#Designer Spotlight

[barbielore]

The hot news out of Mattel is that Bill Greening has announced that he has left the Dreamhouse. His Instagram post is worded slightly ambiguously, so it is not clear whether he was part of the recent wave of layoffs or if he chose to leave after seeing the fallout, but either way, it is official: he is no longer a part of Team Mattel.

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A post shared by Bill Greening (@billgreening)

For those who don't recognise Greening by name, he was the Lead Designer for Barbie Signature, meaning he had a hand in the design of the vast majority of collectibles from the last several years.

As well as a number of collectibles and one of a kind dolls from over the years - in his post announcing his departure from Mattel, he acknowledged that he had been working with them on the Barbie brand for the past 26 years.

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A post shared by Bill Greening (@billgreening)

According to an article on the CSULB website, his early work with Mattel included playline dolls such as Cool Clips Barbie before moving onwards and upwards into the Signatures line.

And in addition to being Lead Designer for Barbie Signature, he also held the title of Brand Historian - i.e. the person who fact-checks things about Barbie lore for media like the animated canon or the 2023 Barbie film.

Mattel, if you need someone to take on Greening's role as Brand Historian, I am not available, but thank you for asking.

While on the subject of Bill Greening, I must mention my personal favourite Greening dolls. (Not that I can say this with any confidence; by the time this post comes out of my queue, I'll be in a different mood and I'll suddenly think a different Greening Barbie is my favourite.)

But for right now, in this moment, it's Jazz Baby Cabaret Barbie.

Farewell, Bill. We'll miss you.

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A post shared by Bill Greening (@billgreening)

[toyastales]

emilio pucci dragon wedge sandals ss13

[katelynjeanette]

1952-1962 Balenciaga

[transport-methodology-101]

Secret Classic(shhh!) too many.

The design house Vignale only produced 12 examples of the Fiat 1100-103 with a racy coupé body. This was designed by Giovanni Michelotti and given the beautiful nickname 'Charmant'.

[fastenoffyal]

Designer Spotlight: Sarah Dawn's Designs

Sarah Dawn (@sarahdawnsdesigns) is a knit and crochet designer specializing in inclusive and accessible designs! Her portfolio boasts a wealth of beautifully textured accessories from shawls to socks to hats.

Pictured above is her Marianna Shawl, a stunning knit shawl loaded with lace. It's knit flat in the round from the center out, and comes with both written and charted instructions. The open texture and giant size make it a perfect transitional piece!

[adepticarus]

End of the week Spotlight!

It's time for a special designer highlight! Drew Gerken has been a part of every Arium-related book over the past five years, earning him multiple ENnie noms! He's always surprising me (sometimes shocking me) with ideas I didn't expect. Arium wouldn't exist without Drew. Keep an eye out for more of his ideas in Arium: Evolve!

[barbiesince59]

Designer Spotlight: Heather Fonseca - 2003

[defendingtheduchesses]

Items from Marchesa that Meghan and Kate have carried/worn

[camiliar]

CALI MIKU

[barbielore]

It feels timely to talk about Kitty Black Perkins.

Louvenia "Kitty" Black Perkins is an American fashion designer who has done a great deal of work on Barbie over the years. Probably her standout achievement in her work for the brand is 1980's Black Barbie, the first time Barbie herself (rather than a friend or family member) was portrayed as a woman of colour.

She also had a major part in the Shani and Friends line, an attempt by Mattel to produce a line of dolls who were not just women of colour, but who were a group of Black women portrayed with Afrocentric features.

But Perkins' legacy with Mattel goes deeper than that. As a lead designer, a 1991 Los Angeles Times article cites that she was at one point responsible for about 20% of Barbie's wardrobe designs.

This year, in 2025, Mattel have released a signature collectible replica of the original Black Barbie modelled on the original design by Perkins. The replica is credited as co-designed by Bill Greening.

A part of me wishes that they had gone with a design a little truer to the original design by Perkins; but I do like that they have chosen a very dark skin tone for this Barbie.

[citree]

Trying to come up with a custom twin Hawke design I care about when I always just default to their general designs

[katelynjeanette]

Christian Dior 1947-57

[transport-methodology-101]

Fiat 124 Sport Coupe, Series 3, 1974.

The 1974 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe is part of the third series, known as the Type 124 CC. Specifically, the 1974 model is designated as CC1 and features a 1756 cc engine:- https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15142114/fiat-124-sport-coupe-archived-instrumented-test/ From the Archive: 1974 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe Tested

[fastenoffyal]

Designer Spotlight: Lene Olszeth

Lene is a librarian and crafter from Bergen, Norway. She designs knitted accessories, mostly with stranded colourwork. Some are inspired by the video games or spooky aesthetic she enjoys.

Their Felwood Socks… Have. It. All! Colourwork, fantastic design elements on the leg, sole, instep, and everywhere; and an amazing homage to the zone of the same name in World of Warcraft. Plus these socks are knit in sport weight yarn, so you can wear a corrupted forest of tainted creatures on your feet sooner than later.

[adepticarus]

It's Hype Friday, where we talk about our cool people in the TTRPG industry. 🎉 It's time for a designer highlight! Asha Ence is the co-creator of the Arium RPG, earning multiple ENnie nominations. Outside of Adept Icarus, she's a seasoned professional. A veteran panelist, game demo and sales contractor, not to mention a professional GM, Asha is the true jack of all trades. ✨