barbie

Mattel's Barbie has released her next line of unique items in the new Blond Book collection, a collection that celebrates all things blond. This collection is filled with fab items from around the globe, from accessories to a one-of-a-kind corset and dolls designed by fashion's avant-garde duo, The Blonds.

Here's a list of some of some dream-worthy items from the Blond Book collection that are sure to please the most fervent Barbie fan:

• For the art lover, there's the pop art piece A Plastic Tan Never Fades. Priced at $750, the (30" W by 40" H) piece is made to order and printed on white Plexiglas. Allow up to 14 weeks for delivery.
• A once-in-a-lifetime tour of Beverly Hills, Barbie-style, of course. For $10,000, the trip is complete with two business class round trip tickets, three nights stay at a 5-star hotel (double occupancy), and private car service while in Los Angeles. The package includes professional photography and a custom scrapbook. Only one trip is available. To place an order, contact (800) 491-7514.
  

  Gallery: Barbie's Blond Book Collection

  

FAO Schwarz has the perfect gift for the ultimate Barbie lover just in time for the holidays.

The Bonzini Babyfoot Barbie Foosball Table is the most extravagant item from Mattel's limited-edition, privately commisioned, "The Plastic Collection" of carefully curated Barbie items from around the world.

Only an exclusive few of Barbie's biggest fans now have the opportunity to purchase the limited edition foosball table, as only eight tables of this type will be commissioned.

From the imagination of young french designer Chloé Ruchon, a student at Decorative Arts School in Strausburg, comes the ultra-pink Barbie foosball table. It was created in partnership with Mattel and the Bonzini group, the worldwide leader of foosball tables.

You may remember our listing of the World's Rarest Barbie by Stefano Canturi, which was up for auction at Christie's to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Not surprisingly, this auction set a record for Barbie herself, fetching a whopping $302,500.00.

This doll, which exudes Canturi's signature cubist design, wears over three carats of white diamonds and a necklace bearing a one-carat Fancy Vivid Pink emerald-cut diamond from the Australian Argyle mine -- a magnificent stone the lucky buyer could easily reset, if he or she dares disassemble Canturi's creation.

Christie's New York hosted the auction on October 20th, and the extravagant Barbie was bid on by buyers both in the room and over the phone. The doll was won by a private collector in Asia, and 100% of the proceeds went straight to BCRF.

This price beats the previous Barbie record, set by Christie's South Kensington in 2006: $17,091.00 for the 1965 Barbie in "Midnight Red."

This Friday night for Fashion's Night Out, Canturi Jewels will unveil the "World's Rarest Barbie."

This Barbie was meticulously designed, from her hair and makeup to her frame, dress and shoes, by Stefano Canturi himself. She wears tiny, fabulously expensive jewelry reminiscent of Canturi's beloved Cubism collection of lace worked carre and baguette cut diamond jewelry. Her pieces include over three carats of white diamonds, a signature Canturi necklace with a glittering, one carat, emerald cut pink diamond -- a stone almost as rare as this one-of-a-kind Barbie -- and an iconic right-hand diamond ring.

"I wanted the jewelry design to pay homage to Barbie's modern yet timeless style, this is why I applied my Cubism design concept to her look; it is perfect for her," says Canturi of his collaboration with Mattel.

Barbie by Stefano Canturi will be auctioned at Christie's prestigious "Magnificent Jewels" sale in New York on October 20th, with 100 percent of the profits donated by Stefano Canturi to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Prior to that, she'll be touring the world, with showings in London, Geneva, Shanghai and Las Vegas.

From the dress to the bling and the shoes, not to mention the travel plans, we have never wanted to be Barbie so badly. Below, have a look at Stefano's actual inspiration collage -- a rare peek into the the creative process of this brilliant jewelry designer!

For those who enjoy watching Suri Cruise strut around in high heels, we offer these luxury travel amenities for the pint-sized set.

The one-and-only Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris has customized two rooms with Barbie decor and enough pink to turn your eyeballs into sherbet. The Barbie rooms connect to deluxe rooms for parents and are straight out of Barbie's Dream House. They are available only from Aug. 6 through Sept. 2 because clearly, a little Barbie goes a long way. Price tag for making your Barbie princess's dreams come true: $1,980 a night for the connecting suite. Special editions Barbie go home with the lucky little girl. Children are greeted at check-in with a personalized welcome note, as well as fresh milk and cookies and are given nap-ready robes and teddy-bear slippers. The children's breakfast menu is thoughtfully illustrated for non-readers.

