The Barbie movie premiere was a global phenomenon, and Nigeria was no exception. The marketing team went all out, creating a Barbie craze that reignited the love for the iconic doll. From massive Barbie doll displays to capsule collections, the premiere launched a new era for Barbie.
The Barbie-crazed weeks we all had globally were a sight to behold. Some of us probably even reset our Instagram settings which was a vain attempt because they kept popping from all over. From the massive Barbie doll positioned next to the iconic Burj Khalifa, to your games on Candy Crush. The Pink display colour on google when you type in Barbie, to Zara dropping a Barbie capsule collection. It was a craze that got any and everyone talking.
With premieres over, marketing has moved to fashion brands incorporating the big idea of selling Barbie as a brand/ Mattel entity and not just a movie. Now, the big question is, “What do you gain from all of these?” This dear reader, is where I help you make this quite relatable.
Here are six important fashion lessons you can adopt from the Barbie premiere in Nigeria:
LA barbie premiere outfits review | styled by pippa
1. Less Is More
At the movie premiere of Barbie, we saw a lot of interesting looks which would have looked really good on another red carpet, but were flawed at this. There are lot of causal and elegant Barbie looks we see them wear every day. Just make it red carpet worthy and stylish. But no.” Barbie is simple, chic and stylish. On days she even dressed elegantly, less was still more. Often times, we want to glam to the hilt and dress to the nines without realizing that we don’t necessarily need to do that.
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And so, in that moment of doing more, we go overboard and end up flawing the look. I know you’re still saying this doesn’t affect you, but hey Barbie, do you remember one time you were going out and instead of going with very minimal accessories because your outfit was doing too much already (busy), you went with the whole jewellery that would have put an Iya mi L’eko (Women from Lagos who adorn themselves with chunky and bold jewellery) to shame? Yes, that’s part of what I mean. Ken don’t think you can wiggle your way out of this. I’m sure you remember when you gave your fabric to a tailor and instead of going for a clean and simple look, you wanted some embroideries and artwork done on it because you wanted to look elegant.
2. Personal Style
Barbie and Ken’s style were simple, chic and stylish. And so even when they wore outfits with styles different from their personal style, they tried to still infuse their simplicity into it. After all, the mission is to have people with different personal styles find a midpoint as Barbies and Kens. Personal style is very fundamental when it comes to being stylish. You can be fashionable and not stylish.
And so, it’s quite important for you to identify your personal style. It’s okay to explore and experiment before arriving at it, but you sometimes just know from your activities and priced clothing. Personal style creates a ripple effect.
3. Respecting Themes
Barbie and Ken had to attend different events. Barbie didn’t wear a cowgirl outfit when she was supposed to respect the White Tie theme by wearing an elegant dinner dress. When you’re invited to an event that is themed, courtesy demands you dress in line with the theme you were told. It just shows you respect the host.
When you don’t know what the theme is about, do your research. What does it mean? What outfits can be worn? Accessories? Is there a story behind this? If you can’t go through that stress, get a fashion stylist to work out the details and style you.
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4. More is More
While less is more, sometimes, more is more. You’ve just got to pull all the stops. And this, Barbie did well. She knew when to be subtle and when to do more. This is something you should also adopt. There are times you just need to do a whole more for you to pull off that look.
While you’re doing this, you’re checking that there’s a focal point. When you’re doing more, there’s a focal point - The outfit? The hair? The headgear? The make up? To mention a few. It could even be the details on your outfit and not the whole outfit. A humongous bow? The train? Just ensure you stick to something that works for your body shape while at it.
5. Accessorising like Barbie
Barbie was a stylish girl through and through. Bandannas and scarves. Mini bags and hand bags. Shawls and pearls. These and more are things Barbie understands and knows. The why, when, where and how to use these accessories. Barbie understands a pearl necklace will take her look from 10 to 100. She understands that a cowboy hat on a simple two piece will give her a Texas/cowboy look. She knows adding a fur shawl to her evening dress would dress up her look.
Accessories are like weapons. To be successfully stylish, you need to understand how to properly wield these weapons. An accessory can dress up or dress down a look. Accessories have the power to change an outfit from Look 1 to Look 2. For instance, wearing sneakers on your shirt and pants will give it an informal/dressed down look compared to when you swap your sneakers for an oxford shoe.
Learn to accessorise, and when you do, accessorise the right way. Something as little as earrings can make or mar a look.
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6. Picture Background
Barbie and Ken always got the right background to take their images. Which in turn made their pictures looks good. For a great image, good photography, right background and lighting play huge roles. Barbie and Ken’s looks never wrestle with their picture backgrounds for spotlight. There’s always a sync with the looks and backgrounds.
When taking pictures, professional shoot or personal pictures, your background is quite important. If bad, can either overshadow your look or create a clash between your outfit and background. Therefore, you should always be extra conscious of your background, ensuring there’s a sync between your background and your look.
With that we’ve come to the end of today’s post. I hope you truly adopt these tips and go on to be as chic and effortlessly stylish as Barbie and Ken.
