Where to Shop Local for a Barbie (and Ken) Inspired Dream Wardrobe

Life in plastic -- it's fantastic!

The Barbiecore trend blew up last summer when Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling filmed scenes for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie in neon pink ’80s rollerblading outfits. Since then, “all pink everything” has been the vibe over the past year.

The long-awaited Barbie premiere date is finally coming up this Friday, July 21, and several local shops are ready to help you jump on the Barbiecore bandwagon.

Felisa Insignares, owner of Designer Items and More a women's fashion boutique in Olde Montgomery specializing in women's designer clothes, shoes, handbags and accessories, says this fashion trend is all about being fun, feminine and unapologetic. "Look for gingham, glittery dresses, retro swimsuits, heart or cat-eye sunglasses, and girly sandals this summer," she says. "It’s time to look pretty in pink, Barbie style."

From the extended trailer, we know Barbie’s feet — and her choice of footwear — play a significant role in her character development. So, Insignares says, the perfect shoe is an easy starting point for channeling your inner Barbie. "Whether you opt for a platform heel or kitten heel, be sure to pick the pinkest pair you can find," she says. "Bonus points for feathers, pompoms and other embellishments like bows and butterflies."

Barbie loves nothing more than a theme, so you'll also see Cowgirl, Sailor, Disco, and Rollerskating Barbie inspired looks grace the screen. "You may see some of those influences come through in accessories and color palettes in terms of trends, but not full head-to-toe looks," Insignares shares.

Some say Ken is the Barbie movie's real fashion star. So, let's look past the sleeveless denim jacket and the garish ’80s rollerblading look and focus on the beach scene, for example. Opting not for the typical Hawaiian shirt, Ken wears a crisp short-sleeved button down shirt, worn open, with matching shorts in a wide pink and mint green stripe as they “beach" (which is apparently a verb in Barbieland). It's like manly meets girly, office meets Palm Springs poolside lounger.

Chuck Hellman, who strikes an uncanny resemblance to Ken, is the owner of two menswear fashion boutiques. The one in Downtown Cincinnati is called Hellman Clothiers and his newest location is called Hellman's at Montgomery Quarter in Montgomery, Ohio. Known for dressing many of Cincinnati's professional athletes and executives, and for being quite the social media style star with over 4M followers on TikTok alone, Hellman says color and confidence are the best ways to achieve Ken's iconic look. "He loves prints and patterns with a deliberate quirkiness," he says. "Pink, of course. But also lots of pastels, and even more playfulness. Mixing patterns, florals, even a lapel flower, with bright and bold color choices will easily boost your Ken-ergy."

About the Barbie Movie

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. Warner Bros. Pictures Presents a Heyday Films Production, a LuckyChap Entertainment Production, an NB/GG Pictures Production, a Mattel Production, Barbie. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and released in theaters only nationwide on July 21, 2023 and internationally beginning July 19, 2023. Directed by Greta Gerwig, Barbie stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell. The film is written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach, based on “Barbie” by Mattel, and produced by David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Robbie Brenner. The executive producers are Gerwig, Baumbach, Ynon Kreiz, Richard Dickson, Michael Sharp, Josey McNamara, Courtenay Valenti, Toby Emmerich and Cate Adams. The film’s music supervisor is George Drakoulias, with music by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt. Click here to learn more.