The Barbie-themed Vogue cover was featured in the August 2023 issue of Vogue Italia. This cover was part of the promotional campaign for the 2023 “Barbie” movie directed by Greta Gerwig, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
This issue was written by Abby Aguirre, photographed by Ethan James Green and styled by Gabriella Karefa-Johnson.
While using magazine covers for film promotion is a familiar strategy, this particular issue distinguished itself through its unique ability to blend fashion and set design into a quintessential Barbie moment. Recreating beautiful vintage looks with luxury houses and their own house codes.
It’s one of my personal favorite issues of Vogue from the past few years due to the level of storytelling. It gives the essence of Barbie, the doll, and “Barbie,” the film, but also highlights the individuality of the photographer and the individual garments.
The article delves into LuckyChap, Margot Robbie’s production company, and provides an in-depth look at the making of the “Barbie” movie. The photoshoot consistently features a palette of pinks and an aura of artificiality, with meticulous set design details like predominantly plastic elements and Margot’s dramatic poses.
But there is an interesting is there is a shift at the end of the story from Barbie Margot to Margot Robbie the person. It was done very cleverly through photographs.
It was these two photographs that did it. The change is subtle, as it keeps the photoshoot’s color theme. But in these images it feels more natural, as it is Margot Robbie’s hair and no the wig she wore for the majority of the shoot. But in this section she talks about her upcoming projects, her husband and her love of food.
The visual representation of anything that one puts out is so important, because little details like that I explained above marks a shift to one’s audience. And after being reading this interview, I was so much more aware of the way that pictures are informing a story as much as the writing itself.
