivering some of Barbie’s iconic looks, which Mukamal shared on Instagram. In one image, Robbie posed in a black-and-white striped summery Herve Leger dress that resembled the original Barbie’s beach romper in 1959. In another, she stepped out at the Seoul premiere in two different hot-pink ensembles made famous with 1985’s ‘Day to Night’ Barbie: a knee-length suit and glittery tulle gown, updated by Versace.
Robbie’s commitment to staying in sartorial character on the red carpet has been dubbed ‘method dressing,’ following in the recent footsteps of the spidery details Zendaya donned while promoting “Spiderman: No Way Home,” Jenna Ortega’s gothic glamour for “Wednesday” and Halle Bailey’s, well, mermaid gowns for “The Little Mermaid.”
It’s a fashion tactic that appeared to have particularly struck a chord with “Barbie,” as excitement mounted for the summer blockbuster. (Warner Bros. Pictures, which is distributing the film, is also owned by CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.) Images of her outfits went viral thanks to their nostalgia factor, while Mukamal was praised for his creative and flattering takes.
See highlights from Robbie’s wardrobe below.
