It was almost inescapable for kids and adults from the ’90s to ignore pop group Aqua’s song, “Barbie Girl”. And the aesthetic is now back thanks to Valentino’s Fall Winter 2022 presentation in Barbie Pink, which was lapped up by stars on the biggest red carpets of the year so far—giving this trend a celeb-approval to rule this year. Balenciaga and Versace are a few of the other big names to use pinks in their collections. Men aren’t far behind; Valentino’s latest campaign features F1 driver Lewis Hamilton in pink too.
It’s not just bright pink—all kinds of pinks mashed in together, with a pop of colours such as orange, yellow, or blue with cutesy accessories is what really makes the look.
“Barbiecore is a fun and bold trend that is inspired by the aesthetics of the popular Barbie doll. The iconic shade of pink represents Barbiecore. The colour comes in all forms this season, and can include literally anything in the shade of fuchsia, magenta pink, or Barbie pink,” say stylists Nidhi Agarwal and Shraddha Lakhani of Two Fold. One of the most popular pieces are the pantaboots—popularized by Balenciaga and reality TV star Kim Kardashian, whose Insta post in pink look had many likes. “Kim’s cropped jacket and pantaboots is a great look without it being OTT. Even smaller, more everyday things such as a handbag or sunglasses in pink can also help you get this look. With clothes, you can go as bold as a co-ord set in pink or as basic as a crop top or a T-Shirt if you only want to inject the colour in your style,” suggests Agarwal.
She says there really are no rules to this trend, except the colour. It just depends on how comfortable you are carrying the colour pink. You can even wear combat boots with pink pants or a dress for a Punk Barbie look, or wear a pink blazer to work, with Reese Witherspoon from the Legally Blonde series being your workwear inspiration. “One of my favourite Barbiecore screen looks is Poo from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. There are so many more—all the girls from Mean Girls, Sharpay Evans from High School Musical, Daphne from Scooby Doo, Eve Doll from Life Size, and Rebecca Bloomwood from Confessions of a Shopaholic,” says Lakhani.
For current inspiration, the stylists pick Jacquemus’ soli colour looks, with Kendall Jenner’s all-pink look from 2021 being a favourite. Indian designers too have taken a liking to this luscious colour, with labels such as Ekaya Banaras and Atsu Sekhose making looks in this colour. “I feel a bright purple also works to embrace this trend,” says Agarwal.
Whether you decide to go all pink or add a contrasting colour, there are many ways to embrace this trend, say the stylists. You can choose from formal and casual co-ord sets such as a pantsuit, or even wear shorts and a jacket for a semi-formal look, for a brunch outing, let’s say. A crop top with a skirt in Barbie pink (actor Megan Fox has worn this look several times now), where you can experiment with different kinds of skirts or even wear a tube with a long skirt, works for this look. “For an easy look, you can wear trousers with a shirt or even denim in the shade of pink. There are a lot of shoes available in pink right now that you can pair with a more neutral outfit to add colour. The idea is to basically have fun with this trend since the colour itself is so vibrant,” says Agarwal.
Don’t forget your makeup! You can either go for powder blue on the eyes with clamped lower lashes for a classic Barbie look or even do bright pink eyes with a solid coloured dress to channel Barbiecore via makeup. A flowing, high, half-up half-down ponytail is perfect for this trend.Since it’s such a bright colour, one thing to remember is to use suitable fabric. The stylists warn that the outfit can look shabby if the fabric isn’t right.