By Allen Voivod
For the spring 2022 style season, our Barbie Looks dolls went metallic, with a second wave of dolls that included three showstopping styles. And now, for the fall 2022 season, the metallic series comes to a stunning conclusion with three more dramatic outfits. Get these new Barbie Looks Dolls in our online shop right now.Â
"I think of these next three dolls as 'Part 2 of Wave 2.' It was designed as a full year group of six," says Barbie Signature Lead Designer Bill Greening. All six dolls in first "Black & White" set were released at the same time for the 2021 launch of the collection. "This time around, we broke them up, and released three in the spring and three in the fall. But from a design point of view, I approached this entire set knowing that the silver metallic story would be the through line for all six dolls."Â
The other part of the style story is how going metallic with the theme changes the whole scene for these dolls. "The vibe is definitely more 'night life' and the make up more glam than Wave 1," Bill says. One thing remains the same, though: these dolls are meant to be styled, posed, photographed, and posted on your favorite social media channels. Be sure to use the hashtag #BarbieLooks if you do – Bill and the rest of the Barbie Signature team can't wait to see them, and they love what you've already done with previous dolls in the series.Â
"I'm very thrilled to see all the amazing posts, restyles, photography, and customization the fans are doing with these dolls. It’s really incredible!" Bill says. "I think the Made to Move doll body is very fun to pose and play with and brings the dolls to life."Â
The three new dolls – Dolls 10, 11, and 12, to echo the numbering from the Barbie Basics series that inspired this line – continue to expand the diversity in body styles and skin tones in the series. Doll 10 features long hair in a sleek, straight style, while wearing a cropped, silver metallic top with puff sleeves, black vinyl skirt, and metallic platform booties. Doll 11 wears her curly, red hair in a pulled-back style, and rocks a metallic, one-sleeve jumpsuit with a black belt and strappy, metallic sandals. Doll 12 styles her brunette hair in voluminous curls with bangs, and wears a two-tone, black and glittery-silver dress with a halter neckline and metallic heels.Â
If the facial sculpt for Doll 10 looks familiar, it's because you may have seen it on one-of-a-kind dolls made just for the wildly popular @BarbieStyle channel on Instagram. Otherwise, all the face sculpts are brand new, and that's been a particular point of pride and fun for Bill. "One of the best things about Barbie Looks has been the introduction of new face sculpts to the Signature line," he says. "With Wave 1 and 2, we've now introduced 12 new Barbie and Ken sculpts. I’ve really enjoyed the process working with our amazing sculpting team. Â
"Until the Looks line, the only new faces I had worked on were for reproductions or celebrities. It’s really exciting to be adding Barbie and Ken sculpts that myself or other Signature designers can use for future dolls. Models 10, 11, and 12 are the first production dolls to use these new sculpts. They're very photogenic, and I love the hairstyles too."Â
Something else that's unique about the Barbie Looks line is that it appeals to a different kind of collector mentality. Many Barbie Signature dolls are prized for their secondary market potential, or how valuable they may be as collector items over time. Because of this, they may never be removed from their premium packaging, to maximize their value. For Barbie Looks dolls, however, the collectability stems from the mix-and-match fashion opportunities you get when you have more of the dolls – which of course means they're supposed to be removed from their boxes. "I think the price point has encouraged the collectability and lets the fans remove from their boxes and have fun!" Bill says about this topic. Â
Key Lead Designer Vicky Gevorkyan adds to this with insights from the packaging team's point of view: "Knowing the price point, and that collectors love to de-box, pose, and photograph these dolls, we use simpler materials versus features like magnetic closure or foil printing used on premium packaging. Â
"But the design approach to a Signature package is always the same, though, and well thought out. We try to make sure the doll is always highlighted as best as possible, regardless of whether you're keeping doll in the package or taking it out."Â
So, what will YOU do? With these Black Label dolls available now for $20 each in the online shop, we have a humble suggestion – get two of each. That way, you can keep one in the package and use the other to create your most photo-worthy moments. They make perfect gifts for stylists, fashion aficionados, and Barbie collectors, too. Discover them all to style the whole Barbie Looks crew at Mattel Creations.Â
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