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Karen Feder. 2023. Barbie Takes the Catwalk: A Style Icon's History in Fashion. Weldon Owen: 224 pp., hardcover $60.
While adult-oriented Barbie books are plentiful, many are designed for collectors; they tell the history of Barbie, rather than putting Barbie in her historical context. Barbie Takes the Catwalk-inspired by the author's touring exhibition "Barbie: A Cultural Icon"-reconsiders Barbie's fashion legacy.
When Barbie went on sale in 1959, it was a strategic decision to make her a "Teen-age Fashion Model"; her extensive wardrobe earned Mattel more money than the doll itself. Barbie's creators were paid to attend runway shows and study fashion magazines. Over the years, Barbie's wardrobe has drawn on French couture, celebrities and street style, while studiously avoiding any hint of punk, avant-garde or deconstructionism. Dollmakers often made resourceful substitutions-net for lace, spots for checks-because they could not find textiles that worked at one-sixth scale; Barbie's famously unrealistic figure was designed to...