I love Barbie fashion nearly as much as
the doll herself, so today’s entry is all about clothes. I’ve already
mentioned the Fashion Avenue series when I described a new dress for my
poor Jewel Hair Mermaid Midge, so today’s just a quick reminder –
Fashion Avenue was launched in 1995 and continued for several years
until it evolved into Fashion Fever, but for me, some of the early
releases have something very much 80s about them and although I don’t
love all the fashion packs indiscriminately, I cannot but appreciate the
time and effort put into their design and the quality of its execution.
And I don’t think I’m isolated in that since the series remains very
popular amongst collectors worldwide which is evident by the price they
command. I own 4 complete sets in total and each was acquired with a bit
of luck. There are three beauties with me today modelling – Pet Doctor
Barbie 1996, Jewel Hair Mermaid Midge 1995 and Standard European /
Canadian Barbie 1976.
Pet Doctor Barbie is wearing a lovely
ensamble number #18131 Boutique 1997 that comes with a baby pink half
turtleneck sweater. The sweater is paired with a plaid pink and blue
miniskirt with an opalescent belt and a pearl heart-shaped buckle. The
belt isn’t very durable and needs to be handled with care. It’s also an
integral part of the skirt. The set includes a number of accessories,
one of them being a cute hat with a pompon that’s the same pattern as
the skirt. It stays on Barbie’s head surprisingly well. The pack also
comes with a pair of shoes – pearly pink flats. These unfortunately
don’t fit Barbie very well, they wouldn’t go all the way. But my
favorite part of the entire set are the … pantyhose! Who would have
thought of such a thing nowadays, but back then Mattel sure did. These
are genuine Barbie size pantyhose with a rubber band and a stitch in the
back! Of course they’re not made to survive long in the hands of a
child, who by the way would need a mommy’s help to put them on, but this
little piece of clothing is a proof that in the 90s Mattel would still
make an effort.
Mermaid Midge is presenting #18107
International Italy 1997, and to say the outfit is colorful is an
understatement! It is fiercely pink with a bit of yellow, orange and
purple. Only Barbie can wear it and look fabulous but that’s her magic.
The most prominent part of the set is the striped blouse with a collar
and large cuffs. The blouse closes with plastic snaps and I love the
tiny gold beads that imitate buttons. The blouse is very extravagant so
it’s been put together with a simple and very short skirt. Both articles
are made of polyester that imitates satin very nicely. There’s also a
purse that really opens and you could put something tiny inside. There’s
a pair of my favorite pantyhose too and the heels are much daintier
than the standard Barbie pumps but they refuse to cooperate with the
pantyhose. If this was not enough, there’s also a scarf for Barbie
that’s made of the same fabric as the pantyhose, and that piece is
unique. A scarf for Barbie? I’d never seen anything quite like it
before, but I love the sight!
Standard E/C is wearing a set number
#56111 Charm It’s my party 2001. Although it was released much later
than the previous ones it has this very much 70s vibe and it brings
Scooby Doo to my mind. The set comes with a yellow blouse that closes
with a single snap and it’s tied with a ribbon. 2000 something was the
time when bell bottom pants were revived so Barbie needed those as well
as she always follows whatever a given season brings – good or bad.
These pants are just crazy! The design is interesting to say the least –
the weird blotchy pink flowers and yellow and orange circles give you
the impression of 3D and will sure give you a headache if you stare at
them too long. Whatever Barbie wears must always be coordinated so the
pants come with a matching purse and it’s functional too. The set also
comes with platform shoes with ankle straps. The straps really work,
unlike the contemporary Barbie shoes, they don’t have a slit in the
back, but a tiny little peg and a hole and stay on Barbie’s feet really
well. Although this is my least favorite set of the three, I appreciate
the quality fabrics, the shoes and the purse that really works. Standard
E/C really looks like she’s turned back the time, went shopping in the
70s and came back again!
I purchased the three sets NRFB but I
unboxed them before I took any pictures. The first two sets had the very
nice and sizable pink boxes that looked like shopping windows of the
Fashion Avenue Boutiques, the third one had a simpler design and unlike
the other ones, didn’t come with a catalogue tempting you to buy other
sets. There were pictures of good 12 fashion packs at the back of the
box though. So here’s the pictures of the catalogue closing today’s
entry. Enjoy!
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