Barbiecore meet Kenergy

Barbiecore everywhere

Pink painted the runways this year, serving complete Barbiecore at shows such as Versace and Valentino, making Barbie Pink the color of the season. With the highly anticipated film coming out in mid July, it feels like Barbie is making a bigger breakthrough in fashion more than ever this year, with so many runways showcasing various pink looks in a playful manner. Barbie was most definitely Versace’s biggest muse with their SS23 show consisting of an array of Barbie Pink looks. Paris Hilton closed the show wearing a sparkling Barbie Pink cowl neck dress accessorized with a fuschia tulle veil that served ultimate bridal Barbiecore.

The Barbie themes continued at Versace’s Pre-Fall show, proving that we'll be having a Barbie summer. The Vacanza collection, co-designed by Donatella Versace and Dua Lipa, Miss Mermaid Barbie herself, showed a strong Barbie influence with voluminous 60's style perm hair, monochromatic pastel looks and vintage polka dot patterns. The collection still had a modern flair to it which gave it a Barbie re-invented feel with several pieces containing belt buckle fastened cutouts, tight silhouettes, low rise pants and crop tops juxtaposed with oversized elements such as shoulder pads and platform sandals. Barbiecore was definitely a theme for the women's collections but also made its way into menswear with coordinated pink looks. This trend has been making its way onto the fashion map ever since the movie started filming, but now that the release is quickly approaching we’re also seeing Barbie’s influence on the male runway… or should we say Ken’s?  

He's just Ken

He might be just Ken, but his style is everything. We don’t know much about Ken but if there’s one thing we do know about him from the trailer is that he’s confident: not shy to invite himself over and is always wearing a smile, even in his mugshot. Ryan Gosling, who plays Ken, says that Ken doesn’t just have a presence, he has a kind of energy which he calls  “Kenergy” which is definitely represented in the characters' outfits. Ken’s various looks are campy, paying tribute to his character as nothing is too bold for Barbie’s male counterpart. Complementing Barbie perfectly, he can almost be seen as Barbie’s #1 accessory, wearing all shades of pink, cowboy inspired looks, fur and even layered sunglasses. Ken’s goofy confidence is contagious and it’s inspiring men to have more fun when it comes to fashion.  

Kenergy on the Runway  

Of course costume designers for the film took an ode to Barbie and Ken’s history, embracing the 1960s fashion. The trailers showed various Kens wearing vintage styled collared button downs which were a huge hit for menswear collections this year. Kenzo showcased several campy and vintage style looks for their mens collection, which gave it such a ken-like vibe. Although the collection was missing out on a lot of pink, it was reminiscent of the original Ken dolls from the 60s. 

However, as time evolved, so has Kens' style, the mens runways of this year reflected that. As Mattel began producing more Kens, his looks varied. Instead of leaning towards more classic mens looks, Barbie’s male counterpart was dipping his toes into the fashion pool, experimenting with bold colors and styles deemed metrosexual or stereotypically feminine. Almost every male character in the movie is named Ken, but the main Ken played by Gosling has a style that is reminiscent of the later, more fashion savvy Kens. Gossling revealed that it was his head-to-toe pink outfits that made him embrace Kenergy. These Kenergy inspired looks were seen at the Versace pre-fall runway but also at Soulland with a Barbie Pink suit and pink paisley sweater vest set.  

If there’s anything that Barbiecore and Kenergy are teaching us this summer, is that there’s power in pink giving both men and women a boost of confidence to be whoever they want to be.