Barbie's Wardrobe - Patio Party

I'm not a fashionista. I'm ... you could say... a wearer of clothing. I like my clothes to be comfortable and the right size and possibly not to have holes or spots (that part is not always easy if you have cats).
There are features I love, like pockets in dresses or 3/4 sleeves, but beyond that, I'm fairly undemanding and not adventurous.
That doesn't mean I don't like to look at clothes at all, especially those that I would never be able to wear myself, due to money, my size, lack of occasion, etc. There are still ways to bring Haute Couture into my life, though. I mean Barbie and her friends.
I have always been fascinated by miniatures and Barbie's vintage outfits with their tiny zippers and buttons and buckles and accessories are incredible. This is my "fashion life", either through my own small collection or pictures.
(And yes, I do know Barbie's body isn't natural, I knew it as a child and I never strived to look like her ... if I had, something would have gone wrong).
Let me give you a glimpse in Barbie's wardrobe every, now and then.

Today we make a little trip into the mod era. Actually, this time both our model and her outfit are from the same time period, 1967 - 1968, that is.

Are you ready for a party? This pretty (not so young) lady is.
She's a TNT Barbie with titian hair. TNT stands for "Twist'n'Turn" meaning she could not only turn her head from sideways, but also her waist (like her British friend Stacey I wrote about the other day). She also had bendable legs.
Her straight hair with the irregular cut and the bangs came in four colors - "Chocolate Bon-Bon" (dark brunette), "Sun Kissed" (pale blonde), "Go Go Co Co" (brown/brownette), and "Summer Sand" (ash blonde). The titian is not an official color and isn't seen that often. It's still discussed if there are some genuine redheads or if it's always a result of oxidization.

Barbie is showing us a fabulous mod outfit called "Patio Party".
Mod designers sure knew how to combine colors.

Barbie is wearing a nylon jumpsuit in a multicolor paisley/floral print with very wide palazzo pant legs.
The asymmetrically colored overdress is from a midnight blue and a contrasting vivid green satin.
I chose this for her to wear because I think it goes great with her titian hair.
The high heels pick up the blue from both the jumpsuit and the overdress.
This hostess ensemble is in the tradition of older ones with the difference of the wide pant legs and of course the colors.

The only accessory is a pair of funky earrings. While the outfit itself - manufactured as #1693 - is one of those 1600s fashions that is easier to find, the earrings are hard to come by and can be replaced by reproduction earrings.
I got this outfit from the original owner, though, completely with earrings. Given how small and easy to lose they are, it is amazing to me that she still had them!

If you wonder why Barbie isn't wearing them, however, let me quickly mention the bane of the green ear. That may sound like the title for one of my early silent horror movies (or a book from the series of The Three Investigators), but it's just silent horror.
The vinyl of the dolls can react with the metal of the earrings and the green can really spread. Better not take chances at all as it's well possible you can't get rid of it!
Even without the earrings, it's such a cool outfit to wear to a patio party, though.

For full disclosure, I edited the doll stand out of the picture, but didn't change anything about the outfit.

Barbie is a registered trademark of Mattel, Inc. I am not affiliated with Mattel in any way.


Sources:

1. Sibyl DeWein and Joan Ashabraner: The Collector's Encyclopedia of Barbie Dolls and Collectibles. Paducah, KY, Collector Books, 1994
2. Sarah Sink Eames: Barbie Doll Fashion, Vol. II, 1968 - 1974. Paducah, KY, Collector Books, 1997
3. Vintage Barbie Patio Party. On: Fashion Doll Guide
4. Vintage Twist'n'Turn Barbie Doll. On: Fashion Doll Guide