Fashion Week FW09: Barbie's 50th Anniversary Show By Kim Crow

New York Fashion Week is no stranger to divas. Yet on Saturday afternoon, it played host to the biggest diva of all. Or at least the most plastic.

Barbie, that icon of girlhood everywhere, celebrated her 50th birthday in suitably glamorous style. Forget Marc Jacobs, too bad Zac Posen -- this was the show to see, if the 1,000-person crush of breathless fans crowded into the tents at Bryant Park was any indication.
In fact, the only reason your style editor made it past the pink velvet ropes, after waiting in line for 60 minutes, is that one of the security guards was a Cleveland homeboy who recognized one of his own.
Inside, the daughters of the fashion elite, plus a few drag queens for good measure. We imagine quite a few mothers had some 'splaining to do later -- squeezed in to enjoy a 50-designer runway tribute to Barbie's varying looks over the decades.

Most of the big names in American fashion were represented here -- Vera Wang, Michael Kors, Calvin Klein Collection, Donna Karan -- and lesser-known designers got into the act, too, including standouts from Peter Som, Nanette Lepore and Yeohlee.
Associated PressDesigner Naeem Khan understands that Barbie -- and the girls who love her -- adore sparkles.

These slender, real-life models didn't exactly share Barbie's infamous proportions, but through the magic of hair and makeup, most channeled Barbie's 'dos over the years, from her bouffants of the '50s, the swinging ponytails of the 70s, and best of all, the big hair of the '80s. (Original) Photos by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images North America