The Year of Haute Couture

"The Year of Haute Couture." Doesn't that sound exciting, friends? So why is this the year of Haute Couture? It's because of this nifty calendar I got for Christmas.

A calendar FULL of Haute Couture fashions. All created by the master of Haute Couture himself, Robert Best!

So this what I'm going to do. Each month on the 1st, I will feature the Barbie of the Month. And these dolls were actually produced so I will be posting pictures of those as well!. The names are all listed in the calendar so maybe they won't be so hard to find.

This post is special because you get THREE dolls today! There was a doll on the 2010 page, one for January and one for February. (And then I will be more dilligent about getting the post up on the 1st.) :)

2010 doll - Je Ne Sais Quoi (2008)

Okay, I'm going to throw this out here.There is a huge downside to having this calendar. I'm going to want every single doll. You realize this right? (And just wait till we get to September.)

Check out the hat. So VERY French and chic! The translation for Je Ne Sais Quoi is "I don't know what." Probably because "I don't know what outfit is better than this." So cute!

This barbie is a gold label and was a silkstone doll. Oh I love her.

barbie.mattel.com

The excerpt from the Barbie Collector site:
"Confident in a bold golden suit and alluring accessories, this mademoiselle has a certain undefined something that takes style soaring to brilliant heights! Classic French design — peppered with glorious hues worthy of the City of Lights — makes for a page in the Paris sketchbook drawn with scintillating skill! C'est fantastique!"

January - Stolen Magic (2005)

Stolen Magic indeed! What a beautiful gown! Kind of reminds me of "Enchanted Evening" with the side-swept train. The fur and stole bring it all together.

*squeal* I must have her! I must!

barbie.mattel.com

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. I love how they designed the bodice of the dress. Not quite a side swept train like the drawing but look at the bottom. And the hair and eyes, so beautiful. I think the pale blue really fits the tone of the dress.

Excerpt from the website:

"The most glorious respite in the hectic life of a model: a fabulous city vacation. Fashion, however, takes no holidays.
Stolen Magic^™ Barbie^® doll wears a dramatic gown of charcoal gray satin, embellished with silvery embroidery and sequins. Faux chinchilla fur trims the hem. A pale blue satin stole warms the shoulders while rhinestone earrings, a rhinestone tiara, and pale blue gloves make a dramatic style statement."

February - Pink Evening Gown Barbie

A beautiful dress in Barbie's signature color! So elegant with the ruffles, stole, and chandelier earrings.

"Pink Evening Gown" is a little generic of a name but this is the closest thing that I could find to this dress. The Pink Ribbon Barbie doll. There was not a year attached to this name so it could be that Robert drew this dress and they decided to dedicate it to the breast cancer crusade.

barbie.mattel.com

Excerpt from the website:
"Designer Robert Best creates Pink Ribbon^™ Barbie^® doll, a wonderful tribute to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Joining the fight against breast cancer, Barbie^® doll wears a frothy pink organza gown featuring a shirred design with tiers of ruffles. An attached, pink ribbon proudly states Barbie^® doll’s support. A sparkly, tulle stole and long pink gloves complete the stylish ensemble!"

So the hair is almost the same, the doll isn't wearing earrings and the stole isn't sparkle in the drawing. (Maybe sparkle is hard to draw?) Either way, both dolls are gorgeous.

If anyone can find the actual doll, post it in the comments!

I hope you all will enjoy these posts on the first of every month. Again, I absolutely cannot wait for September. My favorite one of them all! But let's not rush, I don't want summer to be over that quickly. :)

Until next time!