Elements of Design: A Barbie Gown Deconstructed

I won the Barbie Project Runway challenge by only two votes. There were many designs that were superb, and the competition was cutthroat. I loved the ideas and the executions I saw lined up on the coffee table turned runway. I wanted to know everyone’s thought process, but the party didn’t lend itself to a good discussion on where people started and where they finished. I can only think for myself, but I wanted to take a Barbie design from the ground up and show where I start and finish. It all begins, for me, at the drawing board, literally. I begin sketching not only to come up with ideas, but to see how I liked them. When you draw a lot, you have time to really think about working the ideas over in fabric. Here are a few of my Sketches for the 2012 Peaches n’ Cream update challenge:

I can tell you from all my sketches (and there were many, many others) that I tended to like the idea of a full skirt with a hemline high enough to show off a fancy pair of shoes. I also began to really fancy the idea of a white dress with the pop of peach color coming through a bit of floral work. The next thing I need is a doll. After Roberta Sanchez, I doubted I would ever work with another model. But in the 2010 challenge, I tried working with another doll I named Pamela, and I thought it was a success. Roberta has a lot of personality that I find a little distracting when I design from scratch. I found myself designing audacious things for Roberta whereas Pamela, a blank doll devoid of the personality Roberta had, allowed me to freely design a look with my own idea of taste and sophistication. Roberta isn’t exactly sophisticated.

The new doll came from Amazon.com because she comes from a line of Barbies, like Pamela, that make great fashion dolls. These are the Barbie Basics line (which is unfortunately out of commission). Not only are Barbie Basics dolls designed to look like supermodels, they also come with stands so they can showcase our while standing virtually on their own. Amazon.com still carries these dolls, but some are more expensive than others based on availability.

I liked the new doll. She had a sweet face and a fresh look I found appealing. Her bangs and her brunette hair, I thought, would complement a peach-and-white design better than a redhead (which would clash) or a blonde (which would be washed out by the colors). I decided to name her Thalia. Now, the sketches rarely look exactly like my actual dresses or outfits. The sketches are the rough drafts. When I start working with actual materials, the idea takes shape with its own quirks and perks. This party was ill-timed for us. We were trying to budget and we had very little money left after each pay check to pay for things like material or notions. So, in a quick fit of inspiration, I decided I couldn’t wait for fabric; I had to design right now.

I took a piece of paper from our printer and crumpled it up, straightened it, and crumpled it again. I did this over and over until the paper was pliant and held a fold without looking like a fold. Then, with this paper, I began to play with shape on Thalia’s body. I had the overall bodice, neckline, and skirt length down when I rummaged through my cupboards and found my small cupcake papers. These I layered to build up a skirt. I couldn’t help but to use the cupcake papers for adding architectural interest to my design.

When the money finally did find its way to the craft store, I bought embellishments for the gown Thalia was already wearing. I found paper flowers in the scrapbook aisle in varying shades of peach. I arranged these in an ombre fade on the gown with my trusty Aleene’s Tacky Glue. Joseph found shimmery fabric in two different shades of peach for me to use as the underskirts. I layered these from lighter to dark to carry over the ombre look.

The higher hemline begged for a fun pair of shoes.

And voila! Here was the design that would win me the 2012’s Barbie Project Runway Challenge!

I can’t wait for next year!

Barbie Project Runway 2012

Barbie Project Runway 2012 was an amazing success. We had new designers from across the board and the talent that showed up left us clamoring for more!

The challenge was to take the look of 1984’s Peaches n’ Cream Barbie and bring it into 2012. (I apologize for some blurry pictures, I am hoping to get some better pictures from the designers themselves. As it was, the party was too fun for any of us to think clearly about proper photos.) So without further ado, here are the designs:

Angela, one of our original designers from 2009 brought out a super girlie array of blossoms and pink, giving a full skirt and fitted top look that paid homage to the original doll’s look.

Two new designers, Jennifer and Rey, are clearly a double threat. This married couple brought two distinct looks. Both looks held surprises that delighted the spectators. Jennifer’s look was all about “Make Love Not War,” with her butterfly-inspired bodice and dancing-veil skirt. Beneath those skirts was a shimmery set of panties made from shiny butterfly stickers.

Rey’s look, which he called “Roxanne Pow” was quite the opposite. The beguiling beauty distracted us with her peach-stripe-on cream coat and her nearly-nothing undergarments. But she blew us away with her surprise assassin weapons! To top things off, she wore a pair of white gloves and came with a watch to time things like bombs and perm solution.

Joseph’s girls came out to shine. Forgive me, but this is the best picture I have of Julie Ann’s look: a black-topped dress with a twirling skirt of peach-and-green. It was a lovely gown.

Katie’s dress was a blossom inspiration. This gown smacked of someone who has competed with us a couple of times, but I’m told Katie threw it together the night before. Like I said, she seemed just like some of us who have done this before!

