Barbie Costume Designer Breaks Down Margot Robbie’s Third-Act Outfit

Barbie has been in theaters for a matter of weeks now, taking the world of the beloved Mattel doll to the big screen. The film, which is currently on track to hit $1 billion at the global box office, is chock-full of elements that have mesmerized fans — including a lot of epic and brightly-colored costumes. In a recent interview with Variety, Barbie costume designer Jacqueline Durran spoke about the yellow dress that Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) wears in the film’s final Barbieland sequence. As Durran put it, the dress is supposed to stand out amid the very pink and idealistic world of Barbieland, and even the construction of the dress itself goes against the way Barbie dresses have been designed across history.

“The Barbies have gone through all of that stuff and they’re now the most fulfilled versions of themselves,” Durran explained. “And that sets the scene for what’s happening to Margot’s Barbie as she’s becoming human.”

“The costume is a bias cut dress which drapes — it’s not Barbie quality,” Durran continued. “…I was keen to track the history of Mattel in the costumes. I asked them what was the most popular costume in the last 5 to 10 years. It turns out it’s a yellow dress. I was going to copy that dress, but it wouldn’t really be recognizable enough… We wanted a soft yellow and wanted it to have less pop. So, we printed that yellow onto white silk, and because of the cut, it clings to the body. That’s not really a Barbie characteristic — the Barbie characteristic is to be cut straight and to create a shape that falls away from the body.”

Durran also spoke about the heart-shaped locket that Barbie wears during the sequence, and what it signifies for Barbie’s journey.

“There’s a source of pathos in a locket that Barbie doesn’t necessarily have,” Durran says. “So, earlier in the film, she has heart accessories that she wears in the block party, and she has huge heart earrings, but there’s something about that locket and scale that makes it more human.”

Will Barbie Get a Sequel?

As director and co-writer Greta Gerwig revealed in a recent interview, she does not currently have an idea in her mind for a Barbie sequel.

“At this moment, it’s all I’ve got,” Gerwig revealed. “I feel like that at the end of every movie, like I’ll never have another idea and everything I’ve ever wanted to do, I did. I wouldn’t want to squash anybody else’s dream but for me, at this moment, I’m at totally zero.”

What Is the Barbie Movie About?

In Barbie, to live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken. From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig comes Barbie, which hit theaters on July 21st. Barbie stars Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell. The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, Jamie Demetriou, Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren. Gerwig directed Barbie from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach, based on Barbie by Mattel. 

What do you think of the new details surrounding the Barbie movie’s costumes? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!