Fashion in miniature

The designer behind the most famous blonde girl of all time.

For more than three decades, Carol Spencer was one of the most important names in the toy industry. Today, in the midst of the craze for the blockbuster movie Barbie - directed by Greta Gerwig and released in theaters this July 2023 - her name has echoed among collectors as well as fashion lovers.

Yes, this designer was in charge of dressing the Barbie doll for 36 years, during which time she worked for Mattel and where she gave free rein to her creativity to create looks that are more than remembered today.

Let's get to know the details:

With a degree in fine arts, American Carol Spencer became Barbie's designer in 1963. She left the position in 1999, thus experiencing the best times of this famous blonde (including working directly with Ruth Handler, who was the inventor of Barbie).

This 90-year-old miniature fashion designer had a successful career throughout her life, and among her most significant moments, there is a clear statement of what was happening in each year. That is, Barbie responded - through fashion - to the changes, culture and social movements of the time.

From the colour of the sixties, to the sophistication of the eighties, passing through the great dresses and of course, through processes that evolved from hand-made prototypes to the incorporation of new technologies.

With a collection of more than 500 dolls in her home in Los Angeles, Carol Spencer is part of the creative universe that has made Barbie a fashion icon and a representative of women around the world.

Want to know more about this designer? Visit her official website, here.