Courtesy Neiman Marcus
Barbie girl, or just a neighborhood human looking for an aesthetically fantastic plastic immersive experience, your Barbie world has materialized inside Neiman Marcus at NorthPark.
Neiman’s and French fashion house Balmain collaborated to create a special pop-up store showcasing the luxury brand’s Barbie-inspired collection.
The pop-up mimics the glass pavilion of the iconic Grand Palais in Paris.
“Customers can sit on Parisian park benches and interact with the limited-edition collection in a pedestrian garden much like the famous Tuileries,” according to a news release from Neiman Marcus Holdings.
January 13-30, at set times, catch a live DJ set, a custom cotton candy machine and photo opportunities in a life-sized Barbie doll box.
Neiman’s chief merchandising officer Lana Todorovich says it’s about “putting the fun back in fashion.”
Courtesy Neiman Marcus
“The special partnership between Balmain and Barbie does that and more,” she says.”As Neiman Marcus continues to innovate the ways in which we engage with our customers, we are thrilled to partner on an exclusive pop-up experience that celebrates the excitement of playing dress up and brings a modern multi-cultural take on the Barbie brand to our Dallas NorthPark location.”
The collection is unisex and items are limited edition. And much of it plays with new spins on familiar Balmain signatures, including the house’s iconic marinière and Labyrinth pattern.
“There are also several new takes on iconic designs that were first introduced on Balmain’s Paris Fashion Week runways—with each offering slightly adjusted to reflect the modern Barbie aesthetic, while never veering away from the famously exacting standards of Balmain’s ateliers,” according to the pop-up’s creators.
Exclusive styles include a maxi monogram dress for $8,495, a boat neck Balmain printed sweat dress for $1,395 and an oversize denim jacket with embroidered badges for $5,350.
Creative Director Olivier Rousteing and his Balmain design team draws from Barbie’s familiar bright iconography.
Badges, tees and hoodies cleverly channel the bold graphic treatment that one immediately recognizes as Barbie’s — and many of the accessories are inventive hybrids of Balmain’s signature bags and Barbie packaging, Rousteing says.
“I love how the inspiration truly flowed both ways for this special Balmain-Barbie partnership. It’s easy to spot how my design team and I have riffed on the very-familiar flair, colors and graphics of the Barbie universe,” he says. “And the collection also gives fresh and unexpected spins to several of Balmain’s most celebrated signatures. The Dallas pop-up … builds upon that spirit, cleverly weaving two distinct visions together. With its blend of the iconic touches that you’d find on my hometown’s finest avenues and a very pop twist on the familiar codes of Balmain boutiques, we know that this is definitely the Paris where Barbie would be hanging out.”
