Home Women Who is Carol Spencer, The Fashionista Behind The OG Chic Wardrobe of Barbie Dolls From the 90s
We all have fantasized about the dresses of our Barbie dolls. They were always ahead of their time and thanks to Carol Spencer, who is now 90 years old, she started setting that trend back in the 90s. We all grew up singing the song “I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie world…” and let’s be honest, we’ve all wanted to try on the dresses that our Barbies wore. From polka dots to swimwear to glamorous gowns, we’ve all been there. Even in today’s contemporary times, the Barbie trend continues to paint the world pink with its glamor. “Barbie: The Movie” is one of the most anticipated films of the year, and the promotions have been taking the world by storm. The lead actor, Margaret Robbie, who will be playing Barbie, has been seen in some of the most iconic Barbie doll dresses, and we absolutely loved it. But have you ever wondered who is actually behind the curation of the chic Barbie wardrobe? Probably not.
It all started as a simple response to a fashion advertisement, and now Carol Spencer has Barbie to her name and fame. Carol Spencer, now 90 years old, is the fashion designer who created some of the most iconic and cute Barbie doll dresses since the 90s. She was Barbie’s personal stylist for nearly 36 years until 1999. “When I joined the company, I worked with Ruth Handler, the inventor of Barbie, who was still at Mattel,” Spencer told CNN in an interview. “As soon as I started, I truly fell in love with this little doll called Barbie, and she became my passion.”
Let’s meet Carol Spencer, the lady behind our Barbie dolls’ wardrobe. Spencer was born in 1932 and is from Minneapolis. She completed high school in 1950 and then enrolled in a design program at the Minneapolis School of Fine Arts. During her final year in college, she applied for a month-long guest editor internship position in New York at Mademoiselle, a fashion magazine. In an interview with Business Insider, Carol mentioned that when she graduated from high school in 1950, there were only five jobs available for women: teacher, nurse, secretary, clerk, or wife and mother. She applied for a job through an advertisement, and seven years later, it led her to a job at Mattel. She worked as Barbie’s personal stylist alongside two other designers from different parts of the country. When she retired in 1998, Mattel paid tribute to her and her work by creating a Barbie doll in her honor.
While Spencer is the longest-standing member of the design team for Barbie, she explains that there were three designers for the doll from the mid-70s to the early 90s. “I was from the Midwest and the most conservative designer,” she said. “There was also Kitty Black Perkins, who was African American and from the Southeast, and Janet Goldblum from New York. The company wanted designers from a variety of backgrounds, and each of us had different strengths.” Barbie’s clothing and style had to be understandable to a child, Spencer explained. So they always waited for fashions to become established before creating pieces for Barbie. Barbie also had to be wholesome, so they always had to put underwear on her, but also a fun toy.
With the ever-changing fashion industry, Spencer had to adapt and change her game. She explained that her team did everything by hand, from making patterns to cutting and sewing the miniature garments, and then making adjustments until they looked right on Barbie and in the box. Barbie’s scale is roughly 1/6 of the scale of a real person, so everything needed to look right. Spencer herself has a huge Barbie doll collection, and among them, her favorites are the red-haired 1992 Benefit Ball Barbie dressed in a chic gold and teal metallic gown, and the Golden Jubilee Barbie doll from 1996, which features Carol Spencer’s name on the back. She is the only designer to have this.
Carol is still waiting to see if any of her designs will be featured in the movie. So stay tuned for the latest updates by subscribing to our newsletter today!