Doll Dressing:Fashion from Barbie to Bratz and Beyond

The influence of dolls on fashion—and fashion on dolls—from Barbie to Bratz and beyond.

The first models of many aspiring creatives, dolls have inspired fashion designers from Marc Jacobs to Anna Sui and Jeremy Scott. Barbie and other dolls in wardrobes have been designed by contemporary legends such as Margiela, Byron Lars, Jason Wu, and Viktor & Rolf. While dolls and fashion have long been intertwined, the 2023 release of the film Barbie created a shockwave through popular culture on the way to grossing $1.45 billion globally. This book goes beyond just the popularity of dolls to explore “dollification”—achieved through clothing, accessories, hair, makeup, and even movement and gesture—to challenge stereotypes of beauty, gender, age, and race.
Long before Barbie changed how we play, dolls and fashion shared a history. In sixteenth-century Europe, dolls were exchanged and collected by royals, a way to show off the latest styles of one court to another.

Long before magazines, dolls spread fashion trends to dressmakers in France and Italy. In the nineteenth century, dolls became popular toys for girls. Fashion dolls have been studied for their role in promoting or reflecting historical fashion, particularly because doll clothing often survives longer than full-size clothes.

With brilliant new photography, neon pink pages, and a special clear hardcover case, this book is a jewel-box addition to any doll-lovers’ shelf. | Colleen Hill is senior curator of costume at The Museum at FIT. Valerie Steele is the director of the museum; Elizabeth Way and Patricia Mears are curators at FIT. Christophe Koné and Frank New are academics and writers. Lynn Yaeger is contributing fashion editor to Vogue and Vogue.com.