“Having dressed through the decades as a fashion model, best friend and bride, Barbie is now an object of pop art.” –The New York Times
Following the sensation of the limited edition (Ultimate Collection) created for the 50th anniversary of Barbie, Assouline is now offering the book to a wider public. Chronicling the history and life in fashion of this cultural icon, vibrant photographs imagine her as a woman of mystery, glamour, and fun. Barbie presents this totemic figure as never before seen—in portraits of vintage figures and accessories and in vivid dioramas of the doll at work and play. The book is written by Yona Zeldis McDonough, author of the Barbie Chronicles.
Big-eyed, blonde, and beautiful, Barbie took over the world in 1959 with little more than a white and black striped bathing suit and a pair of high heels. Barbie was created by Ruth Handler, one of the founders of Mattel, and named after her daughter. Today, Mattel sells three Barbies a second, and children in more than one hundred and fifty countries know her name.
The book illustrates many collaborations with designers such as Chanel, Christian Dior, Diane von Furstenberg, Prada, and Versace. A muse for children and adults, designers and artists, writers and cultural critics, Barbie remains a powerfully evocative and enigmatic reflection of our dreams, our hopes, and ourselves.
