Spoilers ahead for the Barbie movie!
In one of the final scenes of Barbie, Margot Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie is grappling with a choice: to stay in Barbieland or become a real human.
She decides to leave—while wearing a custom pale yellow dress that has a deeper meaning. The dress Barbie wears is meant to represent change, Barbie‘s costume designer Jacqueline Durran explains. “The Barbies have gone through all of that stuff and they’re now the most fulfilled versions of themselves,” Jacqueline tells Variety. “And that sets the scene for what’s happening to Margot’s Barbie as she’s becoming human.”
She adds, “I was keen to track the history of Mattel in the costumes. I asked them what was the most popular costume in the last 5 to 10 years. It turns out it’s a yellow dress. I was going to copy that dress, but it wouldn’t really be recognizable enough.”
The yellow Jacqueline picked was intentional, to contrast the bright pinks of earlier outfits. “We wanted a soft yellow and wanted it to have less pop. So, we printed that yellow onto white silk, and because of the cut, it clings to the body,” she explains about the dress. “That’s not really a Barbie characteristic — the Barbie characteristic is to be cut straight and to create a shape that falls away from the body.”
And, the outfit is finished with a delicate Missoma heart pendant. Jacqueline says this is intentional, too: “Earlier in the film, she has heart accessories that she wears in the block party, and she has huge heart earrings, but there’s something about that locket and scale that makes it more human.”
Though Robbie’s yellow dress in Barbie was custom, here are some similar dresses you can shop now:
Rixo Clarissa Jacquard Starfish Midi-Dress
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Anthropologie Katerina Button-Front Mini Dress
ASOS Short sleeve V-neck chiffon mini dress
Saloni Lea Floral Button-Front Midi Dress
Joanie Short Sleeve Maxi Dress
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Chelsea28 Flutter Sleeve Plissé Midi Dress in Yellow Citron
Emily Burack (she/her) is the news writer for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.