My look was inspired less by invention and more by necessity. I worked with things I had in my house: paper and cupcake cups. I trimmed it out with some peach scrapbook flowers in an ombre effect, and filled her skirt out with a shimmery fabric.

Corina took the idea of peaches and cream literal when it came to her materials: food labels for Peach snacks and whip cream. But when it came to her execution, her look took the literal materials and executed a look that was editorial, modern, and inspired. Part Japanese pop-culture, part daytime couture, and part Barbie Hipster, this look brought exclamations of delight.

Here is Judy's Barbie, standing next to Britney's.

Judy, as always, took her attention to detail to amazing heights with her design. Hollywood glam in hand-placed glitter took to the lights and her creamy boa gave us a new texture on which to rest our eyes. The overall look was a red carpet success! Britney crafted a sweet cocktail dress from ribbon for her 2012 look. The design was seamless! Absolutely adorable, this look was ready to walk down the street, and Britney would not forgive me for neglecting to say she had the best braid in show.

Kimberly, who contributed to the money pot, was upset that we had to pick only one winner and couldn’t have prizes for “most inventive,” “best color,” and other things, because all of the designs were very well done. The votes were tight, but there was a winner. I am a little chagrined to say that the winner was me, and I am excited to compete against these talented people again next year! Barbie Project Runway 2012 was a success!

Dog Ownership for Dummies

In 2001, before Joseph and I celebrated our first anniversary, we got a dog.  We had started to research which breeds to get.  We had started to figure out what we wanted in life.  And we had just moved into a new place.  But before we had even really looked up dogs on the internet, Joseph surprised me by picking me up from work one day with a puppy.  And let me tell you, puppies are jerks. 

We named him Dinky, which was the name that my Gram called my dad when he was little.  I thought it was a grand joke, but Dad wasn’t as humored by it.  Dinky was a rescue mutt.  He was a Siberian Husky and a Border Collie mix.  And though we didn’t know it when he was a cute puff of fur and eyes, those two dog breeds are very, very anal retentive. 

Dinky was the worse!  He chewed through blankets, he chewed through beds—let me tell you, coming home from work to see that your bed was really a giant hole that went from the comforter through the top mattress, through the box spring, and down to the floor is not a good end to a long day.  He chewed through window sills, he chewed through walls, and he chewed every last button off of my favorite cardigan.  Just the buttons, the sweater he kept intact and used it to snuggle when I wasn’t there.  Puppies can be cute!

 

When we moved to our new apartment, Dinky developed separation anxiety.   We were the first dog owners allowed to bring our pet into a certain apartment building of Seattle’s Capitol Hill.  The owner of the building had to type up a dog agreement for the very first time to give to our building manager just for us.  And in this dog agreement was a very specific clause, if the dog noise bothered anyone the dog (and his owners) would have to go. 

So imagine our horror when we discovered he could be heard from a block away, screaming his heart out because we were gone.  To this day, I don’t know why nobody complained.  I would have if I had to listen to that racket all day.  We almost gave Dinky away!  (Thank goodness Margaret didn’t take him!)

 

We got Dinky acclimated to his surroundings, and hired our friend Kate to babysit while we were away.  But there were times when we left for a coffee or a movie, and Dinky felt he should have gone with us.  It was these times that Dinky’s very smart, coldly calculated mind would spring into action.  He would destroy something valuable to us (usually to Joseph) and he would leave the pieces of the object arranged in a row in front of the door so it was the first thing we saw when we entered the apartment.  Joseph lost many electric razors, and we had to replace quite a few TV remote controls. 

I was horrified to discover that dog walks were not something you did every other Sunday when we first had a puppy in our lives.  I was meant to walk him at least once a day.  And this was a chore, until I realized I loved it.  Walking Dinky taught me about cool morning air in the city, with a warm travel mug of coffee in my hand.  He showed me that the line between day and night is obscured by those people who hadn’t gone to bed yet.  And Dinky was very pretty to look at, he still is in his dignified, wolfish manner.  Many people had to stop to talk to us (and a word to single people, dogs get you hit on a lot). 

Two years after Joseph and I brought Dinky into our life, we hired and wheedled a friend of mine to baby sit Dinky for a week while we made a wild drive across the country on vacation.  That’s when we stumbled upon our little souvenir, Sally, a dog I named after my Mom to keep the peace in my family. 

 

I was expecting Drama (note the capital D) from Dinky when we strolled in after a week of abandonment with a new puppy in tow.  But I was shocked to discover that Sally kind of flipped a switch in Dinky.  Almost overnight, Dinky’s separation anxiety was relaxed.  It was as though he knew he wouldn’t be abandoned, because if we didn’t come back for him, surely we would come back for the new puppy.

 Dinky took a very active interest in Sally’s upbringing.  One of my rules for dogs is that they are not allowed in the kitchen when I am cooking.  When puppy-Sally sauntered over in her overly self-confident way, Dinky grabbed the scruff of her neck with his teeth and pulled her back out of the kitchen.  Sally looked at Dinky, who was sitting at the kitchen’s edge, and she sat down there, too.  I never had to train her with the kitchen rule, Dinky did that for me. 

