Photo: @wwd on Twitter

Over the last 57 years, Mattel’s iconic fashion doll is now getting its own permanent exhibition where our favourite childhood toy will be on display. The “Barbie Expo,” which launched On February 11, is boasted as the world’s largest permanent exhibition of haute couture Barbie dolls showcased in Montreal’s Les Cours Mont-Royal shopping centre.

The exhibit features more than a thousand different versions of Barbie dolls dressed in high-fashion couture from renowned designers such as Oscar de la Renta, Vera Wang, Versace, Givenchy, Christian Dior, Giorgio Armani and Herve Leger.

The expo also recreates classic Hollywood film styles dressing the dolls in outfits inspired by movie icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Marilyn Monroe, while also taking fashion cues from timeless blockbuster films such as The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind and Titanic and even more current ones such as The Hunger Games and Legally Blonde.

“It took two years to pull all this together. But we wanted to do something different that would celebrate the history of haute couture fashion and reflect the high-end environment at Les Cours Mont-Royal,” Valerie Law, vice president of marketing and communications at Soltron Group, says in an interview with WWD. In creating the exhibit, several dolls were drawn from personal collections as well as donated from around the world, while some were specifically made for the show.

Photo: influencercanada on Instagram 

“All these outfits are dripping with beautiful gem work, wonderfully rich beading and painstaking embroidery,” says curator Gilanna Giobbi in an interview with WWD. From intricate jewel embellishments to flouncy, ruffled dresses and a Beyoncé metallic, breast-plated bodice, these are just some of the fun and modern styles viewers can expect to see at the exhibit.

For culture enthusiasts and fashion lovers looking to see this extravagant display of Barbie dolls, admission to the “Barbie Expo” is free with donations going to the Make-A-Wish Québec.