Celebrating Barbie as a fashion icon

Washington: The Council of Fashion Designers of America will follow up those prestigious honorees of its Board of Directors’ Tribute Award with the ever-evolving doll. The council said in a statement Thursday the idea is to celebrate Barbie as a fashion icon, coinciding with her 60th anniversary.

The council’s president, Steve Kolb, says Barbie has had a “wide influence on American fashion and culture.” A human, presumably, will pick up the award at a June 3 ceremony.

In addition to Steinem, Richards and Obama, other past honorees include Tom Ford, Janelle Monae and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Among Barbie’s fashion collaborators: Oscar de la Renta and Jeremy Scott. Diane von Furstenberg, Bob Mackie and Vera Wang have made special Barbies.