Trend Watch: Barbiecore

How Color Can Supercharge Resale Value

We are having a pink moment. Everywhere I look, I see pink. Specifically, bright, saturated, cheery pink. Pink that kind of makes my eyes hurt. It’s monochromatic maximalism and it’s called Barbiecore.

Barbiecore has raked in 17.8 million views on TikTok, inspired grown women to dress like Elle Woods, and sparked a rush for all-things-pink like I’ve never seen before. At fashion marketplace ShopStyle, searches for pink pencil skirts are up 66%, pink dresses up 44%, pink bikinis up 35% and pink suits up 31% over usual rates.

This pink moment for handbags arguably began in 2021, with the arrival of Chanel’s 21c and 21s classic bags in light pink shades that everyone wanted and no one could find, which sold on the secondary market for 2X their retail prices. Over the last few seasons, however, the color has grown up, evolving from innocent baby pinks to… whatever is the opposite of innocent.

IMO, standout Barbiecore styles include the above Balenciaga Hourglass XS in bright pink shiny crocodile embossed calfskin, Chanel Small Flap in dark pink lambskin & gold-tone metal, Givenchy Mini Antigona in neon pink grained leather, Versace La Medusa Wallet On Chain in fuchsia grained leather & oro metal, and this Hermès Kelly 20cm II Sellier in rose shocking matte alligator leather which can be yours for just under $100,000 once you throw in taxes. That is nearly double the price of recently sold blue, green, and black versions of this exact Hermès bag.

While Hermès Rose Shocking currently commands outsized resale prices, the French fashion house has a slate of other Barbiecore-friendly colors as well. The below are my favorite pinks from Hermès spring/summer 2022 lineup:

Not many owners may be ready to part with their prized pink bags, but those who are stand to make a 200%(ish) return on their investment. That’s not too bad considering the U.S. GDP just dropped for the second quarter in a row and the stock market is down 21%.

I can hear Maggie Prescott, the fictional editor-in-chief of Quality magazine — a character inspired by Diana Vreeland — singing “Think Pink” from the movie Funny Face. (Don’t know that one? Let’s fix that immediately.)

Barbiecore’s impact on the handbag resale market is a striking example of how color can cause the value of luxury goods to skyrocket, even when other conditions (like, umm, the economy) are in decline. Now, more than ever, I want to be Barbie. That b**** really does have everything, including a solid investment portfolio.