Barbie in the post...

Just 2 days ago, Barbie released a new designer barbie... The moment I saw her, I knew I had to get her. It's not one of my favourite brands, but she'll make a great addition to my designer barbie family... so I couldn't resist.

"She wears a Classic Trench in Tattersall, an exact replica of the popular Coach style, along with a striped sweater and an ultrasuede skirt. The turnlocks on the skirt are exact replicas of the Coach handbag turnlocks. But it’s her red Classic Duffle that marks a fashion milestone: this is Barbie^® doll’s first genuine leather bag, made from start to finish in a Coach factory with the same care and attention given to every Coach bag. The Classic Duffle includes a drawstring dust bag." ~ BarbieCollector.com

Problem was, I didn't have a US shipping address! And it didn't ship internationally. That was how I missed out on the Tokidoki Barbie which was selling at USD 50 direct from BarbieCollector.com, but today at USD 289 on Amazon. I wasn't going to miss out on another great opportunity again!

Thinking fast before it's sold out, I hopped onto our Singapore Post website and signed up for a VPost account! Immediately, I owned 4 new addresses, one in US, UK, Japan and China. If only buying a real home address was as easy!

Today, I'm impatiently awaiting its arrival.

The Coach Barbie will also be available for sale at $195 in Singapore's Wisma Atria Coach store next month... But I couldn't wait!!

In Barbie's World...

You've gotta love PINK in order to survive in Barbie's world! And thankfully, I do!

This Taipei trip, we were lucky to spot the Barbie Cafe when we were shopping around Zhong Xiao Dong Lu. From a distance, the vibrant pink immediately caught Mr Yap's attention. Though I've heard about this Barbie themed cafe, it wasn't part of my Taipei plans, but Mr Yap kept urging me to have a look...

And I have him to thank!

They got the Barbie theme down to a T, right from the entrance all the way to the cute little frilly chairs and pretty waitresses in pink tutus!

I wish I could take home the chair in the waiting area! It would look soooo cute in our cozy corner at home!

Mr Yap and I wanted to have a tea party for two there... However, they had a minimum spend and they sold out of those cute little cakes on display, so we said our good-byes to the cafe and went on our way...

If only they sold Barbie collectibles there too...

Welcome To Your New Home, My Barbies!!

A few weekends ago, Mr Yap and myself were very busy with our new wardrobes! The first thing I did was moving my barbies into their new home.

It’s a simple wardrobe, nothing fancy, but the best part was that we could choose the shelving we preferred… and I chose mine with the sole aim to house as many Barbies as I could, as well as clothes!

My Barbies now have a more specious home. Even though there are still some of them hidden behind, at least most of my favourite designer collectibles can now be seen!

Every Barbie of mine holds a special meaning…

I grew up with Barbies. Even through my tomboy days, my Barbies were stashed in a box at the back of my cupboard, one that I frequently visited. Each one of my Barbies had a name, and each one of them had a unique fashion style. To me, Barbies are the most fashionable dolls and I love buying clothes and shoes for them! My grandmother even sewed dresses for them following my design instructions.



The Start of the Addiction... 

One day in June 2007, I was drawn to the display in a toy shop at Serene centre. Before me stood the Giorgio Armani Barbie, dressed in an elegant grey strapless chiffon top and intricately beaded long skirt. There were also two Barbies dressed in their signature Juicy Couture tracksuits. Instantly, I fell in love with them. At the same time, I couldn’t resist a silkstone Robert Best Barbie in a cute 60s dress… as well as a Lady Camille Barbie. Her princess gown captivated me, and her curly locks were so unique, I couldn't resist.

Another one of my favourite Barbies is Versace. It's a brand that does not need introduction, but the dress that adorns Barbie is the same Versace dress Beyonce and Christina Aguilera wore, only smaller and of a different colour. Flowingly elegant but seductively sexy...

Also, my collection could not have been possible without the help of a friend, who received and re-courier my Amazon purchases all the way from US to Singapore! Without him, Kate Spade, Christian Louboutin shoes, Burberry, Versace Versus, two Christian Dior, Escada, Oscar de la Renta, Calvin Klein, Givenchy, Donna Karen New York, Anna Sui, Hanae Mori would not have made it into my wardrobe!

Why did I buy two Christian Dior barbies? It's a funny story of carelessness, embarrassment and blessing. When my first Christian Dior arrived, she was bare foot :( I don't usually open my Barbie boxes in order to maintain their mint condition. I didn't dare to tell my husband that I ordered a Barbie without shoes and was lazy to go through the hassle of returning the package... so I ordered another one. But a few days before the second one arrived, I decided to open the first box and looked thoroughly. I found the pair of golden shoes tucked neatly below the Barbie stand within the box. So that's the story of my two Barbies and it was a blessing in disguise. Today, I have an opened Christian Dior Barbie standing among my boxes of Barbie and the intricacy of the beading on the Christian Dior dress deserves to be admired by touch!



But my ultimate favourite is my Vera Wang Barbie. Perhaps it's silly, I'm not even sure from what age onwards, whenever I hear of Vera Wang, I think of dream wedding dresses (the power of advertising). So when I saw this Barbie selling at Dollz Inc, I had to get it. This is my only Platinum edition doll in my collection, which means I'm one of 1000 privileged few who owns this Vera Wang Barbie... special? Being from a marketing background, I'm am constantly aware of the silly traps of marketing but I can't help falling!

My collection isn't complete.

I've still got a couple more in my wishlist... just waiting for some sellers to realise they've priced it too high!

Imagine Barbie covered in tattoos, funky skulls, bleached hair and edgy leopard leggings. That's gonna be my next doll, the iconic Tokidoki Barbie! His name is being mentioned on red carpets, in fashion magazines, and on style TV... he's Zac Posen and I want this Barbie couple!!

To complete my dream collection...

There is one Barbie missing from the Mattel family of designer Barbies, and that is none other than the legendary Louis Vuitton, one of my favourite brands...

Homage to #219C

I've never heard of anyone paying homage to a pantone colour before... Oops, I take that back. I do it everyday. My PINK bag, my PINK wallet, even my PINK namecard is in appreciation of PINK.

For those who aren't in the design / creative / marketing business, you may not know what PANTONE is. PANTONE LLC is the world-renowned authority on color and the accurate communication of color across a variety of industries. The PANTONE® name is known worldwide as the standard language for color communication from designer to manufacturer to retailer to customer.

This December, even Barbie is doing it!

Pink has always been Barbie's colour and innovative designer Linda Kyaw has incorporated this bright and unforgettable shade of pink into Barbie's wardrobe!

A whirl of Pantone color tags swirl around Barbie doll to create the asymmetrical skirt leading up to the faux-leather bodice. Each tag is labeled for Barbie®’s signature color — 219C. According to Kyaw, “Pink, being one of the most important elements of the Barbie brand, has been used in almost every imaginable way. The challenge was to interpret the shade with an unexpected twist, and since Pantone is to color what I believe Barbie is to fashion, combining the best of both was the first step.”

Read more about this special edition Barbie here.

Also, download this lovely December 2011 calendar here:

I'm definitely adding this Barbie into my shopping wish list this Xmas!! It would be a pink & funky acquisition to my barbie collection (a story for another day).