The Mattel Barbie doll, who is celebrating her 55th birthday in 2014, is often criticized for promoting unrealistic body proportions. Parents have raised concerns about the message Barbie sends to young girls about body image, but so far none of the major toy companies have come out with a real alternative. That’s why artist and researcher Nickolay Lamm decided to take matters into his own hands. He made the news last year when he compared Barbie with a 3D model of a doll based on the CDC measurements of an average 19-year old woman. At the time he told The Huffington Post:

“If we criticize skinny models, we should at least be open to the possibility that Barbie may negatively influence young girls as well. Furthermore, a realistically proportioned Barbie actually looks pretty good. If there’s even a small chance of Barbie in its present form negatively influencing girls, and if Barbie looks good as an average-sized woman in America, what’s stopping Mattel from making one?”

The images went viral, and many people enquired where they could buy “normal Barbie”. So, Lamm took the plunge and launched a fundraising website to begin production on the “Lammily” doll last week. The brown-haired doll has a more realistic body shape, wears minimal makeup, promotes a healthy lifestyle and can wear sneakers and sensible heels. The artist hoped to raise $95.000 to start production. Instead, after only 24 hours, $150.000 had come in. The counter is currently at over $375.000, with 25 days left to go.

A detailed 3D digital prototype wearing a blue shirt with ombré effect, denim shorts and white sneakers has been created — Lamm’s cousin helped him come up with the outfit design. Robert Rambeau, former Vice President of manufacturing at Mattel, took on a consulting role in the project and is helping the designer to select the right manufacturer. All extra money will be reinvested back into the project. With the explanation behind the “Average is beautiful” slogan, the Lammily doll is bound to win over plenty more hearts:

“Has there ever been a non-beautiful average sunset? Who you are, that is beautiful. We need to rethink our perception of ‘average’. It doesn’t signify mediocrity, but rather it challenges us to think more deeply. Average includes us all. And all of us are beautiful.”

What do you think of the Lammily doll? Would you consider investing in crowdfunding initiatives that promote positive body image?

Many on trend shoes for Spring and Summer cover the entire foot, are high in the vamp, and look best worn sans socks. I’m referring to styles like shooties, oxfords, loafers, slip-on sneakers, and slipper flats. Yes, I know that wearing closed shoes with bare feet can be uncomfortable, but there are ways of keeping your feet happy in order to sport the fashionable look. 

Here’s how: 

1. Choose shoes in soft leather with a cushioning footbed: This makes a world of difference right away. Hard shoes are very unforgiving and create blisters. Add a cushioning insole to enhance comfort even further. 
2. Wear a footie: They’re also known as “no show socks” or “liner socks”. They work particularly well on a high volume foot that gives the sock something to hold on to. 
3. Wear flesh toned knee-highs with jeans and trousers: These create the illusion of bare feet and ankles, but keep you warm and comfortable. 
4. Wear nude hose with skirts and dresses: Make sure you’ve chosen a colour that is close to your skin tone. Again, this option is warm as well as comfortable. It is NOT frumpy to wear nude hose. 
5. Use Bodyglide: I’ve mentioned Bodyglide before. It is an anti-chafing balm that works fantastically well on your feet. Rub it on the areas of the feet that are prone to blistering to prevent chafing. Don’t rub Bodyglide onto the underside of your feet though. You’ll slip in your shoes and fall like I did.

You can combine some of these tricks for extra comfort, like wearing soft leather shoes with a footie and using Bodyglide. 

I don’t wear footies because they slip off my low volume feet while I’m walking, which drives me bananas. I do choose soft shoes and add a cushioning insole. I wear nude hose and knee-highs, to combat the cold more than anything else. And I’ll use Bodyglide when I’m going to be on my feet for many hours. 

I have very fussy feet and like to walk a lot, so I will not compromise on comfort. But I love the look of closed Spring and Summers shoes without socks. Trust me. These tricks are worth a try.

As I mentioned in a recent Spring footwear report, slip-on sneakers are very much on trend. They’re like a more casual and sporty version of a loafer or laceless flat oxford. They work well with orthotic inserts or an additional cushioning insole, so they can be extra kind to your feet. 

Slip-on sneakers are available in leather, pleather or canvas. Solid or patterned. Studded, textured, metallic or smooth. Most of the toe-boxes are round, but some have a pointy toe and the occasional metal toe cap. The soles are usually a little chunky and a shade of white, but styles with black soles do exist. Slip-on sneakers are also available with platform heels, much like the flatforms some of us wore back in the ‘90s. 

I love the way slip-on sneakers have been styled in the outfits below, all sans socks. They are excellent with boyfriend jeans, especially with styles that are cropped a little shorter. They look great with slouchy cargo pocket pants and khakis that are rolled at the hem. I love them with shorts, skinnies and straight legs. They also look super cute with a shorter skirt. 

Slip-on sneakers can look stumpy and dumpy because they are flat and high vamped. Yet there are ways to create a longer leg line with the style:

• Create a low contrast between your skin tone and the sneaker when sporting them with bare legs. 
• Wear them in a colour that is low contrast, or self-colour, to regular length skinnies and tapered trousers. 
• Shorten the hemline of skirts and dresses.
• Wear them with a column of colour. 
• Partially tuck your top to create structure.
• Or just wear them, and don’t be overly concerned with the effect they have on your leg line.

The examples here are all high-end, but slip-on sneakers like Vans are available at a fraction of the price and do a great job of creating the look. 

I like the slip-on sneaker, and want to add one to my wardrobe for Summer. They look wonderfully crisp, simple, comfortable and practical. No laces and no fuss. Plus I adore the big white sole. I’m not yet sure about the colour, but I’m thinking along the lines of white, a pastel, a metallic, or possibly a pattern in black and white. I’ll also be encouraging my clients who lead a casual lifestyle to explore the trend. They are a great option for Mums on the go, or for travelling, or any situation where you need to throw them on at the speed of light. Plus they can create an interesting juxtaposition when worn with dressier outfit pieces.

Over to you. What do you think of slip-on sneakers? Will you be wearing them?

Brooklyn gets its own Fashion Week, Suzy Menkes leaves The International New York Times, Prada is taking over Harrods in May, and more style news from around the world.

• Suzy Menkes, who was Style Editor of The International New York Times for 25 years, has been named International Vogue Editor at Condé Nast International. 
• If you’re in Paris this month, then pop by the “Coming Into Fashion, a Century of Photography at Condé Nast” exhibition.
• May will be Prada month at Harrods, with an exhibition and a capsule collection created especially for the iconic British department store.
• As we mentioned in yesterday’s Link Love, our vote for the most creative fashion show goes to Chanel with Mr. Lagerfeld’s supermarket concept.
• This one’s for the fans of simple graphic tees: Pharrell Williams is launching a limited edition collection with Uniqlo.
• Brooklyn is launching its own Fashion Week. The first edition kicks off on March, 13th with eco-friendly collections.
• If you loved the Orla Kiely for Clarks Summer 2014 collection, then you’re in for a treat again come Fall.
• A Goldman Sachs report predicts that “high-rise pants are emerging as the apparel product of the decade“.
• H&M is catering to the brides-to-be on a budget with a Grecian-style wedding gown that retails for £59.99 (about $100).
• Here’s a fun sneak peek of Amy Poehler starring in a series of upcoming Old Navy commercials. 

Fun Fashion Fact

Nowadays fashion plates are collectibles, but from the late 1700s to about 200 years later these illustrations were distributed via women’s periodicals to illustrate the popular styles, fabrics and embellishments of the time.