Why Barbie Trades Chanel For Birkenstock, According to the Movie's Costume Designer

Above: Margot Robbie wears a re-creation of the iconic 1959 doll dressed in a black-and-white striped one-piece swimsuit, red lipstick, white sunglasses, and heels.

POPSUGAR: Were there any references to historical Barbie dolls in the wardrobe throughout the film?
Jacqueline Durran: Yes, loads. It was one of my main intentions in the costuming of the movie to reference as many Mattel historic Barbie costumes as I could. One of the most covered is the Hot Skating Barbie. The thing is, in most instances, I altered them slightly. So I was inspired by them, but I changed them slightly for the actors.

PS: What was the inspiration for the Barbies at the block party?
JD: At the block party, I referenced and copied a lot of different Mattel historic costumes from different eras and epochs, but what I did is I asked the Mattel HQ to send me references of all the Barbie costumes over time that were white and gold. So they sent those to me, and then I chose from that selection different Barbie styles to replicate for the movie.

PS: Did Robbie and Gosling specify any looks that made them feel most like Barbie and Ken?
JD: I think that they were pretty on board with all of them. When they signed up for the movie, they had an idea of what they were going to be doing, and each one came in and I had this long board with reference pictures and descriptions of the costumes. I talked them through it, and I talked to them about the idea of referencing the history of Mattel costumes from 1959 onwards. It was a lot to do, and it was always a discussion.

Robbie and Gosling had many ideas for their characters' looks, with Gosling specifically dreaming up the "Ken"-branded underwear that harks back to Calvin Klein's recognizable logo. Robbie's outfits, while befitting of Stereotypical Barbie, do evolve with her Barbie's story arc as she grows and learns about her individuality.

PS: Were all the looks created by the wardrobe department, or were there any collabs with fashion houses?
JD: The only collabs with actual fashion houses were Margot's costumes from Chanel. Chanel provided five costumes for the movie that Margot wore, including the pink dress with the necklace and bag that is obviously Chanel, along with the ski suits when they're on the snowmobile. Margot is obviously an ambassador for Chanel, and I've had a long relationship working with Chanel for movies. I first worked with them on the movie "Atonement" [2006], and they're really great collaborators. They really work to support cinema, and they love to participate in any way that you need them to. I went to visit the Chanel archive in Paris, and I went through all of the possible looks that we could use for Margot, and I brought back a whole ton of things for a fitting in London, and then we selected from that. One of the things about Barbie is that she's always accessorized, and Chanel makes fantastic accessories. They sent us so many things that we could play with in the movie to accessorize the costumes.

PS: The Birkenstock is the antidote to the Barbie heel throughout the film — how did you decide on that? Was it an obvious call?
JD: I have to say, I can't really take credit for that contrast because it was in the script, so Greta put that in. So that was always going to be, but I think it's perfect.

When Stereotypical Barbie realizes that her feet have turned flat, she struggles to walk in heels on her trip up to Weird Barbie's house. "I'd never wear these shoes if my feet were shaped like this," she says as she climbs up the stairs, where she's presented with an original flat Birkenstock representative of the "real world." As the film progresses, the Birkenstock continues to symbolize the "ugly" antidote to the Barbie-foot heel.

PS: Is there a significance to the color palette in the film — specifically with the addition of yellow, including Robbie's final noteworthy sundress, and the blue that complements the classic Barbie pink?
JD: In that final scene, what I wanted to achieve was for the actors to tell me what their Barbie's character was. So, what would that character wear? Each Barbie had more freedom to think up what the look would be for their Barbie. And for Barbie Margot, at that moment, she's really becoming human, so the idea was that her dress was much softer than her previous looks. It's a bias-cut dress, which means that it drapes, and none of Barbie's previous clothes have ever draped. I asked Mattel what the most popular contemporary dress was that Barbie ever wore, and their biggest seller was a yellow dress. They showed me the Barbie, and I said, "Shall I replicate this in the movie?" And they said they didn't think it would be very recognizable, even though it was the most popular Barbie dress. But that's what set me to the yellow, and I just continued with that idea, even though I changed the dress completely.

PS: Ken wears iconic and humorous pieces, like the "I am Kenough" hoodie in the final scene. Can you talk about the inspiration behind some of them?
JD: The "I am Kenough" hoodie was made in LA by a costume maker specifically for the film. It was a very last-minute request, but I feel like someone should make them and sell them.

Aside from Gosling's "Ken"-branded underwear, there are lots of sportswear pieces with '80s influence that come to define his wardrobe — especially as he enters his masculine phase toward the end of the movie. There are also delightful surprises that contribute to the humor of the film, such as the "I am Kenough" tie-dye hoodie that he flaunts in the final scene.