This is, of course, not Barbie's first foray into the luxury market. She has her own 2,350-square-foot Barbie Suite at the Palms Resort in Las Vegas loaded with pink and more pink, plus Barbie pictures, a two-way fireplace and a Jacuzzi we presume for times when Ken leaves the gaming tables. Nightly tab: $4,000.

Barbie and Christian Louboutin continue their collaboration by releasing Anemone Barbie, fresh from walking the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival and as glamorous as ever, the third in the series of collectible limited edition dolls has red hair and green eyes and is stunning in a green and purple dress with little purple Anemone shoes. She also comes with three other pairs of shoes: Madeleine mules, Lady Claude pumps and Spartenvol sandals, all in their own miniature dust bags and storage boxes.

Anemone Barbie joins Cat Burglar Barbie and Dolly Forever Barbie and is available exclusively at Net-A-Porter for $150.

First we had Cat Burglar Barbie, now we have Dolly Forever Barbie, and who only knows what might be coming next (Trapeze Barbie maybe?). Christian Louboutin has truly found his muse in Barbie, "dolling" her up this time in a safari-inspired ensemble featuring a very bright pair of pink fringed knee-high boots, a khaki tunic dress, and darling little pink glasses. Plus of course 3 other pairs of miniature red-soled shoe designs.

She's not available for another couple weeks (look for her to go on sale at Net-a-Porter on March 3rd) and pricing should be right around $150.

Mattel has come out with a new concept for Barbie, teaching little girls early on in life that what every woman really needs is the perfect little black dress. Most women would agree with the company and most likely the all new Barbie Basics™ Collection will be a resounding success. Mattel has paired up with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to celebrate the launch of the dolls which are wearing little black dresses and come with accessory kits.

Who better to inspire budding pre-teen designers than some of the big names themselves. Twelve of the CFDA fashion and accessories designers have created one-of-a-kind Barbies that showcase their unique talents and tastes. These Barbie dolls are currently up for auction on eBay and all net proceeds will go to support CFDA's educational initiatives and scholarship program. The designers include Issac Mizrahi, Betsey Johnson, Rachel Roy, Justin Giunta, Lorraine Schwartz, Alex Bittar, Monica Botkier, Deborah Lloyd of Kate Spade, Tory Burch, Albertus Swanepoei, Philip Crangi and Devi Kroell. The dolls went up for auction on January 28th and will be available to bid on through February 7th.

As of January 31rst some of the bids were up to as much $3,500 for Lorraine Schwartz's Barbie with Diamonds followed by the Kate Spade Barbie at $800. For those who don't have the funds to bid on the designer e-bay Barbies, Mattel will be giving away one of the new Barbie Basic dolls and accessory pack on Twitter from February 1st - 16th.

Not sure what kind of message this sends, that women dream of stealing Louboutins or that Louboutins are good to go stealing in, but either way Cat Burglar Barbie is a fun collectible because not only does she look awesome but for once she gets to do something totally taboo. Barbie's red hair, green eyes, and skin-hugging black bodysuit are only outdone by her dazzling pair of gold Differa sandals. She also comes with three additional pairs of mini-Louboutins: Miss ankle boots, Claudia peep toes, and Altameche knee-high boots, each with their own shoe bag and box. It's all packaged together in a brown designer box complete with a copy of Barbie's travel journal chronicling her adventures with Christian Louboutin. Limited edition, $150.

Apparently Barbie (yes the Mattel doll) chooses endorsements like other celebrities (pseudo celebrity? 10 year old girl icon?). Currently she is supporting Bulgari's support of Save the Children International's "Rewrite the Future" campaign to fund education efforts for children in poverty stricken areas of the world.

In addition to a 1 million euro donation to the Rewrite the Future campaign, Bulgari has created a line of 11 jewelry pieces and 7 timepieces whose sales will help fund their dedication of 10 million euros to Save the Children by the end of 2009. One of the jewelry pieces is a signed silver Bulgari ring with a Save the Children inscription engraved inside the band. The ring will retail for $555. Barbie is modeling the ring - though I don't think you can get that particular size at your local Bulgari boutique.

