Have you noticed how revealing Barbie clothes are these days? (I was gonna say "hoochy" instead of revealing, then thought better of it. Then thought again, obviously.) I mean look at this, really.
I'm no prude, folks. I'm actually reeeeeally liberal. I don't mind having a little cleavage out there myself from time to time! But it escapes me that our little girls' dolls have to dress like Paris Hilton. And Bratz dolls blow my mind. (I also have a whole feminist love/hate relationship with Disney Princesses. That's another post for another day.)
So Barbie got a makeover. A yellow dress, sortof modeled after the Popover dress from Oliver and S. Made with a scrap of fabric from the Oliver and S City Weekend knit fabric (purchased from Whipstitch Fabrics). (Which is soft like buttah! BUTTAH!) Dear husband says she looks very "Mad Men" in it. Not sure if being Draper's new secretary is really a great look to go for either.
I took the dress off DraperSecretary Barbie and tried it on our BeyonceBarbie. I like the yellow on her, and her boots go better! (Scuse all those fingerprints on the fireplace, yikes!)
I think this is a good time to share how I feel about having multicultural toys. I believe that bigotry and racism are learned behaviors. And unfortunately, out there in the big bad world, Delilah will be exposed to messages of ignorant hatred. So I figure it's my job to make sure she gets another message. My toddler isn't ready for a talk about tolerance (!), but I do believe that who and what I expose her to lays a foundation for the adult she will be one day. So it starts now, with the friends and toys she plays with.
The yellow City Weekend knit is just so lovely and soft. I had cut it to make Delilah a nice soft hoody, and the scraps were perfect for an easy little Barbie dress. And after working with it on such a small scale, I am excited to work with it on a garment. Mmmmm.
I took pictures of the dress construction, so I'll try to get up a tute soon.
Thanks for stopping by!
Janimal
Agree with everything you said completely!!! We don't actually do Barbie at our house due to my issues with Barbie, but my oldest now in kindergarten has become aware of Barbie recently. I've heard more than one, "Why don't I have a Barbie?" "I REALLY NEED a Barbie!" Ugh! So it begins. ;) IF we ever end up acquiring a Barbie, I will have to do a few dresses like this.
ReplyDeleteI love it! What a cute little Barbie dress, and looks cool on Beyonce too!
ReplyDeleteI collect dolls myself, and really know what you mean by skimpy outfits for them. I make doll clothes too! That dress is so nice, I would love to wear one myself!
Your point is so well put, that having a range of dolls of lots of colours is a great thing for kids. :D
Oh, it is adorable, and Mad Men is very en vogue right now! We've been fortunate to avoid the Barbie phase....... for now. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more! It seems that sex has been injected into every aspect of our lives. Little girls don't need to be dressing their dolls 'sexy', they are forced by society to grow up too fast as it is. I also agree with providing dolls of different races. The barbie dress is adorable, and I'd love to see the hoodie when it's finished. I'm your newest follower. I hope you visit me too.
ReplyDeleteI second that! Waaaaay too much hooch goin' on with kids' toys these days. I'm lucky that my daughter hasn't discovered Barbies yet, but when she does I'm sure I'll follow your lead to make her some more appropriate clothes!
ReplyDeleteMuch better! I agree-the outfits are a tad outrageous these days for Barbie. How designs those outfits--men? :)-
ReplyDeleteHi there! I am your newest follower!! I found you on the weekend link up! I love finding new blog and yours is lovely:) You can find me at www.bouffeebambini.blogspot.com
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