Toni's Vintage Trips: The Altered (Vintage) Barbie Fashion Experience in SF

Sunday, November 17, 2013

The Altered (Vintage) Barbie Fashion Experience in SF

Most of you don't know, but I am a Barbie collector. One of my friends, Paul, has been trying for years to get me to see the Altered Barbie Exhibit in the Mission District in San Francisco. It is now in it's 11th year. The show started on November 1st and had its final artists reception today.

I saw the show on Thursday evening. I had no idea what to expect, but knew it would be very interesting. It was at Shotwell 50 Gallery (50 Shotwell St., San Francisco, CA). I went to the show with Paul and Kat. The gallery was in a neighborhood not too far from the 16th St. bart station, so we got there by public transportation. Shotwell 50 Gallery was a little hard to find, but once we got there, we had a fabulous time. The first thing we were offered was a glass of champagne. The gallery was spacious and everywhere there were Barbies transformed. Of course, I loved it. And we met people from Tea Roots, a local magazine, that were fun to talk to. Everything at the exhibit was for sale and one sculpture, "Vagina Barbie" was sold while we were there. It's new owner had been eyeing it for three years and finally made the plunge. It was a happy moment.

After spending a few hours at the Altered Barbie Exhibit, the three of us had a great pizza experience at a nearby restaurant, Little Star, on 15th and Valencia. Enjoy the show!