Plastic & Fantastic Barbie Doll - by Indian Fashion Designers

By Gaurav Kapoor

Indian Fashion for the Indian Barbie ,All Dolled up "Katrina for Nishka Lulla" to “Radha” with Anarkali Ensemble & a Raani Haar by Parvesh & Jai duo"

 

After Barbie being Dolled'up at Lakme Fashion Week A/W 2009 (Celebrating her 50th Anniversary) where we saw Katrina Kaif dressed up as a Barbie (winning dress by Nishka Lulla). Barbie walked the ramp in stupendous creations designed especially for her by the top designers of India. Indian designers participated in a contest for Barbie dress, with the winning designs exhibited at the Lakme Fashion Week March 27 to 31 2009. Barbie, the iconic doll, which has contributed to young girls pass countless hours in the world to believe that real life mirrored charm, was 50 on March 23 2009.
 
An esteemed panel of judges selecting the best couture creation of Barbie were Farookh Chothia - Photographer, Rita Dhody Fashion Influencer/image consultant, Kamal Sidhu Fashion Influencer/ Ex - Model , Lubna Adams Show Director, Clint Fernandes Make-up artist, Priya Tanna Fashion Editor,Piyush Pandey - Group President & Creative Director, O & M India.
 
Barbie contest attracted 75 dress entries from top designers in the country from which the 20 short listed creations were showcased on the ramp. Top Models like Indrani Dasgupta, Anastacia Durata, Montu Tomar and Diana Penty featured on the show. They wore shimmering short and frilly dresses in bright colours like pink, yellow and blue and sparkling gowns. Dazzling earring, necklaces, hats and bags also made an appearance on the ramp.
 
Starting with the Barbie song for the “Plastic and Fantastic Barbie”,SHINING Star by Get Far opened the show. Barbie Girl by Aqua and Hot Stuff by the Pussycat Dolls the accompanying audio visual,The Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Mumbai during LFW had the extra long ramp dressed in hundreds of metres of the characteristic Barbie pink silk with the famed Barbie logo all around.
 
Designer Vikram Phadnis’s creation opened the show with a white tulle layered gown with a crystal bodice, followed by Wendell Rodricks who showed a gown with a silver bodysuit that could move effortlessly from Red Carpet to Disco. More dazzling gowns floated down the ramp by designers Vivek Kumar, Neeta Lulla, Atit Bhatt, Anand Bhushan, Tanvi Kedia, Abdul Haldar, Ruchi Mehta, Niak, Jyoti Sharma (a stunning shell pleated will- power shaded mini) Sonam Mehta, Prashant/Sudha and Shantanu & Nikhil. The Shirt Company that markets the Barbie Clothing Line in India had tiny tot, Chanel Robinson in a lovely red net gown. Finally the beauteous Katrina Kaif radiantly glided down the ramp in Nishka Lulla’s award winning red shaded tiered mini with a brocade bodice clasped with a giant gold bow at the back. Marc and Waluscha Robinson's blonde and blue-eyed daughter Coco Chanel dazzled on the ramp as the surprise package of the show. The audience hooted and clapped when the doll-like beauty walked in "I am A Barbie Girl" played in the background. She also made an appearance at the end of the show with her beautiful mother.
 
Rita Dhody, Manish Malhotra. Wendell Rodericks, Madhu Sapre, Queenie and Vikram Chatwal were the celebrity guests on the show. Marc Robinson was the show director with make up, styling and hair by Vipul Bhagat and Gautam. Jewellery was by Tarina Tarantino. Guests got a pretty pink Barbie bag as a momento.
 
To mark the still ongoing Barbie Celebration, Our Indian Designers & Fashion has been participating & engaging themselves in Fashioning up the Barbie Doll.Barbie Doll has been being dressed up by International as well as Indian Designers from all over the Continents.

Parevsh & Jai who recently won there ensemble for the Barbie Doll being selected to be displayed at the for the long ongoing Barbie Doll Celebration thingi say; Being an Indian it strikes our brain as  we think of
“who could be an idol from our history which can be as innocent as Barbie” and the answer comes silently that it cannot be anyone else but “Radha”.
 
She happens to be the gorgeous, pure and innocent face from our ancient mythology. She had the breathing beauty with extraordinary sense of dressing. There inspiration come from" A shocking pink velvet with gold
foil printing on it and a gota draped edgings makes it a perfect look from ancient “Barsana”. Garment with a traditional anarkali cut with gold piping everywhere. Sleeves made of shell tucked translucent net. Neck
of the garment from back & front-jeweled with beautiful crystals, it appears as if the Barbie is wearing an extraordinary “Rani haar”.
 
The look of Barbie sums up in a royal Indian princess look with lots of innocence.
 
There dress being selected for the Special Barbie Display (SBD) from Dec 09-Feb 2010, ast Indian Children's Museum,Indianapolis.4 India Designer's witnessed this Exhibition ; Parvesh & Jai, Vikram Phadnis, Nishka Lulla & Ruchi Mehta, amongst the 50 Designers across the World.
Gaurav Kapoor is the Editor/Publisher & Publicist EDM Magazine, TFW - The Fashion WeekEND - Publicist & PR Studio Varuag, New Delhi