Dolled up for Barbie launch

COSTA MESA — When high school girls across America were lounging at home in casual clothes Saturday, Isabelle Platt was busy being a doll.

The 16-year-old Mission Viejo resident, a student at Santa Margarita Catholic High School, lingered in South Coast Plaza for two hours wearing a denim jacket and a pleated pink skirt. Her face was covered in thick makeup with dark liner around her eyes. Under her left arm, she ported a designer purse; her feet slanted on a pair of high heels. Around the store were dozens of tiny, $34.95 versions of her.

Saturday was the official launch of Dooney & Bourke Barbie doll, and Isabelle, a model for Teen Vogue magazine, played Barbie. At the mall’s Dooney & Bourke outlet, Isabelle posed for photographs with dozens of girls who had ventured from all over the Southland to get their hands on the new model.

Was it comfortable being the image of feminine perfection?

“Except for the shoes,” Isabelle said, nodding toward her Mt. Everest-high heels. “They’re not as bad as they could be though.”

The Dooney & Bourke Barbie, whose look is described by official publicity as “a hip bohemian ensemble,” is the latest designer doll in the popular Mattel line. The South Coast Plaza event marked the first time the dolls were available, and customers packed the store for those hectic two hours on Saturday.

By the front window of the store, Mattel designer Sharon Zuckerman, who created the new doll, signed autographs.

Ashley Sells, 14, of Whittier, was among the girls who stood in line to purchase the doll. She said she owned a few Barbies at home but mainly came because she was a fan of Dooney & Bourke.