CFDA’s Steven Kolb
Ski star Lindsey Vonn
Actress Emily Meade
Designers: Tess Giberson, Whitney Pozgay + Cynthia Vincent
Amidst all the fashion shows and events of New York Fashion Week, there was one stylish soiree that kept it light and brought us back to our childhood fave: the Barbie doll. CFDA and Barbie joined forces in celebration of the new Barbie Fashion Design Maker for girls, an app that allows for the creation of one-of-a-kind looks (designs + accessories) that are included in the software. After designing, you can bring the look to life by printing out your custom creations on printable fabric. Isn’t technology amazing?
CFDA designers, Charlotte Ronson, Cynthia Vincent, Rebecca Taylor, Tess Giberson and Whitney Pozgay (of WHIT) were tapped to create pretty tank dresses inspired by the app. After a cute mini fashion show hosted by CFDA’s own Steven Kolb, I chatted with two of the five designers: Whitney Pozgay of WHIT and Cynthia Vincent about inspiration and more!
Whitney Pozgay of WHIT
Whitney Pozgay: “I think the fun thing about the app for these kids is that they really get to pick their own patterns and prints and put them together in an outfit. In our company, we’re all about mixing prints and patterns, so I thought that our Barbie dress definitely had to mix stripes and florals and be really fun. I think that Barbie can be a little flirty, so I wanted to give her a little dress that was a tiny bit flirty but still good for a little girl to aspire to.”
Joy Adaeze: “Very cool. I’m a big fan of mixed prints as you probably can see!
WP: “I know, I love it! It’s awesome!”
JA: “Thanks!”
WP: “You know, it’s a sun dress and I feel like Spring is all about Barbie. I feel like Barbie’s a Spring girl so we wanted it to feel very light.”
JA: “Congratulations on this. I thought it was such a great representation of Barbie. So well put together! What’s next for you?”
WP: “Thank you! Well, we actually had our presentation on Wednesday so I’m kinda relieved. We got to show early so now we get to go support our friends and see their shows!”
JA: “Nice! Work hard-play hard!”
WP: “Yeah, just like Barbie!”
Then, I caught up with the beautiful Cynthia Vincent:
JA: “Hi, Cynthia! Tell me more about the inspiration for your Barbie-inspired look.”
Cynthia Vincent: I actually took fabric from my Spring collection. Barbie’s a fashion girl, she’d want the latest thing. But, I made it Barbie-esque to work with the app, because the app right now is for short tank dresses. I wanted to use my current collection but make it specifically for Barbie. For me growing up, Barbie always had bling. She always had something and I would always make her jewelry so I used one of my vintage pieces for the neck.
JA: “I love that! Thank you!”
CV: “You’re welcome! And you look amazing!
JA: “Thank you!”
The CFDA x Barbie event was a trip down memory lane of me pulling off the clothes that came with my Barbie and finding scraps of fabric to make new ones. It’s great to know that with the new Barbie Fashion Design Maker, little girls of today can really hone into their creative selves and bring actual designs to life! Every little budding fashionista’s dream. In stores now!
Top images: courtesy of HL Group / other images by: Obi Okere
.xo.Joy
