Local Barbies take style to the pink carpet for movie premiere
Published:Friday | July 28, 2023 | 12:08 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
If you know anything about Barbie, one fact remains true: she celebrates glitz and glam in all things pink. In keeping with her mantra, ‘You can be anything’, female patrons turned up in fine style at the local premiere of the movie at Carib 5 on Tuesday night.
Wrapped in a beautiful pink bow, fashion entrepreneur and social media influencer Kristia Franklin was all ready to go cruising around in style in a Barbie 4x4. Known in the virtual world as ‘My Repeat Offender’, this fashionista donned a pink spaghetti strap minidress with a statement bow to the front, pearl heels, a pearl bag and pearl accessories to match, along with pink heart-shaped sunglasses. Barb was out for this pink carpet event to party in pink pop star fashion.
Financial journalist, entrepreneur, and YouTuber Kalilah Reynolds showed she could be a boss even in Barbiecore. For Reynolds, Barbie’s lifestyle is aspirational on so many levels.“She has her dream house, luxury cars, and an endless closet. And she doesn’t seem to be dependent on Ken at all, and we never hear about her parents, so it also doesn’t seem to be generational wealth. It occurred to me that Barbie is a boss! She is living the dream, earning passive income from her investment properties and business ventures. This is an image that aligns with what I teach in ‘Money Mission’,” she told Living.
Dressed as Boss Barbie, she walked the pink runway in a jacket, bodysuit, and ‘skort’ from Express; heels from Nine West, and purse from Aldo, toting the accessory every doll needs: bucks.
The movie, Reynolds declared, exceeded her expectations. “I was pleasantly surprised that it tackled Barbie’s controversial body image head on then ventured into even deeper issues of feminism, capitalism, and the patriarchy. Yet it accomplished this while still being outrageously funny! Few movies can pull that off. I’m also thrilled that the proceeds of the premiere are going to benefit the Jamaica Cancer Society,” she highlighted.
Bold, sexy, and unapologetic, Dianne Brown’s premiere outfit was a mix of pieces already in her closet.
Her gorgeous jacket is part of a skirt set from PrettyLittleThing. The wide-leg light-wash jeans are from Fashion Nova. She copped the silver bag from Shein. The clear heels are a wish come true from the Shoe Fairy. The accessories were sourced from Ginger’s Pieces, and Tanya from Urban Chic slayed in the hair department
“I love repurposing outfits, finding unique ways to put things together, and, man, did this fit come together! I loved it,” she said with a laugh.
BROADTAIL BARBIE
Inspired by the vintage Malibu Barbie, fashion designer Dania Beckford walked the pink carpet as Broadtail Barbie in her original design. “Designing with the curves and bodies of plus-size women in mind, I decided to design a dress for myself that would be flowing, depicting our island vibe with a spin on the twist top swimsuit that one of the vintage Barbies had. The earrings were the hoops of stereotypical Barbie and the Malibu Barbie updo for my hair,” she explained.
Showing up in her personal style was important because she wanted to highlight that style and fashion, no matter the inspiration, can be personalised because Barbie represents all women, which she says was the overarching theme of the movie.
A girly girl at heart, Shanique Singh loves to go the extra mile when it comes to fashion.“I believe that if you want to become a certain person in life, you have to start looking the part. So I wanted to look as fabulous as a Miss World would look as becoming her is my main agenda,” the Miss Jamaica World 2022 said. It’s no wonder that she epitomised Glamour Barbie.
With a desire for the glitz and glamour of a typical red carpet, going pink was the perfect time for this dolly to shine. “Wanting something extravagant but still a bit subdued, I actually got the design from a photo of a doll that I saw on Pinterest. It perfectly fit the feel I was going for, and I had the perfect shoes to match. My favourite seamstress, Jacqueline Spence, was able to put it together perfectly,” she said.
The beauty queen is also a medical student so she was elated that the proceeds would go towards the Jamaica Cancer Society.
The night was hot and so was Theresa Lindo, who selected a playful but sophisticated look.
“Barbie reminds me of the limitless imagination I had growing up. The same imagination that often times gets stifled or dulled as we get older. This event felt like an opportunity to lean into that playfulness and creativity through fashion, so I took it. Also, I love a good themed event! It forces you to be deliberate about how you show up and to be creative with it,” the children’s book author said.
Noting that the event was very well executed, the breast cancer survivor shared that there were a few things she wished the Jamaica Cancer Society had leveraged more to further awareness and possibly deepen support, “but overall, bravo on a great event, and I hope they do big things like this more often. I will continue to support in any other way I can so as many people as possible can get diagnosed early and get the treatment needed to fight this awful disease”.