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Barbie is one of the most anticipated movies of the year, and we couldn’t be more excited for its release in July! It’s no surprise to anyone that Barbiecore has been having a moment too. Inspired by the iconic doll herself, Barbiecore is a delightful blend of retro fashion, playful style elements, vibrant colors (mostly pink, of course!), candy-colored accessories, and a whole lot of sparkle. We’ve been wanting to make a Barbiecore inspired look for quite a while, and after the behind the scenes photos started popping up, I knew we couldn’t wait any longer. While every single costume is perfection, there was one in particular that caught my eye the most: the retro cowgirl outfit. It’s the hot pink dream of my childhood, with bell-bottoms, shiny pink stars, and retro western stitching details.
Yes, these costumes are the talk of the town, they wouldn’t exist without the brilliance and creativity of the costume designer, Jacqueline Durran, and her incredible team. I think it’s easy for a lot of us to look at a costume and not realize the hours of research, design, sourcing, and sewing that each piece requires before it even gets worn by the actor. Durran and her team went above and beyond for this film, and I encourage you to read an interview to discover how they created these delightful costumes!
Our Ash Pants were nearly the perfect jumping off point for Barbie’s bell-bottoms. They feature a center leg seam on the front and back pant legs, as well as a similar waistband. All I needed to do was change the shape of the pant leg to create bell-bottoms, and create a drawstring front. I will say, this redux is more of an intermediate to advanced skill level, but don’t let that deter you! Just make a muslin first to perfect this redux before moving onto the vest.
The Janet Vest redux turned out to look even better than I could have imagined! For this pattern hack, I simply cropped the bottom of the vest at an angle, removed the lapels, and adjusted the neckline slightly. While this pattern hack requires a lot of cutting, it’s not too complicated! As always, with any pattern redux I strongly recommend sewing a muslin first. I know, I know, it’s a drag. We all want to cut into our good fabric and get started straight away! But I promise you, you won’t regret taking the extra time to work out all the kinks first.
Purchase Materials Used Below:
- 3 yards of Mood Exclusive Carlos Pink Cotton Stretch Sateen
- 1 of 341 Bright Salmon 9″ Invisible Zipper
- 0.5 yards of 3 Yards of White Double Faced Fusible Interlining
- 1 yard of 2mm Shocking Pink Rattail Cord
- 1 bag of Baby Pink Dull-Bright Loose Sequins – 5mm
- 1 bag of Fuchsia Color Loose Sequins with Silver Back – 6mm
- 1 bag of Pink Color Loose Sequins with Silver Back – 6mm
- 1 of Skip to the end of the images gallery Skip to the beginning of the images gallery Returnable Yes Reorderable Yes – Reorderable Designer/Brand Dritz Shipping Info View HereLess Info Dritz Heavy Duty Nickel Snaps Size 24-5/8″ – 7ct
- 1 spool of 10 Black 1000m Gutermann Sew All Thread
- MDF083 – THE ASH PANTS (free download below!)
- MDF168 – THE JANET COSPLAY (free download below!)
Alternative Recommended Fabrics:
- Denim
All seam allowances are 1/2″ unless otherwise stated. See chart below for sizing specifications. Note, this specific pattern is available up to a size 30.
Just ask anyone who walked into the Sewciety Studio – these photos were always on the screen of my phone and computer. I wanted to get it just right, while also remaining realistic. Due to time and logistics, it couldn’t be exactly the same – all the stars on the original costume appeared to be laser or die-cut, and then ironed on. Wanting to use materials readily available on MoodFabrics.com, I chose to glue on sequins and metallic tyvek-cut stars instead. It felt appropriate, dare I say, better? Because sparkles make everything better! It felt like a Barbie approved decision. Due to time constraints, I didn’t have the time to decorate the back of the vest and bell-bottoms with stars, but I still added the western style top stitching!
One detail that was of the utmost importance to me was the fit. The original costume fit Margot Robbie perfectly. To achieve this kind of fit, it’s less about “pattern hacking” and more about using Brittany’s current measurements, measuring the pattern pieces, sewing a muslin, and making good alterations. If you take a look at the original Ash Pants pattern, which Brittany conveniently also wore, there’s a lot of ease. Unfortunately we don’t have finished garment measurements for our older patterns, so I measured the pattern’s hips, waist, thighs, and knees, subtracted the total seam allowance, and chose the size based on that. I did the same with the Janet Vest.
I made the following adjustments to the pants:
- Altered the fit, for a more form-fitting look
- Lowered the top edge of the waistband, so it angles down towards the CF
- Added the lace-up front
- Lengthened the hem by 3”
- Added flairs from the knees to the hem
I made the following adjustments to the vest:
- Cropped the length at the waist
- Omitted the welted pockets
- Added mini pockets
- Omitted the lapels
- Adjusted the neckline, for more of a “u” neck shape
- Added top stitching details on the front and back
How to draft the lace-up front on the pants:
1. On the Pant Front Inner Side, mark 1” from the top edge, at the CF.
2. Redraw the top edge on the Pant Front Inner & Outer pieces, so it tapers from the side seam to the 1” mark from step 1.
