Every Vintage Chanel Reference You Might Have Missed in Barbie
There’s no doubt that vintage Chanel is having a major moment this year. First, there was the Met Gala, where a whole host of stars opted for pieces from the French fashion house’s archives in honor of the late Karl Lagerfeld. Now, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie has brought more treasures from the Chanel vaults onto the big screen.
Of course, fashion is central to the summer blockbuster, which sees Margot Robbie take on the role of the famous Mattel doll. And given the actor’s long-time relationship with Chanel, it makes sense that the brand would have a starring role. “If Margot wears anything that we didn’t make, it’s pretty much [all] Chanel,” costume designer Jacqueline Durran previously told Vogue. “They’re very interested in supporting cinema and in helping us find looks that will work in the story. They sent us anything and everything that we wanted. They were just great to work with.”
In the movie, Robbie’s character is seen wearing the pink Chanel skirt suit that Claudia Schiffer wore down the spring 1995 runway. “One of the archival suits I wore had a little label saying ‘Claudia’ on it… I was like ‘Wow’,” the actor revealed in an interview.
It’s not the only archival look from Chanel’s spring 1995 runway that features in the movie. Robbie’s Barbie also wears a lavender tweed skirt suit—worn by Schiffer in a campaign—from the collection, along with a statement diamond and gemstone necklace featuring pearl pear drops and interlocking Cs. There’s also a hot-pink version of the heart-shaped bag that featured in the show.
Robbie wears a mixture of true vintage and recreations of archival pieces in the film. Anything good but not “the right size or color, they remade for us,” Durran previously explained. Other Easter eggs for vintage lovers? The pink vanity case from 1995 displayed in Barbie’s closet, along with a blue camellia-print bag from spring 1997 and a pink tweed skirt suit from autumn/winter 2014.
Clearly enamored with all the archival Chanel she sported for the film, Robbie opted to wear a pink tweed blazer by the fashion house – worn by Schiffer down the spring 1996 runway – on arriving in Sydney during the press tour. As if you needed any more proof that now is the time to invest in vintage, just look to Barbie.
