Barbie/Project Runway #3

When the #3 Project Runway episode was called "Go Big or Go Home" I wondered what on earth I was getting myself into with this self-imposed challenge! Never did I surmise that I would have to create an outfit for a Barbie wearing stilts --- or in her case chopsticks! Aside from having to create for a stilt-walker, stipulations were also to create an outfit that was "Paris Couture" but not circus looking for a "real woman." Really? A budget for the designers was set at $500.00 and they had to work in pairs. My budget is zero and I am working as a singleton. However, I have saved a very classy scarf with a Picasso print and this would be the inspiration for Barbie's dress. (Scarf shown on left.)

I cut the scarf down the center diagonally. The long ends of the scarf were gathered and placed around the skirt top, leaving two points hanging toward the skirt bottom. These two points were wrapped around the "stilt" chopsticks for Barbie as shown below. To these red chopsticks I slipped on a pair of Barbie's shoes. Note that there is a little black snap here that will later come in handy when Barbie's skirt is bustled.

Barbie's dress bodice is one shouldered, and is made of a tiny scrap of wine-colored moire taffeta. A fancy button is added to bling up the outfit on the lower right side of the dress bodice.

To better illustrate the scarf aspect of the construction, I grabbed Barbie and made her show her profile.

Here we can see Barbie with the dress all bustled up, so she can wear it to parties where there are no stilt walkers. Which means most parties she attends, right? I understand Ken is a real klutz on stilts himself.

This look is called the Just-Say-No-to-Stilts Barbie.

(As of this project, I am all caught up with the current season of Project Runway.)