Current:Home > FinanceRobert Brown|America Ferrera Dressed Like Barbie Even Without Wearing Pink—Here's How You Can, Too -Prime Capital Blueprint
Robert Brown|America Ferrera Dressed Like Barbie Even Without Wearing Pink—Here's How You Can, Too
EchoSense View
Date:2025-04-06 18:09:08
Ready to party like Barbie but Robert Browndon't like to wear pink? Let America Ferrera be your sartorial spirit guide.
Playing one of the sole human characters in Greta Gerwig's Barbie already set Ferrera up to stand out among the bevvy of Barbies and a crew of Kens. But her stylist Karla Welch's savvy choice to dress the Ugly Betty alum almost entirey in black ensembles during the hit movie's promotional tour guaranteed that all eyes would be on Ferrera, a sole dark spot in a sea of bubblegum hues.
And that decision to not think pink, ironically, was inspired by the spirit of Barbie and the movie's progressive take on the iconic Mattel doll.
"What we can learn from Barbie is that you can do whatever you want and say you're Barbie," Welch told E! News in an exclusive interview. "That's the whole point of it: You don't have to wear pink. You can just say, 'This Barbie likes jeans and Birkenstocks,' and then you are the 'Jean and Birkenstock Barbie.' So it's really your attitude."
Now that's a Kenergy we can get behind.
In addition to sharing insight into Ferrera's "strong and sexy" outfits for the Barbie press tour, Welch—who is the CEO/Founder of The Period Company, which provides nontoxic, reusable and affordable period wear as an alternative to pads and tampons—offered easy tips on how to Barbie-fy your everyday wardrobe:
While a majority of stars in Barbie play a version of the iconic doll, America Ferrera was one of the hit movie's only human characters. And for the press tour, Ferrera's stylist Karla Welch wanted to highlight The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants alum's individuality.
"I didn't style her like Barbie," Welch exclusively told E! News of the star, who wore a Rosetta Getty etched plaid pattern suit to the July 2 premiere in Seoul. "I styled her like America. We didn't lean into the character, we just leaned into who America is. I was like, 'Okay, if she's playing the human, let's make her super sharp and kind of like, not go literal Barbie.'"
Given that they have been working together for over 10 years, the CEO/Founder of The Period Company said Ferrera trusted her vision when it came to the press tour, explaining, "She just lets me do my thing."
The fitting process was "instinctual" for Welch, who admitted she and Ferrera did not initially plan for the star to wear so many black ensembles, which provided a stark contrast to Margot Robbie's primarily pink Barbie-inspired outfits.
"It wasn't some deliberate choice to make it black, but the internet went wild," Welch said of looks like this Tanya Taylor top and Veronica Beard pants at a July 3 press conference. "Like, 'Why is this Barbie wearing black?' But it was sharp and cool and sexy and strong."
Welch used accessories to bring a bit of the Barbie energy to Ferrera's outfits without relying on the doll's signature color.
"We were having a little bit of fun and always having like a shoe and a purse," Welch shared. (At the June 25 press junket in L.A. they paired a white Elie Saab with patent leather stilettos.) "Kind of like Margot was doing and Barbie always had that. So we have lots of little nods and Easter eggs, but we just didn't go pink."
Well, they almost never went for the bright hue...
Because the majority of Ferrera's looks were all-black, it made Welch's decision to put her in just "one pink" outfit—a blush pink St John crop top and skirt with bright pink accessories at the July 9 world premiere in Los Angeles—that much more impactful.
For the Barbie press tour, Welch explained that Ferrera "wanted to feel strong and sexy and was so willing to have fun."
A perfect example of that sartorial spirit? A Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo jacket that was part of a suit without the matching pants, which was Ferrera's suggestion for her June 30 look in Sydney, Australia.
The ultimate way to dress like Barbie, according to Welch?
"What we can learn from Barbie is that you can do whatever you want with Barbie," she explained. "That's the whole point of it. You can do whatever you want and say you're Barbie."
Pointing to the movie's theme of self-discovery, Welch encouraged fans to embrace their individuality through their clothes. "You can just say, 'This Barbie likes jeans and Birkenstocks,' and then you are the Jean and Birkenstock Barbie," she said. "So it's really your attitude."
Ferrera delivered plenty of that in a bold, fitted Alex Perry dress in London July 12.
Should you find yourself wanting to add a pop of Barbie to your wardrobe without having to buy everything in pink, Welch suggested "a matching purse-shoe combination" as an easy option.
"I don't think you have to wear pink or anything like that to be Barbie," Welch explained. (She dressed Ferrera in a neutral-hued maxi in Mexico City July 7.) "I just love the energy behind it. It's so incredible that it's been so leaned into."
Pointing to "Day-to-Night" as her favorite Barbie doll growing up, Welch said she "gagged" when Robbie's stylist Andrew Mukamal recreated the iconic look at the Seoul premiere.
While she had a favorite Barbie look from when she grew up playing with the Mattel toy, Welch couldn't single out one of Ferrera's press tour looks as her most memorable.
"I love them all," Welch said, including Roland Mouret's black diamante maxi, chosen for the London premiere July 12. "I never play favorites because I have a styling rule is that I have to love every look that goes out my door."
With Barbie breaking box office records and Ferrera's performance—most notably her empassioned monologue about being a woman—receiving praise from critics and theater-goers, Welch gushed that she she is "so proud" of the Ugly Betty alum.
"It's highlighting what an amazing actor she is and how beautiful she is," Welch said of the film's success. "And globally, it's given her such amazing exposure."
And even before the world went wild for the movie, Welch said she and Ferrera (at a London press event July 13) were ready to party for Barbie.
"We just wanted to have fun with fashion," she shared. "And ultimately, that's what we do: we have fun, we look great."
"That marketing campaign is pretty unbelievable and exciting," Welch said of being part of the Barbie promotional tour. "And I personally just felt so excited for movies and for women filmmakers and actors."
veryGood! (9123)
Related
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- As the DNC Kicks Off, Here’s How Climate Fits In
- The top 10 Heisman Trophy contenders entering the college football season
- A South Texas school district received a request to remove 676 books from its libraries
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- US settles with billionaire Carl Icahn for using company to secure personal loans worth billions
- An Alabama police officer shot and killed an armed man, officials say
- Public defender’s offices are opening across Maine. The next step: staffing them.
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- You Won't Believe How Much Call Her Daddy Host Alex Cooper Got Paid in SiriusXM Deal
Ranking
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Alain Delon, French icon dubbed 'the male Brigitte Bardot,' dies at 88
- Why Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy told players' agents to stop 'asking for more money'
- Boy Meets World Star Danielle Fishel Shares Breast Cancer Diagnosis
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Over 165,000 pounds of Perdue chicken nuggets and tenders recalled after metal wire found
- MLB power rankings: World Series repeat gets impossible for Texas Rangers
- PHOTO COLLECTION: Election 2024 Harris
Recommendation
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
California county that voted to weigh secession appears better off staying put
TikToker Kyle Marisa Roth’s Cause of Death Revealed
DeSantis-backed school board candidates face off in Florida
McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
Bobby Bones Reacts to Julianne Hough Disagreeing With Dancing With the Stars Win
Georgia election board approves new rules that critics fear could allow certification delays
What to watch as the Democratic National Convention enters its second day in Chicago