As a guy I've never played with Barbie dolls, but it looks like she got a bit of a makeover for this Bulgari marketing image as one of the celebrities the endorse the campaign. Or maybe her hair looks like that right out of the box? You can see Barbie showing off her Bulgari ring, which might be one of the most expensive Barbie accessories available. Other celebrities (I am not really sold on the fact that Barbie is a celebrity at all, more like a piece of pop culture) that support the Bulgari Save the Children Rewrite the Future campaign so far include: Julianne Moore, Benicio Del Toro, Ben Stiller, Sally Field, Sting, Willem Dafoe, Rosario Fiorello, Gabriele Muccino, Jason Lewis, Andy Garcia, Valeria Golino, Isabella Rossellini and Debra Messing.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

The Palms Resort in Las Vegas has created a new Fantasy Tower suite devoted to a childhood favorite. The Barbie Suite was unveiled this week as part of the continuing celebration of the doll's 50th birthday. The 2,350 square foot suite has pink decor, Barbie pictures, a two-way fireplace and a Jacuzzi tub. It was designed by Jonathan Adler and rents for $4,000 a night.

Other Palms suites include the Real World suite which hosted the cast of the MTV show for a season, the basketball-themed Hardwood suite, the Hugh Hefner sky villa, and the g-Suite designed to resemble the hotel's Ghostbar. The suites have been used in many reality TV shows and for awards show after parties.

Barbie's 50th year celebrations have taken the popular doll everywhere from the fashion scene in New York to the streets of Milan with brands from Goyard to Fiat creating pink pieces to honor the doll. Forbes also gathered a collection of Barbie memories that had everyone from Jamie Lee Curtis to Donna Karan and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius opining on the impact of Mattel's iconic toy.

[via WDSU]

Barbie turned 50 this year, and in true diva style it seems she just can't stop celebrating. Her latest "gift," a bright pink Fiat 500, was unveiled last month in Milan. The car was created with the help of Mattel and features crystals on the hubcaps and trim, Barbie silhouettes on the pillars, and a 60's-style retro car cover to keep it all shiny and new.

Sounds great, right? Not really, as apparently Barbie won't get to drive it, she'll just get to be a passenger. Fiat reps were quoted as saying "Barbie will be aboard and she'll have her own special driver: Ken, of course."

What's that about???

Via Autoblog

It's Barbie's 50th birthday this year (if this is the first you're hearing of it then you've been living in a hole) so of course everything Barbie is popping up everywhere. Maison Goyard didn't want to be left out so the celebration continues with this special limited edition trunk, decorated in Barbie's favorite color (pink!) and complete with a Barbie and accessories inside. Available at Collette for €2880.

I think I'd actually like it better if it came without the random Barbie inside, leaving room to use the trunk for storing your personal favorite Barbie doll instead.

Via ForbesLife

Jewelry designers find their inspiration in all kinds of interesting and unique places, and Margaux Lange finds hers in the chopping up of Barbie dolls. She buys Barbies (and apparently a few Kens too) on eBay and at garage sales and dissects them into tiny pieces, pairing them with sterling silver to create pendants, earrings, rings, and brooches. The above pictured necklace, called "The Kiss", is one of the more 'normal' designs -- others that feature just severed hands, eyes, or mouths are definitely much creepier. There's even a group of "Have a Heart Busts" that consist of Barbie's breasts incorporated into heart pendants and pins. (I'm speechless, just see the gallery). $70 - $525

Via Book of Joe

Barbie's 50th birthday is turning into an epic celebration. She's already gotten her own pair of tiny Louboutin heels and a big pink book, now she's getting her own runway show during New York Fashion Week. As Fashion Week Daily reported last week, famous fashion designers including Diane Von Furstenberg will lend their talents to creating Barbie-inspired designs. The fashions will be matched by a special collection of jewels and bags by Bulgari.

Bulgari has an anniversary of its own this year, its 125th which it is celebrating with an exhibition on May 20 at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome.The exhibition will support the Save the Children "Rewrite the Future" campaign which is funding education programs for 8 million children in war-torn regions. Barbie will appear with many celebrities in a portfolio of photographs shot by Fabrizio Ferri who has contributed to the project on a pro bono basis. As I mentioned last fall, Bulgari's campaign for Save the Children also includes a silver ring which sells for $290.