When dealing with the most iconic fashion doll of all time, the Barbie costumes had a lot to live up to.
But in Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie — one of the most-anticipated summer blockbuster movies of 2023, starring Margot Robbie as the namesake doll, Ryan Gosling as Ken and America Ferrera leading the rest of the Barbie cast — that colorful clothing is as meticulously thought out and well executed as the Barbie Land that surrounds it.
It's not a shock that the costumes were a hugely important part of the production. "Barbie really is interlinked with fashion, because how you play with her is by dressing her," the movie's costume designer Jacqueline Durran — who won an Oscar for her work in another Gerwig movie, 2019's Little Women — told Vogue. "Clothes are her form of expression."
From sweet 1950s-style confections to early '90s rollerblade fits and everything in between, here are the top 10 Barbie costumes from the Barbie movie.
The 10 best Barbie costumes from the Barbie movie
10. Original Barbie
Our first glimpse of Margot Robbie as the famous doll certainly makes an impression, not only on the onscreen characters but also on the audience. In a scene that cleverly parodies Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, Barbie can be seen in her original iteration from 1959: wearing a black-and-white striped one-piece swimsuit with white cat-eye sunglasses, gold hoop earrings, black peep-toe pumps, a classic red lip and a curly blonde ponytail. It's an entrance fit for an icon.
9. Boiler Suit Barbie
Most IRL female politicians wear pantsuits, but not in Barbie Land. In their quest to take down the Kens' patriarchal new government, President Barbie (Issa Rae) and the rest of the Barbie Land residents don Rosie the Riveter-style boilersuits, rendered in the movie's signature rosy hue. With fuchsia sunglasses, headbands and other unabashedly girly accessories, revolution never looked so good.
8. Nautical Barbie
From Physicist Barbie (Emma Mackey) to Lawyer Barbie (Sharon Rooney), every Barbie looked positively beach-ready in their retro-glam get-ups while enjoying an afternoon of sun and sand. Though Stereotypical Barbie (Robbie) was feeling ruffled due to some foot-related malfunctioning (her signature arch had disappeared), her '60s-inspired nautical look was anything but, with a sailor-striped matching set, novelty anchor earrings and ocean-blue sunglasses.
7. Beach Ken
The Barbs aren't the only ones serving looks in the Barbie movie. The Kens — led by Gosling's Stereotypical Ken but also including Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa and Kingsley Ben-Adir — are style icons in their own right, proven by their beachy fits, a parade of patterned short-sleeve shirts and matching pastel shorts. Tensions may be heating up between some of the Kens, but their costumes keep them looking cool regardless.
6. Road Trip Barbie
In Barbie Land, there's magically no traffic slowing down your drive or, seemingly, any wind blowing off your plucky pink beret even when riding in a Corvette convertible. As Barbie and surprise stowaway Ken leave Barbie Land to visit the Real World, she looks as sweet as can be in a puffy-sleeved, Peter Pan-collared dress, coordinating headwear and dainty hair bows. As for Ken? He brought his own go-to accessory: his rollerblades. (Helpful.)
5. Gingham Barbie
Early on in the movie, we get to see what a quintessential day looks like for our dollish gal. Cutting a sweet vintage silhouette in a flared pink-gingham sundress with a matching belt and hairbow, daisy-shaped earrings and pastel pumps, Barbie looks well-ready to greet the rest of the residents of Barbie Land and start her best day ever.
4. Mojo Dojo Ken
Gosling's Ken was made to serve as Barbie's ultimate accessory, complementing her every move and every ensemble. But after the duo returns from their trip to the Real World, Ken has gone rogue, and his style choices hilariously reflect his rebellion. His "bad boy" look includes a patterned headband, fingerless gloves, a horseshoe necklace, a statement fur coat and not one but two pairs of black cat-eye sunglasses. If you're going to have a world-shaking existential breakdown, might as well look this over-the-top fabulous while doing it.
3. Disco Barbie
Every night in Barbie Land, our leading lady throws a raging dance party with all of her Barbie buddies at her Barbie Dreamhouse — complete with "planned choreography and a bespoke song," naturally — so it's no surprise that she has a closet full of boogie-down garments at the ready. She looks every inch the disco diva in a glamorous sequined jumpsuit with metallic jewelry, golden pumps and a glossy, voluminous hairdo crowned with a sparkly headpiece. Just don't let those existential thoughts about death ruin a good time.
2. Cowgirl Barbie
Barbie is whoever she wants to be, so if she wants to work a cattle ranch wearing bright-pink bedazzled bellbottoms, a matching halter top, metallic cowboy boots, a paisley bandana and a white rhinestoned rodeo hat, she can! She might be a West Coast gal through and through, but she's looking perfectly Western in this giddy-up get-up.
1. Rollerblade Barbie
In their first foray into the Real World, Barbie and Ken certainly stand out from the comparatively muted crowd on the Venice Beach boardwalk. Inspired by 1994's Hot Skatin' Barbie, the iconic pair is decked out in matching sporty fits, including brightly-colored unitards and visors, neon-green in-line skates and protective pads, and, of course, plenty of Spandex. It's Barbie and Ken at their campiest best.
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