Minnie Mouse 'makeover' features designer dress

Minnie Mouse 'makeover': The new dress was unveiled at a catwalk show in Disneyland Paris on Saturday evening.

|
Thibault Camus/AP
Minnie wears a dress by Lanvin fashion house and designed by Alber Elbaz, at the Eurodisney Parc, in Marne la Vallee, east of Paris, March 23. Forever-young Minnie Mouse has decided it’s time to grow up and move on from her old red and white polka dots, with the new dress designed by Lanvin with a more mature royal blue frock, unveiled in Disneyland Paris, Saturday evening, to be worn at all special Paris celebrations and events from now on.

Forever-young Minnie Mouse is growing up and moving on from her old red and white polka dots.

Lanvin has designed the loveable Disney rodent a new dress — a more mature frock in royal blue and long sleeves that she can wear at special Paris events.

It was unveiled at a catwalk show in Disneyland Paris on Saturday evening.

Gone was the oversized hair bow that has been the signature of the character since she was created in 1928. In its place, the catwalk presentation showcased a smaller-sized red tiara alongside a thick, bejeweled hourglass gown with padded shoulders.

"Walt Disney was the one that actually designed Minnie. It's the first time an actual designer has come into the picture and designed a dress for her," Lanvin's designer Alber Elbaz told The Associated Press following the show.

"It was a great challenge and responsibility to do. I just wanted her to shine... I wanted to give her a crown in red, and the dress in blue, (a signature) for Lanvin."

The dress got applause from the celebrity-filled front row including actress Virginie Ledoyen and model Natalia Vodianova.

But the more mature look — which also did away with her famed white bloomers — didn't impress everyone.

"It's definitely more mature. It looks a bit mother of the bride," said spectator Matthew Gallagher. "I preferred the polka dots."

Traditionalists will be pleased to know that Disney says Minnie will be allowed to keep her red and white look for normal events.

Minnie has also kept her full hourglass figure. Last October, images destined for Barneys New York shop window were criticized after Minnie became a long, lean high-fashion model.

Dubbed "skinny Minnie" the short film featured the mouse-fatale in a hot-pink, ruffle covered Lanvin dress — with longer legs, leaner arms and daintier gloved hands.

"We're not here to transform people," said Elbaz. "We love her the way she is."

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Minnie Mouse 'makeover' features designer dress
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2013/0325/Minnie-Mouse-makeover-features-designer-dress
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe