Last week, there was only one word on everyone’s lips. No points for guessing — Barbie.
Margot Robbie, the lead actress in the Greta Gerwig-directed revival, stepped onto the Leicester Square red carpet on Wednesday night alongside her Ken, Ryan Gosling. Thousands queued around central London, many cosplaying Barbie in one of her many eras, to get a glimpse of the action. Dua Lipa dazzled in metallic Versace, Sam Smith hit headlines by defying the pink wash synonymous with the (seriously enduring) barbiecore trend, before guests headed to splashy Barbie afterparties at the Tate Modern and, later, Chiltern Firehouse.
It was full on Barbiemania — but over, it is not. The film is still yet to be released (it comes to UK cinemas on July 21) and London continues to be stamped with a touch of Barbie magic.
Next to succumb to the spell is Selfridges, who have decked out their corner shop, windows, toy shop and, naturally, cinema with all things destination doll. The main event is the display of actual film costumes - including a disco sequin jumpsuit worn by Robbie, and Gosling’s white and gold jumpsuit - which you can see from Oxford Street.
Inside, highlights include a ‘Barbie Dream Wardrobe Rental’ - ideal for the Barbie themed parties which have ruled Summer 2023 and show no signs of waning - which has been hand picked by stylist Theo White and inspired by Barbie’s extensive archive. “The ultimate styling job,” White says. “Mining the treasure trove of Barbie’s fashion doll archive to curate an edit of modern and vintage pieces so that fans can pay homage to icon Barbie careers and eras, from power dressing CEO looks to dreamy ’70s California pieces.”
Also involved is Lisa Eldridge, MUA and the woman behind Dua Lipa’s Barbie music video makeup look, who has created looks attendees can have applied in the ground floor pop-up, before Intagrammers are encoruged to hop into the pink, convertible car for a photo opp.
What’s left to do? “Rollerblade down to our cinema to watch the film,” reads one poster. Well, it sounds a lot chicer than Cineworld.