 

Having two dogs is not much more bother than one dog.  You’re doing all the same motions, only you hold two leashes instead of one.  You scoop an extra scoop of dog food.  And it gave Dinky that edge of sanity he had always been lacking.  His nerves were shot and Sally was his Prozac. 

So, in closing, I offer any new or potential dog owners this advice: have patience; learn to love dog walks (dress up for them if you are single); get a mutt, this might reduce some of the over bred insanity… though Dinky must have got it from both sides of his family tree; remember to love them, they don’t live forever.  Get used to farts and poop; after all, you do it, too.  And when all else fails, get a second dog. 

Yard Sale Blog!

So, Joseph and I are throwing the 2012 Barbie Project Runway challenge at our house, which will be no small undertaking.  We will not only be hosting tried and true designers from Vashon Island, but we will also have a slew of new designers bringing their ideas to life on the runway (which is usually my coffee table). 

Joseph and I love to entertain, and we love to do it right.  We always have a signature drink to match the event, and since this 2012 Challenge is to Create a Modern Look based of Peaches n’ Cream Barbie, we are going to have Fuzzy Navels with their peach schnapps flavor filling the cups at my house. 

However, this is also the year that Joseph decided to budget our spending so we can actually be adults.  (Lame.)  He has us budgeted very tightly through January.  And the BPR 2012 party somehow missed being budgeted for, even though it has been on our calendar weeks before Joseph pulled out his big, ol’ calculator. 

 

Joseph then gave me the ultimatum: we can’t have the party unless we have a yard sale to pay for the party.  This was devious.  He knows I love Barbies, but he also knows I love hoarding junk.  Which would win out?  Well, let me answer that question with another question: can you get drunk by drinking hoarded items with your friends?  Nope.  Time for the yard sale!

Both Joseph and I combed through our actual junk (like all those Tupperware lids that were missing their containers) and our treasures we never use (like the bikes we bought right before Joseph’s back went out the second time).  We pulled all these things into the front yard and sold our hearts out!

Joseph made a few signs and gave me the sidewalk chalk and told me to get to work, and I did. 

 

I think one of the best surprises for me was that a yard sale brings your neighborhood to you.  I was able to meet all sorts of neighbors I didn’t know before.  And some “old” favorites dropped by to look over our wares.  Joseph called it a “moving sale” to get more excitement into our signs, and this confused a few of our neighbors, and angered some hardcore moving sale enthusiasts.  They didn’t like the explanation that it was a moving IN sale. 

 

My old collection of coffee pots sold out.  But my wrought iron candelabras didn’t go anywhere.  The bikes were the first things out the door, and my collection of mirrors was pretty popular.  We worked from 7 in the morning until 5 in the evening and when all was said and done we made $251.  And my super cool Dragon Mask found a new home with my neighbors.  (Sorry Nita!)

 

Hooray!  Now we can hire Peaches n’ Cream strippers for the party!  But, no, Joseph said we’re only buying the booze and the rest goes into savings.  Sometimes being an adult isn’t very cool.  But we have money for alcohol, and we’ll have drama with Barbie dresses.  The party will make itself awesome after that.  October 19^th is right around the corner! 

Barbie Project Runway Winners

We've had many challenges in our past as Barbie Project Runway competitors, and as my friend and fellow competitor Jackie once said, we've grown as designers.

The first challenge ever was to create something that told everyone who we were as designers.  The winner was Liz with her party dress and vest combo:

The second challenge was to create a look on our sign of the Zodiac, known as "The What's Your Sign Design."  The winner of this Challenge was Jackie with an amazing combo of black and red for her Scorpio Dress.

The Third Challenge was to create a Wedding Dress out of things we could find in our local Grocery Store.  The winning look was actually a tie between Judy and Me.  Judy used pasta to achieve her look and I used cake, frosting, and coconut. 

The fourth challenge was to create a look for a Drag Queen.  We brought out the Ken dolls and brought out the camp.  I thought all our looks were inspired, but Judy's look shone like a star for all to see!  We called it Marie Man-toinette. 

The next year was a reunion competition.  The challenge, which invited new designers, was to create a look that inspired you as a designer.  We had many amazing looks for this, and I will post pictures to showcase the variety we had, but the winner was me with my purple evening gown. 

And our last challenge in 2011 had a fairytale theme.  We were to base a look on a fairytale of our choice.  Once again we had many successes, but Angela won with her Red Riding Hood design.

I can't wait to see what the new challenge will bring.  I was telling Joseph that I wanted to have a challenge based on the "Pretty in Pink" dress, because I hated the actual one in the movie.  But Joseph said that our new challenge should be based on MY FAVORITE BARBIE EVER.  So 2012's challenge is to create a look based on 1984's Peaches n' Cream Barbie.  We have old favorite designers, and some new competitors to show us what they got.  I can't wait, the party is on October 19th, and I've just begun to work on my look.  Watch out, BPR fans!