Barbie costume designer Jacqueline Durran breaks down the significance of Margot Robbie’s wardrobe in the fantasy-comedy’s closing scenes.
Durran unpacked the significance of Robbie’s yellow dress, heart locket, and wedge heels ensemble in Barbie’s closing scenes during an interview with Variety. “The Barbies have gone through all of that stuff and they’re now the most fulfilled versions of themselves,” she explained.
“And that sets the scene for what’s happening to Margot’s Barbie as she’s becoming human… We wanted a soft yellow and wanted it to have less pop. So, we printed that yellow onto white silk, and because of the cut, it clings to the body. That’s not really a Barbie characteristic — the Barbie characteristic is to be cut straight and to create a shape that falls away from the body.”
“We moved from the classic Barbie heeled court shoe into something softer,” Durran added. “But at the same time we had to keep the heel… [and] there’s a source of pathos in a locket that Barbie doesn’t necessarily have… there’s something about that locket and scale that makes it more human.” It’s worth noting that Robbie undergoes another, briefly glimpsed wardrobe change just before the credits roll, sporting an even less Barbieland-friendly look for her first-ever visit to a gynecologist.
Co-writer and director Greta Gerwig touched on Barbie’s final scene in a recent interview, describing it as a “mic drop kind of joke” that is nevertheless heartfelt.