By Allen Voivod
You may know that this gown was part of a collection called One Thousand and Two Nights. And you may even know that it was added as a solo museum exhibit to a prominent fashion museum in 2017. But if there was one place you’ve seen it before, it was in 2015, when it made fashion headlines all over the world.
Known as the “Yellow Queen” or the “Yellow Empress Gown,” this immaculate design by renowned Chinese couturier Guo Pei is aptly named. It requires a noble combination of charm, strength, and responsibility to wear it in real life. So, when it came to creating a doll-sized version, the choice of Barbie to wear it was a perfect match.
Guo Pei Barbie Doll Wearing Golden-Yellow Crown is a Mattel Creations exclusive, and a Platinum Label Doll. She’s available right now in the online shop, with a limit of one doll per person.
Thinking back on the gown’s red-carpet debut, Senior Packaging Designer Joyce Chen recalls that she was “absolutely stunned by [the] showstopping yellow gown. It was such an iconic look that had everyone talking! Definitely one of the best looks of the night.”
Inspired by that look and crafted especially for her, Barbie doll’s gown stuns in a golden yellow color once reserved for Chinese nobility. Guo strives to capture the strength and confidence of women, which Barbie doll exudes in this dazzling brocade gown with delicate embroidered details and a faux fur trim.
Guo is well known for her signature royal embroidery craftmanship, and this gown is no exception. So we asked Joyce how Barbie Signature translates such an intricate design into a doll-sized outfit.
“Guo Pei’s team first sent us a detailed sketch of the embroidery itself, and our graphic design and soft goods teams worked together to rescale the artwork to doll-size,” Joyce reveals. “We were able to recreate the look by using embroidery around the edges of the gown, and an applique that goes down the back, giving the dress more dimension.”
A gown like this requires similarly stunning accessories and styling to complement fashion, and Barbie doll projects regal elegance with a striking ornate golden headpiece in her gorgeous, upswept hair and golden accessories. “I love the golden headdress that wraps around the front of the doll’s head—it truly gives her the look of a queen,” Joyce says. “Also, take note of all the bows that are on the sleeves and back of the gown, which mimic the real-life look. There are so many beautiful details on this doll!”
We’re also going to need a minute to talk about the high fashion footwear. “The shoes are a masterpiece by themselves,” Joyce adds. “I was amazed by their unique design when Guo Pei’s team sent the photo for us to reference. Our sculptor did a phenomenal job at recreating them at doll scale and keeping all the intricate little details!”
Now that you’ve seen images of the gown, you may be wondering: how in the world did we fit it in a doll box? Luckily, we had Senior Packaging Designer Laydiana Chiv and Senior Packaging Engineer Kambiz Betaharon on the case. “Working closely with Kambiz, a very talented structural engineer, I was confident we would find a way to be able to pack out and display the doll and the dress without losing all the details and length of the dress,” Laydiana says. “Kambiz had the great idea of angling the doll in a way so that the dress would be slightly wrapped around, and actually show all the beautiful embroidery and faux-fur detail of the back of the dress. It very much looks like she’s walking down the red carpet, standing right before the stairs with her beautiful gown fanned out behind her for all to see. It’s the perfect paparazzi moment!”
We’re truly impressed by the structure of the presentation, and equally so by the way they carried the doll design elements through to the doll box. “For the exterior of the package, we wanted it to the reflect the golden-yellow of the dress, so we picked the intricate embroidery and wrapped it all around,” Laydiana explains. “It’s a big part of Guo Pei’s identity, and we wanted it to be reflected. Then we added some luxe finishes – embossing and gold foil. For the interior, we decided to let the doll and the dress shine by giving it a contrast red lining: which is also an easter egg to the iconic red-carpet moment. And for the final touch, we added a golden bow to tie everything together.”
And now that Joyce and Laydiana have tied everything about this doll together for you, it’s time to stop reading and tap over to the online shop. Get the Mattel Creations exclusive Guo Pei Barbie Doll Wearing Golden-Yellow Crown for your collection today!
Designed by: Guo Pei
Facilitated by: Asian Couture Federation
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