Barbie premiere: 7 of the best looks on the pink carpet, from Dua Lipa to Trixie Mattel
The dolls served looks at the Barbie premiere in LA. (Getty/PinkNews)
The dolls looked pink, plastic and very, very fantastic at the global Barbie premiere in LA yesterday (9 July). From Margot Robbie to Dua Lipa, these are the best-dressed of the night.
In just a matter of days, cinema goers across the globe will be boarding their first-class flights direct to Barbieland, as Greta Gerwig’s cotton-candy fever dream film finally lands on 21 July.
It’s evidently had the most monstrous of marketing budgets, with new Barbie dolls stocked on shop shelves and a star-studded accompanying soundtrack playing on streaming services, led by Dua Lipa, Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice. Megafans can even book an Airbnb stay in Barbie’s real-life Malibu DreamHouse, based in the Californian city.
However, perhaps unsurprisingly, fashion has been one of the key components of the film’s gargantuan build up.
From fan-made “Barbenheimer” t-shirts to the endless Barbie doll references Robbie has made with her press tour wardrobe, fashion is at the centre of Barbie’s world.
With that in mind, for the global premiere, you’d expect all the stars to show up and show out – and they absolutely did.
Here are just seven of the very best dressed at the official, global Barbie premiere.
Margot Robbie
As the film’s leading lady, Margot Robbie is Barbie in Chief. She’s the president of the United States of Barbieland, and the minister of state for serving. There was no way she was going to show up at the Barbie premiere without turning every head on that pink carpet.
Fans were perhaps most excited to see what look she would pull out of the bag, considering she recreated some of the doll’s most iconic fashion moments during the Barbie press tour.
Stepping out for the world’s cameras, Robbie decided to add an element of surprise this time around. While most of the stars around her rocked the pretty in pink look, Robbie decided to go down another route, by referencing Mattel’s classic ‘60s “Solo In The Spotlight” Barbie.
Robbie glittered head-to-toe in a black Schiaparelli gown with a ruffled net hem, complete with a diamond choker and light pink, chiffon pocket scarf. A potential top toot already.
Hari Nef
Another one to move away from the all-too-expected pink princess fantasy, Hari Nef also opted for a sparkling black gown.
While the trans trailblazer and The Idol star plays Doctor Barbie in the film, she told reporters on the pink carpet that she’d opted for “cinched Barbie” for the premiere, and honestly, it’s working overtime for her.
Issa Rae
Last week, The Hate U Give star Issa Rae made a confession: she “hates” the colour pink. “I’ve never thought that I looked good in pink,” she told The Guardian, admitting that she’s struggled with the Barbie press tour, but has been “taking one for the team”.
They say that the best way to overcome your fears, though, is by confronting them head on. And perhaps that’s exactly what she’s achieved during the film’s promo so far. Her Rhodophobia (fear of the colour pink, FYI) is over. She’s in control now.
At least that’s what her premiere look would have you believe. Rae, who plays President Barbie, was one of just a handful of the cast’s lead characters to fully embrace the hot pink fantasy, as she got dolled up in a custom Marc Bouwer keyhole gown, with a collar bone bow to match.
Sorry Issa Rae, but you are so very, very wrong. Pink is absolutely your colour.
Trixie Mattel
When the full Barbie cast list was announced last year, fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race let out a collective gasp when they realised that All Stars 3 winner Trixie Mattel wasn’t involved.
With her entire drag person – from her surname, to her music, to her looks – being so heavily Barbie-inspired, fans were certain that she’d be booked for a little Barbie cameo, if nothing else.
No such luck, it seems. But we do at the very least get to see her attending the Barbie premiere, looking like a gorgeous cross between a peony, a loofah and the OG Barbie doll herself.
Fingers crossed that after seeing Ms. Mattel in the flesh, Greta Gerwig instantly orders a film reshoot – with Trixie in the lead.
Dua Lipa
Dua Lipa, aka Mermaid Barbie, looked like she’d spent the evening at Studio 54 listening to her own Barbie soundtrack single “Dance The Night”, and then stepped straight out onto the pink carpet.
In a custom, metallic sheer gown, her look was a simple one, but it was certainly a chic choice.
Director Greta Gerwig once said that the film’s plot is inspired by disco music, and it seems that Dua Lipa took the reference and ran with it.
Alexandra Shipp
This Barbie is usually a writer, but tonight, she’s off the clock. Author Barbie Alexandra Shipp has put the pen and paper down, logged out of her computer, and slipped into her very best dress.
“I wanted to be ball gown Barbie,” Shipp said of her red carpet look. “I wanted to be dripping in jewels, I wanted to feel special. That’s all I wanted.”
A silky black and white, floor-length dress isn’t what springs instantly to mind when you think Barbie, but the Love, Simon star is making it work. Plus, the Barbie wardrobe is all about adding a dash of camp – and that iridescent chandelier fringe is playing the part.
Billie Eilish
If the hints are to be believed, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is all about subverting what it means to be one of the dolls. Out with the bimbo narrative, the one-inch waists and the hyper-femininity, and in with the real-world.
It seems singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, who was recently announced as one of the surprise artists on the film’s soundtrack, is all for the plot line. Arriving on the pink carpet in chunky trainers, black slacks, a pin-striped shirt and a rosy tie – with jet black hair, to boot – Eilish was keen to shake up the girls-in-gowns trend and prove that you don’t need to be a blonde in beachwear to be Barbie’s BFF.
Greta Gerwig
The creator. The reason this is all happening. Mother of the Barbie Malibu DreamHaus. Greta Gerwig knew that if she were to turn up at the Barbie premiere, she’d have to turn out, too, and let everyone know exactly who was calling the shots behind the scenes of 2023’s most eagerly anticipated film.
She understood the assignment, because she set it. Decked out in a hot – no, scorching – pink blouse and identical, floor-length skirt, complete with an off-the-shoulder blazer and matching Valentino bag, Gerwig looked something like a firm but fair headteacher, arriving on the playground to get the children in order.
Greta Gerwig is the HBIC of what will likely soon become a record-smashing, Oscar-winning movie, and in this look, she absolutely knows it.
Barbie is out in cinemas on 21 July.
