Ok – Barbiecore has taken over the world at the moment – we’re awash in PINK! As a woman “of a certain age” Barbie has always been a part of my world since I received hand-me-down original Barbies from my older girl cousins. My Mom was not a doll person and not a pink person so I sadly did not have a collection of the fabulous Barbie fashions and accoutrement. No Barbie Malibu Dream house for me (btw – did you know there is a human scale Malibu Dream House on Air BnB?). Sadly none of my Barbies made it out of my childhood – and as I said, these were likely early originals. Oh well!
Unlike my Mom, I love pink and don’t see it as a “weak” color. I have a good amount of it in my own home:
I resisted letting my inner-pink flag fly for a long time. My official favorite color is green. But at one point I realized if I was looking at a rack of magazines – the ones with the pink covers always drew me in – be it Vogue or House Beautiful. I guess I worried that it seemed like a frivolous color choice for an adult. When I decorated Nook Cottage I finally decided to let that limiting idea go – after all – I am an adult and I can and should do whatever I want (especially as I live alone and don’t have anyone else’s opinion to consider.) And I have not, for one moment, regretted my decision.
I’ even doing my current dollhouse project – Summer’s End Beach House – in a pink theme – though much softer and subtler than Barbie pink.
Back to Barbie…
Here’s a fun video from The Washington Post about color (not just pink) playing such an important role in the Barbie-universe. My friend Amy Wax shares her color expertise in the above video.
Color is a tool for communicating a concept – Amy Wax, International Color Consultant
Here’s an Architectural Digest tour of the set design – which is a fascinating look at what they considered for the sets with style nods from Mid-Century to today. The Production Designer is Sarah Greenwood and Set Decorator is Katie Spencer – both of whom have unimpeachable resumes – notably Pride and Prejudice, Atonement, Anna Karenina, Beauty and the Beast – the list goes on and on – and each has multiple Academy Award and BAFTA nominations and wins.
And here is an architectural view of the classic Barbie Dream homes starting in 1962 to 2021 and how they reflect the style of the periods they were released in. It’s quite a fascinating and surprisingly scholarly view.
Famed mid-Century interior decorator Dorothy Draper was known for her lavish use of pink and other very vibrant colors.
I already have tickets to see Barbie with my bff of over 40 years next week. I’m certain we won’t be the only adult women in the theater.
Plus – there will be wine. Rosé of course.
I’d love to know your thoughts on pink? Too much Barbiecore for you or are you all in? Do you see pink as unrelentingly girlie (even though it’s only been in the last 100 or so years that pink came to be a girl color? )
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(Pin for future reference)
Here’s a fun little Barbie inspired shopping boutique. (Note – this includes affiliate links which pays a small commission on sales made via these links. This goes to help support this blog.
