Whether you played dress-up with her, or hacked off all of her hair and scribbled on her face, the iconic Barbie has a special place in the toy chest of any child. And today, she turns 56 years old—or young. This doll is no slouch, either: In all her immaculately attired years, the sheeny Mattel mannequin has had quite the career path, ranging from doctor and yoga instructor to more ambiguous turns as a movie star and as a business executive; she’s even done a stint as a NASCAR driver. To match that ever-changing lifestyle, Barbie’s worn a rather transformative wardrobe in her five-plus decades. One minute she was en route to the beach in a sixties-esque striped one-piece and bouffant-style bangs; and then, three ageless decades later, the nineties found her in a state of high-octane luxe, headed to meet Ken in a silhouette-skimming red dress complete with a fur capelet and pin-straight hair.
Regardless of her ensemble, the immortalized plaything's wardrobe suited her evolving role and embodied the fashion of the era. Sure, she may be made of plastic, but Barbie's closet has always been very much alive. Here, see eight of her classic looks that you can shop and wear—you don't even need to live in a Dream House to get them.
