September 19, 2022 |
Ah, the joys of being a Halpern girl in a Barbie world. This year marks the 60th anniversary of Barbie’s Dreamhouse, and with Greta Gerwig’s live-action tribute to the Mattel icon set to hit the silver screen next year, now couldn’t be a more appropriate time to pay tribute to the global icon that has introduced the art of dressing up to millions of kids globally.
Michael Halpern’s own Barbie dolls sauntered through the Royal Exchange in a slew of lavish evening gowns and glistening pant suits informed by the wardrobe of the designer’s own mother, Cheryl. Penned as a “banker by day, disco girl by night,” in a post-show release, Cheryl refused to disembark from her glamorous eveningwear when the family moved to Upstate New York in the late ‘80s, where she would host lavish dinner parties to dress up in her finest leopard print.
Halpern took his mother’s print of choice and fashioned it in velvet, dressing up a variety of frock silhouettes beloved by his loyal troupe of buyers. He also used velvet to elegantly drape an azure-hued, celestial constellation gown around a model with the ease of a dressing gown and wrapped swaths of candy-coloured fabric together which burst into a garden of rainbow ruffles on one standout look – all anchored by OTT hoop earrings.
The collection was bookended by eight outfits officially created with Barbie, including a lavish inky-black caftan, sequin column dresses and a name-plated logo bag. A girl’s dream wardrobe suddenly becomes reality.
Photography courtesy of Halpern.
