Current Obsession: The Barbie Loves Forever 21 Collection

I have loved Barbie since I was a wee toddler. From the latest clothes to furniture, cars, houses and even horses, my Barbies were tricked out. My parents always made sure I was well-stocked with Barbies and Barbie accessories to play with. And boy did I play! I used to play “Barbie Survivor” and “Barbie Big Brother, my own (biased) versions of the TV reality shows. My Barbies would go to school, they would go for drives, they would even swim with me in my swimming pool IRL. I would even do Barbie photo shoots where I would dress my Barbies up and then photograph them in front of realistic-looking scenery (this is where I first knew that I was destined for a career in fashion, or at the very least in fashion magazines).

Once I grew older, it became less realistic to play with Barbie. High schoolers have way too much homework, more freedom to spend time with friends and have other extracurricular activities going on so they can get into college. But all the way I’ve had a deep nostalgia for my Barbie childhood, and a great affinity for anyone that calls me Barbie or tells me that I look like a Barbie doll <333333

So when I heard that Forever 21 was coming out with a Barbie collection for people in real life, I just about freaked out. I couldn’t believe that practically all my dreams were coming through with one corporate-branded hashtag-heavy clothing line.

Although I was unable to attend the awesome launch party event at the Forever 21 at the Santa Monica Third Street Promenade, I spent the entire weekend snatching up pieces at various Forever 21 locations around LA. Below is all my Barbie Loves Forever 21 awesomeness.

Hot pink Barbie leotard

Definitely the cornerstone and gem of my collection. This is the iconic Barbie piece! I have no idea where I would wouldn’t wear it, but I’m super stoked just the same. It’s the closest I’ll ever come to being a real-life Barbie doll!

Sandals from Fashion Rush.

Barbie/Perfect Crop Top

I love this crop top so much. The fit is perfect – accentuates my boobs and makes my arms look skinny. The color is great (I LOVE gray for some reason) and the font is fuzzy. I even wore it to work over a black spaghetti strap shirt from Forever 21 and a black high-waisted skirt from H&M.

Shorts from Forever 21, sandals from Payless Shoesource.

Heels from Payless Shoesource.

Barbie Pajama Set

This shirt is way too big – I wish that I had gotten a size small! But I think it still would have been too big to wear outside the house, as it was designed to be oversize. I’m sad – I wanted to wear this shirt everywhere! But I do love the soft, classic pink Barbie pajama shorts, and the fact that the two come together in a set for just $13.

Barbie Tank Top

I’ll be honest – I actually raided the girls’ section of the store for this top. Yes, the girls’, not the women’s, section. This shirt is a size 11/12 in child sizes, whatever that means. They had even bigger sizes but I like the way this fit. I will wear it hiking with these soft black Forever 21 yoga pants.

Barbie Hairbrush

This is probably the item I’m most excited about! I can’t even count how many Barbie-size Barbie brushes I have. I would collect them and keep them in tubs, and use them for everything from brushing out my dolls’ hair to brushing my stuffed animals’ fur. I think Barbie doll brushes are the cutest! So when I had the opportunity to buy a life-size, fully functioning Barbie brush for just $3, I jumped on it.

Barbie Nails

These nail stickers are actually given to you free at the cash register but I still love them. I tried to do the pink smooching lips on my nails, but unfortunately the pink was the exact same color as my nail polish and they blended in! #BarbieProblems. So I did the Barbie silhouette on my thumbnails. The stark black against the pink makes me think I have pen or dirt on my fingernails whenever I look down but then I see that it is in fact a Barbie sticker and then I smile to myself. #Cheez