3. Take the updated Pant Front Inner Side piece, and mark 5” down from the CF. This will be where the bottom of the lace-up point sits.
4. Mark 1” in from the pant’s CF, along the top edge.
5. Draw a diagonal line connecting the two marks. Curve it slightly near the bottom, for a “u” shape.
6. Make the lace-up facing. Simply trace over the lace-up section you just created, and make it about 1.5” in width. Cut the fabric on the fold, and repeat with a piece of fusible interfacing.
How to draft the bellbottoms:
1. If you need to add or subtract length to the pants, do so now.
2. From the bottom hem of the Pant Front Inner Side, mark 2” out from the inner side. Draw a slanted line from there to the knee of the pant. Repeat with the Pant Front Outer Side, on its side seam.
3. Repeat with the back pieces, adding the width to the side and inner seams of the pant legs, not the center seams.
How to sew the lace-up front:
1. Sew the Pant Front Inner & Outer pieces together, and sew the front rise together, until you reach the lace-up section. Topstitch the rise.
2. Sew the lace-up facing to the pants, right sides together. Trim the SA, clip the corner, and flip the facing to the inside of the pants. Press, and topstitch the center leg seams.
3. Sew the back pants to the side back pants, along the center seam. Topstitch the center leg seam.
4. Place the large stars just below the waistband seam allowance, lining up the center of each star to the center back leg seam.
Note: For a clean finish, I used double sided fusible adhesive to attach the tyvek material to a square of pink twill. Then I cut out the stars!
5. Use a small length zig-zag stitch to applique the stars on. Trim any excess star material.
6. Continue sewing the back pants together, as originally instructed here. Be sure to leave the left side open enough to sew in the zipper later.
7. Start sewing the waistband pieces together. Since we’ve got a side zipper and a faux lace-up front, we’ll have to do this in sections:
- Right Front to Back
- Left Front
8. Sew the Right Front to Back. Repeat on the inner pieces.
9. Sew the inner and outer together along the top edge.
10. Repeat step 6 with the Left Front pieces.
11. Right sides together, pin and sew the outer Right Front & Back Waistband the right front and back of the pants. Make sure the side seams are aligned. Trim the SA and press towards the waistband.
12. Repeat step 4 with the Left Front Waistband, then sew to the left front pant as you did in step 8.
13. Before you press the waistband pieces right side out, sew along the front edge to close up each end. Trim the SA, clip the corners, and turn right side out. Press.
14. Press the bottom edge of your inner waistband pieces under ½”, so the raw edge is hidden.
15. Sew your invisible zipper into your pants and waistband.
16. Stitch in the ditch the folded edge of the inner waistband.
17. Mark the placement of your eyelets, evenly spacing them from the waistband to about ¼” from the bottom of the u-shape opening. Place the eyelets beside the topstitching, opposite of the opening.
18. Install the eyelets.
How to draft and attach the lace-up inner panel:
1. Use the lace-up facing piece, and trace the inner u-shape onto a piece of paper. Add 1.5” of height at the top, extending the angled line. Add a ½” seam allowance.
2. Extend the fold line, so it reaches all the way to the top edge. This will be the panel that goes beneath the laces. Cut 1 of your main fabric, on the fold. Depending on your fabric, you may find that you need to also cut 1 of fusible interfacing too.
3. Fold and press the side and bottom edges of the panel, right sides together, by ½”.
4. Double fold and press ½” of the upper edge of the panel in the opposite direction, so it’s folding onto the wrong side of the fabric. Stitch the folded top edge.
5. Lace up the pants.
6. Pin the panel to the inside of the pants, so the folded raw edges are against the wrong side of the pants.
7. Sew it to the inside of the pants, on top of the panel’s folded edges. From the outside, the eyelets should now appear to have a row of stitching on either side.
How to alter the Janet Vest:
1. On the back of the vest, mark the CB waistline. From there, mark 1” up. Draw a slightly curved line from the 1” mark to the side waist.
2. On the inner seam of the side front, mark ½”. From the outer waist, draw a slightly curved line to the ½” mark.
3. On the front vest, mark 1” down from the inner waist. Draw a slightly curved line.
4. Draw a diagonal line from the front vest’s inner shoulder to the CF, and cut off the lapel.
5. From that line, draw a curve at the CF.
6. Sew the outer vest. Repeat with the lining layer, then sew both layers together.
7. Once your vest is assembled, topstitch all edges with 2 rows of stitches,
8. Mark a diagonal line from the CF to about halfway up the front armscye. Topstitch.
9. Add decorative topstitching along the back of the vest. I stitched it freehand, but feel free to draw it out ahead of time!
10. Cut out two pockets, and sew a row of basting stitches along the bottom curved edge. Pull the stitches to create a nice curved hem, and press. Press the top edge down, and stitch.
11. Line up the pockets to the center bust seam, and sew onto the vest. Use two rows of topstitching.
12. Sew a star to each top pocket corner, and trim away any excess star material.
13. Add your snaps or buttons.
14. Embellish your bell-bottoms with various size stars and wavy lines, gluing on sequins, tyvek, or whatever else you might have on hand!
