- The “Barbiecore” aesthetic has taken over the red carpet and social media this summer.
- Celebrities like Anne Hathaway, Florence Pugh, and Zendaya have all piled on the pink this year.
- Margot Robbie’s costumes in the upcoming “Barbie” movie have inspired many to try the trend.
As summer heats up, so is the season’s most notable styling trend: Barbiecore.
Barbiecore is everything the “coastal grandmother” trend isn’t: Instead of wafting in the breeze in linen pants and bucket hats, participants are stepping out in striking shades of hot pink. Many associate the bright color with Barbie, the iconic doll created by Mattel toy company co-founder Ruth Handler.
Dazzling, all-pink looks have been just about everywhere in the last year, from the runway to the red carpet to social media. Here’s why Barbiecore is dominating warm-weather fashion.
Vibrant pink was all over the Valentino runway this spring
Estrop/Getty Images
Named after creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, Valentino’s “Pink PP” debuted during Paris Fashion Week in March. The show took place in a pink room and featured model after model walking down the runway in vivid fuchsia.
According to Vogue, the Italian fashion house collaborated with Pantone to develop the color, also named “Pink PP,” specifically for the fall/winter 2022-23 collection.
The Valentino website describes the nearly all-pink collection as “a manifestation of the unconscious and a liberation from the need for realism.”
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Zendaya also made headlines and drew comparisons to Barbie when she wore an all-pink suit to sit in the front row of the show.
Images of Margot Robbie on the set of “Barbie” created hype for the film — and for Barbiecore fashion
MEGA/GC Images
Photos from director Greta Gerwig’s live-action “Barbie” movie added to the craze for pink.
When still images of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling dressed up as Barbie and Ken went viral in late June, fans shared their excitement for the film on social media.
“Seeing what Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie wear on the set of barbie is more exciting than the met gala,” one Twitter user wrote.
People reports that Margot Robbie celebrated her 32nd birthday with a pink Barbie cake on set. The film, which also features Will Ferrell, Michael Cera, Kate McKinnon, and Simu Liu, is set to release in summer 2023, according to IMDb.
Stars have been rocking the color on stage and on the red carpet
Celebrities were quick to hop on the trend, bringing monochrome pink looks to the red carpet, award shows, and performances. For his performance at Coachella in April, Harry Styles wore a lavish feathered coat with metallic pink pants.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Harry Styles
“Bridgerton” actresses Nicola Coughlan and Simone Ashley both wore bold pink ensembles to British award shows in the spring.
Tristan Fewings/Getty Images; Samir Hussein/WireImage
For the Valentino haute couture show in Rome, Italy, on July 8, Anne Hathaway and Florence Pugh brought the brand’s signature color back to the front row.
Daniele Venturelli/WireImage; Jacopo Raule/Getty Images
Dramatic fuchsia had a major presence at the Met Gala in May, with Sebastian Stan, Glenn Close, SZA, Nicola Peltz-Beckham, and Jenna Ortega all opting for powerful pink.
Other stars like Lizzo, Billy Porter, and Ariana DeBose sported hot-hued pinks to big events in 2022.
Barbiecore is gaining popularity on social media
According to data from Google Trends, searches for the term “Barbiecore” spiked in mid-June and continued to rise through July. At the time of writing, #barbiecore has more than 9.4 million views on TikTok.
The aesthetic is gaining traction on shopping platforms as well. On Depop, sellers are using the Barbiecore tag to advertise 90s and y2k fashion in an array of pink shades. Good Morning America reports that searches on Etsy for pink, fashion-related items are up 35{05995459f63506108ab777298873a64e11d6b9d8e449f5580a59254103ec4a63} in the last three months compared to last year.
Etsy trend expert Dayna Isom Johnson said in a statement to GMA that “Barbiecore is a much-welcomed mood-booster after the last few years.” She added that the “it” trend of the summer is about embracing vivid colors in everyday life.
