Margot Robbie and stylist Andrew Mukamal to release ‘Barbie: The World Tour’ book
THE “Barbie” movie might have been largely snubbed during the Hollywood award season but it appears that the pink frenzy that swept the globe since its 2023 release is not yet over.
Margot Robbie, who plays the lead in the film as she was cast as “Stereotypical Barbie”, as well as her stylist Andrew Mukamal, have teamed up with acclaimed fashion designers to release “Barbie: The World Tour.”
The book is set to be released next month and will include "all the glamour and high style of the most popular doll in the world," a press statement read.
Some of the content that is set to be featured includes the US actress’s looks from the “Barbie” movie press tour, in which she fully embraced the “Barbiecore” style trend.
This includes an abundance of pink attire as well as replicas of the iconic doll’s real-life outfits.
Apart from the highly-awaited release of the movie, its press tour went viral across the globe, with Robbie flaunting her doll-inspired looks, many of which were curated vintage pieces, or designed by the likes of Giorgio Armani and Donatella Versace.
“Essential for Barbie fans new and old, this vibrant collection from the press tour of the Barbie movie also comes with an exploration of various Barbie dolls over the decades,” notes from bookseller Barnes & Noble read.
“With pictures, sketches and so much more, this is fashion, nostalgia and pop culture all in one.”
Some of Robbie’s most renowned Barbie inspired red carpet looks for the movie’s press tour was the black-and-white striped Hervé Legér bandage dress with white cat-eye sunglasses she wore for the film’s premiere in Sydney, Australia.
This was a spitting image of the original 1959 Barbie, with Robbie also rocking a pink polka dot Valentino mini dress in Los Angeles in the US, which was inspired by a 2015 “Pink & Fabulous” Barbie.
And while Robbie and Mukamal had a chance to play Barbie dress up in real-life, many of the looks they planned were not seen as the official movie press tour was cut short.
This means that this book will feature never-before-seen Barbie looks.
In order to include this in the book, the pair worked with renowned fashion photographer Craig McDean to shoot the actress in the outfits, exactly as they were curated.
This saw Robbie wearing Schiaparelli in Los Angeles, Vivienne Westwood in London, as well as vintage Chanel with matching Streamline luggage at the airport.
In addition, accompanying McDean's photography are original Barbie dolls from the period, which Barnes & Noble described as “the a treasure trove of rare materials from Mattel's Barbie fashion archives, and the designers' sketches and Polaroids from fittings, layered into evocative collage by art director Fabien Baron.”
They added that “Barbie: The World Tour” will also feature text by Robbie and Mukamal, as well as handwritten contributions from the designers behind the looks, including notes from Wes Gordon, Michelle Ochs, Manolo Blahnik and Jeremy Scott.
“This unique book blends the serious chic of high fashion with the serious fun of Barbie world—the dolls, the history, and the style that have captured imaginations for 65 years,” Barnes & Noble said.
The book, which is also being released in collaboration with Mattel which manufactures the Barbie dolls, as well as publishing company Rizzoli, is set to hit bookshelves worldwide from March 19.
It is still unclear when it will be available in South Africa.
Mukamal appears to be thrilled about “Barbie: The World Tour’s” release, and took to Instagram this week to post that “This book was an idea I had in my living room when I started dreaming about Margot’s wardrobe for the ‘Barbie’ press tour in March 2023.”
He added in the caption of the social media post which revealed the book cover — which features a Barbie-fied Robbie clad in a pink Chanel suit that: “I could have never imagined just a few months later we’d be in the studio shooting this project with the team of our dreams. … This book is a labor of love, dedicated to all the Barbie lovers and fashion fans around the world.”
The book’s release is set to expand the explosive Barbie marketing machine, which featured in mainstream fashion, beauty, food, decor, cars, to name a few.
The “Barbie” movie, which was directed by Greta Gerwig and starred Ryan Gosling as Ken, went on to rake billions of dollars at the box office.
The movie sees Barbie and Ken leaving the idyllic “Barbie Land” for the “real world”, where they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.
The “Barbie” movie also features Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Dua Lipa, Ritu Arya, Michael Cera and Emerald Fennell as Mattel dolls in the flesh.
In addition, America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt and Will Ferrell were cast as humans, with Helen Mirren serving as narrator.